Craig Sodaro
Craig Sodaro is one of Eldridge Publishing's most popular and prolific playwrights with over 60 titles currently in print. Most of his work is ideal for children's theatre and school performances, and several plays have been turned into musicals. His audience participation plays are extremely well received. For community theatre plays he writes under the pen name of Sam Craig. Mr. Sodaro taught for 33 years in public schools, but now writes full time. He and his wife Sue have four grown daughters. Here he speaks in his own words about his love of writing. "I always wanted to write. From the first time I read my first full-fledged book - a long-forgotten mystery - I wanted to be an author. I've always had an imagination that runs overtime. My mind has always been more interested in the possibilities of what if two times two equaled five rather than four. "I grew up in Chicago, but I don't think the Midwest has had a great deal of influence on my writing. I was fortunate enough to travel as a youngster, and the places we visited - the West, East, and South, all seemed steeped in atmosphere and dramatic possibilities. Eventually, I traveled to Alaska, Europe, and Africa, and each experience planted seeds for future stories. "I wrote my first play in high school - an anti-administration absurdist comedy performed in my last period art class. Our teacher turned a deaf ear to the proceedings, but we all caught her laughing. I liked this idea of audience response, and during college, I entered a playwriting contest. I won the fifty dollar prize and saw my characters come to life under the blue, red, and amber stage lights. I knew that this was the direction my writing obsession would have to take. "Success on stage would have to wait for a number of years, however, since I married, began teaching, and had four children and received many, many rejections slips. Eventually I found a formula that worked: large cast mystery with mainly female parts, one setting, and a lot of one-liners. Since then, I've written a hundred and thirty plays, many of which have been published and/or produced. I've had the thrill of walking down 54th Street in New York to a flag-adorned theater where one of my plays premiered. I've received terrific letters from kids who have had parts in the plays I've written, and I've found myself in Amazon.com. "Once in a while people ask me how I write so fast. I guess it’s that I have a lot of stories to tell. And idea will grab me, and then for quite some time—even while working on another script—I’ll keep thinking about the characters and develop the major plot points in my imagination. Once I sit down to the computer to write, the characters really tell the story almost too quickly for me to write down what they’re saying. And that's what I think playwriting is all about. It's telling a story in the simplest but most dramatic way possible. There's a ninety minute or so limit on reaching the climax, and for literature that's quick. I write fast simply so I can find out what's going to happen at the end, just like anybody who watches the play."
Terror of the Swamp Thingy
Comedy by Craig Sodaro
60 pages
3 m, 8 w, 1 flexible
When the high school principal asks students Dani, Jenna, and Ruby to include new student Lydia in their save-the-planet activities, they’re none too pleased. Dani thinks Lydia is out to trap her boyfriend Dante, whose best friend Gavin is completely smitten with the new girl. The four girls end up trying to clean an old ranger cabin in a nearby state park. But unknown to them, a lot more guests will be secretly visiting the cabin on the same night, all with different objectives – including Dante and Gavin, cat burglar sisters Sissy and Sassy, two bewildered ...
Dressed to Kill
Comedy Mystery by Craig Sodaro
64 pages
6 m, 12 w
Life isn't easy for a fashion designer who can't needle her way into a designing job. Alexandra Daniels, better known as Lexie, is stuck stitching at the famous House of Van Gore, where her friend, Mona, works in the stockroom yearning for her big break on Broadway. Although the fashion shows they work on are colorful, their lives are dull - until the late Mr. Van Gore makes a "spirit's visit" asking the two to help solve his murder. They only half-heartedly agree until Miss Rushton, the house's secretary, turns up dead in the workroom. Now, Lexie and Mona, w...
Boogie-Woogie Bugle Girls
Musical by Stephen Murray Craig Sodaro
88 pages
11 m, 17 w, extras as desired
While World War II rages, the Bugle sisters turn their Grandpa Buddy's Seaside Hotel into a canteen where sailors and soldiers can relax. Not only do the girls want to help the war effort, but they want to save the Seaside from the hands of a ruthless businessman, Skylar Schutt, who intends to buy it for back taxes. But when Schutt accuses Grandpa Buddy of being a German spy, the girls - with a little help from the Ladies' League for Coastal Defense - declare all-out war! And it isn't long before a platoon of spies surfaces! It seems everybody becomes suspici...
Nobody Will Hear You Scream
Mystery by Craig Sodaro
60 pages
2 m, 3 w
Beverly Cain has escaped to an island home to recover following a tragic car accident. She had been driving and her mother, famed Hollywood star Fiona Street, had been killed instantly. Beverly, now confined to a wheelchair, blames herself mercilessly. Unfortunately, her sanctuary is disturbed by her estranged husband who has come seeking reconciliation. Or is it for another check to cover his gambling debts? Then an old friend of her mother shows up unexpectedly, complicating what Beverly had hoped to be a quiet weekend getting to know her long-lost half bro...
Last Gasp at the Last Gulp
Melodrama by Craig Sodaro
59 pages
6 m, 11 w
Doc Robbins, a dentist with a heart of stone, rules the town of Last Gulp with an iron fist. Though folks treat Doc with due respect as their mayor and the only “medical” man in the territory, there’s no shortage of suspects when he dies following a swig of rat-poisoned sarsaparilla. Everybody, it seems, had it in for Doc. Bonnie Vivant wanted to turn her old saloon into a fancy restaurant, but Doc wouldn’t let her. Three old prospectors Crusty, Dusty, and Musty, all resented the fact that Doc had jumped their claims and wondered if he ever struck it rich. Af...
Pollyanna
Classic by Craig Sodaro
68 pages
6 m, 18 w, doubling possible
Adapted from the book by Eleanor Porter. It's the early 1900s and young, frightened Pollyanna Whittier arrives in Vermont, full of hope that her new life with Aunt Polly will help ease the pain of her parents' deaths. But Polly Harrington has only taken her niece out of a sense of duty and quickly regrets it. The girl immediately begins making friends with the very people Polly Harrington has worked hard to either ignore or run out of town. Pollyanna seems to find joy in everything and gradually brings the town to life. But when Aunt Polly finds her niece hel...
Dr. Dolittle
Comedy by Craig Sodaro
75 pages
11 m, 14 w, 28 flexible, much doubling possible
Here is a lovely version of the adventures of Dr. Dolittle, the gentle Englishman who can talk to animals. All his furry and feathered friends are along for the ride including Jip, the dog; Dab-Dab, the duck; Chee-Chee, the monkey; Gub-Gub the pig; and, of course, Polynesia, the parrot; as well as a slew of seagulls, dolphins and sharks, and the unique two-headed creature, Pushmi-Pullyu. Follow Dr. Dolittle to Africa to cure a tribe of sick monkeys. Watch him thwart a fierce band of greedy pirates. Join him on a mission to rescue Professor Long Arrow, a famou...
Nun of Your Business
Comedy by Craig Sodaro
64 pages
5 m, 14 w, 1 flexible part
If you're ready for some hard-nosed action, spying, deceit involving a stolen painting, a shady real estate deal, and an auto repair shop that's more a chop shop, stop in at the convent of St. Fermilda. The Sisters of Faith, Hope, and Charity are in the midst of all kinds of intrigue and they're not even sure how they got there! But don't think because they took vows of reverence and poverty that they'll let some hard-nosed hoods get the best of them. After all, the Sisters have work to do for the poor in this rundown neighborhood, and they're bound and deter...
Twice Upon a Time
Fantasy by Craig Sodaro
57 pages
Large, flexible cast, much doubling (minimum 8 m, 8 w, 6 flexible)
Here are the hilarious stories that start after the traditional tales end! Consider Cinderella and her Prince, who are now ruling the kingdom. Little does Cinderella know The Dice Girls, the entertainers she's arranged for a state dinner, are really her stepsisters and stepmom, ready for revenge! Or how about poor little Pinocchio? The Blue Fairy never got around to getting rid of his wooden head, but it may be a good thing considering the evil plan he's overheard involving the Lampwick and Foxy. And finally Snow White, who's running her own fashion boutique,...
'60s Mania
Comedy by Craig Sodaro
68 pages
7 m, 11 w, doubling possible
In this '60s farce, bank loan officer Norman Hinkle has a serious problem. He thinks his boss, Mr. Crabtree, is about to fire him. On top of that, younger daughter Alison just found out she's won a date with Beatle Ringo Starr and older daughter Debbie is about to run off with Starbaby, a true flower child. To make matters worse, Aunt Hilda, who lives with the family, has hired a psychologist to secretly observe Norman in the hopes of committing him. When Norman's boss invites himself over for dinner to lower the axe, the fun begins. Mistaken identities, rauc...
Scream if You're a Survivor
Comedy by Craig Sodaro
71 pages
11 m, 14 w
When wealthy Mr. Lloyd offers the students at Peter Paul Prep $5,000 to be split among any organizations whose members can spend a single night in the House on Gallows Hill, the students jump at the chance. The only problem is the house is haunted, and everyone's who's ever tried to stay overnight has disappeared. Undaunted, the students assemble in Reginald Ravenscroft's house, unaware that his ghost along with the ghosts of his daughter, his servant Patience, and the man his servant loved, Joshua, have all joined the party. Though the psychic connection clu...
The Woman in White
Classic Drama by Craig Sodaro
73 pages
11 m, 13 w, 4 flexible, much doubling possible
Adapted from the novel by Wilkie Collins. It's the late 1800s and young Walter Hartright, on his way to a new teaching position, meets a mysterious woman dressed in white. Terrified, she asks him the way to London and mentions that she once was very happy at the very house Walter is going to. Later, Walter meets his pupils: Marian Halcombe and her half-sister Laura Fairlie, the latter who strongly resembles the woman in white. Walter soon falls in love with Laura, but his happiness is dashed when he finds out her engagement to Sir Percival Glyde has been arra...
The Poisoned Pen
Farce by Craig Sodaro
61 pages
4 m, 10 w
When movie mogul Mandrake Masterfiend, producer of the schlockiest horror movies in history, invites some of Hollywood's craziest characters to his birthday party, the evening's a killer--literally. That's because he also invites Rona LaMona, the most vicious gossip columnist in the business who writes weekly under the title "The Poisoned Pen," to stir up the pot a bit. Though the actors, designers, and directors of some of Masterfiend's greatest successes enthusiastically reenact some great scenes from his movies, they suddenly find themselves playing suspec...
The Beating Heart
Mystery Thriller by Craig Sodaro
62 pages
3 m, 11 w, doubling possible
Ivy McEwin, a college history major, is so intrigued by a photograph of a young woman who lived during the Civil War that she travels to the woman's home, Ravensgate, an old Southern plantation. Ivy hopes to unlock the secrets of the woman's life, but instead meets the woman in death. The current owners, who are trying to restore the house into a bed and breakfast, have already noticed a number of strange things going on: the mournful sounds of a woman weeping at night; the frequent, unrelenting beating of a heart, and the rocking of an empty chair. As ghosts...
Snow White and Friends
Classic by Craig Sodaro
43 pages
28 parts (doubling possible)
Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to have fun we go with this modern version of the beloved fairy tale! When the Huntsman fails to bump off the beautiful Princess Snow White (although he still gets his ticket to Bermuda), the vain queen decides to do the job herself. Dressed as an Old Hag, she cons Snow White into buying a candy bar as a girl scout fund-raiser. Like, who can resist chocolate, especially if it's for a good cause? But at the first bite, the princess falls into a deep slumber. Luckily Snow White has lots of friends. The seven dwarfs immediately call 911, b...