Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo

As March takes centre stage, we're stepping into a world full of iconic characters from well-known stories. Each play in this month's lineup includes beloved characters, ready to leap off the page and onto your stage or classroom. So, grab your popcorn, settle in, and immerse yourself in our March Reading List. These plays promise to take you on unforgettable adventures alongside some of literature's most memorable characters. It's time for an adventure like no other!

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!

Frankenstein vs. the Horrendous Goo by Treanor Baring is a fast-paced, action-packed comedy that’s sure to delight both middle school actors and their audiences. A mix-up in the chemistry club creates a horrendous goo that takes over John Dalton School. Students, administrators and even parents get “goo-ed” by this mysterious green slime with a mind of its own. Who is behind the attack of the mutant polymer? Can the students disentangle the clues from what they’ve learned in chemistry, theatre and psychology class? Why is Frankenstein brought in to save the day? And why is he writing love notes? Director Doug Poage and the incredibly skilled and committed student performers at Timbercrest Middle School in Woodinville, Washington had some fun with Frankenstein in their recent production, and were eager to share their success: “The kids loved it, the parents loved it, it was great fun! Was a very flexible script and easily adaptable for our 8th graders. Very simple set and costumes and props were easy to find and use.”

Frankenstein. You’re likely familiar with the story but did you know that this year we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the infamous Mary Shelley infamous novel? In the spirit of celebrating, we thought we would share a few more things you may not know about this iconic story: Did you know…• Victor Frankenstein is the name of the scientist, not the monster. • There is an actual Castle Frankenstein in Germany. • The familiar image of the green monster with neck bolts and facial stitches came from the 1931 movie, not the novel. • The novel came out of a challenge to write the best horror story. • Frankenstein is often considered to be the first true science fiction novel. Did you know…We have two great plays about Frankenstein in our catalogue. Help your students take part in the celebration with one of these two offerings:

Episode 207: A Fabulous Theatre Fundraiser Don’t you want to learn more about a fabulous theatre fundraiser idea? Of course you do. Listen to drama teacher Alyssa Pitner talk about creating a haunted house with her students. Take notes now, implement in the fall!

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Today we look at Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo, a fast-paced, action-packed comedy that middle school actors and their audiences will delight in. A mix-up in the chemistry club creates a horrendous goo that takes over John Dalton School. Students, administrators and even parents get “goo-ed” by this mysterious green slime with a mind of its own. Who is behind the attack of the mutant polymer? Can the students disentangle the clues from what they’ve learned in chemistry, theatre and psychology class? Why is Frankenstein brought in to save the day? And why is he writing love notes? NOTE: Available in both a one-act and a competition-length version! Why did we publish this play? Strong characters. Interesting characters. Three-dimensional characters. Middle school aged characters. FUNNY characters. And of course – Frankenstein. Who doesn’t want an opportunity to play Frankenstein? This is not a childish spin through a monster story. Frankenstein has heart and a penchant for poetry. Add to that some physical acting opportunities (everyone has to “see” the goo and react to it) and you’ve got a winner of a piece. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play?I wrote the play after a conversation with a theatre teacher at a local middle school about what she looks for in plays. She has a very low budget, but great support for her program among teachers, students and parents. She needs plays with simple sets and costumes, and themes that middle schoolers can relate to. At the same time, there’s a trend toward “across the curriculum” activities, so a play about science would be ideal. The idea for a “chemistry play” was born. I wanted the play to include a lot of physical action, a little bit of romance, and above all, fun. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences.A mix-up in a chemistry club creates a horrendous goo that brings havoc and hilarity to a middle school. Students work with each other and Frankenstein to restore “normalcy,” discovering themselves and a little romance along the way. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play?The students in the chemistry club screaming when they first see Frankenstein’s face in a flashlight beam. I can also see a nice group shot of the entire cast with their golf-clubs and spray bottles (to fend off the monster) posed with Frankenstein and Miss Nullam in a “happy ending.” 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be?Don’t worry too much about technical aspects. Directors can keep it simple and the comedy will still shine through. The play’s emphasis is on letting the student actors have fun in their parts and acting out the slapstick. There are a few sound and light effects, and plenty of props, and these can be basic or elaborate depending on a theatre program’s resources. The props that attach to the costumes, for instance, can be drawn on cardboard and hung from string around the students. Even the sound effects can be made by students themselves. While I was writing the play, the local high school theatre class did a read-through and the students made the phone ringing sound with their voices, like “brrring, brrring” and it even added to the humor. 5. Why is this play great for student performers?The play takes place in a middle school, so most of the characters are students the actors can relate to: the basketball star, the science nerd, the cute theatre student. The exceptions are fun characters to play: Frankenstein, the obnoxious attendance officer, the over- involved parent. This play gives the actors the chance to work on their physical comedy skills, like miming being taken over by slime, or being frightened by Frankenstein. I think the characters are strong, too, so that student actors will enjoy developing their parts to bring out the differences between the characters. I also tried to balance the lines between the leads to make it accessible to school programs putting together performances in a limited time frame. My aim was to create a play that fills a need across a spectrum of programs, from short-term after school programs to full-semester theatre classes. Directors can also choose between the full-length version and the competition length to suit their program’s needs.

Episode 181: Putting Together A Drama Class Adaptation Project Middle school teacher Shelby Steege takes us through step by step of the adaptation project she does with her students. Listen in to catch the details so that you can do it for your own drama classroom. Hint! Casting happens before the script is written.

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.”