Stephen Murray

Stephen Murray is a composer, lyricist and playwright who has been a Performing Arts Educator since 1985. Steve's plays and musicals have been produced throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Germany, South Africa, Malta, The Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Japan, and China. Some of his award-winning titles can be found in the Eldridge catalog. "Musical! The Bard is Back!" was the 2000 winner of the Columbia Entertainment Company National Playwriting Contest, the first musical ever to win the award. Two other Eldridge titles have also been recognized by the CEC Contest, "Mother Goose, Inc." and "The Universe and Other Stuff." Steve has a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Boston University. By day he is a humble music teacher, but by night, you may find him performing on various stages in Massachusetts.

 

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  Lost in the Woods New Release

Comedy by Stephen Murray

30 pages

7 w, 7 flexible, ensemble of 8 or more


A group of students enrolled in a technology-free wilderness camp find themselves lost in the middle of the woods. As darkness falls, a mysterious counselor that wasn’t introduced at orientation finds the students and sets up camp with them. Around the campfire, the students and counselor share ghost stories and tales of the mysterious creatures of the forest, like sasquatch and the chupacabra. But not all creatures are big and scary. Gnomes also appear and explain that they are guardians of the woods. Will the campers ever get out of the woods? When the real...

  Out of the Woods New Release

Musical by Stephen Murray

43 pages

7 w, 7 flexible, ensemble of 8 or more


A group of students enrolled in a technology-free wilderness camp find themselves lost in the middle of the woods. As darkness falls, a mysterious counselor that wasn’t introduced at orientation finds the students and sets up camp with them (“Backwoods Ranger”). Around the campfire, the students and counselor share ghost stories and tales of the mysterious creatures of the forest (“Sasquatch’s Lament” and “Chupacabra”). But not all creatures are big and scary. Gnomes also appear and sing that they are guardians of the woods. Will they ever get out of the wood...

  Help! I’m Trapped in a Musical!

Comedy Musical by Stephen Murray

46 pages

4 m, 16 w, 1 flexible, extras


There’s something strange going on at Sondheim High School. New transfer student, Norma LaBelle, is having trouble getting accustomed to the school’s unusual traditions. At any given moment, students and teachers burst into song for no apparent reason.  Each time they sing, it sounds almost like a famous Broadway musical. The math teacher sings a lesson on the Pythagorean theorem. The history teacher delivers a rap-filled class on Alexander Graham Bell. Mrs. Lovett, the Lunch Lady, delivers a menu filled with Broadway-themed meals. The students sing a celebra...

  Kamp KAOS

Musical by Stephen Murray

67 pages

Large, flexible cast


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 camp, the county health inspector is coming, and the mysterious weather phenomenon El Gordo has brought a migration of mice! When Wally accidentally eats cheese laced with sedative, it's up to the wacky gang of counselors and campers to save the day. This one-set musical can easily expand or contrac...

  Trial of the Wicked Witch: The Musical

Musical by Craig Sodaro Stephen Murray

68 pages

8 m, 12 w, 1 flexible


The Wicked Witch is on trial for her crimes in the land of Once Upon a Time in this madcap musical featuring several favorite characters from many fairy tales. The cast of characters includes the Fairy Godmother as the judge, the Three Little Pigs as bailiffs, and Jack the Giant Killer as the guard. Witnesses for the prosecution and defense provide a variety of toe-tapping tunes such as a swinging Big Bad Wolf in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” an operatic Rapunzel in “I Love to Sing,” and a rocking Gingerbread Man in “Go, Gingie, Go!” The Wicked Witch herself cas...

  Attack of the Pom-Pom Zombies

Comedy by Stephen Murray

41 pages

7 m, 16 w, 5 flexible, extras


It's the 1960s, a big nuclear blast to the past! School's out for the summer, and the teenagers of Ocean View High are ready to surf, sun and have some fun. Their favorite hangout is Barnacle Betty's Surf Club, which happens to be right next door to the evil Ivana Ratnik's nuclear power plant. But ooops! Cindy Sue, the head cheerleader, accidentally gets some nuclear slime on her hot dog instead of pickle relish, and soon the beach is overrun with pom-pom wielding zombies! Her all-American boyfriend, the beatniks, the nerds and a tough girl gang named the Bar...

  Greece Is the Word: The Zeusical!

Musical by Stephen Murray

57 pages

4 - 5 m, 11 - 14 w, 3 flexible, + extras


Welcome to the Mount Olympus Diner where Zeus is the chef and Hera is your waitress. The food is great, but what the customers really love about the diner are the stories told there, the stories of Greek mythology. Diner Network star, Sparky Guy, arrives to do research on the restaurant and is treated to a variety of tales. This musical features contemporary and family-friendly retellings of the myths in the scenes Hades and Persephone, Echo and Narcissus, and Arachne and Athena. A Greek Chorus of diner staff takes on multiple roles...

  Totally Awesome!

Musical by Stephen Murray

40 pages

1 m, 5 w, 15 or more flexible, extras and doubling possible


The Awesome family has been so successful at fighting Champion City crime that they have decided to release all the villains. Yes, General Mayhem, Corporal Punishment, and the others in the Army of Evil are free. 

 

The Awesome family now travels to where crime fighters are needed.  Meanwhile the youngest, Annie Awesome, is at odds with being in a superhero family as she’s often stuck doing not so heroic tasks. She meets normal citizen Fiona who dreams of making a real difference in the...

  Are We There Yet?

Musical Theatre Youth by Stephen Murray

60 pages

Large, flexible cast


Humans are a species constantly on the move from here to there to - who knows where! This revue explores the world of transportation and asks the timeless question, "Are we there yet?" Travel way back in time to when walking was the only way to get somewhere. Then came the discovery of the wheel, and things really started rollin'! Soon mankind conquered the sea, the sky, the plains, outer space, and the newest frontier, cyberspace! With a flexible cast and minimal sets, nothing can stop you from presenting this tuneful travelogue as topnotch entertainment. Th...

  Summer of KAOS

Comedy by Stephen Murray

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...

  The Prez's New Clothes

Comedy by Stephen Murray

36 pages

5 m, 10 w, 7 flexible


Here is a hip, contemporary version of "The Emperor's New Clothes," complete with election politics and news media spin. President William Lee is too busy with international politics to worry about whether his striped tie clashes with his plaid pants and argyle socks. His devoted wife is understanding but the media sure take a stab at his wardrobe, as does his election opponent, Horace Grinchley, and Horace's overly-ambitious campaign manager, Myrna Snerd. The two get several people to pose as wardrobe consultants to strip President Lee down to his "bare" ess...

  The Curse of the Bard

Comedy by Stephen Murray

61 pages

8 m, 14 w, extras


The students of Hilltop High are excited! They're going to put on a performance of "Romeo and Juliet." But the drama director, Miss Peggy Donahue, pressed into service by a principal eager to please his superintendent, is horrified. Twenty years before, when she was a student at Hilltop High, she starred in a disastrous musical version of Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," and she believes the curse lingers on. Sure enough, everything that can go wrong does. The set for the balcony scene collapses, the actress playing Juliet breaks her leg in a freak accident, he...