one act help

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one act help

Posted: 8/12/04 at 6:41pm

I'm thinking about directing a one act at my school this year. Does anyone have any suggestions of one acts(or plays that could be made into a one act) that:
-are between 15 and 35 minutes
-have a small cast...4-6 people
-aren't too terribly difficult to direct

You aren't feeling overwhelmed are you?

re: one act help

Posted: 8/12/04 at 6:46pm

I directed the radio drama SORRY, WRONG NUMBER.

Don't need many props, you'll need some sound effects (telephone ring and busy signal). And a lot of roles can be double cast. I used a cast of four. Can do five, too.

It's about a invalid woman who overhears a telephone conversion about a planned murder. This is a goodie.

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

re: one act help

Posted: 8/12/04 at 6:54pm

thanks...I'll look into it

You aren't feeling overwhelmed are you?

re: one act help

Posted: 8/12/04 at 11:25pm

"Time Flies" by David Ives - brilliantly funny. It's one man, one woman, and one off-stage voice (male). It's about 15 minutes long.

re: one act help

Posted: 8/12/04 at 11:29pm

do sorry wrong number...its great, mind you i starred in it (as George the hitman, i had groupies therefore i starred) its perfect for your needs

"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel

re: one act help

Posted: 8/12/04 at 11:36pm

"Sorry, Wrong number" is great! I was supposed to star in it as the woman on the phone... except that we ended up not having our one-act shows performed cause the director got pissed off at the cast of another one act that this one kid in our school wrote and cancelled all of them. i was so pissed off. it's a great one-act.
DEFINITELY DO THAT.

re: one act help

Posted: 8/12/04 at 11:40pm

thanks!

You aren't feeling overwhelmed are you?

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 12:10am

I directed a show called High Window, by Verne Powers. I got it from Bakers. It has five people and one very, very simple setting. Or you could make it big.

The characters are:
Emily Winthrop...old cripple that hates her nephew, murdered her husband for the money
Walter...the nephew, playboy, but Emily makes him think he killed his uncle, so he's really influenced, i guess
Linda...Walter's girlfriend and newspaper reporter. She solves the mystery of the uncle's death
Judy...Warren Winthrop's (dead uncle) secretary and nurse
Judge Steven....Emily's attorney, very short role.

But it's one act, pretty much one scene, but i split it up into five scenes for rehearsal reasons. And very simple to direct. I hope this helps.

Oh, and the royalties are only $25 bucks, and the scripts are like $5 each.

Updated On: 8/13/04 at 12:10 AM

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 12:13am

Not Enough Rope is very funny, but it is three people.

#10

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 12:17am

Some one acts our school did:
-Sorry Wrong Number
- The Patient
- The Lottery
- Waiting
- Trifles
- To the Lovely Margaret
- I Love You Mr. Klotz

#11

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 12:48am

three people is fine... Idon't really want less tha 3...no more than 6

You aren't feeling overwhelmed are you?

#12

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 2:44am

Trifles is a really good piece.

If you do it right.

We studied it in my directing class and I enjoyed it muchas.

whatever and ever amen - ben folds five

#13

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 3:12am

for whom the southern belle tolls by david ives is an amazing one act

"Contentment it seems merely happens, It appears Accompanied by no bravos and no tears" "The world is good you said Enjoy it's highs you said The summer flies you said So make a parade Of every moment Now throw away your hate And focus on what's great instead" ~William Finn

#14

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 10:59am

Adaptation, by Elaine May.
4 characters (game show host, contestant, as well as a male and female player who double all of the other roles). Quick paced and runs about 35 minutes.

#15

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 2:19pm

I starred as Amanda in Southern Belle by Durang - best role I ever played! (to the above poster, are you sure it was by ives? Maybe a diff show?) And we had a group of kids do "Glass Menagerie" before us-which is what it parodies - so it was even better. It's still funny w/o Menagerie, but not as much so.

Rosencrantz: "Be happy - if you're not even HAPPY what's so good about surviving? We'll be all right. I suppose we just go on." - from Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Updated On: 8/13/04 at 02:19 PM

#16

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 2:36pm

The Actor's Nightmare by Christopher Durang is a really good one that fits what you need. It's also very funny.

#17

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 2:45pm

Anything by Durang. He's so funny. I was in Wanda's Visit in HS. Another funny peice, but it has maybe 6, or 7 characters.

#18

re: one act help

Posted: 8/13/04 at 2:57pm

yeah I agree you cant really go wrong with durang, in fact DMV tyrant is one of his less popular shows but its so funny and I think it runs about 15 minutes tops. Also there is a show called Happy Talking, which is a comedy poking fun at telemarketers which is very very funny but I believe that has a bigger cast.

Good Luck!

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