PlayReading
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Topic: PlayReading
Posted By: Guests
Subject: PlayReading
Date Posted: 10/10/00 at 7:34pm
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Anyone know any really good plays for a small community theatre group. We have a very small stage and a lot of very old conservative people. We want to do something new; but we don't want to offend our season ticket holders. We took a survey and the audiences rated comedies and mysteries the "most wanted" to see category. Any suggestions?
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Replies:
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 10/11/00 at 11:19am
When it comes to plays, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - that is why the catalogues are so full of plays.
Here are my favorites that match your needs:
TO GILLIAN ON HER 37th BIRTHDAY - cast of seven, comedy/drama - royalties are a % of potential gross rather than a fixed price - a boon to small theaters.
Neil Simon's CHAPTER TWO - far better than the movie - again comedy/drama - simple set (can be as simple or elaborate as you want) - two apartments on opposite sides of the stage - use lighting to determine which apartment is active in that scene.
LOVE LETTERS - one of the Gurney plays - simple to stage - script is read rather than memorized - has the "F" word but in a necessary context.
THE LADY WHO CRIED FOX - a simple comedy - light fare - simple set.
ALL I REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN - very simple to stage - can be done anywhere - music is not great but the monologues/dialogues are very good.
THREE VIEWINGS by Jeffrey Hatcher would push your envelope a little but has three long monologues that are wonderful. Sure to get laughs and tears.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 10/12/00 at 8:56am
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You might want to look at a play called, Foxfire (or Firefox). I think it has a cast of three. I saw it on Braodway with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronin many years ago. If I recall correctly, it's a very sweet story. I believe Hume Cronin also co-authored it as well. If you want something a little more well known, there's always, The Gin Game. Good luck.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 4/03/01 at 1:39pm
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Take a look at The Cemetery Club and Steel Magnolias -- both are single set and could be done on a small stage.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 8/23/01 at 12:08pm
We (Saline Area Players) have done several dinner theatre productions with a local restaurant (till the owner decided to retire and closed the place) - we had a lot of fun with these plays:
Star Spangled Girl
I Take This Man
Father of the Bride
Death by Chocolate
Faith County
Crossing Delancy
(Our stage was the basement banquet room - and it had poles we had to block around)
Currently, we're starting another collaboration with a local pizza/buffet restaurant and we decided to do one acts:
"Pizza: A Love Story" and "Clara and the Gambler"
We started with something people might know (Star Spangled Girl) and after that, we got a lot of word of mouth publicity. We found the biggest issues were centered around the collaboration with the restaurant - making sure communication was impeccable - especially during the rehearsal periods. And, we actually made enough money that these shows funded our musicals!
Good luck!
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 8/24/01 at 11:16am
We just closed a great play "Over the River and Through the Woods" by Joe Dipietro. This is a relatively new effort of his (since "I Love You, You're Perfect now Change"). It is a wonderful story - tons of laughs and a few tears - suitable for all ages - cast of six - four grandparents and two grandkids ages.
It is wonderful - a great success. It is about Italian people but we did not do the accents. When all tghe dollars are counted, it will be one of the most successful plays we have ever done!!!
You can find it a Dramatists Play Service.
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