Children's Theatre Plays

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...

36 pages

Nine Short Scenes of Emotion for Elementary Students

These scenes for elementary school-aged children deal with the emotions we feel. Each scene concentrates on a specific emotion: sad, frustrated, frightened, happy, angry, excited, cool and jealous. Designed for students of all learning levels, including those who have not yet learned to read and English-language learners. The dialogue is structured with patterns, repetition and rhythms to allow for easy memorization. A modest royalty is due if performed on stage, but it is royalty free if used in the classroom.

23 pages

9 m, 6 w, children, extras

An infestation of rats plagues the beautiful, perfect town of Hamelin, and the angry towns people give the Mayor and town council one last chance to solve the problem. A curiously dressed piper arrives just in time to save the day. He promises to lead the rats out of town for a fee of $1000. The town agrees and the rat problem is solved, but the people, arguing that the price was too high, refuse to pay. The angry piper takes all the children with him instead, leaving the town unhappy and without a future. But wait! The storyteller runs on stage to offer an "...

44 pages

8 m, 12 w, 18 flexible parts

Colorful and exciting human and animal roles make this children's tale a delight. A young, orphaned boy, Dick Whittington, saves a cat, Whiskers, from a dangerous dog. Later, when Dick finds work in a manor house in London but is forced to sleep on the floor with the rats, Whiskers shows up in the nick of time to save him. Dick keeps Whiskers a secret until the master's ship sets sail. Tradition says Dick must give his master something of value so good luck follows the voyage. Since Whiskers is the only thing Dick owns, he sadly gives the cat. Life seems hope...

67 pages

11 m, 13 w, doubling possible

Bring the exciting, inspiring story of the most famous Native American woman to life on your stage. This play is filled with challenging characters who played important parts in a turbulent, fascinating life - Powhatan, the chief; John Smith, the fearless adventurer; Capt. Argall, the greedy sea captain; Governor Gate's three lively daughters; and Pocahontas, the princess who longs for a world beyond the forest where her people live. The story is woven through the memories of an old woman who takes her granddaughter on a walk in the forest. The representation...

35 pages

5-15 actors.

Four spellbinding stories from Native American lore. In the first, the Raven, great trickster bird of all the Northwest Native American tribes, creates the world and the creatures in it. When Man complains about the darkness Raven fills the sky with the sun, the moon and the stars. Soon the new inventions are stolen by the greedy Ganuk. Raven turns himself into Ganuk's infant grandson to return the lights to the sky. In the second story, Raven disintegrates a giant, blood-thirsty cannibal into all the mosquitoes of the world. In the third story Raven's tragic...

41 pages

5 m, 7 w, 1 flexible

In this variation of the classic fairy tale, two human-sized dwarves, Beryllium and Boron, must help handsome Prince Suave find a bride. The sometimes sharp-tongued, but often wise Mirror helps Beryllium deal with his mischievous brother. Boron is a clever rascal who ends up tricking the mirror and involving the two inept Wong brothers in his schemes. The Prince speaks fluent medieval English which adds to the charm of the play. Now he must choose one of the White sisters for his bride: Snow White, the eldest; Egg White, the brain; Bleached White, the airhead...

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.

51 pages

Flexible cast, approx. 9 m, 13 w

By a quirky twist of fate, high school student Mary Jo Swanson and her younger brother and sister are given three wishes by a genie trapped in a bottle that's just been stolen from the art museum. They soon learn you have to be careful what you wish, for it may come true! Their first wish brings a hot music star right into their living room, but he's so dazed he can only croak a song. Their second wish plunks Mary Jo's sweetheart into the throes of deepest puppy love and he turns into an incredible pest. Those two, along with a wild assortment of crazy charac...

38 pages

4 m, 2 w, 3 flexible. Some doubling possible.

This play presents a new, fun version of the story of Aladdin! While Aladdin is a lazy, unmotivated young man, his sister, Maliha, is resourceful, courageous, and compassionate, looking after him upon the death of their parents. One day an unscrupulous sorcerer pretends to be their long-lost uncle. He cons Aladdin into retrieving a buried lamp and traps him in the bowels of the earth. Thanks to Maliha and a friendly snake, Aladdin is rescued by rubbing the ring the stranger lent him. The Genie of the Ring becomes Aladdin’s slave but is befriended and freed by...

67 pages

5 m, 8 w, 23 flexible, doubling

Alice has accidentally discovered a strange new world and she's convinced her two friends to explore it with her. They meet the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum, all on their way to the castle for the Princess' homecoming from college. But the Princess is now a tattooed tough girl who has brought home some very unsavory friends. The Queen has them all arrested and the King allows them one phone call. They call Monstressa, an opportunist who wants to turn Wonderland into an amusement park. Alice and her friends must...

28 pages

2 m, 8 w, 2 flexible parts

In this 40-minute frumpled version of Lewis Carroll's story, Alice comes face to face with a Jaberwocky who could be Fonzie's twin! The Jaberwocky cons Alice into stepping through the looking glass. Then he steals her book so he and his four supremely cool Jaber-Babes - Daphne, Daisy, Dimples, and Delli - can get into the real world. Alice must quickly find them before they use the book or she'll never get back home. She gets lots of confusing "help" from the Messenger Rabbit, Tweedle Dum and Dee, and the Red and White queens.

50 pages

Approx. 8 m, 8 w (doubling possible)

Travel back in time as the real story of "The Elves and the Shoemaker" unfolds in a flurry of magic and mayhem. It begins when seven zany Elves - not just two as Mr. Grimm wrote - end up lost at the shop of Hans, the shoemaker. They need to perform three good deeds to get back, and no one could use help more than poor Hans, who has just enough leather to make one pair of shoes. The trouble is, elves don't go around wanting to do good deeds. They have to be coaxed! But one pair of perfectly made shoes leads to another and then, after Mr. Grimm tells Hans' stor...

60 pages

11 m, 17 w, 22 flexible, much doubling possible

This sparkling adaptation of one of the most beloved tales from "The Arabian Nights" will take you aboard a dazzling, fun-filled, theatrical voyage. All of Sinbad's adventure-filled travels come from his desire to win the caliph's daughter, Minerva. In the land of Hashmona he presents the perfect present to its insatiable queen and is rewarded with gold and jewels for a dowry. But when he returns to Bagdad to claim the princess, his rival, the despicable Semitar, kidnaps Minerva. Sinbad sets sail to rescue her, but finds himself stranded on Paradise Island, w...

62 pages

Flexible casting

Design your own evening of entertainment from these four enchanting tales filled with charm, imagination, and a quirky sense of humor. With lots of small, easily learned roles, all of which are fun to play, these comedies are enjoyable for young actors, onstage and off. In "You Call That a Bed Monster?" Princess Julia wakes up one morning to discover that her beloved bed monster, Humphrey, is missing. Her bumbling guards drag in an assortment of critters, all mistaken for Humphrey, much to the chagrin of the King and Queen. In the title tale, "The Magic Harmo...