Play Suggestions: Play suggestions needed

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Play suggestions needed

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=2271
Printed Date: 5/06/25 at 2:22am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Play suggestions needed

Posted By: Nanette
Subject: Play suggestions needed
Date Posted: 2/22/07 at 4:04pm

Hi everyone!

I need some help finding something girl-heavy for our spring show next year. I want something relatively familiar with a largish cast (15-20), with very few male parts (I never get more than 3 guys at auditions). Something with one or two set pieces, or representational, would be perfect.

We've done BCPE and will be doing Girls to the Rescue!, Secret Garden, and a Laura Ingals Wilder Christmas between then and now. We perform in a church, so it must be appropriate for the location, too.

Oh, and it's a children's theatre (ages 10 and up, although I may drop that back to 8 or 9 to get a few more boys involved).

Ideas? ....

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In a world of margarine, be butter!

Replies:

Posted By: Juror #3
Date Posted: 2/22/07 at 5:56pm

Casts of 15-20 that are mostly or all women are not plentiful. I would suggest "The Women" by Claire Boothe which has a cast of 35 women (many can be doubled) and no men. "Stage Door" comes to mind, also. All of the key characters are the women who live in a slightly rundown rooming house in NYC who all aspire to make it big in show business. I think it is by Kaufman and Hart. Also, "Girls of the Garden Club" by John Patrick has 2 men and 17 women, as does "Life with Mother Superior" (don't remember authors' names) which has a flexible cast of women and 2 men's parts. It is based on "The Trouble with Angels", which was made into a pretty popular movie in the late 50s or early 60s. I don't know of any others. I have also looked at plays with large casts where I could cast some men's parts with women. These were 1930s plays when many parts were created to give actors work, but many of those parts do not need to be played by men. Good Luck!

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Juror #3

Posted By: charlz
Date Posted: 2/23/07 at 11:28am

Try Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea from Dramatic Publishing. I've never done either, but a friend of mine, who has the same circumstances as you, has done both shows due to their abundant roles for women. Good Luck.

Posted By: jtonner
Date Posted: 2/23/07 at 5:33pm

Anne of Avonlea is a good choice. I directed it for our group and you can basically do it with benches and a table. It is narrated by Anne who is writing an autobiography for going to college. She goes in and out of the action. It does take some males (probably 6 ror 7), and you Anne need to be strong as she is on 96 out of 100 pages, but it is a good show.

John

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John

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 2/24/07 at 2:12am

If your into musicals, you could always try ‘By Jeeves’.
The music is by Laird Andy Loyd Webber (Realy Useful Company)& the Book/lyrics by: Alan Ayckbourn Based on the writings of P.G. Wodehouse.
It’s set in a church hall & it can be a fairly large cast, the set is improvised to a great extent.
I have been wanting do it for years. It looks like great fun & not that difficult to stage.
It has a touch of Panto in it, the only problem, might be the very pronounced pohmy (British) accent [BBC/’Kensington’ style].

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Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

Posted By: Lazy Bee
Date Posted: 2/25/07 at 9:45am

There is a script called "Daisy Pulls It Off" by Denise Deegan (I'm not sure who holds the rights) which would probably fit the bill (large cast of girls, two male roles) - however it is a parody of English adventure stories for girls, and set in a very English girls' boarding school.

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Stuart
Lazy Bee Scripts
http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk - http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk read complete play scripts on-line

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 2/25/07 at 6:58pm

I think Claire from Amdram was in it last year.
From her description it sounded great, all Jolly Hockey Sticks & under sized Gym Slips!
Similar to ‘St Trinians’?

http://www.sanity.com.au/product/dvd.asp?sku=911004

http://www.sanity.com.au/product/dvd.asp?sku=911004

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Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 2/25/07 at 7:05pm

Sorry this the link for ‘Daisy pulls it off"

http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsD/DeeganDenise.htm#9249

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Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

Posted By: lwood
Date Posted: 3/01/07 at 6:17pm

what about 12 angry jurors? the casting is more flexible than many shows, and there are 15 parts (although i'm not sure who the last three are, so they are probably fairly small). the only question is if it would work with your age group--i dont know the kids you're workign with so that depends.

http://dramaticpublishing.com/catalogdetail.cfm?listcode=T42 - http://dramaticpublishing.com/catalogdetail.cfm?listcode=T42