Overview
Synopsis
“Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life.” So speaks Jean Brodie, a liberated and charismatic schoolteacher. Edinburgh in the 1930s is conservative and respectable, but at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, Miss Brodie stands out among the drab faculty, with her passionate teaching style. Ignoring the more mundane subjects, she instructs her girls in Italian art, unconventional romance, and Fascist politics. Miss Brodie concentrates her efforts on a small group of favored girls, the “Brodie set”, which include beautiful Jenny, timid Mary MacGregor, and sharp-witted Sandy, who watches carefully as Miss Brodie instructs her charges to “do as I say, and not as I do.” When Teddy Lloyd, a handsome art teacher, tries to reignite a past, passionate affair, Miss Brodie retreats into the arms of meek, conventional choir master Gordon Lowther. But when she tries to have a love affair on her own terms, the subsequent sneaking around endangers her job, leaving her vulnerable to enemies. Will Miss Brodie’s dedication to the teaching profession, and to the hearts and minds of her girls, keep her in her prime? Will her influence be benevolent, or is she just “not good for people”....The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a gripping, entertaining, powerful drama of adolescence and adulthood, of betrayal and manipulation, and the powerful, lasting effect of a charismatic teacher.
Show Information
- Book
- Jay Presson Allen
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks (1961)
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1966
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- 1930s, edinburgh, scotland
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- college / university theater, high school theatre, regional / professional theater, community theater, Mostly Female Cast, Star Vehicle Female, High School, Community Theatre, College/University, Includes Adult, Early Teen, Late Teen, Mature Adult, Young Adult, Child Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Silent |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Spoken, Silent |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A play, musical, or opera that has been adapted from a written work.
A genre of literature, film, and theatre that focuses on the emotional and/or moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood.
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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