Need shows suitable for a church
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
Forum Discription: Need help finding a show that's right for your theater? Ask here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1956
Printed Date: 5/06/25 at 2:28am
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Topic: Need shows suitable for a church
Posted By: Scott B
Subject: Need shows suitable for a church
Date Posted: 8/03/06 at 2:19am
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As hard as we've tried over the last 8 years, we just can't find anyone or any place to perform other than a church. We will continue to search, but in the meantime we have to go with what we've got. Luckily for us the minister is supportive, but we do have to pick our shows to fit the venue. Not that it has to be religious, but we do have to watch the inuendos and language. We would do that out of respect, regardless. So with that in mind ... we're looking for a couple of shows that would be a single set, small cast (preferably 8 or less), comedy or small musical, no sexual overtones or inuendos, no swearing. Oh yeah ... no Christmas shows either. The church does their own productions. I know ... I'm making this really easy, right? So if you've got anything that might fit the above criteria, please let me know. Thanks |
Replies:
Posted By: KL Murphy
Date Posted: 8/03/06 at 10:31am
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Musical or Play? If musical consider Snoopy, not Good Man, but "Snoopy, The Musical." Listen to Edgar Allen Poe once, you'll love it. For plays I'm not as well versed. ------------- www.klmurphy.com |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 8/03/06 at 1:42pm
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Boy it's tough when you have criteria like that. I would think almost any of the Agatha Christie myteries might be appropriate but they can sometimes tend to have casts over 8. Look at some early Neil Simon, that's sometimes relatively tame. You might even want to contact some of the publishers. They might be helpfull. Dramatic Publishing has some especially friendly customer service people (maybe it's because they're in Illinois and not NYC like French and DPS) and they have a 1-800 phone number Check out their web site at http://www.dramaticpublishing.com - www.dramaticpublishing.com . Good luck with your season!
------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
Posted By: Scott B
Date Posted: 8/03/06 at 3:20pm
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We've become somewhat known for musical comedies. We just finished Forever Plaid and did Smoke On the Mountain last October. We actually did Music Man in a very small church. I'm still not sure how THAT was accomplished. Godspell came up, but I'm not too sure about that one. It's really a fine line we're walking because we don't want to be thought of as the church's dramtic team. Nothing wrong with that ... unless you're not.  But the fact that we have no other alternative has put us in a position that some people do believe wer'e affiliated with the church, so when a title comes up that they're not familiar with they assume it's a "churchy" type performance.I appreciate any suggestions you guys might come up with. Thanks |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 8/04/06 at 9:48am
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you might check out "Weird Romance" ( by the composer of Little Shop of
Horrors, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid)- we had great success with it. It's a science fiction love story musical (original cast available on cd) - and it's doubtful that title would be confused with a church-y play LOL. Lots of fun special f/x that can be done in small spaces (we have an 18'x15' stage)....including a holographic character. 5 Male/4 Female characters and a unit set. As I recall, it's handled by Samuel French. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 9/28/06 at 2:46pm
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Try the SF melodrama _Pure as the Driven Snow_. 7 primary characters with 3 "$5 roles" at the very end. We're a very strict church school, and it was very well received. We also did _The Mousetrap_ (SF) by Agatha Christie--I think there were 9 in that one.
------------- |
Posted By: falstaff29
Date Posted: 10/25/06 at 1:13am
| Maybe an obvious comment, but a lot of "older" stuff is generally tame or at least tactful enough to not annoy the church leaders or community. Hamlet is probably the stereotypical church-basement show, but a lot of those "old guys" like Shakespeare have some great material. If you check out Greek and Roman plays, because of the rules on acting (the unities, the rule of 3), most of them don't have burdensome casts or sets. The key thing to watch out for there is that, although those folks are long dead, their translators may not be, so you may have to pay someone for rights. Alternatively, if anyone in your group actually knows Greek or Latin, you can make your own version. I was a classics major back in college, so I come in handy for my theater group.... Or if you have someone good in French, Moliere's a goldmine as well. |
Posted By: suzecue1
Date Posted: 10/25/06 at 9:32am
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We did a run of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" in two different churches. The pastors of each of the churchs even took turns playing the pastor in the show when it was at their own church. It brought in a lot more people to see the show than if it were at another venue. Most of the members of both congregations came to see the show. Set was easy because half of the show is set in a church anyway. BUT - you have to like to work with kids! It's a wonderful show.
------------- Sue ***** So many hats.....so few heads! |
Posted By: Sarah Hoffman
Date Posted: 10/31/06 at 2:49pm
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My recommendation: "An O. Henry Christmas" -- A musical by Peter Ekstrom. (Be careful -- there is a ghastly soppy play of the same name, available from a different vendor.)
I directed this show for the Corvallis (OR) Community Theater in 2003 (run from Dec. 27, 2003 through Jan 4, 2004). This is a two-act musical consisting of Ekstrom's librettos based on "The Last Leaf" and "The Gift of the Magi." The gem of this show is that it only requires four people for "The Last Leaf" and two for "The Gift of the Magi." However, good strong voices are required for the women's parts, and there is a tricky bass-baritone role in "The Last Leaf". The show is easy to do in that we used the same set, with just minor modifications, for both shows. We did a one-room NY tenement set and got local dealers to lend us old furniture, including an ancient Hoosier cupboard. The music is lovely, especially the writing for the soprano in "The Last Leaf" and "Gift". It can be done with piano, or with small ensemble. The one caveat I have has nothing to do with the play. If you want to do this show, be prepared for grief and pain from the folks at Samuel French. Oh, they are quite happy to send you the scores -- but they're the wrong ones. We requested scores and scripts for rehearsals to start at the beginning of October. In mid-November, after numerous mistakes, we still did not have the correct scores. Finally, a SamFrench manager found (!) a conductor's piano score in some drawer and a photocopy of another score in another drawer(!). The show went on and we had good audiences, despite a major ice storm. So, be prepared to be firm and insistent with SamFrench right from the outset. It is really a pity that Peter Ekstrom should be losing out on royalties and performances because Sam French can't figure out which score is which. OK, it isn't strictly a Christmas play. It is a winter play, and could be done in Late Fall ( Thanksgiving period) or Jan-Feb. The Gift of the Magi is of course about Christmas gifts, but it is pertinent to any time of the year. If anyone has specific questions about production demands, etc., don't hesitate to ask. Good luck. |
Posted By: Bethey
Date Posted: 11/04/06 at 2:23pm
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I am in a similar though slightly different situation. I am involved in a church sponsored community theater group. All of the members of the group are members of the church. We do not do Christian plays but are obviously quite careful about the content since the stage is located in the fellowship hall and the players commune on Sunday morning. We are always looking for small cast, more women than men (that?s a challenge) comedies. We have had great luck with ?Let Him Sleep ?til It?s Time For His Funeral (handled by Merriweather Publishing), Laffin? Room Only (Baker?s Plays?I still get asked when we are doing this show again), Every Little Crook and Nanny by Pat Cook (Don?t know who handles it?Lineus, maybe?), 100 Lunches: A Gourmet Comedy (French) and Michael Paller?s adaptation of A Christmas Carol (coming back for it?s second year, also handled by French.) Since you have a lot of the same limitations we have, I would be interested to know what you have had success with. Good luck! |
Posted By: falstaff29
Date Posted: 11/05/06 at 2:04pm
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I don't know how strict your group is, but two comedies with larger female than male populations you might want to look at: Blithe Spirit- Noel Coward. Can be funny if done well. (I've seen both good and bad versions.) 2 m, 5 f, I think. Play It Again, Sam- Woody Allen. Only has 3 males. There are 9 females, but most of them are small parts, and can thus be played by the same actress with a change of wig. Typical early Woody Allen; very funny. Again, I don't know how strict your church is, but these are both in the "harmless enough I'd let my grandma see me in them" category. :) |
Posted By: Theatrestation
Date Posted: 11/05/06 at 3:28pm
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We just finished a run of "Over The River And Through The Woods" by Joe DePietro. Very well received, very funny, and mild language.
------------- http://www.castbuilding.com http://www.theatrestation.com |
Posted By: Lionjill
Date Posted: 11/05/06 at 3:31pm
| I had the same problem - so I started writing melodramas. I have one for sale through Pioneer Drama "Saved by the Serendipity Circus." I also have one that is an easy musical that is about a hillbilly wedding. If you are interested in that one, let me know, I can make arrangements for you personally. I have tried other types of shows, but the melodramas just seemed to play best for us. |
Posted By: mstie4
Date Posted: 11/05/06 at 6:49pm
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We spent three years renting space in a church where the minister
wanted to "approve" all our shows before hand. The stage was very
small (14' x 12') with no wings. Here's what we did: - Godspell (they LOVED it, but had to "miss" one swear word) - How to Eat Like a Child (a musical) - Once Upon A Mattress (musical) - Ann of Green Gables - The Miracle Worker (the minister had never heard of it and didn't bother reading the script that time, but thought the title sounded great for a church setting) - Moon Over the Brewery (there was about one page of dialog that they were not happy with) - Harvey - Our Miss Brooks (larger cast, so was very crowed on the stage with this one) - The Importance of Being Ernest - Our Town With a couple of these shows, we put some of the scenes down on the floor (for instance, Ann's room in The Miracle Worker). Don't know if this helps, but we were were successful with them while we were there. |
Posted By: Thespian_4_ever
Date Posted: 12/29/06 at 6:12pm
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Godspell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ------------- |
Posted By: red diva
Date Posted: 1/02/07 at 5:58pm
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Lovely little small cast musical with patriotic theme: "TinTypes". ------------- "I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!" |
Posted By: Paramitch
Date Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:41pm
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Agnes of God! <just kidding>
My suggestions would also be some wonderful older works -- "Angel Street" (the melodrama "Gaslight" is based on), "Arsenic and Old Lace," or perhaps "The Importance of Being Earnest."
Musicals -- What about "The Apple Tree?"
Shakespeare-wise, you could try "A Winter's Tale," or something gentle and comedic -- "Twelfth Night" or "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
So many good suggestions here -- I love the idea of "Our Town" too -- the church setting would almost make it more poignant. ------------- Angela Mitchell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Performing Arts Guide, About.com http://performingarts.about.com performingarts.guide@about.com Twitter PerfArtsGuide |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 1/30/07 at 9:31am
To be followed up by Doubt, no doubt!
I've seen Godspell done in a church - worked great. And another vote for Our Town. I would reserve the first couple of rows of pews for the cast, and bring them onstage from there - like they did in Six Degrees of Separation. ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Posted By: ActFour
Date Posted: 1/30/07 at 3:50pm
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Well, if you've done Smoke on the Mountain, then "Pump Boys and Dinettes" would be a nice follow up. Small cast, fun music, lots of laughs. It's best when the actors can also play instruments, but it's done often without.
Another small cast musical with wide appeal is 1940's Radio Hour. Don't know why, but I've always liked that.
Or if you want to go more traditional why not the Fantastics?
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Posted By: dougb
Date Posted: 2/01/07 at 10:56am
| That brings up The Taffeta's - a delightful musical with four women. Plays particularly well to an older audience. |
Posted By: Scott B
Date Posted: 2/09/07 at 11:02pm
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We considered The Taffeta's at one time, so a few of us went to see it at a nearby dinner theatre. We all loved the music and the actors were great, but we thought the dialog was really weak. Maybe the audience wouldn't care if the gals could really harmonize. |