Clowns with Guns (A Vaudeville)

Clowns with Guns (A Vaudeville) by Christopher Evans takes a theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. Step right up! Step right up! It’s the SCHOOL-SHOOT-O-RAMA! And the question everyone’s asking is “Am I walking out alive today?” Clowns with Guns takes a theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. It happens, everyone is terribly upset, things continue on as normal, it happens again. This story is mean. There are guns. The play puts school shooting violence out in the open and forces all of us to do the same. Read the play with this knowledge. Director Lisa Rowlands was eager to share the powerful experience that the student performers at Neath Little Theatre in Neath, United Kingdom had with their production of Clowns with Guns (A Vaudeville): “A fantastic piece. It was such a powerful play that genuinely had the entire audience thinking and even more importantly talking about the subject matter afterwards. Even though the play takes place in the USA it has implications in the UK that were definitely understood by the audience. TIP: Definitely include the cast as much as possible. The production evolved throughout rehearsals with youth members becoming more and more engaged as their understanding of the play grew.” Great job, Neath Little Theatre!

If you’re looking for a play that takes a stand and gets people talking, Clowns with Guns by Christoper Evans is a play that both audiences and students will never forget. Step right up! Step right up! It’s the SCHOOL-SHOOT-O-RAMA! And the question everyone’s asking is “Am I walking out alive today?” Clowns with Guns takes a theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. It happens, everyone is terribly upset, things continue on as normal, it happens again. This story is mean. There are guns. The play puts school shooting violence out in the open and forces all of us to do the same. Read the play with this knowledge. Lori Zyla and the talented students at Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg, West Virginia were not afraid of the serious subject matter and proved that when students connect with and believe in the material, great things can happen: “It is always great to direct a play that your students are 100% behind. This issue matters to them, and that shows in their performance. Great choice for a competition piece!”

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For….Gender Flexible Roles. Sometimes you have more girls than guys. Once in a while you have more guys than girls. And sometimes you have students who want to choose their own path. You want to give all your students an opportunity to take the stage but how do you account for your ever changing mix? Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. Every play gives you gender-fluid options. All the best with your search! Smarty Pants (8E) All the characters in this play can be played by the gender of your choice. Name options included. Dallas is a real smarty pants but there’s more Play-doh than Plato and more colouring than Van Gogh in this advanced placement class. Will Dallas figure out Kindergarten High or flunk? Apostrophe’s (13E) Playwright Bradley Hayward knows how important it is to offer casting options. (He also wrote the above Smarty Pants) All the characters can be played by the gender of your choice. Are you sometime’s amazed at how many apostrophe’s s’ome people manage to fi’t into s’entence’s? Then you’re not the only one. That’s just the problem that needs to be solved in this outrageous comedy. The Absolutely Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair (8E + ensemble) You can fit as many students as you need into this play. Cat Hair is infinite after all. No matter how much hair you brush off of a cat, there will always be more. Always. It is the secret driving force behind business and politics, and is plotting the downfall of humanity even as we speak. This play has a number of object personified roles as well which can be a great challenge for character development. They Eat Sunshine, Not Zebras (11E) Nothing stands in the way of the field’s orderly life. Until they wake up one morning to see a yellow dandelion in their midst. A dandelion will turn their orderly way of life upside-down. A dandelion must be destroyed. Isn’t that what you do when something is different? All characters can be played by either gender. Shuddersome: Tales of Poe (4M/5W/25E; Doubling possible, gender flexible) Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. The main characters in “The Tell Tale Heart” are specifically identified as “Young” and “Old” to make them as flexible as possible. And that’s just one story, feel free to change the genders in all the stories. Clowns With Guns (A Vaudeville) (16E) A theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. It happens, everyone is terribly upset, things continue on as normal, it happens again. All characters can be played by either gender. Inanimate (2W/16E) This play plays with personification and thus gives you a lot of gender flexibility. Life is a little different for Ani. She talks to her coffee pot and alarm clock. She even talks to her toaster. Is she living in a happy, carefree kids’ show or is it something more serious? What if you talk to inanimate objects and they talk back? What if they write hate texts to your friends? Try to control you? Make you stay inside with the blinds drawn and the lights turned down low? What if Ani’s life is not happy at all? Anonymous (1M/3W/15E) Anonymous is a story of every teenager: the new kid trying to fit in, the best friends, the love interests, the kid in the corner with their secret, the group of individuals each trying to belong. The teenagers of Anonymous have no names because they are “Me” and “You.” They are everyone. The Perils of Modern Education (3M/19E) The Perils of Modern Education are many! From standardized theatre tests that call for an exact number of steps in a scene, to trying to eat green in the cafeteria, to dealing with caffeine withdrawal, to giving Shakespeare advice on his college application essay. A comedic romp through the stresses and struggles of making it through the school day. Gender flexible casting, doubling possibilities, and easy to stage. The Baloney, the Pickle, the Zombies, and Other Things I Hide From My Mother (1M/7W; Doubling possible) Together with his living baloney-minon, Meyer, Trevor is about to embark on a night in which he will face an angry neighbor, be questioned by police, bring a pickle to life, and discover that his food may actually be smarter than he is… all while trying to keep everything secret from his mother and little sister. Planning on performing one of these or another Theatrefolk play? Let us know all about it with pictures and highlights – we might even feature you on our site! Click here to submit your story.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. If you’re looking for a play that takes a stand and gets people talking, then read on. This month we’re featuring Clowns with Guns by Christoper Evans – a play that both audiences and performers will never forget. Step right up! Step right up! It’s the SCHOOL-SHOOT-O-RAMA! And the question everyone’s asking is “Am I walking out alive today?” Clowns with Guns takes a theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. It happens, everyone is terribly upset, things continue on as normal, it happens again. This story is mean. There are guns. The play puts school shooting violence out in the open and forces all of us to do the same. Read the play with this knowledge. Why did we publish this play? Clowns with Guns takes a theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. It happens, everyone is terribly upset, things continue on as normal, and it happens again. We wanted to publish this play because it puts school shooting violence out in the open and forces us to do the same. It’s not a gentle play, it’s mean. And we wanted a play out there on the topic that makes a stand. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? This was my comment on the seeming acceptance of school and mass shootings. I was angry and wanted to be an angry voice that said “This is not okay. I do not accept this.” 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. A cycle of violence will not stop unless we do something to stop it. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The introduction of the silent clowns, Thoughts and Prayers, at the end of every stylized shooting. This was my comment that after every event all we would do is send Thoughts and Prayers. Nothing else. Nothing changed. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Embrace the absurdity and the message. This isn’t a play to be enjoyed. It’s social satire and it’s going to make your audience very engaged, possibly angry. Some folks don’t like to be seen in a negative light. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It adds Absurd Theatre to their resume. It’s unlike any play they’ve done. It’s not safe. It’s mean and if you go as far with these characters as the script demands, you’ll never forget this play. Neither will your audience. That’s what theatre should be.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For…Advanced Actors. You have students who can go to the next level. They are ready to tackle scripts beyond the norm of character development and realistic story lines. You want to raise the bar and we want to help you do that. Check out our top ten plays for advanced actors. It’s a great mix of issue driven, ensemble driven, character driven work. 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! Clowns With Guns A theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. This story is mean. There are guns. This play packs a theatrical punch. Censorbleep The Bleep Bleep Girls are the greatest group in school. They know what’s best. And when students try to stand up for themselves, or don’t do the “right” thing, they get dealt with. A great character driven piece where teenagers are turned into garbage and disappear. Breathless Three girls named Summer. Summer Adams is looking for love in all the wrong places. Summer Robertson is hanging on through her battle with cancer. And Summer Davis refuses to lose, even at the expense of her body and her friends.Three races of discovery. Will they crash or fly? A beautiful mature character piece with strong female leads. The Blue and the Grey Charlie is surrounded by ghosts: her father, a classmate’s sister, and the grey. Who are the grey? Civil war soldiers. A chance for an ensemble to build a haunting, exhilarating, and theatrical landscape. Power Play A gunshot is heard. Which of the five characters did it and why? Was it the Goth girl? The football star? What are the realities and the stereotypes of high school violence? Violence is about power. So is high school. This play has absurd moments, vivid characterization, and a powerful message. Stroke Static Russ is an eighty-three year-old man in a nursing home struggling with multi-infarct dementia. But in his mind he sees himself as a boy of eighteen, and thus is played by a young actor. The ensemble plays a variety of real and imaginary characters in Russ’ mind. A heartbreaking look at what goes on in the mind of someone who can’t communicate. Tick Talk The teenagers in Tick Talk have a lot to say, but no way to say it. Most characters are limited to only ONE WORD for the whole play. A fascinating challenge for actors: What happens when a character has just one word to express hopes, fears, and frustrations? What if they have something terribly important to say but can’t? Emotional Baggage One of the most unique plays we sell. There’s no dialogue. The play is based solely on non-verbal storytelling through mask and movement. Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their own “emotional baggage.” Chemo Girls and Other Plays A collection that examines the impact of cancer through the eyes of teenagers. Characters deal with the difficulty of saying the word out loud, the difficulty of admitting a friend or family member has cancer, and the difficulty of finding the energy and the attitude needed to fight. Have You Heard? A play formatted solely in monologue. The story follows what happens in a school when rumours and secrets spin out of control. What makes a secret more powerful: When it’s the truth? Or when it’s a lie?

Sometimes you want to do a show on a tough subject matter. Sometimes your administration doesn’t want you to. On our Drama Teacher Podcast, teacher Chris Evans shared his experience and insights about producing a play on gun violence (Clowns with Guns). Here’s his advice. Tip #1 Never make it a surprise. Communicate.“The doors to the theatre have always been open.” It’s critical to communicate up front with as many stakeholders as you need to: administration, teachers, parents. Give people the opportunity to ask questions, so they can understand what’s behind the material. Invite them to rehearsals, encourage discussion. If you need to ask permission, then ask. Don’t surprise administrators or staff with something you know is controversial. Communication provides the opportunity to educate everyone on the reasons WHY you want to do a particular play or try a particular genre. Maybe it’s about developing your actors’ range, or about linking to a current event or promoting media literacy. Plan ahead, prepare your thoughts, and be open and honest in your communication from the start. Tip #2 Embrace the audience reaction.“I tell the kids in my class–if your audience walks out apathetic, then why do it? If they walk out angry, sad, happy, and humming the tunes, then you’ve won.” A difficult play might mean an offended audience member. If you believe in the material you’re working with and its importance, then consider the ‘offense’ the result of an engaged audience. Maybe it offends them in the moment, but makes them stop and think about the subject material in a different way. Maybe it prompts a discussion in a classroom about a genre or subject matter. Maybe it reaches the one person in the audience who really needed to connect with something that spoke to them. Tip #3 Be prepared to hear “no.”It’s equally important to respect the other side–to respect that people are going to disagree with your choice or your opinion of why you want to address difficult content in a production. School administrators have a duty to protect and represent the community, the teachers, the students. Some will be willing to take risks and some won’t. Some won’t be ready today but may be ready next semester or next year. If you hear “no,” have a plan B. For example, suggest performing a monologue from the show instead of the entire show. Keep the lines of communication open and look for a compromise that moves things forward. If you feel passionately about taking on difficult material, then persevere. Continue to ask, not tell. Continue to communicate. Embrace audience reaction. Always be on the look-out for creative ways to tackle difficult subject matter in theatre. Click here for the full podcast, to hear more about Chris’s play Clowns with Guns and the challenges he faced while mounting the production.

Episode 168: Putting on a play your administration doesn’t like Sometimes you want to do a show on a tough subject matter. Sometimes your administration doesn’t want you to. In this episode, teacher Chris Evans talks about his experience producing a play on gun violence. How did he communicate with his administration? What was the response? What advice does he have for others?

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Dramas. Issue plays that don’t talk down to your students. Theatrical explorations of serious topics. Read one, read them all! 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! Look Me In the Eye Teenagers in the future are obedient, polite, and respectful. Everything about their life is black and white, right or wrong. This is due in large part to the government-required “Observation Sessions.” But there is a dark underside to this utopian vision. Sometimes life is grey. Chemo Girl A collection that examines the impact of cancer through the eyes of teenagers. Characters deal with the difficulty of saying the word out loud, the difficulty of admitting a friend or family member has cancer, and the difficulty of finding the energy and the attitude needed to fight. Chicken. Road. Why did the chicken cross the road? Why is the sky blue? What’s two plus two? Why did he kill himself? A group of teenagers grapple with unanswered questions as they struggle to understand why someone who seemed to have it all would commit suicide. Have You Heard Everybody knows a secret. Some keep them quiet. Some let them loose. This monologue-based play follows what happens in a school when rumours and secrets spin out of control. What makes a secret more powerful: When it’s the truth? Or when it’s a lie? Upon a Sea of Dreams: A Journey on the Titanic An amazing character-based drama with a unique look at this infamous event. In a tiny third class cabin sisters plan for a new life in America. Suddenly the ship stops moving and sirens blast. The girls are told to stay in their cabin. Another passenger says the ship is sinking. The Waking Moment Julie would do anything to be just like her best friend Rhonda. She gets her wish when she wakes up one morning in Rhonda’s bed – but nobody seems to notice. Julie quickly realizes that Rhonda’s perfect world is actually a nightmare. Deals with sexual abuse. Anonymous We all have our stories. “New and old, complete and untold.” Anonymous is a story of every teenager: the new kid trying to fit in, the best friends, the love interests, the kid in the corner with their secret, the group of individuals each trying to belong. The teenagers of Anonymous have no names because they are “Me” and “You.” They are everyone. Discovering Rogue Rogue has the best beachfront property – right on the ocean. Her home is a cardboard box but she doesn’t mind. Others, though, mind very much. They want Rogue to leave the beach. Now. But Rogue isn’t just running away from home; she’s running away from herself. Breathless – Three girls named Summer. Three races of discovery. Will they crash or fly? A beautiful character piece with strong female leads. Clowns With Guns (A Vaudeville) – A theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. This story is mean. There are guns. BONUS! NEW DramaThe Blue and the Grey – Charlie is surrounded by ghosts: her father, a classmate’s sister, and the grey. Haunting, exhilarating, theatrical. Planning on performing one of these or another Theatrefolk play? Let us know all about it with pictures and highlights – we might even feature you on our site! Click here to submit your story.

Our website lists all of our plays with social issue themes but it struck me that they’re only lumped as “issue plays” without a good guide to sorting out which title addresses which issue. So I’ve categorized them for you to hopefully give you a helping hand in your quest to find the perfect script for your school. Check them out. As usual, all of the titles have extensive free sample pages for you to read. I think you’ll find the writing honest, fresh, and believable – three qualities sadly lacking from a lot of “teen-issue” plays out there in the world. Alienation / Feeling Alone in the World• Anonymous by Allison Green • The Art of Rejection: Two One Act Plays by Christian Kiley • A Box of Puppies by Billy Houck • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck • Huge Hands by Billy Houck Body Image• Body Body by Lindsay Price • The Four Hags of the Apocalypse Eat Salad at their General Meeting by Lindsay Price • The Battle of Image vs. Girl by Johanna Skoreyko • Hoodie by Lindsay Price • Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin Censorship• Censorbleep by Lindsay Price Human Rights• Look Me in the Eye by Lindsay Price • Sweep Under Rug by Lindsay Price Racism• Flaky Lips by Lindsay Price • With Liberty and Justice For All by Jeyna Lynn Gonzales • Not Going Anywhere by Emma Fonseca Halverson • The Burgundy Letter by Kirk Shimano • Let Me In by Sholeh Wolpe *** Rumours and Lies• Have You Heard? by Krista Boehnert • The Redemption of Gertie Greene by Taryn Temple Individuality• Hoodie by Lindsay Price • Virtual Family by Christian Kiley • The Happiness Shop by Lindsay Price • A Deep, Poetic Journey Into Something by Forrest Musselman • Carrying the Calf by Shirley Barrie • Monster Problems by Lindsay Price • Stereotype High by Jeffrey Harr • Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less by Bradley Hayward • Nice Girl by Amanda Murray Cutalo • Pressure by Lindsay Price • They Eat Sunshine, Not Zebras by Dara Murphy • The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple • Smarty Pants by Bradley Hayward Identity• Box by Lindsay Price • Labeled by Lindsay Price • We Are Masks by Lindsay Price • Stressed by Alan Haehnel • Anonymous by Allison Green • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck • The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple School Violence• Huge Hands by Billy Houck • Power Play by Lindsay Price • Clowns with Guns (A Vaudeville) by Christopher Evans • The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley • Life and Death in an Empty Hallway by Christopher Evans • Water. Gun. Argument. by Alan Haehnel Sexual Abuse• The Waking Moment by Bradley Hayward • Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin Substance (alcohol & drug) Abuse• Bottle Baby by Lindsay Price • Floating on a Don’t Care Cloud by Lindsay Price • One Beer Too Many by Billy Houck Suicide• The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note by Lindsay Price • Chicken. Road. by Lindsay Price • The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley Teen Pregnancy• The Pregnancy Project by Lindsay Price • Among Friends and Clutter (one scene) by Lindsay Price Illness/Health• Chemo Girl by Christian Kiley • The Other Room by Christian Kiley • Red Rover by Christian Kiley • Waiting Room by Christian Kiley • Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin • Shreds and Patches by Robert Wing • Inanimate by Christian Kiley • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck Depression/Anxiety• darklight by Lindsay Price • Fidget by Bradley Hayward • Among Friends and Clutter (one scene) by Lindsay Price • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck • who are we, who we are by Forrest Musselman Bullying• Finishing Sentences by Scott Giessler • Funhouse by Lindsay Price • Power Play by Lindsay Price • The Redemption of Gertie Greene by Taryn Temple • Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less by Bradley Hayward • Carrying the Calf by Shirley Barrie Divorce• Split by Bradley Hayward Gender• Life, Off Book by Scott Giessler • Anonymous by Allison Green • Baalzebub by Rachel Atkins (Baalzebub – One-Act Version here) • Completely, Absolutely Normal: Vignettes About LGBTQ+ Teens by Bradley Walton • Finding Jo March by Laramie Dean • Thought Traps by Lindsay Price Empathy• Discovering Rogue by Christian Kiley • Boat by Lindsay Price • We Are Masks by Lindsay Price • The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley Dependence on Technology• Virtual Family by Christian Kiley • Inanimate by Christian Kiley