Need Help re. School Plays

[Daxx]

I know there have to be some people here who can help me out. My principal has asked me to cast and direct a play w/our students. Thankfully, I'm getting some help from another teacher. Here's the thing ... for the life of me, I can't think of any plays except "Our Town" or "Cheaper By The Dozen"! We can't do a musical b/c we just don't have enough support for one and I don't know if we can get enough kids who want to sing!

We'd like to make the play open to all 5th through 8th graders, so need something that would interest them and not be overly difficult. I've even thought about doing a few one-act plays.

Can anyone help out w/possible plays that have been successful at your middle school!?!? Any info/advice/etc. would be helpful! The last time this school did a play was prob. circa 1899!!! Seriously!!! Thanks to all!

 

[monsterkitty]

We did Twinderella last year. While it is a musical, there is a non-musical option as well. The kids and audience loved it!

Here are two links for it:
http://www.charlielovett.com/mainpages/studyguides/twindermusic.html

http://www.pioneerdrama.com/searchdetail.asp?pc=TWINDERMUS

The second link has many plays to look at. Good luck!

p.s. we did the musical version. the casting is very flexible, and allows for those who sing to cover more than one part, while allowing the non-singers to shine as well. We used the CD set instead of live music because it is much easier for the kids.

 

[hidmickey:myantidrug]

The only school plays (rather than musicals) we've ever done were Our Town, Cheaper by the Dozen, Museum, and some other one that I can't remember. I'll check on that and get back to ya. I can't even think of another play that could be fairly easily done by students, I'll think about it. Best of luck.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Bye Bye Birdie.. my daughter's class did that one.. and Grease the year before. Darn, I just reread and saw it cannot be a musical...hmmmmmm

and it cannot be racy....that takes care of Tennessee Williams' plays.. Streetcar named Desire. No Eugene O'Neill...yikes.. what plays are there for students to do that are not musicals other than the two mentioned previously...

Check out this website.. interesting reading here: http://www.stageplays.com/plays.htm

 

[missypie]

Lots of middle schools do an abreviated version of "Midsummer Night's Dream." If it sas high school, I'd say "Arsenic and Old Lace." It's fun.

 

[Teacher03]

You will have so much fun! I teach 3rd grade, but direct the school play for 5th-8th graders. This will be my 4th year to be involved, and it just keeps getting better and better. We did a fun one a couple of years ago call Uncle Phil's Diner. It was a musical, but the kids didn't sing, just dance. It was an audience interactive play. I can't remember where we got it from, when I go back to school, I will try to find it for you. This year we are doing Gone with the Breeze from Pioneer dramas (the website was mentioned in another post) My best advice is to get all the help you can. We utilize our local community theater and my daughter does all the choreography, which is awesome. Our parents help with costuming, etc. It is alot of fun, and really rewarding. Good luck!

 

[barkley]

i'de suggest before you set your heart on or announce a play you find out how much the school can afford for royalties. despite some school's/community theatre's attitude that 'it's not a problem' or 'noone will ever notice'-it is illegal to produce a play for public performance without permission (via paying royalties) unless the script is in public domain or allows for non fee productions (and i know of at least one public school production that was not only shut down before performance by an author's rep's-but was also subjected to a civil lawsuit).

that said-if you want a play that can be 'overly-cast' (that is include as many kids as possible) there are non muscial versions of oliver, the wizard of oz and other traditionaly muscial shows that can have large ensambles to fit your needs. you could also take an existing fairytale and work out a rough script to fit your cast's abilities. you can take a very simple story and build on it/change it.

you might also check on the internet for companies that sell entire packages of productions geared for a certain age range-my kid's school does a holiday play each year (on an almost non-existant budget) and buys the rights from a company that includes the scripts, a video of the production (to teach any choreography) and pre-recorded music that is permitted to be played during the show.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Charlotte's Web?
Stuart Little?

Those are the only ones I can think of.

TOV

 

[poochie]

What about "Once upon a matteress". It is basically a twisted fairly tale based on the princess and the pea. It was done in my Jr High school and it was hysterical!!!!

 

[Lizzy2]

In High School our drama class used to do a Storybook Theatre as an assembly on the last day of school before Christmas break. Even as old as we were, everyone loved it and I'm sure the stories are public domain. We did Aesop's Fables, Henny Penny, and a few others. Some of the kids who could sing got together and sang between the scenes and some who could play an instrument ie. the piano and a flute accompanied the songs. We did it in the library so there was no scenery to speak of and everyone wore black pants and tnecks with little pieces over top to suggest their characters. For example, I was Henny Penny and I wore an apron and something red in my hair? Sorry, its hard to remember. Its been over 20 years! But something along those lines would have minimal cost and could involve as few or as many students as you wished. Break a leg!

 

[barkley]

What about "Once upon a matteress". It is basically a twisted fairly tale based on the princess and the pea. It was done in my Jr High school and it was hysterical!!!!

i love this show and have done it as an adult-but be warned-a major story line deals with an unplanned pregnancy between an unmarried couple. might be kinda for some parents to see their kid's portraying.

 

[doodlebugs]

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe---my 8th grade dd just finished this in November. Even "toured" with it and performed it at the local primary & elem. schools.

 

[debbi801]

My kids' middle school has put on Once Upon a Mattress, Anne Frank, Harvey, Carousel, and Peter Pan.

 

[golfgal]

I know you teach at a Catholic school so I am going to assume K-8. Our kids' old school did a production with the Missoula Children's Theater every year, http://www.mctinc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=175, and it they were excellent and a BLAST for the kids.

This theater company from Montana tours worldwide bringing various plays to your school. They have directors that cast the kids on Monday, rehearse Monday-Thurs or Fri and do a performance Fri and/or Saturday. They supply the costumes, scripts, play, everything, you supply a parent or teacher to help supervise and the kids. My kids REALLY miss doing these plays--they are always VERY funny too. They are spin offs of Fairy Tales--Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, The Frog Prince are a few they have done.

I would contact them and see if you can get some information, but it is probably too late for this year but look into it for next year!!!

 

[phorsenuf]

Bugsy Malone. The childrens theatre did that one year and it was awesome. Shoot, just fund out its a musical. A good one to consider if anyone is doing a musical!

 

[Daxx]

i'de suggest before you set your heart on or announce a play you find out how much the school can afford for royalties. despite some school's/community theatre's attitude that 'it's not a problem' or 'noone will ever notice'-it is illegal to produce a play for public performance without permission (via paying royalties) unless the script is in public domain or allows for non fee productions (and i know of at least one public school production that was not only shut down before performance by an author's rep's-but was also subjected to a civil lawsuit).

Seriously!?!? Yikes! So, anyone know what plays are public domain!?!?

 

[noodles]

My DD's school did The Wind In The Willows last year. It was open to all students in 5th -8th grades. They had a great time doing it and the entire school K-8th liked it!

 

[Beca]

Seriously!?!? Yikes! So, anyone know what plays are public domain!?!?

Only really old ones....like Shakespeare, Moliere, and the Greek classics are royalty free. However, royalties are based on how much you will charge for tickets, whether or not you are not-for-profit, and the size of the space...most "small name" plays would not cost you over a couple hundred dollars.

I totally second staying away from "Once Upon a Mattress"...I did it in college, and it is pretty racy (the line, "No one is having any...no one is getting any.....younger..." comes to mind). I cannot believe middle schools are performing it.

I highly recommend this website: http://www.samuelfrench.com/store/index.php

Samuel French is a leader of scripts for children. They also have low-royalty, and no-royalty sections. Also, they have plays divided up by the number of characters in them. You can also purchase single perusal copies for you to read the scripts and see what you think.

I ran a children's theatre for 5 years. Please feel free to pm me if I can answer any questions for you.

 

[Beca]

Oh....I forgot to add. One of my FAVORITE children's plays is "My Emperor's New Clothes" by Larry Shue (the same talented man who wrote "The Nerd" and "The Foreigner"). It is a musical, but a VERY limited musical.

It is a bust-the-gut funny play that gets the audience involved in the story. I performed it years ago, and it was one of my favorite shows to do.

Dramatists holds the rights, and it is $75 to get the rights. Here's a link:
http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1895

You might browse Dramatists' site as well....they have some good stuff, too.

 

[TheGoofster]

I know when I was in school (many, many years ago) we did the play OLIVER. I think there might have been a song or two in it, but I am sure there are some versions that are music free.