Spread the Love: Puzzle Pieces by Krista Boehnert

This week on Spread the Love, Lindsay and Craig talk about Puzzle Pieces, a monologue-based drama for teenagers by Krista Boehnert.

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Transcript

Welcome to Spread the Love. This week we are talking about Puzzle Pieces by Krista Boehnert who also wrote Have you Heard. Our lives are made up of individual fragments and stories – that’s the theme of Puzzles Pieces, focusing on the lives of teenagers. The characters address the audience about their fears, their future and their day to day lives. Craig what do you love about Puzzles Pieces?

I love the uniqueness of a play like Puzzle Pieces. The story is told entirely through a series of interwoven monologues, giving each one of the five members of the cast many, many moments to shine in the script. Also, there are very few stage directions, so it opens up this wonderful world of staging opportunities for the director and the cast. Is there a set? Is there music? Is there a soundscape? Do the characters stand in place or do they move about? Do they ever acknowledge each other? And if so, when? Lindsay what do you love about Puzzle Pieces?

On paper it sounds like a recipe for disaster. A whole play of monologues? About teenagers? But as we all know, plays do not just exist on the page. Krista is a master at monologue storytelling. The characters are vibrant and are instantly engaging. The monologue format actually allows the audience to really get to know the characters. This play is worthy of a read and worthy of your time. That’s it for Spread the Love.

This week on Spread the Love, Craig and Lindsay talk about Tuna Fish Eulogy, a ladder play for high school students. Filmed live on location next to the the sea. Well, it’s actually a lake, but use your imagination.https://www.theatrefolk.com/products/tuna-fish-eulogy