40 pages
5 m, 9 w, 1 flexible
Ten students from across the U.S.A. compete for the title of “America’s Next Top Model Student” in the latest TV reality show. Host Myra Thanks and the show’s judges, M’Lady Andrews, Judge Julie, and Mr. Blaine Rose, put each student to the test in a series of bizarre and hilarious challenges that hardly have anything to do with their scholastic aptitude. One by one, the students are eliminated and “expelled” from the classroom competition. No one goes down without a fight and some are even taken away literally kicking and screaming. The off-the-wall challeng...
72 pages
5 m, 6 w, extras as campaigners
Politics can be murder! It's election night and all the friends and supporters of mayoral candidate Matthew Kensington are throwing him a surprise birthday/campaign party. But there's one surprise no one suspects. An aide is found stabbed in the back with the birthday cake knife! Clues and suspects abound in this frenetic political satire that leaves the audience wondering just who they CAN trust. Great fun for all, with campaigners canvassing the audience as to whom they'll vote for. Not only can the audience question the suspects, but they even get to vote ...
43 pages
6 or more flexible characters
Twelve short scenes depict events in the life of Edgar Allan Poe -- or how his life might have been in today's world! Some of the more popular tales are represented: "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a police investigation; "The Cask of Amontillado" is a Jerry Springer-type TV show; and "The Masque of the Red Death" has a group of Hollywood types hiding out in a castle. In "The Fall of the House of Usher" Poe himself pitches the story to a producer for a horror film. Other scenes depict Poe as he might have been in elementary school; seeing a psychiatrist; trying to w...
67 pages
11 m, 14 w, extras
Tom Butterworth is determined to be the youngest cruise ship captain in history - even if this means sailing on a converted gunboat named "Vengeance" with a crew of rejects from Maritime High School, and a trio of girl singers who are passing themselves off as a famous show biz act. The engineer is seasick, the cruise hostess is pulling her hair in frustration, and a gung-ho nurse is practicing giving hypos by stabbing anything that's handy. And the passengers, well, they're a pretty unusual bunch! There's a fabulous Hollywood star, Honey Hotchkiss a clumsy p...
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...
60 pages
15 to 40 actors
Four students stare out at the audience. Tomorrow they start their freshman year of high school. There are so many things to worry about: class schedules, bullies, cafeteria food, dating, parents’ expectations, what to wear, and worst of all … gym class! These students need a survival guide and that’s exactly what this play attempts to do with hilariously embarrassing and awkward results. Watch as our guides take us through the gauntlet that is high school. Find out the appropriate way to boogie down at high school dances, discover creative ways to get out of...
65 pages
5 m, 9 w
Here is an outrageous comedy for community theatres that puts the audience on the hot seat! A series of sixteen, quick-paced scenes illuminate the joys and tribulations of the modern theatre-going experience. In "An Audience of One," a single theatre patron delivers an impassioned monologue to convince the actors to perform the show just for her. The scene, "What the Crowd Is Thinking," allows us to hear the real thoughts of an audience sitting through an uninspired performance. In "Uber Ushers," a band of ushers, driven to the brink of madness by the boorish...
75 pages
2 - 3 m, 4 w
If you've ever had a job, or wished you hadn't, this office comedy is for you. Even on a good day, tensions run high in the customer service department of The Treasure Chest because of two female coworkers who can't stand each other, and a third who is constantly stuck in the middle. But when a chance for a promotion suddenly appears, all three women find themselves fighting for the job, although they don't all fight fair. Will the promotion go to daydreamer Hope, saintly Bonnie, or snarky Louise? A madhouse free-for-all of schemes, sabotage and unlikely alli...
42 pages
5 m, 4 w, 4 flexible, extras
Dreamy young lovers Lelio and Silvia must keep their love a secret from their fathers, who are fierce rivals. Will a scheme featuring the loveable Arlecchino (whose main occupation is taking money from others) and a quartet of bumbling bandits save the day? Middle and high school actors will revel in this fast-paced, uproarious one act complete with screwball antics and a cast of madcap characters including two saucy servants, a lovable miser, and a host of zanies. It is this type of slapstick humor that makes the performance style of commedia dell'arte a per...
42 pages
5 m, 3 w, 1 flexible
A wacky cast of actors is rehearsing for its big community theatre production of "You Only Die Twice." Marge Cunningham, the author of this "spell-binding murder mystery," runs the Enchanting Dreams Bed-and-Breakfast, which doubles as the community theatre. When she receives word that a top Broadway producer is coming to town to hopefully "discover" some fresh acting talent, she notifies the cast, and they go into high gear to perfect the show before opening night. They decide to stay in character and run their lines as much as possible before the performance...
48 pages
8 m, 7 w
What happens when you mix the Greek gods with reality television? In this hilarious romp, the great Greek myths are explored within a reality show framework. Thirteen gods are put under one roof, but only one can survive to sit atop Mount Olympus. “Reality Stars: Greek Gods Edition” is an inventive retelling of Greek mythology where tempers flare, lovers quarrel, and rivalries ignite. With an added modern spin, even as far as letting the audience text in their votes, it’s must-see TV – er, theatre! Run time: 65 minutes.
80 pages
8 m, 11 w, 6 flexible, extras.
A hog farmer has three smart sons but absolutely no money to send them to college. A rich, snooty, old maiden aunt has a fortune but years ago she made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with the farmer’s family. What to do? The three boys don wigs, dresses, heels and even Wild Pink fingernail polish for a challenging weekend visit with their estranged aunt. Their desperate mission: to convince her she has three beautiful nieces who are worthy of her millions. And worthy they are when the boys discover someone is embezzling their aunt’s money. Switching b...
62 pages
Widely flexible cast of 32. (Minimum: 2 m, 1 w, 2 flexible.)
Ever wonder why your cat acts like he's king of the world? Or why flamingos stand on one leg? Have you ever imagined what a spider would have to say to a fly just before devouring him, or what "small talk" sounds like when a cannibalistic female praying mantis goes on a date with a naive male praying mantis? Well, Bryan Starchman has given the animals of the world a voice in this hilarious comedy. Focusing on simple costumes and sets, a large flexible cast, and ten whacky scenes, your audience will get to see and hear what animals really think about us humans...
46 pages
3 m, 3 w
Become the celebrated guests of Lord and Lady Moon at the coveted annual Moonlight Masquerade Charity Gala. When a diamond Tiffany necklace scheduled to be auctioned off at the event mysteriously disappears, it becomes clear that someone present isn't quite what or who they appear to be. But things take a decidedly sinister turn as members of the entourage turn up quite indubitably, irrevocably dead. Could one of the remaining blue-bloods be responsible? Could someone in the audience help solve these heinous crimes? Can the crimes even be solved, or will the ...
75 pages
7 m, 6 w
Have you ever wanted to stay in an old, drafty English manor with a serial murderer and a ghost running loose in the dark? Who hasn't? Houndstooth Manor simply abounds with atmosphere. "We're lousy with it," the butler intones as he casts a suspicious eye over the paying guests, wondering who is next to be murdered. Will it be the pompous, retired Major who's always going on about how he stopped some uprising "with just a few well-chosen words and a flame thrower." Or maybe the honeymooning couple who know more than they'd like you to believe. Or maybe the fo...
79 pages
3 m, 3 w
Randolph Gaston has been murdered, and everybody is after the insurance money (including the deceased). The characters we meet are the grieving widow, the girl next door, the family maid, the minister, the French inspector, and the confused boyfriend -- BUT everyone isn't necessarily who they seem to be. A series of double (and double-double) crosses, mistaken identities, fake accents, hidden bodies, and phony mustaches all add up to a completely intriguing comedy.
36 pages
Widely flexible cast from 9 to 40
A poor student is struggling to read Shakespeare's great tragedy, "Macbeth," while in a coffee shop next door to a theater. The student gets a study boost from waitress, who was an English major, and four customers, who are actors, as they act out the Scottish tragedy in fast-paced farce. Soon, a pompous actor who has just finished a Shakespeare matinee next door, enters and tells of the "Scottish curse," and all of the unfortunate events that surround the play's past productions. Actors portray characters throughout history including Shakespeare, King James,...
58 pages
9 – 46 performers possible
We all know the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle," but when you stop to think about it...how can a cow jump over the moon? If a cat could play the fiddle, wouldn't it be all over the internet? Why is a dish running away with a spoon? What’s the little dog actually laughing at? And how do they all connect with each other? This family comedy offers seven different outlandish tales speculating about what might be “The True Story of Hey Diddle Diddle.” It has a completely gender-flexible cast of 9-46 actors and runs about 55 minutes in length. Its target audience...