Mystery

Ready to add a little mystery to your drama classroom? We’ve put together a list of plays full of secrets, twists, and unexpected turns that are sure to captivate your students. Whether they’re uncovering hidden clues or piecing together the puzzle, these scripts will have your performers and the audience hooked. Ready to crack the case? Dive into our mystery play picks!

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight! The Plucky Pie Murder by Dara Murphy is an incredible way to challenge perspectives and find humour in unexpected places. A black comedy extraordinaire! The star quarterback of Riverview High School has been charged with murder most fowl! Rooster, to be precise. Plucky the mascot has been done in and all fingers point to the football player - even his own. A farce of a trial ensues featuring an inept judge, an unprepared defence lawyer, and an Egg-Girl. The audience plays the jury in this hilarious black comedy. Two possible endings! Why did we publish this play? The Plucky Pie Murder is a black comedy extraordinaire. It's the play to choose if you're in the rare position of having a lot of guys in your drama class or club. We love how Dara writes plays. Some may call it weird, which I would consider a compliment. She's said that she likes "finding humour in unexpected places." She also likes that humour can be used "to challenge people's perspectives." It's important to us to have plays that challenge people's perspectives! Sit back and enjoy the ride with this play. Fun fact: When we accepted The Plucky Pie Murder Dara was the youngest playwright in our catalogue. She had written the play for a high school assignment and her teacher submitted it to us. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I wrote The Plucky Pie Murder when I was in grade 12. It was a drama class assignment that asked us to write a one-act play. I don't remember how I got the idea for the script, but at the time I enjoyed TV shows like Murder She Wrote and Matlock. My teacher liked my play, and at the end of the school year, she recommended that I submit it to Theatrefolk. I was very excited when Theatrefolk said they were interested in publishing it! My mom even flew us to California so we could watch the first performance. That experience cemented my love for writing and theatre. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. This play is a courtroom drama and a football game rolled into one. I would say the theme is the importance of getting to know a person beyond simply looking at their mascot costume, job, reputation, or appearance. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? My favorite visual is the waterboy keeping the defense team hydrated during the court proceedings. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? If you produce this play, I would recommend keeping the pace of the dialogue very snappy. This will help the jokes land, and it will keep the energy high. People could even talk over one another. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This play is great for student actors because it's a lot of fun. It's goofy and silly, and it would be perfect for an energetic group. The jokes come and go quickly, and there's never a dull moment. 6. Who is your favourite character in the play? If I were in this play, I would want to be Ms. Duncan because she's a serious lawyer who gets to pepper everyone with important questions. 7. What is your favourite line in the play? It's hard to pick my favorite line. I like the section when Mr. Teedle is questioning the forensic specialist on whether the mascot costume is a rooster or a chicken. I also like Mr. Teedle's hopeless opening statement: MR. TEEDLE: Okay, to begin I would like to say that my client is innocent. Very… innocent. So innocent, you could throw him into a lake and he would sink… Ha ha, little witch joke there. So, to close my opening statement I would like to repeat that the innocence of my client is very… ah… very big. Thank you.

Whodunnit? Murder mystery plays are a lot of fun for both performers and audiences. Audiences get to be detectives and discover throughout the show who committed the crime, while the actors get to embody all sorts of interesting characters, all with a similar goal: to get away with murder! Murder mysteries are like spiderwebs — there are tons of connecting threads that all come together to make one fascinating and beautiful creation. They require a slightly different kind of planning, but it’s worth it to create a fun and intriguing piece of theatre. Read on for five tips (and five accompanying tasks) for writing a murder mystery play. 1. Choose your subgenre.Despite the fierce title, murder mysteries can be tailored to the playwright’s liking. They can be bloody and gory thrillers, “cozy” mysteries (a lighter mystery with clean language, and all violence occurring off-stage), or anything in between. A murder mystery might involve ghosts and the supernatural, or meddling kids might solve it rather than a detective. It could be set in a courtroom with a judge and jury, or in an abandoned house in a spooky forest. It might even involve audience participation! Students will need to decide how dark they want their mystery, and who their target audience is. Task: Have students determine what subgenre of murder mystery they want their piece to be (thriller, horror, noir, courtroom drama, dark comedy, farce, cozy, supernatural, etc.) and who their target audience is (adults, teens, elementary school children, families). Note: This might change as they work through the tasks. That’s ok! This is a starting point. 2. Map out your work.Murder mysteries generally have lots of characters. First and foremost: the victim. Who dies? When, where, and how? Then, there’s the rest of the motley crew: the victim’s various family members, friends, confidantes, lovers, enemies, employees or colleagues, and of course that one seemingly random character with a mysterious connection that is revealed later in the play. These are the suspects — the characters who have been accused of committing the crime. Not only are these characters connected to the victim, but they’re generally connected to at least one other character somehow. Task: Students will create a map of their characters, showing their connections to each other. Put the victim in the middle and the rest of the characters around them. Draw a line between each connected character. Some characters will have more connections than others. Students can sketch this on paper or a whiteboard, make a digital version, or create the classic cork-board-and-yarn setup (also known as a “conspiracy board,” “evidence board,” or “murder map”). 3. Determine the motives.Every character, including the main character, the detective, and even the narrator if there is one, needs to have a motive for the murder. Why did they want the victim dead? What’s in it for them? What do they stand to gain (or lose) from the victim’s death? Do they have an alibi? An alibi is a reason why the suspect couldn’t have committed the crime. Task: Determine a motive for each character, and an alibi if they have one. Add it to the character map created in Task 2. 4. Work backwards.Writing a murder mystery takes a lot of planning. This is one genre where it’s useful to work backwards — start with the final outcome of the piece and move backwards, adding details and perplexity, rather than trying to unravel everything at the beginning. Determine the crucial moments of the story, including scenes like the introduction of the characters, the murder itself, the discovery of the murder, the gathering of the witnesses, the sharing of alibis, the final outcome of the murder mystery — Who actually committed the crime? How did they do it? — and work backwards to the beginning of the piece. Include any important details that are specific to the piece. If students want to add complexity, they might try to have two scenes occur at the same time. Task: Make a backwards outline of the murder mystery. Write each important moment on a separate index card and attach the cards to a board with pins or magnets, starting from the end of the play and working back to the beginning. This way you can shift around, adjust, or eliminate the moments as necessary. 5. Show and tell.With the solid work students have done creating the outlines for their murder mystery plays, they can get started writing scenes. It’s easy to get lost in dialogue with murder mysteries — there’s a lot of information you need to relay. Remind students that plays are a visual medium and that the action of the show must be shown as well as spoken about. What scenes could you include with more action than dialogue? What can you show the audience that the other characters don’t see? What clues will be discovered when, and by whom? What red herrings can you include? (A red herring is a clue or piece of information that is intended to mislead or distract from the real issue at hand, and is frequently used in murder mysteries.) Task: Get writing! Be sure to check out some of Theatrefolk’s awesome murder mystery plays, such as She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More and The Plucky Pie Murder.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More by Steven Stack is a fast-paced quirky melodrama that would definitely be a showstopper for any school! Tonight was going to be writer Alina Deveraux’s most important night, the unveiling of her memoirs: a non-fiction fictional retelling of Alina’s life moment by moment up until three hours ago when she finished it. Until she ended up dead. Or not dead. The comedic, melodramatic one-act mystery, She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More, is a hilarious romp that features betrayals, broken hearts, a rather odd but beautiful love story, and many twists. The play features a cast of eccentric and unique characters, who may or may not at some point end up dying themselves. Or appearing murdered because of a rare fainting when frightened disorder… Why did we publish this play? I don't write melodrama well and I so admire those who do. What I love about Steven's play is the way it brings the form to vivid life with characters who are great to watch. It's amazing to see how far a character will go in this play to get what they want, with hilarious results in equal parts verbal and physical humour. Steven has said that "melodrama can be realistic - just not the way we know reality in our day-to-day life" which is a great perspective. He knows how to set up the world for his characters and then push the limit of the reality of the world to the extreme. It’s a fast-paced and fun romp of a play featuring quirky and distinct characters in a world that is bizarre, but still close enough to reality to be believed. This would be a showstopper play for any school! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I love writing melodramas and I wanted to write a murder mystery where almost everyone died but, spoiler alert, they weren’t actually dead. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The themes of She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More are that nothing is ever really what it seems and that people will go to whatever length necessary to get what they want. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? When Minnie’s plot is revealed by Alina, who rose from the dead from her fake death to save Marian while all the while the stage is littered with “dead” bodies. It’s such a fun and striking visual especially when you consider what’s about to happen. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Remember that these characters are real to themselves and should be created and performed as so. They are ridiculous to us and what they experience perhaps even more so but to them, it’s their actual life and they are not in on the joke. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Because the characters are complex and super fun to play. It also forces actors to create the truth of their characters and not simply play “the jokes.” Doing this allows the audience to believe what they are seeing while also making the play funnier. Plus, they get to die on stage in odd ways and that’s always awesome. Get your copy of She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More, 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. _ _ 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. * Shuddersome: Tales of Poe by Lindsay Price is a creepy, cross-curricular masterpiece with tons of flexibility, theatricality and a whole lot of fun. The thumping of a heartbeat. The creek of a door. The howl of a bitter wind. The gong of a clock tower. The clang of alarm bells. The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer… Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s best-known works. Included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Poe’s words rise from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, tapping? Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Adaptation is my favourite form of playwrighting and I love the creepy, scary, macabre stories of Edgar Allan Poe. I thought it was a perfect marriage. Little did I know. This play was actually a huge challenge to write. Taking a piece of literature from one medium and transforming it into another, is not easy. Poe writes in a way where it’s the single reader’s imagination that takes charge of the interaction. The story lives in the mind of the reader. In a play, we can’t be inside everybody’s head at the same time. We need action and theatricality to do the work. It took over a year to find the right balance of staying true to Poe’s intention and creating a theatrical experience, but I’m really happy with the outcome. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Death, Morality, Revenge, Jealousy, come to life from the page like corpses from the grave. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The Shudders. They are Poe’s specters, ghosts and ghouls staring you down from every corner of the stage. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Watch the tone. If everything is played with the same creepy feeling, then the play is going to come across as one note. Which I know is not your intention! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? I’m often told by teachers and students that this play is a challenge. It’s not easy stuff. But it’s a rewarding challenge. It’s creepy and cross-curricular which makes it great for classroom study. There is also a number of different of storytelling styles that offers student performers a wide variety of challenges. There’s even a humourous story! (Did you know Poe wrote comedies?) 6. Do you have any advice for people looking to perform this play online or socially distanced? If you’re performing socially distanced, explore how the the isolation between characters impacts the creepy atmosphere of the storytelling. Light and sound will also be your best friends. The Raven would work very well with the different characters in their own areas of light. If you’re doing The Bells virtually, I’d suggest not using unison speaking and play with how the text sounds using individual speakers. Have fun with it! Explore different options, you won’t know if something works or not until you try.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. The mysterious dramedy, The Bottom of the Lake by Steven Stack is an awesome combination of ghost stories, urban legends, teen issues, romance, absurd comedy, and film noir, all in a single play! Summer camp. The memories. The s’mores. The campfire. The ghost stories. Dani’s out in the middle of the woods at night, alone, without a flashlight. She meets three girls from another camp, and the new friends tell ghost stories to pass the time. After each of their stories comes to life onstage, only one story remains to be told – a story none of them saw coming. Why did we publish this play? Ghost stories are common in film, but much less common onstage. And that’s exactly why we love this play. It works as a piece of theatre and as a ghost story. When I read the play for the first time, I didn’t see the end coming! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Two main reasons: One, I spent most of my younger years feeling like, for whatever reason, I didn’t fit with everyone else, and I dealt with it in a variety of ways, depending on my maturity level. The second reason was that I love mixing humor, horror, and heart, especially when they don’t seem to fit together. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. That what we define has “normal” isn’t the norm, and all of us are always seeking to know that we are enough the way are. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Dani pulling her hood down. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Focus on the things that the characters aren’t saying or doing that drives them to say what they are saying or doing. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It lets them play a variety of fun and challenging characters in a world that is different than their own but also connects with what they go through every day with searching for a place where they fit. In the end, all of these characters are seeking belonging. They just all go about finding that belonging in different ways depending on who they are and how they deal with the damages they carry.

Whether you’re looking for a great production piece, a superior competition entry or simply some great material for cross-curricular classroom study, Lindsay Price’s Shuddersome: Tales of Poe has the material you need. The thumping of a heartbeat. The creek of a door. The howl of a bitter wind. The gong of a clock tower. The clang of alarm bells. The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer… Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. Included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Poe’s words rise from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, tapping? The incredibly talented student performers at Cambridge-Isanti High School in Cambridge, MN were not only successful in their newfound appreciation of Poe, but also enjoyed award-winning performances at the Minnesota State Festival: Mississippi 8 conference starred Performance, Minnesota Sub-Section 7AA Champions, Minnesota Section 7AA Champions and Minnesota State Festival Performers. Director Kelly Fairchild-Fahrni was thrilled to share their success and these picture-perfect photos, along with some tips that helped keep their production running smoothly: “This has been a wonderful play to produce. It is exciting to go into rehearsal everyday to see what new level of detail we can add to the piece. I really feel the entire company has come to appreciate Poe as they hadn’t before. The biggest challenge for us has been to present heavily rhymed poetry without emphasizing the rhythm. We made all our actors into “Shudders” wearing easy to remove headpieces when they moved into main characters. This really helped with the transitions from one scene to the next. We kept all the actors on stage for the whole show so we could move quickly between pieces as well. We also used a lot of music and sound effects to add to the overall atmosphere.”

Looking for a great competition piece or cross-curricular play? Shuddersome: Tales of Poe by Lindsay Price is a vivid and theatrical adaptation of some of Poe’s best known works, complete with multi length versions to fit every performance need. The thumping of a heartbeat. The creek of a door. The howl of a bitter wind. The gong of a clock tower. The clang of alarm bells. The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer… Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. Included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Poe’s words rise from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, tapping? Under the direction of Todd Espeland , the extremely talented performers at Fort Wayne Youtheatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana were able to take the material in Shuddersome: Tales of Poe and allow it to reach not only their audience, but also their community and even themselves: “This show has been very well received by both our actors and audiences. Previous to doing Shuddersome our free Storybook Tours have been original scripts and fairy tale based shows. Our youth performers have responded to this script in a HUGE way. They love the challenge of it. They love the drama of it. They LOVE the creativity that is called upon by the actors to make this show work. Our audiences have doubled this tour and I think it is a direct result of this script. They are interested in the title and subject matter and our Youth performers have been inviting more and more people outside of their immediate family to the shows. One of our performances was for a youth mental health facility. The show was done for youth who are receiving mental health counseling. We were initially hesitant about doing this show for them due to the overall subject matter and the specific subject matter of Tell Tale Heart. The doctors insisted it was okay. We performed the show for 16 youth who volunteered to see the show (the youth in this facility sign up to see things that interest them). They responded to the show very well. After the performance their counselor said that the show and its subject matter was going to be part of their evening group session. That was awesome. It’s awesome to know that we are reaching youth all over Fort Wayne with this subject matter.”

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!

If you’re looking for a vivid and theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s greatest works, look no further than Shuddersome: Tales of Poeby Lindsay Price. With three play lengths available, this is a perfect vehicle for your next student production, a great competition piece or an excellent cross-curricular classroom study piece. The thumping of a heartbeat. The creek of a door. The howl of a bitter wind. The gong of a clock tower. The clang of alarm bells. The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer… Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. Included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Poe’s words rise from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, tapping? Paul Milisch from Madison East High School in Madison, WI was happy to share photos and kudos of this talented group of performers as they took audiences on their own incredible journey with this theatrical adaptation: “We advanced to the next round of the WI High School Theatre Festival. Here are some photos from our final dress.”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Are you looking to keep your audience on the edge of their seats? The high school mystery, Ashland Falls by Steven Stack is an intense theatrical experience that is easy to stage and comes with a twist ending that will make them question everything they’ve witnessed… A school receives a mysterious script about a girl who died long ago. The director disappears. A new director arrives just in time and knows all about the story of the play. In fact, she seems to know it too well. And how did she get the dead girl’s ring? Are the students of Herbert Hoover High too wrapped up in miscues, awful accents, and stolen boyfriends to notice? Revenge is coming. Who will pay the price when the real world and the play collide? Each actor must play two vastly different roles in this spine-tingling comedy thriller. Why did we publish this play? I love mystery/horror plays. When I say “horror,” I’m not talking about slasher films. Horror can be creepy and mysterious and that’s why I love Ashland Falls. With the play-within-a-play structure you have first a modern day high school cast and then their character counterparts. This presents a fantastic character showcase for your students. It’s easy to stage and has all the spine-tingling effects needed in a creepy theatrical experience. Plus, there’s humour to throw everyone off the scent. You’ll keep the audience on the edge of their seats with Ashland Falls. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? One of my favorite plays in the world is Noises Off. I’ve acted in it two times (with the third coming up in two years), and I always wanted to write a play-within-a-play. I also knew I wanted to mix teen issues, horror, comedy, and a British ghost story. Once I knew what elements I wanted, I played in the creative sandbox until an idea appeared. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. For the first act: The rehearsal process is a melodrama within itself. Second act: There’s no limit to what some will do for family. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? When Ashley Donovan appears at the end of the first act behind Carrie, who cannot see her. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? To take the time for all actors to develop both of their characters’ backstories by creating character bios, discussions, improv, and any other ways that allow that actor to create to distinct three-dimensional characters. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This play is great for student performers because you get to play two fun and challenging characters, with one requiring you to develop a British accent. On top of that, it’s set in the world of high school acting and allows the actor to play a variety of genres including drama, comedy, and horror.

Looking for a way to bring the works of Edgar Allen Poe to life? Shuddersome: Tales of Poe by Lindsay Price is a vivid and theatrical adaptation of some of Poe’s best known works. The thumping of a heartbeat. The creek of a door. The howl of a bitter wind. The gong of a clock tower. The clang of alarm bells. The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer… Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. Included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Poe’s words rise from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, tapping? Multi length versions to fit every performance need. Sarah Hankins of Clinton High School in Clinton, MS was excited to share the success of her drama students who were nothing short of “Poe perfection”. Not only did they win Best Overall Costume at the North Mississippi DramaFest and the Mississippi Theatre Association, but check out these amazing set pieces! The clock was a student designed piece that shows the evil eye that appears in the grandfather clock, and the face of the clock that opens for Death to enter through. An amazing set piece!

If you’re looking for a great adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works, then look no further than Shuddersome: Tales of Poe by Lindsay Price. Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation, which includes The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Multi-length versions of the script to fit every need. Under the direction of Nelson Berry , the drama group at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, TN brought these mysterious, dramatic adaptations to life, creating a strong production from a strong ensemble: “I really enjoyed directing and putting together my school’s production of “Shuddersome.” My colleagues and I really love the script, both for its helpful notes and also for the different styles of each scene. Honestly, I was considering the show solely because of “Tell-Tale Heart,” and reading “Oval Portrait” cemented my decision. I used an ensemble of 16 actors, assigning 2-3 roles to each person. We had a few rehearsal challenges, but ultimately the show came together well and we all loved the final product.”

Do you hear the tap, tap, tapping? The thumping of a heartbeat? The creek of a door? The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer… In Lindsay Price’s vivid and theatrical adaptation Shuddersome: Tales of Poe, ghosts and ghouls in some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best known works come alive. Drama teacher, Shannon Boatwright , shared how the student group at Chapin Middle School (Chapin, SC) had the audience shaking in their seats with their unique and visually stunning interpretation of Shuddersome: “I can say that as a producer/director, this show has truly been one of my favorites. Our experience and take on your incredible script of Shuddersome was an enormous success! I am a music lover and dancer, so I incorporate music and dance into pretty much every show that I do. I love to feature the awesome & many talents of my students! So, our version of Shuddersome not only featured my stars singing and dancing, but also performing sign language. It all worked beautifully and really was an incredible adventure for myself and my 40 honors 8th grade students at Chapin Middle School.”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Monsters, strong roles for women, and fun death scenes – what more do you need? Ready to bring an easy-to-stage classical adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to life? Then you’re ready for Frankenstein Among the Dead by Laramie Dean. Thunder and lightning tear apart the night sky while two young women explore the story of Frankenstein: Mary Shelley, who wrote the original novel, and Elsa, mysterious and determined to learn Mary’s secrets, including the most important of all… how to bring the dead to life. Why did we publish this play? We published Frankenstein Among the Dead for many reasons. It’s theatrical – so important when you’re adapting from one genre to another. It’s not a retread of the familiar – there are so many Frankenstein stories out there, but you’ve never seen one like Laramie Dean’s! And lastly, there are great parts for girls. Frankenstein is Mary Shelley’s story and she is front and centre of this adaptation. That’s what really sold me. Read it today! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I had a kid who was going to be a senior and I knew he would be perfect as the Monster. Also, my students in my Intermediate Theatre class had just made toy theatres to act out a scene from a version of Frankenstein I had lying around my office. Their design elements were super cool, and I asked if they’d be interested in designing a Frankenstein that I wrote. Everyone was very excited, so I set to work over spring break adapting the novel. I also knew that the novel doesn’t contain very many strong female characters – actually, there aren’t really any at all – so I decided to feature Mary Shelley herself, change Elizabeth so that she was more active and invested in Victor’s experiment, and create a new character, Elsa, named after Elsa Lanchester, who played Mary Shelley and the titular character in James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Reach; try; experiment; learn; live. Be responsible for your actions, but _try. _Create! 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? What we used for our original production called “the Monster Box,” was an eight foot tall box, almost like a big shower stall made of Plexiglas. We used it to bring the Monster to life and decorated it with wires and clamps and red Christmas lights to make it look very scientific-y. I don’t specify in the script how the Monster comes to life exactly, which should be part of the fun of producing it. Only that lightning and electricity should be somehow involved. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Actors: pay attention to the rhythm of the dialogue; there are line breaks intentionally placed, and should be used or slight pauses or the quick taking of a breath. Also, have fun! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It features strong roles for women, especially Mary and Elsa. It allows for interesting and exciting design choices, including costumes and makeup. Lots of fun death scenes.

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.

This week on Spread the Love we talk about The Haunting of Chip Lake Lodge by J. Robert Wilkins. Filmed live on location near a remote lodge.