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Finishing Sentences

Finishing Sentences

by Scott Giessler

After being arrested for vandalizing a classmate's car and perpetrating criminal harassment, Kendra serves her community service at a summer camp looking after a frequently bullied kid.

Her journey through this surreal summer camp exposes Kendra to her own raw underbelly. Taking the perspective of the bully, the play forces us to consider the human side of the people we often dismiss.

Dramedy Issue-Based

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Running Time
About 35 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
18 Characters
4 M6 F8 Any Gender, Easily expandable
Set
Simple set
Length
44 pages
Free Excerpt

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Performance Royalty Fees

Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

18 Characters
4 M, 6 F, 8 Any Gender, Easily expandable

Women
Kendra [F] 195 lines
An unrepentant bully. Takes a shine to Isabelle.
Isabelle [F] 64 lines
A sunny kid with a wild imagination, and problem of her own.
Innocence [F] 11 lines
Kendra’s sense of truth and kindness.
Conscience [F] 16 lines
Kendra’s sense of right and wrong.
Denial [F] 17 lines
Kendra’s impulse to cover over her past.
Rage [F] 26 lines
Kendra’s anger and spite.

Men
Nat [M] 92 lines
Kendra’s uncle. Has an idea to help her straighten herself out.
Lucien [M] 42 lines
Another counsellor at camp. A kind soul.
Curmudgeon [M] 10 lines
Knows the exact right way to do everything at camp. Several Monologues.
Love [M] 18 lines
Kendra’s memories of her old boyfriend.

Either
Judge [A] 17 lines
Unimpressed with Kendra’s actions and attitude.
Red Warrior [A] 2 lines
The first challenger in Color War.
Frawley the Wise (Blue Warrior) [A] 9 lines
The second challenger in Color War.
Ref [A] 6 lines
Adjudicates the Burnball Match.
Kid [A]
Police Officer [A] 0 lines
Kitchen Worker [A] 0 lines
Blue Team Members [A] 2 lines
Red Team Members [A] 1 line
Campers (guys and girls) [A] 4 lines
Counselors [A] 15 lines

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From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre

Theatrefolk Featured Play – Finishing Sentences by Scott Giessler
Featured Plays

Theatrefolk Featured Play – Finishing Sentences by Scott Giessler

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Are you ready for summer camp – and all of the ups and downs that go along with it? Then you’re ready for Finishing Sentences by Scott Giessler – an issue-based dramedy that your students won’t want to miss. After being arrested for vandalizing a classmate’s car and perpetrating criminal harassment, Kendra serves her community service at a summer camp looking after a frequently bullied kid. Her journey through this surreal summer camp exposes Kendra to her own raw underbelly. Taking the perspective of the bully, the play forces us to consider the human side of the people we often dismiss. Why did we publish this play? Awesome character play. Awesome character play. Awesome character play. Shall I say it again? Awesome, awesome character play. I love that we can look at teen life from unique and interesting perspectives and provide unique and interesting characters for student performers. (Did I mention this is an awesome character play?). Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I have been an avid participant and supporter of Summer Camping since I was a kid. I wanted to write a show that captured the spirit of the experience both comedic and dramatic. Although our time at camp is short, we live lifetimes there. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. There are no such things as bullies. (It’s a two-dimensional idea. We are all on a journey that are often filled with mistakes. ) 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Transitioning from the stark real world to the colorful world of camp life. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Let the world around Kendra be crazy. Camp is comedy and tragedy all at the same time. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It lets the actors tap into both ingredients: Comedy and Drama. It demands range, timing, and sheer fun.
Page to Stage: What can you learn in 48 hours?
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Page to Stage: What can you learn in 48 hours?

Episode 209: Page to Stage: What can you learn in 48 hours? What can you learn when you put up a show from page to stage in 48 hours? Teacher and playwright Scott Giessler shares his experience. If you want your students to have an immediate lesson in problem solving this is the conversation for you!
Theatrefolk’s Top 10: Plays About Empathy
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Theatrefolk’s Top 10: Plays About Empathy

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About….Empathy. Based on the idea that empathy is the act understanding and sharing another person’s experience, these plays open the door to looking out to others rather than looking in. Use these plays to spark to an empathy discussion. 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!
The Drama Classroom: A seat for everyone at the table
Acting

The Drama Classroom: A seat for everyone at the table

Drama Teacher Podcast.Scott Giessler is a teacher and a playwright. He went into theatre teaching without any training. Not only is he still doing it, but he has a strong philosophy for how to do it. He’s well aware that what you need as a teacher isn’t necessarily what your students need. Scott is adamant that there is a seat for everyone at the table in the drama classroom. Learn from his experience by incorporating these tips into your own program, from the Drama Teacher Podcast. 1. It’s not about YOU, it’s about THEM.What you get excited about is not necessarily what’s going to light their fire . Get to know the needs of each particular group of students. What do they bring in the door with them? Realize that every year, every semester, as the group changes, so will their needs. You’ve got to constantly learn and adapt. 2. Build trust.In a math classroom, trust is going to be built with “I’m going to show you how to do this and, when it works, you trust me.” With a theatre class, you’re asking them to dig down into themselves and take some social risks. Building a relationship with them is key. If you don’t have a relationship with them, you won’t have the type of trust you need for them to take those social risks. 3. Find a place for everyone – well beyond the actors who already love theatre class.You have the guy who is in the construction trades class who, for some reason, gets dragged in because his girlfriend is in the program. We send him over to the scene shop and we can’t live without him. We’ve got the kid who doesn’t want anything to do with the stage but just loves the costume room . We have the kid who is really great with Photoshop and wants to do all the posters for us . We have kids who just want to be a part of the magic and end up being our house crew or backstage crew. Find the place that each student is comfortable, and you’ll be on your way to building a great program. 4. Help them realize that they are ALL an important part of the team.In basketball, if the third-stringer player doesn’t show up, well, it’s not really a problem because we’ve got two other strings to send in. Whereas, in theatre, anyone that doesn’t show up, it throws a monkey-wrench into the whole works. Embrace the concept that there is no unimportant cog in the machine. We need every last piece to make it move. Instead of “the show must go on,” the proper phrase really is “the show will go on as long as the people running it are a concerted group of people who care a great deal about the outcome.” 5. Include everyone. Don’t cut anyone out.For the same reason that a math teacher doesn’t throw a kid out of math class because he can’t get the hang of math, don’t cut a kid from a high school theatre program because he’s not very good at theatre. The moment they make a commitment to be there, they’re there and we’re going to invest time in them. More importantly, though, they’re investing time in others. Click here to listen to the full podcast or read the transcript. Scott’s got lots more to share, including details of his play Finishing Sentences.
Theatrefolk’s Top 10: Ensemble Pieces
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