Play Suggestions: Small cast straight play

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Small cast straight play

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5379
Printed Date: 10/31/25 at 4:11am
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Topic: Small cast straight play

Posted By: Rorgg
Subject: Small cast straight play
Date Posted: 9/11/12 at 3:04pm

So, my wife and I managed to perform "First Night," a cute 2-person romantic comedy at a church last winter, and they liked it so much, they had us come back and do something this summer. We got a third and did "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged]" to more good reception, and they're already talking about bringing us back in for another go-around, probably next year. Here are the parameters:

* Needs to be a small cast. At least 1m+1f, up to 5 or so, not much more than that.

* Comedy or drama is okay

* Should be reasonably church-appropriate. Shakespeare [abridged] had some "PG-13" humour and language. Not past that (it's a UCC, they're fairly liberal).

* Should be cheap to produce. Not much set background needed, preferably easy on props and costumes (we were able to borrow for S(A) from a prior production). We don't charge admission -- just have a donation plate in the lobby, and that's held up okay, we'd like to keep it that way.

* Doesn't require much if any crew (we tend to handle it all ourselves).

* Doesn't require a lot of stage space.

Replies:

Posted By: sarahchristine
Date Posted: 9/11/12 at 8:23pm

I know that The Glass Menagerie has four characters, but I'm not sure how it is in terms of appropriateness or set.

Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 9/12/12 at 5:30pm

"Talley's Folly" by Lanford Wilson; Comedy-Drama - 1m, 1f

"A Walk in the Woods" by Lee Blessing; Dramatic Comedy - 2m
(I have seen the show produced with the younger man played by a woman, and it worked)

"Visiting Mr. Green" by Jeff Baron; Heart-warming Comedy-Drama - 2m

"Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" by Frank McGuinness; Drama -3m

"Scotland Road" by Jeffrey Hatcher; Mystery-Fantasy-Drama - 1m, 3f

"Love in the Title" by Hugh Leonard; Comedy-Drama - 3f

"Mary, Mary" by Jean Kerr; Comedy - 2m, 2f, 1 either

"Love Letters" by A.R. Gurney; Drama - 1m, 1f

"Faith Healer" by Brian Friel; Drama with Comic moments - 2m, 1f

"Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)
by Michael Carlton, Jim Fitzgerald and John K. Alvarez - 3 actors
(Sort of a holiday version of 'Shakespeare, Abridged')

"Art" by Yasmina Reza; Comedy - 3m
(one or two "f-bombs", but they could be excised)

All are excellent.

Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 9/12/12 at 6:07pm

2 more:

"A Picasso" by Jeffrey Hatcher; Drama - 1m, 1f

"Shooting Star" by Steven Dietz; Comedy-Drama - 1m, 1f

Posted By: directorjm
Date Posted: 9/14/12 at 2:45pm

I also found "Talley's Folly" to be excellent. When I saw it an excellent set added greatly to it. I'm not sure I would have been so in love with it with minimal sets.

"Sea Marks" is a nice 1M-1F love story that I saw with very minimal sets and enjoyed. A nice show for a married couple to perform.

I loved "Art" but found it to be more like an R rating and my recollection is that it was loaded with profanity. Plus, didn't Rorgg ask for at least one female?

Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 9/14/12 at 4:57pm

Yes, he did. I'm afraid I just got carried away with my list of favorite small cast shows and totally forgot about the "at least one female" requirement.

Still, if she decides she'd like to sit one out, or just wear the director's hat, they could still be useful to know about.

You're certainly right, "Talley's Folly" is enhanced by a realistically elaborate set; but such a set is far from necessary. (IMHO)

Posted By: Rorgg
Date Posted: 9/18/12 at 1:03pm

Great, nice list to start from, I'll get on the ball once things calm down a bit and start doing some reading. Thanks!

Posted By: jonplaywright
Date Posted: 10/01/12 at 1:46am

YouthPLAYS has a great 4-actor Great Expectations here:
http://www.youthplays.com/plays/view/83/Great_Expectations - http://www.youthplays.com/plays/view/83/Great_Expectations

Cheers,
Jon

-------------
Co-Chair, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights
Resident Playwright, Final Draft

YouthPLAYS, plays for young actors and audiences
http://www.youthplays.com - www.youthplays.com

Posted By: Oberon
Date Posted: 10/19/12 at 10:26am

You forgot GREATER TUNA.

It says it is best with just the two men playing the twenty parts both male & female. but we might stage it in 2013 with the two men splitting the male roles and a woman or two taking the female characters.

Posted By: hobbyactor
Date Posted: 10/19/12 at 12:23pm

We had a lot of fun with 'Guilty Conscience' by Richard Levinson & William Link a few years ago. Cast is 2 men and 2 women. It kept the audiences in suspense right up until the end!