Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:37pm
I'm having trouble choosing a play for my high school to perform this fall. Ideally, it would be a straight play (no musicals), a cast of about 12-20, and a male lead.
I want something new(er) and exciting, but nothing that would be inappropriate for high schoolers. We could handle some adult/mature themes, but nothing too edgy.
I really appreciate any help/suggestions you can provide. Thank you!
Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:37pm
Noises Off, A Flea in her Ear
Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:39pm
You better have some enormously talented actors to pull off farce.
Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:45pm
honestly, I think high schoolers are better at farce than drama
Moon over Buffalo, A Christmas Carol, Amadeus, Metamorphoses, Shakespeare plays?
Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:48pm
If they can handle the text any Shakespeare would be good. Noises Off would be a good choice as well!
Updated On: 6/2/15 at 03:48 PM
Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:06pm
Crucible??
Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:22pm
None of the suggestions so far are new(er). The problem is cast size, as plays just don't seem to be written for large casts.
Father Comes Home From the Wars: 10 actors - http://www.samuelfrench.com/p/57139/father-comes-home-from-the-wars-parts-1-2-3
Shakespeare in Hollywood (2004) and calls for 12 actors - http://www.samuelfrench.com/p/776/shakespeare-in-hollywood-ludwig
The Laramie Project (2000)- this says 8 actors - but expandable http://www.samuelfrench.com/p/14582/the-laramie-project
And there's always Almost Maine - which is very expandable.
Don't know if a high school can get the rights to One Man Two Guvnors....
Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:40pm
It doesn't necessarily have to be "new", per se, I said that because I want something that's modern, relevant, and relatable. If it's an older play but still can hold it's own, then I'm all for it.
Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:59pm
"It doesn't necessarily have to be "new", per se, I said that because I want something that's modern, relevant, and relatable. If it's an older play but still can hold it's own, then I'm all for it. "
Ok. Thanks for the clarification. That opens it up a bit. My daughter's high school did a production of Night of the Living Dead. http://www.samuelfrench.com/p/16365/night-of-the-living-dead or http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/p1051/Night-of-the-Living-Dead/product_info.html
I think Zombies are still in. The HS director put everyone in black and white (which I think the script calls for). He also had permanent and guest zombies walking through the stage area and audience. By that, I mean, he had actors as walking zombies, but each show, people could volunteer to be a zombie. The guests were paired with an actor to know how and when to shuffle across.
Posted: 6/2/15 at 6:00pm
There are some great Neil Simon plays. What about Rumors? That's always fun.
Posted: 6/2/15 at 6:06pm
My school did You Can't Take It With You last year and it was one of my favorite productions. I played Paul, and it was a wonderful bonding experience and an amazing play!
Updated On: 6/2/15 at 06:06 PM
Posted: 6/2/15 at 7:33pm
Thank you all for your suggestions! I've researched several of the plays that you guys mentioned and there are some great options here.
Posted: 6/2/15 at 7:55pm
The Man who Came to dinner has a large cast and is always a fun comedy to do.
Posted: 6/3/15 at 8:53am
I really like You Can't Take It With You, it sounds hilarious and it could be a lot of fun. Does anyone have any more suggestions? I'm trying to pile up as many choices as possible.
Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:03am
Our Town, done well is timeless.
Almost, Maine is delightful.
(You Can't Take it With You is a blast as well.)
A previous poster is right, there are few new plays with large casts. August: Osage County has a large cast, but predominately females - and not right for every community.
What about any of the Complete (abridged) plays: There is a Shakespeare one, a US History one, and a Bible one. All easily expandable to a large cast.
Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:33am
I want to avoid Shakespeare if I can. I love many of his works (I just recently finished playing Demetrius in a production of Midsummer), but the majority of our school population wouldn't be interested.
Posted: 6/3/15 at 10:04am
If you are looking for something newer than many of the plays suggested here, you may want to consider a Lanford Wilson play, Fifth of July, Rimers of Eldritch or Balm in Gilead perhaps.
Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:10pm
May I suggest this adaptation of Spoon River Anthology. It's called The Spoon River Project. I saw it at a high school in NJ. Great ensemble piece. It's a play with music. The production I saw won a few Montclaire Theatre Night Awards. It's a great ensemble piece and you can use from 11 to 20 actors. It's very flexible.
https://www.playscripts.com/play/2461
It's published by Playscripts and you can download and read the script.
I would not recommend The Man Who Came to Dinner. It has far too many outdated references to people and places. Plus Whiteside is probably too much for a young actor to handle.
I would say Our Town is pretty boring.
I would go with You Can Take it With You. Also... Harvey is great. I used to read Butterflies are Free with my students and they liked that a lot, but it's a small cast.
Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:38pm
"The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged" could probably use any number of actors.
if you want something serious,
"Major Barbara" by Shaw.
"The Best Man" by Vidal
Posted: 6/3/15 at 7:50pm
We just did The Boys Next Door and it was fantastic. It's a little forgotten, but beautiful play.
Posted: 6/3/15 at 8:05pm
Yes, that play has many wonderful female leads and a large 18 person cast.
/s
Posted: 6/16/15 at 12:00pm
My school just did Midsummer Jersey and it is HILARIOUS!
Posted: 6/16/15 at 12:54pm
You can also to perform a foreign play. Moliere is always a must. I really like "The Bourgeois Gentleman" and "The Imaginary Invalid". I know that there is some good english translation available (and royalty-free).
