31 pages
From 5 - 13 actors.
Speed dating is a great way for singles to meet other people. Each "date" only lasts a few minutes, and if it doesn't work out, you can hope the next one will be better. For Cindy, those minutes feel like an eternity as she is subjected to a seemingly endless parade of jerks and losers. First there’s Marcus, whose questions seem more like an interrogation; then Trevor, whose career motivation extends only to getting the next new video game. Third is Scissor, an artistic man with an inflated sense of ego, followed by Ernest, a socially awkward guy who thinks s...
29 pages
5 m, 3 w, 1 flexible
William Shakespeare retired at about age 48. Why did this prolific genius stop writing? How did he get along with his long-neglected wife, Anne, once he gave up the stage? “The Shakespeares” imagines what The Bard’s last years were like in Stratford-upon-Avon. The play is full of inside jokes for Shakespeare fans. But even for those unfamiliar with his plays, there are laughs (and a few tears) as we watch this profoundly mismatched couple try to make a go of it. Shakespeare’s confidante, daughter Susanna, realizes that her father’s creative spirit is being cr...
32 pages
6 m, 2 w, 1 flexible, extras
It's 1983. Peter Miller from Chicago, a recent college graduate, is determined to write an account of the pain and suffering caused by the new AIDS epidemic, so he persuades the directors of a clinic to allow him to masquerade as a patient. All goes well until the other patients on the floor discover his pretense. In an intensely emotional scene they hold him down and inject him with what he believes is the virus. In the end, Zeb, the last of the five patients to survive, has the honor of telling Peter of the subterfuge, that he was not injected the “bug” at ...
50 pages
5 m, 6 w (2 m, 2 w, with doubling)
These three short plays all involve crime and they feature people so rotten, you don't care if they come to a bad end.
In “What It Looks Like” (2 m, 2 w), a trio of thieves sets out to rob a place where one of them is house-sitting. They hope to get away with the theft by arranging the scene to make it tell the story they want it to tell—that somebody from outside broke in. But none of the three is trustworthy, and, it turns out, neither is the owner who hired the house-sitter. Nothing is really what it looks lik...
12 pages
2 m, 1 w, 3 flexible, 1 offstage voice
It's Hogwarts meets Zoom! The students of Dogwarts have their first day in Professor Snope’s virtual classroom. How are they supposed to practice the magical arts of wizardry on a computer? What’s in Plotter’s closet? And what about this year’s prom? This ten-minute comedy was written to be performed online.
* To order: Under “BUY NOW” select Digital Download and then select 1 Printmaster Copy. This allows you to distribute copies to your cast and crew. One performance is included. Additional performances are $10.
...38 pages
3 m, 5 w, 5 flexible, ensemble, doubling possible
It’s the final stages of a television talent competition. The show’s immoral and unscrupulous presenter and executive producer Jools wants a particular contestant to win, and he goes to great lengths to influence the public into thinking his way. However, things do not go according to plan. With the pressure mounting under the harshest of spotlights, an unexpected twist shows that in the cutthroat television business, few can be trusted. The play explores how the media can manipulate public opinion, an important theme in today’s unpredictable world. The show ...
28 pages
Minimum 2 m, 2 w, 2 offscreen voices. Maximum 10 m, 10 w, 2 offscreen voices.
Join this hilarious family as they struggle to endure being stuck at home – together! Why is the WiFi out, and will their old-school solutions work when all the needed cords are missing from the junk drawer? Will the family secure two-ply rolls of toilet paper in trade negotiations with Grandma? Wait… what has each of them been using? How many family game nights can teens endure? What foods (or beverages!) are critical enough to make a special run to the grocery store? And really, who is strong enough to endure more than one Dad joke?
36 pages
Minimum 4 m, 2 w, 2 flexible, 1 offscreen voice. Maximum 9 m, 7 w, 2 flexible, 1 offscreen voice.
Join this hilarious family as they struggle to endure being stuck at home – together! How many family game nights can teens endure? How are the pets holding up? Can mom convince the kids to do their schoolwork or will they be doomed to a fifth year of high school? How do first dates and book clubs work while social distancing? And really, who is strong enough to endure more than one Dad joke?
This show is perfect at providing both laugh-out-loud humor as well as flexibility in stagin...
43 pages
6 m, 8 w, and ensemble cast of 6 w or more
It’s January 1942, in the throes of World War II. Eddie, the owner of Eddie’s Auto Parts Factory in Cook County, Illinois, is struggling now that there is a freeze on the manufacturing of car parts. His secretary, Rosie, wonders if the factory can secure a government contract and be converted to make airplane parts instead— if only they can find the manpower. At a time when the radio and the mail were the main sources of information, and ration books were in every household, Rosie is willing to shed tradition, roll up her sleeves and do her part. She is chos...
32 pages
12 roles. While 10 roles are flexible, 2 of them are better played by females.
The Collective has called an Inquiry for Inclusion to decide if all of humanity is to be allowed into their enlightened community. Seven representatives for all of humanity are questioned by opposing sides to see if we are indeed worthy of being considered an advanced and enlightened species. About 35-40 minutes.
36 pages
2 Actors
David Radman, a young journalist, must write a story about The Vaudeville Theatre, which has recently been designated for destruction. He reluctantly arrives at the building for an appointment with the President of the Theatre Rescue Society, but is instead greeted by Charles Grimm, the janitor. Grimm shows Radman the magic of theatre. During a series of theatrical explorations—in which they dance a soft-shoe, eat lunch on the backdrop, explore the props cabinet, and fence—Grimm and Radman peel away years of heartache and ang...