 What Teachers Tell Us
13-year-old I enjoy reading the Plays magazines. Whenever I get one I am so excited to see what play I can act in next. I act in plays all the time at my school, so you can see why I love the Plays magazines. Also, the more I act and practice, the better I am in plays. The Plays magazines help me do that. I love how the magazine is so organized. What I mean by this is, it gives you descriptions of characters and what they should wear, different scenes, the time period, where it takes place, and you can definitely tell the plays are well written and thought out. The Plays magazine gives you everything you need! I highly recommend this magazine to anyone who likes acting. Sharon Garrett, Enid Public Schools I have done many of your plays, and my students were in high school the time I did "The King's Creampuffs"! They had the best time with it, and we did it for elementary kids one performance, and then a general performance. It was a success both times. I'm so glad to know you have it for others to use. I've taught 22 years, and that play was the first one I did at a school. You will find roles for nearly everyone, and the set and costumes were simple! Third-grade teacher, Maple Avenue School My students love plays. They provide practice with fluency and involve everyone in a meaningful way. They offer various levels of difficulty: easy, challenging, or just right. Classroom plays allow for the variety of full productions or reader theatre-type settings. Best of all, there is a play for every subject, occasion, or circumstance. Theater Arts Teacher I teach theater arts at East Junior High in Boise, ID, and I am an avid user of Plays Magazine. I can rattle off the names and plots of nearly a hundred of your favorites. Besides all of the productions we do from PLAYS, we also sometimes do an improv activity, like they do on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" I give a copy of PLAYS to each student (I have a gazillion copies in the room) and have them write an interesting line of dialogue on a slip of paper. Then I collect the papers. Each actor in the improv scene picks two slips of paper from the "hat," and works it into their scene. It's a lot of fun. Gifted/Enrichment Specialist, Independence Elementary Thanks for the information. This will be a good summer project for me to get my plays into submissible form. I love your magazine and have used it for years. Keep up the good work; many kids benefit! Ronda Cooperstein, Librarian Right now, my little group of drama students are working on HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS from your October PLAYS. Last year, we performed THE HALL OF BLACK AMERICAN HEROES, by Mary Satchell. Your magazine also had a very good play about the history of the Philippines, which I used a few years ago when connecting American history to historical events around the world. We hope this year to perform a short play for each holiday. I really appreciate your magazine--the integrity of your selections and the age-appropriate themes. I work in the inner city. Often, it is a struggle to bring the drama together, and often my students perform with scripts in hand. Our props are always makeshift, make-do materials, and paid for out-of-pocket. But, we always have a wonderful time, and the students give it their all. You wouldn't believe some of the inappropriate programs that are done in the schools with middle school children, reflecting primarily the popular TV/MTV culture. But, I find from my years of experience that the kids are hungry for real literature, good stories, innocence, a chance to learn, act and share, which is why I am so grateful to have an uplifting teaching tool like your magazine, always reliable, always at hand. Kathryn Kerr, Teacher I cannot thank you enough. Your magazine meets so many educational requirements. I had to buy this magazine from my own money but it was worth every penny! I share my GREAT discovery with other staff members and they are as thrilled as I am. It fullfills so many needs, from multicultural to character educational (the latest "buzz" word). I also have a club called the "Sherlockians" so the Sherlock Holmes plays are of special interest. We love any mystery play! I have taught for 33 years and I'm not easily impressed. I cannot praise you enough. Keep up the good work.Thanks for bringing the joy of reading to my classroom. Love your work! David Watson, Choral Director/Teacher I really want to thank you for your magazine and all that you do. I am a high school choral director, but I am also charged with teaching the drama classes. I have a musical theater background, but do not claim to be an experienced theater director - therefore, the majority of what I do in class is read scripts and plays. Your magazine has been a tool of salvation for me. Carla Wallgren, Middle-High School Drama Teacher I am a new subscriber but I am already very excited about this company. I have started browsing the downloadable plays and I am really impressed with the convenience and quality of the plays. There is something for everyone. I already know that I will be a member for many years to come. Nancy Overgaard, Jr./Sr. High Drama Teacher I am very happy with your service! Especially for the small amount you charge for the subscription. I have had happy students, parents, and audiences. Thank you for helping to make my middle school program a success! Here are a few of your plays that we've recently performed: Miss Louisa and the Outlaws: This play is great! It has a great plot line, humor, and a moral easily discernible to the elementary group for which we performed. It was easy to stage with only one set and minimal props; costumes were also fairly easy to put together. Thank you Plays Magazine for a wonderful class room experience for my middle schoolers! The Pie that Changed History: This play was a good historical lesson, with minimal sets and believable characters. My middle schoolers perform a play once a quarter for the elementary students, and it was a success! Your plays have left my students feeling much more confident in their abilities and in themselves as a person. What a gift for this age group! Hansel and Gretel: This play was the best yet! I knew that I had some musical kids in this quarter's group, and it was a stretch for them, but they grew leaps and bounds in their confidence because of it. Being familiar with the opera, I added the music for the first song and dance. We had rave reviews by peers, elementary students, and parents alike. It has been fun to have different genres and teach the differences to our audience. Thank you for your variety and originality.Kara Poulsen, High School Theater Teacher THANK YOU a billion times for your subscription service. I have been teaching theater for 25 years and could not have built my program without my subscription to PLAYS. These scripts have made my job SO much easier over the years. And as the Jr. High rep for the Utah Advisory Council of Theater Teachers, I tout your company to every new teacher that I work with! Here's to many more years of continued collaboration between PLAYS and theater teachers everywhere! Wei Szu, Teacher Two of my American students in Shanghai (Ginger Zhang and Hannah Liu) have made a "radio play" of "Well, Doggone It!" to enrich the repertoire of my collections, which are purchased and used to help my students, especially Chinese natives, to pronounce and produce the plays more "professionally," so to speak. I am so proud of my young actors and actresses who love the scripts from the Plays Magazine and seize every opportunity to rehearse and present them for the sheer joy of drama and honor of the playwrights. I look forward to reading and teaching more of your theatrical products for the sake of building moral character as well as relishing great contemporary American literature. Kathy Cox, Drama Teacher and Director, Jr. Thespian Leader, Pyle Middle School Plays magazine continues to be the best investment I make in my program on a yearly basis, and the best value!!
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