it won't kill you ([info]llemma) wrote,
@ 2009-06-25 00:08:00
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Shining City, a play for adults by Conor McPherson, more Theatre 101. Brutal and either scary or redemptive or both. Recommended, particularly September 2009 Richmond-area productions.

In composing blog appositives, as well as in attempting to assemble a drama section for my independent-reading library, I've become uncomfortably aware that there is no such genre as Young Adult Drama. If you think of plays seventh graders can read and love by themselves, please advise.

The Devil in the White City, adult nonfiction by Erik Larson, recommended by [info]preraphaelite, who's usually Right About Everything, but not about this being novelly enough even for the likes of me. I learned a lot about the World's Fair and Industrial-Revolution Hot Or Not, if you're into that sort of thing.

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[info]pbprincess
2009-06-26 12:19 pm UTC (link)
My Grade 5's have been drooling over a version of Midsummer's Night Dream in manga form for the past couple of months. The comic form helps explain the language, I think.

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Young Adult Drama
(Anonymous)
2009-07-01 02:24 am UTC (link)
I think 9th graders would have a lot of fun with an R&J/Spring Awakening pairing. But then again I'm a Spring Awakening fan.

Typical "young adult" plays other than R&J and A Midsummer Night's Dream are The Miracle Worker, Pygmalion, and Waiting for Godot (ugh). Oh and A Raisin in the Sun, of course.

Wait, what about Pygmalion? I know you said they have to enjoy it on their own, but what if they all watch She's All That first? Also, couldn't you get them in on the ebonics debate? Or is that too touchy? You could even do the real Pygmalion myth too (Ovid)... You'd get in some good discussions of authorial message and theme all that. Or is this not for regular English class?

What about Fences or Angels in America? (Not that I've read them.)

-C

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/outstandingbooks/dramaoutstanding.cfm

P.S. Remember that unit plan I did on resistance? Inherit the Wind plus The Chocolate War? I also considering Nothing but the Truth (Ronn Smith & Avi -- adapted from the novel) and An Enemy of the People (Ibsen). I don't think your 7th graders would like any of those, however.... Maybe the Avi one. But it's sort of eh.

P.P.S. What about one of these? http://www.arena-stage.org/season/ Stick Fly? http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9780810125353&ourl=Stick-Fly%2FLydia-R-Diamond

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Re: Young Adult Drama
(Anonymous)
2009-07-01 02:31 am UTC (link)
Oh, and apparently it played at Princeton. Here's the review: http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2007/10/04/18829/

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Re: Young Adult Drama
[info]llemma
2009-07-01 04:14 pm UTC (link)
I am really specifically looking for plays they can read on their own. We read A Raisin in the Sun and Macbeth as a whole class, and they love both, but then they ask me for more drama, and I've got nothing to give them. I do think The Miracle Worker is a possibility; Pygmalion, Fences, and Angels less so. Appreciate the ALA link, though. I don't know a bunch of those and will check them out.

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