Children's

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 ...

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 s...

24 pages

4 main characters, additional cast of 13 or more.

In this new version of the fairy tale, all the characters are likable - the greedy king is now a kind ruler looking for money to save endangered species and the passive young woman who must spin straw into gold is resourceful and self-reliant. Even the funny little character, whose name reflects his rap-style speech, is likable, just lonely. Luckily, the Hunters-of-the Perfect-Wave help the play have a happy ending.

31 pages

1 w, 6 flexible

The Empress of China learns about a wonderful bird in her garden and demands the bird perform that evening in court. When Miss Nightingale appears, everyone is disappointed by her drab, gray appearance. However, she makes up for it with her beautiful birdsong which even moves the Empress to tears. She decides to have a silver cage built, to keep the bird forever. Just then a gift is received from Japan -- a marvelous, jewel-studded mechanical bird which sings its own mechanical tune. With the attention on the new gift, Miss Nightingale steals away, back to th...

36 pages

Approx. 3 m, 4 w, 3 flexible

Little Red loves playing in the forest with all her animal friends and doesn’t want any responsibilities—like taking food to Grandma’s house. But a hungry wolf changes that! Posing as an injured sheepdog, he’s able to trap her forest friends into a cave and con Red in to telling him where Grandmother lives. Once there he eats Grandma and Red! Luckily, the ever-cautious Sammy the Skunk saves the day with his brains and his “perfume.” Grandma and Red are rescued from the Wolf’s tummy for a happy ending, including a more responsible Red! A "country and western" ...

36 pages

4 m, 4 w, 1 boy, 1 girl, and extras

The people in the Apple Kingdom live on apples: apple soup, apple salad and, of course, apple pies. Jonathan and Blossom are two fun-loving but not so innocent twins who play a trick on the townspeople that backfires. They say that an “applephoon” is coming that will destroy all of the apples in the kingdom’s orchards. The villagers, all being selfish, immediately run to the orchards and begin picking all the apples and carrying them home by the buckets full. After all the apples are picked the villagers find that they are stricken with a strange case of “app...

52 pages

Flexible cast, approx. 10 m, 4 w (or 7 actors with doubling)

A one-set operetta about the 1880s Colorado mining town of Dead Dog Gulch - oops, we mean, Columbine Valley. You see, the ladies of the Beautification Society have purtied the town - the general store is now a pink "emporium," and even the jail - well, crime is down because no man would be caught dead in it! Now the miners are always fighting, that is, until the cowboys arrive and start shooting and making fun of this sissy town. The kids and ladies solve the problem but pretend the miners did it all. Unison songs. About 60 minutes.

34 pages

3 m, 3 w, extras

When young Guy discovers that his inheritance consists only of a cat and a pair of boots, he is highly distressed, until he gets to know the cat. Saucy and one-of-a-kind, Boots the cat vows to help Guy achieve his goal of marrying the beautiful princess from next door. Boots also helps free the town from the clutches of Ugolin, an evil ogre who has magical powers to turn himself or others into any animal he chooses. Guy and Boots trick the king and queen into thinking Guy is the "Marquis of Carabas" and also trick the ogre into turning himself into an insect ...

40 pages

Approx. 6 m, 5 w, 6 flexible, extras. Much doubling possible

Calvin is a slight youngster who can’t compete with the more athletically-inclined kids in the neighborhood. A wise magician lends him an old “Magic Machine.” Through its erratic powers Calvin, his best friend Jenny, and a lost dragon drop into odd versions of three fairy tales. In "The Three Little Bears" Calvin stops the bears from eating them for dinner and teaches the bears how to be happy. In "Rumpelstiltskin" Calvin helps the miller’s daughter by shouting out the evil little man’s name, and in the third story, "Alice in Wonderland," Calvin stops the cou...

0 pages

Large, flexible cast (minimum of 15)

Four timid page boys in the Court of King Arthur will soon become squires by performing acts of courage and skill. The girls of the court chide them for their fear and lack of ability. Merlin the Magician helps the boys in adventures that include rescuing their teacher, Lady Katherine; subduing the Grouchlinks, the evil slaves of Morgan LeFey; and slaying a dragon. Very clever lines with comedy situations. Some 13 songs including "I Don't Want to Go," "Knock! Knock!" "The Wishing Song," and "Dragons in England."