calling all theatre geeks!

[kaydeefalls]

Mmkay. I am becoming rather involved in my University Theater. I've been at this school for two quarters and been in a play each quarter. A friend of mine, who's currently assistant directing the play I'm in, is planning to direct a show this Fall Quarter, and I signed on as his assistant director. Nominally, he's in charge, but we've agreed to make it more of a co-directing thing.

The problem? We don't know what play to propose. We both have our "dream shows" that we're dying to direct at some point (Rocky Horror for him, City of Angels for me), but we'd like to wait until we've got more directing experience under our respective belts before tackling those -- we're both only first-years.

So! Now we're both out searching for good plays. We've got about a month before we need to make a decision and start pulling the show proposal together. We don't want a huge design team or budget, so no lavish/extravagant sets or effects. What I ask of you, dear friends, is to please rec me a good play! Comic, tragic, profound, silly, whatever. Nothing too ambitious (forget Les Mis), and preferably something that hasn't been done ten thousand times already (so not Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, alas), but we're very open to suggestions. We want to produce something fantabulous!

So, yeah. Anyone? Bueller?

Comments

[msilverstar]

My friend Carol Lashof writes some fascinating student-oriented plays, I think you can find them via web search.

Re:

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I'll check it out, thanks!

[trivetmonger.livejournal.com]

This semester I'm ASMing a small (cast = 6) farce that's just absolutely brilliant, called Don't Dress for Dinner, by Marc Camoletti. Definite themes of Coupling here, combined with the ability to direct all of your actors to put on French accents, rather extraordinary physical comedy (Woodworm!) and a total consumption of alcohol that would put every one of Alex's parties ever (combined) to shame. It's hot stuff.

Alternately, if musicals are an option, The Last 5 Years by Jason Robert Brown is an incredible show with a cast of two and a five-or-six piece orchestra, although I think you'd much rather play Cathy then direct her. Let me know if you want a couple of samples from the soundtrack, it's well worth buying if you like it.

And I just realized that I think you've heard of that show. If you have, consider it anyway, since it's awesome.

Re:

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

I'll check out the Camoletti. I have heard of the Jason Robert Brown musical, but I've never listened to the soundtrack or anything. We're not sure if we'll be able to get a musical director, though.

[(Anonymous)]

Have you read any plays by Martin McDonagh? His stories are usually dark comedies. My particular favourite is a trilogy he wrote called The Beauty Queen of Leenane. There's a very good description of it here (http://home.t-online.de/home/daveh/beautyqueen/queen_p.htm).

Good luck with your search.

Hugs,
Kia

Re:

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

Heh, I can just picture a cast of American college students trying to portray elderly Irish people. But I have heard great things about Beauty Queen. I'll check it out. Thanks!

[dorrie6.livejournal.com]

If you want to do something musical that doesn't require a large cast or budget, I would recommend any of the works of Polly Pen, but especially Goblin Market (based on the Christina Rossetti poem) or Bed and Sofa (based on a Russian silent film from the '20s). Both have very small casts (two women for Goblin Market, one woman and two men for Bed and Sofa), require minimal sets, and only a few musicians. They are gorgeous, layered works... so much to explore and so much that can be done with them. Well worth looking at. :)