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It’s pretty darn cold out there right now so it’s hard to remember that Spring is right around the corner. For schools, this means you’ll need to start thinking about your next musical. But money is tight everywhere and musicals can be so expensive… if only you had something that could showcase a large number of students and a wide variety of talent without all the extra costs of a musical.

Have you considered The Love of Three Oranges? It’s not a musical but it has many of the same elements of the usual staples and it’s less than half the cost to perform! Let me explain why ditching the show tunes for the trio citrus can not only save your school big bucks… it may actually be a better fit for your student cast.

1. Emphasis on the ensemble instead of a single male and female lead. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have the tears and drama when you post the cast list? There are not only up to 16 major roles, the play is written so that each character gets their moment to steal the scene and take the spotlight. Instead of having to turn away budding talent, you’ll be able to showcase as many students as possible to nurture your drama program for years to come.
2. Flexible cast size and gender ratio. You can’t really predict your audition turn out. Need more female roles? Less? No problem! Most of the roles are written to easily be played by either gender. Need to increase or decrease the cast size? Not only can several of the speaking roles be played by the same actors if need be, the ensemble (think of it as a non-singing chorus) can be as large or as small as you need to include everyone you want to include.
3. Opportunity to showcase a variety of talents including puppetry, dance, juggling and, yes… music and singing. One of the best things about the show is that there are multiple scenes that leave room for you and your cast to get creative. Many schools have inserted musical moments in past productions so the opportunity is there if you want to highlight a particular vocal talent without having to pay for a whole score. But beyond music, it’s a great chance to highlight unusual skills your students don’t normally get to show off.  Have a tumbler in your ranks? A gymnast? How about a ventriloquist, song writer or musician? The extra flexibility lets you play to the strengths of your cast, instead of trying to cram them into a show they may not be a good fit for.
4. Teenager (not to mention curriculum) friendly. I was a student actor. The old standards like Rogers and Hammerstein et al are… dated. Sure, I have the same affection for those old shows as any theatre alumni but, when I was actually in them as a teen? They felt like ancient history even then. Three Oranges gives you the opportunity to update the show as much as you want so your cast can relate more closely to the material they are putting on. Even better? Think of the lesson plan tie-ins! Commedia dell’arte, puppetry, comedy, Italian theatre… A wide variety of teachers can require their classes to attend for the educational tie-in giving you even more audience. You won’t get that with yet another production of Carousel!

In short, Three Oranges gives you many of the things you love about a musical… while eliminating many of the things you don’t. You aren’t just being thrifty with your budget without sacrificing that musical feel… you’re giving your actors meatier material to work with and a show your audience hasn’t already seen hundreds of times.

Still not sold? You can read the play for free on the Playscripts website and decide for yourself if it’ll be a good fit.

I usually just pop onto Goodreads to add whatever I’ve read recently and I don’t always remember to look at my own books which is why it took me so long to notice this review from Katie:

A big thank you to Katie for taking the time to write all of that up. This has inspired me to finally write up some of the disasters that happened during the original production for future blog posts. If anyone else has been in a production and want’s to share their stories on the blog, drop me an email!

Now I’m just left with one question… lightsabers?

So, you know how I said this post was my last one for the holidays? I lied. Because I just had to pop back on to show you this awesome review that the Sacramento News & Review did of Uh, Yup‘s Production of The Love of Three Oranges. This is the highest profile review the show has ever gotten and the reviewer gave it four out of a possible five stars! A massive congratulations go to the whole cast and crew of the show, it really sounds like it’s a great production. If you’re in the area, it runs until December 17th so there’s still a chance to catch it before it closes.

Needless to say, I’m totally bummed this is going on across the country and I can’t go see it!

One thing that gave me a real thrill reading this review is that the reporter specifically signaled out The Mute Bumpkin as a favorite part. The Mute Bumpkin (and all the bumpkins) are Hillary DePiano originals. With so many elements of this play borrowed from the source material, it’s fun to know the stuff I added is working out there in the wild and that people are enjoying it.

Lastly, I want to point out that Uh, Yup is a brand new theatre company and that Three Oranges is their very first play! I am humbled and flattered that they chose this show to launch their company and I cannot thank them enough for doing the play such justice.

Here’s a little excerpt of what they say specifically about the play:

Take a classical commedia dell’arte story, add a prologue that grants accessibility to any audience, then finish it off with fanciful characters that project themselves far beyond the limits of their masks. It’s a concoction that produces The Love of Three Oranges by Hillary DePiano, the freshman show of Sacramento’s newest theater company, Uh, Yup Productions. The show is produced and directed by Kara Ow.

The Narrator (Brittaleigha Baskerville) explains that the audience’s laughter and applause is a vital part of the show. The plot is a simple story that has served commedia for centuries, a plot about a sad king, a lover-boy prince and the necessity of thwarting evil forces. This premise, coupled with clowns and henchmen, creates an original universe where plot takes a backseat to the colorful characters.

(…)

This play has something for everyone: slapstick for the younger order, subtle sexy jokes for the older and sophomoric japes for everyone.

You can read the full article here.