Really Well Known, Good, High School Plays I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news is, I've been elected president of my HS Drama Club. The bad news is as follows. The last play that our drama club did was The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged). Unfortunately, it was not well received, as the population of my area is much older--mainly senior citizens. So, with that in mind, we'd like to gear our future productions to older crowds. With this in mind, we would like to put on a play that meets the following criteria: It must be rather well known. It must be a comedy. It should be set in the 1940s, 1950s, or early 1960s. It should require only one set--our stage is not large, and it is our first opportunity in YEARS to build a set of visual interest with period accuracy. *(this is a big thing for me) However, we have some problems: We only have three or four male actors. We are limited to a budget of approximately $1,700. It cannot be a musical. Unfortunately, one of our male actors decided not to return. Otherwise, we were considering a heavily-modified Arsenic & Old Lace. Can you recommend any plays along these lines? Thank you for all of your help. I'm literally trying to do everything with nothing.
Noises off is hilarious. Lots of physical comedy. Requires a set that revolves, though, so you'd need a good crew. Don't know the era, but not sure it actually has one. Meet me in St. Louis has a non-musical version. It also requires mostly girls. You Can't Take it with You is an old favorite that's always funny. It requires a lot of men, though. You could probably cross-cast some girls. Don't Drink the Water is by Woody Allen. I hear it's funny. The Man Who Came to Dinner is a funny play. Mousetrap could be fun. Classic murder mystery. You could set a Shakespeare play in the era you want.
Thanks for the input, SBW. I'll keep them in mind... Some of them I heard of. My aunt just suggested The Man Who Came To Dinner tonite, and no matter where I look, You Can't Take it With You seems to come up. Thanks again! -John
