Children's

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...

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 ...

55 pages

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

A musical version of Charles Perrault's story, done in the style of the English Pantomime, and featuring the various pantomime traditions including a "Pantomime Dame" (played by a male), "Principal Boy" (played by a girl), "Principal Girl," fairies who talk in rhyme, and significant audience interaction. This script, with six delightful songs, was commissioned by Seattle Children's Theatre and later televised. A wonderfully antic version of the popular story with enough action for any member of the family. Recipient of the "Ohio State Award Best Children's Pr...

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 ...

26 pages

2 m, 4 or 5 w

Prince Charming Smile meets Steve, an itinerant narrator, and after a furious swordfight they become friends. Prince Charming Smile tells Steve that he is the only Prince Charming without a lady fair, and he is on the quest for one. When he meets Rapunzel, “imprisoned” by the wicked witch Imaboil and the New Age witch Esmepus, he falls deeply into shallow love. He decides to rescue her and win her as his wife. But the rather vapid Rapunzel doesn’t want the Prince, so Steve conjures up a sleeping Snow White for him and a happy ending for all the characters. Tw...

52 pages

Flexible cast

Enjoy these three short plays in your middle school or junior high classroom. All three plays have roles which are mostly flexible in gender to include as many students as possible. The plays have interesting plots, easy settings, and short, easy-to-learn lines. Your student actors will have fun developing and portraying the varied characters. Young actors will enjoy performing them for their classmates and parents, too! Plays include:

"The State vs. Wolf" - 7 m, 5 w and jury. The tri...

46 pages

10 m, 7 w, extras as desired

Here's an exciting tale about two English youths, one the royal Prince Edward, and the other a pauper by the name of Tom Canty. Because they look so much alike, they laughingly decide to try on each other's clothes. For a few moments they find themselves daydreaming about "being the other." Suddenly, the unthinkable happens! The true prince, now dressed as the pauper, is unceremoniously thrown out of the palace by zealous guards while Tom, now dressed in royal clothing, is looked upon as heir to the throne. On the streets of London, the prince fights to prove...

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,...

76 pages

15-24+ actors, extras

Eighteen-year-old Katie has a problem: she's a tooth fairy who wants to be a DJ. While out exploring the human world, Katie meets Max, a young man who loves everything about flight. Their growing friendship is short-lived, however, after a centennial celebration of all fairies and troublesome trolls. As a reward for keeping a promise, the trolls demand that Katie become their drudge, or servant, until the next centennial, one hundred years away. Max and several other fairies try to rescue Katie and discover a key piece of information that changes everything. ...

35 pages

8 m, 7 w

What happens in a toy store after hours? The dolls come alive in a world filled with comedy and adventure. Meet totally clueless Pretty Hair Melinda, and her pals, Beach Buff Ben and Surfer Sam. There's also streetwise Jewel and playboy millionaire doll, Mike, who is really secret agent, James Pond, 007. Raggedy Freddy and Franny, lovable and mischievous, tangle with the grumpy and sarcastic Teddy Bear and have to run for their lives. When a group of the dolls venture over to aisle 10 for a little excitement, they accidentally unleash the Bionic Warrior doll....

67 pages

4 m, 9 f, 10 flexible, extras.

Princess Lizzy wants to be a knight. Bored with the usual duties of a princess, she dreams of fighting in tournaments, slaying dragons, and doing all the things that good knights do. For what Princess Lizzy desires above all else is to be special – one-of-a-kind, absolutely unique! And so on her sixteenth birthday she becomes a knight ... and is crushed to learn that she is not the first, but actually the ninety-sixth. Still determined to be special, Lizzy resolves for her quest to do the impossible: to go to the moon. She soon finds the magical Medallion of ...

51 pages

6 m, 6 w, 1 flexible

This beloved tale from Hans Christian Andersen gets an original spin when set in the kingdom of Pilsenferfer! The King and Queen think it’s high time their son Prince Albert found a bride and settled down. But shy Albert can’t stop collecting butterflies for his conservatory long enough to find and woo a royal maiden. And really, who needs to go to all that trouble when the lovely Anne, one of the Queen’s maids, shares his passion for butterflies AND sews the buttons on his coat. If only she were from royal linage like the other candidates, including the food...

23 pages

6 m, 8 w

Christine's in big trouble. Her mother warns her not to open the old book of fairy tales, but Christine breaks the rules and opens it anyway. Now the pages are strewn across the stage. The book just happens to be magic, and the characters from the stories inside soon appear in Christine's family room. Chaos ensues as Cinderella kisses the Frog Prince, and the evil Queen from Snow White falls in love with Rumpelstiltskin. Hansel and Gretel are eating the aluminum siding off the house, and the Miller's Daughter convinces Rumpelstiltskin not to kidnap her baby, ...

37 pages

Cast of 20 or more, doubling possible

Lots of small, easily learned roles plus narrators make this 45-minute version of the story of Aladdin a breeze to rehearse and tour. The sultan wants to marry off his four beautiful daughters to neighboring princes and when the daughters object, he sends them on a journey. Ali Baba and his band of thieves kidnap the daughters to get a king's ransom, but luckily Aladdin, a poor young man, comes to the rescue. With a little help from the Genies of the Lamp and Ring, Aladdin saves the day. Simple staging yet lots of action and adventure to enchant children's au...

77 pages

11 to 25+

A perfect resource book for producing plays in your grade school or junior high classroom. All of the plays have 11 to 25+ roles which are mostly flexible in gender to include as many students as possible. The plays have interesting plots and short, easy-to-learn lines. Your student actors will have fun developing and portraying the varied characters. Titles in Vol. II include: “Cabin Calamity,” in which two families with twins vacationing together in the woods come under suspicion. In “Diner’s Delight,” a couple of bumbling thieves try to holdup a diner. In ...