School Plays

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Let Me In by Sholeh Wolpé is a must-read drama for high school and middle school students. Such important messaging and an incredible springboard for important conversations. Jazmine is a teenager who has recently immigrated from Yemen. She arrives at the movie theatre, late for her date. The teenage inspector, who checks people’s bags for food, demands Jazmine discard a piece of chocolate she’s been carrying around in her bag for sentimental reasons. Jazmine refuses. Why did we publish this play? This play features a teen experience and a teen voice that we don’t have in our catalogue and that was important for us. I also love the use of humour and heartbreak in the story. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Because this is an important topic. Because I write from experience. Because I believe schools must not only perform plays like this, but also hold discussions, exploring, analyzing and dissecting the characters that populate such plays. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. A girl struggling to recover from tragedy, to find home in a new country and to belong faces insensitivity, racism, and cruelty. Also: As private citizens, are we not responsible for our country’s actions? 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The repeated display of absurdity. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Mine the comedy. Comedy is a powerful tool that can deliver a sober message effectively. Make full use of it. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Racism knows no age and no boundary. If we are to build a more harmonious society, we must begin now, in our schools. What better tool than the theatre to help our children understand the absurdity and injury of blind nationalism, sexism and racism. 6. Do you have any tips for those who are performing this play online? Have fun with it. Be imaginative. Use green screens. Use film. Use photography. There is room for a good deal of physical comedy here. Use multiple cameras and combine live and recorded videos.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Home of the Brave by Lee Cataluna is an excellent character-driven piece filled with incredible monologues and universal themes. The military has its own language, with many short ways of saying long things. PCS means Permanent Change of Station, or “to move.” The young teens in Home of the Brave PCS a lot. How do the children of military families deal with the constant moving, worrying about deployed parents, best friends who PCS overseas, and never knowing how long they’ll be in a particular school? Sometimes, you have to make a home wherever you end up. Inspired by interviews with hundreds of military dependents and their families, teachers, principals, counselors as well as active duty and veterans from all branches of the service. Why did we publish this play? Home of the Brave is a play that transforms its environment. While the play is about children in military families, it’s also a play about family, friendship, the importance of place, belonging, and dealing with change. These are universal themes. Also, it has some of the best monologues for middle school students I’ve ever read! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I was commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse and Honolulu Theatre for Youth to write this play. I’m a journalist, and the theaters wanted someone who could go into schools and communities, interview people, and turn that information into a play. The idea was for the play to come from real stories and authentic feelings. My family also moved around often when I was a kid, so I had that experience of constantly being the “new kid” that many of the people I interviewed talked about. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Home is where your heart lives, not just where you happen to be. Bravery comes in many different forms. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The moving boxes and Jada’s father’s uniform are powerful visuals, but for me, the most important visual is the faces of the characters. America’s military is diverse. Each character can be played by any child, and I think that’s beautiful to see. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? I think this play is one of those stories that begets other stories. It has happened in past performances that the theater doesn’t empty out quickly after the show because people in the audience want to stay and talk about THEIR experiences in the military or in a military family. I would suggest making space for this sharing because you might hear stories that are absolutely amazing. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The play was generated through interviews with hundreds of students. The words and stories, experiences and feelings, came from them. It has been performed by adult professional actors, but I’ve always felt these were stories that belonged to students. 6. Do you have any advice for people looking to perform this play online or socially distanced? My experience with online theater and socially distanced performances is that the words become even more important. I would say to really think of the words the characters are saying. These are real words from real kids. Why did they choose that word instead of some other word? I think those kinds of explorations and decisions will make the performance seem much closer to the audience.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Water. Gun. Argument. by Alan Haehnel is a thought provoking and powerful piece in a docu-theatre style. An argument is a lie you choose to believe and defend. Every year the students of Ratherford High participate in a squirt gun competition called Assassin. There are rounds, rules and judges. It’s the oldest game in the world, right? Kids trying to shoot at each other with play guns? It’s become a national phenomenon, so what’s the harm? If there was an actual school shooting, of course they’d stop playing. And a squirt gun would never be mistaken for a real gun, right? An argument is a lie you choose to believe and defend. Why did we publish this play? We feel that issue plays should ask questions rather than provide solutions. The last act of an issue play is the discussion afterward. Water. Gun. Argument. presents a thesis that offers a lot of opportunity for in-depth discussion: ‘”An argument is a lie you choose to believe and defend.” Is a water gun always a water gun? What if it’s mistaken for the real thing? Alan Haehnel is a long time Theatrefolk writer and we are proud to include his latest in our catalogue. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I have always been fascinated by the tension between one’s philosophy and one’s actions. In other words, why do we believe something yet act in a way contrary to that belief? I felt the game of Assassin, which has become a tradition at the liberal school where I teach, really encapsulates this conflict. How do students come from families that regularly preach against violence and guns yet gleefully engage in this activity that celebrates both? 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Our actions reveal our true philosophies. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Probably the blackout that comes just before the gunshot. Truthfully, though, this is a play that relies much more on the commitment of the actors to good, honest, vulnerable performances than on stage visuals. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Don’t let things like costuming, sets, etc., take up too much time. This is an acting piece and cannot succeed without a strong focus on acting. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Water. Gun. Argument. is a play that will engender great thoughts and discussions for performers and audiences alike. Teenagers like to make some trouble; this play, well-presented, will do that, in a good way. 6. Do you have any tips for those who are performing this play online? Since this is a play, essentially, about building arguments, having everyone speaking directly into the “camera” and not able to move or interact much should work well. Keep the focus on faces, well-lit; make sure the backgrounds in individual homes aren’t distracting.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Myth-o-logues by Janice Harris is a fantastic one-act and classroom resource. Pick and choose from this must-have collection of monologues from Greek Mythology’s greatest characters. Great for in-class and online study and performances! Cassandra (the Trojan prophetess no one believes) is here to be your Greek mythology tour guide. She’ll lead you through stories of war, relationships and the origins of good and evil. She’ll share all before old Charon ferries the whole audience across the River Styx. Will you listen? Will you learn? Will you believe? Why did we publish this play? I love this title. It describes this play perfectly – a collection of monologues about Greek myths. This is a great way to introduce both (myths and monologues) in one package. You can even put them all together for a unique monologue driven production – which will make it really accessible for an online performance. Middle school teachers – you will want this play in your classroom! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I wrote this play because I wanted to give my students a more comprehensive understanding of traditional Greek stories and characters, particularly in the context of the study Greek theatre history. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The topic of the play is Greek Mythology. The theme changes with each character as the performers explore the characters— faithfulness, loss of love, revenge, power, etc. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? At this particular time, I visualize an online performance. See below. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? I would encourage those producing this play to have your actors do a lot of research on the whole storyline of each character. This will strengthen the portrayal of each character as the students do the character study needed for a successful performance. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This play is good for student performers for several different reasons. The monologues are of different lengths, so a student can choose one that fits his/her comfort level. (My method for assigning monologues or scenes is for students to submit several choices. I make the final assignment.) The subject matter is cross-disciplinary. The material can be performed by a beginning or advanced level student. Character study is necessary for a successful performance. 6. Do you have any tips or suggestions for those who are performing this play online? I think this play is particularly suited to an online performance. I can picture a performance of individual actors appearing on the screen. As narrator, Cassandra could be in the center. The focus could shift from actor to actor, the screen could fade in and out. There is a great opportunity for students working on the technical side of the performance online. Actors could easily perform in their own rooms or yards, in a garden, or even on a stage, observing social distancing. There is plenty of room for creativity in an online performance. Get your copy of _Myth-o-logues _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. Commence by Christian Kiley is a gift to the Class of 2020. It is intended to be performed in a video conference call or meeting, and is specifically geared toward actors who are not in the same physical space. A group of students have an online meeting with their principal while they’re all under quarantine. They want to regain normalcy and recoup what they’ve lost as seniors: prom, school play, graduation. But nothing is normal. Everyone is losing things. It’s a scary and uncertain time, like a fire has destroyed memories that haven’t happened yet. Why did we publish this play? Christian sent us Commence as a response to his experiences teaching in the virtual world/classroom and the response(s) from his students. It’s a play about trying to find normalcy when nothing is normal. My favourite image in the play is “It’s like a fire has destroyed memories that haven’t happened yet.” This play is specifically written to be performed on an online platform, so teachers don’t have to worry about adapting the script. It’s ready to be virtually performed as is. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? This play is a gift to the Class of 2020. I know that a one-act play will never make up for what this talented group of students lost during the COVID-19 quarantine but I felt compelled to do something for them. In many ways, this is a farewell to many of the seniors I have taught for three, four years. I still haven’t had the chance to see them, have a proper goodbye, and cheer them into their bright futures. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Commence is about appreciating life’s culminating moments and not complacently allowing them to slip away. When you have earned something and don’t get it, you have a right to seek it out. Commence! 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The series of moments that take place during the makeshift graduation ceremony. These moments allow for coordinated and organic blocking and physicality. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Be fully in the moment, even when you aren’t speaking. Many low status characters, especially in video conference plays, seem to be adrift, rather than being connected. Listening, reacting, and letting moments impact you, your character are critical parts of the experience. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It looks at students coming to terms with losing something they have spent most of their lives working toward. As a teacher, it is the energy I felt on March 13 (when we were told we would be engaging in distance learning). It is my perspective on the journey I was on with the seniors I mentor and teach. 6. Do you have any tips for those who are performing this play online? Don’t be afraid to connect to the real feeling of this play. When it was first announced that we were transitioning to distance learning, there were a wide range of responses. Tap into the range of emotions that you are feeling, they are all useful in this play (and in your work as an artist and actor). Because it is a video conference call, that most likely will be produced as a video conference play, the circumstances of the play line up with the circumstances of the life situation perfectly (or imperfectly but in a relevant way). Get your copy of Commence 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. * Are you looking for scene work that works within a socially distanced environment? Lindsay Price’s collection of scenes, 6 ft Scenes, fits the bill! A collection of 15 scenes in which no two characters get within 6 ft of each other. Use them to explore the physical and emotional distance between people – what causes us to stay apart? Great for class work and competition. Why did we publish this play? How do we do scene work in a social distance situation? The idea with this scene book was to collect and write scenes that are specific to that exact scenario: characters who cannot, for some reason, ever get within 6 ft of each other. For some scenes the reason is physical, for others it’s a vast emotional difference. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write these scenes? Some of the scenes are collected from existing plays (all of these plays can be found at theatrefolk.com) and then five of the scenes were written specifically for the scene book. In all cases, characters remain 6 ft apart so that hopefully, they can be used for scene work in a socially distanced classroom. 2. What are the most important visuals for you in these scenes? The distance. It’s a great visual. Focus on why these characters are apart, what keeps them apart, and how the distance affects the staging. How can you create a connection between characters when they can’t physically connect? 3. If you could give one piece of advice for those performing these scenes, what would it be? Have pairs direct each other. Because they are never close, each actor can step out of the scene, observe their partner and make suggestions. Focus on character physicality: how does each stand, move, and gesture in their own space? How do they look at or look away from the other character? How does distance show which character is higher status than the other? There are a lot of choices to play with. 4. Why are these scenes great for student performers? They are all collected and written for student performers in mind. Hopefully they’ll think so too! *5. Why are these scenes great for online study/performances? * While these scenes are collected and written for a social distanced situation – they would also work in a virtual environment, like Zoom. In that case, all your blocking is going to be in the upper body; so how do the characters sit, use their shoulders, and facial expressions? Get your copy of 6 ft Scenes 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 vignette-style play, Scenes from a Quarantine by Lindsay Price, can be easily performed using an online platform and has a variety of scenes to address all student skill levels. Did you know COVID-19 likes to be known as Co? And what if Romeo and Juliet missed their marriage by one day because of a stay-at-home order? Would they still make it? You know all the people in Scenes From a Quarantine. The person who thinks quarantine is going to be easy. The person whose life changed overnight. The person who thinks hairdressers are an essential service. The person who just wants to use class meetings to talk. Why did we publish this play? As everyone knows, in-person productions stopped in the middle of March. It’s impossible to predict when they’ll start again. At the time, we didn’t think we’d move into this genre, but as more and more teachers talked about their online performances and were looking for shows that could be produced online, we knew we had to provide some options. The first thing we wanted to do was provide plays that were specifically written for an online platform. That way, teachers don’t have to figure out how to adapt something – they can present the play as is. We also wanted something that addressed our present situation in a theatrical manner: What if COVID was a character in a scene? Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I wanted to write an online specific play, and they always say write what you know! It’s all pandemic, all the time. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Pandemic Theatre. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? My favourite visual is seeing the four horsemen of the apocalypse having a Zoom meaning. Because meetings are hell, especially Zoom meetings! 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Don’t neglect physical character work. Just because your actors may be sitting in a chair staring at a camera, doesn’t mean they can’t act with their upper body. Focus on the facial expressions of their character. How does this character do their hair? 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The characters are both familiar (they’re going through what students are going through) and theatrical (What if COVID-19 was personified as a character?). 6. Why is this play great for online platforms? This play is written to be performed on an online platform. No need to figure out how to adapt scenes to fit, it’s all done for you. Get your copy of Scenes from a Quarantine_ _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. Wellness Check by Christian Kiley is an flexible-gender, issue-based drama intended to be performed in a video conference call or online meeting. Three characters struggle with wellness in uncertain times. A teacher tries too hard by calling themselves “Friendly.” A high achieving student has memorized the wellness check questions but isn’t doing so well. An underachiever needs to improve their grade, which is kind of hard with nine suspensions. Why did we publish this play? Christian sent us Wellness Check as a response to his experiences teaching in the virtual world/classroom and the response(s) from his students. It’s character driven and a window into our current world – always a great combination for theatre, whether it’s online or in person. This play is specifically written to be performed on an online platform, so teachers don’t have to worry about adapting the script. It’s ready to be virtually performed as is. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Thankfully, we have started using phrases in our schools like “engaging in self-care”, “mental health awareness”, and even the title of this play as a way to make sure heart, body, and mind are all ready to learn by having periodic wellness checks. We have ignored our wellness for far too long. I want to support students as they find meaningful, positive ways to take care of themselves and then exude that energy, benefiting the world around them. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. We all need to be mindful of our wellness. In a world that is often in a state of chaos and a myriad of uncontrollable factors, we need to focus on our ability to function and thrive. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The characters as they struggle, wrestle with their anxiety, anger, and depression. This can be expressed in each actor’s physical choices and help to avoid the talking heads that could be the default in a video conference style play. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? To be in a small cast play, with people you trust, exploring the vast expanse of the human psyche can be an amazing experience. Let go, have fun, connect with yourself and the other actors. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? As an adult I have made the mistake of thinking that students don’t have real problems. The longer I have taught, connected with students, observed them in their day-to-day lives, the more appreciation I have for the real struggles students grapple with each day. They are brave, strong, and resilient. This is a chance to illustrate that to the adults who have not seen that side of our youth yet. They will! 6. Do you have any tips for those who are performing this play online? It boils down to the challenges of a virtual play. How do you add in the magic of live theatre for something that feels artificial? Move, connect with your breathing, your physicality, react to what is being said (Are you shocked, enamored, angered, curious, entertained? Let it pour out of you.). Get your copy of _Wellness Check _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 Ten Minute Play Series by Lindsay Price is a collection of short plays with interesting and engaging parts, challenging stories and complex characters. Find an option that works for your group with Ten Minute Play Series: All Girls, Ten Minute Play Series: Girls and Guys and Ten Minute Play Series: Be Challenged. Why did we publish this play? The ten minute play format is an interesting animal. It’s not enough time to tell a complicated story, or even a complete story. And yet, it can provide a vivid window into a moment or a character. In that regard we look at the form as a great challenge, and wanted to present that challenge with our Ten Minute Play Series. A lot of these plays translate well to an online platform. They take place in one location and most of the scenes are duets. Focus on the character development and relationships in the scenes. Acting is acting whether it’s in person or online. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write these plays? Ten minute plays are great for classwork, they’re great for getting students to focus on bringing a character to life in a short period of time, and they’re great when you want to feature a lot of students in performance. 2. What are the most important visuals for you in these plays? Each play focuses on characters and relationships. Visualizing a relationship is always a good play to start when you’re working on a play, especially a ten minute play. You want an audience to instantly know what the relationship is all about and they’re going to make that determination by what they see. 3. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing these plays, what would it be? Do the character work. Know the characters inside and out so you can bring them to life instantly and vividly. 4. Why are these plays great for student performers? You want to give your students as many performance opportunities as you can in a class situation. Ten minute plays are going to help you achieve that goal. 5. Why are these plays great for online performances? In these times, traditional productions may not be possible. But that doesn’t mean students can’t perform or focus on character work, vocal skills, and the physicalization needed to bring a play to life. Acting is acting whether it’s online or onstage. Challenge your students with these short plays to present them as fully as possible in an virtual environment. Get your copy of The Ten Minute Play Series – All Girls, Girls and Guys, and Be Challengedright 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. * Something Bad is Happening by Bradley Walton was specifically written to be performed on an online platform, and discusses the importance of honesty and communication among friends. Four friends meet up online over summer vacation. When one walks away from their screen and doesn’t come back, the others imagine the worst. But what if the worst isn’t a horror movie but learning the truth from your friends? Why did we publish this play? We are in the middle of a situation no teachers has been through before with in-person productions canceled and everyone trying to figure out how to master zoom. Bradley stepped up to write something specific for the platform, and more than that, has written something character driven, conflict driven, and will find an audience after COVID-19 is in the past. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? This was written during this past spring’s COVID-19 lockdown. The theatre world was beginning to explore scripts intended specifically for online performance, so I took a stab at writing a few things, and this was one of the results. The scenario came from brainstorming specific reasons a group of friends would be meeting online (they’re scattered around the country on family trips over summer vacation) and what kind of conflict or tension could be introduced (one of them leaves the screen and the others become worried when she doesn’t return). 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Honesty and open communication are important tools in maintaining a friendship. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Talking heads on a computer screen. The play was designed to turn that limitation into an asset. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Well, we’re in relatively uncharted waters here, but I think, given the nature of the play, that there might be a temptation to not fully memorize it and read from a script just off-camera. And maybe that could work, I don’t know. But I honestly believe that to fully engage the audience, the actors need to be looking directly into their cameras the whole time. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The characters are very honest, down-to-earth, normal teenagers, who, I think, react in a very honest and realistic way when they are confronted by an uncertain and worrying situation. 6. Do you have any tips for those performing this play online? Again…relatively uncharted waters…but I think actors should keep in mind that even though the audience can’t see their whole bodies, they should still be acting with their whole bodies. If you cross or uncross your legs, for example, the audience can’t see that directly, but it will shift your upper body slightly, and the audience will still pick up on it as part of the physical performance.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Sweep Under Rugby Lindsay Price is a great conversation starter for both actors and audience. A great piece for actors who want to tackle something outside their comfort zone. Sweep Under Rug envisions a future where struggling families are placed in the “Bobby Sue” program. A “Bobby Sue” is a guardian of sorts, someone who warns against missteps and guides its owners along the “appropriate” path in life. But what happens when people want to think for themselves? Why did we publish this play? Sweep Under Rug is a futuristic “what if” issue play. There’s a lot to unpack and a lot for students to explore onstage and off. There’s costume design, and character specific language. There’s a very specific set and script analysis. It has a small cast, so it doesn’t get done as often as other plays, but it’s important to have plays that present a challenge, a question to answer, and provide a lot to discuss. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love looking at issues and exploring them in a theatrical manner. Issue plays must be theatrical. I also love “what if” ideas. “What if” in the future the poor were segregated and monitored by an in-house robot? What does that look like? The play was inspired by some friends who work with refugees and those below the poverty line who want to get out from under their situation but stigma and government red tape hold them back time and time again. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. What if a group of people were told what to do every step of their lives and what if they didn’t want to be told what to do anymore? 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The Bobby-Sue is a characterization of the red-tape holding back those below the poverty line. She is a government placed robot and represents the control and the lack of individual choices of the other characters. She must be a huge presence! 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Each character speaks in a specific manner. Spend time analyzing their language. How does the language represent who the character is and what they’re going through in this situation? 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This play takes place in the future, the characters are affected by a specific situation, and that situation also affects character language. There’s a lot here for students! A great character study, a great analysis piece, and a great “what if” discussion starter. Get your copy of Sweep Under Rug 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. * Free by Lindsay Price is a strong character-driven drama that will leave your audience thinking, complete with a variety of casting options. Two teenagers come across an abandoned picnic. A sign in front of the picnic says, FREE FOOD. Promisetown has been in dire straits ever since the local factory closed two years ago. The townspeople attempt to divide the food fairly, but end up struggling to reconcile their belief systems with their greed. A stranger appears out of nowhere, offering to solve their problems, but ends up altering the town’s course forever. Free is now available in three versions – Free Version 1 (6M+10W+3E), Free Version 2 – with more parts for females (4M+12W+2E), and Free: Competition Version (2 M, 5 F, 11 Any Gender, 2 M or F). Why did we publish this play? Free has a lot going on with a simple easy to stage concept within a traditional storytelling script. There’s an issue to think about, there’s a twist ending and there’s character work. The situation is something out of the ordinary but not so far removed that students can’t put themselves in the same scenario and infer their own income. A great script to explore! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love starting a play with a question and this play offers a big one – how do you reconcile your belief system with your personal struggle? Putting characters in a place of struggle is always going to be interesting to write about and interesting to watch. 1a. Why did you create a competition version of this play? Free is one of my earliest plays and I absolutely adore it. When I worked on the competition length version, I hadn't read the play in many years and it was delightful to reacquaint myself with it. I love the moral dilemma it presents and how the characters respond to the dilemma. However, it's too long for many of the one act competitions our customers participate in. I want this play to have more productions, so a competition cut was the right choice. And I'm so glad I did it! 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Desperation vs responsibility. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The pile of food. It is the centre piece of the whole play. It determines how every single character acts and reacts. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Character, character and more character. Do character profiles. Establish backstory for each character and the backstory for the relationships between the character. This community has been through a lot and it’s important for every actor to be on the same page before the play even begins. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The play takes an absurd situation and puts realistic characters right in the middle of that situation. A great exploration for any student actor. 6. Who is your favourite character in the play? My favourite character in the play is Mrs Steele. She is essentially the "villain" of the piece, but every choice she makes is for the good of her family. She makes bad choices, but she only has her family in mind when making them. That would be an interesting character to play! 7. What is your favourite line in the play? My favourite line in the play is "Fun? Having my lungs come out my nose is fun?" This line is said by Jack and the moment really shows off a side to his personality that we don't see once the story gets going. It's important, even in dramas to make characters more than the drama.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Floating on a Don’t Care Cloud by Lindsay Price is a powerful and emotional issue-based play that is a theatrical and vivid personification of drugs. Jamie Peel is a pothead. He lives in his own world, a bubble, a cloud that calls his name and reaches out to him. His sister TJ has watched him slowly drift away and doesn’t know what to do. Is she overreacting? Is it in her imagination? Should she tell somebody what she sees? Will Jamie ever talk to her again if she does? Will everyone see her as a snitch? Is it just pot? An emotional tightrope between a sister and a brother and what really happens in the world of teenage marijuana use. Why did we publish this play? This play takes an issue and makes it theatrical. The theatre has to come first. Our stance on issue plays is that it’s not the job of the play to solve the issue, or point a finger. It’s the job of the play to show characters dealing with, struggling with, sometimes failing within an issue. This way the play ends and the conversation begins. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Issue plays are important to me, not because they provide answers but because they ask questions. I think of the final moment of this play as the beginning of the conversation that should happen afterward. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. An emotional tug of war between siblings and what happens in the world of teenage drug use. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The Cloud! It turns drug use into characters and allows Jamie to interact with others as he sinks deeper and deeper into addiction. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Don’t go all slow with the Cloud. That will drag the pace of the play. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Personification is a wonderful theatrical element that all actors, let alone student actors, should explore.

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.

The Exile and the Onion Girl by Lindsay Price is a vividly modern adaptation of Aeschylus’ play, The Libation Bearers. Ore has been exiled for 10 years, working as a goat herder. Onee has been banished to the kitchen – 10 years is a long time to cut onions. Their mother murdered their father and it’s time to avenge his death. Who cares if all Onee wants is her mother’s love? Who cares if Ore can’t remember what his father sounds like? In Argos, it’s an eye for an eye, blood for blood, and watch what you say in front of the Domestics. They’re always watching, always listening. But blood is very complicated. And more blood doesn’t necessarily solve problems. Sarah Hankins and the incredible student drama group at Clinton High School in Clinton, MS took their production of The Exile and the Onion Girl to the Secondary School Theatre Festival at the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) in Louisville, Kentucky. Two of the students involved in their production shared their thoughts on their experiences: “I’m really glad we chose this production because it flows so smoothly and provides an excellent platform for me to learn more about the art of performing , not to mention the fact that we have advanced from both Dramafest and MTA with it! I can’t wait to perform in it again. ~ Julia M. With Price’s skillfully modernized version of a classic Greek Tragedy paired with the hard work of the Clinton Arrow Theatre department, The Exile and the Onion Girl has become one of the most rewarding plays I have had the pleasure of being involved in. ~ Aaron G.”

darklight by Lindsay Price is not only a fantastic vignette play for high school performers, it’s also an opportunity for discussion, community and communication on a topic that is happening to them and around them every day. darklight examines depression and anxiety in teens. Characters fight their inner thoughts, search for their truths, and have surreal conversations with death. Some fail, some find hope. This is a relevant and necessary issue to explore. We were thrilled to learn about the incredible interpretation of darklight from Freeport High School in Freeport, Maine. Director Natalie Safley and the school’s talented thespian group were able to take the play and really make it their own through the creative use of their lighting and set design. As you can see from the production photos, a picture really does speak a thousand words… and in this case, many, many more!

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Dead Men Don’t Do Radio Plays by Allison Williams is a collection of two plays that can be performed separately or combined to make a full evening of theatre. Steve Powell is radio star Frank Grayson, Private Eye. But in real life he’s not as suave, doesn’t have a way with the ladies and has a habit of narrating his life. But that doesn’t stop crimes from falling into his life. Can little Stevie Palowski step into a PI’s shoes and get the dame? Dead men may not do radio plays, but you definitely should introduce this genre to your students. Put together a SFX crew and bring the radio sounds to life. All the effects are itemized, including suggestions. Why did we publish this play? Dead Men Don’t Do Radio Plays shows how you can present a radio play as it was done back in the day with practical sound effects. Put together a SFX crew and bring the radio to life. All the effects used in Dead Men are itemized, including suggestions. What an awesome project to introduce to your students! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I wrote these plays because I’d been reading all the old Perry Mason mysteries, and I wanted to create radio scripts with that same “last-minute surprise witness!” element of the old novels. And those books are so much fun – women keep sliding out of cars with “a dangerous flash of a shapely knee” and it’s so neat to see how our social mores have changed. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. That it’s important to be yourself, but it can help you succeed to try on being someone else, too. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? That the sound effects team are part of the main action. It’s so much fun for the audience to watch them create the atmosphere. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Go ahead and use the paper scripts. It’s what radio players would have done, and it means you don’t have to give your cast the “You can’t call line any more!” speech. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Because it’s “radio,” students can focus on character voices, and not worry too much about their bodies. Actors of course eventually develop both those elements, but for young actors, it’s a great way to really thoroughly get comfortable with a character voice before putting it all together in a play with more movement.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Postcards from Shakespeare by Allison Williams is so much more than your typical Shakespeare spoof. Your budding Bards will have a lot of fun with this one-act comedy! Shakespeare has writer’s block. Nothing inspires him. The best he can come up with is “Now is the winter of our irritation!” He pleads to the one person who can help him – Queen Elizabeth the First. Queen Lizzy, who could be a writer herself if she weren’t so busy crushing the Welsh, sends Shakespeare around the world in 30 minutes. Denmark! Venice! Egypt! Join his whirlwind tour as he desperately searches for material. Star-crossed lovers! Surprise death! Shipwrecks! Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark… Why did we publish this play? Shakespeare spoofs are more than frivolous comedies. They give students a much greater understanding of the original text, for both actors and audience, once they’ve done or seen a spoof. That’s important. Postcards From Shakespeare covers so much ground. It opens a window to Shakespeare to allow students to understand the plays and have some fun with them. It gives us a peak into the genesis of the writing process. And it provides an opportunity to visit plays that schools can never do or would never visit, in a wonderful comedic fashion. There’s all that and more! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Because I love the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s Compleat Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and I waited ten years to come up with my own spin on the idea of “all the plays in one go.” I wanted to make a version that was shorter and could have a larger cast, specifically for students. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. When you’ve got an audience or a reader you really care about, writing something worthy of them is an act of love. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? If the production pulls off the chaos of the last few pages, in which so many individual moments are happening within a swirl of activity, it’s a thing of beauty. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? This play is CHALLENGING. There’s a million entrances and exits. Actors are playing five characters apiece if you’re doubling, or the cast has up to 80 people without doubling. Two of the greatest monologues from Shakespeare are delivered at the same time, while the stage is full of other things. There are a ton of props, and each one has to be visually clear to the audience as a joke. And there are so. many. “in-jokes” for people who love Shakespeare. That said, have fun with it—and the best way to have fun with it is to know it backwards and forwards so that the show can be executed with both great precision and passionate emotion. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Because if you have a huge cast, everyone gets to do a joke, and if you cast it with the minimum or close to it, it’s a wonderful acting challenge for advanced students to show strong, immediate characterization.

Chaucer’s classic collection of tales come to life in the brilliant full-length adaptation, The Canterbury Tales by Lindsay Price. A group of travelers set out for Canterbury on a pilgrimage. To pass the time they entertain each other with a storytelling contest. Best story wins a prize. Each and every performer gets a chance to shine in this spirited, charming script. Great characters, lots of humour, and strong ensemble work. Text uses modern English. Under the direction of Catherine Grootenboer , the drama team at St. Columba Anglican School in Port Macquarie NSW, Australia went on a journey into the distant medieval past, while keeping the message relevant and relatable to today’s audience: “It was a great introduction to Medieval Theatre storytelling. Easy to break up into sections and rehearse. Some very funny scenes – great to show that even though we feel like we are so different from people in the past, we aren’t!”

Virtual Family by Christian Kiley is a look at a soothing world where complete dependency on technology takes away all ills. But is everything really perfect? Plus, three endings to choose from! Who needs to go outside when you’ve got a screen to show you what outside should look like? Who needs to do chores when laundry can be folded at the push of a button? And who needs a real family, anyway? Isn’t it better to talk through text messages and receive preprogrammed communications from your parents? Sure it is. Live safe and sound in the Virtual Family, a soothing world where complete dependence on technology is the name of the game. When technology takes away all your ills, conflicts, and concerns, you become a happier human being. Right? Kelly McCabe from Barrington Enrichment Summer Theatre had an amazing time with their intern-directed production of Virtual Family. The gifted student performers from the theatre group in Barrington, RI were able to bring a true theatrical experience to their entire group: “One of our interns directed this piece as his senior project. The group as a whole, campers, staff, audience, and even the director of the library whose space we used were all very impressed with the piece. The simplicity of the presentation allowed for a very striking piece. The 3 possible endings was exciting, and allowed for interesting discussion when deciding what we wanted the final tone to ultimately be.”