BRYAN STARCHMAN graduated from UCLA with a BA in English and taught high school literature, drama, and film studies in Mariposa, CA for 20 years. His 25 plays have been produced over 3000 times in all 50 states and 15 countries. Since 2020 his short fiction has been featured in The Saturday Evening Post and in the literary journals After Dinner Conversation, In Parentheses, Scribble, Apricity, The Write City Magazine, Some Scripts, The Olive Tree Review, New Plains Review, Avalon Literary Review, The Good Life Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Fox Paw, 100 Word Story, and Litro. In May 2025 he will complete his Master’s in Writing from Johns Hopkins. He now teaches English at Chatham High School and lives with his wife and best friend Geraldine in both Bloomfield, New Jersey and Achill Island, Ireland.
44 pages
Widely flexible from 11 to 20
Everyone has some burden, but shared pain is always easier to bear. This monologue-based play is sure to strike the hearts of teens, showing them that any frustration, embarrassment, loneliness, and grief they are experiencing is not limited to them alone. Some major issues within the dozen monologues include a girl’s concern about her body image, a boy who feels smothered by his girlfriend, a girl who runs to escape her home life, and a boy who feels guilty after failing to defend someone who needed help. Each actor, while wearing a hooded sweatshirt that sy...
41 pages
13 m, 11 w, 4 flexible, extras, much doubling possible
Every month many look to their calendars and start counting down the days until the next holiday. But what about those who are working behind the scenes to make these holidays great? What about the everyday problems of Cupid, leprechauns, and the New Year's Baby? Do we ever stop to think about their needs? Their wants? No! And that's why they're on strike. Journey through the bizarre, strange, and riotously funny underbelly of the holiday world as the icons we all know and love go on strike in this comedy. See what happens when hunters try to shoot down Rudol...
28 pages
Minimum 2 m, 2 w, 2 offscreen voices. Maximum 10 m, 10 w, 2 offscreen voices.
Join this hilarious family as they struggle to endure being stuck at home – together! Why is the WiFi out, and will their old-school solutions work when all the needed cords are missing from the junk drawer? Will the family secure two-ply rolls of toilet paper in trade negotiations with Grandma? Wait… what has each of them been using? How many family game nights can teens endure? What foods (or beverages!) are critical enough to make a special run to the grocery store? And really, who is strong enough to endure more than one Dad joke?
64 pages
Widely flexible cast (16-40 actors)
Here is a collection of stories to make your blood turn cold. "Urban Legends" starts with a whirlwind tour that covers many of the famous and infamous urban legends we’ve grown up hearing and fearing. It then delves deeper, dramatizing full stories in chilling detail. In “The Survivor” we meet the sole survivor of a plane crash who has lost his only love, but while the other bodies have been retrieved, hers will never be found. “On Second Hand” features a young man who has a close call with death and suddenly his life is literally flashing before his eyes. “W...
32 pages
Widely flexible cast, minimum of 13 actors
Here are three stories to make your skin crawl and your blood turn cold. “On Second Hand” features a young man who has a close call with death and suddenly his life is literally flashing before his eyes. “Who’s Calling?” shows what can happen when a seemingly harmless practical joke is taken way too far. And in “The Con” we meet a charming couple who put their full trust in one another…for better or for worse. After leaving the show you will definitely feel the need to check the back seat of your car and look under your bed before going to sleep; but beware o...
34 pages
Widely flexible cast, minimum of 7 actors
This is a whirlwind tour of many of the famous and infamous urban legends we’ve grown up hearing and fearing. It then delves deeper, dramatizing in chilling detail, “The Survivor.” The sole survivor of a plane crash, a man has lost his only love, but while the other bodies have been retrieved, hers will never be found. After leaving the show you will definitely feel the need to check the back seat of your car and look under your bed before going to sleep; but beware of your dreams because these spooky tales will stick with you for quite some time. (This one-a...
90 pages
Minimum cast of 5 with doubling (3 m, 2 f) Maximum cast of 24 (12 m, 12 f and as big a chorus as you like!)
Are we there yet? The Stathem family is on a loooong car trip, giving everyone lots of extra time to reminisce about the past 12 months. Here is a collection of hilarious (and often too close to the truth) scenes and songs that all families are going to be able to relate to. This easy-to-stage comedy is a lighthearted look at a "greatest hit list" of classic family moments. Remember when Dad tried to teach you to drive? Or Mom decided that she would help pick out your wardrobe? The kids sing the “Back to High School Blues” only to have Mom and Dad sing “They ...
62 pages
Widely flexible cast, approx. 12 m, 9 w, 13 flexible.
"Attention all units. Be on the look out for a man with pink wings and a bag full of human teeth. He's considered unarmed and hilarious." What if the holiday celebrities that we all know and love lived among us? Would they still be welcomed with open arms or would their actions be considered criminal? In "Holiday Celebrities: Criminal Justice" we enter the dark underbelly of the holiday celebrity world -- a world where Santa's been dodging his taxes, the Easter Bunny gets caught breaking and entering, and the Thanksgiving Turkey is wanted for grand theft auto...
36 pages
Minimum 4 m, 2 w, 2 flexible, 1 offscreen voice. Maximum 9 m, 7 w, 2 flexible, 1 offscreen voice.
Join this hilarious family as they struggle to endure being stuck at home – together! How many family game nights can teens endure? How are the pets holding up? Can mom convince the kids to do their schoolwork or will they be doomed to a fifth year of high school? How do first dates and book clubs work while social distancing? And really, who is strong enough to endure more than one Dad joke?
This show is perfect at providing both laugh-out-loud humor as well as flexibility in stagin...
35 pages
11 m, 7 w, 5 flexible, extras
We've all heard the story of the geek who turns chic, but wouldn't it be interesting if the popular kid was forced to become a geek for the good of mankind? Well, that's exactly what happens in this hilarious farce. Cooper Clawson is destined to become a geek, but when his conscience, C.C., decides to take a well-deserved vacation, Cooper is suddenly freed from his inhibitions and becomes the coolest kid in school. Now C.C. must figure out a way to turn Cooper back to the way he was because the fate of the world depends upon it. Full of physical comedy, quick...
24 pages
4 m, 4 w, extras
Two unpopular high school students, Sam and Alexandra, find themselves with nothing to do on Halloween, until they're suddenly called to come to a costume party given by the most popular kids. Since they have been invited at the last minute, our unlikely heroes must improvise their costumes. They decide to disguise themselves by cross-dressing so they can find out what the popular kids really think about them. The already awkward heroine dresses up as a thug from the Bronx and the geeky boy puts on a secondhand prom dress and a blonde wig to disguise himself ...
89 pages
Resource Book
This dynamic collection of 25 stand-alone scenes and monologues is a perfect resource for classroom, competition, or stage. The diverse material was carefully selected from playwright Bryan Starchman’s most popular shows. From playful monologues, such as “The Lunch Lady Cometh," to the more profound “And I Did Nothing,” this book provides material relevant to teenagers. Scenes include options for two to five, mostly gender-flexible actors, and use minimal sets and costumes. All of the scenes have been deftly edited so that it is not necessary to be familiar w...