School

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...

41 pages

7 speaking parts, extras

The adventures of the resourceful Rat, trusty Mole, gruff Badger, and the ever frivolous Toad from the popular story, "The Wind in the Willows," are brought to stage in this entertaining, hour-long musical. Rich Mr. Toad steals a car and ends up in jail. The story's villains, the Weasels and Foxes, take over Toad's estate in his absence. Badger, Rat, and Mole come to the rescue, conquer the Weasels, and save Toad Hall from ruin. Beautiful, melodic music makes this program unforgettable. Ideal for community theatres. (Song sample: "Rat and Mole Duet.")

42 pages

3 m, 4 w

In this hour-long play, timid and somewhat nerdy Arthur Miller (no relation to the playwright) has inherited a century-old mansion from a distant cousin. On arrival he finds more than he bargained for - the ghosts of three relatives who died there more than 70 years ago, and the ghost of their killer, the schizophrenic Uncle George. But these ghosts are not content to rattle chains. They enjoy "life" by re-enacting their deaths, sometimes two or three times a night, each time funnier, faster, and more melodramatically than the last! As they explain to Arthur,...

24 pages

Flexible casting

The effects of drunk driving are brought home in these two very short one-acts combined under one title. In "Only Seventeen" (3 m, 4 w, 2 flexible), Corey Martin is dead from drinking and driving. At his funeral he desperately calls out to his family and friends,"I can't be dead. I'm only 17!" but no one hears him. A fellow student delivers a eulogy full of irony as Corey's friends and family think aloud about the senselessness of his death. In "The Waiting Room" (3 m, 6 w, 4 flexible), young people find themselves in a dark room, unsure of where they are or ...

52 pages

Flexible cast, approx. 11 m, 14 w, extras, doubling possible

This play forces us to examine the points in our lives when we make decisions - right or wrong, good or bad - that will define our own future as well as the lives of others. Built upon a series of monologues and scenes, the play depicts young adults dealing with the reality of HIV and AIDS. For some it's simply a threat -something not to be let out of its cave. For others, the monster has become an unwanted part of their daily existence. This uncompromising drama uses vivid and timely dialogue. A perfect competition piece, it features minimal staging, a choru...

26 pages

8 m, 3 w, extras

A complex and moving play as a soldier serving overseas "celebrates" a birthday by militarily taking a hill while his twin sister back home celebrates their birthday with the family and her twin's fiancée. The surreal setting and movement of the action lead to a shocking conclusion. About 30 minutes.

23 pages

1 m, 3 w

Danny's journey into the world of high school romance begins with Laurie, a girl who shares his enthusiasm for videos and hanging out at the neighborhood shopping center. But when a hot number named Brooke blows in from Hollywood, things start to fall apart as Danny shifts from hometown girl to movie star "gonnabe." The girls plunge into a fight over Danny that has all the intensity of a professional wrestling match. As a matter of fact, that's how it's presented in this play of love, and love and hate, and then love, and then hate again. Enemies become frien...

32 pages

3 m, 1 w, 1 flexible

Here is a fast and funny interactive murder mystery! It takes place at a 20-year college reunion where the guest of honor, Professor Perkins, turns up dead before he has time to accept his award. Several of the alumni decide to search for the murderer on their own. That way they’ll look like heroes and the school will be saved the embarrassment and humiliation of a long, public investigation. It’s their duty as alumni. (Well, that and to donate, of course.) Among the mourners--and suspects--are the professor’s life-long assistant Blaine, the school janitor, a...

74 pages

8 m, 7 w, 1 flexible, plus 3 optional roles

When resident stage manager Kate Ellinger discovers that one-time soap actor Brayden Cole has agreed to play the lead in their production of “Romeo and Juliet,” she finds she has her hands full, not only dealing with a TV star’s ego, but also with the easy-to-panic director and zany locals who make up the rest of the cast. Brayden misses the first rehearsal, and later admits he’s in way over his head. He went from waiting tables to soap opera uber-star with no formal stage training. But the other actors are more than willing to help him. Duncan, an older man ...

38 pages

4 m, 8 w

Otto and Spider are trying to crack a safe in what seems to be a mansion. However, they have inadvertently stumbled into an exclusive girls school. The headmistress mistakes them for a visiting professor and newly-hired stable hand. The girls have a plot of their own. They've invited a TV hero to the school - without permission. The action is lively, especially when the headmistress hands Otto the combination to the safe and an envelope containing a thousand dollars.

73 pages

7 m, 9 w

Terry Campbell just wants to have a little fun when her parents go out of town. So, she invites her three best girl friends over for a slumber party. But as soon as Mom and Dad leave the door, the party turns into a bash which turns into a police raid, which turns into a mind-boggling spy intrigue when illegal aliens and the FBI show up. "I just wanted a few friends and a little pizza," Terry whines as she and her friends are held at gunpoint by a desperado. Goofy boyfriends and smug neighbors drop by to help out...until the lights blow out and people start d...

16 pages

2 m, 2 w, 6 flexible

If humor is the best medicine, get ready to feel great! Slade, new to the hospital housekeeping staff, has just been given his cleaning duties in a patient's room when a lovely nurse mistakes him for a new doctor. She thinks his bumbling is just a little professional humor and even calls in student nurses to watch him administer a suppository. After blowing up a rubber glove like a balloon and conning all the nurses into exercising the patient's limbs while singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," the poor patient finally crawls from bed just to escape. Lots of vis...

22 pages

6 actors

The legend of Pyramus and Thisby is known today primarily because William Shakespeare used it in his comedy "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." As a part of Shakespeare’s play, six workers, sometimes called “mechanicals” or “clowns,” decide to present a play for the festivities that will follow the wedding of the Duke of Athens. In this one-act, we see the mechanicals getting their parts, then rehearsing in the woods the night before the wedding. Of course, these men know nothing about acting or play production, and, as a result, the audience is treated to a rousing...

26 pages

4 m, 4 w

Professor Featherflowers comes on stage and begins her lecture, "How to Write a Play." You're snoring already, right? That's exactly what the Stage Manager is worried about when he peeks through the curtain and tells the Professor to "jazz it up," that she needs to open with a joke. The professor then tells him she did. "You see," she says, "You don't really exist - I made you up. YOU are my opening joke!" Needless to say, he doesn't believe her and calls for his sound person, Shirley, to come out. The Professor then tells them both that they aren't real and ...

19 pages

11 parts, approx. 6 m, 5 w

Seven teens are brought to police headquarters to tell what they know of their friend's deadly encounter with drugs and alcohol at a party the night before. Through police questioning and the attorney's defense, we find that while no one gave Julia Dark the drugs, no one stopped her from using them either. Some of the "friends" include the cheerleader, the smart aleck, the football player, the president of the student council, and others. The teens know all about the dangers of drugs, but they don't understand the responsibilities of friendship. A compelling ...

26 pages

7 m, 7 w

Twelve teachers hold a closed hearing to decide the fate of a high school student accused of showing up drunk at a school play rehearsal and destroying a valuable prop. If they decide to expel her, the vote must be unanimous. However, the teachers have different backgrounds, varied experiences, and assorted motivations. From the thoughtful remedial education teacher to the quick-to-judge assistant coach, how will such a diverse group make such an important decision? About 40 minutes.

184 pages

3 m, 3 w, 2-6 flexible

This musical version of "Rapunzel" is abundant with rich humor. When the old Witch catches the farmer stealing from her tantalizing garden, she allows him to escape her wrath only when he promises to give her his firstborn child. Thinking his wife is barren, he agrees. But soon after, Rapunzel is born and the Witch imprisons the child in a tower to protect her. She grows into a beautiful young woman. When a handsome prince, who is followed everywhere by his "loyal entourage," woos Rapunzel, the Witch is devastated and throws a wild tantrum...until she is save...

55 pages

6 m, 6 w

A mysterious stranger, swathed from head to toe in clothes and dark glasses, seeks a room at a peaceful English inn. He claims to be a scientist. When the curious innkeeper's wife spies upon him, she is terrified to find he has no face. The stranger then reveals he is indeed invisible and proceeds to menace the countryside. A young, handsome doctor must finally stop him. Special effects are no problem. When the Invisible Man speaks but is not seen, he is behind a screen. The fight scenes "between" the Invisible Man and the other lodgers is action your actors ...

66 pages

5 m, 5 w, 1 girl, extras

He's back! And this time he's online! Scrooge is on the net. Set amid modern technology, this new adaptation of Dickens' classic tale introduces us to Monica Banks, ever so "affectionately" called Money Banks by her overworked staff. She has no time for holidays. Scrooge first appears on the screen of Monica's computer for the start of her virtual adventure across the World Wide Web to find the true meaning of Christmas. In a blithe trip with the outrageously costumed Scrooge, Monica reviews her whole life, from a lonely childhood, to her current overworked c...

60 pages

2 m, 14 w

Camp Theatrix is an all-girls drama camp, providing those "wannabe" actresses, who spend most of their time waiting in the wings, real stage time and real roles. This summer's going fine until the world's leading action movie producer, Soren Antonsson, unexpectedly shows up wanting to make a big action movie at the camp. And he's gonna cast all of Camp Theatrix's students in the movie! Suddenly the "wannabes" are turning into "gonnabes" - until the girls start uncovering the real reason he's arrived. (Camp Theatrix T-shirts available for simple costuming on s...

28 pages

3 m, 6 w

During the wait for the next subway train, the assembled characters think only of their own plights. There's Estelle, an eccentric woman who sits in the station doing cross-stitch and talking with Grover, a street person; Julia, a wealthy woman whose expensive car has just broken down and who is in a hurry to meet her husband; Calvin, a spoiled brat who is supposed to be meeting business associates of his father's at the airport; Marta, a recent immigrant on her way to a new job in a sweatshop; a novice nun with doubts about her vocation; Jan and Jill, musici...

33 pages

2 m, 4 w, 2 flexible, extras, doubling possible

Here is a hip, contemporary adaptation of O'Henry's famous short story. Bonnie, Bridget and Billy Driscoll are living in a dumpy apartment, their credit cards charged to the max, trying to make it on their own in New York. When Bridget brings home Dolly, a seemingly sweet lost little girl, (perhaps a bit "high strung"), the siblings soon realize that she is the daughter of an extremely wealthy New Yorker. While Billy plays cowboys and "indigenous people" with Dolly, the sisters jokingly write a ransom note on the computer for the modest amount of $25,000, eno...

36 pages

5 m, 7 w, 4 flexible. Some doubling possible.

Forget the school yard bully! There's always one teacher who can intimidate us! Will, an average high school freshman, used to love going to school…until he stumbled upon the terror of gym class under the formidable Mr. Breakwater's rule. Will's coddling mother and nervous wreck of a father (who hides out in the bathtub) are worried. Will's friends, who call themselves the Geek Squad, want to devise a plan to take Mr. Breakwater down. Can Will find a way to stop being afraid of his gym teacher? With a romance novel-obsessed principal, a jock chorus, and an un...

23 pages

4 w

A one-act play about cyber-bullying. For two weeks Amy’s life has been unbearable. An intimate conversation she had online with a boy she likes has been shared so many times that she is now the laughingstock of the school. To make matters worse, she has been receiving threatening text messages, and her family has been plagued by a series of anonymous phone calls which have been intimidating and offensive. The play opens as Amy sits alone in a classroom. She is soon joined unexpectedly by Kara, who is apparently looking for a prom committee meeting. However, w...

36 pages

7 m, 4 w, plus ensemble

Here is a retelling of Shakespeare's tale of the decline of an honorable man into darkness, a study of how far an individual is willing to go in the pursuit of power. This adaptation includes new scenes between Lord and Lady Macbeth and uses an interactive ensemble to play a variety of roles. Only the director’s imagination will be the limit for this piece. It can be staged as elaborately or as simply as desired. The truth is in the words. It was written to be performed at any venue, any time period, and with a multi-cultural cast. Movement, music, and passio...

32 pages

2 m, 2 w, 9 or more flexible

Adapted from the short story by Frank Stockton. A king, known for his cruel nature, finds out that his daughter, the princess, is in love with a common courtier. After much thought he devises a sinister punishment for the young man, as well as for his own daughter. The young man is to be brought to a public arena and forced to choose between two doors. Behind one door is life and marriage to a lady who is a sworn enemy of the princess. Behind the other door is certain death from a ferocious tiger. The princess finds out what is behind each door and plans on s...

44 pages

Approx. 7 m, 4 w, 1 flexible plus ensemble.

As Lord of the Underworld, Hades’ life is perpetually dark and dismal. His only companions are an ensemble of the dead composed of many of the Greek heroes of the Trojan War as well as the bitter and resentful queens, Helen, Cassandra, and Clytemnestra. They are all tortured souls, especially after being in the lowest dregs of hell for centuries. Then Hades kidnaps Persephone, the goddess of spring, who is young and carefree. Although initially she is desperately unhappy, Hades works hard to make her comfortable, and they learn the intricacies involved in dea...

34 pages

2 m, 2 w, 1 flexible

Since its first appearance in 1898, Kenneth Grahame’s "The Reluctant Dragon" has delighted both young and old alike with its tale of the lazy dragon who shows the townspeople that they shouldn’t be prejudiced against dragons, or for that matter, people who are different. One early morning, on their way from the market, a mother and her young son pass the entrance to a dark cave where mysterious sounds are heard. They soon discover that a dragon has moved in and the son, being rather sensible, decides to visit the new neighbor. The young boy determines that th...

66 pages

9 m, 15 w

It's the turn of the century and the late Mr. Asbury has willed each of his three grown children a million dollars...with a few conditions! Talkative William must not speak one word; shy Margaret must sing on stage; and Joseph must fall in love and marry. And the conditions must be met in seven days at a country inn under the scrutiny of the scheming attorney and the family butler, who will become rich themselves if the children fail. Also at the inn are several lovely - and lonely - young ladies who'd like to marry; their pushy mothers; a traveling showman; ...

41 pages

3 m, 2 w, 2 flex

Attention, new recruits! Fairytale City is in trouble because of a wolf named Big Bad, who wants to get his hands on a magic porridge that will make him invincible! Billings, a master of disguise who runs the Special Agent Unit, needs your help! Meanwhile, Mama Bear, the Porridge Maker, and Papa Bear, the Porridge Keeper, are having a hard time getting Baby Bear, a bratty toddler, to eat the porridge and become the Porridge Heir, which would keep Fairytale City safe. While Big Bad plots to steal the porridge from the Three Bears, Billings calls in his secret ...