School

65 pages

5 m, 9 w

Joanna Garner, a caterer, has good reason for being over-protective of her 16-year-old daughter Holly - reasons she has told no one. As guests begin to arrive at an exclusive party which Joanna is catering with Holly's help, there's a phone call. A hideous, disguised voice tells Joanna she must do exactly as she's told or Holly will die. Joanna desperately tries to get Holly out of the mansion, but another call from the voice reveals her every move and gives her further instructions about adding cyanide into the food she is preparing. Which one of the wealthy...

41 pages

5 m, 6 w, 3 flexible, many extras

Karen is in training her first day on the job at a mortuary. While waiting for Karen to finish, her two hippie friends, Lindsey and McKenna, decide to embalm themselves. Other friends soon arrive, including punk rockers Blake and Barry, and the nerds, Ryan, Ryan 2, and Erin. When they discover what the two girls have done, they get Mike, the mortuary owner, who then calls the doctor next door for help. Already Lindsey and McKenna have no pulse. What's even worse, all the bodies in the nearby graveyard have turned in to zombies and are trying to enter the mort...

45 pages

6 m, 4 w, 8 flexible parts, and a flexible jury (doubling possible)

Mrs. Dafney Dill has been accused of murder and is about to go to trial in a small-town courtroom, complete with a snoozing judge, a good-ol' sheriff, and a jury of confused country folks. As the prosecution presents its case, it doesn't look good for Dafney. Witnesses and evidence mount, and worst of all, the judge is in a hurry to get home to some glazed rhubarb his missus has fixed. It's up to the naive and ill-prepared B.V. DeBriefs, Dafney's court-appointed public defender, to save her. Through the twists and turns of the legal system, justice is finally...

50 pages

4 m, 6 w, 8 flexible parts

It's a dark day in the city. Big Al Gaydor and his gang are running wild! The police have their hands full trying to deal with the latest crime spree while the public is outraged and demanding quick action. In fact, the overworked police chief, Otis L. Vader, may even lose his job if the thugs are not put behind bars. All looks bleak until a young mystery man in black, with a curious white stripe, comes on the scene. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is STINKYMAN! Unknown to the rest of the city or even his parents, Stinkyman is none other than the chief's ...

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 ...

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 ...

76 pages

6 m, 7 w, 5 flexible

Daisy, a somewhat clumsy college student, has been hired by Rose Thornbush to sweep and clean her flower shop, Rose’s Roses. Daisy, however, only took the menial job to get closer to her real goal of floral designer. It’s frustrating because the designs Mrs. Thornbush creates are terrible, as proven by the lack of business in the shop. Daisy, along with three young customers, can design much prettier arrangements. Mr. Hoodwink and Miss Deed appear and devise a competition between Rose’s Roses and the rival Monsieur Prince’s Shop of Floral Designs. The winner ...

46 pages

10 m, 7 w, extras as desired

Here's an exciting tale about two English youths, one the royal Prince Edward, and the other a pauper by the name of Tom Canty. Because they look so much alike, they laughingly decide to try on each other's clothes. For a few moments they find themselves daydreaming about "being the other." Suddenly, the unthinkable happens! The true prince, now dressed as the pauper, is unceremoniously thrown out of the palace by zealous guards while Tom, now dressed in royal clothing, is looked upon as heir to the throne. On the streets of London, the prince fights to prove...

60 pages

8 m, 12 w. (With doubling: 5 m, 9 w)

The blank page. It strikes fear into the hearts of writers everywhere, but not student Jan Clark. She thinks writing a novel is the way to an easy A in English class. After battling constant interruptions of well-meaning friends and family, Jan discovers this assignment may be more than she bargained for. All is not lost. Jan is visited by a demanding Muse, who summons a group of struggling actors to play outrageous literary genre characters. As Jan works to finish her story, the actors complain about the size of their parts, the inane dialogue written for th...

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...

36 pages

7 m, 7 w, 3 flexible, extras

In this lightly-interactive dinner theatre play, King Scrydan is so cheap that he can’t even pay attention. And if he did, he would know that everyone calls him Scrooge behind his back. Coming from beyond Jamaica, his dearly-departed brother Marley tells him, “Bredda, yuh inna big chobble. Yuh be too gravelicious. But me cyan 'elp yuh wit dat problem.” Luckily, Marley has brought along his Jamaican-to-English interpreter who can translate. Marley warns Scrydan that if he does not change his skinflint ways, it will lead to a fate worse than death. Scrydan will...

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...

42 pages

Approx. 9 m, 6 w, 3 flexible, extras which can be audience members

With graduation fast approaching, two groups of students of Bellefonte High confront each other in an attempt to influence the next year’s curriculum of the school. With recollections of past bullying, revealed secret lives, hinted-at romances, and numerous quotations from Shakespeare’s most famous plays, these teenagers set up a mock trial to decide if Shakespeare should be studied next year. Like current day Montagues and Capulets, the students do plenty of verbal fencing -- with a little Romeo and Juliet romance thrown in -- to ultimately decide if the Bar...

68 pages

6 m, 11 w

When a mysterious old woman named Q slips tickets for a trip to Medici Castle to Lucy Lyons, she feels compelled to go there. Lucy, a classical scholar and cryptologist who is temporarily caring for her nieces and nephew, Emmy, Jess, and Ben, is intrigued by the remote, historical hotel. But the tour group they are with is strange, and soon one of the tourists suddenly disappears. His wife, however, seems more interested in getting a missing parchment back than finding her husband. Q appears and tells Lucy she needs to crack the Medici Code, a dangerous, long...

68 pages

Approx. 10 m, 4 w, extras. Much doubling possible.

One of the world's great comedies. The wealthy Monsieur Jourdain hires teachers to train him in the Arts, and succeeds only in making himself appear foolish to everybody but himself. Then he tries to court an elegant Countess, making himself even more foolish. The play also contains a rambunctious mixture of Molière’s dramatic modes: Roman–style farce, commedia dell’arte gags, romantic high comedy, two mini–operas, and great quantities of topical satire. In its time it was a social satire today we can appreciate the satire but enjoy the hilarity. The play end...

72 pages

7 m, 11 w, doubling possible

Hawthorne's masterpiece comes vividly alive in this adaptation which begins at the gallows as Colonel Pyncheon greedily steals the land of Matthew Maule to build a magnificent house. But with his dying words, "God will give you blood to drink," Maule curses the Pyncheon family for generations. A hundred and fifty years later, Hepzibah Pyncheon, an aging old maid, is forced to open a cent shop in the now decrepit house to keep herself and her child-like brother from starving. It seems all hope is lost for the family. But that's precisely when pretty, 17-year-o...

77 pages

8 m, 6 w, 1 flexible, optional extra women

Not entirely happy with the way "Romeo & Juliet" ended, Prince Escalus decides that everything would’ve been better had the two famous lovers lived and the ending of Shakespeare’s classic is rewritten. With Romeo and Juliet alive and their fathers agreeing to end their vicious feud, it appears that we finally have a happy ending. Preparations are made for the couple to renew their vows in front of both families to cement the new peace. Will they live happily ever after, or will the fickleness of being a teenager – coupled with Romeo’s knack for getting th...

28 pages

Flexible cast of 18-28

In this comical yet surprisingly educational parody of "Twelve Angry Men," a certain wolf is on trial for blowing down a pair of houses owned by the Three Little Pigs. A jury of swine must now decide if they will oink in favor of conviction, or declare the wolf not guilty. Throughout the deliberation, most of the angry pigs believe the wolf is big and bad. However, an ensemble of storybook characters helps the pigs review the testimony, and Pig #8 asks some tough questions. Questions that will make the rest of the pigs realize that the witness testimony of Li...

37 pages

5 m, 8 w, 12 flexible

In this one-act play, tragedy meets fantasy, myth meets reality. A fairy-tale world winds itself around the real drama of one little girl’s battle with cancer and her family’s anguish. As they struggle to cope with her prognosis and desperate treatment, the fairy tale characters from the little girl’s book play out their own drama. Will an evil sorceress and her dark creatures succeed in pulling Princess Caroline away from her beloved family and prince? Will little Cora’s experimental cancer treatment save her? In our imaginations, the villain is always slain...

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. ...

29 pages

3 m, 5 w, 1 young female, 2 flexible, ensemble

Alina, a teen girl, is struggling with the anxiety of an ongoing custody battle between her parents. Meanwhile, she is taking on the responsibilities of her schoolwork, her friends, and taking care of her younger sister who has debilitating asthma. As she is set to testify in an upcoming hearing, Alina escapes through her favorite story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This show intertwines Alina's modern story with the classic story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, using the words of Washington Irving himself. Can Alina find the courage to s...

40 pages

6 m, 9 w, and ensemble of 10, doubling possible

Eight diverse candidates who are running for student body president have two minutes to present their platform and to convince fellow Roosevelt High students to vote for them. From the narcissistic varsity cheerleader, to the disdainful brainiac, and from the star quarterback to the tongue-tied farm boy, every candidate is unique. Their speeches veer from the serious to the hilarious and, with several mimed action scenes, even reach the absurd! During the question-and-answer segment of the forum, however, one student asks the candidates to do something about ...

27 pages

9 women and large ensemble of 15+

Set in the Sierra Madre Mountains, this historic drama follows the lives of an intrepid band of female guerilla fighters who choose to pick up rifles to defend the poor and disenfranchised from the clutches of the corrupt Mexican government and their soldiers. The play explores what it means to be a woman, known as a “soldadera” (female soldier), in the face of great adversity, for they battle not only the enemy but also their own memories of loss, love, family, and betrayal. Each character allows a different facet of womanhood to shine -- innocence, first lo...

60 pages

24 - 30+ flexible, doubling possible

A guy with an invisible drum, a medieval restaurant host who won’t break character, a milkmaid who just wants to get rid of some cheese, and a dancing snowflake in the world’s ugliest costume. These are just some of the characters you’ll find in “And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.”  This 60-minute holiday play weaves together 12 five-minute scenes based on the well-known verses of the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” With a basic set and hugely flexible cast from adults to children, this play uses humor an...

68 pages

6 m, 8-9 w, 2 flexible

Based on the famous Oscar Wilde story, this adaptation is touching and funny. Sir Simon Canterville, the 500-year-old ghost of Canterville Manor, is suddenly faced with an English ghost’s worst nightmare -- Americans! The Otis family moves in, and Sir Simon wants them out. When 16-year-old Virginia, who wants to be anywhere but England, and Sir Simon meet, they have an instant dislike for one another. Soon, though, they find they have a very special link. Insert two rambunctious twins, a stuffy English butler, and a handsome young English duke, and this becom...

39 pages

5 m, 5 w, 5 flex, plus extras

Mayhem is on the menu when celebrity Chef Guy Stagsly and his outrageous reality show Kitchen Catastrophes! visit French restaurant Chez Jacques. While Guy and his crew bring in cockroaches and rats, conduct building renovations, and stage a rigged cooking competition, the employees strive to carry on. There’s Julie, the level-headed restaurant manager; Jacques, the temperamental chef; and Mickey, the loyal and ambitious dishwasher. Not to be forgotten, there’s also Olive, a shy trainee who needs a lot of supervision. They’re not only struggling to i...

41 pages

5 m, 8 w, 4 flexible, extras (including a few children from the audience)

In this adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved tale, all of the town's children gather round a traveling storyteller to hear the story of a wayward little fairy girl. When an old woman wishes on a magic flower, her heart's desire for a child of her own literally blossoms before her eyes. Her magical little girl, only a few inches high, is named Thumbelina, and although the friendly child is very helpful around the house, and very kind to the nearby forest creatures, she just doesn't feel as if she fits in. A gossipy Frog Lady convinces Thumbelina tha...

47 pages

Flexible cast of 15 (approx. 3 m, 9 w, 3 flexible), extras as desired

Confusion and fun are the business of the day at Kamp KAOS, a summer camp that boasts its own 12-watt radio station. It's opening day at the camp and director Wally Schneider is already in trouble: the mortgage is due; the world's wealthiest woman wants to buy the land the camp sits on; the county health inspector is coming; and the mysterious weather phenomenon El Gordo has brought a migration of mice! It's up to the wacky gang of counselors and campers to save the day when Wally eats cheese laced with sedative. This hour-long, one-set comedy can easily expa...

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...