The Play Readers

Nick and Andrea break from format as they talk about how to improve your play-reading experience, from finding plays to read, acquiring plays to read, and what to look out for while reading plays. Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

William Saroyan's The Cave Dwellers is a quiet play with powerful themes. It has no significant acting or technical challenges, making it a fine option for any theatre looking to produce an example of American Existentialism/Absurdism. It also features an actor portraying a bear! Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Bat, by Mary Roberts Rinehart was first performed in 1920 and was heavily influential on murder mysteries. It also inspired Bob Kane to create comic book superhero Batman. Although generally appropriate for any theatre, there are racial stereotypes within the script that will need to be addressed if it were to be produced. Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Latent Heterosexual, by Paddy Chayefsky, is a tragicomedy from 1968 about a gay man who officially becomes a corporation - for tax purposes - only to have his identity and will eroded to nothing in the process. It is a complicated play with challenging ideas and staging requirements - because of this, it is most appropriate for professional, possibly collegiate, theatres.  Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Percy MacKaye's The Scarecrow (1911) is an early relic of American theatre that is inspired by the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story Feathertop. There are several supernatural elements shown on stage which may prove challenging to produce, but could otherwise be an interesting part of any theatre's season.  Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Set in an inn in 1930's England, I Have Been Here Before by J.B. Priestley is a play about time and causality, examining the idea that time is circular and that our lives are repeated, over and over again. Minimal technical challenges mean that this play could be suitable for any organization, from high school to professional.    Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Holdup, by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, takes place at the end of America's wild west, as two young men encounter one of the last western outlaws. This period piece has few technical requirements, which will make it suitable for most theaters, from community to professional. There are, however, some challenging themes which may make it inappropriate for younger performers. Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots) was written by Czech playwright Karel Čapek and first produced in 1921. This play has the distinction of introducing the word "robot" to the English language, as well as the idea of a robot apocalpyse! Any company intending to produce it will face some creative challenges, but it is worth reading for its historical significance.  Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Nick and Andrea discuss Come Back, Little Sheba, by William Inge, first produced in 1950. This is Inge's first successful play, about a middle-aged couple trying to let go of their lost youth. It is appropriate for most types of theatres, from community to professional. Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Today's episode is about Life x 3 by Yasmina Reza, first produced in 2000. This lesser-known work of Yasmina Reza (best known for "Art" and God of Carnage) uses adult language, which may make it most appropriate for professional and collegiate theatres. The play examines the course of an evening three times - with three differing outcomes.  Music Credits: Delightful D Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/