Plays of the American Experience: 25 Fascinating Scenes for the Classroom or Stage

What brings the past alive better than stories performed by live actors? The 25 plays in this collection are short theatrical pieces that bring to life moments in American history from the early nineteenth century to the 1970s. Most of the characters in these plays are not famous figures or even factual people. They are ordinary Americans who did not make history, but lived it. Each play runs between eight and ten minutes, and cast sizes range from two to eight. The plays can be read aloud, simply staged in the classroom, or fully staged with the help of complete character, set, and costume descriptions for each scene. Each play also includes a background description of the historical situation of the plot as well as an aftermath description that explains what happened after the dramatized event. Ideal for middle or high school drama classes wanting relatable period pieces or for American history classes wanting to make past events and times "real" for today's students.

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Plays of the American Experience: 25 Fascinating Scenes for the Classroom or Stage

What brings the past alive better than stories performed by live actors? The 25 plays in this collection are short theatrical pieces that bring to life moments in American history from the early nineteenth century to the 1970s. Most of the characters in these plays are not famous figures or even factual people. They are ordinary Americans who did not make history, but lived it. Each play runs between eight and ten minutes, and cast sizes range from two to eight. The plays can be read aloud, simply staged in the classroom, or fully staged with the help of complete character, set, and costume descriptions for each scene. Each play also includes a background description of the historical situation of the plot as well as an aftermath description that explains what happened after the dramatized event. Ideal for middle or high school drama classes wanting relatable period pieces or for American history classes wanting to make past events and times "real" for today's students.

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Plays of the American Experience: 25 Fascinating Scenes for the Classroom or Stage

Plays of the American Experience: 25 Fascinating Scenes for the Classroom or Stage

by Thomas Hischak
Plays of the American Experience: 25 Fascinating Scenes for the Classroom or Stage

Plays of the American Experience: 25 Fascinating Scenes for the Classroom or Stage

by Thomas Hischak

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Overview

What brings the past alive better than stories performed by live actors? The 25 plays in this collection are short theatrical pieces that bring to life moments in American history from the early nineteenth century to the 1970s. Most of the characters in these plays are not famous figures or even factual people. They are ordinary Americans who did not make history, but lived it. Each play runs between eight and ten minutes, and cast sizes range from two to eight. The plays can be read aloud, simply staged in the classroom, or fully staged with the help of complete character, set, and costume descriptions for each scene. Each play also includes a background description of the historical situation of the plot as well as an aftermath description that explains what happened after the dramatized event. Ideal for middle or high school drama classes wanting relatable period pieces or for American history classes wanting to make past events and times "real" for today's students.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781566082259
Publisher: Meriwether Publishing, Limited
Publication date: 09/20/2018
Edition description: 1
Pages: 208
Product dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range: 13 - 18 Years

About the Author

THOMAS HISCHAK is the author of forty-three published plays, which are performed hundreds of times each year throughout the world. He is also the author of twenty-seven non-fiction books about theatre, film, and popular music, including The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Besides being an internationally recognized playwright and author, Hischak has taught at both the high school and college level, having just recently retired as a professor of theatre from the State University of New York College at Cortland. A Ful-bright scholar, Hischak has taught and directed in Greece, Lithuania, and Turkey.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Foreword vii

Preface ix

1845: Without Ice (3M, 3F) 1

1863: Her First Decision (2F) 9

1865: Laura Keene's Big Night (5M, 3F) 17

1873: The Good Fight (1M, 3F) 25

1888: Breaker Boy (2M, 2F) 33

1891: Beaded Souvenirs for Sale (1M, 4F) 41

1906: Music in the Air (2M, 2F) 49

1909: The Letter E (2M, 4F) 57

1918: Caught in the Wire (1M, 3F) 65

1920: Tiny Pieces of Light (2M, 2F) 73

1927: Lamb Chops and Pineapple (4M, 2F) 81

1933: Bread and Soup (4M, 3F) 89

1937: Lady Lindy (1M, 1F) 97

1938: We Interrupt This Program (1M, 4F) 105

1939: Poison (1M, 2F) 113

1941: Sunday Morning (1M, 3F) 121

1943: Add One Cup of Sugar (1M, 3F) 129

1945: VJ Day Blues (2M, 4F) 137

1951: 'Til Further Notice (2M, 3F) 145

1955: Waiting for the Bus (4F) 153

1957: About the Size of a Beach Ball (1M, 3F) 161

1959: Adios, Havana (4M, 2F) 169

1964: All My Loving (4F) 177

1972: A Triangle Box Frame (2M, 3F) 185

1973: Just Like a Toaster (1M, 3F) 195

Appendix of Plays by Topic 203

About the Author 204

Performance Application 205

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