28 pages
1 m, 1 w, 3g, 1b
Meet the Flanagans, a family of goats where the youngest is rebuffed by all her siblings because Molly is “too little.” One day the local wolf sees an opportunity to capture the kids alone at home and sets about eating all the kids, except for Molly, who hides. She, with the help of her mother, devises a plan to rescue the other children. Ultimately the family ends the day with a festive dance and dinner and a whole new feeling about Molly for they know now, as she has always known, that she is not “so little” after all.
32 pages
3 m, 1 w, 6-10 extras
Yushi is the young hero who falls from his father's ship and loses his memory. In his quest for his identity, he meets The Wise Old Man who gives him direction, the lovely Sea Turtle who wins his love, and the Tanuki Badgers who comically beat their tummies and, in spite of their mischief, aid Yushi on his search. When Yushi meets the Terrible Thunder Dragon, he learns that he is the son of the Emperor, and because of his journey, will someday become the greatest Emperor of Japan. The mythic structure is made accessible to the children by the use of Japanese ...
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 ...
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...
39 pages
2 m, 3 w, 1 flexible
Based on the Grimm Brothers Folktale. Queen Ysabel of Oldmark sends her daughter, Princess Jorinda, to marry King Ferdinand of Eastphalia in order to seal an alliance between the two kingdoms. Elsa, an ambitious and devious maid-in-waiting, leads Jorinda to believe that her future husband is ill-tempered and ill-favored, and convinces the princess to trade roles: Elsa poses as the bride, and Jorinda is given a position as a lowly goose girl. Ferdinand, of course, proves to be neither ill-tempered nor ugly. In fact, there is a definite attraction between Ferdi...
38 pages
4 m, 2 w, plus extras
Pantalone and his company are traveling the countryside sharing their plays with anyone who will listen. It has been a long journey and the patience of the company is starting to wear thin. They finally take a rest and Pantalone decides to share some of his favorite stories from Aesop. Unfortunately, he is constantly interrupted by the squabbles and needs of the other company members. If he could only get everyone to work together, Pantalone could finish telling his story!
Join us as our troupe of players presents some of ...
40 pages
Flexible cast from 12 to 60
This happenin' history lesson presents a fresh perspective as to who, what, where, when and how this crazy planet and its people came to be. From dinosaur extinction to space exploration, they're all rediscovered in this clever, chaotic, comical cataclysm of creativity. Doing their best to contribute to the world's development are the solar system (each planet has his or her own personality); the dinosaurs (the herbivores are higher class than the lowly carnivores); the first humans (totally clueless!) and the daring, early explorers including Columbus with h...
32 pages
3 m, 2 w, 1 flexible
Get the youngsters in your audience twitching their noses, making engine noises, bowing to the king, catching imaginary gold thread, and shouting out names, especially Rumpelstiltskin! With such audience participation, this fairy tale adaptation is loads of active fun. It features a braggart father, his long-suffering wife, their poor but beautiful daughter, a strict rule-enforcing chancellor; a monarch whose kingdom depends on straw being spun into gold, and of course, the mysterious little man who is willing to perform that exceptional feat – but at a treme...
44 pages
6 m, 7 w, 6 flexible, extras
At last, Rumpelstiltskin gets to be the hero! Based on the original Grimm fairy tale, this traditionally misunderstood character earns a well-deserved happy ending, winning the hand of Freya, the beautiful miller’s daughter. Both comic and suspenseful, and using elements of other fairy tales and classical myths, this adaptation involves King Grood, the (not very) Good; his vain son Prince Werther; and an unscrupulous chancellor. Rumpelstiltskin, a handicapped young man, is actually Prince Werther’s twin, whom the soft-hearted miller could not bring himself to...
36 pages
3 m, 3 w, 1 voice
Friendship, adventure, integrity, an evil mime, a mysterious butler, stolen dinosaur bones, a man with a mailbox on his head -- it’s all just a part of the fun in this one act. Follow the heroic adventures of Princess Mystic Starfish, a charming and unconventional superheroine who battles her enemies with dogged persistence by firing bubbles in an attempt to confuse them (or possibly get soap in their eyes). Despite her unorthodox methods, the Princess’ success in apprehending wrongdoers is somehow perfect. One day she is given an invitation to join the great...
56 pages
5 to 18 flexible roles
It's the story of Pecos Bill in the rootin'-tootin', ropin' and shootin' wild, wild West! From an infant raised with coyotes to a grown man rescuing his "furever" sweetheart, Sweet Sue, Pecos Bill has one adventure after another. He rids the town of Pecos of all its outlaws, tames some purty wild desert creatures, and rescues his Sweet Sue from a couple of mean hombres called Buck and Chuck. Pecos even takes an hour or so to dig a ditch for Sue's catfish. Lasso in a little bit of Americana in this story-theatre style play. Scenes flow together seamlessly, and...
31 pages
3 m, 3 w, extras
This timeless fairy tale has a unique twist: Beauty is a male and the Beast is a female. The Ranier family has a host of problems, but an act of love begins to transform their adversity. John saves his father from certain death by taking his place in a Beast's castle, a castle with an aura of magic and mystery as shrouded figures move about attending lost and lonely travelers. John, or Beauty as the Beast names him, is conflicted between fulfilling his father's promise to the Beast and his own longing to be with his family. Although John honors the promise an...
37 pages
Flexible cast
"California, Here We Come" is a celebration of California History in a pageant of song, dance, and tableaux. The pageant covers the history of California from the early days of the Indians, the present and the future. The pageant is presented in short scenes with music and dance of the appropriate times. Riders with various flags help set the scenes. The stage decor includes a back with a stylized California landscape which remains in place throughout the presentation, and risers on which the various characters of the show are placed as they exit from scenes,...
41 pages
1 m, 1 w, 3 flexible
Here is a troika of short, story-theatre plays that will take you on three very unusual journeys. First stop is a town where the cow-dreamer ran away... and we all know that without someone to dream cows there simply are no cows. Then we travel to a farm where the devil comes to call every day at noon. Only the dog knows who he is, and it's up to her to save the farmer and his wife. Finally, we visit a marsh and find out what happens when the Sun gets so curious about the Earth that she comes down to see what it's like for herself. Because the narration fills...