Children's Theatre Plays

61 pages

Resource Book

Enjoy these three short plays in your middle school or junior high classroom. All three plays have roles which are mostly flexible in gender to include as many students as possible. The plays have interesting plots, easy settings, and short, easy-to-learn lines. Your student actors will have fun developing and portraying the varied characters. Young actors will enjoy performing them for their classmates and parents, too!

 

“Murder in the Cloister” - 9 characters+ extras. Who would murde...

44 pages

5 m, 5 w

This is a fun dramatization of the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Young King Rupert spies lovely Princess Grace from a neighboring kingdom and fall instantly in love. But in his attempt to woo her he soon finds out she is not as lovely in actions as she is in looks. She is snobbish, selfish, and self-centered waited on hand and foot by her three ladies-in-waiting. Even the Princess’ father, the Emperor, is helpless to change her behavior. King Rupert, however, has an idea. By switching places with a swineherd, he enacts a plan where she must kiss him ...

44 pages

2 m, 2 w, 1 flexible

Two fairy tale classics collide in this fast-paced comedy for all ages. Dame Gothel prepares for a ball with the assistance of her magical minions, Rumpelstiltskin and Hob. Her young daughter Rapunzel ruins the festivities when she cuts her own hair. Dame Gothel banishes her to the tower until her hair looks normal again. Hob, after some awkward failures, places a spell on Rapunzel to make her hair grow faster. Her hair keeps growing, but her social-climbing mother keeps finding ridiculous reasons to keep her locked up. Freedom seems out of reach, especially ...

29 pages

4 m, 3 w, 2 flexible

Here is a classic children's tale told with Japanese Kabuki theatre techniques. Gosho-no-Goodo, an evil Samurai, has stolen the sword of Subi-Sumo, the good Samurai. Subi would not care that much because he'd rather paint than do battle, but unfortunately, he must retrieve his sword at all costs. To a member of the Samurai, a stolen sword is a disgrace. If he doesn't recover it, Subi cannot marry his love, a princess named Kyo-no-Imi. As Subi and his two servants go on a quest for the sword, they meet a witch posing as an old woman. They help her and she thanks Subi with a potion which ...

41 pages

5 m, 3 w, 2 flexible

Mayhem and comedy are guaranteed when a small troupe of animal actors perform "The Taming of the Shrew" for King Louie, a lion, and Queen Marie, a lioness. Bartholomew, a fox, and Cassandra, a cat, are the leaders of an acting troupe consisting of a sarcastic crow, a bumbling bear, a young rabbit, and a sleepy dog. Include a diva cat opera singer, Miss Bianca, and the fur is guaranteed to fly! As the stage story of "The Taming of the Shrew" unfolds, we see that the actors are like the characters they portray. We also see how much can go wrong when performing ...