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For almost a century an evil presence has haunted the Orpheus Theatre, awaiting the fulfillment of a chilling prophecy. A blood-stained Ouija board and a cryptic rhyme are the only keys that will unlock a terrifying truth. |
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A tale told in four vignettes, Stage Fright is an alternately terrifying, hilarious and always intriguing journey across the decades. The theatre-venue itself becomes a character in this tale that allows the audience to experience the history of a haunted playhouse from the inside. As generation after generation encounters the legend of the Orpheus and the dark power that lurks within it, piece after piece of the sinister puzzle falls into place and the dark prophecy draws nearer to fulfillment. Can anyone stop it? Written with two endings ---one scary, one comedic--- giving producers complete control over the kind of experience they want to give their audience. *cast is expandable up to 25 total performers. Lots of options for doubling/tripling and gender flipping roles. A great piece for community/ amateur theatre groups & companies looking to provide as many onstage opportunities as possible.
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"Laugh? I thought I'd DIE!"
(a.k.a STAGE FRIGHT)
An Evening of Horror, Comedy & Drama
by Todd McGinnis
CAST SIZE*: Minimum 5 Male/ 2 Female expandable up to 25 performers.
*cast is expandable up to 25 total performers. Lots of options for doubling/tripling and gender flipping roles. A great piece for community/ amateur theatre groups & companies looking to provide as many onstage opportunities as possible.
# of ACTS: TWO
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 1 hr. 45 minutes
ACT 1, SCENE 1
"NIGHT CALLS"
LOTTY V.O. - Child Female, the ghost of a little girl heard as a Voice Over.
EVELYN V.O.- Female- Heard only as Voice Over. We will meet her in Act 1 Scene 2
SANDRA- Female - 20s to 30s a stage actress.
VOICE on phone Male an evil demonic Voice heard as Voice Over.
MONSTER- Male 20s 40s a stage actor.
GERALD Male 30s 40s a theatrical director, wiity, affected, arrogant, irritable, condescending
PHIL Male any age 20+ - long suffering theatre technician whose voice is heard from off stage.
JIM- Male late teens 20s stage hand
ACT 1, SCENE 2
"PRESTO"
CORWIN HAYGOOD - Male late 20s-early 30s slick, rich-voiced radio announcer during the "Golden Age" of radio must have a similar height and build to the Actor in Act 2, Scene 1
PRESTO - Male - 40s 50s+ - A stage and slight-of-hand magician, the "Amazing Kreskin" of his day.
ROGER - Male 30+ - A businessman enjoying a night "on the town".
TOM - Male 20+ - A factory manager, somewhat skeptical.
EVELYN - Female- Over 30 - A well-to-do, gregarious, bubbly woman, whose light airy humour masks a dark secret.
CIGARETTE GIRL - 20+ - A sexy presenter and assistant on Corwins radio broadcast.
CHARLOTTE V.O. - (appearance optional) the ghostly voice of a little girl. (she may appear as well if desired)
ACT 2, SCENE 1
"SOLILOQUY"
P.A.-Male 20+ - a flamboyantly effeminate and amusingly bitchy film production assistant whose job is to coordinate the extras on a movie shoot.
IAN - Male 30+- Production Accountant responsible for keeping production costs on target.
JIMMY - Male- 20+ - a theatre technician who is on set to help out and observe.
SET DRESSER Female- Any age- cranky, militant anti-smoker
ACTOR - Male- 70+ but in great shape, may appear younger this is Corwin Haygood as an old man, so height and general physique should be similar.
WRANGLER Male or Female- Any age
TERRY - Male 30+ - Motion picture director, a nice guy under a lot of pressure.
SCRIPT GIRL Female 20+ - sweet and sincere, able to cry convincingly
ACT 2, SCENE 2
"HAPPY HALLOWEEN"
JENNA - Female - 30 + - A mature, savvy real estate agent
THOMAS FOX 60+ - The grown son of Jim the stagehand from Act 1, Scene 1. A man on a mission he knows makes him appear crazed.
MARTIN - Male 30+ - Jennas male friend
TOTAL CAST REQUIRED-
Minimum Cast Size:
1 Child Female (Voice Only or performing live)
2 Female (one 20+ & one 30+)
5 Males (one 20-ish, two 30-ish, one 50-ish and one over 60)
Maximum Cast Size:
8-9 Female ages as above
16-17 Male ages as above
HISTORY:
"Laugh?" I thought I'd DIE! (a.k.a STAGE FRIGHT) by Todd McGinnis was commissioned and originally produced by Scott Lale, Artistic Director of the City of Brampton Theatre Production Office.
It was requested in June of 2001 to be delivered at the start of September, 2001 for an October production.
THE MISSION: To create a truly frightening, full-length, Halloween-themed show that was still suitable for a general audience.
The show had to require the absolute minimum of sets/props/costumes to accommodate an extremely restricted production budget. This was achieved by making the performance venue (a theatre) the actual setting for the show.
A thematically-linked, but episodic/vignette nature allowing for Multiple Directors (4 was the intended number) to be able to each handle one segment of the show. The suggestion was made to set the various scenes in the same theatre at different periods over the course of the 20th century.
THE RESULT: an opportunity to deftly weave chills, laughter and tears into a powerful evening the audience won't soon forget.
The October 2001 production was staged under the alternate title "Stage Fright" and featured a slightly abridged version of the complete show.
(A complete cast list is not available at this time.)
CAST OF CHARACTERS: With doubling/tripling of roles, your cast may be as small as 7 (5 Male/ 2 Female) or as large as 25.
# of ACTS: TWO
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 1 hr. 40 minutes
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SHOP FOR PLAYS BY TODD MCGINNIS ONLINE EMAIL ALL PRODUCTION & / OR RIGHTS INQUIRIES TO: info@playingafterdark.com |