Senior Show Play Ideas/Suggestions
List from Morgan Sills (Judson Theatre Co Exec Director, NYC Theatre Producer)
NOTE: In this section, comments and opinions are what Morgan sent to me in his email. I always find his advice valuable, so I chose to leave it in for the class to read.
This is a bit of a tall order because contemporary plays are almost always built small so they can survive in NYC, and are typically more men than women. Also, the group would be better off with a surefire audience pleaser comedy than a serious play that's too long or too heavy, IMHO. Anyway, here are some ideas, classics and newer work, in no particular order:
A: Laughing Stock (9 men, 5 women - some of the roles could be gender-swapped) a charming 2006 backstager comedy by Charles Morey about the final days of a beloved New England summer stock theatre https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=3607 No preview available
https://www.charlesmorey.com/laughing-stock.html
B: Daisy Pulls It Off (2 men, 18 women - doubling/combining characters possible) a 1983 tongue-in-cheek genre parody of English school girl adventure novels, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber (he didn't write it).
https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/3821/daisy-pulls-it-off Preview Available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taoLkHE5YQg
All of these have simple sets/can be done without a box set on a shoestring budget.
Also, it's been a while since I read them, but they may want to look at these Golden Age comedies--all you have to do is do them, maybe cut a little - they ALWAYS work and can be done with just furniture/flexible settings:
C: George Washington Slept Here (9m, 8w - can be doubled/cross-gender cast) The original story about the couple who buys the fixer-upper house in the country and their dream home turns out to be a money pit, this one does have an effect with the set at the end https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1843 No preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyhiHKbCvEU
D: Three Men on a Horse (11m, 4w - can be doubled/cross-gender cast) a nebbishy greeting card writer figures out a surefire formula for betting on horses
https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1834 No preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxGmLdL9UKg
E: Tall Story (21m, 8w - could cross-gender cast some roles) a young basketball player who is also a math whiz figures out a formula for sinking baskets every time--until he gets asked to throw the game. You could change it to a girls basketball team, it would be fun.
https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1684 No preview available
F: Up The Down Staircase (12m, 18w - lots of doubling and cross-gender casting possible) a first year teacher in a city school has a hard time, but learns she's gonna make it after all.
https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/up-the-down-staircase Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKhUAOjy4fU
NOTE: In this section, comments and opinions are what Morgan sent to me in his email. I always find his advice valuable, so I chose to leave it in for the class to read.
This is a bit of a tall order because contemporary plays are almost always built small so they can survive in NYC, and are typically more men than women. Also, the group would be better off with a surefire audience pleaser comedy than a serious play that's too long or too heavy, IMHO. Anyway, here are some ideas, classics and newer work, in no particular order:
A: Laughing Stock (9 men, 5 women - some of the roles could be gender-swapped) a charming 2006 backstager comedy by Charles Morey about the final days of a beloved New England summer stock theatre https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=3607 No preview available
https://www.charlesmorey.com/laughing-stock.html
B: Daisy Pulls It Off (2 men, 18 women - doubling/combining characters possible) a 1983 tongue-in-cheek genre parody of English school girl adventure novels, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber (he didn't write it).
https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/3821/daisy-pulls-it-off Preview Available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taoLkHE5YQg
All of these have simple sets/can be done without a box set on a shoestring budget.
Also, it's been a while since I read them, but they may want to look at these Golden Age comedies--all you have to do is do them, maybe cut a little - they ALWAYS work and can be done with just furniture/flexible settings:
C: George Washington Slept Here (9m, 8w - can be doubled/cross-gender cast) The original story about the couple who buys the fixer-upper house in the country and their dream home turns out to be a money pit, this one does have an effect with the set at the end https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1843 No preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyhiHKbCvEU
D: Three Men on a Horse (11m, 4w - can be doubled/cross-gender cast) a nebbishy greeting card writer figures out a surefire formula for betting on horses
https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1834 No preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxGmLdL9UKg
E: Tall Story (21m, 8w - could cross-gender cast some roles) a young basketball player who is also a math whiz figures out a formula for sinking baskets every time--until he gets asked to throw the game. You could change it to a girls basketball team, it would be fun.
https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1684 No preview available
F: Up The Down Staircase (12m, 18w - lots of doubling and cross-gender casting possible) a first year teacher in a city school has a hard time, but learns she's gonna make it after all.
https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/up-the-down-staircase Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKhUAOjy4fU
List from Daniel Haley (Judson Theatre Artistic Director, Independent Artist and Director
NOTE: Daniel did not include any comments or opinions on the plays, he sent me play names and playwrights. Any notes beside the play names (cast size, gender breakdown of cast, summary of play) come directly from the play's website.
G: Little Women (7f, 4m, 11-24 actors possible) Under the guidance of their beloved mother, the four young March sisters -- tempestuous Jo, motherly Meg, shy Beth, and spoiled baby Amy -- struggle to keep their family going while Father's away in the Civil War. In this beautifully dramatized adaptation of the classic novel, even as privation, illness, and sibling rivalry cast their shadows, each girl strives to find her true self One Act version of this play is also available https://www.playscripts.com/play/271 Preview available
H: Pride and Prejudice (8f, 6m, 18-40 actors possible) All of the wit and romance of Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel come to life in this refreshingly fast-paced and engaging new adaptation. Finding a husband is hardly Elizabeth Bennet's most urgent priority. But with four sisters, an overzealous match-making mother, and a string of unsuitable suitors, it's difficult to escape the subject. When the independent-minded Elizabeth meets the handsome but enigmatic Mr. Darcy, she is determined not to let her feelings triumph over her own good sense -- but the truth turns out to be slipperier than it seems. In a society where subtle snubs and deceit proliferate, is it possible for Elizabeth and Darcy to look beyond his pride and her prejudice, and to make the best match of all? (A one-act version of this play, Darcy and Elizabeth, is also available.) https://www.playscripts.com/play/803 Preview available
I: The Snow Queen (8m, 20 w, 31 any gender…doubling/tripling possible) https://www.theatrefolk.com/products/the-snow-queen Preview available
NOTE: Daniel did not include any comments or opinions on the plays, he sent me play names and playwrights. Any notes beside the play names (cast size, gender breakdown of cast, summary of play) come directly from the play's website.
G: Little Women (7f, 4m, 11-24 actors possible) Under the guidance of their beloved mother, the four young March sisters -- tempestuous Jo, motherly Meg, shy Beth, and spoiled baby Amy -- struggle to keep their family going while Father's away in the Civil War. In this beautifully dramatized adaptation of the classic novel, even as privation, illness, and sibling rivalry cast their shadows, each girl strives to find her true self One Act version of this play is also available https://www.playscripts.com/play/271 Preview available
H: Pride and Prejudice (8f, 6m, 18-40 actors possible) All of the wit and romance of Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel come to life in this refreshingly fast-paced and engaging new adaptation. Finding a husband is hardly Elizabeth Bennet's most urgent priority. But with four sisters, an overzealous match-making mother, and a string of unsuitable suitors, it's difficult to escape the subject. When the independent-minded Elizabeth meets the handsome but enigmatic Mr. Darcy, she is determined not to let her feelings triumph over her own good sense -- but the truth turns out to be slipperier than it seems. In a society where subtle snubs and deceit proliferate, is it possible for Elizabeth and Darcy to look beyond his pride and her prejudice, and to make the best match of all? (A one-act version of this play, Darcy and Elizabeth, is also available.) https://www.playscripts.com/play/803 Preview available
I: The Snow Queen (8m, 20 w, 31 any gender…doubling/tripling possible) https://www.theatrefolk.com/products/the-snow-queen Preview available
List from Keith Taylor, Theatre Director at Weaver Academy, directed 'In a Word' from NCTC
NOTE: Keith did not include any comments or opinions on the plays, he sent me play names and playwrights. Any notes beside the play names (cast size, gender breakdown of cast, summary of play) come directly from the play's website.
J: Leaving Iowa: (3m, 3w, may be expanded to 4m, 4w, 18 either gender) The spark behind Leaving Iowa comes from being children of parents from the now dubbed "greatest generation." The story is a toast to their idealism and character and a little roast of their undying dedication to the classic family road trip. More specifically, it is the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, who returns home and decides to finally take his father's ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma's house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place for his father. This father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don's memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. Don's existential journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at the center of the United States. Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever found himself or herself driving alone on a road, revisiting fond memories of his or her youth.
https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/leaving-iowa Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nik8hfLfbr0
K: Class Action: (3m, 5w, cast expandable to 35) The many diverse scenes collectively make up the play. Although each scene stands on its own, there is a common thread – all of the vignettes deal with situations that take place outside the classroom, perhaps the most important experiences that young people deal with while attending high school. The scenes cover a wide variety of contemporary subjects, both serious and light-hearted, and audiences of any age can relate to the universal themes. Among the many subjects are: prom night, homework, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, detention, teen idols, peer pressure, and class elections. The play’s mix of comedy and drama will both entertain and enlighten, all in the same evening. Student actors in the original production expressed their appreciation for the words, thoughts, and ideas that they could relate to. As one student put it, “Finally, a play that speaks the way we do and treats us like human beings with real emotions and feelings.”
https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/891/class-action/ Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLp3XO9QKK0
L: Middletown (6m, 6f, expandable to more, some of the casting may be gender flexible) Middletown is a deeply moving and funny play exploring the universe of a small American town. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge and new arrival Mary Swanson, the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways in a journey that takes them from the local library to outer space and points between.
https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/17127/middletown/ Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoEpk9enX64
NOTE: Keith did not include any comments or opinions on the plays, he sent me play names and playwrights. Any notes beside the play names (cast size, gender breakdown of cast, summary of play) come directly from the play's website.
J: Leaving Iowa: (3m, 3w, may be expanded to 4m, 4w, 18 either gender) The spark behind Leaving Iowa comes from being children of parents from the now dubbed "greatest generation." The story is a toast to their idealism and character and a little roast of their undying dedication to the classic family road trip. More specifically, it is the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, who returns home and decides to finally take his father's ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma's house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place for his father. This father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don's memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. Don's existential journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at the center of the United States. Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever found himself or herself driving alone on a road, revisiting fond memories of his or her youth.
https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/leaving-iowa Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nik8hfLfbr0
K: Class Action: (3m, 5w, cast expandable to 35) The many diverse scenes collectively make up the play. Although each scene stands on its own, there is a common thread – all of the vignettes deal with situations that take place outside the classroom, perhaps the most important experiences that young people deal with while attending high school. The scenes cover a wide variety of contemporary subjects, both serious and light-hearted, and audiences of any age can relate to the universal themes. Among the many subjects are: prom night, homework, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, detention, teen idols, peer pressure, and class elections. The play’s mix of comedy and drama will both entertain and enlighten, all in the same evening. Student actors in the original production expressed their appreciation for the words, thoughts, and ideas that they could relate to. As one student put it, “Finally, a play that speaks the way we do and treats us like human beings with real emotions and feelings.”
https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/891/class-action/ Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLp3XO9QKK0
L: Middletown (6m, 6f, expandable to more, some of the casting may be gender flexible) Middletown is a deeply moving and funny play exploring the universe of a small American town. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge and new arrival Mary Swanson, the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways in a journey that takes them from the local library to outer space and points between.
https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/17127/middletown/ Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoEpk9enX64
List from Pete Comp, Theatre Director at Sanderson High School, directed 26 Pebbles from NCTC
NOTE: Pete did not include any comments or opinions on the plays, he sent me play names and playwrights. Any notes beside the play names (cast size, gender breakdown of cast, summary of play) come directly from the play's website.
M: The Insanity of Mary Girard (3m, 4f, ensemble of 'furies' that are present on stage through most of show, could easily be expanded to any size). In 1790, Mary Girard is committed to an asylum. After Mary became pregnant by another man, her husband had her declared legally insane. Now, Mary sits in a chair as the "furies" dance around and impersonate people from her past. By the end of this haunting and highly theatrical piece, she has grown rather convincingly into her diagnosis. https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/730/the-insanity-of-mary-girard Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIe_hORkHxU
N: Rabbit (15, m or f) This perceptive play for young adults, set ten years after the bomb, portrays with frightening clarity the destruction of human character as social standards are lost in a struggle for power and survival. In the ruins of an abandoned building fifteen teenage survivors struggle to make sense of the desolation. Ironically, they begin to repeat their parents' mistakes. The play ends with a thought provoking clash of personalities. https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/3976/rabbit Preview available
NOTE: Pete did not include any comments or opinions on the plays, he sent me play names and playwrights. Any notes beside the play names (cast size, gender breakdown of cast, summary of play) come directly from the play's website.
M: The Insanity of Mary Girard (3m, 4f, ensemble of 'furies' that are present on stage through most of show, could easily be expanded to any size). In 1790, Mary Girard is committed to an asylum. After Mary became pregnant by another man, her husband had her declared legally insane. Now, Mary sits in a chair as the "furies" dance around and impersonate people from her past. By the end of this haunting and highly theatrical piece, she has grown rather convincingly into her diagnosis. https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/730/the-insanity-of-mary-girard Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIe_hORkHxU
N: Rabbit (15, m or f) This perceptive play for young adults, set ten years after the bomb, portrays with frightening clarity the destruction of human character as social standards are lost in a struggle for power and survival. In the ruins of an abandoned building fifteen teenage survivors struggle to make sense of the desolation. Ironically, they begin to repeat their parents' mistakes. The play ends with a thought provoking clash of personalities. https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/3976/rabbit Preview available
More Play Ideas and Suggestions
O: John Lennon and Me (3m, 7w, expandable) The winner of many national awards, this uproarious play about life, death, power and first boyfriends was adapted by the author from her popular book, Good-bye, Best Friend (Harper Paperbacks, 1993). Hollywood-wannabe Star, the ultimate Beatles fan, has her path stymied by cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that assures a young death. She spends most of her time in the hospital, where she confronts fate with imagination by surrounding herself with MTV-inspired bodyguard Flunkies and 'morphing' her dreaded therapy nurse into a pro-wrestler. Then, Star gets a new roommate, Courtney, who is Star's opposite—a pretty cheerleader and apparently not very sick. Neither girl knows much about the other's world, but eventually they come to understand each other, and ultimately, themselves. This is a powerful play about living life to the fullest and a proven hit for school, adult, and TYA theatres alike. https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/john-lennon-me Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_N5feO2p5Y
O: John Lennon and Me (3m, 7w, expandable) The winner of many national awards, this uproarious play about life, death, power and first boyfriends was adapted by the author from her popular book, Good-bye, Best Friend (Harper Paperbacks, 1993). Hollywood-wannabe Star, the ultimate Beatles fan, has her path stymied by cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that assures a young death. She spends most of her time in the hospital, where she confronts fate with imagination by surrounding herself with MTV-inspired bodyguard Flunkies and 'morphing' her dreaded therapy nurse into a pro-wrestler. Then, Star gets a new roommate, Courtney, who is Star's opposite—a pretty cheerleader and apparently not very sick. Neither girl knows much about the other's world, but eventually they come to understand each other, and ultimately, themselves. This is a powerful play about living life to the fullest and a proven hit for school, adult, and TYA theatres alike. https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/john-lennon-me Preview available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_N5feO2p5Y