Information on shows being presented at the 2018 PA STate Thespian conference
MAIN STAGE SHOWS
Kennard Dale High School - She Kills Monsters
According to EdTA, during the 18-19 school year, She Kills Monsters was the 7th most performed high school performance. She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans, a young woman grieving for her deceased sister. The Evans sisters were never really close, but after Tilly’s death, Agnes finds a notebook containing a game scenario created by her sister. She discovers that Tilly was a well-known Dungeons and Dragons player, and that she was passionate about online fantasy gaming. In order to unlock more secrets about her mysterious young sibling, Agnes recruits a “dungeon master” named Chuck to help her understand and grieve for Tilly. Chock-full of supermodel elves, dominatrix warrior women, and nasty ogres, She Kills Monsters is a surprisingly sweet tale of friendship, loss, and acceptance. This show touches upon homosexuality, bullying, and the ability to be strong, powerful, and magical as a person.
Concerns...
STDs, 2 girls kissing, Lesbians, Bullying, Copulate, fornicate, consensual intimate stimulus. It mentions about doing the gelatinous cube “I’d do it. What? It might feel good. It’s slick”, Mentions kinky dungeon sex, and Refers to a horny Dude.
Language Concerns words used are:
Geeky shit, Shit itchy, Shit will kill you, Oh Shit, Shit, Bullshit, Ass, Asses, Ass-hat, Dumb Ass, Bad Ass, Damn, Dammit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Fuck you, Fuck Up, Penis, Dyke, Bitch, Hell, and Sex
Palmyra High School - Amélie: High School Edition
Amélie is an extraordinary young woman who lives quietly in the world but loudly in her mind. She covertly improvises small but surprising acts of kindness that bring joy and mayhem. But when a chance at love comes her way, Amélie realizes that to find happiness she’ll have to risk everything and say what’s in her heart. Be inspired by this imaginative dreamer who finds her voice, discovers the power of connection, and sees possibility around every corner.
No concerns
Dallastown High School - Game of Tiaras
When the aging king of a Magical Kingdom (England) decides to split his empire between his three daughters, Cinderella, Belle, and the Snow Queen (who in no way resembles a copyrighted character), terrible tragedy ensues: terrible, hilarious tragedy. Combining the gut-wrenching plot twists of Game of Thrones with the soul-numbing despair of Shakespearian tragedy, this farcical adaptation of King Lear will leave you dying with laughter as the body count mounts. When you play the Game of Tiaras, you win or you die.
No concerns
Chartiers Valley High School - Pippin
In this musical tale, Pippin is heir to the Frankish throne and in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment in his journey to be extraordinary. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh, and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father, King Charlemagne the Great, of course). In the end, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day.
Possible concerns - Adult language / profanity, Adult / mature themes
Susquehannock High School - Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic: Two Act Edition for Young Wizards
seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story.
This is the story of the Puffs... who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.
Possible concerns - Alcohol / drug use or reference, Violence
Ridley High School - The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone is both an homage and a criticism of a certain kind of movie musical of the 1920's and 30's and the actors made famous by the genre. Narrated from the perspective of "The Man in the Chair," a lonely, introverted man who retreats to the safety of his apartment and loses himself in the movie musicals of old by playing his records, the audience is able to view his version of a musical entitled "The Drowsy Chaperone," where nutty characters come together in hilarious physical comedy, and get a bit of gossip on the "real" actors of the time. But the real story of the musical is that of "the man in the chair," a throwback to time before the internet, when a person who never visited the theater had only his imagination and the photos on the record cover to piece together the fantastic wonderland of the Broadway Musical, to envision a world quite different from his own, and to live vicariously through it. Originally developed by Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison, and Don McKellar as a gift for the real Bob Martin and Janet Van de Graaf's wedding in Toronto, 1999, Bob Martin was so excited by the project that he joined the group as a librettist and played the "Man in the Chair," re-working the show through a series of festivals that prepared it for Broadway in 2006. The original cast boasts such modern Broadway legends as Sutton Foster, Georgia Engel, and Beth Leavel. It ran for 674 performances and won five Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actress, Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design) as well as seven Drama Desk Awards. But more than that, this musical engages us in the truly wonderful journey of "the man in the chair," all too familiar for those of us who understand the need to disappear sometimes into our own imaginations, into the musicals, movies, and plays that we dearly love, if only for an hour or two.
Possible concerns - Sexual content, Alcohol / drug use or reference, Adult / mature themes
Kennard Dale High School - She Kills Monsters
According to EdTA, during the 18-19 school year, She Kills Monsters was the 7th most performed high school performance. She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans, a young woman grieving for her deceased sister. The Evans sisters were never really close, but after Tilly’s death, Agnes finds a notebook containing a game scenario created by her sister. She discovers that Tilly was a well-known Dungeons and Dragons player, and that she was passionate about online fantasy gaming. In order to unlock more secrets about her mysterious young sibling, Agnes recruits a “dungeon master” named Chuck to help her understand and grieve for Tilly. Chock-full of supermodel elves, dominatrix warrior women, and nasty ogres, She Kills Monsters is a surprisingly sweet tale of friendship, loss, and acceptance. This show touches upon homosexuality, bullying, and the ability to be strong, powerful, and magical as a person.
Concerns...
STDs, 2 girls kissing, Lesbians, Bullying, Copulate, fornicate, consensual intimate stimulus. It mentions about doing the gelatinous cube “I’d do it. What? It might feel good. It’s slick”, Mentions kinky dungeon sex, and Refers to a horny Dude.
Language Concerns words used are:
Geeky shit, Shit itchy, Shit will kill you, Oh Shit, Shit, Bullshit, Ass, Asses, Ass-hat, Dumb Ass, Bad Ass, Damn, Dammit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Fuck you, Fuck Up, Penis, Dyke, Bitch, Hell, and Sex
Palmyra High School - Amélie: High School Edition
Amélie is an extraordinary young woman who lives quietly in the world but loudly in her mind. She covertly improvises small but surprising acts of kindness that bring joy and mayhem. But when a chance at love comes her way, Amélie realizes that to find happiness she’ll have to risk everything and say what’s in her heart. Be inspired by this imaginative dreamer who finds her voice, discovers the power of connection, and sees possibility around every corner.
No concerns
Dallastown High School - Game of Tiaras
When the aging king of a Magical Kingdom (England) decides to split his empire between his three daughters, Cinderella, Belle, and the Snow Queen (who in no way resembles a copyrighted character), terrible tragedy ensues: terrible, hilarious tragedy. Combining the gut-wrenching plot twists of Game of Thrones with the soul-numbing despair of Shakespearian tragedy, this farcical adaptation of King Lear will leave you dying with laughter as the body count mounts. When you play the Game of Tiaras, you win or you die.
No concerns
Chartiers Valley High School - Pippin
In this musical tale, Pippin is heir to the Frankish throne and in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment in his journey to be extraordinary. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh, and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father, King Charlemagne the Great, of course). In the end, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day.
Possible concerns - Adult language / profanity, Adult / mature themes
Susquehannock High School - Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic: Two Act Edition for Young Wizards
seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story.
This is the story of the Puffs... who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.
Possible concerns - Alcohol / drug use or reference, Violence
Ridley High School - The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone is both an homage and a criticism of a certain kind of movie musical of the 1920's and 30's and the actors made famous by the genre. Narrated from the perspective of "The Man in the Chair," a lonely, introverted man who retreats to the safety of his apartment and loses himself in the movie musicals of old by playing his records, the audience is able to view his version of a musical entitled "The Drowsy Chaperone," where nutty characters come together in hilarious physical comedy, and get a bit of gossip on the "real" actors of the time. But the real story of the musical is that of "the man in the chair," a throwback to time before the internet, when a person who never visited the theater had only his imagination and the photos on the record cover to piece together the fantastic wonderland of the Broadway Musical, to envision a world quite different from his own, and to live vicariously through it. Originally developed by Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison, and Don McKellar as a gift for the real Bob Martin and Janet Van de Graaf's wedding in Toronto, 1999, Bob Martin was so excited by the project that he joined the group as a librettist and played the "Man in the Chair," re-working the show through a series of festivals that prepared it for Broadway in 2006. The original cast boasts such modern Broadway legends as Sutton Foster, Georgia Engel, and Beth Leavel. It ran for 674 performances and won five Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actress, Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design) as well as seven Drama Desk Awards. But more than that, this musical engages us in the truly wonderful journey of "the man in the chair," all too familiar for those of us who understand the need to disappear sometimes into our own imaginations, into the musicals, movies, and plays that we dearly love, if only for an hour or two.
Possible concerns - Sexual content, Alcohol / drug use or reference, Adult / mature themes
ONE ACT SHOWS
Harry S Truman - Kinky Boots Medley
From the Broadway hit Kinky Boots a medley of all of the productions numbers from the show performed for the first time ever by a HS at Truman!!!
No concerns
Pennsbury - A Game
Three women accept an invitation to take part in an experiment—a game in which a small room is divided into three equal areas—one for each person. At intervals they recite a slogan: "This is my land. It is mine. It is beautiful, and it is mine." As the game progresses, we see the drive that makes each human want to possess more than his neighbors—a drive that causes hatred ... and starts wars.
Possible concerns - Suggested violence of being beaten with a chair to death at the end of the show
Charles Boehm Middle School - Sorry Wrong Number
The classic radio thriller about a neurotic invalid, whose only contact with the outside world is her phone. Over this, one night, because of a crossed wire, she hears plans for a murder, which turns out to be her own. Her frantic efforts to enlist help through the only means at her disposal, her growing terror and realization of the truth, and (along the way) the hints about her own life and personality she lets drop, make this a full character portrait not only of herself but of the unseen murderer, whose identity and motivations are surmised but never revealed.
No concerns
York Country Day - Shuddersome: Tales of Poe
"Shuddersome: Tales of Poe" contains adaptations of several of Edgar Allan Poe's spooky stories, including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Raven," and "The Masque of the Red Death." These stories rise off the page and are sure to give you the shudders!
Possible concerns - violence
Upper Dublin High School - Graceland and Asleep on the Wind
GRACELAND. The place is the front entrance of Graceland, the late Elvis Presley's Memphis mansion, the time, five o'clock in the morning, three days before the estate is to be opened to the public. Two ardent Presley fans, Bev and Rootie, are camped out before the gates, each determined to be the first to enter the sacred precincts. Bev is a bewigged, middle-aged lady with too much make-up and a brassy down-home style; Rootie is young and shy and somewhat intimidated by the raucous Bev. Wary at first, the two soon progress from dispute to shared confidences.
ASLEEP ON THE WIND. The time is ten years before the time of GRACELAND, the place, a small clearing in Bayou Teche, Louisiana, the "special place" that Rootie refers to in the other play. This is where Rootie and her favorite brother, Beau, a handsome, sensitive and restless young man of thirty come to talk in private and to escape her other brothers, two high-spirited hot rodders who seem to delight in pestering their shy, reclusive sister. This time Beau has a double purpose for their meeting: to persuade Rootie to try to stick it out at home and in school and to reach beyond him for companionship; and also to tell her that he has enlisted in the army and has requested service in Vietnam (DPS website).
No concerns
Spring Grove High School - How to Survive a Horror Movie
Jack's having a party at his house with some of his not-so-bright friends coming. There is also a killer on the loose. Add in a dash of the Twilight Zone, a sprinkle of The Ring and IT; bits of The Conjuring, Child's Play and Friday the Thirteenth and you've got an idea of where this story is going!
No concerns
Dubois High School - A Company of Players
"A struggling theatre company catches a big break when they're invited to perform at the royal court. The bad news is, it's Prince Hamlet's castle, and he wants them to perform a weird new play he wrote himself. The company bickers about everything from who gets what part to the correct way to pour prop poison in somebody's ear. At the end of the day, the show must go on ... but what goes on might be a total mess. A fun and fast-paced comedy with a Shakespearean twist."--Publisher.
No concerns
PALCS - Trifles
The wife of a strangled farmer is arrested on suspicion. While officers and neighbors are searching the old farmhouse for evidence, two women friends discover a slain canary and a broken cage. This evidence can prove the wife guilty, but by keeping her secret, they free her. An American classic by one of the original members of the Provincetown Playhouse, where this play was premiered. The playwright, Susan Glaspell, is a Pulitzer Prize-Winner.
No concerns
Penn Manor High School - Almost Maine
Welcome to Almost, Maine, a town that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States—it’s almost in Canada. And it almost doesn’t exist. Because its residents never got around to getting organized. So it’s just…Almost.
One cold, clear Friday night in the middle of winter, while the northern lights hover in the sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in the strangest ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. Love is lost, found, and confounded. And life for the people of Almost, Maine will never be the same.
ALMOST, MAINE: It’s love. But not quite.
No concerns
Downingtown East HS - Mr. Burns: A Post-electric Play (Act 1)
Following a catastrophic nuclear failure in the very near future, a group of survivors seek comfort in finding a common shared narrative; the source of that narrative just happens to be a popular episode of The Simpsons. Anne Washburne constructs a believable, scary, and humorous world that investigates how pop culture can establish a belief system, and, in a post-apocalyptic world, how it might stand as the foundation of a new civilization. Includes occasional profanity.
Possible concerns - Adult language / profanity, Guns appear, but are not used
State College High School - A Tempestuous Rehearsal
High School Students have 30 minutes to tech their Shakespeare production following a week of snowdays and the winter break.
No Concerns
Parkland High School - Museum
Various people visit an exhibit in a Museum throughout the course of a day.
No Concerns
Wilson High School - Dracula
Professor Van Helsing and many brave comrades must hunt down and destroy the profoundly evil Count Dracula. In this new adaptation of Bram Stokers world famous novel, we see a more modern retelling of the classic undead story.
No Concerns
Springfield - Tracks
A group of strangers meet in a subway station. They are all deceased. Where do the tracks lead?
No Concerns
Harry S Truman - Kinky Boots Medley
From the Broadway hit Kinky Boots a medley of all of the productions numbers from the show performed for the first time ever by a HS at Truman!!!
No concerns
Pennsbury - A Game
Three women accept an invitation to take part in an experiment—a game in which a small room is divided into three equal areas—one for each person. At intervals they recite a slogan: "This is my land. It is mine. It is beautiful, and it is mine." As the game progresses, we see the drive that makes each human want to possess more than his neighbors—a drive that causes hatred ... and starts wars.
Possible concerns - Suggested violence of being beaten with a chair to death at the end of the show
Charles Boehm Middle School - Sorry Wrong Number
The classic radio thriller about a neurotic invalid, whose only contact with the outside world is her phone. Over this, one night, because of a crossed wire, she hears plans for a murder, which turns out to be her own. Her frantic efforts to enlist help through the only means at her disposal, her growing terror and realization of the truth, and (along the way) the hints about her own life and personality she lets drop, make this a full character portrait not only of herself but of the unseen murderer, whose identity and motivations are surmised but never revealed.
No concerns
York Country Day - Shuddersome: Tales of Poe
"Shuddersome: Tales of Poe" contains adaptations of several of Edgar Allan Poe's spooky stories, including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Raven," and "The Masque of the Red Death." These stories rise off the page and are sure to give you the shudders!
Possible concerns - violence
Upper Dublin High School - Graceland and Asleep on the Wind
GRACELAND. The place is the front entrance of Graceland, the late Elvis Presley's Memphis mansion, the time, five o'clock in the morning, three days before the estate is to be opened to the public. Two ardent Presley fans, Bev and Rootie, are camped out before the gates, each determined to be the first to enter the sacred precincts. Bev is a bewigged, middle-aged lady with too much make-up and a brassy down-home style; Rootie is young and shy and somewhat intimidated by the raucous Bev. Wary at first, the two soon progress from dispute to shared confidences.
ASLEEP ON THE WIND. The time is ten years before the time of GRACELAND, the place, a small clearing in Bayou Teche, Louisiana, the "special place" that Rootie refers to in the other play. This is where Rootie and her favorite brother, Beau, a handsome, sensitive and restless young man of thirty come to talk in private and to escape her other brothers, two high-spirited hot rodders who seem to delight in pestering their shy, reclusive sister. This time Beau has a double purpose for their meeting: to persuade Rootie to try to stick it out at home and in school and to reach beyond him for companionship; and also to tell her that he has enlisted in the army and has requested service in Vietnam (DPS website).
No concerns
Spring Grove High School - How to Survive a Horror Movie
Jack's having a party at his house with some of his not-so-bright friends coming. There is also a killer on the loose. Add in a dash of the Twilight Zone, a sprinkle of The Ring and IT; bits of The Conjuring, Child's Play and Friday the Thirteenth and you've got an idea of where this story is going!
No concerns
Dubois High School - A Company of Players
"A struggling theatre company catches a big break when they're invited to perform at the royal court. The bad news is, it's Prince Hamlet's castle, and he wants them to perform a weird new play he wrote himself. The company bickers about everything from who gets what part to the correct way to pour prop poison in somebody's ear. At the end of the day, the show must go on ... but what goes on might be a total mess. A fun and fast-paced comedy with a Shakespearean twist."--Publisher.
No concerns
PALCS - Trifles
The wife of a strangled farmer is arrested on suspicion. While officers and neighbors are searching the old farmhouse for evidence, two women friends discover a slain canary and a broken cage. This evidence can prove the wife guilty, but by keeping her secret, they free her. An American classic by one of the original members of the Provincetown Playhouse, where this play was premiered. The playwright, Susan Glaspell, is a Pulitzer Prize-Winner.
No concerns
Penn Manor High School - Almost Maine
Welcome to Almost, Maine, a town that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States—it’s almost in Canada. And it almost doesn’t exist. Because its residents never got around to getting organized. So it’s just…Almost.
One cold, clear Friday night in the middle of winter, while the northern lights hover in the sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in the strangest ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. Love is lost, found, and confounded. And life for the people of Almost, Maine will never be the same.
ALMOST, MAINE: It’s love. But not quite.
No concerns
Downingtown East HS - Mr. Burns: A Post-electric Play (Act 1)
Following a catastrophic nuclear failure in the very near future, a group of survivors seek comfort in finding a common shared narrative; the source of that narrative just happens to be a popular episode of The Simpsons. Anne Washburne constructs a believable, scary, and humorous world that investigates how pop culture can establish a belief system, and, in a post-apocalyptic world, how it might stand as the foundation of a new civilization. Includes occasional profanity.
Possible concerns - Adult language / profanity, Guns appear, but are not used
State College High School - A Tempestuous Rehearsal
High School Students have 30 minutes to tech their Shakespeare production following a week of snowdays and the winter break.
No Concerns
Parkland High School - Museum
Various people visit an exhibit in a Museum throughout the course of a day.
No Concerns
Wilson High School - Dracula
Professor Van Helsing and many brave comrades must hunt down and destroy the profoundly evil Count Dracula. In this new adaptation of Bram Stokers world famous novel, we see a more modern retelling of the classic undead story.
No Concerns
Springfield - Tracks
A group of strangers meet in a subway station. They are all deceased. Where do the tracks lead?
No Concerns