Epic Adventures in a Rinky-Dink Art Museum

As you start sourcing scripts for the school year, why not dive into some of Theatrefolk's longest and most delightfully titled plays? These epically named scripts promise not only rich characters and fantastic stories but also a whole lot of fun just pronouncing their titles! These plays offer endless opportunities for creative exploration, and unforgettable performances. Add them to your collection and watch your students bring these wonderfully lengthy titles to life on stage or in the classroom!

Welcome to "Playwright Spotlight" — your exclusive backstage pass to the creative minds crafting the incredible plays featured in our Theatrefolk catalogue. Discover the magic, quirks, and genius of the playwrights who help bring the stage to life. Let's meet one of these exceptional playwrights who offers the chance for your student performers to shine in their spotlight. What inspired you to start writing plays specifically for high school & middle school students?I started writing plays for my own middle school drama students, taking their personalities and interests into account to create plays they were excited to see on stage. Can you share a bit about your creative process when developing plays that resonate with students?A lot of my plays were initially written for specific students. We'd improvise scenarios and brainstorm ideas together, then I'd take the best characters and moments from those sessions and develop them further. The students would be super excited when we'd hit on something fun during a drama club meeting, leading one of us, or all of us to chime in, "That's going in the play!" Are there any challenges you face when writing for student performers, and how do you overcome them?When I started writing for teens, I was a lot closer in age to them. As I have gotten older, they’ve stayed the same age, and I find it a bit harder to capture their voices as genuinely as I once did. A trick I’ve adopted on occasions is to a set play in the past where knew the language style or set it in the future where I can take conversations in new and creative directions. What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your plays?My scripts are mostly comedies with a bit of romance mixed in. I like to create plays where students can find the fun in exploring characters similar to themselves where audiences can see good choices and a good sense of humor rewarded with happy endings and those with ill intents getting their just desserts. Can you share a memorable experience or feedback from a student performance that left an impact on you?As a teacher and an active member of the theatre community, I’ve run into many students who were in my plays 20-plus years ago. It’s fun to hear memories of the shows, lines they still recall, and stories of how those early roles inspired them to continue pursuing the arts. I’ve even had students who became teachers and directed their students the same plays they once performed with me. Any advice for teachers or directors looking to choose engaging and age-appropriate plays for their student performers?My best advice is to get to know your students as well as you can. When you have genuine affection for the personalities and quirks of the kids you teach, it is much easier to find that special play that will let them shine. Find a script you really love, too. Students are intuitive, and if they sense your love for a project, they are more likely to give their hearts and souls to bring it to life. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot more fun. What is your favourite play you've written so far?I have a dozen published teen one acts and over 50 short plays, but Epic Adventures in a Rinky-Dink Art Museum ranks among my favorites. It has some of my most beloved characters, and just the right blend of mystery, romance, and comedy to keep the actors and audiences engaged and entertained. Anything else you'd like students and/or directors to know about you as a playwright?I became a teacher to guarantee an audience 5 days a week, but there is no greater joy than hearing a theatre full of students laughing and applauding for their friends in the spotlight. I’m humbled and honored that performers in 21 countries and all 50 States have brought my plays to life. I look forward to creating new scripts and new opportunities for students to shine.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Epic Adventures in a Rinky-Dink Art Museum by Ken Preuss is a wonderful character-driven comedy that’s full of mystery, romance and other assorted adventures. Who says art is boring, especially when there’s romance and mystery in the air? A group of high school students reluctantly visit a small town art museum to complete a creative writing project. But there’s more to the eye than a couple of paintings. There’s the legend of Vanishing Valerie, the obsession of love-struck Kaitlin, the mystery of why Duncan would try to eat a clay apple, and who is that woman wearing the not-so-great disguise? “Though the art saw it all, it remains on the wall, silently hiding the truth…” Why did we publish this play? The title really gives a window into the world of the play. The large and the small. The Epic and the Rinky-Dink. How could anything interesting possibly happen in a small town art museum? That’s the thesis of the play – there are epic adventures all around us, we just have to know where to look. It’s a lovely notion to share with students and this is a lovely play. And it makes perfect sense that a play about art has wonderfully well-drawn characters! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? The play started off as a comical collection of conversations teens might have in an art museum. The sarcastic comments, unrequited crushes, silly distractions, and artistic analysis began connecting in unexpected ways. Suddenly, there was the mystery of “Vanishing Valerie” and several romantic pursuits that were demanding to be resolved. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Mr. Briggs, the owner of the museum, tosses out a comment in passing that states. “Art is the result of passion pursued.” Pursuing passion is a major theme in this comedy. Whether it’s solving a mystery, finding true love, seeing the beauty in world, or just having a good time, find what drives you, and go after it with all you have. That is what makes life worth living! 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The most important visual would be final minutes of the play. Although it is a mostly silent moment, the body language, facial expressions, and emotions bring an end to the central mystery and love story. If done correctly, it can be a perfectly poignant and surprising revelation. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Have fun with the characterizations. The script suggests several ways to create the set, but whether you choose the simple or fancy style, the play thrives with the pacing and performances. Characters wander in and out of rooms as they explore the museum: seek ways to make your character unique and memorable, so the audience is excited every time you enter a scene and wonder about your while you are away. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This is among the funniest plays I have ever written. The teen characters are students we all know, but they are more than stereotypes. Each has multiple personality traits that allow students to create a real person and a separate story line to provide each role with its own arc. There are also a few adult characters that allow actors to stretch a little and gain experience playing someone from a different age group. Each role offers a student performer a chance to earn laughs and contribute to an ensemble piece.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays for…Comedies. 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! The Baloney, The Pickle, The Zombie, and Other Things I Hide From My Mother Trevor is bringing food to life with experiments he hopes will lead to the creation of zombies he can sell as cheap laborers. He may discover that his food may actually be smarter than he is… Apostrophe’s 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. Lord of the Pies A pie shop erupts into panic after Franny announces the arrival of the apocalypse. She starts to reconstruct society and takes out anyone who stands in her way with baby food and scotch tape. Is the apocalypse real? Will the bathroom serve as an adequate prison? Why is there a muffin tin in a pie shop? Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark Denmark is plagued with zombies led by Hamlet’s uncle/step-father, the current king. When Hamlet learns from his zombified father that his uncle plans to turn Denmark into a land of the undead – Hamlet knows he must stop him! Or not. If he could only be sure… A gruesomely comic adaptation! Original text with new zombified dialogue. A Lighter Shade of Noir Trent Trowel is your typical gumshoe. Searching the mean streets for crimes to solve and dames to fall for. He joins some of the world’s most famous detectives at the International PD gala. But is this all a plot for the world’s most dastardly villains to foil them with a fiendish master plan? A fabulously funny and high styling take on film noir – it’s a lighter shade of noir after all! Close Encounters of the Undead Kind Wendy walks into a typical teen support group. Claire thinks Halloween is going to be humdrum as usual. Rachel wants her parents to be nice to her new boyfriend. Three ordinary scenarios… or are they? Is that a werewolf at the support group? A vampire at the door? A zombie boyfriend? With some close encounters of the undead kind, these plays are far from typical and humdrum! Epic Adventures in a Rinky Dink Art Museum High school students reluctantly visit a small town art museum to complete a creative writing project. But there’s more to the eye than a couple of paintings: Vanishing Valerie! Love-struck Kaitlin! Duncan… trying to eat a clay apple! A wonderfully sweet character driven comedy. Drop Dead, Juliet Juliet has had enough! Enough with the poison, enough with the stabbing, and especially enough with the dying. She wants a new story and she wants it now. _ Romeo and Juliet_ will never be the same – or will it? She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More This comedic, melodramatic one-act mystery is an hilarious romp that features betrayals, broken hearts, a rather odd but beautiful love story, and many twists. Like the main character ending up dead. Or not dead… Lose Not Thy Head Joan pleads for life, Death waits for death, a severed Head says beheading isn’t so bad, a doctor tries to convince everyone that you can’t sew a head back on a body, and then things get weird. Shakespeare, Monty Python, a little love, a little death, a lot of laughs and a talking head. 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.

Episode 18: Ken Preuss InterviewKen Preuss is new to Theatrefolk with his play Epic Adventures in a Rinky Dink Art Museum. He talks about his writing process and a fascinating creative trick he uses to get into a play.