Children's

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.

35 pages

5 m, 15 w, extras

The King, his court, and all the villagers are enjoying a festival when the comic captain and his guards rush in to announce that the princesses have again slept through the day, and their shoes have been mysteriously worn out during the night. Distraught, the King orders that no one in the kingdom shall be happy until the riddle is solved. A young beggar comes into the kingdom and the princesses' matron sends him to the enchanted forest where he sees the princesses dancing the night away. We find the beggar is a prince in disguise and the matron explains her...

68 pages

8 m, 12 w, 1 flexible

The Wicked Witch is on trial for her crimes in the land of Once Upon a Time in this madcap musical featuring several favorite characters from many fairy tales. The cast of characters includes the Fairy Godmother as the judge, the Three Little Pigs as bailiffs, and Jack the Giant Killer as the guard. Witnesses for the prosecution and defense provide a variety of toe-tapping tunes such as a swinging Big Bad Wolf in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” an operatic Rapunzel in “I Love to Sing,” and a rocking Gingerbread Man in “Go, Gingie, Go!” The Wicked Witch herself cas...

55 pages

Flexible cast of 14 or more

Timeless Tales: A Hans Christian Andersen Quartet weaves together four of Hans Christian Andersen's best-known stories in an exciting and flexible format. Narrated by Andersen himself, the play introduces us to the master storyteller from Denmark, providing background information on his childhood and the circumstances leading to the publication of his plays. After the "Prologue," the actual dramatization of the tales begins. They include: "The Princess and the Pea," "The Little Mermaid," "The Emperor's New Clothes," and "The Ugly Duckling." This last...

35 pages

3 m, 2 w, flexible cast of 25, doubling possible

Deep in the forest on a cold winter's night, an owl tells his friends about another winter's night when a shooting star lit up the sky, fell to the ground, and left a human child in a hollow tree. A woodcutter, who sees the shooting star, finds the child, takes him home, and rears him as a member of his family. The Star Child grows up to be a very handsome young man, but he doesn't have compassion or kindness. He mistreats the poor and the sick, he hurts the animals of the forest, and he shows no love for the family that raised him. Eventually he loses his ha...

22 pages

1 m, 2 w, 1 flexible

Here's a perfect play to entertain young children and encourage them to read. Shusha wants an adventure like the one in her new book. Then the Story Snatcher, with his flapping ears and honking nose, grabs her story and descends to his underground lair. Shusha’s doll, Shareen, comes to life and gets the audience to help, acting as trees or a tunnel onstage, or providing wind and hooting owl noises from their seats. After magical and comic adventures they recover Shusha’s book. An ideal play to present during right-to-read week, national library week, or any o...

34 pages

4 m, 6 w

Narrated by a flustered but well-meaning fairy named Fortunata, this charming original fairy tale for children tells the story of Tucker, a handsome young man who sets out to seek his fortune. Fortunata decides the young man must be aided by his two pets, Punch the dog and Prudie the cat, who chase and tease each other like, well, cats and dogs! Tucker, though dubious, agrees. Fortunata also gives Tucker a magical ring which grants him any wish, although he must use it wisely. On his journey Tucker becomes smitten with a lovely young maiden Annalise, and he a...

32 pages

Flexible cast from 10 - 24 actors.

This play opens when a woman who is collecting mountain folktales asks the Gentry family to tell her one. But they do better than that! They act out for her the story of "Jack and the King's Girl." When a Princess has a "witchin'" put on her, Jack decides to save her and collect the reward. It isn't an easy task, especially when he has to sleep over in a haunted house. Along the way he makes some friends who have special skills, however, and ultimately they help him meet every challenge the old witch throws at him. Of course Jack saves the Princess! The widel...

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...

30 pages

Cast of 20 or more

The touching story of Beauty and the Beast is recreated here as a delightful half-hour show for young audiences. A festival celebrating all the good works done by the rich Baron von Holwitz is interrupted when his ships sink. Devastated, the Baron runs into the woods, where an ugly Beast will spare his life if one of the Baron's five daughters returns in his place. Only Beauty gladly offers to go. She finds the Beast ugly to look at, yet he is intelligent, gentle, and terribly lonely. She convinces the Beast to go back to town, where her kiss transforms him i...

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...

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...

35 pages

14 parts. (with doubling 2 m, 1 w, 3 flexible)

Yazoo! Get ready for one tall tale of adventure as Sheriff Cyclone Malone must protect his town, Yazoo Junction, from evil pirates! The pirate captain, along with two bumbling crewmen, has somehow managed to build a submarine – with torpedoes! – and is sailing on the river outside of town. Cyclone’s gonna need help to deal with this problem. The sweet schoolmarm (and Cyclone’s gal) Cozy Dumond tries to get a message to the neighboring sheriff, but she is tricked by the disreputable Violent Lavender, captured and tied to the submarine’s periscope. Cyclone and ...

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...

32 pages

3 m, 4 w, 8 flexible, some doubling possible

Princess Beauteous is the ultimate grand prize winner and gets to marry Prince Absurdly Handsome on his reality TV show. On the journey to the prince’s kingdom, she and her lazy servant, Falada, get hijacked by Repulsa, a hideous, desperate-to-be-famous peasant girl. Repulsa tricks the princess, switches places with her, and even has Falada’s head cut off. (But don’t worry, he’s okay. He’s just a little decapitated.) The arrival of the hideous new fiancée and her beautiful servant throws the reality show into a hilarious fiasco. But all ends well…at least for...

21 pages

(1 m, 9 w)(3 m, 5 w)

Here are two short, funny but gentle plays that are just right for very young audiences. The first, "Wishing You Were Here" (1 m, 9 w), is a tender story about a young fairy, still in training, who gives a little girl everything she wishes for. The trouble is, when the wishes come true, they don't create the ending the girl or the fairy thought they would. In "The Slumber Party" (3 m, 5 w), a group of girls are confiding their secret hopes and crushes - until some "ghosts" burst in. Brothers can be such a pain! Together both plays run a total of about 30 minu...

64 pages

15 to 24 or more

Eighteen-year-old Katie has a problem: she's a tooth fairy who’s just not interested in the family business. While out exploring the human world, Katie meets Max, a young man who inexplicably is able to see her. This is unusual in that the fairy troops are not visible without their consent. Although forbidden to return to the world of humans by her father the king, Katie is determined to see Max again. Their growing friendship becomes moot when during the Centennial, a celebration of all the fairy troops, the Troll King demands his reward for not having kidna...

61 pages

Widely flexible cast (minimum 7 m, 5 w, chorus)

From the day we're hatched to the day we spread our wings and fly on our own, there are a series of requisite, riotous rites of passage that must be experienced. This collection of humorous scenes and hummable songs explores the innocent squawk of infancy, the terrible twos, the treacherous teens, and everything in between. There are tactics for dealing with those who endeavor to shape, stretch and warp our minds and bodies, like gym teachers, substitute teachers and those cafeteria culinary queens, "The Little Lunch Ladies." From the angst of acne, adolescen...

52 pages

11 speaking parts, chorus

Here's an hour-long, tail-wagging musical about everybody's best friend! Ralph, a lonely kind of guy, and Angel, a special young woman from "up North," care for homeless dogs at the city animal shelter. Each dog has a special story to tell in song. Only Max, with leather jacket, greased back ears, and sunglasses, is too cool of a cat - er - dog to admit he wants a home. But at the shelter, time is limited and only a miracle can save the furry characters. Simple to stage with terrific music.

55 pages

5 m, 19 w, 2-8 flexible, extras

The townspeople of Flemmington get rocked back on their heels when meteors come crashing down from space. Amidst all of the excitement and chaos, three teenage girls find the meteorites and discover the special powers that come along with them. The girls use these space rocks to their advantage to control the townspeople, including the Gaggle of Geeks, the phone-obsessed tweens, and the old lady who thinks everything is evil. The story culminates with the meteorites being used against each other during an epic battle to determine which one is the most powerfu...

40 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...

41 pages

3 m, 3 w, 1 g, 2 b, 13 flex, extras

After losing her parents to a cholera epidemic in India, young Mary Lennox is sent to the English Misselthwaite Manor to stay with her uncle, Archibald Craven. Archibald, who has never recovered from the death of his wife, has had most of the mansion locked up, including his wife's beloved garden, and even his son, Colin, a sickly boy, to obliterate her memory. Mary, an unhappy girl herself, finds Colin, unlocks the secret garden and brings it to life. In her process of healing and self-discovery, she brings life back to Colin and Archibald Craven. This encha...

184 pages

3 m, 3 w, 2-6 flexible

This musical version of "Rapunzel" is abundant with rich humor. When the old Witch catches the farmer stealing from her tantalizing garden, she allows him to escape her wrath only when he promises to give her his firstborn child. Thinking his wife is barren, he agrees. But soon after, Rapunzel is born and the Witch imprisons the child in a tower to protect her. She grows into a beautiful young woman. When a handsome prince, who is followed everywhere by his "loyal entourage," woos Rapunzel, the Witch is devastated and throws a wild tantrum...until she is save...

37 pages

2 m, 3 w, 2 flexible

There's more to Rapunzel than just her long, long, hair! Locked in a high tower as a baby, she grew up, raised by Gothel, the witch, and her parents who talked to her from the ground. Rapunzel's father, fancying himself a scholar, taught her how all the planets revolve around a flat earth, and her mother, who thought herself wise in the ways of the world, taught Rapunzel never to have an opinion of her own. One day a goofy prince rides in on stick horse and vows to free her. But here's where the traditional story changes. Our heroine frees herself and learns ...

30 pages

2 m, 2 w, 2 flexible parts

The overbearing Queen has already determined whom her precious sonny boy, Prince Handsome, will marry. So when a muddy and very dirty Princess Jasmine catches the Prince's eye unexpectedly, the Queen insists she pass the "pea under the mattress" test to prove she really is a princess. Only it's not one thin mattress we're talking about here, it's thirteen mattresses, four feather comforters, and eight queen-size pillows! And not only that, but Jasamine wears ear muffs, a night mask, and is very, very tired! Yet Jasmine passes the extremely unfair princess tes...

56 pages

14 m, 14 w, 2 flexible

All the luck in Camelot has been bad lately, and the Brotherhood of Peasants, Serfs and City Scum expect King Arthur to do something about it or else! Merlin has become a fly, and Morgan LeFey and her minions waste no time in turning Arthur's three most loyal knights, Sir Tin, Sir Loin and Sir Cuss, into a frog, a rock, and a grasshopper. Not even Queen Guinevere nor her ladies of the court can fight the king's evil half-sister. It takes Threadbare, a lowly weaver, to turn the tables on Morgan in this hilarious romp through a Camelot that never was. Additiona...

56 pages

Flexible Cast

Welcome to “Kidskits,” a collection of ten humorous skits for stage or classroom. The short, reproducible skits can be put together with a limited number of rehearsals and require little in the way of props, costumes, lighting or sound. To avoid the problem of memorizing lines, students may hold their scripts for most performances. A touch of melodrama can only enhance the scripts’ inherent silliness. Suitable for children of various ages and reading ability, including classes of emotionally and/or physically challenged students. Skits include: