Wade Bradford says... I grew up in Washington state, but I moved to California in the early '90s. That's when I got the opportunity to write my first children's play, "Sahara Nights." After writing and directing my own show, I was hooked on theater. Today, I write plays, children's books, and the occasional graphic novel. My first picture book, "Why Do I Have to Make My Bed?" was published by Tricycle Press / Random House. My next book "Around the World in a Bathtub" comes out June 2017. I currently teach literature and writing classes at Moorpark College. I am currently a board member at my local playhouse, the Canyon Theatre Guild.
74 pages
With doubling 4m, 5w, 2 flex
Kira, the little mermaid, longs to see life on the surface. When she realizes her overprotective father will only show her a deserted island and has promised her hand in marriage to nerdy Duke Dorsal, she takes matters into her own hands. She sings for the Sea Witch who takes her voice, with the knowledge that she must win the heart of a human or be turned into sea foam. While on land, she saves the prince who falls for her cousin, and finds true love in the end. Jellyfish telling knock-knock jokes, a kingdom with a yoga instructor, a magical triton that can ...
75 pages
6 m, 8 w, extras
This rousing pirate's tale is set in the strangest and most mysterious of places: junior high! When a young girl named Jenny Taylor (JT) stumbles across a magical book in the school library, she is transported into the past and finds herself on a tropical island surrounded by pirates! She manages to travel back to her own time, but the meddling and boisterous swashbucklers follow along. Talk about fish out of water! Now, on top of homework and bullies, JT has a bunch of buccaneers to take care of! At lunch, in history class, (where their take on the Pilgrims ...
30 pages
2 m, 5 w
The high school girls’ softball team has one last shot to make it to playoffs. However, that doesn’t seem likely since Wacy and Emma can’t seem to stop fighting, and Riley and Kylie are so inseparable that they don’t work with the rest of the team. So instead of scheduling extra practice hours before the game, Coach forces the girls to participate in team-building activities. That’s perfect for Professor Diabolical, as he has been rehearsing his evil laugh and is ready to have customers in his Escape Room. Unfortunately, his assistant Brad is more focused ...
28 pages
4 m, 5 w, 1 flexible, possible extras
It’s five days before the premiere of the non-musical version of Les Misérables, and high school drama director, Chris, has actors who are still on script, cast members absent from rehearsal, a sick stage manager, an unbuilt set and only twelve dollars left in the budget. Oh, and the principal is bringing the superintendent on opening night to see if funding for the drama program for the district should be cut. It’s a director’s nightmare, but Chris tells the cast and crew about a pocket watch from her great-grandfather that is known to help turn everything a...
23 pages
2 m, 4 w, plus 3 optional roles for the flashback scenes
The play opens with a typical living room scene: a good, old-fashioned dad sitting in a comfy chair reading a good, old-fashioned newspaper. However, things quickly take a turn for the absurd when Mrs. Wright, a professional and serious-looking person, enters the room and is subjected to a barrage of cheesy jokes and puns from the dad. As the rest of the family enters, it becomes clear that they've called Mrs. Wright in for a "Dad-Joke Intervention." But will she be able to help? Or is this family doomed to be forever subjected to the dad's endless supply of ...
63 pages
Flexible cast. Approx. 9 m, 9 w, 10 or more flexible
The Reporters Grimm bring you the news scoop of the year: True Love Conquers All! Set in the middle of the Great Depression, the familiar story of Cinderella has been given a vibrant twist. Cinderella Fitzgerald once led the perfect life, until her father loses everything when the stock market crashes. Shocked at the news, the poor man remains frozen at the dinner table and Cinderella and her conceited stepsisters and her vengeful, gold-digging stepmother, must live and move around him. This Depression really is depressing! Sure, Cinderella still has her frie...