Split

Welcome to "Playwright Spotlight" — your exclusive backstage pass to the creative minds crafting the incredible plays featured in our Theatrefolk catalogue. Discover the magic, quirks, and genius of the playwrights who help bring the stage to life. Let's meet one of these exceptional playwrights who offers the chance for your student performers to shine in their spotlight. What inspired you to start writing plays specifically for high school & middle school students?My life was changed when I discovered theatre in high school. I suddenly found my voice, and I still feel that excitement every time I see one of my plays performed by students. So long as I can inspire confidence in teenagers through my plays, I will continue to write for them. How do you balance education and fun in your scripts?I prioritize charactarization in all of my plays and try to mix as many different personities together as possible. If people learn something while watching my plays, I am grateful. If they have fun, I am eccstatic. Can you share a memorable experience or feedback from a student performance that left an impact on you?I saw a production of Fidget and was delighted by the performance. However, I was even more moved when I looked toward the audience. They were all kindergarten to grade 5 kids, smiling ear to ear. They were so engaged in the play, laughing and giggling and participating, that it reminded me why I do what I do. Any advice for teachers or directors looking to choose engaging and age-appropriate plays for their student performers?Give students the opportunity to read as many plays as possible. Access to play scripts allows students the opportunity to discover for themselves what they are capable of, and interested in, performing. What is your favourite play you've written so far?The play that sticks out as a favourite is Split. The characters are all unique and their stories are told in a purely theatrical way that allows a great deal of creative freedom for actors and directors. Anything else you'd like students and/or directors to know about you as a playwright?I never wait for the next great idea. Instead, I take the first idea that pops in my head and try to make it a great one.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Split by Bradley Hayward is an emotional, theatrical, ensemble-driven play that your student performers are sure to love. Children of divorce are united through humor in this honest and theatrical look at the day to day reality of growing up in a family that’s been torn apart. As these teenagers navigate a winding road that includes new bedrooms, new siblings and new responsibilities, they begin to put the pieces of their broken homes back together. Why did we publish this play? First of all the play has such a theatrical journey. The most important aspect of an issue play is how it’s theatricalized. _Split _has wonderful physical moments, like the symbolic rebuilding of the home at the end. It’s so lovely. Second, Bradley has such a keen ear for writing for teen aged characters – the voice of each character, and how they deal with the issue just leaps off the page. Lastly, it’s always a plus when issue plays include humour. Variety of tone is key and Bradley knows exactly how to use tone to great effect. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? While the play is inherently about divorce, that word is never uttered once in the entire script. I wanted to write a play that celebrates love, among family and friends, by showing what happens when that love is threatened. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The play is about how people react when their lives are split in different directions, and the variety of approaches they take in order to put the pieces back together. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The closing moment of the play, when the characters finally feel safe enough to set foot into the home they build together, always brings me to tears. It is my favourite moment in any of the plays I have written. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? All of the characters are well developed; however, they have a limited number of lines each to get their stories across to the audience. This makes it a great play for young actors to read between the lines of dialogue to come up with a back story for each character. I would suggest having each actor write a biography for their characters, which will help them with any motivation they might need while performing the play. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Since the scenes are so short, learning the lines should not be too difficult. This opens up student actors to really dig deep into every single moment they are on stage, and make each of those moments count. 6. Do you have any advice for people looking to perform this play online or socially distanced? The entire play is split into short scenes, not unlike you would see on TikTok. I think it would be interesting to see an online production as though it was a collection of TikTok videos put together, and then have the final scene be the first time the entire cast of characters are together in one place.

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 About….Empathy. Based on the idea that empathy is the act understanding and sharing another person’s experience, these plays open the door to looking out to others rather than looking in. Use these plays to spark to an empathy discussion. 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….High School. We’re a company that focuses on high school performers so the majority of our scripts are high school plays. But we know the score: you want a play that is just right for your students. You want work that is specific to your students, and yet is something that can sink their teeth into. And you don’t want to search forever and a day for that play. We’ve got a great list of 10 to get you started. Comedies, Dramas, unique formats. A little bit of everything! 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! Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less The lives of seven teenagers become intertwined in this humorous and oftentimes bittersweet collection of ten minute plays. They plays can be performed individually or together. Split Teenagers navigate the winding road of divorce in this honest and theatrical look at the day to day reality of growing up in a family that’s been torn apart. The ending always makes me cry. Anonymous 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. The characters are You, Me and Them. They are all of us. Look Me in the Eye Teenagers in the future are obedient, polite, and respectful. Everything about their life is black and white, right or wrong. This is due in large part to the government-required “Observation Sessions.” But there is a dark underside to this utopian vision. Sometimes life is grey. Ashland Falls The students of Herbert Hoover High are too wrapped up in miscues, awful accents, and stolen boyfriends to notice strange things happening around them. Revenge is coming. Each actor must play two vastly different roles in this spine-tingling comedy thriller. This easy to stage and intense theatrical experience will keep your audience on their edge of their seats. And the twist ending will make them question everything they’ve witnessed… Puzzle Pieces This play explores teen issues through a series of monologues. The characters speak frankly about their fears, their futures, and how to embrace the day to day. Somewhere, Nowhere A small town is a place to leave for some, a place to call home for others. The teenagers in Somewhere, Nowhere face a dilemma: Do they stay close to home at the end of high school, or do they get as far away as possible? What if they want to do both at the same time? What then? The Art of Rejection Two plays that look at being alone – whether it’s the only letter in a sea of numbers, or alone in making the right decision to sit or stand. A combination of humanity and the avant-garde the two together make for a great competition piece. The Perils of Modern Education The Perils of Modern Education are many! A comedic romp through the stresses and struggles of making it through the average, or not so average, school day. Gender flexible casting, doubling possibilities, and easy to stage. neeT Teen Teen life – backwards, forwards and inside-out. In every form from kitchen sink, to absurd, to movement, to audience participation, to song, to adding your own scene.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Teen Life! These are not your typical teen-angst-woe-is-me stuff. Three dimensional characters. Relevant stories. Each one offers a 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! Sixteen In 10 Minutes Or Less The lives of seven teenagers become intertwined in this humorous and oftentimes bittersweet collection of ten minute plays. Puzzle Pieces This play explores teen issues through a series of monologues. The characters speak frankly about their fears, their futures, and how to embrace the day to day. Stereotype High High school is full of stereotypes – or is it? Told in a series of interlaced vignettes, these “stereotypical” teens fight tooth and nail to reinvent themselves. A Deep Poetic Journey Into Something Jane wants to break out of her box. The problem is she has no idea where to start. Will Jane choose to hide inside or change her life? Stressed Stress is driving this quartet crazy – so much so they can’t stop talking about it. This play is a symphony of sound and character. Pressure Alex is a refugee. Tera is faced with an unpopular decision. Penny is getting up at five every morning and Kyle can’t live up to expectations. Candid and uncompromising, with no easy answers. A Box of Puppies We can all relate to feeling small in a big world. These characters share their insecurities, their frailties and their coping mechanisms. Just Girls Talking What starts as a meeting to finalize graduation ceremony details ends with one young woman faced with a life-changing decision. A head-on collision of values that leaves the viewer asking: What would I do? Split Teenagers navigate the winding road of divorce in this honest and theatrical look at the day to day reality of growing up in a family that’s been torn apart. Neet Teen Teen life – backwards, forwards and inside-out. In every form from kitchen sink, to absurd, to movement, to audience participation, to song, to adding your own scene.

Episode 109: Dealing with Student StrifeThe drama class is one of the only places where students truly examine themselves and their world through reflection and contemplation. Because of that, sudden emotional tides can sweep through your activities. Teacher Christian Kiley talks about the common teen issues that can expectedly and unexpectedly arrive in your classroom and how to deal with them. He also shares his latest play Inanimate whose main character deals with her own emotional issues.

This week we spread the love for Split by Bradley Hayward. Recorded live at the 2012 TETA Conference in Houston, Texas.

Our website lists all of our plays with social issue themes but it struck me that they’re only lumped as “issue plays” without a good guide to sorting out which title addresses which issue. So I’ve categorized them for you to hopefully give you a helping hand in your quest to find the perfect script for your school. Check them out. As usual, all of the titles have extensive free sample pages for you to read. I think you’ll find the writing honest, fresh, and believable – three qualities sadly lacking from a lot of “teen-issue” plays out there in the world. Alienation / Feeling Alone in the World• Anonymous by Allison Green • The Art of Rejection: Two One Act Plays by Christian Kiley • A Box of Puppies by Billy Houck • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck • Huge Hands by Billy Houck Body Image• Body Body by Lindsay Price • The Four Hags of the Apocalypse Eat Salad at their General Meeting by Lindsay Price • The Battle of Image vs. Girl by Johanna Skoreyko • Hoodie by Lindsay Price • Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin Censorship• Censorbleep by Lindsay Price Human Rights• Look Me in the Eye by Lindsay Price • Sweep Under Rug by Lindsay Price Racism• Flaky Lips by Lindsay Price • With Liberty and Justice For All by Jeyna Lynn Gonzales • Not Going Anywhere by Emma Fonseca Halverson • The Burgundy Letter by Kirk Shimano • Let Me In by Sholeh Wolpe *** Rumours and Lies• Have You Heard? by Krista Boehnert • The Redemption of Gertie Greene by Taryn Temple Individuality• Hoodie by Lindsay Price • Virtual Family by Christian Kiley • The Happiness Shop by Lindsay Price • A Deep, Poetic Journey Into Something by Forrest Musselman • Carrying the Calf by Shirley Barrie • Monster Problems by Lindsay Price • Stereotype High by Jeffrey Harr • Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less by Bradley Hayward • Nice Girl by Amanda Murray Cutalo • Pressure by Lindsay Price • They Eat Sunshine, Not Zebras by Dara Murphy • The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple • Smarty Pants by Bradley Hayward Identity• Box by Lindsay Price • Labeled by Lindsay Price • We Are Masks by Lindsay Price • Stressed by Alan Haehnel • Anonymous by Allison Green • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck • The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple School Violence• Huge Hands by Billy Houck • Power Play by Lindsay Price • Clowns with Guns (A Vaudeville) by Christopher Evans • The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley • Life and Death in an Empty Hallway by Christopher Evans • Water. Gun. Argument. by Alan Haehnel Sexual Abuse• The Waking Moment by Bradley Hayward • Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin Substance (alcohol & drug) Abuse• Bottle Baby by Lindsay Price • Floating on a Don’t Care Cloud by Lindsay Price • One Beer Too Many by Billy Houck Suicide• The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note by Lindsay Price • Chicken. Road. by Lindsay Price • The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley Teen Pregnancy• The Pregnancy Project by Lindsay Price • Among Friends and Clutter (one scene) by Lindsay Price Illness/Health• Chemo Girl by Christian Kiley • The Other Room by Christian Kiley • Red Rover by Christian Kiley • Waiting Room by Christian Kiley • Breathless by Wendy-Marie Martin • Shreds and Patches by Robert Wing • Inanimate by Christian Kiley • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck Depression/Anxiety• darklight by Lindsay Price • Fidget by Bradley Hayward • Among Friends and Clutter (one scene) by Lindsay Price • Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time by Billy Houck • who are we, who we are by Forrest Musselman Bullying• Finishing Sentences by Scott Giessler • Funhouse by Lindsay Price • Power Play by Lindsay Price • The Redemption of Gertie Greene by Taryn Temple • Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less by Bradley Hayward • Carrying the Calf by Shirley Barrie Divorce• Split by Bradley Hayward Gender• Life, Off Book by Scott Giessler • Anonymous by Allison Green • Baalzebub by Rachel Atkins (Baalzebub – One-Act Version here) • Completely, Absolutely Normal: Vignettes About LGBTQ+ Teens by Bradley Walton • Finding Jo March by Laramie Dean • Thought Traps by Lindsay Price Empathy• Discovering Rogue by Christian Kiley • Boat by Lindsay Price • We Are Masks by Lindsay Price • The Butterfly Queen by Christian Kiley Dependence on Technology• Virtual Family by Christian Kiley • Inanimate by Christian Kiley