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...
72 pages
From 14 to 26 speaking roles, extras. (5 m, 5 w, 4 flex)
Inspired by the life and works of Rudyard Kipling. Celebrated author Rudyard Kipling is shocked after receiving news that his only son John is missing in action in WW I. Kipling bottles his grief, throwing his focus on a new book. Suddenly he’s interrupted by a mysterious little girl named Priyam. Charmed by her innocence, he shares his famous story “The Jungle Book” with her. As the tale of Mowgli springs to life, Kipling’s own memories of how John became a soldier start to intertwine. As truth blends into fiction, Rudyard’s memories shift to nightmares. He ...
44 pages
Approx. 7 m, 4 w, 1 flexible plus ensemble.
As Lord of the Underworld, Hades’ life is perpetually dark and dismal. His only companions are an ensemble of the dead composed of many of the Greek heroes of the Trojan War as well as the bitter and resentful queens, Helen, Cassandra, and Clytemnestra. They are all tortured souls, especially after being in the lowest dregs of hell for centuries. Then Hades kidnaps Persephone, the goddess of spring, who is young and carefree. Although initially she is desperately unhappy, Hades works hard to make her comfortable, and they learn the intricacies involved in dea...
60 pages
12 to 30 (4 m, 8 w with doubling) (7 m, 13 w, 10+ flexible)
In 1890s London, a recent night of fatal violence has terrorized the city. Scotland Yard fears that the infamous Jack the Ripper has finally returned home. Inspector William Wright has staked his career on bringing the killer to justice and believes he finally has his man. Wright will stop at nothing to make sure that George Bessel goes to the gallows for the crime. However, Bessel’s partner and friend, Theresa Vincey, protests his innocence. The leading witness to the crime, Vincey holds the key to Bessel’s fate. As the investigation unfolds with interviews,...
60 pages
From a large cast of 24 or more to an ensemble cast of 5-6 m, 5-6 w.
Adapted from a novel by John Bennett. Here is an excellent picture of the Shakespearean era from a young person’s point of view without being about the Bard himself. Young Nick is so enamored of the theatre that when his strict father forbids him from attending, Nick runs away from his home in Stratford-upon-Avon. When a disreputable actor, just released from jail, discovers Nick’s beautiful voice, he calls him Master Skylark and forces him to perform with his troupe. Nick's captors treat him well, but he longs for freedom and his home. His voice eventually b...
90 pages
Flexible cast of 13 to 40
When Fred is forced to go to the library to do a report, he meets the Book Master, a magical character who introduces him to some of the most popular fictional characters ever created. Before his eyes, sections from several great books are acted out. You can choose whichever 6 to 8 scenes of the 9 included to comprise a full evening's entertainment. Scenes include "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Little Women" (Americana); "Jane Eyre" (Gothic); "Dracula" and "The Monkey's Paw" (horror); "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "A Thousand and One Arabi...
67 pages
Widely flexible cast (5 -14 m, 9 - 31 w)
Horror movies can be lots of fun! Join producer C.C. Bellows as he meets five directors whose movie pitches come alive onstage. Of course, C.C. knows that audiences only really like what they’ve seen before, so each of the directors has tweaked a famous horror film. “The Calamityville Horror” tells the story of a family who move into a house that’s haunted by circus animals. In “Saturday the 14th,” a group of college kids hope to find the famous ghost, Jacob Voorbees, a hockey player who fell through thin ice. In “The Extortionist,” a young girl is possessed ...
61 pages
4 m, 4 w, 5-19 flexible, extras
Shakespeare's agent options his script "Macbeth" to a Hollywood producer who wants a "few" changes to make the play more contemporary. The trouble is the producer isn't sure what changes exactly should be made. Soon Shakespeare is casting the poor witches alternately as country singers, rappers, and punk rockers, while Macbeth and Lady Macbeth perform their lines as gangsters, farmers and Goths. A member of the audience is even pulled onstage at one point to help Macbeth rehearse a murder scene. If that's not bad enough, the final showdown between Macbeth and...
73 pages
14 m, 7 w, 9 flexible, doubling possible
Based on the story by Mark Twain. A young girl visits the White House on a school tour and is mistaken by the Secret Service for the mischievous daughter of the President. She is escorted to the family quarters, where she inadvertently meets the real First Daughter who resents the loss of her freedom notoriety has imposed. On a lark, the girls decide to change places for twenty-four hours: the President's daughter goes to a housing project, and the student remains to spend a night in the world's most famous residence. Unfortunately, the President's daughter i...
75 pages
8 m, 10 w, extras and voice-overs
Katie Grove has been recruited to the exclusive private Coolidge Academy because of her incredible talent as an ace softball pitcher. But not everyone is happy to have her onboard, especially a prima donna pitcher who has no intentions of allowing Katie to replace her. Katie soon discovers the Academy’s athletics program is a front for an illegal gambling ring, headed by the most popular guy on campus and his two bumbling friends. Katie must work through a series of issues that will challenge her ideas about love, sportsmanship, and integrity. The Lockers, wh...
51 pages
8 m, 7 w, 9 flexible and extras, doubling possible.
The headstrong leader of a feisty gang of child thieves has a secret: the young man everyone knows as Rosario is really a teenage girl, climbing the ranks of a clandestine criminal guild. To join the illustrious Council of Convicts, she needs all the help she can get from her followers to steal the Madonna statue off the newest church in the city. But not everyone is thrilled about her risky plan, and Rosario suffers a double betrayal. Tackling themes of sexism, loyalty, and deceit, will her dangerous ambition tear the gang apart? Approximately 70 ...
64 pages
15 to 24 or more
Eighteen-year-old Katie has a problem: she's a tooth fairy who’s just not interested in the family business. While out exploring the human world, Katie meets Max, a young man who inexplicably is able to see her. This is unusual in that the fairy troops are not visible without their consent. Although forbidden to return to the world of humans by her father the king, Katie is determined to see Max again. Their growing friendship becomes moot when during the Centennial, a celebration of all the fairy troops, the Troll King demands his reward for not having kidna...
28 pages
1 m, 6 w, ensemble of 15 or more actors
Set in Madame Claudette’s Shadow Circus of 1915, this stirring play follows the life of a foundling infant who grew up to be known as the “Prince of Clowns.” Alfie’s life is narrated by the Bearded Lady, who offers us an insightful philosophy of life. Meet dynamic characters such as the Fortune Teller, Madame Claudette herself, and the refined young woman, Nedda, who is running away from a dark past. Nedda and Alfie become a popular circus act and live peacefully. However, Alfie’s family is threatened ten years later by the villainous mobster Olympia. Nedda’...
68 pages
10 m, 12 w, and any number of townspeople
Three old crones start telling a magical pirate story to Sierra, a bored young woman who soon learns that an arranged marriage has been planned for her that very day! Feeling trapped, Sierra convinces the town loudmouth to meet her intended. Meanwhile, the young bridegroom, Santiago, plans the same ruse with his buddies. When he finally discovers it is Sierra he’s to marry, he tries to win her heart by posing as El Phantismo, the dashing, heroic pirate of the duenas’ story. Soon, Sierra’s girl friends fall for Santiago’s guy friends and weddings are planned. ...
52 pages
Large, flexible cast
Here is a classic tale of courage, determination, and love. Journey back to a time when the gods and goddesses determined the daily fate of the world and all the humans upon it. In this tale we meet Odysseus as he returns to his beloved home of Ithaca. Soon he is sent by the goddess Athena to fight in the Trojan War and undergoes a journey that takes him much further - and much longer - than ever expected. Odysseus's path home from the battle is detained and crossed by many gods and goddesses, and the often dangerous creatures they have created such as the Cy...
88 pages
4 m, 4 w, 14 flexible, extras, doubling possible
It is the winter of 1859 and scarlet fever is rife in New England. As two children, Frances and Julianne Beale, are recovering together, they amuse themselves by playing a game of chess. But it is no ordinary game. Frances is following a historical chess book and convinces Julianne to turn their chess pieces into imaginary characters who come alive on the stage. What follows is a melodrama of sword fighting, murder, betrayal, love, and sacrifice, all against the background of a large chess board and moveable pieces. The Alabaster king has died and his widow, ...
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...
64 pages
Widely flexible cast (16-40 actors)
Here is a collection of stories to make your blood turn cold. "Urban Legends" starts with a whirlwind tour that covers many of the famous and infamous urban legends we’ve grown up hearing and fearing. It then delves deeper, dramatizing full stories in chilling detail. In “The Survivor” we meet the sole survivor of a plane crash who has lost his only love, but while the other bodies have been retrieved, hers will never be found. “On Second Hand” features a young man who has a close call with death and suddenly his life is literally flashing before his eyes. “W...
56 pages
4 m, 6 w, 17 flexible, extras, doubling possible
Ernie is a lonely old fisherman, without much joy in his life, until he meets an unlikely friend: a mermaid named Breeze. She has just escaped from the cruel underwater kingdom of the idiotic Emperor Tropico and hopes to enjoy her newly found freedom. But just hanging around in Ernie's lagoon isn't enough for her. When she spies Rico, the local heart-breaker, practicing for an upcoming dance competition, Breeze decides to become human and pursue her dream of becoming a dancer. However, there are many obstacles in her way. For one, she must make a deal with th...
57 pages
8 m, 12 w, 1 flex
The Wicked Witch has finally been caught and hauled into the Court of Once Upon a Time to stand trial. She's accused of casting a spell on Sleeping Beauty, attempting to poison Snow White, kidnapping Rapunzel, and trying to eat Hansel. Red Riding Hood heads up the prosecution with the Evil Stepmother of Cinderella fame serving as the defense attorney. The Three Little Pigs act as bailiffs, while Jack the Giant Killer is the guard. The judge? None other than the Fairy Godmother. The Wicked Witch's alleged victims are witnesses for the prosecution, along with t...
56 pages
8 m, 8 w, 4 or more extras as female pirates
While evading her wedding and overbearing fiancé, Lizette de Champlay, a headstrong French woman, leads her ladies to a British merchant ship. Once aboard, the ladies upset the sailors and their disciplined captain, Roger Thornwood, convincing him to hunt for treasure on an island home to a fierce band of female pirates. As Roger and Lizette begin to fall for each other, Lizette’s fiancé and her father follow them to the island, only to be captured by the pirates. What follows are battles of the heart and sword as everyone searches for their treasure.
54 pages
Flexible cast of 20 or more
In Jujuba, it really is a jungle out there! The veerry English Prof. Schmoo is on safari to find an ape named Dr. Teecha. Teecha is studying a purple wild man of the jungle, Zartan, the Grape Man. The discovery of the yodeling Zartan could provide the missing link between man and ape! But it's not easy finding a missing link in a jungle filled with cannibalistic natives or a bunch of loony pirates hunting for treasure. The safari party itself is pretty weird, including Schmoo's whiny daughter; Jungle Guide Clyde, who keeps getting lost; the reporter who is al...
57 pages
5 m, 11 w, 3 flexible, extras possible
Prince Ernie needs to be married quickly! Dreamwood Castle is broke and a rich princess with impeccable lineage (and money!) must be found immediately. Unfortunately, the evil fairy Liesl has plans to take over the castle. As Queen Marta holds a fundraiser ... er...ball to auction off Prince Ernie, it is found that Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel and Beauty are not proper princesses at all. The decidedly unsuitable Princess Hank shows up with a plan to make things right. She has a pal who can spin straw into gold. Unfortunately, no one will ...
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...
74 pages
Flexible cast of 20
A kazillion dollars is a one followed by so many zeros they fall off the edge of the page. That's the ransom Lala Man and Lulu have demanded for the bratty child they have kidnapped and hidden in the grimy Pig Sty Family Restaurant. But they did not count on Doofus and Goofus, two determined but hysterically dense teenage girls who hope to raise a mere million dollars by 5 o'clock by working as waitresses. It's an explosive comedy of a million laughs and almost as many misadventures as the girls earn - and lose - a million dollars three different times!
64 pages
6 m, 8 w, and ensemble cast of 7 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 chose...
80 pages
Flexible cast of 34 (doubling possible)
Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Introductions and staging by Billy St. John. One all-purpose set serves as the back for these tales of mystery and terror. Although there are five separate stories included, you can perform only three or four and still have a 90-minute to 2-hour show. One character, Poe himself, narrates the plays and ties them together. Each section of Poe's narrative is set apart so that you can change or eliminate it depending upon which plays you choose to perform. Plays include "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Cask...
44 pages
3 - 4 m, 11 - 14 w, 3 flexible, + extras
Welcome to the Mount Olympus Diner, where Zeus is the chef and Hera is your waitress. The food is great, but what the customers really love about the diner are the stories told there, the stories of Greek mythology. Diner Network star Sparky Guy arrives to do research on the restaurant and is treated to a variety of tales. This play features contemporary and family-friendly retellings of the myths of Hades and Persephone, Echo and Narcissus, and Arachne and Athena. A Greek Chorus of diner staff takes on multiple roles and keeps the ...
67 pages
Flexible cast (Approx. 7 m, 14 w, extras)
Gram Hawley and granddaughter Cindy Lou run the general store in Happy Hollow, deep in the Ozarks, but there is a new highway coming through and that means Happy Hollow soon will be dynamited off the map. It's discovered Gram's property contains the biggest store of natural gas ever, and a couple of crooks want to have the unsuspecting Gram sign her land over to them. Enter some folks from Hollywood who insist on making a movie about life in the hills - if they can find some money - and some snobbish California relatives who loathe every minute with the weird...
71 pages
3 m, 12 w, 2 flex and ensemble cast of 5 or more
Amelia Jones’s life is falling apart. Her father has left, her mother is usually drunk, and her brother, a high school senior before being expelled, must now try to support the family, such as it is. Then there’s Courtney and her posse who are dedicated to bullying Amelia, who finds herself with few friends. Now, another challenge. In a long-standing school tradition, each freshman must make a presentation on an American hero. Failing to choose a hero for herself, Amelia is assigned the historic female pilot, Amelia Earhart. Soon Earhart begins showing up in ...