Mmmbeth

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!

Time for a Tfolk Top Plays List For….Building a Theatre Program. You’ve had a large group of seniors graduate. You’re starting at a new school that doesn’t have a theatre program You’re taking over a program that needs some serious love. What plays should you choose to build your program? 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 – and with building your program! Choose a play with a familiar link that people know. Use the familiar as your hook.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. _Mmmbeth _by Allison Williams is a hilarious gender-bending take on the Scottish play that is a fantastic adaptation for high school and middle school student performers. 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. Why did we publish this play? Sometimes all it takes is the right hook for students to connect to Shakespeare. _Mmmbeth _is just that hook. A parody of The Scottish Play, Allison follows the track of original tragic story but makes the whole thing a bold and raucous comedy. Who knew Shakespeare was so much fun! King Duncan is now Queen Duncan and refuses to leave the play, even after she’s killed. Lady M is a blood thirsty June Cleaver. The murderers are obsessed with making commercials. The point is that students can get a grasp of the story, have fun with the story, and open a door to reading the original. Allison also plays with the theatre conventions and mysteries surrounding the original name – don’t say his name on stage or you might get trampled by a hoard of marathon runners! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I was working with a school in El Dorado Arkansas, and they wanted to do something light and fun for their competition. I wrote the original draft in five days, they rehearsed it for a week, and took it to competition. Kids were learning the last of their lines in the car on the way there! 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. What goes around comes around. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? A cool little side area for the witches to have as their witchy grotto. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? I’m excited to update and rewrite this one, so if you come up with a good joke in rehearsal, send it to me! And have fun with costumes – this one you can pull just about anything out of storage and have it work. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? We really do cover all of the original play, which is one of my favorites. So this is a great introduction to how fundamentally whacko a lot of Shakespeare’s plays are.

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.

Episode 199: Shakespeare in the rough Have you ever thought about performing outside with your students? What’s it like to rehearse and perform Shakespeare outside? In this episode we talk to Hilo Community Players about their Kids Shakes production. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

When Jarrett Hannig and the drama students at the Canadian International School of Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, UAE took on the classical adaptation, Mmmbeth, they got so much more than just a great play. Playwright Allison Williams was actually in attendance for the production and even led a workshop for the group! She was thrilled to be able to interact with the cast and shared her thoughts on the experience: Some coincidences are so strange no-one would believe it if I wrote them in a play! Jarrett Hennig of Saskatchewan is in his first teaching position, at the Canadian School of Abu Dhabi. He gets an email advertising performances of an all-female Macbeth, staged by a Dubai theatre company as an immersive production where the audience moves freely and follows actors as they wish. Jarrett emails back that he and his kids would love to come, because they are getting ready to perform Mmmbeth by Allison Williams. Meanwhile, my production manager looked up from this email and asks me at rehearsal, “Are you the same Allison Williams?” I am indeed. I’m playing Macbeth and fight-directing the show. And I am thrilled to find out about Jarrett’s production! Once a playwright releases their script into the world, it’s rare to get to see it performed. Most productions are too far away, or at a time I can’t travel. I hadn’t seen Mmmbeth in over ten years. Jarrett and his students came to a matinee of our Macbeth, and ran through the halls and hidden rooms of the National Theatre of Abu Dhabi, trailing witches and watching murders. The next week, I came to their school for a stage combat workshop, and they picked up the techniques so fast! And because the students are from so many countries and cultures, we got to try new stage combat moves–how can we use the same technique behind a hair pull, but with a hijab? What culture clashes might (hilariously) lead to a scuffle? When their performances came, I almost didn’t make it. We’d replaced our Macduff before the last weekend of shows and I had extra rehearsals. But I managed to get to Mmmbeth‘s second night and boy, were they terrific! Jarrett chose to stage the play in the round, in the middle of their gym/auditorium, and the student actors made great character choices, especially the three witches, who surprised the audience (and made them jump!) every time they entered. And Queen Duncan definitely ruled the play from start to finish, despite being (mostly) dead. Near the end of Mmmbeth, the murderers came to kill Macduff’s family. The actor playing Macduff also plays Macduff’s son, Macduff Junior. When he’s “killed” he refuses to get up and also be Lady Macduff, because getting killed hurts! Suddenly, the actors moved toward me in the audience, carrying a blonde wig… (In my head: Did I write audience participation in this script? I can’t remember, it’s been so long…they’re getting closer…CRAP. I totally wrote audience participation in!) Sure enough, the actors welcomed me to the stage and gave me the directions for Lady Macduff’s big death scene. They didn’t expect that when they said “She’s paralyzed with fear! Fight or flight?” that I would take off running around the entire gym, but bless their 1/3-my-age legs, they caught up eventually and dragged me back for a lovely murder. Jarrett had wanted to stage Mmmbeth ever since he saw his older brother in a production at their own school. In fact, it’s the play that made him decide to study, and eventually, teach drama! Coming full circle and meeting each other felt like the best kind of serendipity. Thanks again for the wonderful production, and I’m so glad we met! What an amazing experience, Canadian International School of Abu Dhabi! *Photo credit: Allison Williams, Nick Brocklebank/PhotoAcacia Ltd

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.

Prepare yourself for some sensational Shakespearean silliness! Mmmbeth, by Allison Williams is a hilarious adaptation of the Scottish play where everything goes wrong in the best possible ways. Sara-Margaret Cates and the student performers at Tuscaloosa Academy in Tuscaloosa, Alabama performed this classical adaptation and had a great time doing so. “My upper school class performed Mmmbeth last spring, and had a great time! They had previously studied the original Scottish play, and found this interpretation to be a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity for many beginning actors to get out of their shells and be silly with Shakespeare. It was a great experience! – Sara-Margaret Cates” Fantastic job, Tuscaloosa Academy!

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….

Episode 104: Why Shakespeare Today – Postcards From ShakespeareTheatrefolk Playwright Allison Williams talks about her attraction to Shakespeare adaptations, why students should study the bard today, her best tips for acting and directing Shakespeare and her newest play Postcards From Shakespeare.

Episode 87: Character Interpretation – The Student’s Point of ViewLindsay talks with two sets of students who prepared the same characters, in the same show, but in two different productions. How did they prepare? How did seeing their character played by another actor affect their work?