Pandora's Fire

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….Classroom Production. Are you putting on a play with your class? Do you need flexible casting? Do you need ensemble driven works? Material that’s easy to stage? A show that can actually be rehearsed in a class period? We’ve got plays just for you! 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! Mmmbeth Your class will have a blast with this one. So much fun to do as it takes a twisty turning and gender bending look at the Scottish play. A great piece to teach comic timing to your students. Large flexible casting! Ten/Two Ten plays for two actors. The plays can be performed individually or all together for a full evening of theatre. Excellent for the classroom. This collection is ideal for student directors because each play is a contained piece. Box How do middle schoolers deal with perception? A middle school vignette play with great small scene and monologue opportunities. Flexible casting and it can be run entirely within class time. Anxiety is Orange This play is all about colour. Join the characters as they navigate the world, each other, and the greens, greys, blues, reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges around them. Does orange make you anxious? Vignette plays are awesome for class projects. Everyone gets one scene to perfect. Everyone can be rehearsing at the same time and not waiting around. Myth-O-Logues Pick and choose from this must-have collection of greek mythology inspired monologues. In this play everyone gets a monologue and an ancient greek character to present. Students practice a necessary theatrical form and get cross-curricular! The Perils of Modern Education Got student directors? Give each one a scene to develop in this vignette play. A comedic romp through the stresses and struggles of making it through the school day. The Perils of Modern Education are many! Gender flexible casting, doubling possibilities, and easy to stage. The Bottom of the Lake An awesome combination of ghost stories, urban legends, teen issues, romance, absurd comedy, and film noir, all in a single play. Because this play is divided into scenes, everyone can work at the same time. betweenity This vignette play explores the beats, pauses, and never-ending silences in conversation. An excellent class project play with parts for everyone , at all levels, and a great technique exploration. How do you act in a pause? Letters Have less time but need a class project? Try this Reader’s Theatre play about war. 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. Pandora’s Fire Everybody knows the story of Pandora. Her curiosity got the better of her and she is to blame for releasing all the ills into the world. But is that the whole story? Work on ensemble acting with your students with this great greek adaptation with a modern twist.

You may know the classic story of Pandora and her curiousity, but do you know the whole story? Drama teacher Kate Olena and the talented group of student performers at Nichols Middle School in Buffalo, New York took on Theatrefolk’s classical adaptation, Pandora’s Fire, by Judith White that left their audience not only entertained but asking some big questions. Kate’s admin sent out the following email after seeing the production. “….The story asks us to consider design and purpose. How did we get here? Why are things as they are? Who is responsible? We are also asked to consider the role of scapegoats and whether or not they deserve the distinction. Finally, we must also consider our own complicity. As always, things are rarely clear, but perhaps one of the many benefits of the arts is that they help us to understand ourselves and the times in which we live. We are still wrestling with these questions, maybe especially so during this election season, and I can think of no one better to guide our students than all of you who are wise enough to take the long view and confident enough to consider multiple perspectives. Thank you Kate for inviting these important questions, and thank you all for dazzling the world with your light. Burn, burn Pandora’s bright fire…” Great job, Nichols Middle School! *Photo credit: Tom Maynor

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Today we take a journey through Ancient Greek choral storytelling with a modern twist, courtesy of Pandora's Fire by Judith White! Everybody knows the story of Pandora. She was given a box that was not to be opened under any circumstances. But her curiosity got the better of her and she is to blame for releasing jealousy, grief, greed, and disease into the world. But is that the whole story? Pandora's Fire is a wonderful mix of Ancient Greek choral storytelling with a modern twist. Why did we publish this play? When we’re looking at theatrical adaptations to publish, it’s not enough to take a story from another genre and slap it on the stage. What questions are being asked? What new twist is being brought to life? And most importantly, what makes this version truly theatrical? (Big hint – narrators are not theatrical) Pandora’s Fire offers a perfect blend of old and new - an ancient story with a fresh perspective. It’s an engaging way to introduce students to Greek mythology, combining traditional choral elements with modern dialogue. Show your students the power of language in shaping a story. Traditional characters, new light. Can the interpretation of Pandora’s actions change? Is curiosity always a bad thing? Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I wrote Pandora’s Fire when I discovered, through my research, that the gods, especially Zeus, created Pandora out of vengeance against humanity. Prometheus was set up! Pandora was a machine with only one purpose: to poison and destroy humanity. Only after she discovers her early connections to the earth can she be fulfilled as a human being. As an actor, teacher, and director I value the quality of curiosity and felt Pandora got a bad rap. In writing the play, I set out to validate the quality of Curiosity. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. When everything you take for granted is stripped away by destructive forces, you can survive with imagination and curiosity. Hope is a by-product of reflection, and positive, creative actions. The box itself is transformed into a vessel to ensure the survival of the human race. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The attack of Pandora by the evil daemons from Pandora’s box – and her transformation through nature as she recovers. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Pay attention to the language. Create your own parallels to the actions of the play. Think of contemporary parallels. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The play is about empowerment in the face of enormous obstacles — and the folly – Zeus’s folly – of acting out of anger, vanity, and revenge. Pandora is a victim of abuse, objectified and used by others. Like such victims, she has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, forgetting even than she has borne a child. She must get in touch with her most elemental self before she can identify her strengths and recover her humanity. The message is one of redemption.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Classical Adaptations! Who’s looking for a little arts integration? How about some cross-curriculum? Or how about a great story turned into a great play. It’s time for ten classical adaptations. Adaptations are my favourite type of play to write. It’s an intriguing challenge to take a story in one form and determine what will make it a theatrical experience. 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! Shuddersome: Tales of Poe Original: Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe Not only our most popular adaptations, but one of our most popular plays! Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical vision of Edgar Allan Poe’s best works including: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Hamlette/Mmmbeth Original: Hamlet & Macbeth by William Shakespeare The first of many of Shakespeare adaptations. We’ve paired Hamlette and Mmmbeth together because they make for a hilarious evening of theatre. Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! Great for competitions. AND in Mmmbeth everything goes wrong. The witches take over the storytelling, Queen Duncan would rather open a donut franchise than die, Lady M’s a bloodthirsty June Cleaver, and the murderers are preoccupied with creating a commercial for their services. Introduce your students to the world of the Bard with these parodies. Will and Whimsy Original: Sonnets by William Shakespeare Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not read. This vignette play does that by bring his sonnets to life. Modern scenes play hand in hand with the original text. Mix and match the sonnets to your whimsy! Lord of the Pies Original: Lord of the Flies by William Golding In this parody piece a pie shop erupts into panic after Franny, a brash cat-lady, 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. Drum Taps Original: Drum Taps by Walt Whitman The poems in Drum Taps represent Walt Whitman’s first hand account of the Civil War. See the words, the emotion, the blood come to life in this theatrical adaptation. This is not your typical poetry reading. This is war. Alice/Through The Looking Glass Original: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll These two make excellent theatrical companion pieces. Both are one-act adaptations of the famous novels by Lewis Carroll. They follow Alice’s adventures down the rabbit hole and across the life-sized chess game. Fantastical physical journeys! The Canterbury Tales Original: *The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer* Chaucer’s classic collection of tales comes to life! A group of travelers set out for Canterbury on a pilgrimage. Each and every performer gets a chance to shine in this spirited, charming script. Text uses modern English. Pandora’s Fire Original: Pandora’s Box, Ancient Greek Myth Everybody knows the story of Pandora. Her curiosity got the better of her and she is to blame for releasing all the ills into the world. But is that the whole story? Pandora’s Fire is a wonderful mix of Ancient Greek choral storytelling with a modern twist. Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark Original: Hamlet by William Shakespeare Denmark is plagued with zombies led by Hamlet’s uncle/step-father, the current king. Will Hamet become a zombie himself? A gruesomely comic adaptation of the Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, this version blends original text with new, zombified dialogue – written in iambic pentameter! The Tragicomedy of Julia Caesar Original: Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Sarah and Dave think it would be fun to direct a play for drama club. And they both love Julius Caesar. What could go wrong? Oh, a post-death dance number, Brutus is allergic to peanut butter, Rome is now Georgia, and giant killer robots. That’s all….