How to Use a Small Cast Play in Your Drama Classroom

Many drama teachers look for large cast plays with huge ensembles so they can include every student who wants to participate. But sometimes you don’t need something that big. Maybe you have a new or fledgling drama program with only a few students. Maybe you’d like to feature your graduating seniors, or challenge your advanced acting students. Or maybe you want something to use in class where everyone analyzes the same characters. Whatever the reason, a small cast show is a necessity! 

Here are two analysis-based exercises focusing on small cast shows. These exercises can be done individually or in small groups. If you need some small cast scripts for your drama class library, Theatrefolk’s top 10 plays for small casts is a great place to start.

Small Cast Character Analysis

Have students read through the play three times. This can be done as a class or in small groups. 

• The first read is a “pleasure read.” Just read the play as a whole purely for enjoyment.
• Read the play a second time, this time recording everything that is said about your character. Also record details you find about the environment and people surrounding your character, as well as actions of other characters that affect your character.
• The third time through, write down everything your character says about others and every change your character makes to the world around them. By this time you should have a pretty good framework from which to start!

Based on these reads, there should be a wealth of character information and a number of directions students can take this knowledge:

• Have students answer text-based questions for your chosen play, give them discussion questions to discuss in small groups and share their findings with the class, and then have them create personal connections through reflection questions.
• Have students create a character relationship map. Identify how characters connect to each other. Identify friends, families, enemies, primary and secondary relationships. Use different coloured lines to connect characters depending on the type of relationship. This visual tool can really aid students’ understanding of a text. 
• Choose an image for each character and arrange them in a blank document. Have students do this activity individually and then share their findings. 
• Divide students into groups and have them create a theatrical moment based on a jumping-off point. 

Click below for a Character Analysis Lesson Plan for a small cast play!

Small Cast Producer’s Challenge

Ask your students why they think a theatre company might want to do a small cast show. Have students think like producers and brainstorm reasons why having a small cast show could be advantageous. For example, smaller cast generally means smaller budget (and with producers, it always comes down to that bottom line).

• Fewer actors to pay
• Fewer costumes required
• Less rehearsal time needed (possibly)
• Often one unit set is all that’s needed
• A more intimate and focused story
• Plenty of stage time for each performer 

Then brainstorm reasons why having a small cast could be challenging.

• Fewer roles to go around so fewer actors can be involved
• You could double cast the show so more actors could be involved but that would take more rehearsal time
• Could be more challenging to get audience members to come
• Fewer characters means more lines, which will take longer to memorize

Have students select a small cast show (or assign one for the class). Students will read the play and do a SWOT analysis illustrating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the small cast show. 

Next, have students create an estimated budget for the small cast show. It might help students to compare a small cast show budget to a large cast show budget. You might have them do an online search for production costs of theatrical productions. Broadway Tour has a great article breaking down how much it costs to put on a Broadway show. It isn’t cheap, even if the show has a small cast!

Students will present their analysis and budget to the rest of the class. Make note of common ideas that come up and look deeper into unique ideas that other students may not have thought of.

Want more acting and directing small cast play activities? Look for Part Two!