Ds (11) has to read a PLAY for a school reading genre project - can you think of a good one to recommend to him?

[FauveGoldRings]

Ds'school has come up with a league table for reading genres, and the Year 7 kids have to pit one genre against another, eg novels vs poetry. He's read most of the genres, but I can't think of a short play I can genuinely expect him to enjoy; however, there must be one out there - a funny one would be good, he's a Monty Python fan, etc.
He's been in lots of drama productions and enjoyed them, but this project requires him to just read the script for enjoyment, not act it out or learn lines. I think it has to be a short one so he can get to the end of it, and I'd prefer not to put him off reading plays for life (not that I've ever read a play for enjoyment, only for school).

Any drama queens out there this afternoon?

You might find something on here, Fauve link

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit by Ray Bradbury
Our Day Out by Willy Russell

Some of David Campion's shorter plays are funny yet quite thought-provoking.

I was wondering about Noel Coward's one act things - not sure how "adult" they are, though. I don't think any of Oscar Wilde's are one-act, are they? They're good ...

Do you have time to get to a library? - anthologies of one-act plays would be what I would look at.

Hi Fauve, how about something from the specially commissioned Shell Connections season at the Royal National Theatre.
These are plays written by well-known writers specially designed for youth theatre actors and a young-ish audience.
I have in front of me Mark Ravenhill's clever, funny re-working of Moliere's Les Precieuses Ridicules, called Totally over You. It's short, in print, published by Samuel French, and rather sweet. The theme is being chucked by your girlfriend because you're not cool and stylish enough.
Before you reach for the smelling salts, yes he did write Shopping and F!cking, but there isn't any language like that in this play.
I think it could get him major swotty points for a piece derived from a French classic, but I also think he'd enjoy reading it...

How about an episode of Fawlty Towers?

Blimey, thanks Dino - plenty to scroll through there! I knew MN would come up with a resource.

More suggestions welcome - anyone got a ds who's actually enjoyed reading a play he wasn't acting in?

Thanks everyone - Marina, I like the sound of swotty points!

If Mark Ravenhill is not suitable, Alan Ayckbourn writes lots of plays for youth theatres (well, he writes a lot full stop, but someone is clearly enjoying his work...)

I swear to you Fauve he will get an A Plus from any self-respecting drama teacher for his careful research in identifying the Ravenhill piece

I think you can get the scripts of The Office in book form now. Would that count? Very funny.
Other suggestions sound excellent.

I'll have to show him this thread - that'll convince him! If you can bear a proud mummy moment, ds has had the title role in one of those Alan Ayckbourn plays - Ernie and his Incredible Illucinations (I think) - his drama teacher says he's 'a great comedy actor' [very proud emoticon].

Ernie is one of the really good ones Fauve, well done your ds.
Paul Thompson's The Children's Crusade was one of our best Youth Theatre productions...it's rather sad though, and there are songs...

Burning Everest is great for this age. (It's not funny though.)

I came through on the link from Beety's thread. Please tell me more about this project. Do they have a league table printed out with, say, the genres underneath? How does it work? More details and practicalities please?

These are by Alan Ayckbourn:

My Sister Sadie
Whenever
The Boy Who Fell Into A Book

DD1 is out for the day so I can't ask her which she thought was the best and why. I think the last one might fit into his genre project as the blurb says "Ayckbourn's latest work for children brings alive several well-known children's books as Kevin and Rockfist Slim escape the baddies by plunging into and becoming part of Kidnapped, Grimms' Tales, Chess for Beginners and many other stories".

Roisin

It's not a league (although that is what the school calls it), but a knockout. The teacher has set 16 genres; each boy can choose which two genres to pair up, to end up with 8 genres in Round 2, 4 in Round 3, and 2 in the final. They have to read a different piece in each round. Some genres have special rules e.g. for poetry, they have to read 5 poems and comment on the best one. DS has already decided that novels will go through several rounds at least, and is pitting that genre against his least favourites e.g. sports review or poetry.

The school is giving prizes for the best 3 projects from the year group.

Sounds like a great idea. Thanks for the further info.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations - I'll now have to get myself off to the library to get a good selection for him to choose from. (Got my eye on those swottie points, though.) It's certainly broadening my literary horizons, never mind ds'