Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Audience Participation Plays

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JGrigsby
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Joined: 6/20/12
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 38

Topic: Audience Participation Plays
Posted: 5/07/14 at 9:55pm

After a great season with the first musical at my high school since 1961 ... it's time to start planning next year's season.

My kids and I love to break the fourth wall and have audience participation in out plays. During the Soemwhat True Tale of Robin Hood two shows ago, when it came time to fill Robin's band of merry men, we pulled audience members on stage to be part. Robin was able to interview the people, decided if they were to be in his band or not, then we worked them into the show. There were mentors there to help them with cues. This was a huge hit and the audience loved it.

Does anyone have a show or would share titles of shows seen where the actors get to work the audience into the show?

And a wuick note of thanks to all of you in this forum. You have been great and helped me in so many ways!!! Thank you!!!

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Martin
Player
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Joined: 4/02/06
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13

Posted: 5/26/14 at 6:39am

Tooting my own horn here: a number of my shows have elements of audience participation:

Delia Dancer, Doughnut Girl has a flexible cast of 21 and is published by Heuer Publishing. www.hitplays.com
     Synopsis: Delia Dancer, Doughnut Girl is a modern melodrama that chronicles a ridiculous day and the challenges and struggles of a young woman who makes a living manufacturing doughnuts and sweet pastries in a small town doughnut factory. Structured as a radio program complete with phony commercials, parody songs, audience participation, and listener call-in spots, Delia Dancer, Doughnut Girl stretches theatrical forms but is deeply rooted in awful puns and wrapped around an apple pie and a cup of coffee of small town life.
Types: Full Length Play, Community Theatre
Genres: Comedy, Melodrama
Cast: 6 men, 7 women, 8 extras, flexible cast, 21 total

A two-act murder mystery, The Man in Seat 24 or (The Uninvited Guest), has a cast of 15- 8 females and 7 males is published by Brooklyn Publishers. www.brookpub.com
     Synopsis: An irate, rude, and combative theatre patron (in your audience!) hijacks the cast, the crew, and his fellow theatre-goers and winds up stone cold dead at center stage. The Man in Seat 24 Or (The Uninvited Guest) is a murder mystery, a play-within-a-play, where a harried and frazzled theatre director investigates a murder--during a night of theatre gone wrong--and realizes that there is more to this evening’s performance than meets the eye.
     In this show (Act 2) the detective goes out into the audience for a bit of improv and quizzes them and questions them on the crime scene

Reindeer Games: A Christmas Pageant for Young and Old! Published by Lazy Bee Scripts. www.lazybeescripts.co.uk
Minimum Male roles = 8. Minimum Female roles = 5. Minimum total with doubling = 22. Minimum total without doubling = 57. Chorus. Could be done with a lot of doubling, but is intended as a large-cast piece.Suitable for a mixed-age group. For school groups, church groups, and community theatre.
Doubling, tripling possible, gender flexibility. The more the merrier!
Running time: 55-60 minutes.
Synopsis: Reindeer Games: A Christmas Pageant for Young and Old! is an evening of ragtag holiday merry-making, festivity, revelry, audience participation, happy yuletide songs, and jollification featuring: Elves, Fairies, Children, Choristers, Ancient Citizens, The Christmas Bear, Red Riding Hood and The Wolf, Rudolph and Clarisse, a holiday quiz show, The Giant Blunderbore, the retelling of the old mummers tale, Saint George and the Dragon, and Father Christmas himself!

Good luck in your search!
M.

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Tyunglebo
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Joined: 10/27/05
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2

Posted: 5/27/14 at 2:08pm

You've got The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). That invites audience interaction, though I don't know if it's "participation" per se.

The Night of January 16th draws members of the audience to sit as the jury for the trial around which the play is based. The audience comes to a verdict, and depending on which is chosen, a different ending is performed by the cast.

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JGrigsby
Lead
Lead

Joined: 6/20/12
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 38

Posted: 6/01/14 at 10:21pm

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll look at these and see what all is out there. Cheers!

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bnk01
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Lead

Joined: 9/05/09
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 32

Posted: 6/17/14 at 1:52pm

The Christmas Princess from YouthPLAYS, inc has audience participation.

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jonplaywright
Star
Star

Joined: 7/20/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 53

Posted: 8/26/14 at 11:15am

Another audience participation possibility is The Goodcheer Home for Broken Hearts, a comic melodrama from James Grob, in which the audience gets to cheer and boo and more...

http://youthplays.com/play_details.php?play_id=319

Cheers,
Jon

Co-Chair, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights
Resident Playwright, Final Draft

YouthPLAYS, plays for young actors and audiences
www.youthplays.com

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Play Suggestions
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Play Suggestions

Author	Message
JGrigsby Lead Joined: 6/20/12 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 38	Topic: Audience Participation Plays Posted: 5/07/14 at 9:55pm
	After a great season with the first musical at my high school since 1961 ... it's time to start planning next year's season. My kids and I love to break the fourth wall and have audience participation in out plays. During the Soemwhat True Tale of Robin Hood two shows ago, when it came time to fill Robin's band of merry men, we pulled audience members on stage to be part. Robin was able to interview the people, decided if they were to be in his band or not, then we worked them into the show. There were mentors there to help them with cues. This was a huge hit and the audience loved it. Does anyone have a show or would share titles of shows seen where the actors get to work the audience into the show? And a wuick note of thanks to all of you in this forum. You have been great and helped me in so many ways!!! Thank you!!!

	IP Logged

Martin Player Joined: 4/02/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 13	Posted: 5/26/14 at 6:39am
	Tooting my own horn here: a number of my shows have elements of audience participation: Delia Dancer, Doughnut Girl has a flexible cast of 21 and is published by Heuer Publishing. www.hitplays.com Synopsis: Delia Dancer, Doughnut Girl is a modern melodrama that chronicles a ridiculous day and the challenges and struggles of a young woman who makes a living manufacturing doughnuts and sweet pastries in a small town doughnut factory. Structured as a radio program complete with phony commercials, parody songs, audience participation, and listener call-in spots, Delia Dancer, Doughnut Girl stretches theatrical forms but is deeply rooted in awful puns and wrapped around an apple pie and a cup of coffee of small town life. Types: Full Length Play, Community Theatre Genres: Comedy, Melodrama Cast: 6 men, 7 women, 8 extras, flexible cast, 21 total A two-act murder mystery, The Man in Seat 24 or (The Uninvited Guest), has a cast of 15- 8 females and 7 males is published by Brooklyn Publishers. www.brookpub.com Synopsis: An irate, rude, and combative theatre patron (in your audience!) hijacks the cast, the crew, and his fellow theatre-goers and winds up stone cold dead at center stage. The Man in Seat 24 Or (The Uninvited Guest) is a murder mystery, a play-within-a-play, where a harried and frazzled theatre director investigates a murder--during a night of theatre gone wrong--and realizes that there is more to this evening’s performance than meets the eye. In this show (Act 2) the detective goes out into the audience for a bit of improv and quizzes them and questions them on the crime scene Reindeer Games: A Christmas Pageant for Young and Old! Published by Lazy Bee Scripts. www.lazybeescripts.co.uk Minimum Male roles = 8. Minimum Female roles = 5. Minimum total with doubling = 22. Minimum total without doubling = 57. Chorus. Could be done with a lot of doubling, but is intended as a large-cast piece.Suitable for a mixed-age group. For school groups, church groups, and community theatre. Doubling, tripling possible, gender flexibility. The more the merrier! Running time: 55-60 minutes. Synopsis: Reindeer Games: A Christmas Pageant for Young and Old! is an evening of ragtag holiday merry-making, festivity, revelry, audience participation, happy yuletide songs, and jollification featuring: Elves, Fairies, Children, Choristers, Ancient Citizens, The Christmas Bear, Red Riding Hood and The Wolf, Rudolph and Clarisse, a holiday quiz show, The Giant Blunderbore, the retelling of the old mummers tale, Saint George and the Dragon, and Father Christmas himself! Good luck in your search! M.
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Tyunglebo Walk-On Joined: 10/27/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Posted: 5/27/14 at 2:08pm
	You've got The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). That invites audience interaction, though I don't know if it's "participation" per se. The Night of January 16th draws members of the audience to sit as the jury for the trial around which the play is based. The audience comes to a verdict, and depending on which is chosen, a different ending is performed by the cast.
	IP Logged

JGrigsby Lead Joined: 6/20/12 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 38	Posted: 6/01/14 at 10:21pm
	Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll look at these and see what all is out there. Cheers!
	IP Logged

bnk01 Lead Joined: 9/05/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 32	Posted: 6/17/14 at 1:52pm
	*The Christmas Princess* from YouthPLAYS, inc has audience participation.
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jonplaywright Star Joined: 7/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 53	Posted: 8/26/14 at 11:15am
	Another audience participation possibility is The Goodcheer Home for Broken Hearts, a comic melodrama from James Grob, in which the audience gets to cheer and boo and more... http://youthplays.com/play_details.php?play_id=319 Cheers, Jon
	Co-Chair, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights Resident Playwright, Final Draft YouthPLAYS, plays for young actors and audiences www.youthplays.com
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