Full Length (11-20 Actors)

54 pages

6 m, 16 w (doubling possible)

Blanche Dunwitty's passionate romance novels are hot sellers. Little does anyone know (although his neighbor suspects) that the author is really one Ed Bartlett, a likable, thoroughly masculine man who chomps on his pipe when working. His identity is kept top secret because if the female fans knew, they would become violent! The only problem is the upcoming romance writers' convention. Young, attractive editor Elaine Hall is to give a speech as "Blanche" but a last-minute emergency forces a reluctant Ed to go. Dressed in women's clothes but still chomping his...

71 pages

7 m, 9 w, doubling possible

Based on the stories by Mark Twain. This collection provides an evening's entertainment, but individual selections can easily be performed independently. "The 1,000,000 Bank Note" (two acts for 5m/5w, 60 minutes) features two wealthy British siblings who bet whether a destitute man can survive a month in London if they give him a £1,000,000 bank note, which he can neither account for being in his possession, nor turn into cash. Two one-act plays, "The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut" (1m/2w, 20 minutes) and "An Encounter With an I...

47 pages

4 m, 9 w

Competition, stress, excitement and jealously are but a few of the emotions these characters share as they all undergo the pressure of "trying out." Susan is bringing home a serious boyfriend for the first time, and her teenage daughter feels like she's trying out a new dad. Megan figures the lead in the school play is hers as a senior drama student until Tasha, a hotshot sophomore, shows up for tryouts. Brandon really wants a job at the burger joint where his best friend works, but is he ready for the rigors of a job interview? His friend Erik doesn't think ...

44 pages

7 m, 11 w. Much doubling possible.

The terrible waste of war never seemed more contemporary than in these quintessential tragedies by Euripides set before and after the siege of Troy. Far from being “historical dramas,” they speak to any generation embroiled in conflict. We see up close and firsthand that war is the most pitiful—and most poetic—of human activities. In the first play, "Iphigenia at Aulis," the Grecian army waits to embark on the conquest of Troy. The army’s commander, Agamemnon, has been forced to offer his young daughter, Iphigenia, as a martyr to ensure victory. Valiant effor...

65 pages

Approx. 5 m, 9 w, 6 flexible, extras, doubling possible.

Lulu's on a quest to marry Justin by Monday to outwit her former best friend Beth who plans to marry on Tuesday. Lulu hires a novice wedding consultant, whose office is a tiny converted bathroom, and in a frantic few days they deal with a florist who goes bankrupt, a jeweler who insists that she buy the world's ugliest wedding ring, and a wedding cake with "Happy Birthday, Vern" written on it. Even all the chapels are booked, so her ceremony will take place in a bingo hall presided over by the building's janitor. Lulu declares that her bridesmaids keep her ma...

62 pages

2 m, 6 w, 6 flex, plus ensemble, doubling possible

When a devastating earthquake strikes Haiti, age-old fears and superstitions rise to the surface in civilized Port-au-Prince. For Alanis Ducette, the daughter of an aid worker, it brings nightmares of her dead sister and a conviction that zombies are intruding on everyday life. To exorcize her nightmares, she enters the threatening world of Haitian vodou and black magic—and uncovers a mystery no one in her family had dared reveal. About an hour.

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 ...

40 pages

11 m, 4 f, 1 Either + sprites, nymphs, reapers and sailors.

The plotting, the revenge, the tempered justice, requited love, compassion and forgiveness is all here in Shakespeare's fantasy-comedy masterpiece. This version has edited the archaic terms and unnecessary business and dialogue. Perfect for high school and college theatre departments. A special CD is available of sound effects and flute songs. (Song sample at right is "Nymphs and Reapers Dance.")

43 pages

5 m, 5 w, 2 flexible, 7 optional

How far will one student go to ensure the safety of his school? Alex Baxter, the student body president, tries to implement a plan to improve the safety of his high school. When his principal refuses to support his plan, Alex stages a phony shooting to show how vulnerable his school is. Several teachers think the squirt gun he is using is real, and he is charged with fourth-degree assault. Because the crime is a misdemeanor, he is tried by a youth court. The action begins as the judge raps her gavel, and Alex's story unwinds through the skillful and often dra...