Fidget

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?My life was changed when I discovered theatre in high school. I suddenly found my voice, and I still feel that excitement every time I see one of my plays performed by students. So long as I can inspire confidence in teenagers through my plays, I will continue to write for them. How do you balance education and fun in your scripts?I prioritize charactarization in all of my plays and try to mix as many different personities together as possible. If people learn something while watching my plays, I am grateful. If they have fun, I am eccstatic. Can you share a memorable experience or feedback from a student performance that left an impact on you?I saw a production of Fidget and was delighted by the performance. However, I was even more moved when I looked toward the audience. They were all kindergarten to grade 5 kids, smiling ear to ear. They were so engaged in the play, laughing and giggling and participating, that it reminded me why I do what I do. Any advice for teachers or directors looking to choose engaging and age-appropriate plays for their student performers?Give students the opportunity to read as many plays as possible. Access to play scripts allows students the opportunity to discover for themselves what they are capable of, and interested in, performing. What is your favourite play you've written so far?The play that sticks out as a favourite is Split. The characters are all unique and their stories are told in a purely theatrical way that allows a great deal of creative freedom for actors and directors. Anything else you'd like students and/or directors to know about you as a playwright?I never wait for the next great idea. Instead, I take the first idea that pops in my head and try to make it a great one.

Time for a Tfolk Top Plays List For….Building a Theatre Program. You’ve had a large group of seniors graduate. You’re starting at a new school that doesn’t have a theatre program You’re taking over a program that needs some serious love. What plays should you choose to build your program? 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 – and with building your program! Choose a play with a familiar link that people know. Use the familiar as your hook.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Why do kids find it so hard to stop moving? Check out the issue-based comedy, Fidget by Bradley Hayward to find out. Kids are constantly being told to hold still. But that’s impossible when all they want to do is move forward at warp speed. From disputes with friends and troubles at home, to negative self-image and unfortunate sugar highs, this vignette play explores the need to fidget in a world that gets more stressful every day. Jam-packed with rich characters and unique theatricality, this entirely gender flexible play is sure to entertain audiences of all ages. Why did we publish this play? We are always looking for middle school specific material that focuses on middle school aged characters in the present dealing with middle school issues. Fidget is a perfect example of such a play. Not only is it ideal for a middle school audience, it’s ideal for middle school performers. The actors and the audience will fully be able to relate and connect to this play. And with the vignette framework, you can work on the show in a class period with simple staging and costumes. It’s a win-win. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I wanted to write a play for middle school performers because I am constantly inspired by how fearless young actors are about expressing themselves. The energy, the intelligence, and the heart they project in real life translates extremely well to the stage and so it was my goal to provide them with smart material that speaks to the fast-paced world they are living in today. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Fidget is about how the need to move is what drives us forward, and the ability to hold still is what allows us to appreciate how far we’ve come. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? I get goose bumps when Devin literally sees the many colours of his personality stretch across the entire stage. It’s a visual representation of the moment when we step into the light and realize who we truly are inside. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? The actors should be in near-constant motion. Think of the many different ways people move, from large actions to barely detectible ticks, and show them all to the audience. This will give extra importance to the moments when the characters do hold still, so select these moments wisely. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Regardless if the actors have an abundance of acting experience or have never been on a stage before, there is something for everyone to do. There are so many opportunities for unusual movement, so even if someone is too shy to speak, they can still take part in telling the story. The gender neutral characters and flexible cast size allow the play to be produced by almost any group. It is also a great selection for student directors, as the script is split into smaller scenes for easy rehearsal.

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