Ariadne's Thread, The Adventures of Theseus and the Minotaur

March 8th is International Women’s Day – and what better time to highlight some amazing women within the Theatrefolk community. Join us in celebrating these phenomenal playwrights and authors and their incredible contributions to the world of student theatre. Plus, keep reading to see our Top 10 Plays for Female Casts at the end of the post! Rachel Atkins • Baalzebub (and One Act Version)

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For….Cross-curricular. Cross-curricular is a magic word for many admins and quite frankly there’s a good reason for that. Here in the 21st century we no longer live in an isolated world and students shouldn’t be taught in isolation. What we do in the drama classroom has always had implications outside of the drama classroom and it’s time to showcase that connection. If you want students to increase their critical thinking skills, their communication skills, and their collaboration skills, reach out across department lines! You can do plays that will interest your history department, english department, social studies, technology and more. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. Hand this list over to your student directors and see what they think. All the best with your search!

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. It’s time to bring Greek mythology to life! Ariadne’s Thread, the Adventures of Theseus and the Minotaur by Judith White is a fantastic modern version of Theseus and the Minotaur, complete with an active chorus. “The thread’s on the spool, The spool’s wound tight, You must feel it in the dark, cause there is no light…”” Theseus is a young man on an adventure. As he makes his way to Athens to meet his father he must fight bandits, carnivorous pigs, and travel the underworld. He offers himself as tribute to rid the land of the murderous minotaur. But the story isn’t as simple as it seems. King Minos’ daughter Ariadne is willing to help, but only if Theseus promises not to kill the minotaur. How will Theseus get out of the labyrinth alive? Why did we publish this play? There is a reason that Greek myths have survived the test of time. They have great stories and great characters. Ariadne’s Thread is no different. While telling a story that is as old as time (Theseus meet Minotaur, Minotaur meet Theseus) Judith has crafted a play that is not your every day retelling of this myth. This is a fantastic modern version with a very active Greek Chorus. Do you have a unit on choral speaking? Read this play, now. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I have been intrigued by Ariadne, the Minotaur, and Theseus since I was a teenager. As I researched the story, finding many different versions of the myth, I found myself thinking about the Minotaur – how he was deserted and alone, and condemned to the depth of the labyrinth. My mind teemed with questions. How would he feel? Who else, among those young actors performing the play, might feel abandoned and alone, deserted by family, bereft of friends? What makes Asterion strike out and kill? And what about his half-sister, Ariadne? And Theseus, his half-brother by Poseidon? I was intrigued and informed by the questions – the human questions – surrounding the myth. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Theseus follows his destiny, listens to an inner voice, and Ariadne, whose powers have deserted her, regains her creativity and her own voice. Together, they transform Asterion, discover his source of anger, and release him to the sea. They all risk going deeper into their emotional selves – as do actors. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? I enjoy Theseus trip beneath the sea. Also, the confrontation between Theseus and Asterion, the Minotaur when we learn why the Minotaur is so angry: one child is preferred by his father, Poseidon, and we see the results in the neglected child, Asterion. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Work as an ensemble; enjoy creating the chorus and the varied characters, small and large. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? All the myths have eternal lessons. This one is about emotions, hidden deep in the labyrinth of our souls, which may erupt in negative ways. It also speaks to the transforming power of love – and the hero’s quest, involving great risk, wit, and inner strength. There are parallels in the brother/sister/half-sibling relationships. And the play has humor too, to balance the serious stuff. Lots of juicy characters. (Not just the pigs- the Crommyon Sow. )

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For…Ensembles! It’s not about the leads and the chorus, it’s about the ensemble. The definition of the word ensemble is to have parts that come together as a whole and are only considered in relation to the whole. It’s all about working together to make a great production. Here are 10 plays that explore the concept of the ensemble. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! The Blue and the Grey This play starts with the sound of drumming and the words of Walt Whitman. This sets the tone of the play and lets us know what to expect. This is the work of the ensemble. In this play of ghosts, the past, and those left behind – The ensemble creates the aural world in The Blue and the Grey – haunting, necessary. Finishing Sentences Sometimes an ensemble is needed to populate the world of the play. In Finishing Sentences Kendra finds herself surrounded by camp life – that’s what the ensemble provides. And besides, you can’t have a colour war without them! (even if the blue team can’t get their chant together) Storied Quite often, the world of the play is, well, out of this world. It’s built in the imagination of the playwright, and in order for the audience to buy in, they need to see characters who also buy into the world. Storied takes place in a magical dimension inhabited by characters from fiction. Everyone from Javert to Santa Claus to Elizabeth Bennett lives there. The ensemble is crucial to the audience leaving the real world behind as they watch the play. The Happiness Shop In this play an ensemble of “Roppets” – robot puppets litter the stage. They are on stage for the entire play. They visual demonstrate “happiness.” They smile, they laugh, they hi-five all the time. It isn’t creepy at all. Aren’t middle schoolers happy all the time? They’re too young to have problems…. The Scarlet Heart The Scarlet Heart is a commedia dell’arte piece which can be played as scripted or off of scenarios. To play off a scenario means a group really has to know each other, listen to each other, improv often together. They’ll have to become a true ensemble. Being Bianca: The Semi Complete Guide Being Bianca has a huge cast – it can include up to 50 actors. And that means everyone has to be on the same page and working toward the same goal. Bianca has to do some community service. She decides the best service is to teach the world what it’s like to be her. Who wouldn’t want to be Bianca? Ariadne’s Thread: The Adventures of Theseus and the Minotaur Ariadne’s Thread has an ensemble in the classical sense of the word – a greek chorus. Again it’s all about creating the world of the play and in this tale of Minotaur’s and mazes the greek chorus observes and comments. They are the voice of the audience and they share that voice in perfect unison. Stupid is Just 4 2day We can’t avoid stupidity. It happens. To everyone! But it’s just temporary. The characters in this vignette play are all named after orchestra instruments. And that’s because all the transition pieces are performed like music rather than theatre. Everyone speaks, and gestures in unison. Win the Best Ensemble award! Chemo Girl Camille is given a video game system from her mom as a form of recovery therapy for cancer. The ensemble creates the video game for Camille as she is drawn into the world and takes on the name “Chemo Girl.” Think video games can’t be done in the theatre? The ensemble makes it happen. Anonymous In Anonymous everyone is just trying to get along, get by, make themselves heard. It’s hard when you don’t have a face or a voice. The teens in this play have no names because they’re everyone. The ensemble brings this theme to life.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For…Middle School! You’re a middle school teacher looking for material specifically written for your students. You’ve come to the right place! We specialize in middle school plays with age appropriate characters and look at the issues middle schoolers are dealing with right now. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! Box Sometimes we choose the way the world sees us. Sometimes we’re put into a box by others – parents, friends, enemies. How do middle schoolers deal with perception? A vignette play with great small scene and monologue opportunities. Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo This play is a delight. Three dimensional characters, fabulous dialogue, creative staging of a horrendous mutant polymer! Students, administrators and parents get “goo-ed” by a green slime with a mind of its own. Why is Frankenstein called into save the day? The Pauper Princess A twist on The Price and the Pauper with two girls in the lead roles and Elizabethan England as the location. The Princess is Princess Elizabeth and the Pauper is a girl hiding as a boy in a location theatre production. A huge cast with roles for everyone who tries out. Don’t be scared by the era it’s Shakespeare meets modern middle school! Roshambo Some people take Rock-Paper-Scissors (aka Roshambo) seriously. Very seriously. So seriously they organize championship matches with national rankings. A middle school comedy that looks at what people will do to win. They’re not above an illegal scipper. The Redemption of Gertie Greene An upside down look at bullying in middle school. Is Gertie really what everyone calls her: a freak, strange, stupid, clumsy, and mean? Ms Fillmore’s drama class separate fact from fiction and the importance of standing up for those who can’t do it for themselves. School Daze The first day of middle school can be a house of horrors. Will I fit in? How will I find the right class? A vignette style play that you can do with a class. This play has found a lot of success with schools performing it for their incoming students. Ariadne’s Thread Bring Greek mythology to life! A fantastic modern version of the Theseus and the Minotaur myth complete with an active chorus. Choral speaking, a twist on the traditional story and a lot of humour. The Magic Diary of Mozambique Darla feels invisible and that nothing goes her way. She wishes she had a better life. When her globetrotting sister gives her a diary, Darla thinks it’s just another dumb present. Then, bizarre things start happening and suddenly EVERYTHING’S going Darla’s way. Be careful what you wish for. Hoodie Hoodie examines image and appearance in the vignette style. It poses what may be the most difficult question of all for middle schoolers – Do I stay in the clump or do I stand alone? Almost History: that whole space time continuum thing A Reporter and a Sidekick livestream from great moments in American history. While middle school students watch, the Reporter gets into a number of misadventures and changes the course of history. Even Einstein and Marie Curie cannot undo the disaster! It’ll take a miracle to restore order to the “whole space-time continuum thing.”