Children's Theatre Plays

73 pages

7 m, 11 w (doubling possible)

Originally commissioned and produced by the Dallas Children's Theatre, this full-length play is a faithful adaptation of the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Young Sara Crewe arrives at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies in Victorian London. There the young, beloved heiress shines as the star pupil - until the death of her wealthy father completely reverses her fortune. The greedy headmistresses allow Sara to become a servant at the academy and live in a cold, miserable attic room. Sara uses her vivid imagination to overcome adversity and even br...

36 pages

7 m, 7 w, 2 flexible, extras and doubling possible

Katie and Max Grimm are tired of having to listen to their mom’s bedtime stories about fluffy hamsters and magic smiles. When they tell her they've outgrown them, she asks for one more chance to tell the best bedtime story ever. Their dad, who loves to write zombie fan fiction, overhears and wants in on the challenge to tell the "King of Bedtime Stories"! Katie and Max have some tricks up their sleeves, however, since telling their own scary stories at summer camp. Zombie bunnies! Evil scientists! Gloomy gamma rays! Post-apocalyptic survivalists! One thing is...

34 pages

3 m, 2 w, 1 puppet.

Y’all know of Pecos Bill, the first Texas cowboy! He was raised by coyotes, made the first lasso out of a rattlesnake, broke a cyclone down to a gentle breeze, tamed the longhorn cattle and almost married Slewfoot Sue, who caught his attention by riding a giant catfish. Unfortunately, this Pecos Bill is a little confused. Ya see, the setting is in the present at a performance of “Pecos Bill's Wild West Show,” patterned after the Wild West shows of the late 19th century. But Bill and the other performers still live in the past. They believe everyone comes to t...

64 pages

9 m, 12 w, 2 flexible parts

Professor Boris Conklin can now revitalize DNA samples from anyone (or anything!) in history, returning that person to life. Unfortunately, those who invested in Conklin's work want him to revitalize world-class monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, and others to serve as attractions at his estate turned into an amusement park - Monster Park. But the Professor's down-and-out niece, Marlene, wants the estate for herself and plots to have her uncle hauled off to a sanitarium. She chooses the very weekend a test family is due to get a sneak preview of ...

42 pages

Flexible cast of 12 (approximately 2 m, 10 w), extras

This comedic tale begins with the familiar version of the fairy tale featuring an overly kind Princess, a vain Prince and the traditional evil witch, but there are twists to come as the story gets retold from the viewpoints of the Prince and witch. The second version zigzags in a totally new direction as the poor Prince is turned into a frog and is then plagued and pursued by a horrid giggler of a Princess, who actually wants to kiss him! The third version lights up the stage as a beautiful young woman with magical abilities turns the Prince into a frog in an...

59 pages

Approx. 37 parts, doubling possible

Romance, mystery, and more fun than a magic carpet ride - that's what makes this richly imaginative version of the story of Aladdin such a winner. You'll love all the colorful characters, including Yahoo and his pet snake, who serve as narrators; the evil magician, El Kahsid; the beautiful Princess Celestia; the spoiled, obnoxious Gorgan, who wants to marry the Princess; the lamp and ring Genies and their "wish-granting associates"; the poetic cave creeps; and finally Aladdin himself, who starts out as a lazy, insolent boy but proves himself to be a prince. T...

28 pages

1 m, 2 w, 5 flexible

Based on the African fable of Anansi, the play tells the story of a "brave" spider's desire to bring stories into the world and the difficult challenges he faces achieving his goal. Anansi must battle the python, outwit the tiger, protect himself from the hornet's sting, and endure a frustrating encounter with Mmotia, the bad-tempered fairy. In addition, he even has to deal his critical mother-in-law! Throughout it all Anansi thinks himself clever, but in reality, it is only with the help of his wife Osa, who is really the clever one in the family, that Anans...

57 pages

Large, flexible cast, much doubling (minimum 8 m, 8 w, 6 flexible)

Here are the hilarious stories that start after the traditional tales end! Consider Cinderella and her Prince, who are now ruling the kingdom. Little does Cinderella know The Dice Girls, the entertainers she's arranged for a state dinner, are really her stepsisters and stepmom, ready for revenge! Or how about poor little Pinocchio? The Blue Fairy never got around to getting rid of his wooden head, but it may be a good thing considering the evil plan he's overheard involving the Lampwick and Foxy. And finally Snow White, who's running her own fashion boutique,...

34 pages

8 m, 6 w, extras, doubling possible

This re-creation of Robert Louis Stevenson's well-loved action classic will delight audiences of all ages and can easily be taken on tour. Young Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map and the adventure is on. If crossing the ocean is not adventuresome enough, Long John Silver and his band of pirates plan to take over the ship and steal the treasure for themselves. With the help of a castaway named Ben Gunn and a group of islanders, the pirates are defeated in battle and the treasure is recovered by Jim and his friends. About 40 minutes.

44 pages

2 m, 4 w, 1 flexible. (Seven actors play 12 characters.)

Snow White is a dirt-smudged stable girl, innocent to the point of cluelessness, whose stepmother, the Queen, must be the most beautiful woman in all the land. But when the Magic Mirror informs the Queen that Snow White has the gift of inner beauty, the Queen goes berserk with jealousy. The Magic Mirror and the castle servants comically thwart the Queen's first attempts to poison Snow White. Fleeing into the woods, Snow White finds the House of the Three Slobs. Therein live Grouchy, Snivelly, and Slacker. They don't want to let her in, but she promises to hel...

32 pages

2 m, 2 w, 2 flexible

You might think it's fun to be a princess like Alwida, and to live in a castle. But her castle is so lame! It doesn't even have a moat. Tired of parents who never listen and are always telling her what to do, Alwida runs away from home in search of adventure. Instead she finds Alf, the prince from a nearby country. The two hit it off at first, until Alwida's parents ground her in her tower. She escapes, but is captured by bloodthirsty pirates. Finally! An adventure! The pirates think they've taken a frail, simple girl as their prisoner, but they are about to ...

32 pages

Flexible cast of 7 to 18

A lonely boy receives a wonderful Christmas gift and a toy rabbit learns some valuable lessons about life and love. In this humorous and touching adaptation of the children's classic, the Velveteen Rabbit encounters the antics of toys and wild rabbits in his faithful quest to be "real." About 40 minutes.

26 pages

4 w, 5 flexible, extras

At last Auntie Em is allowing Dorothy and her little bunny FuFu to go to the mall alone! But just as Dorothy enters the revolving doors, they spin out of control knocking her unconscious and killing the wicked sales clerk of the East Mall. Luckily, Glinda, a good sales clerk, helps Dorothy on the quest to find Kaufmann's Department store. Along the way Dorothy travels with Burnout, who needs new brain cells; Security Guard, who needs a heart; and the Nerd who needs some courage. A modern twist on an all-time favorite story. About 30 minutes.

58 pages

6 m, 6 w, 16 flexible, extras if desired

Follow Prince Tamino in this hilarious tale as he travels to the castle of the evil Sarastro to save the princess Pamina. Along his magical journey he meets a wild cast of characters including Papageno, the three muses, the Greenbird, the spirits, and the fabled Queen of the Night. Armed with a magic flute given by the queen, Tamino is ready to take on Sarastro. Once inside the castle our prince and his friends face monsters, magic, and a test to free his beloved Pamina. Fast-paced dialogue and hysterical characters enchant this large-cast play based on the o...

67 pages

5 m, 10 w, and 5 - 10 flexible

Connor's summer is off to a rough start: the camp bus almost crashes, his cabin mates don't trust him, and the girls on the other side of the camp constantly outsmart him. But when he and his friends Tasha, Parker, and Kimberly investigate the mystery surrounding the "Ghost of Dead Billy," they begin a hilarious adventure that is worlds away from a typical campfire story. This haunted camp comedy with a sci-fi twist has it all: ghosts, aliens, robots, plant zombies and, of course, dodgeball.

35 pages

5 m, 5 w, 1 B, 2 G + chorus (can be doubled to 3 m, 3 w, and 3 chorus)

Joanna Spyri's classic story of the orphan who spreads sunshine everywhere she goes is well represented in this fast-paced adaptation. Heidi conquers her grandfather, Peter, Klara, Herr Sesemann and all those with whom she comes in contact.

44 pages

3 males, 7 females, 1 flexible, extras

Here’s the Cinderella story retold, with a little help from above! Overworked and derided by her stepmother and three stepsisters, kindhearted Cinderella can only dream of attending a ball at the castle. Suddenly her Angel Godmother appears, but she almost blows the whole fairy tale before the Godfather rushes to the rescue on his Zucchini 500. (There’s a shortage of pumpkins!) Prince Eugene dreams of finding an honest girl, but his eccentric fans make a nightmare of his party. His only hope is the sweet young woman who isn’t afraid to state her own thoughts....

43 pages

With doubling: 3 m, 3 w, 1 flexible

Meet the Prince Charmings of Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White. Steve, an itinerant freelance narrator, starts with the first story of Cinderella's hero, Prince Charming Hair who is introduced at a ball, a nightmare of young ladies playing push-and-pull with him. Luckily, he finds Cinderella and they have a traditional happy ending. Prince Charming Smile is distraught because he does not have a Lady Fair. When he meets Rapunzel, "imprisoned" by two wicked witches, he falls instantly, deeply into shallow love. But this Rapunzel, monosyllabic and whiny, doesn...

52 pages

7 m, 2 w

The Robinson family is on a journey overseas to begin a new life. After a harrowing storm, their tall-masted ship sinks, and they are shipwrecked on a deserted island. Mother and Father and their three children, Fritz, Ernest and Franz, are now forced to truly begin a new life: a struggle for survival. Salvaging what they can, the innovative family constructs a tree house in which to live. They embark on daily scavenging treks to recover what food, weapons, and other supplies have washed ashore the uninhabited island...or is it? Soon, strange things begin to ...

58 pages

12 m, 18 w, 7 flexible, much doubling possible

Despite the efforts of the Z's, a group of good fairies (Zabrina, Zanth, Zinda, Zaria, Zelda, Zoe and Zellie), Princess Tara falls prey to a curse from the wicked fairy, Xenia. The curse is that when Tara turns 16 she will prick her finger and she and everyone in the whole castle will sleep for a hundred years. Determined that no one ever wake Tara, Xenia conjures up a horrible ogre, enlists the aid of her terrible trolls and exploits a two-headed spider. A hundred years later, greedy Prince Egbert and lazy Prince Smedley, accompanied by their hard-working pa...

27 pages

12 to 14 flexible parts

All the familiar characters from the classic fairy tale are here but with a little bit of a modern-day twist, including gullible, inquisitive Jack and his poor mother; a smart, determined cow; the magical egg-laying goose; and a not-so-scary Giant and his wife. Children will be laughing out loud when Jack's cow refuses to be sold and is constantly chased across the stage, first by the bean seller and then additional characters from other fairy tales! The smart aleck Narrator almost gets into a fight with the Mother about the magical qualities of the beans and...

39 pages

Flexible cast of 8 to 15. Min: 1 m, 1 w, 6 flexible

Periwinkle, a curious caterpillar, feels compelled to find out what happens when caterpillars climb up the Great Tree –and never return! He decides to follow grumpy Thistle, who seems to be next to do the climb, but Periwinkle encounters some big obstacles he must overcome, including evading the clutches of a black widow spider. Meanwhile, on the ground, Periwinkle’s worried “family,” Sepia and two boisterous babies, escape their own predators, vicious wasps and a praying mantis, along with a comical pair of hungry flies. Finally, Thistle emerges from his coc...

33 pages

Widely flexible cast, minimum of 12. (Approx. 4 m, 3 w, plus 5-23 flexible, extras)

Adapted from Washington Irving's short story. No one will be caught napping as Washington Irving's supernatural tale comes to vibrant life in this action-packed comedy that combines faithfulness to the original text with slapstick humor, hilarious dialogue and fascinating characters. Young Rip Van Winkle escapes from an overly-critical wife, bowls with the ghostly Henry Hudson in the Catskill Mountains, then mysteriously awakens 20 years later to find life in his colonial village vastly changed. With minimal set requirements and maximum involvement by an extr...

20 pages

3 m, 11 w

Take seven inept campers who must win a variety show competition on which the whole camp's reputation is based and what have you got? Instant disaster! Luckily for the campers, Jo White, who would rather sing than whistle while she works, has escaped to their cabin. Hilarity and confusion follow, but the camp's reputation is saved!

23 pages

6 m, 7 w, extras

In this melodrama for fifth and sixth graders, Peter Prune steals Priscilla's homework to give to his girlfriend to gain brownie points. Foulfellow Fern, a not very efficient detective, is called in. But as always, the hero, Godfrey Goodfellow, methodically narrows the suspects down to the nasty villain.

23 pages

Flexible cast of 11

Humor abounds in this bubbly, high-spirited one-act version of the classic fairy tale. Meet Sonoma White (Snow's cousin), the seven dolts (no relation to the dwarves), a wicked queen who still isn't the most beautiful (even with 49 face-lifts), and an aging magic mirror which is hard of hearing. After the wicked queen bops Sonoma on the head with a MacIntosh (that's apple, not computer), Sonoma is rescued by the dolts, Sloppy, Crabby, Silly, Sneaky, Wimpy, Smelly, and Spam. Even though Sonoma is one of those irritatingly upbeat people, the dolts soon fall in ...

29 pages

3 m, 5 w

Two good but somewhat ditzy fairy sprites, Flora and Fauna, are having a delightful time at a gathering for the royals' new baby, Princess Aurora, when - you guessed it - the evil fairy Maleficent crashes the party! Irritated at not being invited, as well as for generally evil principles, Maleficent places a curse on the beautiful child: when Aurora turns 16, she will cut her finger on a spinning wheel and the whole kingdom will fall asleep, never to awaken. Later, Prince Charming breaks the curse by kissing the lovely Princess awake in spite of warnings from...

26 pages

Approx. 3 m, 3 w.

Help! please. How do you teach civility when Miss Manners and Mary Poppins aren’t around? For three professional bedroom monsters, the assignment to change young Sheena is business as usual – almost. This case has a lot riding on it. If not successful, Fredrick will be forced to retire, nervous Igor will fail, and Petra will be partnered with a monster she dislikes. Never before has the future of this hairy team rested in the palm of a little, spoiled, rude girl – and all under the inquiring eye and note-taking hand of another monster, a snooping New Orc Time...

26 pages

3 m, 7 w, extras

A broad version of the classic fairy tale containing all the original characters as the Fairy Godmother from the FGA (Fairy Godmothers Anonymous); Cinderella (an alias - her real name is Beulah Yenkowitz); Judy Andrews, the stepmother; and Patsy, Maxi and Levine, the Andrews sisters. After the Fairy Godmother creates the perfect ball gown, Cinderella finds it's the wrong size! How will she get to the ball? In a "Rent-a-Coach," of course!

43 pages

28 parts (doubling possible)

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to have fun we go with this modern version of the beloved fairy tale! When the Huntsman fails to bump off the beautiful Princess Snow White (although he still gets his ticket to Bermuda), the vain queen decides to do the job herself. Dressed as an Old Hag, she cons Snow White into buying a candy bar as a girl scout fund-raiser. Like, who can resist chocolate, especially if it's for a good cause? But at the first bite, the princess falls into a deep slumber. Luckily Snow White has lots of friends. The seven dwarfs immediately call 911, b...