Much Ado High School

As April takes centre stage, we're diving into the world of all things Shakespeare. With incredible plays, adaptations and playful parodies, we're here to help you bring the world of Shakespeare to life, whether it's in your classroom or on the stage. So grab your favourite quill and parchment, and let's celebrate the Bard's birthday in style with these phenomenal plays!

September has arrived and it's time to hit the books - but with a twist! This month, we're showcasing a wonderful assortment of plays, all set within the hallowed halls of education. It's time to build your September reading list! So grab a cup of tea, find your favourite reading spot, and cozy up with these fantastic perusal plays. Celebrate these plays on the stage or in the classroom!

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!

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For…Beginning Actors. Everybody has to start somewhere. Every drama student has to be in their first play. So here’s 10 to choose from! Every one of these scripts is a great place to start and a great first play for your beginning actors. 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! Circus Olympus A gleeful celebration of greek myth with excellent large cast expansion and parts for all abilities. Circus elements are optional and are suggested for each myth. Start here to introduce your students not only to greek myths but unique characters that are well within their wheelhouse. Rainbows vs Bunnies: Annihilation Aaron is failing history. Worse than that he’s been drawn into the epic battle between rainbows and bunnies. For centuries rainbows and bunnies have been locked into a bitter rivalry to make people happy. Easy to stage and costume so all your beginning actors have to focus on is the characters. Yes your students can play rainbows…. And bunnies. ths phne 2.0: the next generation Vignette plays are perfect for beginning actors. These plays are compiled of short scenes on a theme, so everyone can get their scene just right. What’s the theme? Communication has come a long way, baby. Are you 21st century savvy? We Open Tomorrow Night?! We Open Tomorrow Night?! is a scripted talent show where you are the stars. Each production can insert their own acts (dance, comedy, singing – the choice is yours) for an hilarious and entertaining evening for all. This type of script makes for a great transition to scripted stage work for beginning actors. Much Ado About High School Don’t just introduce your students to acting, throw in some Shakespeare too! What if Much Ado About Nothing took place at a high school dance? Mayhem ensues at Much Ado High School. Student Council president Don Pedro schemes to set up new student Claudio with Hero. Hero schemes to set up Beatrice with Benedick. And Don John schemes to mess up everything! An enjoyable introduction to this Shakespearean tale with lightning-fast pace, hilarious characters, and witty dialogue. Letters Readers Theatre is one way to introduce beginning actors to the stage. They have to bring a character to life, but they don’t need to worry about memorization or blocking. For many wars, letters home were the only form of communication between soldiers and their loved ones. Letters is thought-provoking and character-driven. It’s not hard to visualize these characters reaching out with pen and paper. Anne-Arky One of the best ways to get beginning actors started is to give them characters their own age. In Anne-Arky, a high school drama club prepares for opening night. Things start out normally but anarchy quickly ensues. Wigs fall off, ankles are sprained, and the stage manager sets fire to the prompt script. The Fried Kobassa Inspector Kapusta will leave no stone unturned to find the camp cook’s missing kobassa. Okay, maybe he’ll leave a couple of stones unturned. Okay, maybe he’s a pretty bad detective but that just makes the play all the more hilarious. A light-hearted romp with the funniest of all the red meats at its centre: FRIED KOBASSA! Hairball Another vignette play with a topic every person, let alone every student, can relate to – hair. Good hair makes your day. Bad hair gets you dumped. Good hair gets you to the prom. Bad hair makes you look like an eggplant. Good hair means you’re popular. Bad hair means hat head for the rest of your life. Christmas in July This collection of two one acts give beginning actors something smaller to work on. Lots of small parts where students put their best foot forward. In Christmas in July the calendar gets all mixed up so the holidays are not where they’re supposed to be. In What do you do when the Elves have the flu, Christmas could come to an screeching halt with elves out of commission with Elven Flu.

I was one of those math and science kids. But I also loved drama. I started university as a computer science student but left with a degree in theatre. I enjoyed studying calculus, chemistry, physics, etc. But when I think of the atom, when I think of all the lectures I sat through, the drawings, the protons, the neutrons, the electrons, the periodic table and so on, the clearest picture in my mind is still Venus Flytrap’s explanation on the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati. WKRP in Cincinnati, for the uninitiated, was my favourite sitcom. On this particular episode, one of the DJ’s (Venus Flytrap) befriended a cleaning woman at the station. Her son was getting involved with gangs and she asked Venus for help to straighten her son out. Here’s the resulting scene:

Recorded live at the 2009 California State Thespians Festival! Lindsay Price of Theatrefolk talks to El Dorado High School student-director Mary Sherg about her experiences directing Much Ado High School.