School

73 pages

6 m, 9 w

An international film star is found drowned in the swimming pool at his remote island estate and his houseguests make excellent suspects. But fog prevents the police from getting to the island to investigate the murder so Jeff Burke, a young private investigator serving as a consultant on the star's latest film, takes over. But before Jeff gets very far he is shot and killed. As a spirit he is physically helpless, but he can communicate with one person, his girlfriend Jennifer, also a guest. Normally a sensitive, quiet woman, Jennifer deliberately sets hersel...

40 pages

2 m, 6 w, 4 flexible, plus extras

Three teenagers are lured into malevolent Professor Carny Barker’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Traveling Career Fair. There they are tempted with futures of glamour, riches and power by warped and wicked counterfeit pretenders from the military, medical, legal, and business professions. The teens, with the oddball assistance of a janitor, think about what they’re willing to trade off to achieve career “success.” This modern morality play is loaded with slapstick comedy, wry satire and a flexible cast of bizarre characters.

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...

84 pages

13 m, 21 w. (With doubling 5 m, 8 w. )

TELL-TALE is loosely based on the life and death of Edgar Allan Poe. It is, in essence, Poe’s last confession. It takes place in the Baltimore hospital where he lies in a delirium before his death. Poe is forced to look at his life, his mistakes, his outrageous behaviors, and, in the end, he must try to find peace. This peace in death comes by way of the only peace he had in life -- telling a story. Poe starts his story by casting himself as the dashing, tragic hero, but as the play progresses, his own memories slip from his control, turning on him and forcin...

59 pages

7 m, 9 w, 6 flexible

Life is anything but dull in the Great Okeeadokia Swamp. At Lester's Bog Mart Convenience Store, locals gather to purchase supplies, check out video rentals (a wide selection of three) or try Lester's delicious "Almost Fresh Catfish" or "Kind of Fried Chicken." The local book club has been working on "War and Peace" for months, and they're up to page 5. Young local resident Everett Mudd is trying to make a low-budget independent horror film which he wants to enter in the Sundown Film Festival. Five biology students become lost in the swamp when their professo...

32 pages

11 m, 9 w, 1 flexible, doubling possible

Friendships are tried, prejudices are revealed, and self-interest is (dare it be said) exposed in this fast-moving comedy! A small Iowa town deals with the weighty issue of whether a stone statue violates the morals ordinance. Chorlis Deets, longtime resident of Lambs Corner, has a new lawn ornament in honor of his departed wife: a stone statue of Aphrodite, painted pink and "situated" on a swing in his front yard. An emergency meeting of the city council is called to deliberate whether or not to forcibly remove the statue. Many townspeople have their say, fr...

35 pages

5-15 actors.

Four spellbinding stories from Native American lore. In the first, the Raven, great trickster bird of all the Northwest Native American tribes, creates the world and the creatures in it. When Man complains about the darkness Raven fills the sky with the sun, the moon and the stars. Soon the new inventions are stolen by the greedy Ganuk. Raven turns himself into Ganuk's infant grandson to return the lights to the sky. In the second story, Raven disintegrates a giant, blood-thirsty cannibal into all the mosquitoes of the world. In the third story Raven's tragic...

60 pages

2 m, 3 w

Beverly Cain has escaped to an island home to recover following a tragic car accident. She had been driving and her mother, famed Hollywood star Fiona Street, had been killed instantly. Beverly, now confined to a wheelchair, blames herself mercilessly. Unfortunately, her sanctuary is disturbed by her estranged husband who has come seeking reconciliation. Or is it for another check to cover his gambling debts? Then an old friend of her mother shows up unexpectedly, complicating what Beverly had hoped to be a quiet weekend getting to know her long-lost half bro...

72 pages

6 m, 5 w

Early morning July 1, 1863. Gettysburg, Pa. As thousands of troops from both North and South amass for what will become one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, five teenagers from several local farms escape to the safety of the surrounding hills. There's the level-headed Eliza and her little sister, Justine, who's strong-willed; Georgina, whose mother has sheared her hair to make her look like a boy; and Rachel and Jeremiah, a brother and sister from a wealthier family. As they witness the horrors of battle over the next three days, the teens are force...

76 pages

5 m, 8 w, unlimited extras

A group of high school film students have a chance of a lifetime if one of their films wins a competition. The winner will get a college scholarship and a guaranteed job at the sponsoring studio. Each student pictures himself in a winning "film" which is acted out - everything from a "talkie" melodrama to parodies of lots of popular films including "Frankenstein," "The Terminator," "Pink Panther," "Psycho" and others. Use our specially designed 34-image PowerPoint package to introduce and close each daydream. (Optional.)

74 pages

16 m, 4 w + extras

Here is Shakespeare's classic story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, with all of the psychology, guilt and tragedy that one is accustomed to in the original story. Nothing vital has been cut, but the play has been shortened, maintaining an incredible through-line of action. This version sails along. Perfect for high school and college theatre departments. A special CD of music and sound effects is available to enhance your production. (Music sample at right is "Ophelia's Theme.") About 2 hours.

38 pages

4 m, 2 w, 3 flexible. Some doubling possible.

This play presents a new, fun version of the story of Aladdin! While Aladdin is a lazy, unmotivated young man, his sister, Maliha, is resourceful, courageous, and compassionate, looking after him upon the death of their parents. One day an unscrupulous sorcerer pretends to be their long-lost uncle. He cons Aladdin into retrieving a buried lamp and traps him in the bowels of the earth. Thanks to Maliha and a friendly snake, Aladdin is rescued by rubbing the ring the stranger lent him. The Genie of the Ring becomes Aladdin’s slave but is befriended and freed by...

40 pages

5 m, 5 w

Dramatized by Dave Brandl From the story by Mark Twain. It's the 1800s and two wealthy British siblings, Annabel and Edward, make a bet between them whether a destitute man can survive a month in London if they give him a million-pound bank note. Because the man cannot account for the note being in his possession, he cannot cash it at the bank, yet he must be able to live on it for thirty days and keep out of jail. If he succeeds, they will offer him a high-paying position. They find the perfect candidate in Henry Adams, an American whose wits not only enable...

72 pages

3 m, 3 w, 2 flexible (one non-speaking)

A madman is on the loose and college student Penny, somewhat flighty, has gotten a gun for protection over the objections of her brainy roommate Janice. The objections prove all too true when Penny accidentally shoots her boyfriend, Glen. Granted, his sense of humor often makes people want to shoot him, but this was truly an accident. Fortunately, Janice is a pre-med genius and she is able to use a very unorthodox method to save Glen’s life...kind of. His head at least, but only temporarily. While Glen protests to being stored in the TV cabinet, Penny is conc...