GET IN THE SPOOKY SPIRIT WITH THE SCENE
Plus, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed this week!
Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed this week. In this week’s email:
HOT TOPICS: 9 Halloween improv games for your classroom; Engaging apathetic students or those only taking theatre for credit; And 5 books every set design student should read.
THE BIG IDEA: Get in the Spooky Spirit with these 40 Halloween-inspired Plays & Musicals!
FREE READ OF THE WEEK: Check out the Don Zolidis play 10 WAYS TO SURVIVE THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!
THE BROADWAY BEAT: 2023 Jimmy Awards set June Awards date; ‘Topdog/Underdog’ to provide free tickets to public school students; And come with The Scene as we check out the opening night of today’s sponsor, ‘Topdog/Underdog’!
SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Get to know the Wicked Lit titles, a dynamic collection of plays adapted from the classic horror literature of Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Washington Irving, H.P. Lovecraft, and more.
The Scene is sponsored by:
Hot Topics
THAT'S THE SPIRIT: 9 HALLOWEEN IMPROV GAMES - Check out these dynamic improv games that can bring a spooky vibe into your classroom.
ENGAGING APATHETIC STUDENTS OR THOSE ONLY TAKING THEATRE FOR CREDIT - Ideas to get those non-theatre kids to ‘buy in’ to your theatre class.
5 BOOKS EVERY SET DESIGN STUDENT SHOULD READ - Learn more about the set design books every student should read at least once!
GET IN THE SPOOKY SPIRIT WITH THESE 40 HALLOWEEN-INSPIRED PLAYS & MUSICALS
The most theatrical of all American holidays has got to be Halloween. The one day of the year when people of all ages dress up in costumes, put on makeup, and bring the world of make-believe to their homes, schools, and workplaces.
With Halloween taking place this year on a Monday, we’ve heard from teachers across the country, asking for a list of Halloween-related musicals and plays that will not only help their students get into the spooky spirit, but also inspire them to discover new shows. With this in mind, The Scene has scared up the following lists of shows of some of our favorite Halloween-themed Plays and Musicals that can help kick off a Halloween theatre class discussion.
20 MUSICALS FOR HALLOWEEN
Click on any title below to learn more. Please review each clip before sharing with students.
1. BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe; Book by Keythe Farley & Brian Flemming
2. BEETLEJUICE
Music and Lyrics by Eddie Perfect, Book by Scott Brown & Anthony King
3. CARRIE
Music by Michael Gore; Lyrics by Dean Pitchford; Book by Lawrence D. Cohen
4. DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES
Music by Jim Steinman; Lyrics by Jim Steinman & Michael Kunze; Book by David Ives, Jim Steinman & Michael Kunze
5. DRACULA, THE MUSICAL
Music by Frank Wildhorn; Book and Lyrics by Don Black & Christopher Hampton
6. EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL
Book & Lyrics by George Reinblatt; Music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris, & George Reinblatt
7. INTO THE WOODS
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by James Lapine
8. JEKYLL & HYDE
Music by Frank Wildhorn; Book & Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
9. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Music by Alan Menken; Book & Lyrics by Howard Ashman
10. LIZZIE
Music by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer & Alan Stevens Hewitt, Lyrics by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer & Tim Maner; Book by Tim Maner
11. RIDE THE CYCLONE*
Music, Book, & Lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond
*Note: You’ve probably heard about this show ad nauseam. Ride the Cyclone has gone viral on TikTok and students are scrambling to perform this. Be among the first!
12. SWEENEY TODD
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by Hugh Wheeler
13. THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa; Book by Marshall Brickman
14. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
Book, Music & Lyrics by Rupert Holmes
15. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Charles Hart; Book by Richard Stilgoe & Andrew Lloyd Webber
16. THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Book, Music and Lyrics by Richard O'Brien
17. THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK
Music by Dana P. Rowe; Book and Lyrics by John Dempsey
18. WICKED
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Book by Winnie Holzman
19. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks; Book by Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan
20. ZOMBIE PROM
Music by Dana P. Rowe; Book & Lyrics by John Dempsey
20 PLAYS FOR HALLOWEEN
Click on any title below to learn more.
1. 10 WAYS TO SURVIVE THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
by Don Zolidis
2. ALICE IN SLASHERLAND
by Qui Nguyen
3. ART OF MURDER
by Joe DiPietro
4. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
by Joseph Kesselring
5. BLITHE SPIRIT
by Noël Coward
6. CLUE
by Sandy Rustin, based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn
7. CRAFTING A KILLER
by Brent Holland
8. DIAL "M" FOR MURDER
by Frederick Knott
9. GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER
by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
10. JACKIE LANTERN'S HALLOWE'EN REVENGE
by Burton Cohen
11. MISERY
by William Goldman, based on the novel by Stephen King
12. MURDER BY POE
by Jeffrey Hatcher, adapted from the stories of Edgar Allan Poe
13. MURDERED TO DEATH
by Peter Gordon
14. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
by Mark Landon Smith
15. NIGHTFALL WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE
by Eric Coble
16. SCARED SILLY: 10 HAUNTINGLY HILARIOUS SHORT PLAYS
by Don Zolidis, Ian McWethy, Jonathan Dorf, Ed Monk, Patrick Greene, Alan Haehnel, Christa Crewdson, Becca Schlossberg, Hillary DePiano, Peter Bloedel
17. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ICE PALACE MURDERS
by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the novel by Larry Millett
18. THE HALLMARKS OF HORROR
by Peter Bloedel
19. THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940
by John Bishop
20. WAIT UNTIL DARK
by Frederick Knott
FREE READ OF THE WEEK
10 WAYS TO SURVIVE THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
by Don Zolidis
ABOUT: It's the end of the world and hordes of rampaging zombies are about to kill you. What do you do? Try your hand at kung fu against the undead? Attempt to reason with creatures that would rather eat brains than use them? Turn to this handy and hilarious guide to survive the apocalypse! (Hint: sacrifice the weak is step number one.)
The Broadway Beat
2023 JIMMY AWARDS SET JUNE DATE AT BROADWAY'S MINSKOFF THEATRE - Discover more about this annual awards event that celebrates the best in high school musical theatre.
TOPDOG/UNDERDOG WILL PROVIDE FREE TICKETS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS - Learn more about the partnership between the NYC Department of Education Arts Office and Broadway Advocacy Coalition.
THE SCENE WAS AT THE OPENING OF TOPDOG/UNDERDOG - Click here or on the video below to check it out:
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Shows You Should Know
WICKED LIT HORROR COLLECTION
Wicked Lit is a dynamic collection of plays adapted from the classic horror literature of Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Washington Irving, H.P. Lovecraft, and more. These timeless stories have been ambitiously reimagined to create surprising and impactful theatrical experiences. Originally devised as immersive theater, the shows in the Wicked Lit collection have previously been staged in cemeteries, museums, mansions, and hotels. Produce them in a theater or in a creative guerrilla setting and watch these chilling horror classics come alive!
ANANSI AND THE DEMONS by Jonathan Josephson
THE BODY SNATCHER by Paul Millet
THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO by Paul Millet
THE CHIMES: A GOBLIN STORY by Jonathan Josephson
THE DOLL by Jeff G. Rack
THE EBONY FRAME by Susannah Myrvold
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER by Paul Millet
FROM BEYOND by Trey Nichols
A GHOST STORY by Jonathan Josephson
THE GROVE OF RASHOMON by Jonathan Josephson
LAS LLORONAS by Jonathan Josephson
THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Jonathan Josephson
THE MONKEY'S PAW by Jeff G. Rack
THE NEW CATACOMB by Jonathan Josephson
THE SHADOWY THIRD by Paul Millet
THE TELL-TALE HEART by Paul Millet
THE UNNAMABLE by Jeff G. Rack
WAKE NOT THE DEAD by Paul Millet
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER by Jeff G. Rack