76 pages
11 m, 22 w, 2 flexible. (Minimum cast 2 m, 5 w, 2 flexible.)
A King, grieving over the death of his son, demands that a weaver create a tapestry that will provide comfort. The woman weaves six tales into her tapestry. The first tells the story of young woman who must learn about herself. The second concerns two farmers who have a chance at a tremendous fortune, but it may cost them everything. Other tales teach more lessons. Finally the Woman weaves the story of Tatiana, a mother who loses her daughter and almost succumbs to her own grief. Upon completion of the tapestry, the King must decide whether he has found conso...
64 pages
10 m, 3 w, 11 flexible, extras
This adaptation of William Shakespeare's zesty classic comedy remains true to the original, but with its tighter construction is more easily accessible to junior and senior high school actors. Set in Padua, Italy, in the late 1500s, the story concerns the shy Bianca and the mean-spirited Katharina, the two daughters of a rich merchant named Baptista. Though Bianca is being courted by a number of young men, Baptista announces that she may not marry until Katharina is wed. None of the men in town are willing to marry Katharina, so Bianca remains unwed, even as ...
78 pages
14 m, 16 w, 10 flexible, much doubling possible
Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens. One of Dickens' most unforgettable stories is now achievable for the high school stage. Lucy Manette, half-English, half-French, rescues her father after he has spent years in prison in France. They want to live simply and quietly in England, but the long, bloody hand of the French Revolution reaches out to them, thrusting them into ever-increasing danger. The story's essence - love, loyalty, friendship, patriotism, and the human spirit - from the mindless, mob-driven depths to the highest, most noble peak of Sydney...
59 pages
7 m, 9 w, 6 flexible
Life is anything but dull in the Great Okeeadokia Swamp. At Lester's Bog Mart Convenience Store, locals gather to purchase supplies, check out video rentals (a wide selection of three) or try Lester's delicious "Almost Fresh Catfish" or "Kind of Fried Chicken." The local book club has been working on "War and Peace" for months, and they're up to page 5. Young local resident Everett Mudd is trying to make a low-budget independent horror film which he wants to enter in the Sundown Film Festival. Five biology students become lost in the swamp when their professo...
56 pages
12 m, 15 w
Sammy Sunnyside, world-renown comedian, wants to retire and give his famous joke chest to the most deserving of his relatives. The chest is almost priceless since it contains all of Sammy's comic material since his career began. Sammy and his shy but trusted attorney, Dagwood, dress themselves as kindly old ladies and show up at Sammy's birthday party attended by lots of other relatives and uninvited guests. In disguise they hope to find out who really wants to carry on his comical tradition or who just wants his gold mine to sell off. But everything gets scr...
60 pages
Minimum 4 m, 2 w, 2 flexible, 2 offscreen voices. Maximum 15 m, 13 w, 2 flexible, 3 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? How are the pets holding up? What foods (or beverages!) are critical enough to make a special run to the grocery store? How do first dates and book clubs work while social distancing...
88 pages
Widely flexible cast of 45 characters. (3 m, 6 w, 36 flexible)
Andy would do anything for his sister. Perhaps even end the world. This post-apocalyptic dark comedy of wishes gone wrong takes the audience on a wonderfully bizarre, humorous, frightening, and surprisingly heartfelt journey. Along the way there are British zombies, a mind-reader, a trickster who only wants a good story, hip vampires, a hero who both slays and saves, and multitudes of other oddities.
But at its heart, the play is about family, f...
70 pages
11 m, 17 w, extras as desired
While World War II rages, the Bugle sisters turn their Grandpa Buddy's Seaside Hotel into the Star-Spangled 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...
58 pages
11 m, 23 w, doubling possible
High school student Chloe seems to have everything together. She is a soccer player, a dancer, and a top student. But under the surface, the pressure is mounting. Her mom and brother need help at home, the school projects pile up, and even her friends pressure her to start dating. She doesn’t want to disappoint anybody, but in her effort to please everyone, her world begins spinning out of control. As the various responsibilities build up around her, she creates and deploys multiple versions of herself – the Chorus – in an effort to be "everything to everybod...
54 pages
6 - 21 performers possible
This Hans Christian Andersen story is a challenge full of treasures for the unpacking. Kay and Gerda are the best of friends until a piece of an enchanted mirror finds its way into Kay’s eye, causing him to see the world in a cold-hearted way. Soon taken by the Snow Queen, Kay forgets his happy life. Gerda must go on her own journey to find him, and along the way she meets a lonely old woman, a helpful crow and his sweetheart, a robber girl with her reindeer, and a mysterious man who has been with her all along. Overjoyed to find Kay in the Snow Queen’s palac...
55 pages
2 m, 9 w, 10 flex. Possible extras and doubling.
It’s the year 1890 in Saddlesore City. The Carson Hotel is a fun place to hang your hat and jist have a good ole time with friends and neighbors - playin' cards, dancin', laughin',singin', gossipin' and…drinkin' sassafras root beer by the gallons! Well, that's the way it used to be when Charles was alive but now it's just a sorry-eyed, sad-faced, ghost of a place where even the spiders are bored out of their minds! Widow Henrietta has become overwhelmed with both the duties of hotelin' and tryin' to raise Liza and Skeeter. Her once happy attitude has now turn...
52 pages
8 m, 17 w, 7 flexible
Everyone expects the beautiful Belle Beauchamp to win the title of Miss Kingdom of Luxuryburg. But one contestant, the evil Malvinia, will stop at nothing to have that crown placed on her own head. She hires a witch, Ottilie, who casts a sleeping spell, and it works like a charm. As everyone falls asleep, Malvinia grabs the crown for her own. A few months later, a musical boy group known as the "Charming Princes" notice a terrible drop in their music sales. Their agent, Maxine Develin, insists they find a new sound. The boys head to Luxuryburg on the urgings ...
80 pages
11 m, 12 w, extras
The Globe actors are rehearsing Shakespeare‘s newest show, "As You Like It," when word arrives that the license has been denied. Forced to be gone for the day to deal with the problem, Shakespeare leaves star actor Richard Burbage in charge. While Shakespeare’s gone, his wife, Anne, and their two daughters arrive to help out. Soon, the elder daughter, Susanna, is falling in love with one of the actors, while the younger daughter, Judith, is trying to ferret out the spy that is trying to sabotage her father’s theatre. Anne, meanwhile, is getting into a power s...
76 pages
13 m, 13 w, doubling possible; optional scene with children plus three flexible characters
The fun all begins when a rich businessman named Billy offers a considerable sum of money to a struggling matchmaking company providing its owners, three lovely sisters, can find his friend a perfect match within a week's time. Naturally, the sisters are extremely excited about this, especially since their company has suffered a host of problems from software issues to mismatched couples. But the generous offer doesn’t look so rosy when they meet Billy's friend, Bubba, an illiterate hick who knows absolutely nothing about the intricacies of dating a woman. No...
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...