School

20 pages

2 m, 2 w

A cartoon show writer who is getting bad reviews and an about-to-be-fired hair dresser land in the same taxi cab in the middle of a rain storm. After initial-humorous-hostilities toward each other they realize their plights may have much in common. About 30 minutes.

56 pages

Flexible cast of about 30

This delightful adaptation updates the action to 20th century New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration! It has been edited for time and archaic expressions, but otherwise the language is the same. The through-line is still very evident as Shakespeare's comment on the classes and pastoralism. Included in the oversized script are four original songs, New Orleans jazz style, which use Shakespeare's poems as the lyrics, with the suggestion of a grand finale of "When the Saints Go Marching In." The costumes are modern day but still very much in the style of Shakespeare ...

20 pages

4 m, 4 w, 2 flexible parts and extras

Here's a comedy about good-ol-boy law and (dis)order in the deep South! As various denizens of Redwine County testify, we find out an entire murder trial is based on the "facts" that the local undertaker needs some business and the sheriff's cleaning lady thinks the accused sorta looks like that criminal on TV the other night. Luckily, the defense council is not about to let her new client swing from the hangin' tree! A young newspaper reporter covering this most unusual and hilarious trial serves as narrator.

41 pages

2 m, 2 w

This play is a gathering of some of the most clever characters ever written! It provides examples of the clownish, comic characters written by William Shakespeare in many different kinds of productions through the ages. Far from circus clowns in face paint, these are clowns in the broadest sense, varying in sizes, shapes, ages and types. A few of the characters include the rude Mechanicals in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Constable Dogberry in “Much Ado About Nothing,” the boastful Sir Jon Falstaff in “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” the boisterous sisters Bianca...

44 pages

6 m, 7 w, 6 flexible, extras

At last, Rumpelstiltskin gets to be the hero! Based on the original Grimm fairy tale, this traditionally misunderstood character earns a well-deserved happy ending, winning the hand of Freya, the beautiful miller’s daughter. Both comic and suspenseful, and using elements of other fairy tales and classical myths, this adaptation involves King Grood, the (not very) Good; his vain son Prince Werther; and an unscrupulous chancellor. Rumpelstiltskin, a handicapped young man, is actually Prince Werther’s twin, whom the soft-hearted miller could not bring himself to...

63 pages

5 m, 7 w

It's WWII and on the Hoosier homefront, the Rev. Peter Farenkamp and his family try to do their part, especially the oldest son, David, who volunteers as a junior air raid warden. Soon the close-knit family lets Rita and Louise Baxter live with them so the two V-Girls can work at the nearby defense plant. A call from Louise's fiance, leaving for active duty in Europe, sparks in David a defiant determination to join the Army on his upcoming eighteenth birthday. But Peter, who has seen war up close, tries to stop him. Father and son clash in a powerful scene as...

67 pages

15 m, 13 w, 7 flexible, extras, doubling possible

Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens. A coming-of-age story of a boy in 19th century. A young hero battling a difficult youth, we see David's struggles from his childhood days at the family's estate in Blunderstone, to his early life of poverty and misery, to his final, joyful success. Many of our favorite Dickens' characters are present: David's gentle mother, Clara; the loving housekeeper, Peggoty; his cruel stepfather, Murdstone; his schoolmates Steerforth and Traddles; the amusing, ever-on-the-run Micawbers; the lovely Agnes Wickfield, and the despic...

57 pages

5 m, 11 w, 3 flexible, extras possible

Prince Ernie needs to be married quickly! Dreamwood Castle is broke and a rich princess with impeccable lineage (and money!) must be found immediately. Unfortunately, the evil fairy Liesl has plans to take over the castle. As Queen Marta holds a fundraiser ... er...ball to auction off Prince Ernie, it is found that Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel and Beauty are not proper princesses at all. The decidedly unsuitable Princess Hank shows up with a plan to make things right. She has a pal who can spin straw into gold. Unfortunately, no one will ...

54 pages

5 m (one non-speaking), 3 w

It's a chilly, rainy night at the Stonebridge School for Proper Young Ladies as the English teacher, the home ec. teacher, the athletic coach, the butler, the head of the alumnae and a mafia hit man break into the dean's study to kill him. The trouble is they each find him already very dead with a noose around his neck, two suicide notes in his pocket and a Japanese ceremonial dagger in his back. Now it's Detective Bliss' job to find out who did what, with what, when, and why. Meanwhile, the suspects are trying to bump each other off. And who is that mysterio...

27 pages

2 m, 2 w, ensemble cast of 4-15 flex

Boy Meets Girl! Boy Loses Girl! But will Boy get Girl back again? Nothing is that easy. Through Barbara and Walter, co-narrators, a boy and girl demonstrate love – from the basic Neanderthal beginnings, to the use of Shakespeare to describe it, then to the Dark Ages, World War II, and into the future – all while an ensemble cast brings humor and action onto the stage. This fast-paced one-act play provides flexibility as any number of actors can be a part of the chorus or perform one of the many smaller roles.

58 pages

1 m, 7 w, 28 flexible

"The Birds" was originally written by Aristophanes as a satire on man's society. In this loose adaptation, three children embark on a journey that leads them to the Great Bird's Nest in the Sky. There they hope to live away from all the constraints of home and school, but instead of living "free as a bird," they find the birds trying to outdo humans in a far more complicated society. The cast is a mixture of children, meddling gods and goddesses, and a rich array of bird characters. Aristophanes' humor and satire are left intact as the play pokes gentle fun a...

59 pages

Approx. 14 m, 15 w, 4 flexible

The magic of Merlin can't last forever, but with the help of the fairy Nimue, Merlin is soon transported back in time to remember the young boy Arthur, who was scared to become a knight; the young girl Guinevere, who was bored as a royal princess; and the young peasant girl Elyzabel, who dreamed of life in the King's castle. These three meet in the enchanted forest and their fates are suddenly changed by the evil magic of Mordrid and his twin sister Morgana. In this charming tale you soon find out what happens when you get the wish you wish for, and how it ma...