Emotional Baggage

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Funhouse by Lindsay Price is an incredibly unique and challenging vignette-style play that is an excellent catalyst for conversations around bullying. This play looks at the bullied, the bully, and the bystander through mostly non-verbal vignettes. Life for the bullied is like a funhouse, but the funhouse is anything but fun. How can you stand your ground when you’re on a falling floor? How can you move forward when you’re caught like a mouse in a maze? How can you win Whac-A-Mole when you’re the mole? How can you like yourself while standing in a distorted hall of mirrors? There are no cotton candy answers here. Why did we publish this play? A lot of our plays come from listening to customers. A piece of feedback from middle school teachers we received is that they loved our non-verbal play _Emotional Baggage _but the concept was a little beyond their students. Could we provide one specifically for middle school? With a larger cast? _ _ Funhouse looks at the bullied, the bully and the bystander through mostly non-verbal vignettes. When looking at other plays on the topic, there wasn’t a lot we liked – many end with a bully-bullied confrontation in which the bully instantly sees the error of their ways and promises to be a better person. And they all lived happily ever after. This never happens in real life. Can bullies change? Of course! But not in one moment on stage. It’s so destructive to show such a fairy tale ending because there will be students in the audience watching the show, being bullied, knowing their situation is not being represented. And therein lies a huge problem. Issue plays are tricky because they deal with issues that are happening right then, right now to someone watching the play. It’s not therapy, it’s not an informational brochure and theatricality must always preside, but the issue play does have some responsibility to address the reality of the issue. Having said that, just as you can’t show the sitcom “everyone loves each other” happy ending, you can’t go to the other extreme and show flat out no-win annihilation. Because then that student sitting in the audience, being bullied, has the very terrifying thought of, “Well there’s no hope, is there?” And that is something we’re not prepared to sit on the shoulders of a 10- or 11-year-old. _Funhouse _has the right balance between the extremes, in a theatrical context and that’s why it’s in our catalogue. It’s unique and a great catalyst for post show discussion on the issue of bullying. It’s a challenging piece, but by no means is it beyond the middle school scope. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I heard from middle school teachers that they loved the non-verbal elements in Emotional Baggage but were looking for a middle school specific play, and could it have a larger cast? Done and done! I had seen a number of plays that addressed the topic of bullying and wasn’t happy with what I saw – a lot of bullies seeing the error of their ways. I wanted to write something different. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The funhouse aims to turn reality upside-down – it shows you a distorted version of yourself in a mirror. It tilts the floor away when you least expect it. It jumps out at you from the shadows. It distorts the truth. It’s a vivid image for what life is like for the bullied. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Sometimes the bullies win. That’s important to show. These acts are vital to the reality of the play, for indeed they are vital to showing the reality of what a bullied student must face. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? It’s a play that relies primarily on action rather than dialogue, so that’s going to be your focus. How does action tell the story in each moment? It’s a challenging play but by no means beyond the middle school performer scope. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The scope of bullying is pretty far reaching these days, from physical to verbal, to the different ways boys bully than girls, to the insidiousness of cyberbullying. This play offers a opportunity for students, in the play and watching the play to engage in conversations on this, unfortunately, extremely relevant issue. Get your copy of Funhouse_ _right here, right now!Not right for your group right now? Search our play catalogue to find one that your performers will love!

Students are hyper-aware of their looks and how they perceive their bodies. On top of this, they are also concerned about how others perceive their looks and bodies. With many classes occurring online this past year students may feel even more sensitive about their body image, as they can see themselves on their screens. Students may scrutinize their facial expressions and movements, worry that other students might be screenshotting them in an unflattering moment, or intentionally hold back in class for fear of looking foolish for being “too much” or “not enough.” As teachers, we want to encourage our students to have confidence in themselves and be proud of their bodies and what they can do. However, it’s a touchy topic, and it needs to be approached in a sensitive, thoughtful way. Our goal is to provide an environment where our students can feel supported and empowered. Try the following exercises with your students: Show & Share : Actively search for and show examples of performers of all shapes, sizes, and body types to your students (for example, Keala Settle’s performance of “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman, Alex Newell performing “Mama Will Provide” from Once on this Island, or Evan Ruggiero tap-dancing). How do these performers/performances make your students feel? Does their physical appearance or body type affect their performance? Acting Challenge : Have students mime or create a tableau of their interpretations of the following words: • Confident • Powerful • Strong • Capable • Dynamic If you wish, have students brainstorm a list of people (friends, family, actors, musicians, etc.) who they think embody one or more of those words. What makes them think that? Does the person’s physical appearance have anything to do with it? Why or why not? Discussion/Reflection : Have your students respond to the following questions related to body image and drama (either as a discussion or a written reflection): • Do you think certain performers get typecast (playing the same types of roles over and over) because of their physical appearance? Can you think of any examples? How can this cycle be broken? Can you name an actor who has changed how they are perceived? • How can we honour and celebrate all body types, shapes, and looks in drama class? Onstage? Backstage? • How could a costumer provide a positive experience for all performers, regardless of differing body types? Play Study : Study, read, and perform plays focused on body image, such as Body Body, Emotional Baggage, or Hoodie (all from Theatrefolk!) with your students. Mini Challenge : For one week, if students think a negative thought about their physical selves, they must give themselves two compliments. The compliments can be about any aspect of themselves (they don’t have to be physical). Students will write those compliments down on a piece of paper or in a Word document (only the compliments, not the negative thoughts). On the Friday of that week, have them reflect on the following questions: • How did you feel after giving yourself two compliments each time? Was it easy or challenging to do? • Re-read the compliments you gave yourself. How does re-reading them today make you feel? • How can this challenge help make you a better performer?

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Emotional Baggage by Lindsay Price is one of our most unique plays, based solely on action and no dialogue. Suitable for performance and in-class work, the play focuses on non-verbal storytelling through mask and movement. Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their “emotional baggage.” They must confront themselves and one another. Everybody carries emotional baggage with them. What’s yours? Why did we publish this play? Emotional Baggage is one of our most unique plays. There is no dialogue and so the play’s story is told through the physical action of the characters. This presents a wonderful creative challenge for students and directors. We’ve seen many different productions of the show over the years and each one is different than the next. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love a challenge. So why not write a play in which there is a clearly defined story, but none of the characters have any words to express that story. It went through a number of workshops to get the description just write on the page so that anyone picking up the script would know what they were supposed to do, and convey with an action. This is one of the plays I’m most proud of. 2. Decribe the theme in one or two sentences. Everybody carries emotional baggage with them. What’s yours? 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The heaviness of the “baggage” each character carries with them. It doesn’t matter the size of the baggage (one character carries a small purse), the weight is enormous. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Know exactly what each character is “saying” with each movement. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? What a great challenge for students! How do you tell a story when you don’t have any words? Also, all of the characters are archetypes so there’s a lot of fun to be with costume, hair, and make-up.

How do you tell a story without using dialogue? Emotional Baggage by Lindsay Price is an incredibly unique offering for students that focuses on non-verbal storytelling through mask and movement. Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their “emotional baggage.” They must confront themselves and one another. Everybody carries emotional baggage with them. What’s yours? The performers of the non-profit group, Offtopic Theatre Co. , in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia took on this incredibly unique play and received award-winning results at the Fraser Valley Zone Festival, including a special certificate for Artistic Risk. These pictures they shared with us definitely show how much can be shared without ever saying a word.

Are your students ready to take their theatrical techniques to the next level? Emotional Baggage by Lindsay Price is ready for you! The most unique play we sell, it is based solely on action and has no dialogue. Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their “emotional baggage.” They must confront themselves and one another. Everybody carries emotional baggage with them. What’s yours? Suitable for performance and in-class work, the play focuses on non-verbal storytelling through mask and movement. Drama teacher, Jeannine LeSann was excited to share her students’ success with us. As a student directed production, the talented ensemble at Esterhazy High School in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan were trailblazers as the first EHS production to earn this award. “We performed at our Regional Drama Festival and won Best Overall Production! I just thought I would pass on this success to you along with some images of the play for you to look at. The best thing about this is that the play was actually student directed and this the director’s final year with us. It is so great that he is able to have success with such a great play and a dedicated cast.”

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays To….Stretch your tech. ** We pride ourselves at Theatrefolk that you can produce most of our plays with two cubes. And you could take away one of the cubes if you had to. But what if you want to stretch your tech? What if you’ve got a production class with kids who must design for more than two cubes? Wonder no longer. **Here are 10 plays that will Stretch your Tech. 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!

Now is the time of year that many students compete in monologues, duets and group events. It can be a challenge to figure out where to begin – how do you prepare? How do you properly process criticism? We want to help you focus on the competition process and the duet category. Even if you’re not a Thespian, there’s a lot to be learned about performing with another actor. Before CompetitionPerforming a successful duet is trickier than performing a successful monologue. It’s not just you and the words. Now there’s interaction, blocking, and depending on another actor. That’s a lot of balls in the air! Choosing The Perfect Duet When choosing a scene, look for the following: • Features both actors. Avoid pieces comprising of a series of monologues for one actor with one line responses for the other. • Emotional change for both characters. Avoid pieces where only one character undergoes an emotional change. Here’s what to look for: 1. Look for a power struggle. 2. Look for interaction. Is there lots of back and forth? 3. Is there a connection between the characters? 4. Look for conflict. Remember conflict is not just two people fighting! 5. Look for a well-defined relationship. 6. Look for opposing personalities. • Simple blocking. Your chosen piece should offer a few simple but strong physical choices. • Read the whole play. How can you properly prepare the scene if you don’t know what’s happened to the characters earlier in the play? • Make sure it’s the right length. There’s nothing worse doing a great performance and then going over time. Cut the piece to a length well under the maximum. • Avoid scene books. Why? Certainly, they’ve got great scenes in them. But think about how many other actors have held that same scene book. How many other actors are choosing the exact same scene? Think about how many times the judges have seen that scene. You’re at a disadvantage before you begin if you’re performing a scene the judges have seen twenty or thirty times. • Finally, LIKE THE SCENE. Especially if you’re in a competition. Dislike of a scene easily leads to a poor performance. Choosing The Perfect Partner More often than not your scene partner is your friend, the person beside you in class, the person you’ve dragged into it because your original partner dropped out. The perfect partner plays a huge part in the success of the scene. You have to work well together, and work toward the same goal. A conflicted team makes success all the more difficult. Think about the following: • What do you both want? Do you want to work on an interesting character? Do you want to ‘win?’ Do you want to just have fun playing with the scene? Whatever the goal, make sure you’re both on the same page. If you want to have fun and your partner wants to win, how will rehearsals go? • What’s your experience level? Are you both on the same level? Will it help or hurt the scene if one is more experienced than the other? • What do you both think of the scene? It does you no good to say ‘it’s fine’ on a scene you don’t really like. Even if your partner is really hot on it! Finding Your Focus It happens to everyone. A scene that rocks in practice falls apart during competition. Why? Lack of focus can be the answer. Without focus it’s easy to fall prey to nerves and doubt. Sure some people never get nervous before competition. But so many more do. How do you prepare before you step into the room? Here are some suggestions: • Create a pre-competition routine. For a week before competition come up with three or four activities that you and your partner will do every day right before you run your scene. Whether it’s running lines, a physical/vocal warm up, a silly game, a handshake, etc. It doesn’t matter so long as you’re consistent. This way on the day of competition, you know exactly what to do in the moments before. You’re not standing around letting nerves get the better of you. It’s all about dealing with nerves! • Focus on the task at hand. Don’t talk to your friends about what you did last night or where you’re going for lunch. Think about the scene. • Use visualization. Picture the scene in your head. Go through your actions from beginning to end. Visualize something going wrong in the scene and see yourself fixing it. See yourself succeeding. • Do not compare your work to others. You’ll be done before you begin if you watch the other scenes in your group and get down on your own performance. Focus on your task. If that means you don’t watch the other scenes, then don’t. • Write out your first line on a piece of paper. Have it in front of you. Say it over to yourself in your head. Make it a mantra! Many actors blank and panic on their first line. • Relax. Easy to say but of course hard to do. Focus on relaxing your body and relaxing your breath. 1. Relaxing the body: As you sit in the room focus on tightening and loosening your muscles from the top of your head all the way down your body. This can be easily done without disrupting anyone around you. 2. Relaxing the breathing: Sit as still as you can with a straight back. Focus on steadily breathing in and out. Count out your inhalations and exhalations so you can’t think about anything else but your breathing. During CompetitionPerforming a scene is not like performing a monologue. You have to trust your partner and your partner has to trust you. Make sure you’re both on the same page! Top 11 Performing Do’s and Don’ts 1. DO know the rules and instructions. There’s no excuse for not knowing the parameters of the competition. Go over them with your partner. 2. DON’T be late! Better yet, be early. 3. DO arrive together. There’s nothing worse for an actor than wondering where their partner is! 4. DO take care with your appearance. You and your partner are a team, and you should dress as a team. If you’re in a nice dress and your partner is in ripped jeans, it looks like you haven’t properly prepared. Further to that, DON’T wear jeans that hang below your butt. DON’T wear belly shirts and mini skirts. DON’T wear clanky jewelry or flip flops. Make it easy for the judges to focus on your acting and not what you’re wearing. 5. DON’T make last minute changes. Your partner comes up to you the morning of the competition and bubbles, ‘I have the perfect blocking for the scene!’ Resist, resist, resist. Keep your scene as you’ve rehearsed it. Start changing the blocking and it’s a quick hop to forgetting your lines at the worst moment. Stick with what you know. 6. DO warm up with your partner. This is a scene, not a monologue. You both need to be in the same head space. The more together you are before competition, the better your performance will be. 7. DO be respectful of the other actors. Remember they’re probably feeling exactly the same way you do! DON’T talk to your partner during other performances. DON’T criticize other performers. DON’T brag to each other. 8. DO be respectful of your partner. If you’re a nervous talker and your partner has not so politely asked you to be quiet, now is not the time to pick a fight! Talk to them about it after the scene. Remember, your partner has their own way of dealing with their nerves. 9. DON’T forget to practice your intro and DO remember who the playwright is! You’ll start the judges off on the wrong foot if you’re sloppy before you’ve started. It makes you look like you don’t care about your acting. 10. DO keep going if things go wrong. What if one of you jumps a page or blanks out? What if you’re the one who blanks? If you stop then the judges have to stop too; they’ll know for sure you’ve made a mistake. 11. DO have fun! How to Give Constructive Feedback What if you’re on the other side of the judge’s table? Or, if friends have asked you to give your opinion on their scene? Giving feedback is a skill. Done correctly, you’ll offer an opportunity for growth and forward movement. Done poorly, you could scar someone for life. I wish I was exaggerating about that, but I’m not. Poorly delivered feedback is extremely damaging and everyone in a position to give feedback must keep this in mind. Giving your opinion puts you in a powerful position. Use that power only for good! _ So, how do you give feedback without being negative? _ Before the actors perform the scene, find out what their expectations are. Maybe they’ve just been working on their lines and blocking. If that’s the case there’s no point in criticizing their character choices because that’s not been the focus. Find out what they expect and tailor your comments to that. Did they achieve their expectations? Never say, “I don’t like…” Use “I like” for positive comments and “I would like” for criticisms. So instead of saying: “I don’t like the way you wandered about the stage.” You say: “I would like to have seen you stand your ground. Less wandering, more purposeful movement.” The second statement not only avoids the negative “I don’t like” but gives a specific action for the actor to consider. You want the actors to hear what you’re saying. By taking out the negative language you have a better chance of that happening. It’s easy for an actor (or anyone for that matter) to shut down the instant they hear “I don’t like.” _ But what if you thought the scene was bad and can’t think of anything to say? _ If you’re giving oral feedback right after the scene, find out what the actors thought. “What did you think of the scene?” Perhaps they feel the same way as you. If that’s the case, there’s no point in dwelling on the negative. You want to find a way to help the scene forward. Don’t overwhelm the actors with bad comment after bad comment. That will only discourage them. So, focus on one element (character, blocking, storytelling, pacing, delivery and so on). Give a specific suggestion for a specific issue. For example , ask the pair what character exercises they’ve done. Do they know the given circumstances of their character? What have they established regarding the relationship between the two characters? What do they know about the characters’ backgrounds? Questions are an excellent feedback tool as they, again, avoid the negative and give the actors something to digest and react to. I would strongly suggest that if you are judging a scene that you feel is not going well, ask questions! Why did the actors make the blocking choices they did? What is the intention with the pace of the scene? Is there any time you can really tell actors what you think? Giving feedback puts you in a position of power. What is gained by making a pair feel bad about their performance? Unless the actors are purposefully fooling around and wasting everyone’s time during the competition, keep your comments constructive. After CompetitionI promise to uphold the aims and ideals of the International Thespian Society. I am a student of theatre and excellence is my ideal. I promise to perform my part as well as I can; to accept praise and criticism with grace; to cooperate with my fellow Thespians and work for the good of the Troupe; and to share my love of the theatre. – The Thespian Pledge After the scene is said and done, you will receive either written or oral comments from the judges. The Thespian Pledge states that a Thespian must accept criticism ‘with grace’ which can be quite difficult to do! Even the most seasoned actor can react poorly to a bad review! How do you process criticism? How do you separate good from the bad? How do you analyze what a judge is trying to say? Processing Criticism • Don’t gloat over a good critique. It has been said, that if you believe your positive reviews that means you have to believe your negative reviews as well. Feel good about a well-executed performance, but don’t go waving your critique around. You never know when the shoe will be on the other foot. • Know your weaknesses. If you know you’ll react poorly a bad critique then don’t read them! Have a teacher or a friend read the critique and decipher it for you. Trust them to tell you what you need to hear to move forward and improve the scene. • Deal with your weaknesses. If you have to sit through an oral critique try this technique. Write down everything you hear verbatim. Don’t argue, don’t dispute, don’t make a face. Be professional. Then put the paper away for at least three days. Then when you have some space between you and your performance that’s when you review. • Never give up. Let’s say your scene didn’t go very well at all and you were judged poorly. Should you just give up acting all together? Of course not! There’s always next time, there’s always next year, there’s always another competition. And if you’re not motivated to try again, then maybe you never wanted to compete in the first place. That’s perfectly legitimate, so long as you’re clear that’s what you’re feeling. • Be truthful to yourself. You truly know if a scene went well or not. Don’t blame a judge if they re-enforce your own feelings. Always be professional. • Know what the judges are supposed to be looking for. If you can, read the judging criteria ahead of time. Compare the criteria to the judges comments. Are the judges following the criteria? Are they veering off topic? Are they picking on elements that are irrelevant? A judge that takes the criteria seriously is someone you should pay attention to. • Judges are human. Remember that a judge’s critique is subjective. They are basing their comments on what they like and what they don’t like. Further to that, a judge can only offer comments based on their own experience. A poor judge will refuse to look beyond their own experience and critique accordingly. Look for clues like, “plays should be this…” Or, “performances should be that…” This are indications that the judge is refusing to accept a performance because it’s different and beyond what they think theatre should be. • Distinguish between performance criticism and script criticism. Sometimes a judge hates a scene so much, they can’t rise above their feelings and comment objectively on the particular performance. I have a play called Emotional Baggage that has been harshly critiqued in competition (twice!) because it doesn’t have any words. It’s a unique format. Both judges couldn’t wrap their heads around the script, and thus criticized the performance. This is exceedingly unfair to actors. When you see a lot of comments about the script and not so much about the performance, question the validity of the judge’s critique. • Know when to move on. It’s your right to feel bad over a poor critique. No one likes to be told they didn’t go a good job! Give yourself a day. After that, put the scene behind you and move on. The more you obsess over criticism, the more it will hurt the next time, and the next time and the next. People must deal with criticism their whole lives; find a process that works for you, and you’ll never be hurt by a critic again.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For…Advanced Actors. You have students who can go to the next level. They are ready to tackle scripts beyond the norm of character development and realistic story lines. You want to raise the bar and we want to help you do that. Check out our top ten plays for advanced actors. It’s a great mix of issue driven, ensemble driven, character driven work. 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! Clowns With Guns A theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school violence. This story is mean. There are guns. This play packs a theatrical punch. Censorbleep The Bleep Bleep Girls are the greatest group in school. They know what’s best. And when students try to stand up for themselves, or don’t do the “right” thing, they get dealt with. A great character driven piece where teenagers are turned into garbage and disappear. Breathless Three girls named Summer. Summer Adams is looking for love in all the wrong places. Summer Robertson is hanging on through her battle with cancer. And Summer Davis refuses to lose, even at the expense of her body and her friends.Three races of discovery. Will they crash or fly? A beautiful mature character piece with strong female leads. The Blue and the Grey Charlie is surrounded by ghosts: her father, a classmate’s sister, and the grey. Who are the grey? Civil war soldiers. A chance for an ensemble to build a haunting, exhilarating, and theatrical landscape. Power Play A gunshot is heard. Which of the five characters did it and why? Was it the Goth girl? The football star? What are the realities and the stereotypes of high school violence? Violence is about power. So is high school. This play has absurd moments, vivid characterization, and a powerful message. Stroke Static Russ is an eighty-three year-old man in a nursing home struggling with multi-infarct dementia. But in his mind he sees himself as a boy of eighteen, and thus is played by a young actor. The ensemble plays a variety of real and imaginary characters in Russ’ mind. A heartbreaking look at what goes on in the mind of someone who can’t communicate. Tick Talk The teenagers in Tick Talk have a lot to say, but no way to say it. Most characters are limited to only ONE WORD for the whole play. A fascinating challenge for actors: What happens when a character has just one word to express hopes, fears, and frustrations? What if they have something terribly important to say but can’t? Emotional Baggage One of the most unique plays we sell. There’s no dialogue. The play is based solely on non-verbal storytelling through mask and movement. Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their own “emotional baggage.” Chemo Girls and Other Plays A collection that examines the impact of cancer through the eyes of teenagers. Characters deal with the difficulty of saying the word out loud, the difficulty of admitting a friend or family member has cancer, and the difficulty of finding the energy and the attitude needed to fight. Have You Heard? A play formatted solely in monologue. The story follows what happens in a school when rumours and secrets spin out of control. What makes a secret more powerful: When it’s the truth? Or when it’s a lie?

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Competition Pieces. You want winning plays. You want plays that fit competition rules. You want something that’s going to be easy to stage if you’re performing away from home. You want to give your students an interesting piece to take to competition, regardless of whether they win or not. All of these plays fit the bill. Easy to stage in an unfamiliar space. Many have won multiple competitions. And if they haven’t they’ll give your students an awesome experience. Take them to your next competition with pride. 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! Competition One-ActsAmong Friends and Clutter This play has won state competitions, been given superior production awards, and won first place in the 2013 Southeastern Theatre Conference High School Festival. The production that won SETC did the play with just a few cubes. It can be done with seven actors but it’s easily expandable. The scenes explore the most important relationships in life: friends, family and love. Anonymous A recent production of Anonymous won at the Arkansas State Thespian Festival and was chosen as a Chapter Select for the 2017 International Thespian Festival. Anonymous is the story of every teenager: the new kid trying to fit in, the best friends, the love interests, the kid in the corner with their secret, individuals trying to belong. Emotional Baggage A multi-award winning piece. It’s reached the All-Ontario level of the Sears Drama Festival, the State Level of Florida Thespians, it’s won straight superiors, critics choice and best play. And there’s a reason it captures attention. There’s no dialogue. The play is based solely on non-verbal storytelling through mask and movement. Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their own “emotional baggage.” The Blue and the Grey This play is so imagistic, and so aurally stunning, it’s amazing the set isn’t more involved than it is. A small platform downstage, one upstage, and some chairs. It’s haunting, exhilarating and theatrical. And it’s not a surprise it’s won at competition. First place in the Rappahannock River Conference, first place in the 1A East Region, and an Outstanding Actress Award at the state level. A Deep Poetic Journey into Something There are excellent movement opportunities here and a fantastic main character for a senior girl. Jane wants to break out of her box, she wants a deep poetic journey. The problem is she has no idea where to start and maybe that box isn’t such a bad idea. This play received section 1A honours in Minnesota and advanced to the State One Act Festival. The Hope and Heartache Diner – One Act You want your students to dive deep into character development. You want ensemble opportunities for them. Check out The Hope and Heartache Diner. This play received outstanding production at the Kentucky State Thespian Festival and was chosen as a Chapter Select for the 2016 International Thespian Festival. The Butterfly Queen Beautiful ensemble piece that looks at the nature of sacrifice and putting others first. So easy to stage where a sweatshirt becomes a vehicle for protection. Gender flexible cast and doubling options available. Choose this play and have a transformative experience with your students. One Hundred Lies In this poignant comedy Liz presents her life as a competition, complete with scoreboard and time clock. The goal of the game: to dramatize 100 lies told by and to Liz. But what about the lies she tells to herself? I’ve seen this done with a person playing the scoreboard and clock and it works perfectly. Easy to stage with lovely three-dimensional characters. Mmmbeth I have seen this play so many times in competition and it’s been a blast every time. 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. Numerous outstanding productions! Stressed Another piece I’ve seen in multiple competitions. This is a small cast actor showcase. It has no set and relies totally on the character communication. The play is called a symphony of sound and character and that’s a perfect description. It takes rhythm, timing, and the cast working as one. A winning combination.

Emotional Baggage. We all have it but how do we deal with it? The characters within this one-act dramedy by Lindsay Price carry theirs with them at all times. They convey their stories and struggles solely through actions and gestures. That’s right – this play has no words! Because of this, the play relies heavily upon the characters’ gestures and music to take the place of dialogue and convey the story. Jennifer Denty and her student group of performers at Northern Lights Academy in Rigolet, Newfoundland were not only up to the challenge but surpassed it with an award-winning performance. “My drama team from Northern Lights Academy just finished the High School Labrador Regional Drama Festival and we took second place! We also won best music (we used 30% from the script and added our own), best staging, and best director. Plus, one of my students (he played Overbearing Mother) won for physical comedy and my student who played Well Rounded Person won an acting merit award.” Congratulations, Northern Lights Academy! *Photo credit: Jennifer Denty

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Characters you will only find in the theatre. You want unique characters for your students? We got them! Cat hair, archetypes, Shakespearean, and a severed head just to name a few. Read one, read them all! 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! Inanimate Ani talks to the inanimate objects in her life and they talk back. It all seems friendly and fun at first. So why is Ani writing hate texts to her friends? Why does she let the objects control her? What if feels she can’t leave her room anymore? Characters: The inanimate objects in Ani’s life Floating On A Don’t Care Cloud Jamie Peel is a pothead. He lives in his own world, a bubble, a cloud that calls his name and reaches out to him. His sister TJ has watched him slowly drift away and doesn’t know what to do. An emotional tightrope. Characters: Marijuana is personified by a cloud of 7 characters. To Kill a Mocking Birdie Birdie would like you to meet her parents: a goldfish and a moldy piece of bread. You may also meet What, When, Alexa (who’s hiding in the bathroom) and Birdie’s sister Scoot, who thinks she’s a glazed Virginia Ham. It’s a perfectly crazy dinner party. Consider this your invitation. Characters: Everyone is Absolutely abnormal Lose Not Thy Head Joan pleads for life, Death waits for death, a severed Head says beheading isn’t so bad, a doctor tries to convince everyone that you can’t sew a head back on a body, and then things get weird. Shakespeare, Monty Python, a little love, a little death, a lot of laughs and a talking head. Characters: Death. A freudian Doctor. A severed head. Shakespeare’s sister who’s impersonating Shakespeare. Censorbleep The Bleep Bleep Girls are the greatest group in school. They know what’s best. And when students try to stand up for themselves, or don’t do the “right” thing, they get dealt with. Characters: Teenagers are turned into garbage and disappear. Postcards From Shakespeare Shakespeare has writer’s block. He pleads to the one person who can help him – Queen Elizabeth the First who sends Shakespeare around the world in 30 minutes. Denmark! Venice! Egypt! Join his whirlwind tour as he desperately searches for material. Characters: Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s Characters. Elizabeth the first. Myth-o-logues Cassandra is here to be your Greek mythology tour guide. She’ll lead you through stories of war, relationships and the origins of good and evil. Pick and choose from this must-have collection of monologues. Characters: Greek Mythology’s greatest The Dread Playwright Sadie Sadie wishes to leave her life on the high seas to pursue her true passion: theatre. But there’s a problem. She’s not just Sadie; she’s The Dread Pirate Sadie, the most feared pirate in all the land. And there’s another problem. She’s a horrible pirate. Characters: Pirates. And Playwrights. The Absolute Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair Cat hair is infinite. It is the secret driving force behind business and politics, and is plotting the downfall of humanity even as we speak. Unbelievable? Find out for yourself in this hilarious, insidious and utterly terrifying tale… Characters: Lint Roller, Granola Bar, Masking Tape, and of course, Cat Hair. Emotional Baggage Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their “emotional baggage.” This unique play is based solely on action and has no dialogue. Characters: All the characters in this play are archetypes: Dead End Job, Living in the Past, etc.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten For…Our Most Popular Plays! Sometimes you want a sure thing. So this week we offer our most popular plays. These are the works that get done time and time again whether it’s because of their subject matter, their humour, their ease of production or their unique theatrical take. Read one, read them all! 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! Hoodie Hoodie examines image and appearance in the vignette style and poses what may be the most difficult question of all – Do I stay in the clump or do I stand alone? Sixteen in Ten Minutes Or Less The lives of seven teenagers become intertwined in this humorous and oftentimes bittersweet collection of ten minute plays. Alice Alice follows the white rabbit down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, where she meets a cornucopia of strange creatures. A one-act adaptation of the famous novel by Lewis Carroll. Shuddersome: Tales of Poe The thumping of a heartbeat. The creek of a door. The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer… Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. Ten/Two Ten short two-person plays (inspired by the numbers 10 and 2!) in a variety of themes and lengths. Excellent for classwork and for competition. Drop Dead, Juliet Juliet has had enough! Enough with the poison, enough with the stabbing, and especially enough with the dying. She wants a new story and she wants it now. _ Romeo and Juliet_ will never be the same – or will it? The Absolutely Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair Cat hair is infinite. It is the secret driving force behind business and politics, and is plotting the downfall of humanity even as we speak. Unbelievable? Find out for yourself in this hilarious, insidious and utterly terrifying tale… Emotional Baggage Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their “emotional baggage.” This unique play is based solely on action and has no dialogue. 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! Apostrophe’s Are you sometime’s amazed at how many apostrophe’s s’ome people manage to fi’t into s’entence’s? Then you’re not the only one. That’s just the problem that needs to be solved in this outrageous comedy. Planning on performing one of these or another Theatrefolk play? Let us know all about it with pictures and highlights – we might even feature you on our site! Click here to submit your story.