Three interracial couples attend an Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy workshop at the McGregor Plantation. Best Character: Iago for being one of the most villainous characters ever to grace the stage. Its also hilarious, if absolutely weird. Valre, Marianes original fiance, struggles to regain the hand of his true love Mariane with the help of Elmire, Orgons second wife. Peter and the Starcatcher. Sense and Sensibility Playwright: Alan BennettLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Its 1906, and Sholem Asch has just finished writing the shocking God of Vengeance, a play Yiddish play about the love affair between two women. This madcap comedy is laugh-out-loud funny. We have several study guides that might be able to help, including our guide to all the characters in The Great Gatsby. This spooky thriller about a murderous Scottish thane and his ambitious wife is the perfect way to get young actors to fall in love with the Bard's verse. 365 Days/365 Plays isnt a single modern play as you might guess from the name, its a collection of 365 plays. Below is Performer Stuffs top 25 list of plays every high school senior should read before graduating. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? The goal was Roaldson's eighth of the season to bring his point total to a team-high of 16 points. Check out our guide to AP Literature for tips on preparing for the exam. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. While designed for four actors, the cast can be expanded to 19 to account for every role. When reviewing the 2013 Broadway production for the New York Post, Elisabeth Vincentelli commented, this is the kind of full-on comedy thats sadly rare on Broadway and we couldnt agree more! score: 5,961 , and 61 people voted. 4. This autobiographical novel by poet Sylvia Plath explores the deep, dark reality of mental illness. Its 1929, and youre a Cuban immigrant in a Florida cigar factory in Tampa. You'll learn about other places, other times, and other cultures. This play is perfect for high Bonus: Studying The Crucible for school and struggling? F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby a novel that in many ways closely reflected his own experience. Summary: Troy Maxson, a former star of the Negro baseball leagues who now works as a garbage man in 1957 Pittsburgh. You are now subscribed to our More Good Stuff maling list. Though her father approves of the match, Othellos confident, Iago, becomes jealous of Othellos promotion and conspires against Othello with Rodrigo, a man who lusts after Desdemona. You have successfully purchased store credit. Its shortly after 9/11, and an eclectic assortment of guests has gathered for a Manhattan dinner party. Del City High School officials released a statement that said, "After the completion of the boys basketball game against Millwood High School, a fight occurred and gunshots After he casually comes out as gay at a press conference, Lemming believes everything will be fine. If you have the chance, catch a live production; its gripping, even in the hands of non-professionals. John Steinbecks masterful The Grapes of Wrath centers around the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in American history. The 24-person cast means that a bunch of students can participate; and while the dramatis personae skews disproportionately male (17 men to seven women), an ambitious director can certainly blur the lines of gender for a drama club that has more female performers. Check out ourThe Crucible study guides here! Its largely a one-woman show playwright Heidi Schreck performed in the original productions that examines issues that face women. This dystopian novel by George Orwell was written 35 years before the date referenced by the title. She runs a brothel that takes in women who have been ruined by soldiers. Just punch right In a truly remarkable feat, Suzan-Lori Parks wrote one play every day for a full year. The book focuses on four mother and four daughters across four sections of the novel for a total of sixteen stories that come together to complete this total work. The rainbow contains all sorts of symbolism. Oberon and his faithful servant, Puck, cause trouble when Puck accidentally makes Lysander andDemetrius fall in love withHelenaand Titania fall in love with a boastful actor named Bottom who Puck turns into a donkey. Want to Read. If youre exhausted from the constant political discourse (were using that term loosely) thats everywhere, maybe give Heroes of the Fourth Turning a pass. Playwright: Young Jean leeLicensing: Dramatists Play Service, The all-male Take Me Out tells the story of baseball player Darren Lemming. One Man, Two Guvnors premiered in 2011, but it was originally conceived in 1743. You might remember Quiara Alegra Hudes from her play Eliot, a Soldiers Fugue; in this follow-up, she again tackles the struggles of soldiers returning from war. She deftly integrates the social and political context of the time, offering insights into the attitudes and behaviors of her characters. Salinger. "Yeah, just right there. 1. Navigating new relationships and inevitable temptations, Kens supposedly missing faith is tested. Tom Wingfield for one of the most interesting sets of monologues ever delivered in modern theatre. This is not a play for the faint of heart it follows the meeting of a predator and his victim, now grown up. Best Characters:Hamlet, Horatio, and Ophelia for strong characters having to deal with the throes of great change. The script offers an intimate look at the actors and the challenges of the day in each production. Over the course of the play, Everyman encounters different characters who tempt, insult, and shun him all except Good Deeds. The inevitability of change is neatly demonstrated. Anderson, Maxwell. Considering Wilder's narrator is called "The Stage Manager," such self-aware theatricality is as baked into Our Town as apple into a pie. Playwright Michael Frayn has created a masterpiece of controlled chaos in which everything that can go wrong, does. Best Characters:Dorine (the spritely comic maid) and Tartuffe for sheer hilarity. While marriage is one of the central ideas in the novel, there are plenty of other themes to be picked apart, including ones that touch on pride, prejudice, first impressions, love, misunderstanding, and manipulation. Colleges, Comedy, Competitions, Doubling Possible, Edgy Play, Friendship, High School, Teens. Summary: Set in the summer home of the Tyrone family during 1912. It also opens with a shameless series of very witty dirty jokes, and such humor is scattered throughout the rest of the show. It examines the various problems in the script, discusses race as a social construct, and explores the idea of blackface (and whiteface and redface) to pinpoint exactly whats upsetting about it. Probably the wittiest comedy in the English language. There are lots of accusations of creepy stuff in The Crucible. And as a reminder, if you decide to read The Great Gatsby or The Crucible, you can check out our analyses of each to help you along the way! Best Character: Eliza Doolittle for gumption and sass. Perhaps the good-natured sweetness and innocent enthusiasm that radiates from each of the 11 vignette-style love stories. In particular, Huxley balances utopian and dystopian interpretations of a world that is highly controlled, easily manipulated, and extremely dysfunctional, ready to fall apart at any provocation. Given the generally understated nature of the writing and the mundane movie-theater setting it feels like a lot. Motivated by greed and ambition (and his power-hungry wife), Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. (Or awarded a Tony, for that matter) Thats up to you to decide. several murders. Tartuffe pretends to be a religious man, pious, and full of authority from God, and Orgon, convinced of Tartuffes piety, promises Mariane, his daughter, to the fraud. Its a mix of the famous fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. Danger is everywhere, and mysterious blackouts are setting residents on edge. Truly, intolerance and mass hysteria are perennial themes in America, and what better time to introduce them than in high school? Its not at all preachy; after speaking out publicly, DHH himself ends up making a poor casting choice and finding a creative way to deal with the consequences. Brutus sides with Cassius and the other betrayers. The Odyssey deals with human interactions with the gods, bringing up questions of righteousness, wrongdoing, and pride as well as ideas of faithfulness and patience. Noises Off follows the backstage drama of a theater troupe as they try to put on a production of Nothing On. This play is perfect for high school students because its full of comedy and chaos. The set design for this play should be fairly simple, as most of the action takes place backstage. 8. Romeo and Juliet Hermia is in love with Lysander and Helena is in love with Demetrius, but Demetrius loves Helena. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. This contemporary play knows that were not safe, even in the theater and it reacts with a ferocious roar of rage, lambasting the ways women are (still!) Playwright: Phil PorterLicensing: Concord Theatricals, If youre tired of violence against women being used as a plot device in theater, film, and TV, Revolt, She Said, Revolt Again is a must-read. The Del City Police Department is onsite and investigating the incident. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are in love, but their parents hate each other. Whether youre looking for famous modern plays or contemporary comedic plays, weve got you covered. Comedy. Critics were greatly offended by Salingers frank discussions of sexual matters and his generally very casual style. To make matters worse, Rachel is in love with Stanley, her brothers killer. He tells people that he has a reckless wanton younger brother in London named Ernest. Summary: The story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wifes arrest for witchcraft. Its not uplifting the characters anger and bitterness jump off the page but its certainly illuminating. Its exactly as crushing as you might imagine, but its not without a note of hope. What high school thespian wouldn't want to goth-up to play a witch or a ghost? The script, which is designed to feel improvised, has a bit of a Leslie Knope vibe. Witty and charmingly outlandish, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow offers a fresh, surprisingly insightful take on the human vs. technology theme. Lots of modern plays tell war stories, but they usually use a human perspective. Iago sets up a ruse to make Othello think that Desdemona cheats on him, and Othello suffocates Desdemona with the pillows of their marriage bed. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Set in yet another dystopian future where firemen are employed to burn books and the houses that contain them, Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a fireman who begins to wonder what books have to offer. Playwright: David Henry HwangLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Being positive or desirable in nature; not bad or poor: a good experience; good news from the hospital. (Not an actual representation of Janie. Playwright: John Patrick ShanleyLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. 5. The Love Suicides at Amijima by Chikamatsu Monzaemon This play is considered one of the most famous works of Japanese literature. This bold and controversial novel by J. D. Salinger centers around ideas including adolescent sexuality and relationships. Today, the book is available with all material included. You don't have to pay for the rights, and you can cut and rearrange the script at will, without getting a cease-and-desist letter from Shakespeare's attorney. Playwright: Sarah RuhlLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Complimentary and Deeply Discounted Shows. If you're not sure whether to take AP English Language or AP English Literature, allow us to provide you with some thoughts on the topic. Dorine (the spritely comic maid) and Tartuffe for sheer hilarity. Slaughterhouse-Five is a fictional account of events in some ways very similar to what the author himself experienced as a prisoner of war in WWII. Coming out of the first break down 1-0, Max Mehus and Easton Romsdal did what they could to set up Brooks Roaldson. She has a great passion for the arts, especially theater. Whether you prefer manga or ancient, epic poems, reading is great for all sorts of reasons. In Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, we get to see the war from a tigers perspective. Best Character: The blind prophet Tiresias for wit, bluntness, and eccentricity. "Yeah, just right there. (You might recognize the characters; theyre all proxies for well-known cultural icons.) Playwright: Rajiv JosephLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. BONUS: Reading The Great Gatsby for school but finding it hard to keep track of all the characters? Readers should be warned that the "n-word" is used liberally throughout the novel, which tends to be jarring to many a modern ear. It follows the events of Hamlet from the perspective of two minor and typically much-maligned characters. In addition, he learns much about love, trust, and relationships in this coming-of-age novel. His friend, Algernon, becomes interested in Cecily and travels to the country to visit her, taking on the name Ernest. (Maybe a little too sentimental, but that can be forgiven considering the source material.) ante and his sister to marry their respective lovers. When Juliet wakes up, she finds Romeo dead and kills herself from grief. The premise of The Hot Wing King is simple; Cordell is out to win an annual hot wing competition in Memphis. When Ernest is in the country visiting his young ward, Cecily, he takes on the name Jack to appear more professional. Some are new and others classics. Best Character: Bobby for making the difficult decision to take initiative. His friend, Algernon, becomes interested in Cecily and travels to the country to visit her, taking on the name Ernest. When Juliet finds out she has to marry a guy she doesnt really know, she takes a sleeping potion, making her family think shes dead. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. His sister, Laura, has a limp as a result of a childhood illness and also maintains a mental fragility and his mother, Amanda, is constantly bugging him about his decision to go out every night to the movies. Its funny, heartbreaking, and more than a little unusual; playwright Phil Porter invented a unique structure that reflects the simplicity and naivete of the characters. But the reality of the three- Donny, the oafish junk shop owner; Bobby, a young junkie Donny has taken under his wing and Teach, a violently paranoid braggart- is that they are merely pawns caught up in their own game of last-chance, dead-end, empty pipe dreams. Samuel French The vacant throne was offered to Oedipus, and with it the hand of the Queen, Jocasta. When the book was first published, many passages that her father, Otto Frank, found too long, unflattering, or inappropriate were excluded. Almost, Maine has one of the most unusual stories of any contemporary play. Usually not in bottles, though. A Snow White Christmas. Youll have the opportunity to audition for theatres to earn the role of Freddy in, To have a better chance at being cast in any of those amazing plays, you should. Its mounted frequently at theaters around the country, cementing its place as one of the most famous modern plays. authentic, real adj. The play has ghosts, prosthetic hands, and gold toilet seats what more could you want? Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1938 drama remains a staple of high school curricula, so a live production will always earn the appreciation of the English department. Okonkwo is the protagonist, and he goes through a number of difficulties that put him in the position of making distasteful decisions. Modern playwrights are dogged in their exploration of bleak, unpleasant material, but in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Christopher Durang offers us a respite. Natasha, a local woman, has hopes of a better future for herself. The result is a curious patchwork of sketches and scenes it works best when you accept the unusual form and enjoy the ride. WebIn most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Doubt: A Parable took home a Pulitzer in 2005; the Broadway production won a Tony the same year. Down-on-his-luck Francis takes jobs with a gangster named Roscoe and a snooty man named Stanley. Youll meet Andre, a wealthy older art collector, and his much younger lover and protege, Franklin. You may receive a verification email. This is, all around, a classic piece of literature, and one with which to be familiar. It tells the story of everyday life and death in the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, during the early part of the last century. You might even learn a thing or two; Prebble manages to make complicated concepts feel more accessible. When the parents meet, purportedly to resolve the issue, the discussion devolves into madness. The phoneticist Henry Higgins is the Pygmalion figure who believes he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, into a duchess at ease in polite society. Martha and Karen, two friends who have built a boarding school from an old farm house, are accused of having a lesbian affair when one of their students, Mary, becomes enraged at being punished and concocts a lie to get revenge. There are 20 schools across the county that need to do better according to Ofsted. This is an awesome opportunity for readers to get exposure to poetry in a very relevant and theatrical form. We've helped thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. An allegorical story about Everyman, a character who represents all mankind. Set in the summer home of the Tyrone family during 1912. Playwright: Tim J. LordLicensing: Not available (read an excerpt). The story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wifes arrest for witchcraft. This semi-autobiographical novel by Rudolfo Anaya contains a healthy dose of magical realism and is considered a staple of Chicano literature. Playwright: Quiara Alegra HudesLicensing: Dramatists Play Service, A corporate collapse might not seem like fertile fodder for a play, but Enron takes it on with glee. Webgood 1 of 3 adjective gud better be-tr ; best best 1 a (1) : of a favorable character or tendency good news (2) : bountiful, fertile good land (3) : handsome, attractive good looks b (1) : suitable, fit good to eat (2) : free from injury or disease one good arm (3) : not depreciated bad money drives out good (4) : commercially sound However, feel free to browse He writes about the atrocities humans commit upon each other, and he also mixes in a number of other concerns, some heavy, some light, such as death, aliens, and the ability to see other points in time, past or future. Ask questions; get answers. Webgood adjective (HIGH QUALITY) A1 of a high quality or level: She speaks very good French. 1. There are ready-made costumes for the famous characters that they can order online. The play is a captivating meditation on modern politics, art, and religion. Mary Warren and Abigail Williams for fatal shenanigans. Summary: A medieval English morality play that has the capability to be performed in any time period. 5 It combines Spanish, Mexican, and Native American influences, showing openly the ways in which these forces within the protagonists life come into conflict. Its a chilling warning of the dangers of nationalism. Playwright: Heidi SchreckLicensing: Concord Theatricals. For those who dont wish to read about teenagers mooning for each other to the point of suicide, theres always Hamlet. Part autobiography, part history lesson, part social commentary, What the Constitution Means to Me is one of the most unusual contemporary plays on our list. When Juliet finds out she has to marry a guy she doesnt really know, she takes a sleeping potion, making her family think shes dead. You know whats great about being a high school senior? She longs to find her birth mother in China, so she creates a robot twin named Jenny Chow to tackle the quest on her behalf. The award will be loaned to the school by Asner's son Matthew, who hopes the award will inspire the next generation of actors and performers. Reading is essential to communication, especially in an era of emails and texting. Same approach to life, though.). Rabbit Hole explores the crushing effects of grief on a family. A bittersweet comedy about a stuttering teenage boy who retreats from his fear of people into a world of magical illusions. Luckily, and by happenstance, the king hears of Tartuffes treachery and sends a jailer to arrest him. Each will transform the Prozorov family. He tells people that he has a reckless wanton younger brother in London named Ernest. Yes, you read that correctly. With this reality hanging over the gathering, each family member begins to spin their tale. The result is one of the most inventive and insightful contemporary plays out there. Theater has always been a sign of the times and we are living through an unprecedented period of social awakening and unrest. (This is the story where a man accidentally kills his father and marries his mother.) Over the course of the play, Everyman encounters different characters who tempt, insult, and shun him all except Good Deeds. After an unthinkable tragedy, the Corbetts struggle to survive, each on their own way. Summary: Tom Wingfield, an aspiring poet who works at a shoe factory to make ends meet, is desperate to get out from under the thumb of his mother. |. If you want to get your young actors really working as a team, this show will do it. Its an interesting, and sometimes opaque, examination of the psychology of modern straight white males. Playwright: Paula VogelLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. George and Marthas relationship quickly reveals a deep animosity they hold toward each other stemming from a hidden truth that has festered for too long. These are the plays every high school thespian is dying to star in. 21 Lesser-Known Musicals: How Many Do You Know? The storytelling is abstract, so it requires some concentration; get a sense of the vibe here. Your registration has been updated. Ophelia from Hamlet, Irina from Three Sisters, or Lysistrata from well Lysistrata. Playwright: Annie BakerLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Over the next 24 years, he traipses around the world impressing dignitaries with magic, but when his time is up, he is carried off to Hell by a host of demonic forces, leaving his limbs behind. Reading High will play Harrisburg in boys basketball in the final game of the Geigle Classic Saturday at 8 p.m. You might start with those that simply sound the most interesting to you, or you could look for themes in the books that relate to what you're learning in school. Mary tells her grandmother the lie, swearing it to be true, and when her grandmother calls the other girls parents, the lie spins so out of control that it destroys the lives of the two women forever. Playwright: Nilo CruzLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Summary: Probably the wittiest comedy in the English language. For its off-Broadway revival, we described John Cariani's play about the denizens of a small town in northern Maine as "the ideal play for high school." To have a better chance at being cast in any of those amazing plays, you should read them first. Below is Performer Stuffs top 25 list of plays every high school senior should read before graduating. Weve also included a summary and our favorite character(s) from each. Here are some of my favorite plays for young performers to read. News reaches Romeo, and, distraught, he commits suicide over her sleeping body. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? It will help improve your grades and test scores. The staunchly Midwestern Weston family seems normal on the surface. Valre, Marianes original fiance, struggles to regain the hand of his true love Mariane with the help of Elmire, Orgons second wife. A Christmas Cinderella. Almost, Maine Tolkien asks major questions about those who are evil versus those who are misguided and what we should do when our paths intertwine with any such individuals. View our Privacy Policy. Summary: The king is murdered by his brother, Claudius, who takes the throne and marries the kings wife, Gertrude. Set at a boys school in England, the plot follows a group of students as they prepare for exams, learning about the ramifications of history and the realities of life along the way. A girl is missing in a dystopian city. Inspired by the real childhood of playwright Robert OHara, the script is simultaneously funny and poignant. 10 Contemporary Native American Playwrights You Should Know, 10 Contemporary Playwrights of Color You Should Know, 10 Asian American Playwrights You Should Know, 10Latinx, Hispanic, and Chicano/a Playwrights You Should Know, 10 Eighteenth-Century Female Playwrights You Should Know, 10 Nineteenth-Century Female Playwrights You Should Know, 10 Classic Russian Playwrights You Should Know, 12 Elizabethan and Jacobean Playwrights You Should Know, 7 Greek and Roman Playwrights You Should Know, 13 Classic American Playwrights You Should Know, Early 20th Century Broadway Composers and Lyricists You Should Know. On the advice of his pastor, he leaves Lincoln and ventures out into the wide world for the first time, landing in London. These high-minded grifters fancy themselves businessmen pursuing legitimate free enterprise. This novel is an ode to literacy, and, while it has its tragic moments, it ultimately leaves readers with a message of hope. Summary: Upon Julius Caesars return to Rome, he encounters a soothsayer who warns him to beware the Ides of March. If you want a hard-to-find contemporary play, look no further than On Every Link a Heart Does Dangle; or Owed. This classic drama by Arthur Miller tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s. Are you looking for new plays to read or perform? WebEverything You Always Wanted to Know about Middle School (but were too busy being stuffed in a locker to ask)Werner Trieschmann. This sweet show is funny and good-hearted; balm for any struggling soul. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and because he must keep killing in order to maintain his rule, the guilt and paranoia persist. When Laertes, Ophelias brother, returns from school to find out Hamlets murdered Polonius and pushed Ophelia to suicide, they battle it out, and everyone except Horatio dies. Soon afterward, the Prince of Corinth, Oedipus, who had left his home, faced the Sphinx and read her riddle. If youre a freshman, sophomore, or junior worried about college admissions, our world-class admissions counselors can help. Playwright: Will ArberyLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Oberon and his faithful servant, Puck, cause trouble when Puck accidentally makes Lysander and. Playwright: Nick Stafford, Michael MorpurgoLicensing: Oxford Playscripts. Playwright: David HarrowerLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Brutus sides with Cassius and the other betrayers. Play #2: Burlington nails buzzer beater against South Burlington. Coursework/GPA. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others. Samuel French. 3 Adna and No. Roaldson made good on the pair of apples and got the Jays' on the board. He decides to learn to practice magic and summons a demon named Mephistopheles and promises his soul to the devil for 24 years. She attended Dartmouth, graduating as salutatorian of 2013. Open a book, and you'll find all sorts of messages! These high-minded grifters fancy themselves businessmen pursuing legitimate free enterprise. While there is nothing wrong with ANY OF THESE CHOICES, here are three plays that we dont teach as often but make fantastic selections for high school students. Summary: Martha and Karen, two friends who have built a boarding school from an old farm house, are accused of having a lesbian affair when one of their students, Mary, becomes enraged at being punished and concocts a lie to get revenge. Its a disturbing story, to be sure, but one that is important to be familiar with in a world where savage instinct too often presents itself today.
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