Full Length (21 & more Actors)

68 pages

13 m, 13 w, and Bear, Time Chorus & Musicians

A beautiful adaptation especially written for secondary school students to perform. Here is the story of good versus evil and the power of time to heal all wounds. Leontes, without warning, suddenly believes his visiting boyhood friend, Polixenes, is in love with Leontes' wife Hermione. Leontes even goes so far as to order his friend poisoned and Hermione thrown in jail where she has a baby girl. It never occurs to Leontes he could be wrong, even though the Oracle of Apollo showed the couple's innocence. Sixteen years later the child, Perdita, who has been ra...

56 pages

Flexible cast of about 30

This delightful adaptation updates the action to 20th century New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration! It has been edited for time and archaic expressions, but otherwise the language is the same. The through-line is still very evident as Shakespeare's comment on the classes and pastoralism. Included in the oversized script are four original songs, New Orleans jazz style, which use Shakespeare's poems as the lyrics, with the suggestion of a grand finale of "When the Saints Go Marching In." The costumes are modern day but still very much in the style of Shakespeare ...

67 pages

15 m, 13 w, 7 flexible, extras, doubling possible

Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens. A coming-of-age story of a boy in 19th century. A young hero battling a difficult youth, we see David's struggles from his childhood days at the family's estate in Blunderstone, to his early life of poverty and misery, to his final, joyful success. Many of our favorite Dickens' characters are present: David's gentle mother, Clara; the loving housekeeper, Peggoty; his cruel stepfather, Murdstone; his schoolmates Steerforth and Traddles; the amusing, ever-on-the-run Micawbers; the lovely Agnes Wickfield, and the despic...

52 pages

Flexible casting

Adapted from tales by Catherine Wells, Guy de Maupassant, and W.W. Jacobs. Three terrifying tales are set on or around Halloween in a New York brownstone. In "The Actor," (2 m, 3 w, 1 flexible), a young girl, who lives with her eccentric parents in a house rumored to be haunted, asks a famous actor to frighten her by portraying the house ghost at a Halloween party. She gets a lot more than she bargained for when she is truly frightened out of her wits. In "The Hand," (3 m, 3 w, 4 non-speaking), an arrogant hunter has his prized trophy mounted on the wall of h...

73 pages

Widely flexible cast from 28 to 41

The classic and timeless tale of Shakespeare's two star-crossed lovers takes on new life in this clear and concise adaptation. Audiences will understand and love this show with its lack of archaic phases or dated references. Reduced to two acts, this version makes our greatest play more accessible for modern audiences. Actors new to Shakespeare will appreciate the added stage directions as well. This is a Romeo and Juliet for today. Running time is between 90 minutes and 120 minutes, depending on further optional cuts clearly explained in the script.

52 pages

9 m, 9 w, 8 flexible, doubling possible

Seeking comfort from her miserable life and an easy ticket to the prince's ball, our heroine Ashenputtel cries out for her Fairy Godmother. The magical matriarch who arrives, however, is a no-nonsense narrator who works her magic by giving lesser-known folktales a playful yet empowering twist. This Fairy Godmother offers no magical pumpkin carriages, but rather spins three separate tales of women from around the world who make their own happily ever after. Story one, from Ecuador, is "The Search for the Magic Lake," which features a peasant girl who must bold...

69 pages

Large, flexible cast.

The famous story of the brave but flawed man, who, even though he decides to murder his king for his kingdom, nevertheless thinks of himself a good man. Edited for time and archaic expressions this version of "The Scottish Play" moves quickly and tensely. A special CD containing sound effects and music is available to enhance your production. (Music sample is "Macbeth's Castle Underscore.") About 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

63 pages

8 - 9 m, 12 w, extras

The townspeople having been living in their quiet Spanish village for centuries under the hechizo, avoiding aging, disease, and death. But when Tomaso decides to leave after Rosita denies him, the spell is broken. The Eights come again, offering protection in exchange for the death of one of the villagers -- one that is selected by the townspeople themselves. Two Americans have unexpectedly arrived and are invited to stay at the inn, drink the wine, take part in the fiesta, and cast their votes. While Papa tries to unite the village, jealous Obella has her ow...

74 pages

12 m, 13 w

Katie O'Brien and her four daughters land in America with plenty of hope and little else. They quickly fall prey to a scheming landlord, but despite this, one of Katie's daughters, Colleen, falls in love with his son -only to realize he may be as conniving as his father. Another daughter, Mary, finds herself torn between helping their desperate neighbors and keeping the trust of her family. The other daughters must cope with schoolmates who hate immigrants and a young bunch of pickpockets. Despite all the hardships, however, each of the newcomers ultimately c...

72 pages

6 m, 9 w, and 6 flexible

James Holden, TV star, is a busy man. He has just returned from his honeymoon with his 4th wife, or so he thinks. Turns out his first wife, Velvet, didn’t die in that avalanche five years ago after all. And his second wife, Phoebe, didn’t file the divorce papers correctly. And his third wife, Rita, didn’t sign the annulment. Rita’s current fiancé, Max, happens to be a mob boss and has decided to take the annulment into his own hands. Everyone has their own agenda as they make their way to James’s apartment. Max and his goons arrive and begin to take hostages ...

59 pages

45 speaking parts (minimum 7 m, 14 w with doubling)

Modern language and loads of humor make this version of the Greek tale one that today's audience is sure to enjoy. Hercules' girlfriend, Megara, has been poisoned by a jealous Hera and now he must complete eight tasks for Hera or lose Megara's love forever. The problem is, Hercules is a bit of a wimp and it doesn't look as if he will be performing any great feats of strength much less act particularly clever. Yet, he humbles the cocky Stymphalian birds, gets the best of the shady Arcadian stag, resists the Erymanthian Bore, cleans up King Augeus' act and give...

74 pages

10 m, 13 w, 3 flexible parts

Sir Robin Hood and Lady Marian have been married for 20 years and their beautiful daughter, Robin, is now about to come of age. The Queen insists Robin be wed to a man of royal lineage before assuming the throne. Being a woman of the next generation, Robin is naturally resentful about being married off so quickly without some romance. So she devises a contest in which the best archer and swordsman shall win her hand. Robin convinces her maid to stand in for her while she herself dresses as a man to compete to prove her point. Meanwhile, Prince Jarred resents ...

70 pages

28 - 34 (Flexible; some doubling possible; optional extras) Minimum cast: 17 m, 9 w, 1 flexible

Life in medieval times is hard, especially with greedy King John sitting on England’s throne. Nottingham’s townspeople are constantly terrorized and taxed by the Sheriff and his cronies. Families who can’t afford to pay are separated from their loved ones, forced to work off debts, and even driven from their homes. Robert of Locksley finds himself in this very predicament. After losing his home, a bounty is placed on his head, forcing him to flee and leave his beloved Maid Marion behind. Robert joins a band of merry men (and women!) taking refuge in Sherwood ...

62 pages

Widely flexible cast, approx. 12 m, 9 w, 13 flexible.

"Attention all units. Be on the look out for a man with pink wings and a bag full of human teeth. He's considered unarmed and hilarious." What if the holiday celebrities that we all know and love lived among us? Would they still be welcomed with open arms or would their actions be considered criminal? In "Holiday Celebrities: Criminal Justice" we enter the dark underbelly of the holiday celebrity world -- a world where Santa's been dodging his taxes, the Easter Bunny gets caught breaking and entering, and the Thanksgiving Turkey is wanted for grand theft auto...

55 pages

15 m, 25 w, 2 flexible, doubling

Loosely based on Dickens' "Oliver Twist." It's 1955 and young Oliver is taken from a dismal orphanage by the oppressive MacDonald family. Oliver dreams of having a family like the one on the TV series, "We Love the Brewsters," and runs away to Hollywood hoping to join them. Instead, he meets up with Nancy, a waitress at Tinseltown Malt Shop, and Bill Sikes and his band of pickpockets. Oliver has the good fortune to try to pick the pocket of the producer of the Brewster show, and Oliver actually lands a spot in the perfect television family. But just when life...