Character Study

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Scarlet Expectations of a Drowned Maiden and Two Greek Queens by Robert Wing is a fabulous theatrical gem of a comedy that allows student performers to have a ton of over-the-top fun. On today’s episode of The Dee Dee Show, legendary TV talk show host Dee Dee Dane welcomes women who just can’t seem to get it right when it comes to men. But, Dee Dee’s guests aren’t just any women. These relationship-challenged women are none other than some of literature’s most memorable characters: Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter, Ophelia from Hamlet, Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, Penelope from The Odyssey and Medea from, well, Medea. It is a farcical and funny meeting of minds that makes today’s episode very special indeed. Why did we publish this play? I love plays that take explore theatricality and there’s nothing more theatrical than to take a character from one scenario and drop them into another. The talk show format has been done before and it’s hard to do in the theatre – there’s a lot of sitting. It takes a special play and special characters to make it comes to life and Robert has done just that. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? This play started off as a “riff” during a class I was teaching. My students and I were discussing something from The Scarlet Letter (I think I’m the last teacher in the world who assigns the book) and I got off track (as usual) and starting yakking about one of my favorite female characters in literature, Miss Havisham from Great Expectations . I described her splendid decay and her gorgeously-narcissistic decision to give herself over to grief at being left at the altar – toooo fabulous for words! (If memory serves me correctly, I imitated her disheveled ambling the classroom. Ah, good times.) 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Strong women from literature and the weak men they love – next on the Dee Dee Dane show! 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? When Miss Havisham reappears after her makeover – too funny. I’m giggling just thinking about it. And the commercials! They took forever to record when my school produced it, because Duke Symanski, (the psychology teacher at my school with a beautiful, deep announcer’s voice) couldn’t stop laughing when recording the voice over. None of us in the studio could for that matter. (I wonder where that recording is…I must have it somewhere.) 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Good grief – have FUN! Don’t hold back. This play is over-the-top. No, that’s incorrect: this play is that place you get to after you go over-the-top, you know, the over-over-top-top. Oh, have fun with this one, gang – have fun! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Curiously enough, this play actually has a fair amount of instructional value. All the characters share their tales of romantic woe, and in doing so encapsulate the plots of some timeless tales. Let’s see…There’s Hester Prynne (Scarlet), Miss Havisham (Expectations), Ophelia (Drowned Maiden), Medea, and Penelope (Two Greek Queens). Ta-da – there’s the title!

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Just Girls Talking by Robert Wing is a fabulous drama for female performers. If “doing the right thing” could destroy a life, would you do it? “You’re the push of a button away from changing two lives. Mine and yours. You can’t do it. You won’t do it.” What starts as a meeting to finalize frivolous graduation ceremony details ends with one young woman faced with a life-changing decision. Five girls on five different paths hit head-on in a collision of values that leaves the viewer asking: What would I do? Why did we publish this play? Do you like plays that start in one direction and take a left turn? Do you want great parts for girls? We do and that’s what drew us to this play. Fabulous character-driven parts for girls. Your audience will talk about Just Girls Talking long after they leave the theatre. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? After years and years of teaching, I am still often stunned by the things my students say – and the things their parents do. Though this play is pure fiction , it is topical, given the recent headline-making college admission scandal in the United States involving wealthy parents who buy places for their children at top universities.. So, why did I write about it? Because I have seen it happen, not in the way it unfolds in the play, but I have seen it. Wealth buys access. It’s unfair, and anti-democratic, and it infuriates not only teachers, but hardworking students too. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Sophocles said it best: “ There is a point at which even justice does injury.” The characters in J.G.T. are poised at that precise moment where “doing the right thing” could destroy a life and they have to decide if it’s worth it. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The image that comes to my mind appears in the final moments in the play when Amanda is trying to get the phone away from Molly. Both actors are in a desperate state: Amanda wants to preserve her power and Molly is struggling with her unexpected (and not entirely wanted) power. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Though it is a one act play, give this piece a good, long rehearsal window. Allot time during production to discuss the concept of justice, and make sure the actors understand the complexity of these characters. There are depths to them all, even to Amanda that need to be fully understood to inform the actors’ choices. Take your time with this play. There’s very little in the way of setting and costuming to worry about – spend your time living in the characters’ heads. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Students will be familiar with these characters. On the surface, they fall into the timeless categories of young adult depiction: smart kid, sassy kid, rich kid, etc. Easy enough. Students and audiences will find this familiar, if not predictable. They are lulled into what they think is going to be a traditional teen angst narrative – and then an entirely unexpected depth is revealed and, hopefully, audience members leave the theatre asking themselves, “What would I do?”

Stroke Static by Lindsay Price is a heartbreaking look at dementia from the inside. The struggle between real and fantasy. Past and present. An award-winning theatrical experience. Russ is an eighty-three year-old man in a nursing home struggling with multi-infarct dementia. But in his mind he sees himself as a boy of eighteen, and thus is played by a young actor. Russ wrestles with reality versus fantasy, and past versus present as he struggles to understand where he is and what is happening to him. The ensemble plays a variety of real and imaginary characters in Russ’ mind. A heartbreaking look at what goes on in the mind of someone who can’t communicate. Under the direction of Megan Emanuel , the incredibly talented drama group at Brookville High School in Lynchburg, VA realized that the characters in Stroke Static represent much more than just characters in a play. There are real people every day dealing with these real life situations and this team was able to connect to that message and convey the emotion through their performances: “We’ve had great success with your play. It’s been a challenging and rewarding experience for my Advanced Acting students. I wanted the acting to be as authentic as possible so we took a field trip to a local Memory Care facility and spent the afternoon painting pumpkins and interacting with the residents. It was an eye opening experience for many of my students and helped them connect to their characters in a meaningful way. We also participated in our city’s Alzheimer’s Walk and have raised $850 toward our $1000 goal for the Alzheimer’s Association. We won our district competition, our regional competition, and we are headed to the VHSL State Theatre Festival. We were credited at our regional competition for choosing such a great script. Our mantra throughout this process has been…”tell Russ’s story!” It’s probably the most difficult script we have tackled and the hard work the students have invested is paying off.”

Hoodie by Lindsay Price is one of our most popular middle school plays that asks all of the tough questions that middle schoolers deal with every day. Middle schoolers face a tornado of questions every day. What do I wear? What if I wear the wrong thing? What is she wearing? What do I look like? Stop looking at me! Hoodie examines image and appearance in the vignette style and poses what may be the most difficult question of all – Do I stay in the clump or do I stand alone? Dorothy Lance and the incredibly talented group of student performers at Clark Lane Middle School in Waterford, Connecticut put on an evening of entertaining theatre for cast, crew and audiences alike: “Our show is over and was a great success. As a first act, we did Quippage, The Big Lie and Santa Runs a Sweat Shop, featuring my four graduating eighth graders. Great little plays for developing a character in a short piece. The second act was Hoodie, and got all the attention. Parents, students and staff had nothing but great comments. I had the clump in pale gray T shirts, dark jeans and white sneakers. Characters in scenes added small accent pieces to their costumes. What I liked best was that, including all four plays, I had 21 students playing more than 50 characters-a challenge for all of us. Thank you for your wonderful writing. Your understanding of the adolescent mind and personality provides an entertaining and insightful evening for all.”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. The heartwarming and heartbreaking story, _Somewhere, Nowhere _by Lindsay Price, is a full-length play made up of four one-act plays. See the characters grow, change, and stumble through four seasons. Somewhere, Nowhere is a place to call home. A place to leave. The best place in the world. Nothing but a memory. How many of us feel one way or the other about the place we grew up? How many of us love or hate our hometown? Maybe it’s both at the same time. The characters in Somewhere, Nowhere face a dilemma: Do they stay close to home at the end of high school, or do they get as far away as possible? What if they want to do both at the same time? What then? Why did we publish this play? Home is a universal topic – and leaving home is something every senior high school student has to face – do they want to get as far away as possible, or is the thought terrifying? A topic like this makes for an excellent play material and that’s what Somewhere, Nowhere explores to the fullest: Relatable characters going through the ups and downs of dealing with their relationship with home. Great for every program. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? On a long distance drive I had an experience in a small town oil change place and was so taken by the young people working there, it was the spark that lead to the whole play. I basically wrote the rest of the trip! I’m also always interested in the places that people call home – what makes people stay? What makes people leave? 2. Decribe the theme in one or two sentences. What does home mean to you? What does it mean to leave home? 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? It’s not something that we see, but it’s a visual that is vital to each character – and that’s how they see the town. I’m purposefully vague about where the town is because I want each cast to make it their own. Every character has a specific relationship to the town and that has to come through in every moment. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Establish the relationships between characters outside the world of the play. The play shows four scenes in the year of the life of these characters in summer, fall, winter, and spring. There’s a lot of time in-between where characters change, sometimes drastically. It’s important to establish how those changes happen. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Character work is always great for student performers – how do they interpret the information in the text and make the play come alive? Also, the play addresses the question every teenager has to answer for themselves by the end of high school – do they leave? Do they stay? Who will decide not to go away to school and face the consequences? Who will want to leave, but fears the unknown? Who will end up covered in egg cartons and shaving cream?

The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple is a fantastic middle school play that looks at friendship, acceptance and discovering yourself. Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Powerless Charlie sticks out like a sore thumb in a school full of superheroes. Smellinator can’t control her powers and forgot to do her Villain 101 homework. Golden Boy won’t follow protocol. And Toxic Sludge is, well, toxic sludge. When a supervillain attacks the school Charlie must dig deep within herself. She may not be a superhero but she discovers her unique talents to save the day. Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? Patrick Derksen and the dedicated drama group at Border Valley School in Reinland, MB did – and they did a super job sharing their super selves in their production: “Just wanted to thank Taryn Temple and Theatrefolk for a great play! Border Valley School in Manitoba performed “The Super Non-Heroes” last week and we had a blast. The kids loved their roles so much; we had a lot of fun figuring out superhero backstories and character traits. We also enjoyed creating costumes, hair, and makeup for the different superheroes. I heard many positive comments from teachers that even younger students understood the plot and positive messages, and they appreciated the strong roles for girls.”

Somewhere, Nowhere by Lindsay Price is a full-length play made up of four one-act plays. See the characters grow, change, and stumble through four seasons. Somewhere, Nowhere is a place to call home. A place to leave. The best place in the world. Nothing but a memory. How many of us feel one way or the other about the place we grew up? How many of us love or hate our hometown? Maybe it’s both at the same time. The characters in Somewhere, Nowhere face a dilemma: Do they stay close to home at the end of high school, or do they get as far away as possible? What if they want to do both at the same time? What then? We were thrilled that SerenaRae Stein and the drama group at Millwoods Christian School in Edmonton, Alberta shared their experience and fantastic photos of their production of Somewhere, Nowhere with us. They were able to take their audience along on their journey, sharing their heartwarming – and heartbreaking – story with everyone: “This was a fabulous show to work on with my grade 10 drama class. So very relevant to the challenges that many of them face (new kid, people’s perception of you, deciding your future, small community).”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Letters by Mrs. Evelyn Merritt is an excellent and challenging Reader’s Theatre script for high school and middle school student performers. For many wars, letters home were the only form of communication between soldiers and their loved ones. Letters is thought-provoking and character-driven. It’s not hard to see Marie, Jim, Caleb, Sarah, Harriet and Robert reaching out with pen and paper. Why did we publish this play? What’s great about the script is its focus on the characters. Each character expresses specific emotions about their place in their particular war. The play also has oral elements such as overlapping speech, unison speech, and repeated patterns. The words speak for themselves. A thought-provoking piece. Why is this play great for online platforms? Because this play is set up as Reader’s Theatre, it’s easy to transfer to an online platform. The montage sections can be presented in a gallery setting and will take a little practice to get the timing – but they would in a traditional production too. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I wanted a way to allow students to remember the past in a theatrical way. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Remember the human face of war. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The letters. Even though it’s readers theater, try to have the type of letter each of these characters would have as a prop. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Reader’s Theatre doesn’t mean you can’t act – each character should be brought to life as much as possible, even though you have a script in your hand. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It’s a chance for students to put a face to the past and also connect to history. Experiencing history is always better than just reading about it.

Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? Taryn Temple’s The Super Non-Heroes is a fantastic middle-school play that with an important message: Be kind to people, especially those that are different from you. We are stronger together than we are by ourselves. Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Powerless Charlie sticks out like a sore thumb in a school full of superheroes. Smellinator can’t control her powers and forgot to do her Villain 101 homework. Golden Boy won’t follow protocol. And Toxic Sludge is, well, toxic sludge. When a supervillain attacks the school Charlie must dig deep within herself. She may not be a superhero but she discovers her unique talents to save the day. A fabulous middle school play that looks at friendship, acceptance and discovering yourself. Who doesn’t want to be a superhero? The fantastic group of drama students at Cherokee Community Schools in Cherokee, Iowa were super excited to transform themselves into a team of super heroes – and non-heroes – complete with fun and flashy costumes that really set the tone. Directed by Jason Wood , the students brought their “larger than life” characters to the stage, demonstrating to everyone present that there truly is strength – and success – in numbers.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Tick Talk by Lindsay Price is a wonderful technical exercise for high school student performers that also serves as a fantastic starting point for discussions. The teenagers in Tick Talk have a lot to say, but no way to say it. Most characters are limited to only ONE WORD for the whole play. A fascinating challenge for actors: What happens when a character has just one word to express hopes, fears, and frustrations? What if they have something terribly important to say but can’t? They’d better find a way soon: Time is running out. Why did we publish this play? “What If” questions are great questions to explore in theatre – “what if” characters only had one word or phrase to share their story and their experience? That is the world of the play in _Tick Talk. _ How do we encourage students to find ways other than dialogue to create a three-dimensional characterization? Plays that challenge form, challenge students, and challenge the audience are important and that’s why Tick Talk is in our catalogue. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love writing challenges. What if wrote a play where the characters have only one word or phrase to tell their story? What would that look like on the page? What would that look like in performance? 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The teenagers in this play have much to say but no way to say it. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? There is a character named Great Dance, who puts on the visual of being completely “happy” but we learn that she is also bulimic. The idea that people often hide darkness behind a positive face is something we often miss. We only focus on what we see. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? It’s all about the subtext. Every single line a character says in the play, even though it’s the same line over and over, has a different subtext. It’s important for students to figure out the meaning behind each line in order to help them know how to say it. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It’s a great challenge for students to take characters their own age who are limited in their dialogue. How will they make a three-dimensional character out of one word?

Pressure by Lindsay Price is not your average “teen angst” play. It’s theatrical. It’s character driven. Some of the teenagers succeed with dealing with their pressure, and some don’t. That’s the way life works. Four teenagers struggle with life. Alex is a refugee. Tera is faced with an unpopular decision when all she wants to be is popular. Penny is getting up at five in the morning just so she can accomplish all she has to do in a day. And Kyle can’t live up to his parents’ expectations. It is the week before the prom and for these four characters, everything is coming to a head. This play is candid and uncompromising, with no easy answers or neat and tidy endings. The script is ideal for groups who have varying degrees of ability. There are parts for both novice and advanced actors. David Heywood and the students from Black Hills High School in Tumwater, WA didn’t feel the pressure when it came to their production of Pressure. Student director, Logan Hyer-Long shared thoughts on the group’s interpretation of the play and the successes and challenges of bringing one’s own ideas as a student director to a production: “Copyrighted in 1997, Pressure’s themes still resonate with today’s teenagers. Typically a phrase like “still resonates” would be used in reference to a classical piece of literature (or something at least written more than 22 years ago), but nowadays, society is changing quickly and drastically. This play was written before social media. Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and even Myspace had not been injected into teen culture at this time. The clear theme of this piece is pressures, but when I read it I knew it was missing today’s biggest one: social media. I was not initially drawn to this play, but when I saw the part of “The Mob”, I started to envision the possibilities: Incorporating phones as light sources that only revealed part of an actor; having a sound that is both random and cacophonous; people moving in patterns, with the same motions, but never crossing paths. All of these ideas reflected my opinions of social media. The Mob started to turn into a metaphor for the world that happens on our phones: incomplete, chaotic, and impersonal. While the general narrative can be seen as taking place in the pre-digital-age, our direction of “The Mob” is our way of incorporating the digital era. We suggest as you watch scenes from Pressure to ask yourself, “Would this interaction happen in person today?”. Or try, “Would this monologue instead be a post to social media?”. How would this narrative be different if people had not reached out to someone else? In some instances, how would it be different if someone had? In general, how would this story be different in 2019? Unfortunately not all of my ideas made it into the show. Some ideas made it, but did not happen how I had hoped. Others made the cut, but changed as rehearsals went on. Art is seldom complete; artists simply decide when their work is ready enough to be presented. I find it hard not to cling onto the frustrations throughout this process. This is what Alex and I have created. We created something, and that alone is something anyone should be proud of.”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Emotional Baggage by Lindsay Price is one of our most unique plays, based solely on action and no dialogue. Suitable for performance and in-class work, the play focuses on non-verbal storytelling through mask and movement. Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their “emotional baggage.” They must confront themselves and one another. Everybody carries emotional baggage with them. What’s yours? Why did we publish this play? Emotional Baggage is one of our most unique plays. There is no dialogue and so the play’s story is told through the physical action of the characters. This presents a wonderful creative challenge for students and directors. We’ve seen many different productions of the show over the years and each one is different than the next. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love a challenge. So why not write a play in which there is a clearly defined story, but none of the characters have any words to express that story. It went through a number of workshops to get the description just write on the page so that anyone picking up the script would know what they were supposed to do, and convey with an action. This is one of the plays I’m most proud of. 2. Decribe the theme in one or two sentences. Everybody carries emotional baggage with them. What’s yours? 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The heaviness of the “baggage” each character carries with them. It doesn’t matter the size of the baggage (one character carries a small purse), the weight is enormous. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Know exactly what each character is “saying” with each movement. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? What a great challenge for students! How do you tell a story when you don’t have any words? Also, all of the characters are archetypes so there’s a lot of fun to be with costume, hair, and make-up.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Puzzle Pieces by Krista Boehnert is a monologue-based play that is a fantastic vehicle to introducing monologues to your student performers. Puzzle Pieces explores teen issues through a series of monologues. The characters speak frankly about their fears, their futures, and their day to day life. The serious dramatic scenes are balanced with humour, and the play is ultimately uplifting. The characters choose to embrace life and all its struggles, rather than shy away from it. Why did we publish this play? Monologues are a challenge. They are also inherently theatrical – they don’t often happen in real life. This is exactly why you should be tackling monologues in the classroom and in your theatre. Puzzle Pieces is an excellent play to introduce monologues to your student because the entire play is made up of monologues. Characters talk frankly about their fears, their futures and their day-to-day lives. I’ve loved this piece since I first read it for it’s characters, it’s structure, and it’s message. Why is this play good for online platforms? Because this play is written in monologue form, it adapts really well to a virtual performance format. Characters connect directly to the audience, and this will work whether they are on stage, or they are staring right into their computer camera. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I wanted to experiment with format and write a monologue-based play. The characters in Puzzle Pieces each share their own story – the plotlines of the characters don’t intersect. This is both challenging and liberating for the director and actors when producing the play. Puzzle Pieces is instead woven around a common theme all characters are grappling with, which allowed me to explore a multitude of storylines rather than diving into just one topic. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Growing up is complicated. You can try to be picture perfect, but real life is messier than that. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Each character brings their own experience and story to the play. They each embody a puzzle piece for how a life can take shape, and for how to navigate life. The variety in their approaches is my favourite visual in the play. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Although the play is monologue-based, it should be a collaborative experience both in the rehearsal and performance. Because the characters’ worlds don’t intersect, there is lots of rooms for character development that can be tackled by the individual actors, or as a collective. The staging can also be more collaborative than solitary. Actors can support each other with the monologue performances whether that be direct contact, like holding their hand or comforting them while they speak, or acting out scenes they describe in their speech. It’s very open to experimentation and interpretation, so don’t be shy about trying different ways to bring the play to life. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It’s a great opportunity for practising character development, for learning how to prepare and perform monologues, and for experimenting with creative staging – both with their own monologues, and in supporting their fellow cast members as they perform their pieces. 6. Do you have any tips for those looking to perform this play online? Both Have you Heard? and Puzzle Pieces? lend themselves nicely for online performance. As a monologue-based play, it allows for that intimate connection between the audience and a single performer. Settings in the performance space provider (such as Zoom) can be set to highlight the speaker, which results in the performer filling the whole screen, rather than the audience seeing all actors at once, if the director wishes to present it this way. The plays are flexible, however, and do lend themselves to an ensemble performance as well. While actors are performing their monologues, the remaining actors can support the performances in a variety of ways. The director and cast can choose if all actors participate, or if only a select number do. If not all actors are participating in the scene, the director can ask them to simple turn and face their back to their camera, or walk out of frame thus “leaving the stage.” Using the example of Jamie from Puzzle Pieces, talking about playing football, some staging options for supporting cast in a virtual environment include: • Mime – actors can silently act out playing football, crowd members cheering, etc. • Tableaux – actors can strike various poses that indicate a football game or game attendees • Props – actors can hold up football themed props – jerseys, pompoms, football, foam fingers, cowbells, popcorn buckets, etc. • Costume add-ons – team jackets, jerseys, ball caps – to help set the “game day” scene • Virtual Backgrounds – actors can turn on virtual backgrounds that mimic signs people hold up at football games to cheer the team on • Reaction Buttons – actors can engage their “applause” or “Thumbs up” reaction buttons to indicate crowd cheering the football team on The staging for Have you Heard? and Puzzle Pieces is flexible regardless of the staging environment – live, virtual, live-streamed. In their simplest form, each scene can be performed with only the actor(s) in the scene who are speaking being “on stage” (or on screen depending on the scenario). The bulk of both plays are monologues, so for the majority of the play, you could have a single actor on stage/screen. To enrich the performance experience for the audience, I would recommend engaging cast members to enhance the monologues by employing tactics such as mime, tableaux, use of props and costume add-ons, virtual backgrounds and reaction buttons. This creates a space where the audience and the cast are all part of each “monologue moment” and heightens the impact of each characters’ story/experience by bringing it more fully to life.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * A Box of Puppies by Bill Houck is a collection of four short plays that all take a look the fragility and resilience of being a teenager. It reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles. We can all relate to feeling small in a big world. The characters in A Box of Puppies share their insecurities, their frailties and their coping mechanisms with that big bad world. This collection holds four short plays. Each are fresh, honest, and true. You know each of these characters. Perhaps they mirror your own insecurities and frailties. Each play can be performed independently, or perform all four together for an outstanding competition piece. Why did we publish this play? The characters in these plays and monologues speak so clearly in the teen voice. That’s what we want for our plays. We also want characters who ask the same questions of themselves as any teen in the audience would – In every one of these plays characters ask “What’s wrong with me?” When we see our own questions verbalized by someone else, it lets us know we’re not alone in our struggles. Another important reason why we needed to publish this collection. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? CONSTANTLY, INCESSANTLY, ALL THE TIME: My sister is a physician. She told me school age kids were developing serious back problems because their backpacks were so heavy. I surveyed a few of my students – What did they have in their backpacks? Why did they feel a need to carry all those things around? Is it really that hard to haul all that stuff around (it is!) So I created a play that put all these different things into one backpack, carried by one overloaded kid. DIATOM: Another play inspired by real life. There’s a lot of tedium in waiting for the bus. It’s amazing what young people will do to fill the void. The bit with the kid wrapped in foil who runs down the street in front of one of those traffic-calmer radar signs to figure out how fast he can go? It’s true. I had a couple of kids who did this. I have also always liked that word “diatom.” HUGE HANDS: This was inspired by a prop. When one of the first Hulk films came out (I think it was the one Ang Lee directed) there were these fun “Hulk Hands” that were sold everywhere. You slip your hands into them, then hit things. The hands roared, made smashing sounds, and said “Hulk smash!” I recommend them to anybody who is feeling stressed. They’re very therapeutic. About the same time, there was a wide ranging discussion in educational circles, especially educational theatre circles, about bullying. I thought the hands would be a great symbol for the helplessness that bullied people feel. Instead of trying to get permission from Marvel to use the name “Hulk Hands,” I changed the title to “Huge Hands.” Since then, Disney purchased Marvel, and thanks to the success of all the Avengers movies, you can still find big green hands online and at stores everywhere. ONE BEER TOO MANY: Many years ago I found myself with some free time between events at the California Thespian Festival. I pulled out a notebook and started with what had been drilled into me: Write what you know. This is probably my most personal play. I relate to the Skip. I relate to the Skip’s father and mother. I relate to Skip’s English teacher, and even that self-righteous Drama teacher. Who are all these people? They’re all me. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. CONSTANTLY, INCESSANTLY, ALL THE TIME: Beware the burdens you place on people who only weigh 112 pounds. DIATOM: Even tiny creatures are important. HUGE HANDS: There’s a ferocious courage that hides inside. ONE BEER TOO MANY: It’s a play about alcoholism, but not completely. It’s also about what we do to the creative spirit of young people. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? CONSTANTLY, INCESSANTLY, ALL THE TIME: Little kid. Big bag. DIATOM: Two kids in a big empty space. HUGE HANDS: The important thing about the hands is that Sparky really believes in them. Sparky and his Huge Hands. ONE BEER TOO MANY: This can be done entirely in a sad pool of light, but I always imagine it with flashbacks. Projections would work. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? CONSTANTLY, INCESSANTLY, ALL THE TIME: Get the biggest, most cumbersome backpack you can find. Use real props. DIATOM: Allow Robin and Dale to create their universe. HUGE HANDS: You can do this show with a huge cast. Create a world for Sparky with as much detail as possible. ONE BEER TOO MANY: This one too, is a one character play, but you can add a large chorus to fill out the other characters. It also works well as a solo piece 5. Why are these plays great for student performers? These plays have all been written with the student performer in mind. Whenever possible, I use gender-neutral names. With very few exceptions, all the characters in all these plays could be played by anyone. That, and the flexible cast size, makes them useful for classroom use and character work. You know what I’d really like to see? It would be great if somebody put together all four of these plays and performed them under the title “A Box of Puppies“. What if all these kids went to the same school? What if all their stories intersected on one crazy day? Stranger things have happened.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Stressed by Alan Haehnel is a symphony of sound and character that is a true theatrical experience. A challenging but incredibly fun piece, this vivid character play is an excellent competition piece. For Alex, it’s school. For Josh, it’s his girlfriend. For Carmen, it’s dealing with her coach. And Mindy’s frustrated with her parents. Stress is driving this quartet crazy – so much so they can’t stop talking about it. Why did we publish this play? Alan describes Stressed as a Teen Symphony. I love this description and it’s so accurate! Characters blend and crash, emotions swell like strings. It’s a fantastic piece to teach students not only how to create a character but how to listen to each other. Add to that, the structure is monologue-based, so you’re also teaching students the craft of preparing multiple monologues. This play has gone on to great success in competitions and I’m thrilled we were able to publish it. Why is this play great for online platforms? This play is written in monologue format, and each character is in their own space – so it easily transfers to an online format. There is some unison speaking and some sound exploration under text, so that will take some creative thinking and problem solving. But if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s drama teachers and students! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Because stress has been increasing lately for everyone, and I wanted to give students a humorous way to express their feelings about it. 2. Decribe the theme in one or two sentences. Well, the theme is in the title. But an important sub-theme is that we are all in this stress-filled world together. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? This is more an exploration of rhythm and vocal variety than it is a visual play, but I think a creative director could have a lot of fun with costuming and lighting to enhance the different characters and the quick pace of the piece. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Remember the sub-title of the play: “A Teen Symphony.” The vocal work has to be tight and musical. The voices should truly interplay like instruments in a quartet. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Besides relatable subject matter, this play gives four student performers a ton of juicy lines, lots of stage time, a full range of emotional states, and great chance to put together a tour de force entry for any drama contest.

Both hilarious and touching, Football Romeo by Lindsay Price will appeal to those who love Shakespeare, those who fear Shakespeare, and those who’ve never heard of Shakespeare. The new drama teacher at Verona Beach High is directing Romeo and Juliet. Nicola is certain she will be the perfect Juliet and her linebacker boyfriend the perfect Romeo. Too bad life isn’t perfect! Sparks fly when Danny, the self-professed drama geek, is chosen over the linebacker. Nicola cries foul and demands the play be recast. Not only must Danny fight his insecurities as a performer and his brother treating him as a science experiment, he must also fight to keep the role of a lifetime. Director Julie Patrick from Johnston City High School in Johnston City, Illinois was thrilled to share the success of her talented group with their production of Football Romeo: “I would say our performance was a hit; we had a nice crowd both nights of the show. I directed it back in 2008 and chose to put it on again this spring. The references to Romeo and Juliet and Lord of the Flies are wonderful since my freshmen read both of those pieces. We have no actual theater or auditorium or even civic center in our town, so we convert our commons/cafeteria into a little theater, but we make it work!”

The issue-based high school drama, Discovering Rogue by Christian Kiley, is an awesome character piece with something extremely relevant to say to today’s teen. Rogue has the best beachfront property ever. Right on the ocean – location, location, location. Her home happens to be a cardboard box but she doesn’t mind. Others, though, mind very much. They want Rogue to leave the beach. Now. But she isn’t budging. Rogue isn’t just running away from home; she’s running away from herself. Director Michael Yoson and the incredible students from Piscataway High School in Piscataway, New Jersey enjoyed the messaging and the creative flexibility that is part of this play. As well, the students were able to explore their characters in depth, while being exposed to more abstract forms of storytelling: “As a teacher and director, I enjoyed working on this play. I think the play offers a positive message, and it allows for creative staging. Our production approach was inspired by the idea that with the power of the imagination, a cardboard box could become anything. So all of the scenic and prop pieces were made out of cardboard and recycled materials. This allowed students to think outside the box and challenged them creatively while working on the tech elements of the show.”

Relevant themes, easy-to-connect-to characters and fun, fun, fun! Hoodie by Lindsay Price examines appearance and image in middle school, allowing students to immerse themselves in subject matters and issues that they deal with every day. Middle schoolers face a tornado of questions every day. What do I wear? What if I wear the wrong thing? What is she wearing? What do I look like? Stop looking at me! Hoodie examines image and appearance in the vignette style and poses what may be the most difficult question of all – Do I stay in the clump or do I stand alone? The incredible middle school student performers at Gill St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone, New Jersey had an amazing experience with their production of Hoodie. Director Todd Ross shared how the show and performance really resonated with the entire cast – starting with a unique casting experience that really started off things on the right foot: “Some of the interesting and unique things I did with this show was to “audition” by having all 18 kids pick a character out of a hat. They were all like WHAT???? Are you serious??? To tell the truth, it is amazing how certain people got characters that were exactly like them, I don’t think I could have cast it better that what happened randomly. Several kids came to me after the show and told me that at first they didn’t like the play but by the end they loved it. They felt awkward at first (too close to reality) but through the process gained the confidence and comfort to be in those type of places. Wow, we (you, me, the show) did our job. The head of the middle school thinks this show should be on tour at schools all the time.”

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Hoodie by Lindsay Price is one of our most popular middle school plays that asks all of the tough questions that middle schoolers deal with every day. Middle schoolers face a tornado of questions every day. What do I wear? What if I wear the wrong thing? What is she wearing? What do I look like? Stop looking at me! Hoodie examines image and appearance in the vignette style and poses what may be the most difficult question of all – Do I stay in the clump or do I stand alone? Why did we publish this play? Hoodie was our first middle school specific play. We started solely focused on the high school market but as we went to more and more conferences, we started meeting more and more middle school teachers. And what middle schoolers didn’t have a lot of was plays that had characters their age dealing with issues they were specifically going through. It was either fairy tales which are too young, or high school plays that aren’t right either. I’m proud of Hoodie (and the other plays that we’ve published that are middle school specific) and it remains one of our most popular plays to date. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? This was the first play I wrote specifically for middle school. We started going to middle school specific conferences and realized these students don’t want to do fairy tales – they want characters and subjects that are relevant to their experience. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. This play examines appearance and image in middle school. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The Clump. I love this group of characters and I feel for them! 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Don’t give up on the Clump! This is the one group of characters that I get the most questions about. There are no shortcuts, it takes practice, practice and more practice both with movement and with dialogue. But when you get it, it will look and sound amazing. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The topic is relevant, the characters are easy to connect to, and it’s fun!

Chemo Girl by Christian Kiley is part of a collection of plays that examine the impact of cancer as seen through the eyes of teenagers. Camille is given a video game system from her mom as a form of recovery therapy for cancer. She prefers reading books. Video game worlds lack realism and she believes they will not help her fight against cancer. However, Camille is pulled into the video game world that mirrors her fight. She meets the Gamemaster and takes on the screen name Chemo Girl. The drama group at Carine SHS in Carine, Western Australia mastered the theatricality and creative invention that is such a huge part of Chemo Girl and successfully worked as a team to deal with some new skills and some very serious issues: “It was a challenge for my students, as some of them had not performed in front of an audience before, and chorus work was a new concept for them. However, it was a great learning experience and it was really nice seeing them pull it together as a team.”