I'm back, and I'm looking for a farce
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
Forum Discription: Need help finding a show that's right for your theater? Ask here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5299
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 8:57pm
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Topic: I'm back, and I'm looking for a farce
Posted By: StaceySue
Subject: I'm back, and I'm looking for a farce
Date Posted: 4/13/12 at 11:27pm
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I'm a high school director, and I have been thinking about shows for next fall. I would like to do a farce suitable for high school, so no f-bombs, please. You guys always put me on the path that ultimately leads to my show, so I thought I would ask again. I am open to other ideas, too. I don't think I'm ready for a musical this year. Funny and heartwarming would also work. I'd like to keep the cast at 10 or fewer, but I could be persuaded to do a little larger with the right play. We've done Faith County, A Bad Year for Tomatoes, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon--one act, Christmas one-acts by Don Zolidis, and Almost, Maine. We did Almost, Maine last year, and it was well-liked by the audience. The kids enjoyed the mood of the play, if that makes sense. I just thought I would ask for some input. Thanks, you guys teach me so much! |
Replies:
Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 4/14/12 at 12:44pm
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Super old fashioned farce (early 1900's): "Charley's Aunt" (7m, 4w), by Brandon Thomas - Samuel French College chums want to spend an afternoon with their girlfriends, but they need a chaperon. They persuade another guy to pretend to be his "Aunt" from Brazil "where the nuts come from". Needless to say, complications arise. Old fashioned farce (1940's): "See How They Run" (6m, 3w), by Philip King - Samuel French "Galloping in and out of the four doors of an English Vicarage are an American actor and actress, a cockney maid who has seen too many American movies, an old maid who "touches alcohol for the first time in her life", and four men in clergyman's suits - one of whom (which one!?!!) is an escaped prisoner." Modern farce: "Love, Sex, and the IRS" (5m, 3w), by William Van Zandt & Jane Milmore - Samuel French Two guys, Jon and Leslie, are roommates. Jon does the bookkeeping. In order to save money, he has filed their income tax as "Married, Filing Jointly" with Leslie listed as Jon's wife. The IRS comes to inspect the happy "couple" (Leslie donning a "not-very-flattering" wig and dress) on the same afternoon that a mother, a fiancee, an ex-girlfriend, a nosy landlord and a suspicious clergyman all show up - each pursuing their own agenda. |
Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 4/14/12 at 12:55pm
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One more thought: "Boeing, Boeing" (1960's): Handsome playboy has three or four girlfriends - all flight attendants on different airlines. He's got their flight schedules memorized so there's no overlap in their "off" time. Then the airlines transition to jetliners instead of old fashioned prop planes, the schedules begin to overlap, and (as the TV Guide listing might say) "hilarity ensues." |
Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 4/14/12 at 7:01pm
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Funny and Heartwarming: "Somewhere In Between" by Craig Pospisil - Dramatists Play Service Written for 3m, 3w with plenty of doubling. I did it with 6m, 4w and a little doubling. Romance in the big city in ten scenes, with two people maybe finding their other half. Flexible set. Several episodes leading to the happy ending. Stuck in the Elevator with a manic nut. Coffee room talk about how to find a date. Picking up a girl in the bookstore. Riding the subway in NYC. Meeting at a party. The first date. The homeless guy at the bus stop in the rain. Misunderstandings and complications. Resolution. --- Great set pieces for "characters". Sharp and funny. Similar in mood and texture to "Almost, Maine". |
Posted By: Dramagurl214
Date Posted: 4/14/12 at 11:21pm
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Happy Birthday Dear Grandpa by Michal Jacot (Eldridge), it's about these three grand kids that live with their grandpa. Their grandpa is always telling their neighbors the three are trying to kill him for their in inheritance. (62 dollars and a postercard collection). At the b-day party grandpa falls face flat into the cake and the three realize it looks like murder, so they go through all this trouble to keep a nosy detective away from their apartment. my theatre's considering it right now along with
the Fruitcake by Dwayne. Yancy(Brooklyn/Heuer Publishing). That one was about a nutty family. That's how I perfectly describe that one. The cast for both are at max is 9 |
Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 4/14/12 at 11:36pm
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A new play of mine, "The Bold, The Young, and the Murdered" might fit your program. Here's the blurb: "The long-running soap opera The Bold and the Young is in its last days: its hunky hero has self-esteem issues, its villainous old man is more interested in soup, and its heroines are slightly psychopathic. The executive producer gives the squabbling cast an ultimatum: Complete one episode overnight or the show dies. But when the director ends up murdered, and other cast members start dropping like flies, it seems like his threat might actually come true. Can these misfits discover the murderer before the show is literally killed off?"
Cast of 13 - you can read it here online:
http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=2304 - http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=2304
If you're possibly interested in something I didn't write (sounds crazy, I know) I'd check out:
The Nerd, by Larry Shue
The Foreigner, by Larry Shue
Noises Off (quintessential hilarious play)
and maybe Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (not a farce, but very funny nonetheless) ------------- www.donzolidis.com |
Posted By: KeeKeeDee
Date Posted: 4/15/12 at 12:01am
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I really like Ken Ludwig (check spelling) and Lend Me a Tenor
OrMoonOverBuffalo |
Posted By: StaceySue
Date Posted: 4/15/12 at 12:40pm
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Wow, thanks everyone! I knew you would come through. I will do some reading. I did part of The Foreigner in forensics in high school. I think I have a book of it at school. I will read it again. It's been about 20 years. The set of Noises Off scares me a little. I will read it, though. Thanks edh915, donzolidis, dramagurl, and KeeKeeDee for the suggestions. I will take a look. I was hoping someone would give me a starting place. Please keep suggestions coming if you have them.... |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 4/16/12 at 8:16am
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The Foreigner is a fantastic show. There was some talk on either this site or another chatroom where people complained about the inclusion of the Klan in the show. People did not want them glorified. My opinion was and still is the Klan is portrayed as bumbling idiots and clearly the bad guys. It's a great show. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: Ogreking4
Date Posted: 4/18/12 at 2:48pm
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"Funny Money" by Ray Cooney is very funny (I read it and didn't think it was great, but when we put it on, it was hilarious...) .... Also "Run for Your Wife" by him is great (and it's sequel "Caught in the Net").
You might check out "Squirrel Lake" by Brian Mitchell... very good.
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Posted By: StaceySue
Date Posted: 4/22/12 at 11:59pm
Well, I received a copy of Somewhere in Between this weekend, and while it is funny, there is no way this high school group is doing a play with that much sex in the dialogue. It is funny, though.  Moon Over Buffalo is still on the way. I watched a little of Funny Money and Run for Your Wife on You Tube. I will keep searching. This is always a pretty long search for me. I just have to click with the right show that won't offend the parents. I will keep looking into your suggestions and I'm open to more input! |
Posted By: SingActDirect22
Date Posted: 4/27/12 at 2:03pm
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I find it interesting that you are seeking advice on this board. You are a high school director. Have you no degree or certification? How is it that you come here for suggestions? May I ask where you teach?
I'm not being judgmental; I'm just very intrigued by the fact that you do this as part of your job and have what appears to be a limited knowledge of the repertoire. Were I lucky enough to have your job, I would have dozens of ideas of my own going into the position. Really, I'm not being a jerk! |
Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 4/27/12 at 4:30pm
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Not to get in the middle here, but methinks using every available source of good information is a wise thing to do. I love getting good suggestions about things, and I love contribuing what little I can for others.
Keith
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Posted By: KeeKeeDee
Date Posted: 4/27/12 at 7:10pm
| I am also a high school director, and I am checking on this board constantly. There are quite a few plays that have been written since the dawn of time, from all around the globe. People often suggest plays that are new or sometimes obscure,. Who doesn't need inspiration? |
Posted By: Carol
Date Posted: 4/29/12 at 3:27pm
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Take a look at "See How They Run" - it may work really well in a high school setting. A lot of the wonderful elements of farce - without the issues of sex in the dialogue.
I did it in Community Theatre - eons ago, and it was an audience pleaser.
More male roles than female, but the female ones are a treat.
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Posted By: StaceySue
Date Posted: 5/02/12 at 7:08pm
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SingActDirect--no worries! My journey to teaching drama is not a conventional one. I did forensics in high school and had parts in my school plays. I took a few classes after high school just for fun, and had a couple of parts in a couple of community college productions, including Little Shop of Horrors and Daddy's Dyin', Whose Got the Will. Then, I foolishly fell in love and dropped out of college to get married. Fast forward a couple of years and I had an eight-month-old baby and a husband who couldn't hold a job or stay out of trouble. I decided that I had to make a life for my daughter and me, so I went back to school. About five years later, I became a language arts teacher. One school in which I applied was interested in restarting a defunct drama/speech/forensics program. I had a few speech/drama credits, and I enjoyed the activities in high school, so I told them I was willing to get the credential to teach a speech class along with language arts. So, that led to starting up a speech and debate team and directing an all-school play each year. I do whatever I can to learn more about all of this, and my school is pretty small, so they were never interested in a full-time speech/drama teacher. This year, I taught a drama class for the first time. I still teach four sections of language arts and one forensics class. Yes, I probably missed out on learning a lot about the shows that exist, and many shows I love are not going to fly in my rural, conservative area. I am always open to ideas. I also have to pull things together with just my students and current husband, so I can't get too elaborate. But, I love what I do. Often, it's a juggling act trying to keep everything afloat, but I have an awesome job! |
Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Date Posted: 5/03/12 at 10:49am
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We will be doing Let's Murder Marsha next. It is definitely a farce and very funny and clean. I think your students will love it. http://www.samuelfrench.com/store/product_info.php/products_id/1163 ------------- Barb Hofmeister, MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona. |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 5/03/12 at 1:38pm
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Stacey-Sue, You don't owe an explanation to anyone. You were looking for advise and asked an appropriate source. For other people, if you feel it is needed to say I am honestly not being a jerk, yes you are. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |