In Search of Comedies

[perfectliar]

Posted: 8/10/19 at 12:48pm

Hi Everyone,

Looking for opinions. I'm on the board of a small community theatre, and we seem to frequently come up short when looking for comedies to produce. Because of the size of our theatre (75 seats, shallow stage, no wings), we aren't equipped to do shows with large casts or sets or even most musicals, and our selection committee tends to dislike broad farces. We usually end up with a lot of small-cast dramas and dramedies, since there is a dearth of those that would fit our stage and our audience's expectations.

So I'd love some input into what some of the best comedies you've seen or read are (preferably those written in the past 20 or so years, as we have a reputation for doing contemporary works). Recent comedies we've received positive feedback on are Becky Shaw, The 39 Steps, Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike, It's Only a Play, and Bach at Leipzig.

Thanks!

[inception]

Posted: 8/10/19 at 1:57pm

These are not 100% comedies, but both have comedic elements. Last week I saw a local community production of Superior Donuts, & it is a very good play with a cast of just 5. Also last summer down in Seattle I saw a great production of Annie Baker's The Aliens. It is much much better than most of her later plays, a small cast of 3 (though all 20something males), has a lot of laugh out loud funny material, but then turns devastating emotionally - and is especially relevant anywhere hit hard by the opiod crisis.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 8/10/19 at 8:08pm

inception said: "These are not 100% comedies, but both have comedic elements. Last week I saw a local community production of Superior Donuts, & it is a very good play with a cast of just 5. Also last summer down in Seattle I saw a great production of Annie Baker's The Aliens. It is much much better than most of her later plays, a small cast of 3 (though all 20something males), has a lot of laugh out loud funny material, but then turns devastating emotionally - and is especially relevant anywhere hit hard by the opiod crisis."

Thanks! We've read Superior Donuts in the past but it never got put into a season. The Aliens sounds right up our alley though!

[sppunk]

Posted: 8/10/19 at 9:14pm

The Play That Goes Wrong could work. Set doesn’t have to be too large - you could work around the upstairs tilted comedy scene no problem imo.