Children's Theatre Plays

36 pages

2 m, 2 w

Four commedia dell’arte actors perform all roles in this fast-paced, hilarious play. The rats of Hamlin (dressed with black ball caps) are hungry and demand the Mayor “set things rat, rat now!” And so you can see how poor pronunciation of a simple word created a terrible disagreement between the rats and the citizens of the clean little hamlet. The Mayor, portrayed by Punchin, the dell’ arte character with the big, proud nose, asks the Queen of the Cats, the Duke of the Dogs, the Earl of the Eagles, the High Prince of the Possums, and even the Countess of Cat...

35 pages

8 m, 7 w

What happens in a toy store after hours? The dolls come alive in a world filled with comedy and adventure. Meet totally clueless Pretty Hair Melinda, and her pals, Beach Buff Ben and Surfer Sam. There's also streetwise Jewel and playboy millionaire doll, Mike, who is really secret agent, James Pond, 007. Raggedy Freddy and Franny, lovable and mischievous, tangle with the grumpy and sarcastic Teddy Bear and have to run for their lives. When a group of the dolls venture over to aisle 10 for a little excitement, they accidentally unleash the Bionic Warrior doll....

51 pages

6 m, 6 w, 1 flexible

This beloved tale from Hans Christian Andersen gets an original spin when set in the kingdom of Pilsenferfer! The King and Queen think it’s high time their son Prince Albert found a bride and settled down. But shy Albert can’t stop collecting butterflies for his conservatory long enough to find and woo a royal maiden. And really, who needs to go to all that trouble when the lovely Anne, one of the Queen’s maids, shares his passion for butterflies AND sews the buttons on his coat. If only she were from royal linage like the other candidates, including the food...

52 pages

9 m, 9 w, 8 flexible, doubling possible

Seeking comfort from her miserable life and an easy ticket to the prince's ball, our heroine Ashenputtel cries out for her Fairy Godmother. The magical matriarch who arrives, however, is a no-nonsense narrator who works her magic by giving lesser-known folktales a playful yet empowering twist. This Fairy Godmother offers no magical pumpkin carriages, but rather spins three separate tales of women from around the world who make their own happily ever after. Story one, from Ecuador, is "The Search for the Magic Lake," which features a peasant girl who must bold...

35 pages

3 m, 2 w, flexible cast of 25, doubling possible

Deep in the forest on a cold winter's night, an owl tells his friends about another winter's night when a shooting star lit up the sky, fell to the ground, and left a human child in a hollow tree. A woodcutter, who sees the shooting star, finds the child, takes him home, and rears him as a member of his family. The Star Child grows up to be a very handsome young man, but he doesn't have compassion or kindness. He mistreats the poor and the sick, he hurts the animals of the forest, and he shows no love for the family that raised him. Eventually he loses his ha...

21 pages

(1 m, 9 w)(3 m, 5 w)

Here are two short, funny but gentle plays that are just right for very young audiences. The first, "Wishing You Were Here" (1 m, 9 w), is a tender story about a young fairy, still in training, who gives a little girl everything she wishes for. The trouble is, when the wishes come true, they don't create the ending the girl or the fairy thought they would. In "The Slumber Party" (3 m, 5 w), a group of girls are confiding their secret hopes and crushes - until some "ghosts" burst in. Brothers can be such a pain! Together both plays run a total of about 30 minu...

56 pages

9 m, 9 w (or with doubling 5 m, 5 w)

Here’s the familiar story of Snow White but with enough plot twists and turns to keep all of us guessing what will happen next! The Dwarfs, including three sisters and four brothers, are a regular-sized family named Dwarf. While Snow’s appearance in their midst is a surprise, they show that unlike the Queen’s focus on physical beauty, real beauty is in caring for each other. At the end Snow does not automatically ride off with the Prince because he’s handsome. She makes a rational decision about who loves her, whom she loves and why. Full evening. Perfect for...

49 pages

Flexible cast of 8-10. (5 m / 1 w + 2-4 flexible)

Arlecchino, the crafty trickster, always has his head in the clouds. He doesn’t want to do any work or take any responsibility. He would rather pretend he’s an adventurous pirate on the high seas or on a remote island looking for buried treasure. Today he is leading his commedia friends to the Kingdom of Isola del Tesoro to present their play. Unfortunately, he’s lost the map! Now they are lost and only have a few hours to get to the kingdom. While the company sets up camp for the night, Arlecchino stumbles upon a treasure map to Stromboli Island. Now Pantalo...

57 pages

4-26 m, 14-24 w, doubling is appropriate.

Ivan’s greatest ambition has always been to learn the Language of the Birds. When he shows off his pet nightingale for show and tell at school, he is teased until he runs away. Seeking shelter in the forest, Ivan protects baby birds from a storm. In gratitude, the mama bird grants Ivan’s wish and teaches him to speak Bird. When his parents Mama Lou and Papa Joe find out that Ivan not only can speak Bird, but is now speaking in a heavy Russian accent, Ivan promptly finds himself sold off as a cabin boy on a ship. A band of tough girl pirates soon takes over, a...

51 pages

8 m, 7 w, 9 flexible and extras, doubling possible.

The headstrong leader of a feisty gang of child thieves has a secret: the young man everyone knows as Rosario is really a teenage girl, climbing the ranks of a clandestine criminal guild. To join the illustrious Council of Convicts, she needs all the help she can get  from her followers to steal the Madonna statue off the newest church in the city. But not everyone is thrilled about her risky plan, and Rosario suffers a double betrayal. Tackling themes of sexism, loyalty, and deceit, will her dangerous ambition tear the gang apart? Approximately 70 ...

18 pages

3 m, 2 w, extras, if desired.

Four Warriors, each with superior abilities, are sent to the Highlands by their respective villages to seek a military vantage point. Each warrior discovers a large rock that will help destroy their enemy and each encounters an old man who helps them learn to live in peace. This allegory of urban street gangs examines the lunacy behind "dying for one's colors."

37 pages

Flexible cast of 10

From the story "Kaa's Hunting" by Rudyard Kipling.  Deep in a jungle in India in the middle of the 19th century a tribe of monkeys come chasing in with the boy Mowgli in their midst. In the middle of their play, Kaa, the great python, terrifies them as well as Baloo, a great bear, and Bagheera, a panther, who are Mowgli's friends and protectors. Once out of harm's way, the two scold the boy and teach him how to make himself safe in the jungle. They fall asleep. The monkeys, eager to get Mowgli to make them huts like his, wake him and drag him off. Baloo and B...

45 pages

5 m, 3 w

Here is the timeless story of how a young maiden named Beauty bravely lives in the castle of a frightening Beast, and how her gradual love for him breaks the curse he is under, turning him back into a prince. The Beast is kind and likable even when he's furry. Beauty lives up to her name in spirit and self-reliance. There's also an evil wizard, Beauty's blustery and somewhat silly father, and Beauty's sisters, Patience and Charity, who have neither! Even more humor is added by two assistants, Fenwick and Bozmo, who spend a good portion of the play under a cur...

73 pages

8 m, 16 w, 5 flexible

King Barney and Queen Rose suffer from a terrible jinx. Rose's sister, Jean, who wants to be queen herself, has cursed them with an "ugly duckling." Their oldest child, Dora, is as spoiled a brat as the kingdom has ever known. Desperate for help, the Queen calls on Magdelia, the witch who taught Jean everything she knows. Magdelia has only one antidote: some unlucky fellow must fall in love with Dora. A matchmaker suggests Bodkin, a simple woodcutter, who longs to marry. Dora is kidnapped and sent to Bodkin, who begins to slowly chip away at her nasty persona...

25 pages

5 m, 8 w, 8 flexible

Cinderella (that isn't her real name!) labors away for her wicked aunt and evil cousins, sneaking free moments whenever she can to read. Her aunt believes learning just monopolizes the time a woman can spend being beautiful and burns all the books in their cottage. Cinderella manages to save a copy of "Romeo and Juliet," but eventually even that is burned. With a little help from a silly fairy godmother, Cinderella attends a palace ball and impresses the Prince with her intellect. After she flees the ball, the Prince pursues her, looking not for a woman who c...