20 pages
4 m, 2 w
Here is a perfect play to introduce children to the Underground Railroad. Designed as a Reader’s Theatre, "The Silent War" is a story of three slaves – and eight little mice – who escape to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Uncle Amos, Belle, and Buck Henry, all slaves on a Kentucky plantation, didn’t plan to escape until they met Zakary, a Bible salesman and abolitionist. He shows them the way to cross the river into Ohio and from there travel north to other stations. Along the way, the three slaves are helped by other dedicated abolitionists including...
44 pages
3 m, 7 w, 3 flex, extras
Enter the enchanted forest where Little Red Riding Hood is gathering flowers before going to Grandmother's. Jack-o, a scared crow, tries to get the kids in the audience to warn Red that a wolf is stalking her, but Red's not afraid. Any wolf who calls her Noodle Rat Rotten Hat because of a speech problem - why, he's nothing but a big, sweet doggie! Soon Little Red meets others, including a demanding Goldilocks, brave Hansel and Gretel, and bevy of bears on holiday. But they've all gotten lost and a mean witch is threatening them. Can they outsmart the witch an...
34 pages
3 m, 2 w
Helen Stone, a frightened and distraught young woman, has come to Sherlock Holmes for help following the recent death of her twin sister Julia. The young women were living with their stepfather, the austere and heartless widower, Dr. Roylott. They had returned from India to Stoke Moran, his family’s dilapidated country mansion, where wild exotic animals and gypsies now wander the grounds. Helen tells Holmes and Dr. Watson that the night Julia died, her sister had run from her bedroom screaming “the band, the speckled band.” Julia was soon to be married and wo...
32 pages
Flexible roles for 30 or more
Here’s the story of Howard Carter's famous discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. Carter and others with him are astounded by the treasures buried for over 3,000 years. Before long the visitors discover the story of this little-known king through the writing on the walls of the tomb. These hieroglyphs come to life, teaching us all about Ancient Egypt including King Tutankhamun, Queen Hatshepsut, Egyptian society, the gods and pyramids. This musical was written specifically for young voices, ideally, Grades 5 through 9. Grades 3 and 4 could participate ...
55 pages
Widely Flexible
The music is stunning in this story set in Athens around 400 BC. Despite the city's wealth and splendor, the Athenians have recently been defeated by the joint Spartan and Persian armies and now reluctantly, after years of superiority, have to put up with foreign interference. Anxious to find out what is in store for their great civilization, Socrates, Plato and Hippocrates set off to see the great Oracle at Delphi. The Pythia tells them to seek advice from Zeus himself at the great statue in Olympus where they will discover their destiny. Lots of fun songs, ...