Halloween

The Halloween season brings a special kind of chaotic energy to the classroom. It’s the perfect opportunity to move beyond the usual games and lean into the spooky, mysterious, and transformative spirit of the holiday. Instead of just putting a pumpkin-spice filter on our regular warm-ups, let's try some activities designed specifically to explore the things that make this time of year so much fun: building suspense, creating atmosphere, and telling a good ghost story. 1. The Soundscape of FearThis exercise is all about creating an entire story and atmosphere using only sound. It’s a fantastic ensemble builder that forces students to listen intently to one another. • The Setup: Divide the class into two halves. One half are the Listeners, who will sit or lie down with their eyes closed. The other half are the Makers. • The Task: Give the Makers a simple, spooky scenario, such as: • Exploring a creepy, abandoned house. • Walking through a haunted forest. • Someone is hiding, and something is looking for them. • The Makers then have 2–3 minutes to create a soundscape that tells that story. They can only use their voices, bodies, and objects in the room. No words allowed! They must create the environment (creaking doors, wind, rustling leaves) and the emotional journey (rising tension, a jump scare, a moment of quiet fear). • The Payoff: Swap groups. Afterwards, discuss what the Listeners "saw" in their minds. What sounds were most effective at building suspense and telling the story? 2. The Creature in the DarkThis improv exercise focuses on reacting authentically to an unseen terror. It’s less about jokes and more about genuine, in-the-moment responses. • The Setup: One student is chosen to be the Explorer. • The Task: The rest of the class becomes a single Creature. Their goal is to surround and create a world for the Explorer based solely on feeling and sound. • The Explorer should step out of the classroom so the rest of the class can discuss and decide upon three sounds they will make that define their creature. Who will make the sounds? Will it be in unison (a soft hiss, a low growl, the sound of a nail scraping the floor)? They can also discuss how they’re going to surround the Explorer without touching them. • The Explorer will then return to the classroom and stand in the center of a cleared space. The Explorer's eyes must be closed for the entire exercise. • The group will move in and surround the Explorer without touching them. The Creature is investigating the Explorer. • On your signal, the Creature will make their three sounds. Have pauses in between the sounds. The Explorer must react, in character, to the unseen presence they can only hear and feel around them. • The Payoff: This is a powerful exercise in building and releasing tension. Debrief with the Explorer about what they felt. What sounds were the most unnerving? How did their imagination fill in the blanks? 3. Shadow Puppet Ghost StoryThis activity uses light and shadow - the building blocks of horror - to tell a story. It's a great low-stakes introduction to design and non-verbal storytelling. • The Setup: You'll need a light source (like an overhead projector or a strong lamp) and a screen (a white sheet or a bare wall). Divide students into small groups. • The Task: Each group must create a 60-second, silent ghost story using only shadow puppets. They can use their hands, their bodies, and simple cardboard cutouts. The story must have a clear beginning, a moment of rising tension, and a spooky conclusion. • The Payoff: This activity forces students to think visually. How can you show fear, surprise, or a ghostly presence using only a silhouette? It’s a fun, hands-on way to explore the theatrical power of "less is more." 4. The Urban Legend CircleThis is a collaborative writing and storytelling exercise that focuses on the specific structure of a good scary story. • The Setup: Arrange the class in a circle, as if around a campfire. • The Task: You will collaboratively build an urban legend from scratch. Each person will add one sentence to the story, but they must follow specific prompts that you call out. Start the story with a classic opening like, "You know that old abandoned diner on the edge of town? Well, they say..." • Prompts to call out: • "Add a specific, strange detail." (E.g., "...and the clocks are all stuck at 3:13 AM.") • "Introduce a sound." (E.g., "That's when you hear a single fork tap against a plate.") • "Reveal a warning." (E.g., "The locals say you should never, ever order the chili.") • "End on a question." (E.g., "But if no one's been inside for 40 years... who's cooking?") • The Payoff: This exercise teaches the craft of building suspense and structuring a narrative, all while creating a brand-new, custom-made ghost story for your class.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight! The Shadow Stories - A Cursed Play by Matt Webster is a perfect script for Hallowe'en or something spooky - plus an amazing ensemble opportunity for your group! Not all ghost stories are created equally: Some were never that scary. Some get lost in translation. Some lose their impact over time and fade into obscurity. But what happens when a story is so timeless - so terrifying - it takes root in your brain and demands to be told? An ill-fated storyteller is under the control of five very old, very dangerous stories from around the world: The Shadow Stories. The Shadows have a curse and a plan. Now all they need is an audience… Competition cutting suggestions included in the script. Why did we publish this play? Every culture has their own stash of scary stories and that's what immediately attracted us to The Shadow Stories play. We love having a wide variety of plays for the Halloween season and this play brings unique and unfamiliar stories from around the world! And that's just for starters. There's a great ensemble component to the play, unique characters and some interesting technical challenges for your tech students. If you're looking for something different for your fall class play, look no further! Let's hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I have wanted to write a play of ghost stories for a long time. Students love to tell ghost stories on stage, and these are some of the best ghost stories from around the world. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The theme is “What happens when a story takes root in your brain and demands to be told?”…but with a twist. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The most important visual is The Storyteller switching from haunted wretch to world class impresario in the blink of an eye. Almost as if they are cursed… 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? The one piece of advice I would give is to try to create the world of each story as thoughtfully as possible. Use costumes, music, lights - whatever theatre magic you have available to you - in order to build unique little worlds on stage for the stories to live in. The more comprehensive the worlds, the more believable the stories. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This play gives students the chance to play all manner of characters - From a broken hearted lover to a vengeful spirit, from a ditzy tourist to a murderous nightmare. And the character of The Storyteller is a tour de force role. 6. Who is your favourite character in the play? OR Which character would you be in this play? My favorite characters in the show (if I had to pick them!) would be Derrick and Loni, the tourists on their Hawaiian honeymoon in The Night Marchers. They were a lot of fun to write. At the start of their story they are carefree and clueless, but by the end they are the architects of their own demise and their lives are destroyed. 7. What is your favourite line in the play? My favorite line of the play comes from the story The Terror of the Night Hag. I wrote this story in rhyming couplets, and there is a moment in the story where characters under attack from a supernatural force. As they are slowly being crushed, we hear their thoughts: “Horror growing, vision fading… Panic ever escalating! Lungs on fire and brain beseeching... I’m desperate for my mother's teaching!” I love the rhythmic wordplay, as well as the feeling of terror, packed into this couplet.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Are you ready to visit The House by Lindsay Price? Perfect for a class project or large cast production, with roles for all levels and possibly doubling. So much for your technical students to dive into! Do ghosts make a house haunted, or are houses evil to begin with? Three teens enter a haunted house prepared to answer this question. They are ready to search the house top to bottom, share stories, and document what they see. But what if what they find isn’t anything they’ve prepared themselves for? Did that door just creak open on its own? Who’s walking upstairs? Was that a scream? Only the Chosen Ones know… and they’re watching you… There is an option to make this long one act play into a two act play - and don't miss the Competition-Length version too! Let's hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? This play was written specifically for a theatre company - Fort Wayne Youtheatre. We talked about the structure of the play they needed, the cast size, and they wanted a subject matter that would fit around Halloween. I love writing a set criteria and The House was the result! 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences? Do ghosts make a house haunted, or are houses evil to begin with? Three teens enter a haunted house prepared to answer this question. 3. What's the most important visual for you in this play? The Shudders! These are the ghosts who roam the house and live in the grey world between past and present. I love having a character just walk through the shadows of a scene, not trying to steal focus, but if you notice them, it gives you pause. And, no spoilers, but they make the end of the play gave me the complete "shudders" the first time I saw it! 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? There is a decided mix of humour and horror in the play, take care to decide clearly which tone is needed in a moment. And the deeper you get into the play, the less funny everything should become. Draw your audience in! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Great teen characters, a large ensemble, and lots of fun challenges for your tech crew. 6. Who is your favourite character in the play? Raimy. I love their sense of humour and I love showcasing characters who are comfortable in their off-kilter personality. 7\ What is your favourite line in the play? "Why do all haunted houses look the same? Big and old and dark and what is this? Victorian? Why is there never a haunted condo? Or a haunted hammock?"

Giants, Elves, Wizards is a classic game used in drama classes, sports, Scouts, and more. It’s basically a life-sized version of Rock, Paper, Scissors (or “Roshambo” in some areas) with a chasing element where players tag members of the opposite team to win them over to the other side. In the drama classroom, it’s a great physical and vocal warm-up, and encourages students to employ teamwork and strategy to win players over to their team. In this article, we’ll explain the basic gameplay for Giants, Elves, Wizards, and then give lots of options to vary it. You may want to ask your school principal or phys ed teacher if you can play Giants, Elves, Wizards outside, or if you can use the gym for kids to spread out. If not, push any tables, desks, chairs, and other furniture out of the way before you start. Basic RulesIn Rock, Paper, Scissors, we all know rock smashes scissors, scissors cut paper, and paper covers rock. In Giants, Elves, Wizards, giants step on elves, elves hide from wizards, and wizards use magic on giants. Giants beat elves, elves beat wizards, and wizards beat giants. Each character has an action. For giants, students will raise their arms above their heads to look tall and intimidating. For elves, students will crouch down close to the floor to show how small they are. For wizards, students will stand with their arms straight out in front of them and wiggle their fingers like they’re trying to cast a spell. Easy, right? Now comes the strategy and teamwork part. Divide students into two teams and send them to opposite sides of the room. This is their home base. Each team will huddle up and secretly decide what character they’ll be. Once they’ve decided their strategy, they’ll turn, meet in the middle of the room, and form two lines facing each other, dodgeball style. Leave about 6–10 feet between teams. On the count of three, all students will repeat “giants, elves, wizards” three times in their lines, doing the corresponding action. After the third repetition, each team will then yell out their character in unison and do that action. For example: “Giants, elves, wizards… (brief pause) ELVES!” If the other team calls out Giants, the Giants team will chase the Elves team back to the Elves’ home base wall and try to tag them. However, if the other team calls out Wizards, the Elves team will chase the Wizards team back to the Wizards’ home base wall to try and tag them. The chasing team’s goal is to tag as many of the opposing team’s members as they can before they reach their home base. Any tagged students will join the winning team’s side. Then gameplay will start again, with each team choosing another character to play. One team will now have more members. The goal is to bring all the players over to one side. Phew! Now that you know how to play, we’ll offer some variations to mix up your gameplay and give your students some creative challenges. Variations• Come up with themed variations for different events, holidays, or shows you’re studying. For example, you could do a Halloween-themed game with Witches, Vampires, and Mummies. If you’re studying The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, perhaps you could use the “big three” gods of that show as characters: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Students will need to explain how one character beats the next, and create new actions for each character. • In the television series The Big Bang Theory, the characters play an expanded version of the game called Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock. This makes it more complicated as each character now can beat an additional character. Have your students try adding two new characters to Giants, Elves, Wizards, and explain how the new characters fit in. • Try adding a new rule. What happens if both teams choose the same character? What happens if they do this multiple times in a row? • Initiate a “buy back” system, where students can complete tasks prior to the match to earn back a member of their team that they lost earlier. Perhaps students must recite part of a monologue, do a mime sequence, or make up a dance on the spot. This could be especially helpful if one team is running out of members quickly! • Use the results of the final match as a writing prompt for your students. For example, if in the last round the Elves were beaten by the Giants, you might use this scene to start writing: “The remaining elves swore vengeance against the giants who had squashed their brethren. They started sharpening their tiny spears…” Or if the Elves beat the Wizards: “The wizards didn’t see the elves coming until the last moment. But that wasn’t anything unusual. It was always a sneaky surprise attack when the wizards least expected it. And no matter how often the wizards boarded up the cracks in the walls and kept their doors tightly shut, the tiny elves managed to get themselves inside, night after night.” The writing can be serious, silly, heartful, cold, or any other feeling students find appropriate and inspiring. If you wish, have students share what they have written.

Live special effects are exciting! They create memorable moments onstage that audience members will talk about long afterwards. But how is this theatre magic created? What elements go into bringing special effects to life onstage? Let’s have your students give it a go. And of course, since it’s fall, we’re going to add a scary element to this challenge. This exercise can be written, practical, or both. Students will first design their special effect, describing in detail how they would create the effect and what they would need to make it happen. If your resources allow, students will then build their special effect and present it for the rest of the class. Which student will creep out their classmates the most? Let’s find out! Instructions:1. Compile a collection of shows and scenes that feature a spooky special effect. This might include written scenes in established plays or video clips of theatrical productions. You can also brainstorm with your students about scary onstage moments they’ve seen or would like to see brought to life. You could even incorporate student-written scenes into this exercise. Here are some ideas to get you started: • A witch's bubbling cauldron • Ichabod Crane being pursued by the Headless Horseman, both on horseback • Beheading or dismembering a victim (this can be comedic as well, like in Monty Python’s Spamalot) • Dr. Jekyll transforming into Mr. Hyde • A witch or wizard casting a spell • Turning a human into a zombie (like in Evil Dead: The Musical) • Bringing Frankenstein’s monster to life on an electric table • Pushing a character into a coffin • Tossing a character through a window • Dumping pig’s blood on an innocent victim (like in Carrie: The Musical) • Characters discovering and walking through a secret passage • A jumpscare 2. Decide whether you would like students to work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. Have each student/group select a special effect to work on. 3. Next, students will figure out how they might bring their scary moment to life onstage. There are many components that go into making a special effect happen in live theatre. Think about lighting, makeup, creative movement and choreography, angling the action onstage a certain way (to hide things, magician-style), stage combat, sound effects, makeup, projections, special props, and so on. Each special effect for this challenge should include at least three different components mentioned above to bring it to life onstage. Special effects can be simple or elaborate. For example, a witch’s bubbling cauldron might involve putting a flashlight covered with coloured gels or tissue paper inside the cauldron so it glows, as well as a dry ice machine or bubble machine to create smoke or bubbles (or both!), with a sound effect of liquids bubbling and boiling playing over the sound system. If they don’t have a bubble machine, a student could sit behind the cauldron and blow bubbles with a bubble wand. If they don’t have a flashlight handy, a student could use the flashlight on their phone. For the moment where Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde, the director may instruct the actor to writhe, bend, and vocalise in a dramatic fashion. (Depending on their directorial abilities, would students want to employ a choreographer or movement coach or choreograph it themselves?) Combine that with a haunting underscoring song, dramatic lighting, or possibly a tearaway costume piece (perhaps Jekyll’s jacket gets torn away with snaps or Velcro to reveal a brand-new coat in a different colour?) and they’ve got an exciting stage magic moment. 4. Students will create a write-up describing exactly how they would create their scary special effect, what technical elements they would need, and the approximate cost of materials. Let’s say students want to purchase a life-sized mannequin to chop the head off of. They’d need to search online to find out how much a mannequin would cost to purchase — a rental company wouldn’t likely rent them an item that they’re going to take apart. Students will need to think of any potential hidden costs, such as having to launder a stage bloody costume night after night. Students also should consider possible safety concerns with their chosen special effect. For example, if students choose to use buckets of stage blood in the scene from Carrie: The Musical, how will the blood be contained onstage? How will they prevent actors from slipping and falling in the liquid? How will they keep the stage clean in between scenes/shows? Will they wash Carrie’s prom dress every night (in between shows) or have a series of backup dresses? Which is more expensive: the materials used to make the dress or the cost of laundering a prom dress night after night? These potential safety concerns and additional notes should be included in the students’ write-up. Students may wish to incorporate a sketch or computer rendering of the special effect in addition to their write-up, if they feel it’s useful. For a greater challenge, have students come up with two designs: a low/no-cost version and a dream version with an unlimited budget. 5. Written work reflection question: How could your special effect help a (theoretical) project that you/your class/a neighbouring school is doing with this show or scene? Students should submit their completed reflections with the written work. 6. If you have the time and resources, the second part of the challenge is to bring the design to life onstage. Students will gather the materials they need, assemble the elements, rehearse the moment, and present it to the class. You can choose whether to have students complete this part of the process in class or assign it as homework. 7. For the practical portion, students will answer the following questions: • What was the easiest part of the practical portion? What was the most challenging? Why? • What changes or modifications, if any, did you have to make to your original design? • If your special effect was included in a show, what considerations would you need to address before, during, and after the special effect was used in the show? (For example, if you needed to bring a coffin on and offstage, would you have actors or stagehands carry it onstage, or would you put casters on the bottom so it could be rolled on and offstage?)

October has arrived and Halloween magic is in the air! If you're a fan of thrilling tales, spooky stories and things that go bump in the night, then this is the list for you! Our October list is all about Halloween so prepare to send shivers down your spine and ignite your imagination with these fantastic perusal plays. Perfect for the stage or classroom!

It’s spooky season, and if you’re looking for plays and musicals to frighten, horrify, and creep you out, you’re in the right place. Below you’ll find 10 scary plays from our own Theatrefolk library and 10 terrifying Broadway and off-Broadway musicals featuring scary creatures of all sorts, including ghosts, aliens, demons, and mutants. Introduce these plays and musicals to your students, read them as a class, and check out performances of them (many have filmed or movie versions to stream or purchase, or promotional clips to view on YouTube). You can also use the reading response worksheet as a resource, found at the bottom of this page. Have fun… if you dare! Plays from Theatrefolk that will scare the living daylights out of youFrom our own Theatrefolk catalogue, here is a selection of plays that are perfect for middle and high school students to study and perform. Livestream and Zoom options are available for most productions, and there are tons of opportunities for diverse casting choices. Whether you’re looking for a classic tale, a murder mystery, a scary comedy, or an all-out gorefest, we’ve got what you need! 1. Ashland Falls by Steven Stack A creepy, challenging play-within-a-play filled with twists, turns, drama, and intrigue. A mysterious new play director comes to Herbert Hoover High, where the on and offstage drama is about to make way for real-life revenge. Each student actor plays two vastly different roles, which makes this a great choice for senior drama students. 2. The Bottom of the Lake by Steven Stack The only thing that goes better together than chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows is summer camp and ghost stories. This play combines ghost stories, urban legends, comedy, and more, and has tons of great roles for female-presenting student actors. 3. Close Encounters of the Undead Kind by Jeffrey Harr A creepy collection of three plays that can be performed together or separately, featuring a terrifying teen support group, a Halloween that proves to be anything but boring, and a teen with an… unusual boyfriend. 4. Gothic Ghost Stories by Lindsay Price You’ve arrived early at Peveril House for the annual New Year’s Ball, and the family is eager to tell you some stories. Of course, with all the spiritual energy in Peveril House, the stories of choice are always ghost stories. With 49 characters, there are roles for everyone in your drama department, with doubling and tripling options for a smaller cast production. 5. Grim and Gruesome Grimm, adapted by Mrs. Evelyn Merritt from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A flexible and bloody adaptation of the classic Grimms’ fairy tales. Featuring decapitation, dismemberment, cannibalism, and a body count that keeps on growing. Lots of options for flexible casting and cast size, and various show lengths. 6. Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark by Chris Stiles King Claudius plans to turn Denmark into the land of the undead and Hamlet must stop him! This adaptation blends the classic Shakespearean text with new lines written in iambic pentameter. 7. The Haunting of Chip Lake Lodge by J. Robert Wilkins A group of teens show up to the wrong location for their prom and things get worse from there, including mysteries, hauntings, curses, and giant rats. A spooky play for a small group of student actors. 8. Horror Movie 101: Failing Can Be Deadly and Horror Movie 102: Failing Just Got Deadlier by Steven Stack Two hour-long plays that are horrifying and hilarious. The teens in St. Claire keep getting killed while violating the rules of horror movies — so much so that a second play had to be written! Opportunities for double and triple casting, and the scenes can be performed together or as standalone pieces. 9. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, adapted by Lindsay Price from Washington Irving This is the classic tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman in a 30-minute run time, perfect for large groups of student actors. 10. Shuddersome: Tales of Poe, adapted by Lindsay Price from Edgar Allen Poe (Free Classroom Study Guide available!) Ghosts. Ghouls. Soul Suckers. Spectres. Shudders. Who better to bring the classic tales of Edgar Allen Poe to life… or death? This play has lots of opportunities for creative movement, costuming, and theatricality, and can be customized to fit the running time and casting choices you need. If you don’t see what you need here, there are lots more in our online catalogue. Just search for terms like “scary,” “horror,” “Halloween,” or “ghost” and you’ll find a plethora of plays to haunt you! Or reach out to our Play Concierge for specific recommendations! Macabre Musicals from Broadway and Off-BroadwayThe following shows have appeared either on or off Broadway, many of them also appearing on the West End. Many of these musicals now offer youth editions, written especially for high school students to perform. Some of these shows are based on films, books, and comics, which can be interesting to compare and contrast with clips from the musical. 1. The Addams Family: A New Musical, book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Ellis, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa Charles Addams’ creepy, kooky, and altogether ooky family comes back to life onstage. When Wednesday Addams falls in love with Lucas, a “normal” guy, she begs her father Gomez to keep it a secret from his wife, Morticia. When the Addamses and Lucas’ family come together for a family dinner, chaos ensues. 2. Beetlejuice, book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect Lydia Deetz and her father Charles move into a new house that is haunted by the previous owners, Adam and Barbara Maitland, who aren’t ready to give up their home despite being newly deceased. The Maitlands enlist the help of the bio-exorcist ghost Beetlejuice to help them get rid of the Deetzes; however, Beetlejuice has his own agenda. Based on the 1988 film starring Michael Keaton. 3. Carrie: The Musical, book by Lawrence D. Cohen (based on the novel by Stephen King), music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford Carrie White has been bullied by practically everyone in her life, from the popular kids at school to her fanatically religious mother. When she is pushed too far (pig’s blood, anyone?), Carrie gets her revenge. The musical version of Carrie has an interesting history, originally premiering in 1988 and becoming a Broadway flop, then being revamped for off-Broadway in 2012. 4. Evil Dead: The Musical, book and lyrics by George Reinblatt, music by Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris, and George Reinblatt Based on the Evil Dead movie franchise, this rock musical was first performed in Toronto before moving to an off-Broadway run at New World Stages. Five college students discover an evil book in the basement of an abandoned cabin in the woods and read it, unleashing unspeakable horror that turns everyone into demons one by one. Productions often feature a “splatter zone” where audience members get doused in stage blood. 5. Jekyll & Hyde, book by Leslie Bricusse (based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson), music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Frank Wildhorn, Leslie Bricusse, and Steve Cuden Brilliant Dr. Jekyll attempts to cure his father’s mental illness, but inadvertently creates himself an evil alternate personality named Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde terrorizes London, and Dr. Jekyll must find a cure to control him before he takes over permanently. 6. Little Shop of Horrors, book by Howard Ashman, music and lyrics by Alan Menken Shy floral shop worker Seymour finds a mysterious plant that looks like a Venus flytrap. He names it Audrey II after his co-worker Audrey, who Seymour is secretly in love with. Seymour discovers that his plant feeds on blood, and as Audrey II quickly grows, it demands to be fed more and more. Based on the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors. 7. The Phantom of the Opera, libretto by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe (based on the novel by Gaston Leroux), music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe A series of increasingly frightening incidents occur at the Paris Opéra House, which are blamed on the “opera ghost” or “O.G.” The opera ghost is revealed to be a mysterious, disfigured musical genius living in the catacombs under the theatre. He falls in love with soprano Christine Daaé and as his love turns to obsession, will stop at nothing to make her his forever. As of 2023, Phantom is the longest-running show on Broadway, opening in 1988 and closing in 2023. 8. The Rocky Horror Show, book, music, and lyrics by Richard O’Brien The stage musical came first! The film version has achieved cult status, but the stage version premiered in 1973 on the West End and has been revived all over the world ever since. Newlyweds Brad and Janet take shelter from a rainstorm in the home of mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter. With catchy songs like “Time Warp,” the show feels like a light-hearted homage to vintage sci-fi and B movies. However, the “horror” aspect of the title is appropriate as mysterious and murderous events occur throughout the night. 9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, book by Hugh Wheeler, music and lyrics by Steven Sondheim Benjamin Barker is transported to Australia for a crime he did not commit. Fifteen years later, he returns to England, and vows revenge. Reinventing himself as barber Sweeney Todd, he kills his customers with his shaving razor and sends their bodies to his downstairs neighbour Mrs. Lovett, who disposes of them in a most sinister fashion. Based on the 1970 play Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond. 10. The Toxic Avenger, book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, music and lyrics by David Bryan Tromaville, New Jersey has been turned into a toxic waste dump. Nerdy Melvin Ferd the Third vows to clean it up and put a stop to whoever is responsible for leaving the drums of toxic goo everywhere. Melvin is attacked by goons, who toss him into a vat of toxic waste and leave him for dead. What they didn’t anticipate was Melvin transforming into a huge green mutant with a melted face, muscled body, and monstrous determination to save New Jersey. Based on the 1984 film of the same name.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. _ _ The Haunting of Chip Lake Lodge by J. Robert Wilkins is all about a great story with fantastic characters. Plus wonderful opportunities for technical elements – from the set, the lights, the sound and the supernatural. Four high school seniors, Amy, Jennifer, Stephanie and Justin, arrive at a country lodge for their prom. But things go askew from the start. They show up at the wrong lodge, their car won’t start, the phone goes dead, and disco music plays inexplicably. The lodge is haunted! The teens are unwillingly drawn into a slightly deranged plot to free the spirit from the curse of Chip Lake. If only Justin can overcome his fear of giant rats, they may be able to save the day. It all leads to a bizarre prom night no one will forget! Why did we publish this play? The Haunting of Chip Lake Lodge _ is part mystery, part comedy, part supernatural, and all entertaining! One of my favourite genres on the Theatrefolk site is our Halloween-esque plays. I love how our authors use theatrical conventions to bring spooky stories to life. _Chip Lake Lodge is no exception. Add to that a wonderful sense of humour, characters that are exceedingly fun to play, and a great challenge for a teen tech team – it all makes for a fabulous theatrical experience! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I wrote the play for the annual Dinner Theatre at my school. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Teens working together to overcome adversity. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The daunting environment of the set. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Embrace the stereotypes. That is the source of the humor. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? I believe the performers can identify with the stereotypes and their emotions. But the main thing is that they can have fun through exaggeration. There is no serious messaging here.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Tired of fairy tale adaptations that are sickly sweet? Enter Grim and Gruesome Grimm! This adaptation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Mrs. Evelyn Merritt is not for the faint of heart – but it’s definitely for your student performers! The original Grimm’s Fairy Tales are far from sweet, naive, innocent, syrupy, or charming. They are not typical at all: Death. Cannibalism. Death. Burial alive. Death. Burned alive. Death. Kidnapping. Death. Beheading and body parts. Death. These tales are not for the faint of heart! Join us for a grim and gruesome stroll through dark forests and nasty characters. Don’t keep a body count. A playful and theatrical adaptation with flexible genders, flexible cast size, and two one act lengths. Why did we publish this play? Grimm’s Fairy Tales are classics. But more often than not, the classic versions are not the original versions. And mostly that’s because there’s a lot of death, beheadings, cannibalism, and more in the original versions and that’s not, oh, acceptable in today’s kids stories. But in a high school play? Absolutely! We love our Halloween and horror themed play section (especially our plays with horror/humour) and Grim and Gruesome Grimm fits right in. Just don’t ask for a watered down kid version – we’re keeping in all the cannibalism. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love fairy tales, all kinds of fairy tales. Even the scary ones! I’ve always shared the PG versions of Grim and I love having the opportunity to share the not so PG versions. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Never turn your back on your stepmother. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? There’s a couple of particularly gory story moments that are done more theatrically than straight up horror gore. That’s just not possible on stage. I think it’s important to always keep the theatre of a play in the visuals rather than try for realism. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Everything is done on stage. All the costumes, the props, the sound effects, let the audience see it all! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It’s a great play for having fun with character and the fact that any student can play any character. It’s all about taking on a role. Put on a crown and you instantly become a king with the right posture and attitude. The roles do not have to be binary or limiting. Anyone can become anything in a fairy tale.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Did you survive the spookiness and scares of Horror Movie 101: Failing Can Be Deadly? Then hold tight… the spine-tingling horror (and humour) continues with Horror Movie 102: Failing Just Got Deadlier by Steven Stack! It’s Halloween and a new collection of teens are about to discover the perils of growing up in St. Claire while violating the rules of horror movies in Horror Movie 102: Failing Just Got Deadlier. These fast-paced scenes will frighten you, make you laugh out loud, shock you, hurt your heart and ultimately make you thankful that you don’t live in St. Claire, Minnesota, where the killing of teens in a traditional horror movie style is far too common. All scenes can be done as standalone pieces or performed together. Easy to stage with few set, sound, or light requirements. The scares are completely theatrical and the ghosts are all in your imagination. Or are they… Why did we publish this play? There aren’t a lot of horror plays out there. I love how Steven approaches this genre and makes it theatrical. His work is easily stageable regardless of your situation. Something else Steven does is write great characters with specific personalities – which you don’t often find in the horror genre. And while Horror Movie 102, takes place in the same unlucky horror ridden town as Horror Movie 101, it has it’s own stories. You don’t need to have read or experienced the first play to enjoy producing this one. And enjoy it you will! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I had so much fun writing Horror Movie 101 and I knew that there were more odd happenings to explore in St. Claire. I was totally right. ? 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. In life, all you can do is your best while realizing that, sometimes, life will decide to do something really messed up to you. Like having your head falling off. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? When Travis’s head falls off and he continues having a delightful conversation with Bean, his beloved. At that point, since it’s the first scene, the audience knows that there is absolutely nothing that can’t happen in St. Claire. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Avoid playing the jokes or focusing on the ridiculousness aspects of each scene. The humor comes from the fact that what is happening in the scenes is the characters’ reality and something they don’t see as funny. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Because it mixes horror, humor, and characters that are complicated and quirky and want to make the right decisions but just can’t for some reason. Which, to be honest, is what students and all of us deal with on a daily basis. 6. Do you have any tips for those who are performing this play online? Focus on internalizing the characters so that your face will respond to what’s happening to your character. Writing character bios is vital here so that you have an in-depth knowledge of your characters and the others in their world. To do the show online allows the focus to be on the story and the characters instead of the set or the blocking. Get your copy of Horror Movie 101: Failing Just Got Deadlier right here, right now!Not right for your group right now? Search our play catalogue to find one that your performers will love!

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Large cast staging options, ghoulish make-up opportunities and a modern adaptation of Victorian ghost stories. Intrigued? Learn more about the high school drama/mystery Gothic Ghost Stories by Lindsay Price. Murdered twins. A lost heart. Evil in the painting. A girl and her mother frozen to death. These are a few of the Gothic ghosts whose stories are dying to be told in this creepy character-filled adaptation. Walk through the open window and join them by the dying fire light won’t you? Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love adaptation and I loved writing Shuddersome. I wondered who else was writing in the horror genre in the 19th century, and I was shocked to find tons and tons of stories. There were too many to choose from! It was awesome. Thus Gothic Ghost Stories was born. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Ghosts want two things: their story told, and revenge. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The Twins. They led a short life and a horrible death and their ghosts have haunted the Long Hall for decades. If you see them after sunset, it’s curtains for you. They make multiple appearances throughout and they set the perfect tone for a play about ghosts. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Traditional scene changes will take the audience out of the world of the play. Never let transitions break the ghostly atmosphere. Atmosphere is the most important element of this play. Keep actors in character, make it creepy, use red light, make it slow and your audience will be glued to the edge of their seats. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It applies 21st century skills in the best package ever: How will you use creative thinking to create ghostly special effects? Use critical thinking skills to analyze the original stories and their theatrical versions. Collaboration and Communication are key to transition from story to story without breaking out of the world of the play. And top it off, ghost stories are so much fun to play!

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Today we’ve got horror. That’s right horror theatre. We love this genre and love being able to offer it to you with Steven Stack’s new play Horror Movie 101: Failing Can Be Deadly. Surviving your teenage years is difficult enough. But in St Claire, where teens continually violate the rules of Horror Movie 101, it’s practically impossible. You know the rules: never open a door if someone knocks after the lights go out. If your car runs out of gas and a girl on the side of the road asks you to take her home to mother – don’t. Haunted houses are never a good idea, and neither are cabins in the middle of the woods. And if you use an ancient burial ground to bring some back, they’ll come back wrong. Everyone knows that. This collection of haunting, horrifying, harrowing AND humourous scenes will keep you laughing as you keep your eyes covered. Why did we publish this play? Horror Theatre is a genre that we just don’t often see on the stage. It’s the realm of movies with their scary music, their jump scares, and their ability to create buckets of blood. But that doesn’t stop playwright Steven Stack. Steven loves exploring this genre (have you read his Ashland Falls? The Bottom of the Lake?) and we’re thrilled to add Horror Movie 101 to our catalogue. Anything can happen on the stage and you don’t need a camera to create a jump scare. Plan this play for October right now! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? Two reasons. One, we were doing a Halloween Show at the studio I work for and I needed something for it. But the main reason was that I love writing plays that mix horror, comedy, tragedy and strong characters and once the idea came to me about creating a one-act that featured scenes that took place in the same town and were connected, I was super excited about diving into the bizarre happenings of St. Claire, Minnesota. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The path that our life takes comes down to the decisions that we make or don’t make. And all of those decisions come to an end: one that is happy or one that is not. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Sarah looking at the body bag at the end of The One. That it, in some ways, sums up the themes of all the plays, even the comedies. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Play the truth of each scene and characters and really push to internalize the stories. This holds especially true for the comedies. I think there’s often a tendency for actors to play the “jokes” in comedies instead of playing the truth of the characters, who often don’t find their situations funny. And I think that, in the end, is what makes it funny. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? One reason is because it’s a mix of horror, humor, and tragedy which I believe anyone, especially teens, can get on board with. I think another reason is because this play forces actors to internalize deeply to create the truth of the various moments in order to have them work on stage.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays for…Holidays! The holidays are a perfect time to put on a play. And we don’t just stop at Christmas. Since the end of October is a particularly spooky time of year we’re also going to share some of our most spookiest stuff. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! Deck the Stage Six short plays inspired by Christmas carols. Bittersweet moments. Laugh out loud comedy. And the weirdest 12 days of Christmas you’ve ever seen. The plays can be performed individually, or all together as a complete evening of entertainment. Humbug High: A Contemporary Christmas Carol A new take on the classic Dickens tale! Eddie Scrooge is 17 years old. He hates his parents and his classmates. His only goal in life is to make money and keep his heart ice-cold. This Christmas he’s about to meet the errors of his ways face-to-face. The Snow Queen Kai has been captivated by The Snow Queen. She is frozen in her heart and mind. Gerda will stop at nothing to find her sister. This is a magical theatrical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of a sister’s love, an ice cold heart, and a fantastical journey. A great winter themed alternative to traditional Christmas fare. Christmas In July Last Year has handed off the calendar to the New Year and is ready to hit the beach. The New Year is nervous but ready for the challenge. But something goes terribly wrong. Summer starts in November, Easter’s in February and Christmas is in July! The calendar days are all in a tizzy. The First Herald Angel On the first Christmas Eve, a poor shepherd happens across a small child in the hill country about Bethlehem. To the shepherd’s surprise, the child explains she is an angel practicing to be a herald angel so she can announce the Saviour’s birth. Great for concerts or assemblies. The Bottom of the Lake Dani’s out in the middle of the woods at night, alone, without a flashlight. She meets three girls from another camp, and they tell ghost stories to pass the time. A combination of ghost stories, urban legends, teen issues, romance, absurd comedy, and film noir, all in a single play! Close Encounters of the Undead Kind Is that a werewolf at the support group? A child vampire at the front door? A zombie boyfriend? With some close encounters of the undead kind, these plays are far from typical and humdrum! The plays can be performed individually or all together for a ghoulishly delightful evening. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow This new adaptation of the Washington Irving story is excellent for large groups and suitably spooky for Halloween! Icabod Crane is new to Sleepy Hollow and seems to fit right in. But not everyone is happy to see Icabod and they prepare a ghoulish surprise for him. The Haunting of Chip Lake Lodge Four seniors arrive at a country lodge for their prom. But things go askew from the start. They show up at the wrong lodge, their car won’t start, the phone goes dead, and disco music plays inexplicably. The lodge is haunted! It all leads to a bizarre prom night no one will forget. Shuddersome: Tales of Poe Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. His words rise from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, taping? Multi-length versions of the script to fit every need. Planning on performing one of these or another Theatrefolk play? Let us know all about it with pictures and highlights – we might even feature you on our site! Click here to submit your story.

This week on Spread the Love we talk about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – adapted by Lindsay Price from Washington Irving.