About the Play:
What Remains and Other Plays for High-School and Youth Theatre
is a collection of eight full-length dramas written about teenagers
for teenage actors by Max Bush. This collection captures
teens' archetypal search for identity and purpose in the context of
engaging with the world around them. He does so with an inventive
dramaturgy that makes these plays both objects and vehicles for the
student actors' meaningful explorations. Funny and real, the
characters who populate this collection appeal to high-school actors
because students recognize themselves in the characters.
Commissioning directors and teachers provide insights into the plays
and their productions in introductions that accompany each piece.
Sarah is a vulnerable, dreamy and creative teen who talks
to a spirit in her room as well as her dead sister, paints a
butterfly on her face for springtime, and goes on a date with her
sister's old boyfriend who appreciates her weirdness. (7 female, 4
male)
Wildboy: During a backyard football game with his kid
brother, 15-year-old Jamie starts recalling fragments of the dream he
had the night before. While his mother and sister try to interpret
the dream, the characters of his dream appear and stalk him. (Cast:
7-8 female, 5-6 male)
Voices From the Shore: Anxiety-ridden Joel begins to hear
voices and is admitted into an adolescent psychiatric hospital. There
Joel meets other young people who are also struggling with who they
are and their changing worlds. As each character in the play seeks to
clarify their future, they prepare to say goodbye to their familiar
lives and hello to a world of new opportunities. (Cast: 8 female, 6
male, all are 17 to 18 years old)
Kara in Black is the story of two sisters grappling with the reality of war. When Kara's sister joins the Army, Kara forms a protest group to oppose all war. (Cast: 13 female, 7
to 9 male, fifteen are between the ages of 16 and 19)
From Every Mountainside: Two students struggling with
isolation, pain, cultural differences, fear and prejudices begin to
see life in a new way as they work together on civil rights issues
(Cast: 7 female, 4 male, all but one are 17 to 19 years old)
Looking Out: A group of teenagers are forced to make
decisions dealing with school, money, and relationships that will
affect their future and the future of those around them. They also
learn a lesson on racial profiling while trying to find their way in
society. (Cast: 6 female)
The Three Musketeers is the dramatic tale of D'artagnan
moving to Paris and meeting the famous musketeers and the infamous
forces of the Cardinal. Adventure, action, romance, and comedy in
seventeenth century France. Especially conceived for younger
audiences, this script, nonetheless, follows d'Artagnan's grand
adventure in the tone, character and style of the original. (Cast: 4 female, 10 male, many small roles and extras possible)
What Remains is the heartwarming story of a senior citizen and a senior in high school connecting through art and realizing their lives are almost parallel. Maggie, the high school student, is trying to decide between her boyfriend or her art, and Cliona, the elderly person moving out of her house with Maggie's help, once faced a similar decision herself. The play, which spans around two months in Maggie and Cliona's lives, chronicles the drama and realism of trying to balance passion, life, relationships, and expectations. (Cast: 9 female,
2 male)
About the Playwright:
Max Bush is an American playwright and director whose plays
are widely produced on professional, educational and amateur stages
across the US and abroad, especially in Canada. He has won many
awards for his work including the highest prize for children's
playwriting, the Charlotte Chorpenning Cup, awarded by the American
Alliance for Theatre and Education for his significant body of work
for young audiences.