If You’re Thinking of Producing These Popular Plays, Give These Other Titles a Look

Daniel Radcliffe and Bobby Cannavale in The Lifespan of a Fact (Photo: Peter Cunningham)

by Chris Peterson

There are certain plays that community theatres and schools seem to come back to over and over again. And I understand why.

They’re good plays. Audiences know the titles. They’re usually easy to explain to a community theatre board or school administration.

But I also think that familiarity can make season planning a little lazy. Sometimes we stop searching once we find the first title that works.

So this isn’t a list telling you not to produce The Crucible or Steel Magnolias. If those are the right shows for your theatre, do them. I’m just asking you to read one more play before you make the decision.

Because there are a lot of very good shows sitting just outside the small group of titles that get produced constantly. Here are some recommendations.

If you’re thinking about You Can’t Take It With You…

Take a look at The Curious Savage by John Patrick.

Melbourne Civic Theatre (Photo: Tim Shortt)

There’s a reason You Can’t Take It With You has remained such a reliable choice. It’s funny, it has a large ensemble, and it gives you a house full of strange people who somehow become more lovable the longer you’re around them.

The Curious Savage has a lot of that same appeal.

Ethel Savage is a wealthy widow who decides she wants to use her late husband’s fortune to help people pursue their dreams. Her stepchildren would much rather have the money themselves, so they have her committed to a sanatorium.

Once there, she meets a group of residents who initially seem eccentric and unusual. Then her family shows up.

The joke, of course, is that the people society has decided are “crazy” may actually be the kindest and most reasonable people in the room.

It’s warm, funny, and gives an ensemble a lot to play with. And after reading it, I found myself wondering why I don’t see it programmed more often.

If you’ve already done You Can’t Take It With You, or if every theatre within 30 miles seems to be doing it this season, this is an easy one to add to the reading pile.

If you’re thinking about Steel Magnolias…

Consider Always a Bridesmaid by Jones Hope Wooten.

Amarillo Little Theatre

This one feels like a very natural alternative for community theatres.

The play follows four longtime Southern friends who made a promise in high school that they would always be there for one another’s weddings. Decades later, they’re still keeping that promise.

It’s an all-female comedy with six roles, plenty of Southern humor, and a story built around women who have known each other long enough to say exactly what they’re thinking.

I actually read Always a Bridesmaid when I was looking for a show to pitch to community theatres. Sadly, it wasn’t the one that was ultimately chosen, but I remember thinking at the time that it was exactly the kind of play more community theatres should know about.

If you’re looking at Steel Magnolias because you have a strong group of women and want something funny and built around longtime friendships, this is one I’d put on the reading list before making the final decision.

If you’re thinking about The Odd Couple…

Try The Lifespan of a Fact by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell.

This is a different kind of comedy than The Odd Couple, but the thing that makes both plays work is pretty similar: put two people in a room who are absolutely convinced they’re right and watch them drive each other insane.

The Lifespan of a Fact follows Jim Fingal, a young fact-checker assigned to verify an essay by celebrated writer John D’Agata.

Jim quickly discovers that some of the “facts” in John’s essay aren’t exactly factual, and John doesn’t seem particularly bothered by that. What follows is an escalating argument over journalism and whether changing a small detail matters if it makes the story better.

Their editor, Emily, eventually finds herself stuck in the middle as the disagreement becomes increasingly personal and ridiculous.

I saw The Lifespan of a Fact on Broadway in 2018, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Bobby Cannavale, and Cherry Jones, and loved it.

So if what you like about The Odd Couple is watching completely incompatible personalities dig in their heels and refuse to give an inch, I’d definitely give this one a read.

If you’re thinking about Little Women…

Read Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson.

Good Company Players

I’d especially love to see more schools take a chance on this one.

Silent Sky tells the story of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who begins working at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s.

She wants to study the stars. Harvard is happy to let her work there. They’re just not willing to let her use the telescope. Because she’s a woman.

Henrietta eventually makes discoveries that help scientists understand just how enormous the universe actually is.

Gunderson wisely doesn’t make the play feel like a (take a dep breath) “woke” lecture. It’s also about Henrietta’s family and what it costs to pursue work that matters.

I think it makes such an interesting companion to Little Women. You still get intelligent characters, a period setting, and characters fighting against the expectations placed on them.

I’m not suggesting we retire Steel Magnolias. I’m not banning You Can’t Take It With You. These plays have lasted because they work. But I do think theatre people can get into habits.

We have six great actresses. Steel Magnolias.

We need a big comedy? You Can’t Take It With You.

Maybe those are still the right answers. Just make sure they aren’t the answers simply because they were the first titles that came to mind.

Read one more script. You might find a better fit for your actors. And you might introduce your audience to a play they didn’t already know they were going to love.