Ideas for New Plays

We're at the point in the school year where John and I are wondering what in the world to write about.

After you've published as many plays as we have, there don't seem to be any huge holes in the curriculum that we've not touched. Still, we get requests from teachers all the time.

Recently a teacher from Florida insisted that a pirate musical would be hugely popular. Considering the pressure that teachers are under to stick to standards, I'm pretty sure we'll not be doing a pirate show any time soon.

Not long ago a couple of teachers made a great pitch for a musical about Kansas history. We were willing if they could find us a few hundred buyers. They admitted that between the two of them they'd probably buy just one and share it.

So what can we write that would be genuinely useful to the most teachers? Here're a few ideas that we're kicking around:

grammar---this idea gets nods of approval from almost everyone. But what grammar and for what grade level? Is this parts of speech, or how to write a simple essay, or how to make nouns plural or what?

Bullying---anti bullying to be more precise. This might work very well with our "Character Matters" show. The character play is our most popular ever. Of course, that's what we thought about doing an anti-smoking show, and hardly anyone is buying "Dude, Where's My Lungs?" (And the frustrating thing is that "Dude..." may be the best play we've ever written.)

Simple Machines---The first grade teachers here in Camarillo have been pushing for this one for several years. It sounds like fun to me, but I'm unclear whether other teachers work with this material.

Our Bodies---I'm a little afraid with the kind of lyrics John would come up with to describe the digestive process. I think he'd be safe with the circulorty system, but there're so many places for him to offend people! The possibilities are truly amazing.

Shakespeare---Since the "Musical Comedy of Macbeth" doesn't sell very well, why not follow it up with a play that students actually read? Romeo and Juliet comes to mind.

The Civil War---This is the most requested play that we've never written. We'd be willing if only we could come up with some way to lighten up the subject. A horrible bloody war that absolutely forces you to talk about race relations. Remember, we do comedies.

Okay, those are a few of the ideas that we're bouncing around. If you have an opinion, please email me: ron@badwolfpress.com

I'll be looking forward to your comments.