School

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...

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...

68 pages

Flexible cast (40+) to a minimum of six (4 m, 2 w)

Beguiled in early childhood by his nursemaid's grim and ghoulish stories, Charles Dickens harbored all through his life a fascination with ghosts, apparitions and chilling coincidence. This play is a collection of eerie tales from the greatest storyteller of all. The stories are a lively mixture of comedy, pathos, and the supernatural and include: "The Signal-man," "The Bagman's Uncle," "The Letter From Afar," "Trial for Murder," "The Queer Chair," "Sisters From Perth," "The Portrait Painter," and "The Lawyer and the Ghost." These stories are perfect as a new...

78 pages

Minimum: 4 - 11 m, 7 w. Maximum: 11 m, 19 w, 8 flexible.

“Miracle worker” Annie Sullivan Macy wakes on a lonely stretch of beach. A mysterious hermit encourages Annie to debate and share pieces of her life with him, including her greatest accomplishment, teaching the famous deaf and blind girl, Helen Keller. Like pieces of a puzzle, Annie’s memories spring to life, revealing hard-won victories, childhood horrors, and a rise to stardom. Annie discovers that she and Helen are forever connected, but who needs who? As Annie wrestles with this question, one more secret remains locked within her, and this mysterious man ...

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 ...

56 pages

3 m, 3 w

Lacy Casey is socially awkward, has a goofy sense of humor, and has raised clumsiness to an art form. If you look in the dictionary under "adorkable," you'd find a picture of Lacy.  Her friends Sue and Trevor love her quirkiness and accept her for who she is. When Lacy goes out on her first date with Bryce, she assumes it will be their last date. After all, her ungraceful mannerisms practically destroy their dinner, and he keeps calling her by the wrong name. But he comes back for more ... Meanwhile, Trevor harbors a ...

44 pages

6 m, 5 w

A group of high school drama students known as the Rainbow Project is tasked with developing a show to promote the acceptance of diversity. Throughout their rehearsals, important issues like grades, jobs, family commitments, and prejudices are all explored. But art mirrors life a little too closely, and rising tensions threaten the production. In the end, they realize that with all human enterprises, “it’s about us.” This insight allows the show to go on. This drama speaks to its target audience of adolescents and young adults in their own language, wi...

71 pages

7 m, 9 w, doubling possible

Based on the stories by Mark Twain. This collection provides an evening's entertainment, but individual selections can easily be performed independently. "The 1,000,000 Bank Note" (two acts for 5m/5w, 60 minutes) features two wealthy British siblings who bet whether a destitute man can survive a month in London if they give him a £1,000,000 bank note, which he can neither account for being in his possession, nor turn into cash. Two one-act plays, "The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut" (1m/2w, 20 minutes) and "An Encounter With an I...

60 pages

3 m, 8 w, 1 flexible

When the high school principal asks students Dani, Jenna, and Ruby to include new student Lydia in their save-the-planet activities, they’re none too pleased. Dani thinks Lydia is out to trap her boyfriend Dante, whose best friend Gavin is completely smitten with the new girl. The four girls end up trying to clean an old ranger cabin in a nearby state park. But unknown to them, a lot more guests will be secretly visiting the cabin on the same night, all with different objectives – including Dante and Gavin, cat burglar sisters Sissy and Sassy, two bewildered ...

62 pages

2 m, 6 w, 6 flex, plus ensemble, doubling possible

When a devastating earthquake strikes Haiti, age-old fears and superstitions rise to the surface in civilized Port-au-Prince. For Alanis Ducette, the daughter of an aid worker, it brings nightmares of her dead sister and a conviction that zombies are intruding on everyday life. To exorcize her nightmares, she enters the threatening world of Haitian vodou and black magic—and uncovers a mystery no one in her family had dared reveal. About an hour.

65 pages

Approx. 5 m, 9 w, 6 flexible, extras, doubling possible.

Lulu's on a quest to marry Justin by Monday to outwit her former best friend Beth who plans to marry on Tuesday. Lulu hires a novice wedding consultant, whose office is a tiny converted bathroom, and in a frantic few days they deal with a florist who goes bankrupt, a jeweler who insists that she buy the world's ugliest wedding ring, and a wedding cake with "Happy Birthday, Vern" written on it. Even all the chapels are booked, so her ceremony will take place in a bingo hall presided over by the building's janitor. Lulu declares that her bridesmaids keep her ma...

54 pages

6 m, 16 w (doubling possible)

Blanche Dunwitty's passionate romance novels are hot sellers. Little does anyone know (although his neighbor suspects) that the author is really one Ed Bartlett, a likable, thoroughly masculine man who chomps on his pipe when working. His identity is kept top secret because if the female fans knew, they would become violent! The only problem is the upcoming romance writers' convention. Young, attractive editor Elaine Hall is to give a speech as "Blanche" but a last-minute emergency forces a reluctant Ed to go. Dressed in women's clothes but still chomping his...

48 pages

5 m, 5 w, 4 flex, 2 silent and flex. (With doubling 3 m, 3 w, 1 flex, 2 silent and flex.)

These two science fiction plays are inspired by H.G. Wells' works, The Stolen Bacillus and The Flowering of the Strange Orchid, and Alexandre Dumas' novel, The Black Tulip. In BACTERIAL BROADSIDE, two students working on a science fair project get involved in a potentially deadly heist when unscrupulous villains steal an experimental sample from the famous bacteriologist, Professor Parvulus. Will the world population become infected or will certain guilty parties be easy to spot? This play proves that the little things in life, like Gulliver's Lilliputians, a...

77 pages

Flexible cast, approx. 4 m,12 w, extras

When a cyclone hits Emerald City High School, things really get crazy! Dorothy, who refers to the other students as Munchkins, demands that a girl named Toto, whom she insists is her own dog, lead her to the Wizard of Oz who will help her return to Kansas. Following the yellow broken tile floor, Dorothy, Toto and other weird students experience several exciting adventures. But to resolve the drama, Toto provides Dorothy with a bus ticket home and helps solve the other school problems. These students not only read "The Wizard of Oz" for class, they lived it!

44 pages

Minimum 2 m, 7 w; maximum 3 m, 12 w, 1 flexible

Getting old feels like the end … especially for Margo. She’s worked hard to build her career and her life with husband Lars. But her 30th birthday isn’t what she planned. Already late to her own party, she and Lars quickly eat the last of the food before greeting guests. In hindsight, the crab salad may have been a little off … Apparently WAY off! Now they must start over in the after-life. But before they can rest in peace they must find a house and help the occupants. With the help of a celestial guide, they view three houses. There’s the far-out beach bung...

54 pages

4 m, 3 w

Hailed by George Orwell as “the wittiest play” G.B. Shaw ever wrote, Arms and the Man is a true classic in the history of theater, blending social commentary, romantic comedy, fun and lively characters, and crackling dialogue that leaps off the page! We are in the 1880s, and Raina Petkoff is a young Bulgarian woman, worried about the war her father and fiancé are currently fighting. No sooner is she warned that enemy soldiers may be nearby, than Captain Bluntschli, a war-weary enemy, breaks in and holds her hostage. To their surprise, and the audienc...

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, ...

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. 

43 pages

7-10 m, 6-9 w

Mercilessly teased thanks to an awkward last name, Sally Butts plots revenge on her chief tormentors, the popular Jack and Mikayla Slade. Sally and her friends – who have unfortunate last names themselves – launch Sally’s campaign for school president against Jack. To beat him, they’ll have to overcome dirty tricks, cruel graffiti, bad puns, parents who quote poetry, and an excessive amount of glitter. Can a girl named Butts really become president?  Running time: 55 minutes.

60 pages

5 m, 9 w, extras

Victor Goole is the new kid in school, but he’s already managed to rub his new classmates the wrong way. Jack and his friends are furious that Victor has unseated Jack by winning the Mathelon. Hoping to humiliate and intimidate Victor, they dub him “Frankenteen”—half human and half mad scientist. (It doesn’t help that Victor’s new house has been vacant for 15 years and is widely believed to be haunted.) To make matters worse, Victor is forced to work with Jack on an important science contest. Of course, Victor’s mom Zinnia is thrilled. She is a scientist who ...

45 pages

3 Actors or 3-8 Actors

The play tells the story of Davey Herold, a co-conspirator in the Lincoln assassination who accompanied John Wilkes Booth during the ensuing manhunt. It asks if Davey Herold had a choice in taking part in the assassination and whether or not he actually committed a crime. It moves fluidly from his jail cell where he speaks to his lawyer, to a series of locations during the planning of the assassination, to the history-changing execution, to Davey and Booth fleeing authorities.  Approximately 70 minutes.

75 pages

5 m, 8 w, extras as desired

It is the most critical time in a teen's life when the prom is only a few hours away and nobody has a date for it! Oh, but wait! Chemistry student Beatrice has devised a concoction that will cast a spell over all the male students, causing them to appreciate the girls so much that they will undoubtedly invite the girls to the prom. Oh, but wait! Pokey adds some blue stuff to the mixture for "better color." The result is that a "switcheroo" takes place - the girls now think they are the boys, and the boys now think they are the girls. Oh, but wait! Beatrice re...

65 pages

Large, flexible cast. Approx. 10 m, 10-13 w, 1 flexible, extras

"If music be the food of love, play on!" In this modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's beloved comedy, the sounds of disco, swing, gospel, Latin and hip-hop music propel an outrageous assortment of characters into each others' arms. A terrible shipwreck strands young Viola on the beaches of Illyria. Desperate to support herself as she searches for Sebastian, her lost twin, she disguises herself as a man named "Cesario." Soon she is working for Duke Orsino, taking his love messages to the Countess Olivia. But the Countess' estate is a tropical madhouse cramme...

77 pages

12 m, 15 w

In 1865 Seattle, there are ten men to every woman. Surely Shamus Donovan can find his eldest daughter, Kate, a husband ("I'll Never Meet a Man"). An old Irish tradition ("Donovan's Curse") demands that the eldest marry first, but unfortunately, Kate has the disposition of a wildcat ("What I Hate Most"). While his other four lovely daughters are forced to wait ("Waiting Out the Rain"), their amorous suitors are reduced to tutoring them ("Lessons in Survival"). Borrowing from Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," the men give Federal Marshal Danny O'Brien tips o...

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!

60 pages

6 m, 5 w

Raven and Lulu are two young women seeking refuge who become unexpected guests at Dracula’s annual Halloween party. Igor the hunchback and their host, Dracula, seem friendly but chills and laughter escalate as monstrous guests arrive. It becomes clear that Zack the Zombie, Frankenstein, and the mummified Egyptian Queen Nefertiti are not in costume but are real…and possibly dangerous. An out-of-season Ghost of Christmas Past even makes an appearance and takes Dracula on a journey of discovery. Will Dracula’s affection for one of the girls keep her safe, or is ...

66 pages

2 m, 3 w, 1 flexible

Nora Marsh has lived with the burden of a father who's been branded a traitor. She has tried to keep their inn, the Cat and Mouse, running smoothly, but her father's depression and drinking after his return from the World War II European front has made life difficult. Her life begins to further unravel when a new border, Daniel Cavell, turns up missing. Kate Sherwin, the local Civil Defense warden, and Cavell's mother, Ruth, begin a search which ends when his body is found in the window seat of the inn's living room. Kate has long suspected Nora's father Harr...

57 pages

4 m, 4 w

From crazy chicken suits to high tea and crumpets, the hilarity never stops in this rollicking farce. Poor Bobby Philips is racing the clock as high school graduation approaches. In addition to his three part-time jobs (including one at Fried Chicken World), his falling grades, and his threatened scholarship, he's worried sick about his sister, Emily. She's addicted to PBS dramatizations of 18th century English novels and lives in a refined and graceful world of her own imagination. Everyone thinks she is a nut. Enter Bobby's arch nemesis "Death Wish" Hooper,...

72 pages

Flexible cast of 12

Here is a hysterical, non-partisan look at our fearless (and not so fearless) U.S. Presidents, their achievements, their failures, and their idiosyncrasies. This play offers a flexible, kazoo-playing cast the opportunity to portray history as never before! From newscasts, game shows, reality TV, talk shows, beach movies, the Grand Ol' Opry, and Shakespeare soliloquies, a cast of 12 actors presents all of the United States Presidents in twenty brief scenes. Former Presidents interview for jobs, advertise used cars, head to Fort Lauderdale for spring break, and...

62 pages

5 m, 6 w

Five teenage girls get so upset with their boyfriends' ways that they form a support group, Good Girls with Bad Boyfriends. Tracy doesn't like the way Paul dresses, Katie wants Tony to be a steady boyfriend, Natalie is tired of Ralph's acting like a wild animal, Donna is fed up with jokes from Jerry at her expense, and Barbara wants to keep Frankie from flirting with every girl around. The girls go to some real extremes to change behaviors. But hey, these guys do not change - or embarrass - easily! A hilarious play that effectively captures the awkward pleasu...