Plays

Starting a new production is exciting — and sometimes a little overwhelming. One of the first big decisions you’ll make is whether to tackle a one-act play or a full-length play. Both have their benefits, both have their challenges, and the “right” choice depends on your students, your time, and your goals. Let’s break it down! Consider Your TimeframeHow much time do you have to rehearse? What does your school calendar look like? Will there be testing in the middle of your full-length show? What does the calendar for your performance space look like? Sometimes time will make your decisions for you. • One-acts are short and can run anywhere from 20 to 55 minutes. They’re perfect if you’re tight on rehearsal time, want to perform at a festival, or just need a lower-stress option. • Full-lengths typically run 75–120 minutes, which means more rehearsal time, more memorization, and more moving parts. But they also give you and your students the satisfaction of tackling a bigger project. Think About Your Cast Size• Got a small but mighty group? One-acts are sometimes written with smaller casts in mind, and often offer flexible roles. A small cast full-length puts a lot of pressure on your student actors. • If you have a large ensemble who all want to shine, a full-length might give you the space to spread out roles, add cameos, or double-cast. Skill Level Matters• Middle school or brand-new drama students? A one-act is often less intimidating and gives them a strong sense of accomplishment without overwhelming them. • High school veterans or advanced students? A full-length show can push them further, helping them develop stamina, deeper character work, and better teamwork skills. Production GoalsAsk yourself: What’s the purpose of this production? • If your goal is to compete (UIL, festivals, contests), you are looking at one-acts. • If your goal is to wow the school and community with a big showpiece, a full-length may be the way to go. • If your goal is to build confidence and community in your program, one-acts are a great stepping stone. Logistics and Resources• Budget: One-acts will have smaller royalty fees and fewer technical requirements. • Rehearsal space: Do you have enough time and space to run a full-length production, or would a one-act be easier to slot into your schedule? • Audience: A school day matinee? Parents squeezed for time? One-acts fit neatly into shorter attention spans. Why Not Both?Some schools solve the dilemma by staging an Evening of One-Acts: multiple shorter plays performed back to back. This allows more students to get involved, more styles to be explored, and gives the audience a fun, fast-paced variety night. Final TakeawayThere’s no wrong choice. Whether you choose a one-act or a full-length, what matters most is how the play fits your students, your program, and your community. When your students feel challenged, supported, and excited, you’ll have chosen the right show. Check out Theatrefolk’s full catalogue of fantastic one-act and full-length plays — perfect for student performers in any drama program!

Most theatre teachers enjoy a good deal of artistic freedom when it comes to choosing a play for production; however, this is not the case for every school or school district. Some schools — both public and private — are more conservative when it comes to what they will or won’t allow on stage. Issues such as language, sexuality, or challenging subject matter can be automatic red flags in the eyes of your school community. How do you navigate choosing a play for production when operating within a more restrictive school environment? Here are three important factors that will help you decide whether or not you should choose a script for performance. Know your community standards.Community standards vary wildly from area to area and district to district. A show that is eagerly anticipated at a public school in a big city may be out of the question in a private school in a small town. Also, consider that content that is deemed acceptable in one district may be viewed as scandalous in the next town over, so don’t assume that just because one school has successfully produced a script, that it would, or should, be accepted at EVERY school. Remember that schools are a reflection of their community, and communities are made up of people. Those people decide what is acceptable, so make sure that whatever you put on stage meets your community's standards. If you are new to an area, take the time to investigate the general moral and social values in your school community, and be prepared to err on the side of choosing less controversial materials. You will have plenty of other challenges vying for your attention in those first few years, so don’t make your life more difficult by picking fights you will not win. Once you and your program are established, you can begin to introduce topics and titles that gently push the boundaries. Communicate with your admin.Your administration can be your biggest ally or your most formidable obstacle. As a general rule, you should get your admin's approval no matter what show you choose, but this is doubly important if you hope to produce a show that might be considered “controversial.” Your best plan of action is to work WITH your admin when selecting a potentially controversial script, and keep them informed of any issues or potential concerns that might arise throughout the production process. If they ask you to change or remove something, do your best to accommodate their request. But keep in mind your obligations to both playwright and publisher! You cannot alter a script without permission; if a lot of cuts are requested you may need to reconsider your choice of script. With that being said, remember: Your admin is the first person the public is going to contact if an audience member was offended or upset by your show. If you have maintained good communication with your administration, it will be easier for them to defend and support both you and your show. However, if they were left out of the loop and get blindsided with complaints about your production, you are in for a difficult time. Request student input.When navigating the play selection process at your school, it’s a good idea to involve your students. Students typically want to push boundaries when it comes to script selection, and will sometimes get upset or frustrated when their suggestions are not taken seriously. Let them know the kinds of guidelines and limitations that prevent certain works from being considered, and then challenge them to help find appropriate scripts that fit within the prescribed guidelines. If there are specific plays or topics that are of interest to your students, but are not school appropriate for reasons such as language or sexuality, ask your students to search for scripts that tackle those issues in a more community friendly manner. This type of search process motivates them to research and read a variety of scripts that they may not have been exposed to otherwise. Additional Reading: Top 5 Rules for Choosing a Play for Performance How to Put on a Play That Your Administration Doesn’t Like Calling All Theatre Teachers: How do I choose a play to keep everyone happy? Calling All Theatre Teachers: How do I Navigate School Rules and Climate Around Production Content?

Welcome to our video series, Calling All Theatre Teachers! In this series we’re going to answer questions that drama teachers have about stepping into a theatre program. QUESTION: How do I pick a play that will make everyone happy? (students, admin, me) Watch the video of our discussion of this question - Laramie shares how he balances his season. Click the link below for a worksheet to allow you to gather information from all sides of the table and use that information to plan your season. How do YOU balance when you want to produce, with what your students want and your admin wants? Laramie mentions looking for a “dramedy” as a possible solution (for those who want comedies and dramas) Check out Theatrefolk’s “Dramedy” category by clicking this link!

If you have only ever directed one-acts or scenes, you may not be aware of how much more planning and preparation it takes to stage a longer script. Here is some information that will help you prepare as you get ready to direct your first full-length play. Choose the right show.When choosing a show you always need to consider the Big 4 logistical factors of producing a show: budget, space, time, and theme. • Budget Many of these scripts come at a higher cost. Can you afford the rights? Can you afford to build, buy, or borrow the required elements and materials? Are you hoping to make money from this production? If so, will this show/title bring in enough of an audience for you to turn a profit? These are the questions you need to ask before you choose a full-length show. • Space Equally important is the question of your physical theatre space. Is your space large enough or modern enough to support the technical elements of the show? Does this show require a huge off-stage space for storing scenic elements? Is your lighting, sound, and other technical equipment up to the task? If your space cannot handle the basic requirements of a script, take a pass and look for a better fit. • Time Will you have enough time to properly rehearse and mount this show? Full-length shows take a lot more time to plan and rehearse, and that timing can be thrown off by things like snow days and pep rallies. Take a good, hard look at your calendar and make sure you have the time to give this show all the attention it will need. • Theme Is this show appropriate for your school community? If you’re looking at a show that has challenging themes or mature language, you may need to get pre-approval from your administration BEFORE you purchase the rights and announce the title. The worst thing you can do is put all the time and effort into staging a show, only to have it cancelled before you ever make it to opening night. Make sure you have the actors.Similarly, when you’re planning to direct your first full-length play, make sure you have an appropriate talent pool: Do you have performers who have the talent and experience to tackle this show? Do you have enough interested students to fill all the roles? Make sure you have a large enough talent pool to choose from before you commit to a script, and that includes your tech support and crews. Create the calendar.Staging a full-length play will take more time to plan, rehearse, and produce. The typical rule of rehearsal is that for each minute of performance on stage, you will need one hour of rehearsal time, so plan on much more rehearsal for a full-length play. Create a calendar that realistically reflects the work it will take to bring the show to the stage. When creating your calendar, work backwards from opening night and don’t forget to include blocking, working, and technical rehearsals in your calendar. Also include an ‘off-book’ date for each act so your actors have a target for memorization. Get all the production pieces in place.If you have never directed a full-length play before, you will need to pay attention to the technical elements of the show. If the design requirements are more complex than you’re used to, you may want to look for help from experienced designers for sets, lights, and costumes. These designers need to be included early in the production process so they are part of the decision-making team. If help is not available, and you have to manage all of the design elements yourself, assign a handful of responsible students to assist you. Designing a full-length show is a lot of work, and without help you could quickly become overwhelmed and burnt out. You will also need to assemble a crew to run the technical elements, and as you get closer to opening night you will need to field a front-of-house crew as well. Remember that all of these crews will need time to learn their roles before opening night. Pace yourself.As you can see, directing a full-length play is much more complicated than directing a scene or a short one-act. Ultimately, staging a full-length play is a marathon and there will be highs and lows as the production process grinds on. It will take more time, effort, and planning to successfully get the show to the stage, so carefully organize the process and pace yourself. Keep in mind that ‘pacing yourself’ should include taking breaks and practicing self-care. With proper organization and a realistic pace you can make it all the way to the finish line… and enjoy the show!

Take this article’s title with a grain of salt — we would never want to intentionally ruin any play or musical! We’re just going to have a little fun with show titles by adding, removing, and changing letters and words to make goofy new titles. While this game can be a lot of fun, it also can be challenging. For starters, your students may or may not have previous knowledge of play or musical titles. If it’s the latter, you will want to start by having the group brainstorm as many show titles as they can think of, or providing students a list of play and/or musical titles. (If you need some premade lists, we’ve got plays and musicals for Pride, creepy and spooky plays and musicals, and more than 200 plays in our own Theatrefolk play catalogue to peruse. While students aim to come up with funny, creative new show titles, they’ll have to ensure that the changes make sense grammatically. It’s also easy to get bogged down in trying to be super witty. With a lower-stakes game like this, it’s better to aim for quantity of responses over quality. Let the funny flow! Start by having students come up with as many new show titles as possible, using one or more of the prompts below. For an additional challenge, for the first four prompts, have students come up with an explanation of the new plot of the show using elements of the original plot. You can have students complete this individually, in pairs or small groups, or as a full class. It’s a great bell work assignment, or a way to start devising a new play or musical. Come up with a title and then in subsequent classes, create character profiles and start creating new scenes. Let’s dive in! Ruin a Play Prompts1. Ruin a play or musical by changing one letter of the title. For example: “In the Weights,” “Show Goat,” “A Little Fight Music,” or “Bean Girls.” Some show titles are conducive to more than one change — consider “Glove Never Dies” or “Love Never Pies.” 2. Ruin a play or musical by adding a word to the title. For example: “The Burger King & I,” “Peter Pancakes,” or “Rock of the Stone Ages.” If only adding one word is too difficult, students can include an article, preposition, or conjunction to make the title flow better and to ensure grammatical accuracy. 3. Ruin a play or musical by changing one word of the title to a completely different word. The word must be one single word agreed upon by the whole class. For example: “The Phantom of the Bathroom,” “Romeo & Bathroom,” “Lord of the Bathrooms,” or “Arsenic & Old Bathrooms.” 4. Ruin a play or musical by adding “… of DOOM!” to the title. For example: “Our Town… of DOOM!” “Waiting for Godot… of DOOM!” or “Smokey Joe’s Café… of DOOM!” Does this addition make the new show seem comedic or scary? Why? 5\, Ruin a play or musical by describing it badly. How can you describe a play with a one-sentence summary? Here are some examples: • “A monster saves a princess from marrying a tiny man” for Shrek the Musical • “The plant-based version of Sweeney Todd” for Little Shop of Horrors • “Woman is rendered mute to meet her crush but discovers appreciation for shoes and forks” for The Little Mermaid • “It’s literally a bunch of felines singing” for Cats • “Remember the cats? Same concept, but instead of cats it’s toy trains” for *Starlight Express * • "Misshapen French man tries to find true love” (This could be The Phantom of the Opera... or Beauty and the Beast... or The Hunchback of Notre Dame!) How many new, funny titles will your students come up with?

For a new Theatre teacher, choosing a play for performance can be both exciting and scary. With so many scripts to choose from, how do you make sure you pick the right one for your program? You start with knowing the logistics of your particular production. Here are the top five tips for choosing a play for performance: Tip #1 - Know your spaceIt’s important to know where your play will be performed before you choose your script. The production requirements for staging a show in a small black box space are different from the requirements of a 500-seat auditorium. Your space will dictate everything from the size of your cast to the complexity of your designs. And no matter what space you are in, if the script requires special scenic and lighting equipment that you don’t have, you will not be able to present the show as the playwright intended. Knowing the capabilities of your space will help guide you towards shows that you can successfully produce. Tip #2 - Know your budgetProducing a show is more expensive than you think! That’s why it’s important to know your budget before you begin. From rights and royalties to building a set and printing programs, the cost of putting on a show can quickly get out of hand. And it’s even more expensive if you’re trying to stage a musical. That’s why you should know your budget BEFORE you choose your show. When you know how much money you can spend, you have a better sense of the kind of show you can afford — and the kind you can’t. Make sure you have a firm budget — in writing — before you pick your show, and then keep track of your expenses right up to opening night. Tip #3 - Know your studentsWhen thinking about choosing a show, there are two questions you need to address when it comes to casting: How many students are coming to auditions, and how experienced are they? In other words, will I have enough actors to cast all the roles, and can the actors successfully play these parts? If you don’t know how many students might show up for auditions, let alone how experienced they are, it’s better to choose something small and easy so that your production has a better chance at success. Once you have established your program and know the dedication and capabilities of your students, you can choose more challenging scripts going forward. Tip #4 - Know your audienceWhen picking a show, you need to keep in mind who your audience is and what they will accept. Not all audiences are made the same, and what is accepted in one community might be rejected in another. Plenty of teachers have been called on the carpet (or worse!) after a parent or audience member complained that a show was “offensive.” If you don’t know how an audience might react to a show that has a controversial theme, or even a questionable scene, it’s a good idea to run the script past your administration BEFORE you commit to it and announce your season. If your admin approves, you know you can count on their support. And if they don’t approve, say “thank you” and move on to the next script. (Need tips on how to present a play with some tough subject matter to your Admin? Check out How to Put On A Play Your Administration Doesn't Like.) Tip #5 - Pick something you like!No matter what script you choose, you will be spending a lot of time with it. From season planning through auditions, rehearsals, design, construction and performance, you will spend countless hours producing a show. And the only thing more grueling than staging a show is staging a show you don’t like. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to bring a show to the stage, and if your heart's not in it, you will burn out very quickly. So make sure you choose a show that interests you — or better yet, excites you! That excitement will be passed on to your performers, who will pass it on to your audience. These rules will help you narrow down your search to scripts that have the best chance of success based on your circumstances. By knowing specific information about the who, what and where of your production BEFORE you choose your script, you can prevent false starts, unrealistic expectations and potential cancellations. Happy hunting! P.S. Need some help getting started? Check out Theatrefolk's free Play Concierge Service - click the link to let us know a bit about your group or what you're looking for and we'll send a curated list of perusal play titles right to your Inbox!

When choosing a show for a class or school production, the first thought teachers usually have is about the practicalities. There are many important things to consider. Is it an appropriate length? Are there enough roles to go around? Will the royalties be within our budget? Will the administration approve it? Is this a show our students will like? While these things are crucial to consider, it’s important for teachers to choose shows that they’re passionate about. Why? Read on! Choose a show that gets you fired up when you talk about it. You need to choose a show you genuinely like and are excited about. You’re going to be hearing the lines or songs over and over for the next couple of months. You need a show with compelling characters, a message you believe in, cool technical challenges, or something else that gets you pumped to start the process. Yes, your students need to like the show, but there is an abundance of shows out there. If you think you’re going to get bored or annoyed during the process, or are feeling “just ok” about the show, keep looking. Don’t settle for “just ok.” Your excitement will build excitement for others. If you get pumped up explaining the plot to your principal and other teachers, or you’re expounding the virtues of the show to your friends or family outside of school, or you’re sharing with your students all the reasons why this particular show is amazing, that’s a good thing. Your enthusiasm will build excitement and buy-in with others. It’s a trickle-down effect: your enthusiasm gets students excited to participate, which makes their parents happy, which makes the administration happy, which (hopefully) allows you to put on more shows in the future. The story grabs you, and you need to tell it. Why are you passionate about this show? It should have an engaging storyline that you feel is important to share with your audience. The story might be meaningful or educational. It might bring awareness to current social issues or important historical events. Or it might be a show that is just plain FUN. All of these are reasons to direct the show, because you know it’ll engage your students, your audience, and yourself. This is an artistic pursuit for you. Directing a show is not a simple undertaking. This may sound selfish, but you’ll be dedicating a huge portion of your time, energy, and creativity to this project. It’s important that you will be artistically fulfilled, creatively challenged (but not overwhelmed), and satisfied with the final product. Yes, the process is important and there will likely be challenges. We don’t want to take ourselves too seriously or be inflexible, but your time and effort are valuable and you deserve to enjoy the process and product as much as your students. Theatrefolk has a fabulous library of plays for middle school, high school, and classroom study. We can help you find the perfect play that you’ll be totally passionate about, and that your students will love too. Further Reading: Top Tips for Directing Your First Show

The drama classroom has always promoted skills and lessons that are based on the foundation of social and emotional learning (SEL). Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making provide students with important life skills: empathy, collaboration, communication, developing and maintaining relationships, time management, and more. Every drama class already incorporates many of these concepts into daily lessons through critical thinking exercises, character analysis projects, collaboration activities, problem-solving challenges, and self-reflections. If you’re looking for new ways to incorporate SEL into your classroom, we’ve got a selection of fantastic plays for production or classroom study. These plays make a great class project activity and can be used to introduce SEL to your students or deepen their understanding and awareness. Plus, many of them come with free Classroom Study Guides, complete with pre-read questions and activities, close reading analysis, and post-read activities, to provide an in-depth theatrical learning experience. Check out all of our plays to help bring SEL to your classroom here — available in digital PDF and printed scripts.

If you’re looking for plays and musicals to include in your drama classroom library, look no further — here are 42 plays and musicals featuring LGBTQ+ characters, stories, and themes. 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). If you’re looking to perform a play with your students, be sure to check out the plays from Theatrefolk listed here — they’re perfect for high school students. And check out the other plays by our Theatrefolk LGBTQ+ authors on our site! Plays from Theatrefolk featuring LGBTQ+ Themes and CharactersFrom our very own Theatrefolk catalogue, these plays are fabulous for high school students to study and perform. Some even come with free classroom study guides. 1. Completely, Absolutely Normal: Vignettes About LGBTQ+ Teens by Bradley Walton (Free Classroom Study Guide available!) Ten interconnected vignettes with LGBTQ+ themes. 2. Red Tee by Lindsay Price (Free Classroom Study Guide available!) A vignette play that examines questions of identity and what happens when someone doesn’t fit in the way they’re expected to. 3. Bungee Jump Bear Trap by Lindsay Price A vignette play about taking risks and figuring it all out. 4. Life, Off Book by Scott Giessler Jeb is Ophelia’s fake boyfriend who is also a closeted gay man. What happens when Jeb and Ophelia have to lose the script and live life off book? 5. Pandemic Pancake by Lindsay Price Characters decide, for good and for ill, how they will respond to this evolving new world. 6. Anonymous by Allison Green The story of every teenager — it’s hard to be an individual when you’re trying to fit in. 7. Baalzebub by Rachel Atkins A group of girls is abandoned at a refugee camp in an unnamed war zone and are forced to survive together. A response to the classic novel Lord of the Flies. 8. Finding Jo March by Laramie Dean You should know right away that this is not a traditional adaptation of Little Women. 9. Moonbow Miraculous & Moonbow Miraculous: Competition Length Version by Kirk Shimano If someone has a secret they’ve been clutching to their heart, the moonbow’s glow will give them the courage to share their true selves 10. The Pretty Princess Dollhouse for Pretty Princesses by Emma Fonseca Halverson Gabi is suffering from metaphoric asthma. The walls are closing in and she can’t breathe. 11. Characters Behaving Badly by Lindsay Price This vignette play asks students to look at the concept of what it means to be “good” and “bad.” 12. Passing Period Purgatory by Christian Kiley Sometimes the hardest part of school is getting from one class to the next. 13. Thought Traps by Lindsay Price Ariane and Kate deal with people from their past who invade their head space. Will either be able to set themselves free? 14. 6ft Scenes by Lindsay Price A collection of 15 scenes in which no two characters get within 6ft of each other. As well, be sure to check out these Theatrefolk playwrights: Laramie Dean, Emma Fonseca Halverson, Bradley Hayward, Kirk Shimano and Bradley Walton. Musicals Featuring LGBTQ+ Themes and CharactersComing to you from Broadway and Off-Broadway, these musicals are packed with amazing songs and important themes. 1. Head Over Heels, book by Jeff Whitty, adapted by James Magruder, music and lyrics by The Go-Go’s A kingdom is threatened, unlikely lovers unite, and gender-fluid disguises are donned in a musical that preaches unconditional love and acceptance of everyone, no matter their gender or sexual identity. 2. Fun Home, by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, adapted from Alison Bedchel’s memoir Alison, an author and lesbian, reflects on her journey to discover and accept her identity, as well as her relationship with her father (a closeted gay man). 3. The Color Purple, book by Marsha Norman, based on the novel by Alice Walker, music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray Celie, a teenage African-American girl living in Georgia, is given by her abusive stepfather to an even more abusive husband. Over the years, Celie finds ways to cope with life, including finding a potential lover in the fabulous Shug Avery. 4. La Cage aux Folles, book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman Georges (owner of the La Cage aux Folles nightclub) and his partner Albin face the hardest challenge of their twenty-year relationship: meeting their son’s fiancee’s ultra-conservative, anti-gay parents. 5. Kinky Boots, book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper Charlie Price teams up with drag queen Lola to save his failing shoe factory, and in the process, discovers that they aren’t so different after all. 6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, book by John Cameron Mitchell, music and lyrics by Stephen Trask Genderqueer rock singer Hedwig Robinson shares her story — including the tale of her botched gender reassignment surgery — with the audience through monologues and rock songs. 7. Rent, book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson Follows the ups and downs of a year in the life of a group of impoverished, artistic friends living in the East Village of Manhattan in the late 1980s, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. 8. Bare: A Pop Opera and Bare: The Musical, book by Hartmere and Intrabartolo, music by Damon Intrabartolo, lyrics by Jon Hartmere Peter and Jason, students at a Catholic boarding school, have fallen in love with each other, but Jason — a popular athlete — fears losing his status if he is discovered to be gay. 9. Spring Awakening, book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, based on the 1891 German play _Spring Awakening _by Frank Wedekind In late 19th century Germany, with only each other for guidance, a group of young men and women travel the rocky path of adolescence, discovering their bodies, their sexuality, their minds, and themselves along the way. 10. The Boy from Oz, book by Nick Enright, revised book by Martin Sherman, music and lyrics by Peter Allen A musical telling of the story of Australian entertainer Peter Allen, from his humble beginnings, to his rise to fame, to his marriage to Liza Minelli, to the crumbling of their marriage due to Allen’s homosexuality, to his final concert before his death from AIDS. 11. The Prom, book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel, music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin Four struggling Broadway stars team up to help Emma Nolan have the prom of her dreams with her girlfriend, despite the actions of the homophobic PTA. 12. The Louder We Get (previously titled Prom Queen), book by Kent Staines, lyrics by Akiva Romer-Segal, music by Colleen Dauncey Based on the true story of Marc Hall, a gay Canadian teenager whose legal fight to bring a same-sex date to his Catholic high school prom made national and international headlines in 2002. 13. Falsettos, book by William Finn and James Lapine, music and lyrics by William Finn In 1970s New York, Marvin and Trina’s perfect family is broken apart when Marvin leaves Trina for a man named Whizzer. 14. Witness Uganda (previously titled Invisible Thread), book, music, and lyrics by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews Based on the true story of Griffin Matthews. Matthews travels to Uganda for mission work after being kicked out of his church choir when the pastor discovered he was gay. 15. A Man of No Importance, book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Alfie and his amateur theatre group are determined to stage a controversial play at their local church. In the process of fighting for the play, Alfie is forced to confront his own homosexuality and share his true self with those around him. 16. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, music and lyrics by various artists Drag queens Tick and Adam and transgender woman Bernadette travel across Australia in their bus named Priscilla. 17. Zanna, Don’t! by Tim Acito, additional lyrics and material by Alexander Dinelaris Set in Heartsville, USA, a city where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuality is taboo. At Heartsville High, Zanna plays matchmaker and brings happy couples together, but heterophobia strikes when a pair of opposite-sex high schoolers discover their feelings for each other. 18. Jagged Little Pill, book by Diablo Cody, music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, lyrics by Alanis Morissette, with additional music by Michael Farrell and Guy Sigsworth The seemingly-perfect Healy family, including parents MJ and Steve and teenage children Frankie and Nick, struggles with challenges including addiction, sexual identity, and the pressure to keep up appearances. 19. My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, book by David Hein and Irene Sankoff, music by David Hein From the creators of Come From Away and based on Hein’s real family, David reflects on his mother coming out when he was 13, after divorcing David’s father, discovering Judaism, and falling in love with a woman who practices Wicca. Plays Featuring LGBTQ+ Themes and CharactersDramas, comedies, award-winners, and more. 1. She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen After the death of her sister Tilly and discovery of Tilly’s game scenario notebook, Agnes Evans delves into the world of Dungeons & Dragons to understand and grieve her sister. 2. The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project In 1998, university student Matthew Shepard was tortured, robbed, and murdered for being gay. The murder was deemed a hate crime. In the aftermath, the Tectonic Theater Project travelled to Laramie, Wyoming and interviewed hundreds of subjects both directly and indirectly related to the case. 3. Almost, Maine by John Cariani On one cold and magical midwinter night, the citizens of Almost, Maine experience love, loss, and the life-altering power of the human heart. One of the most produced plays in North American high schools. 4. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner A two-part, seven-hour, Tony-winning epic play primarily focusing on a gay couple from New York, with other intersecting storylines. 5. The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley A group of gay men gather at Michael’s home to celebrate their friend Harold’s birthday. Michael’s friend from college, Alan, unexpectedly arrives, who has no idea that Michael or any of his friends are gay. 6. HIR by Taylor Mac After a dishonorable discharge from the military, Isaac returns home to discover his father has suffered a stroke, his sibling Max has come out as transgender, and his mother is ready to educate Isaac about the new post-gender world (while unknowingly appropriating Max’s experience). 7. The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer Passionate and confrontational activist Ned Weeks campaigns for awareness about an unidentified disease (HIV/AIDS) that is killing gay men in New York City, while tending to friends and lovers who are dying all around him. 8. As Is by William M. Hoffman Released shortly before The Normal Heart, Rich decides to return to his ex-partner, Saul, after contracting AIDS from his new lover. Seeking care, Rich reveals how doctors, family members, and friends reacted to people with AIDS. 9. The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer Three different people, all dying of cancer, live out their final days in homey hospice cottages, and are interviewed by a psychiatrist for a psychological project.

This is Part 1 of a 5-Part Class Production Series. Putting on a class production is a great opportunity for your students to use the skills they have learned in drama class in a practical way, while having a lot of fun. This blog series will give you some tips to help your students through this process. First, you’ll need to decide what to produce. Will you, as the teacher, select a show for the class to do and act as director/producer? Will your students get to contribute, and if so, how much? Or, will your students go through the entire process of putting on a class production from the ground up themselves? Once you have decided how much your students will contribute to the production process, you’ll need to iron out the details of the production. No matter who is making the decisions (you, your students, or a combination of both), here are some points to consider: GOAL• What is the goal of the production? To entertain, to educate, to protest, to inform, to explore? This is your WHY. Why are you producing a show as a class? • What theme or topic will the production focus on? Will the production be tied into something the class has already studied that term? SCRIPT• Will you use an existing script or a student-written script? • If the class selects an existing script, what is the cost to purchase the rights/royalties? (Just because this is a class project doesn’t mean you are exempt from going through the correct channels to acquire an existing piece.) • If the script is student-written, will the piece be devised by the full class, a small group or groups, or one student author? How much will the production timeline have to be adjusted if the script is student-written? • If your students are contributing to the process of selecting a piece, you may challenge them to pitch their project or create a SWOT analysis to convey their ideas. These 5 tips for selecting a play for production might also be helpful! STYLE• What style of piece will the class produce? A “regular” play or a vignette play? Comedy, tragedy, history? Play or musical? Musical, spoken word piece or movement piece? What about a combination of all of these? LOGISTICS• How will the class determine how decisions will be made? Voting? Selecting a student production head that makes the final decisions? Polling the class? Pulling suggestions out of a hat? Teacher makes the final decisions? • Where will the production be performed? Your classroom? Your auditorium? Another location? • Who is the production for? Who is your audience? • Will you charge admission? • Do you have a budget? If not, how will your class create their show on a shoestring? • How long will the production be? Establishing a time limit will keep your class production from going on too long. • What’s your timeline? When in the semester will you start this process? When will the final performance(s) take place? ASSESSMENT• How will students’ contributions be evaluated? Since this is a class production, students will have to be graded. What learning points will you focus on? Can students suggest criteria to add to the rubric?

Some drama teachers have their whole production year figured out before the first day of school. If you’re doing a big musical, you need to get that paperwork started way in advance. Or maybe you need to coordinate using the theatre space with other departments – you need to know what you’re doing and when. Or, if you’re lucky, you have an engaged drama club and they’re reading the plays and deciding what they want to do ahead of time. But sometimes all that planning goes out the window. You choose a play, hold auditions and the actors you think you’re going to have don’t show up. Or you choose a small cast play and are faced with a flood of wonderful auditions. And sometimes, just the act of choosing a play is the issue. It can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. Auditions loom and you still haven’t chosen a script. If you’ve stared at a stack of play catalogues with panic in your eyes, we here at Theatrefolk are ready to come to the rescue! Ok. We’re not a superhero. But we can give you some guidance to what we have available and how you can swiftly navigate our catalogue. If you’re frustrated with your search, or if you have to make a last minute decision NOW, have a look at the following plays. With each play there’s a link to the website page where you can read free sample pages. Enjoy! Top SellersWant something popular? Try these! Hoodie by Lindsay Price Hands down, our most popular one act. Hoodie is a middle school play about self image and appearance. Great for classes, and the kind of play that lets you cast every kid who auditions.

In an age of seemingly endless assessments of our students’ ability to critically read and analyze literature, there is a dire need for them to experience a variety of texts in a variety of formats in order for educators to better train them to get at the heart of what a writer is doing. Because of this, dramatic works fit perfectly into any curriculum attempting to tie the Common Core standards to what the students, at the end of the day, know and are able to do. Of course, dramatic works are already mentioned in the Common Core as one genre with which our students should be interacting. But educators don’t always see them in the same light as more traditionally taught formats, like novels. It’s true that plays generally offer less student face-time with words than novels. However, they offer much more in the way of student engagement, unlike any other text-based medium. This significantly increases the likelihood of success in teaching them to see the literary techniques and authorial tricks-of-the-trade that the Common Core requires. “It’s one thing to read about something; it’s an entirely different thing to perform it.” The act of reading aloud, hearing the words, and portraying the ideas on the page makes clear what mere words cannot. It’s one thing to read about something; it’s an entirely different thing to perform it. Tone, theme, mood, inference, denotation/connotation, language use, structure, plot—all of this is present in plays and, to be sure, more easily seen by a “reader” because it’s literally seen by the reader. With our school’s work with my play Stereotype High, we hit every single one of these elements during our production. We had on-going discussions about theme, character motivations, word choice, the interrelatedness of the scenes, allusions to other works, teen language, and any number of other text specific issues wherein understanding the work was at the core of the discussion. As much as Stereotype High created multiple opportunities for students to explore all the standards of the Common Core, it’s not something specific to that particular play – it’s impossible to perform the words without interpreting them (and the characters saying them). And this is exactly why plays are a perfect fit with the Common Core. With regard to the general reading of dramatic works in the classroom, the following Common Core standards apply (grade nine standards, although there is little difference between these standards and the ones two grade levels above and below): Reading: Literary TextCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine the theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped or refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. * CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7 * Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment. * CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.9 * Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). **These two are of particular importance as, since most teachers are already incorporating Shakespeare and Greek drama into their classrooms, these standards completely apply to modern adaptations.* WritingUnlike most classical prose, plays inspire students to write plays. They’re shorter, more accessible, and tap into their authentic language so much more directly than any sort of prose can. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.A Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.B Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.C Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.E Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. LanguageUnlike the printed word, plays provide a spoken tone (and, possibly, a physical action) to a word that may further help a student understand new language. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.A Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.B Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.C Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or to determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.D Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5.A Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5.B Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

Many senior drama classes have a student directing project. The best way to learn the process is to dive in, but where do you start? • How do you find a play? • Is there a budget for royalties? • How do I find out how much a play costs? • How do you approach a publisher? • What if you don’t like the play? In Part One of the Student Directing Series we will look at choosing a play and approaching a publisher. Choosing a ScriptHow do I choose a script to direct? Your first task is choose a play. That means reading scripts. Hopefully your teacher will have a library of scripts you can peruse. Also, a number of companies (including ours at www.theatrefolk.com) allow you to read free sample pages from their scripts online. Avoid choosing a play based on the description. It’s hard to know what a play is like from a couple of lines of text. Don’t end up with a play you don’t like because of a misstep in the choosing process. There are thousands and thousands of plays out there. Set the parameters of your search to avoid being overwhelmed. Discuss with your teacher the criteria for your project. If your cast size is limited to four, don’t look at scripts with casts of ten. If your royalty budget is $50 a performance, there’s no point reading plays that are $70 a performance. Set the parameters of your search: • Size of cast • Length of Play • Sets available • Props and costumes available • Budget for royalties Once you have the parameters set, read plays with a director’s eye. You’re not looking for plays you want to act in. You’re looking for plays you can visualize and that spark a vision. What does this mean? VisualizationThe director takes words on the page and makes them three-dimensional. The director tells a story visually – by creating pictures and by creating action. If you can visualize a play as you’re reading it, if you can see moments in your head, on a stage, that’s a good sign. When you read a play, what do you see? What do you visualize? VisionA director must have a specific vision for their play. What does that mean? In theatrical terms, a vision is a concept, an interpretation. The vision is going to shape the look and feel of the play. The vision is going to affect how the audience responds to the play. It is what makes your take on the play unique. How do I define my vision? Determine the main themes of the play, your point of view on those themes, and how will you visualize your point of view. Why do I need a vision? Knowing your vision is how you will make every aspect of the production come to life. Your vision joins everyone together. It will guide your choices as you discuss the play with your actors and direct their action. If you’re lucky enough to have designers, your vision will guide their choices as well. Every decision, every question, every element in your play (e.g. costumes, make-up, props) can be selected through the lens of your vision. What is your vision for the play? ExerciseWatch three movies by well-known directors with varying styles: Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, and Alfred Hitchcock, for example. Watch the movie with a director’s eye. What is the director’s vision? What is the theme of the movie, what is the director’s point of view, and how has that been visualized? Compare and contrast the three movie directors. Research & CostsWhen you choose a play, you’re going to want to do some research on the cost of producing it. Part of your selection process should involve gathering this information. What information do you need to produce this play? • How much does it cost to buy scripts for your cast? • Are there only hard copies available or can you purchase a photocopy license? • What are the royalties? Are there different royalties for class projects? Most publishers post this information online. If you received a budget ahead of time from your teacher, make sure that the play you want to produce fits within that budget. Otherwise, you may have to choose another play. Play Proposal SheetWhen you’ve chosen a script and you have gathered all the information about costs, it’s time to present the play to your teacher. Fill out a Play Proposal Sheet to show to your teacher. It is a summary of your vision, your groundwork, and demonstrates how your chosen play will fit the established parameters. The most important question to answer is this: Why you want to direct the play? What interests you? What (beyond getting a good grade) makes you want to present this particular play to an audience? Be specific. You can download a blank play proposal sheet, along with a PDF copy of this article at the end of this post. Approaching a PublisherYou’re going to have to approach a publisher to obtain scripts and royalty rights. This is true even if your audience is non-paying. This should be your job, not your teacher’s. Here is how you should not approach a publisher: I WANT TO DIRECT A PLAY, THX!!!!!!! Neither is this: Hi! I’m doing this play as part of my senior director project and I need some scripts and I’m doing the show once, is that ok????? Thxs! I really appreciate it!!!!! You may feel you’re just being friendly. This may be the way you communicate with your friends. But when you’re assuming the role of the director, you want to be taken seriously. Treat this situation as if you were really producing the play. Five steps to take to secure scripts and rights: • Have all your information for the play at hand. • What is the title? • How many scripts do you need? Or are you getting a photocopy license? • How many performances are you giving? • What are the dates of the performances? • What is the size of your theatre? • Know the procedure. • You may have to register with a company before you can place an order. You may have to fax in information from your school. Check with the publisher well in advance about their ordering process to avoid disappointment. • Apply in the right spot. • You’re going to be applying for amateur or nonprofessional rights. Make sure you get the right application. • Know your billing info • Know the name of your school and your teachers full name. • The address, the phone/fax/email • Know the method of payment and have it available. • Be sensitive to time • Some publishers are slower than others to approve performances. Do not frantically email a publisher the day before your rehearsals start. Be aware that you may not hear back from a publisher right away, and be aware that things take time to come through the mail. Treat the process professionally. You have your play, you have your vision, you have your scripts and royalties secured. You’re on your way to directing. The next entry in this series will deal with working with your peers. How do you get other students to take you seriously as a director?

You’re shopping for your next play. The stack of catalogues is to your left. There are seven open tabs on your computer from various publishing companies. Your eyes are bleary and if you have to read one more peppy description (only to be disappointed by the sample pages) you may run screaming from the room. High School productions, more than any other scenario, can have a pretty rigid criteria to follow. Maybe it has to fit in a classroom. Or it has to accommodate a variety of acting abilities and flexible casting. It has to fit a specific time limit. It has to be staged with just a couple of cubes. Maybe your play needs to include all of the above. The search gets less and less fun as play after play fails to fit. How do you make choosing a play a simple, straightforward process? The School Play Shopping List: A one-stop shop to make your next play search easy as pieBefore you start looking at scripts, follow the recipe below and create a shopping list of ingredients. Identify the elements that will turn your play shopping experience from sweet to sour. This way, you never spend time on plays that were never going to fit your situation in the first place. Base IngredientsStart with the elements that will not change: the constraints of your space, the general size of your cast, budget, and your assets. You can eliminate a lot of plays just by mapping out the basics. General Cast Size: • Are you looking for a small (5 and under), medium (6-12), large (13-20) extra large (over 20) or maximum (everyone who auditions) cast size? Shape of the Space: • Do you perform in a classroom, gymnasium, cafeteria, Proscenium stage, thrust stage, black box theatre? • Do you have wing space, fly space or an orchestra pit? Budget size for sets, costumes, props: • Do you have a non-existent, small, medium, or large budget? Access Do you have access to: • cubes, risers, flats • stock furniture pieces/ unique hard to find pieces • costume closet • students for set construction, costume building, prop gathering • adults for set construction, costume building, prop gathering • stage management, lighting operator, sound operator Primary ProteinThink about the subject matter. Just as a beef dish could never be the same as a tofu dish, a comedy is going to be a different experience than drama. Hone in on the direction of your subject matter before you start reading plays. If you don’t, you could get bogged down in seconds. You may have a wide range of likes, maybe you like all kinds of theatre! But if you’re in a time crunch, a choice has to be made. If you’re not sure where to begin, start with questions: • What did you do last year? Or if it’s your first year, what was done last year? What was the response to the play last year? Do you want to swing in the opposite direction, or stay in the same wheelhouse? • What do you like? Never choose a play that irritates or annoys you. You have to spend a lot of time with it! There’s nothing worse than rehearsing a play you hate for months. • What don’t you like? Theatre is personal and subjective. It doesn’t hurt to write down subject matter that doesn’t appeal to you. • Does the play need to fit into the curriculum? Does the subject matter have to address specific curriculum strands? Try adaptations and issue-based plays. • What’s the status of your drama club? Is this a rebuilding year? Large cast comedies are a great draw to build drama club numbers. Do you have a lot of seniors? Think of a meaty drama. • What do your students want to do? It never hurts to poll your drama club or class to find out what kind of plays they’d like to perform. You might want to assign the reading and evaluating to seniors. There’s a read/eval form with the Printable Check List at the end of this post. • Who is the audience? Are you doing a family show? A show for feeder schools? For your high school? The audience can play a huge part in play selection. • What is the purpose of the production? Always have a purpose. It will really help you hone in on subject matter. Are you rebuilding? Is this a fund-raiser? Are you presenting a play on a specific issue? Are you competing? Is it just to do something fun? There is no wrong answer here, but knowing the purpose can help narrow the possibilities. Flavour EnhancersYou can take chicken and prepare it a thousand different ways: fried, grilled, stir-fry, poached, and so on. Once you’ve defined a subject, think about a specific genre. • Comedy? • Drama? • Kitchen sink? • Fantasy? • Absurd? • Abstract and poetic? • Gritty and real? • Fable? • Classical? • Futuristic? • Musical? And just like defining what you like and don’t like in subject matter, do the same for genre. * My favourite genre of theatre is…………. * My least favourite genre of theatre is…………. Rank the above from your most favourite to your least favourite. Finishing TouchesThese are the questions that don’t fit in the above categories, but need to be addressed because they’re specific to your situation. • Are there rules to consider? (e.g. Does your competition have a time limit?) • What can’t be in my play? (e.g. Language. Is there a policy limiting certain words?) • Is there an actor you want to feature? • What’s the primary gender of your audition pool? • How long is the rehearsal period? When do I get to read plays?Right now! Based on what you’ve discovered you should have a specific profile of your group and the kind of play you’re looking for. It’s one thing to wade through a thousand comedies. It’s another thing to look for a one-act large cast abstract comedy. I would suggest using web searches over flipping through catalogues. You’re going to be able to do an advanced search online. For example on the Theatrefolk Search page you’re able to filter out plays by grade, length, gender breakdown, cast size, and genre. NOTE: Need some help narrowing down your options? Try Theatrefolk's free Play Concierge Service! Answer a few quick questions about what you're looking for and we'll send you a handpicked list of perusal plays chosen specifically for you! BUT WAIT… What happens if you do all this and you don’t find a play? Or you find a play that doesn’t fit the recipe? Well, unfortunately play choosing is not an exact science. You can come up with a formula and there will always be an anomaly. But following this formula will never be a lost cause. Look at all the information you’ve gathered about your interests, your theatre group, and what you can access – don’t lose it! Knowing who you are and what you have is important. It can help you crystallize what you might need or want in the future. All the best with your search. Happy reading.