Welcome to the March 2009 update. This month, I bring you a new ten-minute play, The Cooking Gene. There's also news of upcoming productions, the Playwriting Tip of the Month, a discount on Young Playwrights 101, and a few openings remain for aspiring playwrights who want to work with YouthPlays. As always, if your email client doesn't show love to this format, visit me here: http://jondorf.com/news0309.html.
The Cooking Gene. Drama. 10 minutes. 2 males. When a high school home economics family budgeting assignment requires each student to choose a pretend husband or wife, a gay teen chooses his boyfriend to be his husband. Ideal for high school or older actors (possibly for skilled, mature middle school actors) for production or forensics. Click here to order a perusal copy for theatrical production from YouthPlays.com, and click here to order a forensics perusal.
YouthPlays.com, a great new place to find plays for young actors and audiences, still has a few openings for aspiring playwrights to join us as official/unofficial interns.
 Are you skilled at using the internet? Good at proofreading? In high school, college or early in your playwriting career? When you join us as an unofficial (or official, if your school will give you credit) intern, in return for your assistance, one of our partners, all of whom are experienced MFA playwrights, will give you ongoing feedback on your writing. We think that's a good deal. Send a bio or resume, along with a writing sample (one-act play preferred--if you have one for young people, great, but if not, any play is fine) to info@youthplays.com, attn: Internship.
I just returned home from a wonderful guest artist visit with the Toledo School for the Arts, where I taught playwriting workshops and did talkbacks after their excellent middle school production of Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions. We hope to have some pictures soon. Special thanks also to Final Draft, Inc., which graciously donated a gift certificate for their industry leading script formatting software for me to provide to a deserving student.
Want me to visit your school, theatre, festival or writers' group? I'm available to conduct playwriting workshops worldwide, whether scheduled in conjunction with a production of one of my plays, or on their own. To learn more, click here, or  . Of course, given the economy, I know that funding can be tight. Sometimes it pays to think a little out of the box. In addition to looking for grants, for example, why not team up with another nearby school to share costs, or see if you can get local hotels to discount/donate lodging? You may even be able to get someone to donate frequent flyer miles to help with transit.
Of course, you can also study playwriting with me in the comfort of your home or office. The next session of Introduction to Playwriting, my course at Writers University, begins on March 9th, so don't delay! Click here to enroll or for more information.
The Young Playwrights 101 discount is back again for March! Just enter "jonslist" and save 20% on the ideal book for young playwrights and those who teach them. Order it now! Want to buy a classroom set?  for even larger discounts!
While plays like 4 A.M., After Math, From Shakespeare with Love?, High School (non) Musical, Now You See Me, Dear Chuck and Thank You for Flushing My Head in the Toilet and other rarely used expressions (click on the titles to learn more!) are great choices for those needing large or flexible casts, what if you need something a little smaller? This month, I highlight short plays with smaller casts that are ideal for one-act festivals, showcases and directing projects.
Note:
For those plays with Brooklyn Publishers, rather than using their web link (unless you are ordering from outside the US), I recommend calling them toll free at 1-888-473-8521. Their new website is hard to navigate.
BEEF JUNKIES. Dark comedy. 25-30 minutes. 2 males, 1 female.
A woman addicted to beef searches for her fix, and there's only one cow left on earth. Available from Brooklyn Publishers.
Cowgirl (Aimée-Lyn Marshall) and Cowboy (Sam Ennor) menace Shepherd (Nicholas Dellabarca) in the
Victoria University of Wellington (NZ) production of Beef Junkies, directed by Ginny Spackman.
SUPERMODELS IN JEOPARDY. Comedy. 30-35 minutes. 1 male, 2 females, 1-3 either.
When a convention center collapses and all of the world's supermodels are trapped in their dressing rooms beneath the rubble, will the "regular folks" ride to their rescue? No supermodels required to cast this play. Available from Brooklyn Publishers.
LEAPERS. Dark comedy. 10 minutes. 1 male, 1 female. When two jumpers end up on top of the same building, who will go over the edge? Available from Brooklyn Publishers.
TEN MINUTES. Drama. 10 minutes. 1 male, 1 female. After two of their classmates stage a Columbine-style massacre at their high school, a pair of students hiding in a custodian's closet must decide whether ten minutes of silence means it's safe to come out, or something else entirely... Available from Brooklyn Publishers.
 VITAL ORGANS. Comedy. 15-20 minutes. 2 females, 3 males with some gender flexibility.
A recovering transplant patient determined to stock up before he leaves the hospital. Doctors supplementing their salaries by selling an organ or two. A kleptomaniac kid on the loose. A soup-cooking candy striper right out of Sweeney Todd. Calling it a health care crisis would be an understatement... Available from YouthPlays.com.
THE WHITE PAGES. Comedy. 25 minutes. 1-2 males, 2-5 females. A customer takes matters into his own hands when he discovers a used bookstore is removing the pages from classic books and replacing them with blank ones. Available from Brooklyn Publishers.
From Shakespeare with Love?, After Hours Theatre (Vavenby, BC, Canada; Mar 6)
After Math, New Madrid County Central High School (New Madrid, MO; Mar 6-Apr 2)
High School (non) Musical, Olentangy Orange Middle School (Lewis Center, OH; Mar 6-7)
From Shakespeare with Love?, New Hope Community Theatre (Milton, FL; Mar 7)
Vital Organs, Colaiste Treasa (County Cork, Ireland; Mar 19)
After Math, Turtleford Community School (Turtleford, SK, Canada; Mar 23-28)
HS(n)M, Wooster High School (Reno, NV; Mar 19-22)
Thank You for Flushing..., Foley Intermediate School (Foley, MN; Apr 1-30)
HS(n)M, Marion C. Early High School (Morrisville, MO; Apr 2-4)
HS(n)M, Lac Qui Parle Valley High School (Madison, MN; Apr 5-6)
HS(n)M, Durant High School (Plant City, FL; Apr 16-19)
TYFF,
Pine Grove Middle School (Edson, AB; Apr 17-24)
From Shakespeare with Love?, Veritas Academy (Austin, TX; Apr 17)
HS(n)M, North Texas Central College (Gainesville, TX; Apr 18)
TYFF, Cardinal Carter Secondary (Leamington, ON, Canada; Apr 21-22)
HS(n)M, Durand Junior High (Durand, IL; Apr 24-26)
TYFF,
Murray Middle School (St. Augustine, FL; Apr 25-26)
HS(n)M, Pigeon Forge High School (Pigeon Forge, TN; Apr 27)
HS(n)M, Greater Lowell Technical High School (Tyngsboro, MA; Apr 29)
4 A.M., Edwin Parr High School (Athabasca, AB, Canada; Apr TBA)
Ever see a play and realize that you know how it's going to end halfway through? That's not good, because as an audience member, if you already know what's going to happen, you have a lot less incentive to watch the play. Often, this problem occurs because the characters aren't evenly matched. If one character has more "weapons" than another, then it's likely he's going to run right over him. Of course, weapons don't have to be actual weapons, nor do they even have to be physical. For example, Mary might have a secret that June, her boss, doesn't want to come out. June has power because she's the boss, but Mary has power because she has the secret. With neither character clearly on top, the outcome of the play will stay in doubt until the end, and your audience will stay engaged.
  
Later this year, look for Tiny Tim Runs the Marathon, a one-act comedy, and very possibly a musical version--yes, you heard that right--of After Math and 4 A.M. Of course, when they're ready, they're going to need groups to premiere them...
Stay tuned for much more news in the coming months... Have a great March!
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