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All I Really Need to Know I Learned by Being in a Bad Play

All I Really Need to Know I Learned by Being in a Bad Play

By Werner Trieschmann.

Product Code: AC7000

One-act Play

Comedy | Farce

Cast size: 3m., 3w., 11 either gender, expandable.


Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available


Rights and availability

This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.

* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.

Available Formats
$10.95
In Stock
$10.95
(Unprintable)

Min. Royalty Rate: $55.00/perf

Synopsis

Based on several disastrous theatrical experiences, Bad Play peels back a tattered curtain to examine the process of putting on a show that is less than good. A stuffy narrator (what bad play is complete without a stuffy narrator?) guides the audience through the whole sorry process. We go from the audition—where the director is more worried about roast beef than paying attention to the warm-up exercise, and the neurotic cast pretends to be bacon—to rehearsals—where a passive-aggressive stage manager gives everyone grief. There's also a special meeting of the Small Part Support Group and a production of Romeo and Juliet set in a Starbucks with costumes of potato sacks and bowler hats. This bad play within a play won't win any awards, but All I Really Need to Know I Learned by Being in a Bad Play will keep audiences in stitches.

Notes

Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

Details

  • Status In stock
  • Type of Show One-act Play
  • Product Code AC7000
  • Minimum Cast Size 12
  • Pages of Dialogue 35
  • Min. Royalty Rate $55.00/perf
  • Approx. Run Time 40 min
  • Staging Simple set.

Categories

  • Target Audience Middle School | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages) | Senior Adults
  • Performing Group Middle School | High School | College Theatre | Touring Group
  • Genre Comedy | Farce
  • ISBN(13) 9781583426081

* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.

Customer Reviews

This play was easy to produce (no set, just props and minimal costuming), but the students learned so much about comic timing and physical comedy. The flexibility of casting was exactly what we needed.

Mariana Hardy, Highland HS, Medina, Ohio

My 8th graders loved this play! It is such a fun dramatization of moments that we have lived out in class as we prepare for performances. They were able to create such interesting characters using past experiences to really play up the scenes. A perfect play to introduce student directors. The true message of the play really hit home with my students as this was their last play as a middle school student.

Caitlyn Baldwin, Rollings Middle School of the Arts, Summerville, S.C.

This is a fantastic script for a large group of actors. My students enjoyed working on the play immensely because they got all of the theatre jokes and had a great time poking fun at themselves.

Angela Santucci, Ravenscroft School, Raleigh, N.C.

Very humorous, well written, easy to produce; characters are real; fun take on actors' lives.

Kathryn Perino, Bishop Reding Secondary School, Milton, Ontario, Canada

Hilariously funny! Perfect glimpse into the world of everything that can go wrong actually going wrong. Great for high-school audiences.

Meegan Turet, Academy of the Pacific Rim, Hyde Park, Mass.

A very true-to-life account of a production at the start, its progress and finale. If you have ever been a part of any play, you will laugh out loud!

Samantha J. Corrion, Unionville-Sebewaing Area School, Sebewaing, Mich.

What a crazy piece of theatre! The kids had a blast bringing this one to the stage. The stereotypes were hilarious to portray, and Terry's "Juliet" monologue is a thing of beauty (especially when delivered from a a pseudo-goth stage manager).

Rick Clark, Village Academy, Powell, Ohio

Great ensemble play which allowed my actors to shine as individual characters.

Liz Good-Geron, Sexsmith Secondary School, Sexsmith, Alberta, Canada

Overall the play was good. There were some technical difficulties with the actors' roles, but after much deliberation it turned out well. The Narrator and the Stage Manager roles stole the show. Some of the minor roles could have been left out or rewritten, for example: Tybalt. The pacing of the play was good. More stage direction would have been helpful for a novice drama club or an addendum provided if needed. Also, the "Actor" role was very confusing, especially since some of the actor parts must be played by the same actor.

Christine McCarthy, Greater Lowell Technical High School, Tyngsboro, Mass.

Hints, Tips, and Tricks

When casting, be sure to read through the script multiple times to make sure the flow of the "actor" characters connects logically with the way you cast it. There are MANY variations to how you could cast this! Have fun!!

Natalia Catlett, Mighty Oaks Enrichment Center, Gardner, Kan.

Focus on the comedic timing and delivery. We used a simple set that allowed for a variety of stage pictures and set up for the various scenes. Most importantly, have fun with it!

Caitlyn Baldwin, Rollings Middle School of the Arts, Summerville, S.C.

The fast pace of this comedy requires far more time working on lighting and blocking than its length would lead you to suspect.

Connor Warner, Stevensville Public Schools, Stevensville, Mont.

I used a simple set of black boxes and it worked out great!

Samantha J. Corrion, Unionville-Sebewaing Area School, Sebewaing, Mich.

Production Map

Location City State Opens Closes
James and Sharon Tays Junior High School Katy TX 03/27/2025 04/26/2025
Thomson McDuffie Middle School Thomson GA 04/25/2025 04/26/2025
Thomson McDuffie Middle School THOMSON GA 04/25/2025 04/26/2025
Byron Center High School Byron Center MI 05/23/2025 05/24/2025
Hanover Park Park District Black Box Hanover Park IL 09/05/2025 09/06/2025