Plays for Social and Cultural Awareness
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My main goal in building this last selection of plays is to build an attitude not just of "blindness," but of awareness. While feeling free of one's body and one's socioeconomic condition is important - especially in theater, and especially in high school - it is just as important to recognize and reconcile with those ultimately undeniable aspects of one's
identity.

By selecting plays that address specific social and cultural issues like homophobia or Hurricane Katrina, Act Out hopes to unbound the creative space and encourage students and teachers alike to trust one another on the creative journey. Regardless of the show being put on, the community that surrounds them, or the people that are watching, students can learn to use theater to explore new ways of viewing or identifying themselves.

Addict

By Jerome McDonough

Cast: Flexible cast of 11 or more
Set: Simple unit set
Time: About 70 minutes
Script: $5.00
Royalty: $50 First performance/$40 Each additional performance

This is a frightening portrayal of the horrors of drug and alcohol abuse. It depicts children and young adults yielding to the almost irresistible lure of drugs—and suffering the miserable consequences. It has been said that "ADDICT is neither self-consciously 'preachy' nor offensively didactic. It presents the facts…" If you are looking for a riveting anti-drug message, the addicts in this tragedy sadly speak for themselves.

Alky

By Jerome McDonough

Cast: Flexible cast of 6M, 7F, plus optional extras
Set: Simple interior set
Time: About 30 minutes
Script: $4.50
Royalty: $35 First performance/$25 Each additional performance

Rob is throwing a party and everyone's out for a good time. And to get things rolling there's plenty of alcohol. After all , what's the harm in a couple of drinks? But before the party's over, someone will abuse a friendship, someone will make a dangerous decision and someone's good time will come to an end… forever. Statistics show that alcohol is the most dangerous drug of all from the standpoint of ruiningand takinglives. Every teenager in our society will be faced with deciding if, when and how much to drink. The answers to these questions are never easy. ALKY doesn't provide the answers, but with Jerome McDonough's hard-hitting style, it gives us a glimpse of the consequences of making the wrong choice.

Bang Bang You're Dead

By William Mastrosimone

Cast: 11 actors minimum
Set: Simple
Time: 40 minutes
Script: Free

"Bang Bang You're Dead" is a resource for dealing with a broken world that's violent, unhealthy, unfair, and beyond the power of anyone to fix except today's generation.

The play is a free gift for students to perform in schools, garages, street corners, parks, houses of worship — anyplace there can be communication and discovery about how we've made the world's violence our own. And how we can change it.

Bang Bang You're Dead is presented in association with: Ribbon of Promise, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending school violence.

But I'm Only Seventeen

By Joseph Don Luna

Cast: Flexible cast of 5 to 25 (doubling possible)
Set: Simple or no set
Time: About 1 hour
Script: $5.75
Royalty: $50 First performance/$40 Each additional performance

This award-winning socio-drama has a number of scenes dealing with current problems facing today's young people, such as sexually transmitted diseases, date rape, suicide and irresponsible driving. This play offers an opportunity for teachers, social groups and theatre directors to present a dramatic play that is extremely topical and vitally important to high school and junior high audiences. The play can be broken down into sections or scenes that are sensitive to the producing group's time constraints, cast size and particular interests or theme. The work doesn't offer or force solutions on matters facing teens of today. It does, however, provide an avenue for groups to discuss critical issues which affect teens' lives.

Down Came the Rain

By Burgess Clark

Drama
Short, 20-30 minutes
2 males
$35.00 per performance; $6.95 per book

Eighteen-year-old Michael and his fourteen-year-old brother Brucie — who has been considered mentally "slow" since birth — venture out on a camping trip together. Brucie's never-ending curiosity becomes increasingly unbearable to Michael, especially when the questions involve the death of their mother. Down Came the Rain is a touching, sad, and ultimately hopeful exploration of two vastly different brothers, and how they navigate the delicacy of family and truth.

HIV Positive

By Vern Harden

Cast: 4M, 5F plus 1 who can be either
Set: Simple interior set
Time: About 40 minutes
Script: $5.00
Royalty: $35 First performance/$35 Each additional performance

When Jason checks into the hospital for a seemingly simple procedure, he is suddenly faced with a terrible consequence from his actions of years before: he is HIV Positive. His shining future is abruptly and permanently altered… if it even exists at all. Those to whom he has looked for answers in the past have none. Here is a chilling story with memorable characters about a frightening condition. What can be done to help the sufferer and those around him understand? This is a frank look at the 20th century's most terrifying, ostracized and misunderstood disease and its devastating effects on the lives it touches. Without being too preachy or trite, this one act serves as an excellent vehicle to initiate discussion about AIDS and about living with the consequences of our actions.

Information

By Nicole Quinn

Genre: Drama
Cast: 6 females, 4 males, 1 either (10-14 actors possible: 6-7 females, 4-7 males)
Set: Minimal.
Notes: Adult language
Length: Short, 15-16 minutes
Script: $9.95
Royalty: $35.00/performance
Buy now from Playscripts, Inc.

College students discuss rape, sexual assault, and power abuse at a TV studio on the campus of a small Midwestern college. As each recounts his or her experiences, one fact become clear in this striking play: no matter your race, gender, or disabilities, anyone can be a victim. Are college campuses ready to step up and show some accountability?

JUVIE

By Jerome McDonough

Cast: Flexible cast of 3-5M, 8-10F
Set: Simple unit set
Time: About 70 minutes (suggestions for cutting to contest length provided)
Script: $5.50
Royalty: $50 First performance/$40 Each additional performance

JUVIE, the most honored of Jerome McDonough's many acclaimed plays, has been produced by virtually the whole gamut of theatre-professional, college, high school, junior high and children's theatre. Set in a juvenile detention center, JUVIE depicts the life of kids who are scared, lonely and locked up. Carey, haunted by the red hair of the boy she hit-and-ran with her car… Philly, describing the way his arson fires "drive away the darkness"… Andy, a boy unaware of the crime for which he was arrested… Jean, a heroin addict who burgles an old man's house to support her habit, then beats him viciously when he walks in on her. JUVIE should not be missed—or dismissed.

THE KATRINA PROJECT: Hell and High Water

by Michael Marks and Mackenzie Westmoreland

Drama
Short, 45-50 minutes
5 females, 6 males, 5 either
(7-36 actors possible: 3-18 females, 4-18 males)
$40.00 per performance; $6.95 per book

An emotional journey into the hearts and souls of Hurricane Katrina's survivors, THE KATRINA PROJECT: Hell and High Water is based on actual interviews, collected stories, and found texts, providing a voice for the greatest natural disaster in our country's recorded history. The play follows a diverse group of characters as they reflect on and experience the devastation, heartbreak, anger, and, ultimately, hope of the thousands affected by the Category 5 storm. (All royalties from THE KATRINA PROJECT: Hell and High Water will be donated to hurricane relief charities.) [THE KATRINA PROJECT: Hell and High Water]

Nobody Heard Me Cry

By Vern Harden

Cast: 6M, 6F
Set: Simple interior set
Time: About 40 minutes
Script: $5.00
Royalty: $35 First performance/$35 Each additional performance

Your audiences will feel the heart and soul of a teenage boy caught in a downward spiral of depression. The play chronicles Justin's slow and painful deterioration through his journal entries. We learn of his anger surrounding his father's untimely death, his disappointment at not getting into the police academy and his constant sense of isolation, even when around other kids his age. Though Justin's mother and friends try to reach out to him, he pushes them all away. Sadly, they give up too easily, not fathoming the depth of his anguish. The offstage gunshot that tramatically concludes this play delivers a powerful message to listen to people's cries. If we hesitate before reaching out and helping them, we might be too late.

Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and Other Rarely Used Expressions

By Jonathan Dorf

Cast: 7 females, 4 males, 9 either (10-50 actors possible: 7-25 females, 3-25 males)
Set: Minimal.
Time: Short, 30-35 minutes
Script: $8.00
Royalty: $40/performance
Buy now from Playscripts, Inc.

For Achilles and Helen, getting bullied is a dismal fact of life — Achilles regularly has his head flushed in the toilet, and Helen invents reasons to arrive late to school so she can avoid a vicious clique. When cool girl Glinda magically materializes and offers them a way out, they each jump at the chance. But Glinda's solution is to turn them into the very people who have tormented them. Can Achilles and Helen find another way out?

The Boy With No Name

By Ev Miller

Cast: 2M, 4F
Set: Simple interior set
Time: About 90 minutes
Script: $5.75
Royalty: $50 First performance/$40 Each additional performance

Eddy is a very special young man. Blessed with a healthy eighteen-year-old body and a winning disposition, he is also developmentally disabled, having the intellectual capacity of an eight-year-old. His mother, wrestling with guilt over Eddy's condition, retreats into the anguished world of abusive behavior and tranquilizers. A visit by Eddy's aunt and cousin almost ignites this volatile situation into a family tragedy. There are no easy answers, but Eddy himself suggests a way to help overcome their problems and rebuild the family. This powerful play is simple to stage, and has outstanding acting opportunities for serious actors. (Note: Mature situations.)

The Empty Chair

By Tim Kelly

Cast: Flexible cast of 8 (any combination)
Set: Simple area staging
Time: About 30 minutes
Script: $4.75
Royalty: $30 First performance/$30 Each additional performance

The setting is a counseling center for teenagers recovering from substance abuse. One of their peers, Robert, has just died of an overdose. Accident or suicide? The atmosphere is tense and uneasy. Finally, each young person speaks about his or her memory of Robert. The dramatic monologues tell us a great deal about each speaker and the terrors of drug abuse. Although Robert remains something of a mystery, his impact on the others is undeniable. This is a hard-hitting work with an emotionally strong anti-drug message. With its flexible cast and minimal prop requirement, it's ideal for contest use, touring or for any program dealing with the topic of teenage substance abuse.

The Laramie Project

By Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project

A play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. The murder is widely considered to be a hate crime motivated by homophobia.

The play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with inhabitants of the town, company members' own journal entries and published news reports. It is divided into three acts, and eight actors portray more than sixty characters in a series of short scenes.

The Perfect Night

By Meg Newsome

Cast: 3M, 4F
Set: Simple area staging
Time: About 35 minutes
Script: $5.00
Royalty: $35 First performance/$35 Each additional performance

Jenny and David are seventeen years old and in love for the first time. David has planned the perfect night-the Senior Prom-for his and Jenny's first sexual experience. Will it be the perfect night for Jenny? Is she even ready for sex? Are David's feelings strong enough to wait for her if Jenny says no? This one-act play examines the conflicting emotions of both male and female teens in love and their struggles to make decisions that will affect their futures. The play employs flashbacks in which actors perform poignant monologues to relate past events and to describe the feelings that accompany the complex issue of teen sex. With an even-handed approach that is neither religious nor preachy, this play is an ideal tool to initiate a frank discussion on this critically important yet sensitive topic.

The Vagina Monologues

By Eve Ensler

The Vagina Monologues is made up of a varying number of monologues read by a varying number of women. Every monologue somehow relates to the vagina, be it through sex, love, rape, menstruation, mutilation, masturbation, birth, orgasm, the variety of names for the vagina, or simply as a physical aspect of the female body. A recurring theme throughout the piece is the vagina as a tool of female empowerment, and the ultimate embodiment of individuality.

The Wrestling Season

By Laurie Brooks

Drama
Cast: 4m., 4w., 1 either m. or w.
Script:$6.95
Awards: A.A.T.E. Distinguished Play Award Winner

The Wrestling Season tackles subject matter seldom addressed but vital to youth and their families: the search for identity and the peer pressure that accompanies it. Using only the setting of a wrestling mat, eight young people struggle with the destructive power of rumors and how others see them. This is Matt's year to excel on his high-school wrestling team, but innuendo about his friendship with Luke causes Matt to question himself and his priorities. Kori wants to be accepted for who she is, not the way she looks. Melanie copes with a reputation she cannot grow beyond. Jolt and Heather ultimately regret having too much too soon. And Nicole has so little self-esteem that she agrees with everyone. The action is overseen by The Referee, who comments on the action from inside and outside the drama with hand signals and commands. Using images, movement and sound, cast members function as a chorus and as individual characters whose stories are interwoven to create a theatrical event that challenges and reveals their search for identity.

Touchy Subjects

By Lois Anne Delong

Cast: Flexible cast of 7-17 (minimum 3M, 4F)
Set: Representational set
Time: About 30 minutes
Script: $4.75
Royalty: $30 First performance/$30 Each additional performance

Here is an excellent educational tool to help deal with the serious, but often overlooked, problem of sexual harassment that young people might be facing in the hallways, classrooms, locker rooms and busses of their schools. Since sexual harassment must first be defined and identified before it can ever be stopped, this series of vignettes reveals a broad spectrum of examples, from practically innocuous to blatant, and teaches that no one should have to put up with anything similar to what they see here. With its flexible design, you have the freedom to enhance your production by incorporating a PowerPoint presentation of statistical information or quotes while small set changes are made to the interchangeable boxes between scenes.

Turning Points

By Mark S. Rye

Cast: 4M, 5F
Set: Minimal set requirements
Time: About 30 minutes
Script: $4.75
Royalty: $30 First performance/$30 Each additional performance

Screeching tires. Twisted metal. Sirens. Silence. Poignant, insightful and thought-provoking, this one act drama provides a startling glimpse into teenage alcohol abuse. Bill and his friends portray the tremendous struggles and insecurities faced by high school students. While we can empathize with their plight, we cannot overlook the unintended but deadly consequences of their decisions. Minimal set requirements make this play ideal for touring. A detailed outline for an optional thirty minute audience discussion are included. Instructions are also provided for training cast members to participate in this truly unique, informative and riveting discussion format.

War at Home

By Nicole Quinn and Nina Shengold

Genre: Ensemble drama
Time: Short, 40-50 minutes
Cast: 4 females, 4 males, 13 either (16-30 actors possible: 4-26 females, 4-26 males)
Set: Bare stage; may be decorated with shrine elements and a graphic representation of the Twin Towers
Notes: Adult language
Script: $6.95
Royalty: $40/performance
Buy Now from Playscripts, Inc.

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War at Home, Walter Payton College Prep High School, Chicago, Illinois (2006)

A group of students in a New York State high school 100 miles north of Ground Zero responds to the events of September 11th, 2001. The text of this ensemble piece was created from journal writings of over 40 students, teachers, and community members in the weeks immediately following 9-11. (All royalties from War at Home will be donated to charity.)

What's The Difference?

By Vern Harden

Cast: 4M, 4F
Set: Simple interior set
Time: About 45 minutes
Script: $5.00
Royalty: $35 First performance/$35 Each additional performance

The newspaper staffers ponder the question of differences as the group wrestles to get out the latest edition of the school paper. Comic banter and creative brainstorming contrasts with a more serious concern about fitting in. Suddenly, a student-nervous, hyper, ready to self-destruct-stumbles into the room. They pay him little attention. He returns minutes later, panic-stricken, and reveals his story. Drugs, gang membership, blood initiations. "Look, they're gonna be coming. You gotta help me!" After a rival gang member crashes the meeting in pursuit of his enemy, the student turns on his fellow students in a desperate, drug-induced fit. Each character in this drama is well-defined, giving the cast an excellent opportunity to display their individual acting skills. An award-winning contest piece and simple to stage, this show invites the audience to explore individual differences.

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