Plays for school: I need your help!

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 12:47pm

What are some good, enjoyable plays that have great character development/storylines?

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 1:04pm

Anyone? I would like to sign up next block. What about Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? I need to read that for a college interview next year...I have never read it before.

Updated On: 5/6/05 at 01:04 PM

[WOSQ]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 2:39pm

Your question is wide open. There are too many "good enjoyable plays" to keep a short or even medium length list.

But you have to start somewhere. Find a list of the three big prizes for drama: the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award and the NY Dramna Critics Circle Award. often the winners over lap.

Take the list to the library, pick one and start reading. Plays read for pleasure don't take long--60-120 minutes.

You can also then take a look at a list of long running plays, but keep in mind that commercial success does not always equal quality.

Or read by author:
O'Neill
Miller
Williams
Shaffer
for instance.

This is just contemporary work. There is the whole pre-1920 pantheon too!

Enjoy.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 4:38pm

Thanks for responding. People can be so helpful here!

Posted: 5/6/05 at 4:39pm

I love Rumors and Man Who Came To Dinner, they are such awesome shows. I am currently in Man Who Came To Dinner, such a funny show. I saw Rumors last year at my local high school, so funny!

[zippyjen]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 6:00pm

i have many. I recommend
who's afraid of virginia woolf
topdog/underdog
the normal heart
dinner with friends
the elephant man
wit

[rawleygirl]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 1:39am

"The Romans in Britain"

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 1:42am

But it's for a school? WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF and other plays as challenging as that often fall flat on their face in an amateur setting.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 2:24am

Back when I was in high school we did FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON, which has great character development and storyline but is not all that difficult (except Charlie, but our Charlie was a fantastic actor who is professional now)
It really worked well, the cast bonded like none I have ever seen and there was never a dry eye in the house.

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 11:29am

Flowers for Algernon is one of my all-time favorite books! And never underestimate schools - in the past two years, schools have done Cat and Woolfe and have been highly successful.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 11:31am

Munk, this is for an independent reading project.

Posted: 5/7/05 at 11:44am

What kind of reading project? If you really want to have some fun, try some plays from the 60s or 70s... huge revolutions in theatrical work were being made. I can recommend "Butterflies are Free" Shows from the thirties, during the Federal Theatre Project are fun as well. I was just in "Waiting for Lefty" There's also one called "Subway Circus" that I enjoyed. Not a whole lot of plot, but some interesting characters and viewpoints. It depends what type of reading project it is and what you want to get out of it.

[stylinbohemian]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:38pm

Seek is a really good one to do...we did it last year, it has a big cast too