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WHICH PLAY SHOULD I DIRECT?
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Can I Change This Question To "Which Play Should I Direct First?" Hey, Let Me Be Brutally Honest - I'd Love To Have You Direct All Of My Plays! But Let Me Say That The Question Of Which One You Should Direct Is Best Answered By Saying The One You Like Best. Sound Too Flippant? Well, Actually It Was That Sort Of Reasoning That Led To The Writing Of My Plays. When I Was Directing Plays At A Camp One Summer I Just Couldn't Find A "Fairy Tale Type" Script That I Really Liked. The Straight Forward Type Seemed To Talk Down To Kids And The Funnier Versions Just Didn't Appeal To My Sense Of Humor.... So I Wrote My Own! Now The Script You Like Should Also Be The One You Know You Can Stage (Most Of My Scripts Are Pretty Flexible In The Staging Requirements, So You Can Be As Simple Or Elaborate As Your Budget & Space Will Permit). Also (And I Know That "Precasting" Is A Dirty Word, but) You Will Want To Know That You Have At Least Some Potential Actors/Actresses For The Roles In The Script You Choose. IF I Were To Recommend One Script, It Would Probably Be "Frumpled Fairy Tales" Since It Is The Most Flexible Cast-wise (The 18 Roles Can be Played By As Few As 5 Cast Members) And Staging-wise (It's Been Done Simply With A Few Benches & Stools As Well As Elaborately With Twin Turntables - Both Versions Were Equally Sucessful!).Lisewise, The Costuming Has Gone From Navy Turtleneck Shirts & Bluejeans With Bits & Pieces Of Costumes (Aprons, Crowns, That Sort Of Thing) To Very Detailed Costuming. Now Many Of These Same Things Hold True With Most Of My Other Scripts, But "Frumpled" Is Probably The Most Flexible Of All - IF It's The One You Like The Most, Then There's Your Answer!
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WHAT'S THE BEST VENUE FOR YOUR PLAYS?
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This Question Came From The Fact That The Person Writing Worked With A High School Drama Club, A Church Group And A Local Community Theatre. Well, To Start My Answer, I Can Say That I Have Either Directed Or Seen Productions Of My Plays In All Of The Following "Venues": - Arts Festival
- Camp Theatre
- Children's Theatre
- Community Theatre
- Educational Theatre
- Reader's Theatre Competition
- Touring Productions
AndI Also Know That The Shows Have Been Produced By Religous Schools And In Colleges. Guess That Covers Most Venues Out There... As I Mention In The Answer To One Of The Other Questions, My Scripts Seem To Appeal To Audiences Of All Ages - Not Just Kids - So They Have Played Well In Just About Every Venue I Can Imagine. The Only Other Thing I Might Add Is That Since The Running Time Of Some Of My Scripts Might Be Considered A Bit Short For A Community Theatres, Two Or More Of The Plays Can Be Done In A Single Evening - An Option Which I Have Seen Done By Some Groups.
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WHAT AGE AUDIENCE DO THE PLAYS APPEAL TO?
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ALL AGES !!!!! This Is Not Just An Empty Boast, But A Fact Which I Have Seen Wherever I've Produced Them. This Is Probably A Bit Of A Redundant Question Since The Real Answer Will Be Found Under "Is The Humor Written For Children Or Adults." The One Thing That I might Add To What Is Said There Is The Fact That These Scripts Are Not Written "Down To Kids" And Therefore Are Not Just Some Sappy Or Silly (Or Yucky) Plays Which Parents And Adults Will Feel Like They've Been Dragged To See.
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WHAT AGE SHOULD THE CAST BE?
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The Cast Can Be Almost Any Age. The Only Stipulation I Can Think Of Is That The Youngest Children Need To Be Able To Learn Their Lines, To Follow Directions And To Be Able To Remember Both In Front Of An Audience. (Actually, I Guess The Same Criteria Goes For The Other End Of The Age Spectrum As Well!) Everone Should Also Want To Have Fun - And Want To Share That Fun With Their Audience. My Plays Can Be Performed By Children For Children
- Or -
By Adults For Children!
I Have Directed Casts Where The Ages Have Ranged From Early Teens To 70+! I Have Also Directed Some Shows With Kids As Young As 8 or 9. You Can Stay Within A Specific Age Range Or Cover The Spectrum. Now Of Course, Some Of This Is Based On The Age Of The Role You're Casting. For Example, Cast A "Young" Red Riding Hood & An "Old" Granny - Although the opposite might just be worth the site gag, so I guess I wouldn't completely rule it out as a consideration. And, hey! - If You Want To Produce The Show In A Senior Citizen Home - Everybody Could Be Old! Seriously, though, I Have Cast All Ages In My Plays. Just Remember That Whether You're Working Within A Smaller Age Range (8-12, 9-18, Whatever) Or A Larger One (9 to 90) It's Probably Best To Make The Older Characters Look Older And The Younger Ones Look Younger - Within The Age Spectrum Of The Cast You're Working With For That Particular Production. The Red/Granny Type Of Age Reversal Might Work, But You Should Be Sure That That Sort Of Thing Adds To The Humor Of The Play Rather Than Becoming A Site Gag Which Takes Away From The Play's Total Effect.
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IS THE HUMOR WITTEN FOR CHILDREN OR ADULTS?
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Well, When I Wrote These Plays I Really Didn't Try To Write Jokes For Either Kids Or Adults... I Wrote Things That I Thought Were Funny. Now My Sense Of Humor Covers A Pretty Wide Range: Silly to Funny to Downright "Goofy" - A Fact That You'll Realize When You Either Read One Of My Scripts Or See Them Performed. The Slapstick Is Sure To Amuse The Littlest Ones In The Audience, While The More Subtle Jokes And Puns Will Probably Be Better Enjoyed By The Parents And Adults. I Really Do Believe There Is Something There For Just About Every And Any Age To Enjoy! From An Audience Standpoint, It's Nice To Have A Play That The Adults Can Enjoy - Like I mentioned In The Answer To Another Question, The Parents Don't Feel So Much Like They've Been Dragged To Some "Kiddie Play" - They Can Actually Enjoy The Show And Have As Good A Time As The Children Do! From A Producers Standpoint, The More The Adults Enjoy The Show, The More They'll Want To Support Your Children's Theatre Program! Not Just By Attending Themselves, But By Offering Support (Either Financially Or By Helping Put The Plays "On The Boards") - I've Seen It Happen!!!
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OTHER QUESTIONS
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OKAY!
I admit it! There Are Questions Which I Have Probably Not Answered. And the Most Important One Of Those Is Yours! If You Have A Question You'd Like To Submit, Click Here To Email It To Me. I Will Add It (Question & Answer) To This "Faq" Page And Then Email You To Let You Know That The Answer Has Been Posted Here.
The Only "Rules" I Have About The Questions You Ask Are These:
- They Must Be "General" Questions - I Don't Answer Directing/Blocking/Staging or Design Type Questions. These Answers (As Far As What I have To Say) Are Covered In The Stage Directing and Design Notes Included in Each Play Script.
- I Can't Send Perusal Copies Or Grant Performance Rights - All Of These "Business" Type Things Are Dealt With By Publishers. Click Here For Their Contact Info.
- If You Want Cast Size/Synopsis Info, Click Here For My Playscript Library Where That Info Can Be Found.
I Do Want To Be Helpful, But I Have To Put Some Limits On What Help I Can Offer.
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