Samuel French Plays and Musicals for Schools by Samuel French

s l o o h c S r o f s

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TITLES FOR TEENS

F H OL ER D E

l a c i s d Mu

SAMUEL FRENCH

HOW TO USE THE CATALOG

RESOURCES iii

PL AYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

At Samuel French, we love to introduce our customers to the perfect play or musical. In this catalog you’ll find a selection of Samuel French titles ideal for teen performers and school audiences. From theatre classics and popular Broadway musicals to family-friendly shows and plays written specifically for teens, there is something here to fit school programs and casts of all shapes and sizes. We know that finding the right play means reading the right play. That’s why we're offering you a chance to read more plays for free! Check out Page 49 and find out how to take advantage of an exclusive FREE SCRIPTS offer. Take a look at the listings, then visit our website to request a license. We can’t wait to see how you make theatre happen at your school!

101 SCHOOL EDITIONS

TITLES FOR TEENS

GREAT PLAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

SING OUT!

PAGE TO STAGE

THE PLAY’S THE THING

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

ADVENTURE AWAITS!

YOU ENCOUNTER A LEVEL-3 TROLL

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

MAKE ’EM LAUGH

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES

ROADTRIP ACROSS AMERICA

AND NOW, SOMETHING DIFFERENT 38

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COMFORT AND JOY

LICENSING A TITLE

PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF ARTISTS

INDEX OF TITLES

INDEX OF AUTHORS

FREE SCRIPTS

HOW TO USE THE CATALOG

As you explore the titles, think of the catalog as a workbook: you can jot down notes, dog-ear the pages and mark the boxes next to a show to keep track of your ideas. There are over 400 plays and musicals here, including short plays and one acts. The titles are organized into categories and you can find indexes in the back for quick reference. We also included information about our production tools and resources, and answers to questions that frequently come up during the licensing process.

WE'VE MADE IT EASY FOR YOU TO FIND THE RIGHT SHOW

We made sure to highlight important information that teachers routinely want to know. Look for these tags, icons, and notes in the listings:

CASTING TAGS Strong Male Lead(s) or Strong Female Lead(s) Challenging and demanding roles for a standout performer. Ensemble Strong and supporting roles for all performers. Multicultural Roles Roles specifically for performers of color, and ethnic and cultural minority actors.

ICONS NEWLY ACQUIRED AND NEWLY PUBLISHED TITLES MUSICALS

SHOWS FOR PRE-TEEN AUDIENCES AND PERFORMERS OF ALL AGES APPROVED FOR CUTTINGS (see Page 43)

CAUTIONS For several titles, we included certain cautions, such as language or adult themes, that might make them inappropriate for all schools. For any title in the catalog, we encourage you to speak with your Licensing Representative if you have specific question about content and subject matter.

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

RESOURCES

BREAKING CHARACTER

Breaking Character Magazine, was created for theatre makers across the nation and provides the latest industry news, access to your favorite playwrights and composers, engaging content and more. Visit breakingcharactermagazine.com.

TIPS, TRICKS & TOOLS

MUSICALS 101

Musicals 101 is a program from Samuel French designed to provide theaters and schools with the best resources for producing musicals. With Musicals 101, you’ll find tips and tools to help you at every step of the production: from licensing to rehearsals to marketing. You can also compare notes, meet new collaborators, learn best practices from Samuel French, and join the conversation with fellow musical lovers in the Musicals 101 Community. Learn more at samuelfrench.com/ musicals101.

ABBOTT

Abbott is Samuel French’s digital platform for play reading. With Abbott, you can explore over 1,200 digital plays and musicals on your mobile device, tablet or computer. Whether reading for fun, for school or for the stage, Abbott puts the world’s best scripts at your fingertips. Visit samuelfrench.com/abbott.

VOCAL SELECTIONS & SHEET MUSIC

Samuel French is proud to be the first theatrical publishing and licensing company to offer sheet music and vocal selection books for our titles. We love musical theatre and are thrilled to share the incredible work of our writers with you. Check out the great options available in hard copies and digital downloads at samuelfrench.com/sheetmusic.

MERCHANDISE

Get your cast and crew in style with official logo t-shirts through Samuel French. These t-shirts are the perfect way to celebrate the work you’ve done and will create memories that last long past closing night. Visit samuelfrench.com/merchandise.

PRODUCTION TOOLS

Samuel French provides tools and materials that will make putting on your next show a breeze. We have perusal scripts and scores to help you find the right production, accompaniment tracks and custom transposition services to make your musicals just right, logos and video promotions to enhance your marketing efforts, and more. From page to stage, we can help you at every step of your production. Learn more by exploring our products menu at samuelfrench.com.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

The Samuel French website is a great resource for show information and tools to assist you with your next great production. Visit samuelfrench.com to see our entire catalog of plays and musicals.

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SAMUEL FRENCH 101 SCHOOL EDITIONS

ROCK OF AGES: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION

NEW!

book by Chris D’Arienzo arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp music by A Bunch of Really Sweet 80s Bands Comedy | 9m, 11f, 10m or f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

Introduce your kids (and re-introduce the parents) to the facemelting, guitar anthems of the 1980s in this hit Broadway musical. Aqua Net, Lycra, Heavy Metal flow freely at one of the Sunset Strips last legendary rock venues. Aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner) Drew and small-town girl Sherri, dream of making it big and falling in love. But their rock and roll fairytale may come to an end when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can Drew, Sherri, and the gang save the strip – and themselves – before it’s too late? Only the music of hit bands Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and more holds the answer.

Samuel French has teamed up with iTheatrics to adapt our hit musicals for high schools and middle schools.

Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s)

Created with and by educators, these versions have been adjusted for appropriate content and custom-tailored to work with young voices and accommodate large cast sizes. 101 School Editions were developed with the authors and maintain the thrill and integrity of the original show.

AVAILABLE IN LATE 2016:

ROCK OF AGES: MIDDLE SCHOOL EDITION

And coming in 2017...

HEATHERS THE MUSICAL: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION

Each 101 School Edition comes with a Show Pack that includes producing and directing guides, and tools designed to ensure a fun experience, and an achievable and rewarding production.

NEW!

book, music & lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe based on the film written by Daniel Waters

The darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized butt…but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.

For more information visit samuelfrench.com/schooleditions.

In addition to the 101 School Editions produced in partnership with iTheatrics, you'll find other great musicals adapted for student performers throughout the catalog. Explore the listings and discover: GREASE: SCHOOL EDITION

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THE SECRET GARDEN: SPRING EDITION

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SEE ROCK CITY & OTHER DESTINATIONS: SCENIC ROUTE

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SCROOGE! (ABBREVIATED VERSION) PAGE 41

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PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

STARMITES HIGH SCHOOL

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STARMITES LITE

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ZOMBIE PROM: ATOMIC EDITION

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101 SCHOOL EDITIONS

BEST ALL ’ROUND

by Marsha Lee Sheiness Comedy | 3f, 1girl(s) | 120 minutes

TITLES FOR TEENS

Texas, 1958. A teenage high school senior, Michael Lee, struggles with homework, dating, her reputation, and her self-esteem alongside her best friend, Nickie. Michael’s precocious 11-yearold sister, Kay, attempts to help her solve her dilemmas with the simple wisdom of prepubescent innocence and common sense. Strong Female Lead(s)

From high school hallways to after school hangouts, these plays feature roles that let teens play themselves. Teenage performers and audiences alike will be able to relate to the issues tackled and personalities explored in these titles.

BIFF AND CHARLIE

by Chamber Stevens Comedy | 1m, 1f | 75 minutes

Biff, an accomplished pianist, is rehearsing his audition pieces for Juilliard when theatre student Charlie, dressed as Henny Penny, runs in hiding from her children’s theatre director. This mismatched couple soon starts dating. Mozart, prom, sexual awakening, and a dog who should have looked where he was going teach our young couple that first love is a lot more challenging than it looks. Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

BUNKED! THE MUSICAL

book & lyrics by Alaina Kunin and Bradford Proctor music by Bradford Proctor Comedy | 3m, 2f | Full Length Musical Piano Only

A touching coming of age comedy about five summer camp counselors during that pivotal summer before the beginning of college. With relatable characters experiencing their first tastes of independence and a catchy pop score, Bunked ! taps into the uncertainty of trying to find oneself while forging first adult relationships. Exploring themes of first love, growing up, and identity, the show asks the questions “Who am I?,” “Where do I belong?,” and “How do I make a name for myself?” with humor and poignancy.

CLASS ACTION

by Brad Slaight Dramatic Comedy | 3m, 5f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes

A series of scenes and monologues that deal with school situations outside the classroom, perhaps the most important experiences that young people face while attending high school. Through comedy and drama, the scenes cover a wide variety of contemporary subjects, both serious and light-hearted. Among the many subjects are: prom night, homework, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, detention, teen idols, peer pressure, and class elections. Ensemble

Additional plays in this series: SECOND CLASS and MIDDLE CLASS

DAVID AND LISA

by James Reach adapted from the book by Theodore Isaac Rubin and the screenplay by Eleonor Perry Drama | 11m, 11f | Full Length Play

The strange, appealing, and utterly fascinating story of two mentally disturbed adolescents: David, the only son of wealthy parents who is tortured by his mania against being touched, and Lisa, the waif with a split personality. One of her selves will speak only in childish rhymes and insists on being spoken to in the same manner.

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TITLES FOR TEENS

F H OL ER D E

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

EYES WIDE OPEN

KEEN TEENS: VOLUMES 1 – 3

NEW

by Jennifer Kirkeby Drama | 2m, 5f | 60 minutes

Collection/Anthology

Keen Teens is one of the leading theatre programs developing plays specifically for high school students. The program commissions scripts from renowned, contemporary playwrights and gives students an opportunity to work with professional artists in an Off-Broadway setting.

A touching and informative play about Kristin, a 16-year-old girl who suffers from anorexia and bulimia. Written by a woman who has experienced eating disorders first hand, the story begins after Kristin faints in her dance class. Kristin finds herself in a hospital room where she is met by the spirit of her grandmother, Birdy. Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

VOLUME 1 FLIP TURN

FORTRESS

by Madeleine George Comedy | 6m, 4f | Short Play

by Michael Scanlan Drama | 1m, 1f | Full Length Play

Blending the under and above water worlds at a public pool, one ordinary day calls for extraordinary feats of daring and trust.

Billy is nine when he finds out that he’s adopted. Feeling betrayed, he retreats into a world of his own, and builds his own Fortress of Solitude, modeling his life after the most famous orphan ever, Superman. His only friend, and sometime enemy, is Kim, who is frustrated by Billy’s determination to need no one but himself. Act 1 tells Billy’s story. In Act 2, we hear Kim’s side.

A POLAR BEAR IN NEW JERSEY by Anna Moench Comedy | 3m, 7f, 4m or f | Short Play

A polar bear sets out on her own. A play that’s a little bit about global warming, but mostly about fitting in when you’re different.

Also available:

THE DANCE COMPANY

FORTRESS (ONE ACT) 40 minutes

by Jonathan Caren Comedy | 3m, 7f | Short Play

HIGH SCHOOL FOR DUMMIES

Three former jocks infiltrate an all-girls high school dance company.

by Bradley Hayward Comedy | 4m, 4f | 40 minutes

VOLUME 2

What would happen if there were an instruction manual for freshmen? If a bully jams you in a locker, turn to Chapter 3. If you forget your homework, there’s an excuse on Page 46. A group of graduating seniors take it upon themselves to write the most important how-to book of them all!

WHY AREN’T YOU DEAD ALREADY? by Halley Feiffer Drama | 6m, 5f | Short Play

A look at the disturbing trend of teen bullying and suicide.

GOING LEFT

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

HOMEROOM THE MUSICAL

by Kristoffer Diaz Drama | 14m, 2f | Short Play

Two high school boys ask one another out on a date, causing ripples among their friends. The fact that they are gay is not the real issue.

book, music & lyrics by Andrea Green and Selma Tolins-Kaufman Dramatic Comedy | 6m, 8f | 90 minutes Piano Only | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway, Pop/Rock

SYD ARTHUR

by Kenny Finkle Drama | 9m, 4f | Short Play

Teacher Jeff expresses the belief that the kids in his homeroom have nothing in common except for their last name starting with the letter “V.” Fifteen songs later, Jeff is more aware of the similarities than the differences. The teens come together to share their feelings regarding relationships, academic success and failure, social acceptance and alienation, and the significance of bullying, secrets, lies, loss, love, and lockers.

HORSE GIRLS

A wild and modern take on Siddhartha, exploring the power of friendship, sibling death, and the meaning of life.

VOLUME 3 THE ASTONISHING AND DANGEROUS HISTORY OF MAZEFIELD THE FROG by Jen Silverman Comedy | 2m, 3f, 6m or f | Short Play

NEW

by Jenny Rachel Weiner Dark Comedy | 7f | 60 minutes

Clare discovers her pet frog can not only talk, he wants to bring about the apocalypse.

12-year-old Ashleigh rules the Lady Jean Ladies, South Florida’s most exclusive horse club. News that her family’s stables are being sold and their horses killed for meat throws the Ladies into crisis in this dark comedy of middle school deception and lies. Horse Girls is a play about teens: their obsessions, their insecurities, their desperate need to find a place in the world.

OLD FOLKS

by Max Posner Drama | 5m, 5f | Short Play

A group of ten old folks sit around in an old folks’ home, increasingly aware of their own mortality.

Strong Female Lead(s)

THE LOST GIRL (OR FIRST CHAIR) by Lauren Yee Dramatic Comedy | 5m, 6f | Short Play

HYPER-FOCUS

The complicated politics of a high school band program are revealed when the first violin mysteriously disappears.

by Jim Knable Comedy | 2m, 3f, Flexible Casting | 40 minutes

Thomas Jefferson, a middle school student, can’t seem to focus in school. He is told he has ADD. With his widowed mom, a caring teacher, and his first potential girlfriend, Thomas comes up with a very creative solution to deal with his condition. Strong Male Lead(s)

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PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

TITLES FOR TEENS

NEW

KISS, THEN TELL

NUMBERS

by Greg Cummings Collection/Anthology

by Kieron Barry Dark Comedy | 4f | 60 minutes

A series of nine very short romantic comedies written specifically for high school casts and audiences.

At an all-girls’ boarding school, a vicious battle of wills ensues between four Sixth Form girls in the hour before a new Head Girl is announced. As the girls vie for the position, old friendships and loyalties give way to ambition and betrayal. Nothing is too extreme in a battle that increasingly proves less about the disputed role and more about the girls’ conflicting ideologies of class and privilege.

MY LI’L DICAPRIO Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

An imaginative 12-year-old boy helps ease his friend’s pain over her parents’ divorce by imitating her dog.

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble (Female)

TWO GOOD PILGRIMS Comedy | 1m, 1f, 1m or f | Short Play

A quarterback learns how drastically life can change after his girlfriend, who used to be a cheerleader, returns from summer drama camp.

ONCE UPON A PLAYGROUND

by Jack Frakes Comedy | 2m, 8f | Short Play

After tomboys on a playground cruelly reject a girl with a funny nose, each expresses her inner fear of being different. The girl with the funny nose discovers a boy like herself. He offers friendship, hope, and illusion. This comedy portrays the cruelty of youth, blending realism with theatrical devices like stylized movement, choral chants and expressionism.

MYSTERIOUS WAYS Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

Two young parochial school students discover that their first innocent kiss may have been a fate tempter.

AFTER MATH Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

Strong Female Lead(s)

Two self-described math geeks toss away their calculator-based approach to kissing and discover that blind passion has its own drawbacks.

PUBERTY: THE GAME SHOW

by Greg Atkins Comedy | 2m, 2f, 1boy(s) or girl(s), Flexible Casting | Short Play

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST WITHIN Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

A game show parody gone berserk! Two blameless teens are forced to negotiate the horrors and highlights of puberty– in front of a national audience. Their categories: Hormone Hijinks; Can’t We Be Friends?; Embarrassing Moments; Why Me?; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly; My Parents Will Kill Me; and First Love. The hapless duo suffers through excruciating embarrassment, total humiliation, furious frustration, and (as you might remember) oh, so much more!

Two teenagers discover the power of pheromones behind the Macy’s cosmetics counter.

FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

A young man postpones his first week at college to stay home once he learns how much his little sister idolizes him.

PUSH

ARCANE TRADITIONS Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

by George Cameron Grant Drama | 1m, 1f, 3boy(s), 3girl(s), 1m or f | Short Play

The king and queen of the prom fall in love, in spite of many obvious pitfalls. Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

What would it take to push your child over the edge? Eve, a 16-yearold girl, has fallen asleep in the darkened, dingy corner of a deserted subway station, not far from the platform edge where Billy, her 18-year-old brother, chose to leave this world, and where she’ll soon struggle to find the reasons not to follow him.

LOVE BITES

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s)

BRACE YOURSELF Two 12-year-olds discover that kissing while wearing braces is painful, but treatable. Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

A 10-year-old girl needs to convince the new kid in school, a lonely nine-year-old boy, that sharing a sandwich is NOT like kissing.

THE RED MERIT BADGE OF COURAGE

by Nicolas Hoover Comedy | 1m, 1f, 9girl(s), 2boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

Fireside Scouts Troop #182 is lost in Yellowstone National Park! After letting off a few ear-splitting screams, these clever girls gather their wits and their Fireside Scout Handbooks, and prepare themselves to earn the most difficult merit badge of all.

LUANN: SCENES IN A TEEN’S LIFE

book, music & lyrics by Greg Evans Comedy | 5m, 5f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

Ensemble

An upbeat, high energy show based on the popular comic strip. Luann and her school mates are stoked – it’s the last day of school! Summer vacation’s here! But will the high expectations soar or crash? Luann’s big dream is to hook up with Aaron Hill. But she’ll have to compete with hot cheerleader, Tiffany. Luann’s doofus brother Brad desperately wants to impress beautiful Toni. But he keeps acting like a moron. A series of hilarious scenes and songs explore the joys and agonies of teenhood.

THE RED SNEAKS book, music & lyrics by Elizabeth Swados Drama | 4m, 4f | Full Length Musical Piano Only | Pop/Rock

This free wheeling musical for teens is a loose adaptation of the The Red Shoes, transposed to today's urban jungle. A welfare hotel resident is persuaded by a mysterious young drifter to accept a pair of glittery red sneakers. Whoever is wearing them may wish for anything and every wish comes true. But, the easy way out turns out to be a fast trip to an early death.

Strong Female Lead(s)

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TITLES FOR TEENS

F H OL ER D E

Multicultural Roles

SIGNATURE IN THE SCHOOLS: VOLUMES 1 & 2

VENI, VIDI, VICI Drama | 6m, 6f | Short Play

NEW

by Joe Calarco Collection/Anthology

When a group of students putting on a play about Imperialism is suddenly left in front of an audience without a script, they have to figure out a way to make up the play as they go, causing rifts in the cast and crew that mirror the history they’re trying to dramatize.

Multicultural Roles

by Clara Mamet and Jack Quaid Drama | 1m, 1f | 60 minutes

Signature in the Schools is a multifaceted program that encompasses in-school workshops for Arlington (Virginia) Public Schools English, Social Studies, and Theatre classes, theatrical training for young artists, and the creation of an original play.

THE SOLVIT KIDS

Bradley Phillips and Annie Wyatt are the stars of the worldrenowned “Solvit Kids” movies – a series based off the popular children’s books, the author of which dies just as he is finishing the last installment. Annie and Brad are then left with the rights to release it. However when something goes horribly wrong, it is up to the former “Solvit Kids” to come up with a solution.

VOLUME 1 MY VACATION IN PARIS Drama | 4m, 6f | Short Play

Thomas Jefferson’s two daughters spend an afternoon with early feminist Olympe De Gouges and her son, Pierre learning about the French Revolution and questioning their understanding of freedom.

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

SALAT Drama | 5m, 2f, 3m or f | Short Play

Daniel struggles with his feelings about Iraq, where his father was blinded in the Gulf War. In Iraq, Rasha writes to an imaginary American friend. Woven through their stories is the ancient Sumerian legend of Lugalbanda, a prince who was given speed to help his country in war.

STALKER MOM AND OTHER PLAYS

by Diana R. Jenkins Collection/Anthology

Humorous stories with contemporary issues relevant to teen performers. Flexible casts and simple props, sets, and costumes make for easy productions.

CIVIL WARS Drama | 3m, 9f | Short Play

SORRY!

Civil War reenactments: a tradition that goes back for generations. As a group of students at an all-girls school participates in their annual reenactment, the core of the tradition itself is questioned.

Comedy | 2m, 6f, 2boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

Jessie struggles to run a club and deal with one member’s attitude.

STALKER MOM

AFTERSHOCK

Comedy | 4m, 2f, 2boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

Drama | 2m, 7f | Short Play

Jackson copes with the most over-protective mother on the planet.

Stories of survival come alive before high school student Ruth. From the aftermath of Katrina, to the Holocaust, to genocide in Africa, these stories interconnect in ways that remind Ruth of the suffering mankind has endured and persisted through.

GIRL IN A WHIRL Comedy| 6f, 2boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

SHAKESPEARE, WILL

Abbie is so nice to people that everyone takes advantage of her. But if she stands up for herself, will she lose her friends?

Drama | 1m, 10f | Short Play

THE GRUDGE

Students from an all-girls school accidentally invoke a young Will Shakespeare. Finding that his conjurers know more about his work than he does, Shakespeare gains confidence in his own legacy.

Comedy | 5m, 2f | Short Play

Laird thinks of himself as too easygoing to hold a grudge, but something is growing inside of him!

VOLUME 2

STAND UP TRAGEDY

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING

by Bill Cain Drama | 9m | Full Length Play

Drama | 4m, 8f | Short Play

Inspired by Leni Riefenstahl’s film Triumph of the Will (1934) which chronicled the Nazi Party’s rise and glorified Adolf Hitler. A play that focuses on propaganda, conformity, and personal responsibility.

Tom teaches Hispanic boys at a Catholic school on New York’s Lower East Side. He tries to rescue one student: Lee Cortez, a talented artist trapped in a violent environment. Lee’s home life is startlingly presented as the actor playing him also portrays his slatternly mother and his violent brother. Rap numbers are interspersed with the collage-like scenes, providing a student's view of the world.

UN-AMERICAN Drama | 7m, 7f | Short Play

Two high schools are in the finals of a local TV quiz show. As the game nears its end, answers come in a way none of the students expected: a surprise interrogation conducted by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee.

Strong Male Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

TALES FROM ANYWHERE

REVOLUTION

by Megan Orr Collection/Anthology

Drama | 5m, 5f | Short Play

The Arab Spring is underway. The Occupy Movement is in its infancy. With the world changing, a group of young students grapples to understand the surrounding revolutionary fervor.

TWICE UPON A TIME Comedy | 2/3m, 4f | Short Play

When Princess Aiden finally wins the Homecoming Queen crown, she is thrilled! Then she finds out that on the night of the big game, the King and Queen must kiss. Now Aiden has to find a way to protect her horrible secret: if she kisses anyone who isn’t “the One” he’ll fall into a 100-year coma!

HERO WORSHIP Drama | 11m, 4f | Short Play

It’s 2013. The U.S. Government is shutdown. Student Samantha Barnes sneaks onto the Washington Mall to build a monument to her father who committed suicide after fighting in Afghanistan.

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

TITLES FOR TEENS

SEE YOU SOON

DON’T KISS THAT PRINCE!

by Morgan Richardson Short Play

Comedy | 2m, 2f, 1m or f | Short Play

Prince Alan is in desperate need of an A in biology, and who better to help him than nerdy Princess Maria? When the science fair comes up, he weasels Maria’s project away from her. Now he’s got to find a frog. According to research, when a prince kisses a princess he doesn’t really love, she turns into a frog! Again, Alan goes to Maria for help.

A poetic love story. With trampoline.

CLIPPED

by Sam Van Wetter Drama | 1m, 1f | Short Play

Elise buys a parrot, thinking it's the reincarnation of her flyaway father. While at first he is hilariously foul-mouthed and stubborn, her persistence works wonders.

TENDERFELLA

by Michael Liebo Comedy | 13m, 18f, 9boy(s) or girl(s) | 75 minutes

2012

Tenderfella, a poetic and empathetic teen, is a big disappointment to his family. His six siblings are gifted athletes who make their father, Coach, proud. He is expected to cook and clean, since that’s the “only exercise he gets.” At Judkins High, Tenderfella is a natural target for the school bully, Willard. All this changes when exasperated teen star, Roxanne Janico, moves away from Hollywood to start a new life as a “normal” kid in Pismo Beach, California. A jaded young actress and the school outcast create unexpected magic.

507

by Natasha Sowka Comedy | 1m, 3f | Short Play

On the fifth floor of a New York hotel, one man, three women, and two doors add up to a whole lot of drama. And a bit of romance.

CIRCUITS

by Rachel Lepore Comedy | 2m, 1f | Short Play

THESPIAN PLAYWORKS 2010 – 2015

Emily has all the usual teen stresses: a project due for physics, a boy who might like her, and a dead brother spying on her from the closet.

Collection/Anthology

From the nationally recognized Educational Theatre Association’s Thespian Playworks competition. These winning plays represent some of the most exciting new work by young playwrights.

SHELF LIFE

by Beth Seeley Short Play

When an adventuresome new doll upsets the fragile society of a museum display, it’s Toy Story II meets Thelma and Louise.

2010 A BACKWARDS FAIRYTALE by Allie Lehnhoff Comedy | 4m, 1f | Short Play

SOUTH OF SOMEPLACE by I.B. Hopkins Short Play

A narrator prepares to read what he thinks is an ordinary fairytale. As soon as he opens the book, he is faced with the biggest dilemma of his career: the princess refuses to do anything the book says!

With the last Southern patriarch on his deathbed, the young scions of the old aristocracy attempt to avoid the sins of their parents.

IN FACEBOOK WII TRUST

2013

by Lien Le Comedy | 3m, 3f | Short Play

THE ACTUALITY OF HENRIK by Jacob Sellers Comedy | Short Play

In the far future, technology has taken over the world. In this dystopia of txtspeak, video game domination, and Wii Church, John has difficulty connecting with the people around him.

A comedy about dreams, the truth, and spelling bees.

THE PORCELAIN VASE

THE CHRISTIAN SOOTHSAYER

In the autumn of 1960, Professor Isaac Baumbeck finds himself alone in his Massachusetts estate. Seeking smaller quarters, he decides to move from his large home, full of memories but not much else.

Set during the 1967 race riot in Detroit, two conmen, Isaac and Scoot, are interested in neither money nor fame.

SPLINTERS

by Steve Rathje Drama | 2m, 3f | Short Play

by Aaron Robertson Drama | 3m, 1f | Short Play

by Christopher Poore Drama | 7m, 4f | Short Play

THE CRIB

by Meg Bradley Drama | 2m, 4f | Short Play

Heather has been in a coma for twelve years, and while her husband, Matthew, believes she should have her life support terminated, her mother fights to have Heather live.

When 17-year-old Leyla finds out that she’s pregnant, she smashes her violin to pieces – but she isn’t quite ready to let go of her baby, the product of a sexual assault by a religious leader.

HOUDINI WILL DIE

by Sage Voorhees Drama | 2m, 1f | Short Play

2011 THE GOATMAN COMETH

David is constantly working on his experiments to improve human memory. As his studies consume him, he struggles to hold on to reality and the memory of his departed wife.

by I.B. Hopkins Short Play

A wise but exceedingly strange traveler helps a pair of oppressed young lovers connect.

2014

EISEGESIS

THIS PLAY IS ABOUT PIRATES

A man wakes to find himself in a prison cell. As he attempts to reason through his situation, he’s presented with the accusation that he’s humanity’s most heinous criminal.

Jim tells the audience his story of how he came to be a nasty pirate. Through a series of events we see interactions between his past and present self, contemplating what could have been.

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TITLES FOR TEENS

F H OL ER D E

by Caleigh Derreberry Comedy | 5m, 2f | Short Play

by Nick Mecikalski Drama | 2m, 1f, 1m or f | Short Play

SKIN

by Derick Edgren Drama | 2m, 2f | Short Play

GREAT PLAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

From the sea-battered cliffs of Irish legend comes this reimagined selkie fable. An isolated young man’s mythical encounter challenges his ideas of fate in otherness.

THE TRIAL OF ADBOT 579 by Francis Bass Drama | 4m, 2f | Short Play

579 is going to be scrapped for parts and replaced with a newer model, unless his owner can prove that he has transcended his nature and behaves like a human.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Let your actors play the roles of their dreams. These dramas and comedies represent some of the best work from the last century and are a major part of our modern dramatic canon.

by Alexa Derman Drama | 1m, 1f | Short Play

Kitty and B may dip in and out of addiction and struggle to pay rent, but at least they have a system: she’s exciting, he’s responsible. In the aftermath of a difficult decision, their routine is called into question.

2015 ESCALATOR

by Tanner Heath Comedy | 3m, 3f, 1girl(s) | Short Play

A group of strangers get stuck on a mall escalator. Only interested in their own lives, it isn’t until they band together that they’re able to find a way out, and open up to the people around them.

ATLAS’S EQUAL

by Austin Hughes Drama | 2m, 2f, 2boy(s) | Short Play

After the Boston Tea Party, Tories are sent to the colonies to quell any revolutionaries. Paris arrives at the inn of Helen, demanding quarters but offering her kindness that her husband cannot.

THE OKAY KIDS

by Hunter McKenzie Dramatic Comedy | 4m, 4f | Short Play

Dumped by his girlfriend, Jack is really more upset that he wasn’t invited to his best friend Max’s party. He makes his problems with Max worse by revealing they may be more than just friends.

IT’S GONNA RAIN

by Matthew Waterman Drama | 1m, 5f | Short Play

A rock in Brown County State Park observes time passing and relationships changing over the course of 1,000 years.

VICTORIA MARTIN: MATH TEAM QUEEN

by Kathryn Walat Comedy | 4m, 1f | 105 minutes

When uber-popular Vickie Martin joins the all-male math team, chaos theory becomes the rule at Longwood High School. Can this goddess of Pi possibly make the mathletes victorious? Totally. Strong Female Lead(s)

VOICES FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL

by Peter Dee concept by John B. Welch Dramatic Comedy | Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

Through scenes and monologues, Dee has created vignettes reflecting the joys and troubles of growing up too quickly in America. Devastatingly honest, sometimes hilarious, and always from and to the heart, the pieces explore subjects such as alcoholism, love, drugs, teacher-student rapport, teen pregnancy, suicide, and more. Ensemble

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

TITLES FOR TEENS

AGNES OF GOD

THE DIVINERS

by John Pielmeier Drama | 3f | 120 minutes

by Jim Leonard, Jr. Drama | 6m, 5f | Full Length Play

Cautions: Smoking, Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s)

Strong Male Lead(s)

Dr. Martha Livingstone, a court-appointed psychiatrist, is summoned to a convent to assess the sanity of a novice accused of murdering her newborn. Mother Superior determinedly keeps young Agnes from the doctor, arousing Livingstone’s suspicions further. Who killed the infant and who fathered the tiny victim? Livingstone’s questions force all three women to re-examine the meaning of faith and the power of love.

A disenchanted preacher befriends a disturbed boy in southern Indiana in the early 1930s. When the boy was younger he almost drowned. This trauma and the loss of his mother in the same accident has left him deathly afraid of water. The preacher, set on breaking away from a long line of family preachers, is determined not to do what he does best. The women of the town try to persuade him to preach while he tries to persuade the child to wash.

THE ELEPHANT MAN

by Bernard Pomerance Drama | 6m, 2f | 120 minutes

AMADEUS

by Peter Shaffer Drama | 12m, 3f | Full Length Play

Based on the life of John Merrick. In 19th century London, a horribly deformed man, victim of rare skin and bone diseases, has become the star freak attraction in a traveling side show. Sickly and admitted to hospital, he is put under the care of celebrated young physician Frederick Treves. Through Treves, Merrick is introduced to London society and evolves from an object of pity to an urbane and witty favorite of the aristocracy and literati, only to be denied his ultimate dream: to become a man like any other.

In the court of the Austrian Emperor Josef, Antonio Salieri is the established composer. Enter the greatest musical mind of all time: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri has given himself to God so that he might realize his sole ambition to be a great composer. Mozart is a foul-mouthed, graceless oaf who has that which is beyond Salieri’s envious grasp: Genius. Strong Male Lead(s)

Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s)

ARCADIA

FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF

by Tom Stoppard Comedy | 8m, 4f | Full Length Play

In 1809, the grounds of the Coverly family’s elegant estate are being transformed from an Arcadian landscape into picturesque Gothic gardens. In the present, Coverly descendants and two competing scholars research a possible 1809 scandal at the estate involving Lord Byron. This brilliant play moves smoothly between the centuries and explores the nature of truth and time, the difference between classical and romantic temperaments, and the disruptive influence of sex on our orbits in life.

by Ntozake Shange Drama, Play with Music | 7f | 90 minutes Piano Only

This groundbreaking “choreopoem” is a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by black women. Capturing the brutal, tender, and dramatic lives of contemporary black women, it offers a transformative, riveting evening of provocative dance, music, and poetry.

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

Cautions: Intense Adult Themes, Strong Language Ensemble ( female), Multicultural Roles

BLITHE SPIRIT

by Noel Coward Comedy | 2m, 5f | Full Length Play

THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES

A smash hit of the London and Broadway stages. This muchrevived classic offers up fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine who is married to Ruth but haunted (quite literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira. As personalities clash, Ruth is accidentally killed and passes over to join Elvira to haunt the hapless Charles into perpetuity.

by John Guare Dark Comedy | 4m, 6f | Full Length Play

Artie Shaugnessy is a songwriter with visions of glory. Toiling by day as a zookeeper, he suffers in seedy lounges by night in Queens, New York where he lives with his wife, Bananas. Artie’s old school chum Billie Einhorn, a successful Hollywood producer, holds the key to Artie’s dreams of getting out of Queens and away from the life he so despises. But like many dreams, this promise of glory evaporates amid the chaos of ordinary lives.

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

THE DESK SET

by William Marchant Comedy | 8m, 8f | Full Length Play

THE MIRACLE WORKER

by William Gibson Drama | 7m, 7f | Full Length Play

Bunny Watson is a woman with an encyclopedic knowledge of facts and figures who works in a television network reference department. Electronic brains are installed to do the work of people, soon replacing whole departments, but when the brains can’t best Bunny in a game of wits, she causes them to blow their fuses. A telling comedy rich in hilarity for anyone who has ever worked in an office. Later made into a film starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy

This theatre classic tells the story of Annie Sullivan and her student, blind and mute Helen Keller, dramatizing the volatile relationship between the lonely teacher and her charge. Trapped in a secret, silent world, unable to communicate, Helen is violent, spoiled, almost sub-human, and treated by her family as such. Only Annie realizes that there is a mind and spirit waiting to be rescued.

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GREAT PLAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

F H OL ER D E

Strong Female Lead(s)

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

NEIL SIMON'S

THE ODD COUPLE

by Lorraine Hansberry Drama | 7m, 3f, 1boy(s) | Full Length Play

Comedy | 6m, 2f | Full Length Play

On Chicago’s South Side, when her deceased husband’s insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. The tensions and prejudice the family face form this seminal American drama. Sacrifice, trust, and love are called into question as they struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world.

This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assemble for cards in the apartment of divorced slob Oscar Madison. Late to arrive is Felix Unger, who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed, and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal. As the action unfolds, Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean-freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results. Also available:

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

THE ODD COUPLE, FEMALE VERSION (2m, 6f) Strong Male (or Female) Lead(s)

THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH

by Thornton Wilder Comedy | 4m, 4f | Full Length Play

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

by Dale Wasserman from the novel by Ken Kesey Dramatic Comedy | 13m, 4f | Full Length Play

Meet the Antrobus Family: George and Maggie Antrobus of Excelsior, New Jersey, a suburban, commuter-town couple (married for 5,000 years); their children, Gladys and Henry; and their garrulous maid, Sabina (the eternal seductress), who breaks out of character and interrupts the course of the drama at every opportunity. Whether he is inventing the alphabet or merely saving the world from apocalypse, George and his redoubtable family somehow manage to survive: by the skin of their teeth.

A charming rogue contrives to serve a short sentence in an airy mental institution rather than in prison. This, he learns, was a mistake. He constantly clashes with the head nurse, a fierce martinet, while leading his fellow patients out of their introverted stupors. As his offenses pile up, the nurse resorts to increasingly more violent punishments and is ultimately forced to a final, disturbingly permanent solution.

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

EDGAR LEE MASTERS'S SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY

OUR TOWN

conceived, adapted & arranged by Charles Aidman conceived from Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology Drama | 3m, 2f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

by Thornton Wilder Drama | 17m, 7f | 120 minutes

Described by Edward Albee as “the greatest American play ever written,” the story follows the small town of Grover’s Corners through three acts: “Daily Life,” “Love and Marriage,” and “Death and Eternity.” Narrated by a Stage Manager and performed with minimal props and sets, audiences follow the Webb and Gibbs families through first love, marriage, and death.

Via musical interludes, we are introduced in a cemetery to the ghosts of those who were inhabitants of this town, and whose secrets have gone with them to the grave. There are 60 odd characterizations and vignettes in this interesting entertainment. It offers a varied array of roles and impersonations, from young lovers, preachers, and teachers to the funny chronicle of the confused Jewish man who ends up in the wrong cemetery. Both the solid and humorous sides of life are portrayed, with fetching ballads, and the free verse form of Masters.

Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

AUGUST WILSON’S

THE PIANO LESSON

Ensemble

Drama | 5m, 3f | More than 120 minutes

Winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is 1936 and Boy Willie arrives in Pittsburgh from the South in a battered truck. He wants to sell an old piano that has been in his family for generations, but shares ownership with his sister and it sits in her living room. She has rejected several offers because the antique piano is covered with incredible carvings detailing the family’s rise from slavery. Boy Willie tries to persuade his stubborn sister that the past is past, but she is more formidable than he anticipated.

THORNTON WILDER ONE ACT SERIES

by Thornton Wilder Collection/Anthology

THE AGES OF MAN

Wilder’s series of stirring short works that capture four important stages of life.

Cautions: Alcohol, Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble Multicultural Roles

INFANCY Comedy | 3m, 2f | Short Play

Millie the nursemaid brings baby Tommy to Central Park in the hopes of a rendezvous with the handsome Patrolman Avonzino. Mrs. Boker soon arrives with baby Moe, and as the two ladies trade advice on child rearing, the infants compare notes on their parents’ bad behavior and pitiful lack of understanding.

THE RAINMAKER

by N. Richard Nash Comedy | 6m, 1f | Full Length Play

At the time of a paralyzing drought in the West, we discover a girl whose father and two brothers are worried as much about her potential future as an old maid as they are about their dying cattle. From out of nowhere appears a sweet-talking man with quite the sales pitch. Claiming to be a “rainmaker,” the man promises to bring rain, for $100. The rainmaker also turns his magic on the girl, and persuades her that she has a very real beauty of her own.

CHILDHOOD Dramatic Comedy | 2m, 3f | Short Play

A child’s view of the grown-up world, as a father, a mother and their three children play a revealing game of make-believe in which the children pretend to be orphans. Startling truths emerge on both sides, blurring the lines between perception and reality, artifice and innocence.

Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s)

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

GREAT PLAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

YOUTH

QUEENS OF FRANCE

Satire | 5m, 2f | Short Play

Comedy | 1m, 3f, 2m or f | Short Play

To his horror, the middle-aged Captain Gulliver finds himself marooned, dying of hunger and thirst in “The Country of The Young,” a world of youth so mistrustful of age that anyone approaching thirty is ritually dispatched. Conceived in the 1960s, amid a youthful population who had discovered for the first time its social and political clout.

In New Orleans in 1869, M’su Cahusac, a charlatan of a lawyer, preys on vulnerable women, convincing each one that she is a legitimate descendant of the long-lost Dauphin, who fled Paris for New Orleans at the age of 10 during the French Revolution. Therefore, he tells each victim, she is the rightful Queen of France. Tantalized by visions of wealth, palaces, and power, each victim responds in her own fashion to this preposterous revelation, which the lawyer claims is supported by the Historical Society of Paris.

THE RIVERS UNDER THE EARTH Drama | 2m, 2f | Short Play

On a point of land jutting into a lake in southern Wisconsin, the Carter family enjoys a summer’s eve. Each member shares different memories connected with their surroundings. Throughout the action is woven a tapestry of animosities, affections, conscious and unconscious behavior, and the unfathomable formation of identity.

LOVE AND HOW TO CURE IT Comedy | 2m, 2f | Short Play

A young man is hopelessly in love with a teenage music hall dancer who can’t stand him, thinks he is stalking her (which he is), and fears that he is going to shoot her (which he isn’t). Because she rejects him, he decides to kill himself. The girl’s aunt, an actress and singer, and their friend, an over-the-hill comedian still mourning the death of his wife, try to intervene to “cure” him, and at the same time, teach the thwarted lover what true love really means.

CLASSIC ONE ACTS

A collection of Wilder’s most famous one acts. In these minimasterpieces, he experiments with techniques and dramatic forms he would later develop in his celebrated full-length works.

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER

Wilder’s cycle of short works depicting the complexity and consequences of human frailty.

Dramatic Comedy | 5m, 7f | Short Play

This piece showcases the lives of several generations of the Bayard family, and some of their Christmas dinners, over nine decades. As generations appear, have children, wither, and depart, only the audience appreciates what changes and what remains the same. “Every last twig is wrapped around with ice. You almost never see that,” young Genevieve marvels, not realizing that her mother has made this observation years earlier nor that her daughter-in-law will one day do the same.

THE DRUNKEN SISTERS (GLUTTONY) Comedy | 1m, 3f | Short Play

Wilder’s satyr play that followed The Alcestiad, his adaptation of the ancient Greek “Alcestis” story. Apollo ventures into the land of the three sisters of Fate who control the threads of each man’s life. In disguise he tricks the sisters into releasing their death hold on King Admetus. His trick: three flagons of wine that he declares to be Aphrodite’s beauty drink but that make the sisters drunk.

THE HAPPY JOURNEY TO TRENTON AND CAMDEN

BERNICE (PRIDE)

Dramatic Comedy | 3m, 3f | Short Play

A father, mother and two of their three surviving children drive from Newark, New Jersey to Camden to visit their married daughter, who has recently lost her baby in childbirth. Their journey is punctuated by talk, laughter, and memories (some mundane, some happy, some painful). In this family drama, nothing much happens – and yet everything important happens. As Ma Kirby says, “There’s nothin’ like bein’ liked by your family.”

Drama | 2m, 1f | Short Play

SUCH THINGS ONLY HAPPEN IN BOOKS

THE WRECK ON THE 5:25 (SLOTH)

Set in Chicago in 1911. Walbeck, a thoroughly hated man who cheated hundreds of people out of their money, suddenly returns home from Joliet prison when his sentence is reduced. He is greeted by two people: his attorney, who informs him that Walbeck’s wife has fled to California, taking his daughter with her, and a new maid, Bernice, recently hired to keep the home going.

Satire | 3m, 1f | Short Play

Drama | 2m, 2f | Short Play

A novelist, his wife, their doctor, their maid, her brother, and a visiting stranger are caught up in various deceptions and mysteries in a haunted house. Novelist John’s two pleasures in life are losing at solitaire and lecturing his wife about how there are no plots in life. Of course, his wife is cheating on him with the family doctor. This, plus a series of jailbreaks, murders, mutilations, and buried treasure are revealed.

Herb Hawkins, a New Jersey-New York City commuter with iron-bound habits, has called to say he is coming home late. This news sets his wife and daughter on edge, a condition heightened when a neighbor informs them that an unidentified man is hiding in the shadows of their front lawn, staring in at them. The police arrive to arrest the supposed prowler, only to find Herb, quietly observing his family through the windows of his own home.

PULLMAN CAR HIAWATHA

A RINGING OF DOORBELLS (ENVY) Comedy | 4f | Short Play

Dramatic Comedy | 12m, 5f | Short Play

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GREAT PLAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

F H OL ER D E

A mother-daughter team of con artists are putting the touch on the widows of military brass. Mrs. McCullem, housekeeper for the wonderfully regal but now wheelchair-bound widow of General Beattie, recognizes them in the drug store and overhears them asking directions to the Beattie home! Instead of throwing them out or turning them over to the police, the widow Beattie allows the game to be played.

Set in a Pullman car on a train traveling from New York to Chicago in December, 1930, the play introduces techniques Wilder would use in future full-length plays: The stage is virtually bare, the play is narrated by a Stage Manager, and one character speaks words that foreshadow Emily’s in Our Town. Characters include the hours of the day, the weather, the planets, and supernatural beings. A metaphorical journey, by train, through the American landscape and also through time, space, and a range of emotions.

IN SHAKESPEARE AND THE BIBLE (WRATH) Drama | 1m, 3f | Short Play

The year is 1898. The place, an over-sumptuous parlor in New York. Mrs. Mowbrey, a mature, wealthy woman with a history to bury, makes a plan: She’ll befriend her estranged niece and fiancé, and their subsequent marriage will provide her own entre into respectable society. Or at least, that’s what she’ll tell the young couple.

SING OUT! Popular shows for schools, Broadway gems, and cult classics. These musicals provide great roles for singers and dancers, as well as large ensembles to guarantee roles for everyone.

SOMEONE FROM ASSISI (LUST) Drama | 1m, 3f | Short Play

Saint Francis, almost blind and toothless and nearing the end of his life, revisits Assisi, where he encounters Pica, a young girl with the same name as his mother; Mother Clara of Saint Damian’s Convent; and Mona Lucrezia (now a mad woman) with whom he had a love affair when he was a wild, willful young man known as Francis the Frenchman.

CEMENT HANDS (AVARICE) Comedy | 3m, 1f | Short Play

Diana Colvin, 21, rich and “the finest girl in the world,” is engaged to marry Roger Osterman, 27, very rich and “the finest young fellow in the world.” With the help of a mystified waiter, Diana’s uncle (her lawyer and guardian) sets up a play within a play to make sure Diana knows what she is getting into: marriage to a supreme tightwad who can give away millions to charity, but can’t leave a tip. Full of hijinks as well as a serious message, the action takes place in a fancy New York City hotel.

VANITIES

by Jack Heifner Comedy | 3f | Full Length Play

An astute, snapshot sharp chronicle of the lives of three Texas girls. In 1963, Joanne, Kath,y and Mary are aggressively vivacious cheerleaders. Five years later in their college sorority house, they are confronting their futures with nervous jauntiness. In 1974, they reunite briefly in New York. Their attempts at honest conversation only show how much their lives have diverged. Strong Female Lead(s)

At Samuel French you'll find some of the most acclaimed work ever written for the stage. Introduce your students to the plays of Thornton Wilder, Eugene O’Neill, Lorraine Hansberry, and more at samuelfrench.com

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

GREAT PLAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

ALICE IN CONCERT

GREASE

words & music by Elizabeth Swados Comedy | 6m, 6f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

book, music & lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey Comedy | 9m, 8f | 120 minutes Medium Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

This “music hall” version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass was originally produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theatre, starring a young Meryl Streep. An imaginative rendering of the classic performed concert-style on a bare stage, the actors in modern rehearsal clothes. The music ranges from rock to country/western to calypso, as the outlandish characters of “Wonderland” are reinterpreted in this “story theatre”-type setting.

Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hotrodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hipshaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Head “greaser” Danny Zuko and new (good) girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their “Summer Nights” as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through such songs as “Greased Lightnin’,” “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” “Alone at the Drive-In Movie,” recalling the music of Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley that became the soundtrack of a generation.

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead, Strong Female Lead(s) Ensemble

BLOOD BROTHERS

Also available:

book, music & lyrics by Willy Russell Drama | 5m, 3f, Flexible Casting | More than 120 minutes Medium Band | Easy Vocals | Classic Broadway

GREASE: SCHOOL EDITION Comedy | 9m, 9f | 90 minutes Medium Band | Easy Vocals | Pop/Rock

A rags to riches tragedy of our times. A woman with numerous children surrenders one of her newborn twins to the childless woman she cleans for. The boys grow up streets apart, never learning the truth but becoming firm friends and falling in love with the same girl. One prospers while the other falls on hard times. A narrator warns that a price has to be paid for separating twins: the lives of the blood brothers, who die on the day they find out they’re related.

Groups who perform for young audiences or produce musicals with young actors now have an ideal version of Grease for their needs. Shorter and more suitable in content for teens and subteens, this abridged version retains the fun-loving spirit and immortal songs that make Grease a favorite among rock and roll fans of all ages. Strong Male Lead, Strong Female Lead(s) Ensemble

Cautions: Alcohol, Drugs, Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s)

HAPPY DAYS, A NEW MUSICAL

book by Garry Marshall music & lyrics by Paul Williams based on the Paramount Pictures Television Series “Happy Days,” created by Garry Marshall Comedy | 10m, 7f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes Medium Band | Easy Vocals | Pop/Rock

CHICAGO

book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse music by John Kander lyrics by Fred Ebb script adaptation by David Thompson based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins Comedy | 9m, 10f | 120 minutes Large Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway, Jazz

Goodbye gray skies, hello blue! Happy days are here again with Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph, and the unforgettable “King of Cool” Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli. Based on the hit Paramount Pictures television series, this family-friendly show reintroduces one of America’s best loved families, the Cunninghams, to a whole new generation of kids and parents.

In Roaring Twenties Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband Amos to take the rap… until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and fellow “Merry Murderess” Velma Kelly vie for the spotlight and the headlines, finally joining forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune and acquittal. The longest running revival on Broadway!

Also available:

HAPPY DAYS, A NEW MUSICAL (90 MINUTE VERSION) An abridged version perfect for school groups.

THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS: THE MUSICAL!

Cautions: Alcohol, Gun Shots, Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s)

NEW!

conceived by Kim Rosenstock written by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick, and Kim Rosenstock Dramatic Comedy | 5m, 2f, Flexible Casting Less than 120 minutes Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway, Pop/Rock

A musical about musicals! In this hilarious satire of musical theatre, one story becomes five delightfully, different musicals. The basic plot: June is an ingénue who can’t pay the rent and is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome leading man come to the rescue? The variations are: a Rodgers & Hammerstein version set in Kansas in August, complete with a dream ballet; a Sondheim version, featuring the landlord as a tortured artistic genius who slashes the throats of his tenants; a Jerry Herman version, as a splashy star vehicle; an Andrew Lloyd Webber rock musical with themes borrowed from Puccini; and a Kander & Ebb version, set in a speakeasy in Chicago.

A star-crossed prophecy. A lot of music. Just not a lot of light. In this darkly comic rock-fable, a melancholy sandwich maker’s humdrum life is intersected by two entrancing sisters. A sweeping ode to young love set against the backdrop of the northeast blackout of 1965, Fly By Night is a tale about making your way and discovering hope in a world beset by darkness.

Cautions: Gun Shots Ensemble

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s)

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SING OUT!

F H OL ER D E

FLY BY NIGHT

music by Eric Rockwell lyrics by Joanne Bogart book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart Comedy | 2m, 2f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Piano Only | Difficult Vocals | Classic Broadway

NUNSENSE

THE SECRET GARDEN

by Dan Goggin Comedy | 5f | Full Length Play Medium Band | Easy Vocals | Classic Broadway

book & lyrics by Marsha Norman music by Lucy Simon based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett Drama | 12m, 10f, 1boy(s), 1girl(s) | Full Length Musical Large Band | Difficult Vocals | Classic Broadway

The Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of their fellow sisters and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. What better way to raise money then to put on a variety show? Featuring star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz, and comic surprises. Nunsense is an international phenomenon with over 5,000 productions worldwide!

A musical that brings to life the haunting beauty of this beloved literary classic. Orphaned in India, 11-year-old Mary Lennox is sent to Yorkshire to live with relatives she’s never met. Left to her own devices, Mary blossoms. She and a young gardener restore a neglected garden, bringing new life to the manor and ultimately healing her sickly cousin and distraught uncle.

Ensemble

Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s)

Also available:

NUNSENSE: A MEN! 5m NUNSENSE: THE MEGA-MUSICAL VERSION 1m, 9f

THE SECRET GARDEN: SPRING VERSION

Ensemble (Female [or Male])

Drama | 8m, 7f, 1boy(s), 1girl(s) | 90 minutes Piano Only | Easy Vocals | Class Broadway

A 70 minute version of the musical with simplified vocals ideal for schools and young performers.

NYMPH ERRANT

Strong Male Lead, Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

music & lyrics by Cole Porter book by Steve Mackes and Michael Whaley based on the novel by James Laver Comedy | 1m, 6f | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

SIDE SHOW

book & lyrics by Bill Russell music by Henry Krieger additional book material by Bill Condon Drama | 14m, 7f | Less than 120 minutes Large Band | Difficult Vocals | Contemporary Broadway

Cole Porter’s famous “lost musical.” Innocent Evangeline Edwards bids farewell to a Swiss finishing school and sets off across Europe looking for love and adventure. She gets into one scrap after another only to be “rescued” by a series of unsuitable men: a French producer, Russian musician, Austrian nudist, Italian count, Greek magnate, Turkish Pasha, and a eunuch all played by the same actor.

From the updated 2014 Broadway revival: the true story of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton who became stars during the Depression. A moving portrait of two women who's extraordinary bondage brings them fame but denies them love. Told almost entirely in song, the show follows the sisters from England to America, around the vaudeville circuit, and finally, to Hollywood.

Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s)

Cautions: Alcohol, Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s)

PERFECT HARMONY

by Andrew Grosso and The Essentials Comedy | 5m, 5f | 90 minutes A cappella/Piano Only | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

A TALE OF TWO CITIES, THE MUSICAL

book, music & lyrics by Jill Santoriello based on the novel by Charles Dickens Drama | 7m, 3f, 1girl(s), 9m or f | Less than 120 minutes Large Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway, Operetta

A musical comedy about the greatest a cappella group in high school history, eighteen-time national champions The Acafellas. It’s also about their classmates and female counterpart, perennial runners up, The Ladies in Red. Through song and story, we see these students grapple with the weighty issues of truth, love, and what constitutes appropriate choreography for Nationals. As the story unfolds, we learn not just about these students themselves but also about the true nature of harmony.

Two men in love with the same woman. Two cities swept up in revolution. One last chance for a man to redeem his wasted life and change the world. Based on Charles Dickens’ masterpiece, this Broadway musical focuses on the love triangle between young beauty Lucie Manette, French aristocrat Charles Darnay, and drunken English cynic Sydney Carton – all caught in the clutches of the bloody French Revolution.

Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

Cautions: Gun Shots, Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

book, music & lyrics by Richard O’Brien Dark Comedy | 7m, 3f, 4m or f | 90 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

THE WIZ

adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. book by William F. Brown music & lyrics by Charlie Smalls Comedy | 6m, 5f, 4m or f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes Large Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock, Jazz

In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-NFurter, a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named “Rocky.” Complete with sass from the audience, cascading toilet paper, and an array of other audience participation props, this deliberately kitschy rock ’n’ roll, sci-fi gothic is more fun than ever.

A beloved Broadway gem, The Wiz infuses L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with a dazzling mix of rock, gospel, and soul music. This timeless tale of Dorothy’s adventures through the Land of Oz is a fun, family-friendly, modern musical and one of the most popular shows in the Samuel French catalog.

Cautions: Intense Adult Themes, Strong Language, Nudity/Partial Nudity Strong Female Lead(s), Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

Cautions: Animals Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

SING OUT!

5 ONE ACT PLAYS BY MARK TWAIN

adapted from his short stories by Jules Tasca Collection/Anthology

PAGE TO STAGE

MEMBRANOUS CROUP Comedy | 2m, 2f, 1boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

An overly protective mother and overly protected father fear their daughter has the croup.

MRS. MCWILLIAMS AND THE LIGHTNING Comedy | 4m, 1f | Short Play

Classic literature and beloved young adult novels are brought to life in these theatrical stage adaptations. Enhance English class assignments or add a theatrical flare to that required reading list!

Mrs. McWilliams forces her husband to pursue a variety of schemes to save the family from a storm, and sure and sudden death.

CANNIBALISM IN THE CARS Comedy | 11f | Short Play

Eight congressmen are trapped in a train. When they run out of food, they form a committee to decide who should be eaten first.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE Satire | 3m | Short Play

Mr. Simons loses his elephant and goes to the police chief who gets credit and a reward for getting rid of the elephant.

A MEDIEVAL ROMANCE Comedy | 6m, 3f | Short Play

A lord conceals his daughter’s birth only to have his brother’s daughter fall in love with her while she is disguised as a duke.

AMERICAN TALES

book & lyrics by Ken Stone music by Jan Powell Dramatic Comedy | 4m, 1f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

Two classic American stories brought to life. The Loves of Alonzo Fitz Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton, from Mark Twain’s story of two people falling in love with the aid of that brand-new invention, the telephone. Bartleby, the Scrivener, is dramatized from Herman Melville’s slyly funny but ultimately tragic story. A darker take on the theme of human connections made and missed. Ensemble

ANIMAL FARM

adapted by Nelson Bond from the book by George Orwell Satire/Political Satire | 5m, 2f | 105 Minutes

A staged reading script of Orwell’s allegory. The animals of Manor Farm rejoice in their emancipation from the mastery of a human owner. Celebration soon turns to disillusionment as they discover themselves now subject to the rule of even worse autocrats: the pigs. Ensemble

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

book & lyrics by Sylvia Ashby music by Mark McCoy based on the book by L.M. Montgomery Dramatic Comedy | 7m, 9f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Musical Large Band

Stern Marilla and her warm-hearted brother Matthew hoped to adopt a boy to work on their farm. The orphanage sends young, befreckled Anne by mistake and their lives will never be the same! Her warmth and wit affects everyone around her, even the cold Marilla. We follow Anne through her rebellious years, her transformation into a young woman, and her romantic pairing with Gilbert. Also available as a non-musical.

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F H OL ER D E

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

DRACULA

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

by Alice Chadwicke adapted from L.M. Montgomery’s novel Comedy | 4m, 10f | 120 Minutes

dramatized by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston from the novel by Bram Stoker Drama, Thriller | 6m, 2f | Full Length Play

Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla, agree to adopt a boy to help on the farm. Imagine their consternation when Anne Shirley, a girl in her teens, is sent by the orphanage instead! Anne touches Matthew’s heart with her charity and imagination, but it takes time to get through Marilla’s hard exterior. This lovely classic is very simple to present and full of warmth and wit.

Lucy Seward, whose father is the doctor in charge of an English sanitarium, has been attacked by some mysterious illness. Dr. Van Helsing, believes that the girl is the victim of a vampire. The vampire turns out to be a certain Count Dracula. Strong Male Lead(s)

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA

AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS

adapted by Michael Bloom Romantic Comedy | 6m, 6f | 120 Minutes

A highly theatrical adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s greatest novels. Pledging never to marry, the mischievous Emma Woodhouse is the “matchmaker of Highbury.” Her newest project, Harriet Smith, has already received a proposal, but Emma insists she marry the eligible vicar Mr. Elton, while Mr. Elton’s affections lie elsewhere. Meanwhile, Highbury welcomes two new guests, the mysterious Jane Fairfax and the charming Frank Churchill.

freely adapted by Phil Willmott from the novel by Jules Verne script & original songs by Phil Willmott score by Annemarie Lewis Thomas based on tunes by Phil Willmott Comedy | 47boy(s) or girl(s), Flexible Casting | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band

Strong Female Lead(s)

A delightful musical adaptation of the story of Phileas Fogg’s and his servant, Passepartout’s, whistle-stop journey, as they try to satisfy a wager that they can circumnavigate the world in eighty days. With bandits, nasty villains around every corner, and transport problems that force them to continue via hot air balloon then by a performing elephant, will they make the deadline?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

adapted by Abe Burrows from Helen Jerome’s dramatization of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice music & lyrics by Robert Goldman, Glenn Paxton, and George Weiss Dramatic Comedy | 14m, 12f | 120 minutes Large Band | Classic Broadway, Jazz

Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

CADDIE WOODLAWN

Mrs. Bennett, rural, prosaic and the mother of five daughters has her gaze on the social whirl of London while her husband and farm languish. The eldest, headstrong Elizabeth has her own ideas on life and love. With her eyes on the “prize” and “a house in town”, Mrs. Bennett sets about bringing stubborn Elizabeth into the social orbit of upscale snob William Darcy, with classic, hilarious results.

book, music & lyrics by Susan C. Hunter and Tom Shelton based on the book by Carol Ryrie Brink Dramatic Comedy | 7m, 8f, 9boy(s), 10girl(s) | 120 minutes Medium Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

Carol Ryrie Brink’s Newbery Award-winning novel is brought to exuberant life as a musical. Caddie (the iconic, high-spirited Wisconsin pioneer girl beloved by generations of readers) leads her willing siblings in a series of thrilling adventures, not always with the approval of her traditional Bostonian mother. Her father, however, encourages her antics, that she might thrive amidst the new, tougher ways of the West. Ultimately, Caddie learns invaluable lessons about reconciling the head-strong child she’s been, and the responsible adult she is soon to be.

NEIL SIMON’S

THE GOOD DOCTOR Comedy, Play with Music | 3m, 2f | Full Length Play

This Broadway hit is a composite of Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov: An old woman storms a bank and upbraids the manager for his gout and lack of money. A father takes his son to a house where he will be initiated into the mysteries of sex, only to relent at the last moment leaving the boy more perplexed than ever. A man who offers to drown himself for three rubles. The stories are droll, the portraits touching, the humor infectious, and the fun unending.

Strong Female Lead(s)

Ensemble

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

HOW TO EAT LIKE A CHILD

adapted by Tim Kelly from the Oscar Wilde story Comedy | 6m, 14f | 75 minutes

book by Delia Ephron, John Forster, and Judith Kahan music & lyrics by John Forster based on the book by Delia Ephron Comedy | 30boy(s) or girl(s) | 60 minutes Piano Only | Easy Vocals | Classic Broadway, Pop/Rock

An average American family acquires historic old Canterville Chase – complete with ghost! Sir Simon, the sporting spirit, succeeds in making life miserable. When the Americans strike back, Sir Simon enlists the aid of some ghostly friends. Life is hectic and fantastically funny around Canterville Chase until the real solution to the problem of the galloping ghost is discovered.

This musical romp through the joys and sorrows of being a child is hilarious. Children give 23 lessons in such subjects as how to beg for a dog, how to torture your sister, how to act after being sent to your room, and how to laugh hysterically. The pace is fast, the tone subversive, and the recognition instant.

Ensemble

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

PAGE TO STAGE

PRIVATE PEACEFUL (ENSEMBLE)

LITTLE WOMEN

by Peter Clapham adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott Comedy | 5m, 7f | Full Length Play

by Michael Morpurgo adapted by Simon Reade Drama | Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

Strong Female Lead(s)

Ensemble

Private Tommo Peaceful, a young First World War soldier awaits the firing squad at dawn. During the night, he looks back at his short but joyful past growing up in rural Devon: his exciting first days at school the accident in the forest that killed his father; his adventures with Molly, the love of his life; and the battles and injustices of war that brought him to the front line.

The structure of the play faithfully covers that of the novel, interweaving the lives of the March girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and Laurie, the boy next door, as they grow up happily together – yet the action is contained neatly in one set. All the overtones of gaiety and the undertones of sadness are here, bringing the story completely to life in a way which is both accurate and dramatically satisfying.

Also available:

LITTLE WOMEN

PRIVATE PEACEFUL (SOLO) 1m

adapted by Roger Wheeler from Louisa May Alcott’s classic Dramatic Comedy | 4m, 7f | Full Length Play

RASHOMON

by Fay Kanin and Michael Kanin based on stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa Drama | 6m, 3f | 90 minutes

The adventures of Jo, Meg, Beth, Amy, and Marmee. Written in episode form, excellent for cuttings. Includes all the great scenes from the book, including the Christmas scene, when the girls spend their Christmas money for presents for their Marmee. A very popular, charming, theatrical dramatization.

The famous stories of Akutagawa adapted into a 1959 Broadway play. The wife of a Samurai officer is assaulted and her husband killed by a roving bandit. Contradictory versions of what happened are reenacted at the trial by the bandit, the wife, and the dead husband who speaks through a sorceress. Each version is true in its fashion.

Strong Female Lead(s)

LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

by Ketti Frings based on the novel by Thomas Wolfe Drama | 10m, 8f | Full Length Play

THE SECRET GARDEN

Winner of the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. An authentic American classic, this powerful and vital play captures the sardonic humor and the grief of Wolfe’s coming of age novel. Concentrating on the last third of the story, the play portrays Eugene Gant; his mother, who is obsessed by her material holdings and who maintains barriers against the love of her family; his father, a stonecutter imprisoned by his failures; and the brother who never breaks away.

by Sylvia Ashby adapted from Francis Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel Drama | 5m, 5f, 3m or f | 120 minutes

Mary Lennox, a sullen and spoiled young orphan, is sent to live with her brooding uncle at gloomy Misselthwaite Manor. Discovering a hidden, neglected garden, Mary plants the seeds of new life for all those drawn into her secret refuge.

Strong Male Lead(s)

Strong Female Lead(s)

SHINE! THE HORATIO ALGER MUSICAL

music & lyrics by Sebastian adapted for the stage by Sebastian and Staffan GÖtestam based on the novel by Astrid Lindgren translated by Philip Edmonds Comedy | 6m, 4, 3m or f | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band

book by Richard Seff music by Roger Dean Anderson lyrics by Lee Goldsmith Dramatic Comedy | 13m, 6f | Less than 120 minutes Medium Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

Lower Manhattan, 1876. Join Dick as he rises from penniless bootblack to budding entrepreneur with a little bit of luck, a little bit of charm, and a whole lot of hard work. Based on Horatio Alger’s beloved tale, Dick’s adventures bring him face to face with scheming ex-convicts, vicious comic villains, kind benefactors, and a host of colorful characters in this rags-to-riches romp for the whole family.

Pippi is the high-spirited, warm-hearted incarnation of every child’s dream of freedom and power. Dressed in strange clothes and living with her horse and pet monkey, she possesses supernatural strength and untold wealth. Now the rollicking adventures that put her at odds with the demands of life in a small town fill an effervescent family musical.

Strong Male Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

Strong Female Lead(s)

THEOPHILUS NORTH

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

by Matthew Burnett based on the novel by Thornton Wilder Dramatic Comedy | 4m, 3f | 120 minutes

by Helen Jerome adapted from the novel by Jane Austen Comedy | 10m, 16f | Full Length Play

In Newport, RI, during the height of the Jazz Age in summer, 1926, Theophilus North searches for adventure and his place in the world. Quitting his teaching position in New Jersey, and stranded in Newport after his jalopy breaks down, Theophilus takes odd jobs (tennis instructor, French tutor, private reader…) in houses of the wealthy, infiltrating himself into the lives and troubles of Newport’s residents, both upstairs and downstairs. But the greatest adventure in store is not at all what he had imagined.

Mrs. Bennett is determined to get her daughters married. Jane, Elizabeth, and Lydia are likely-looking girls in a period when a woman’s one possible career is matrimony. To be a wife is to be successful, anything else, a failure. Jane and her Mr. Bingley and Lydia with her Mr. Wickham are quite content with things as they are, but not Elizabeth! She refuses to marry Mr. Collins, whom she openly deplores, and Mr. Darcy, whom she secretly adores. Strong Female Lead(s)

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Strong Male Lead(s)

PAGE TO STAGE

F H OL ER D E

PIPPI LONGSTOCKING: THE FAMILY MUSICAL

NEW!

A THURBER CARNIVAL

by James Thurber Comedy | 5m, 4f | Full Length Play

THE PLAY’S THE THING

Winner of a special Tony Award in 1960, these sketches of humorous scenes from American life include some of Thurber’s most celebrated and insightful satires: The Night the Bed Fell, Gentlemen Shoppers, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and the unforgettable File and Forget in which Thurber recounts his famous correspondence with various publishers who ship him books which he doesn’t want and never ordered.

Shakespeare’s well-known plays and beloved characters are reinterpreted with humor, modern twists, and new ideas. Give your actors the challenge of performing the Bard, without that tricky iambic pentameter.

Ensemble

TWISTED TALES OF TERROR

by Jeanine Harvey Comedy, Mystery | 16m, 21f | 90 minutes

In a spooky graveyard, the darkly lovely Claudia, a Guardian of Dark Tales, retells famous horror stories much to the delight of her lumpy husband, Igor. As she tells classics such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jekyll and Hyde, the characters come to life. However, the stories are all a bit different than we expect. In fact, instead of being terrifying, they are actually quite humorous. Characters behave in unexpected ways, accidents occur, but all turns out well. Ensemble

Find more great works of literature and adaptation by using the Advanced Search feature on the Samuel French website and searching for the subgenre “Adaptations (Literature).”

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

PAGE TO STAGE

THE BOMB-ITTY OF ERRORS

RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET

written by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano Gregory J. Qaiyum, and Erik Weiner music by Jeffrey Qaiyum Comedy, Play with Music | 4m or f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock, Operetta

by Bob Carlton Comedy | 7m, 4f, extras | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

Ensemble

Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

Blast off on a routine flight and crash into the planet D’Illyria where a sci-fi version of The Tempest set to rock and roll golden oldies unfolds with glee. The planet is inhabited by a sinister scientist, Dr. Prospero; his delightful daughter Miranda; Ariel, a faithful robot on roller skates; and an uncontrollable monster, the product of Prospero’s Id, whose tentacles penetrate the space craft.

An award-winning Ad-Rap-Tation, hip-hop theatre retelling of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. The show lasts one hour and thirty minutes and is part play and part rap concert. Refreshingly current but retaining the integrity of the original.

THE FIFTEEN MINUTE HAMLET

ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD

by Tom Stoppard Comedy | 4m, 2f | Short Play

by Tom Stoppard Comedy | 14m, 2f, extras | Full Length Play

The best-loved lines from Shakespeare’s play are condensed into a hilarious thirteen minute version. This miraculous feat is followed by an encore – a two minute version! The multitude of characters is played by six actors with hectic doubling, and the action takes place at an abridged Elsinore Castle.

The fabulously inventive telling of Hamlet from the worm’s-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play. In Stoppard’s best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

Ensemble

IN JULIET’S GARDEN

Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

by Judith Elliot McDonald Farce/Comedy | 7f | 40 minutes

Juliet invites four other heroines of Shakespeare’s classics: Katharina, Portia, Ophelia, and Desdemona to lunch in her favorite garden in Verona to discuss ‘issues’ they all have with their plots. Shakespeare has also been invited, but instead sends an envoy, his literary agent and editor Jacqueline de Boys, who attempts to save the day with the help of Juliet’s Nurse.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S LAND OF THE DEAD

by John Heimbuch Dramatic Comedy | 8m, 2f, 1boy(s), 8m or f | 90 minutes

London, 1599. Shakespeare’s Henry V opens the Globe Playhouse, but while the actors strut and fret, an excess of bile plagues the populace outside. When the company’s costumer is bitten by a plague-ridden madman, and the Queen and her men arrive seeking safety, life in the playhouse takes a turn for the worse. As the affliction spreads through London, the Globe is placed in quarantine and the survivors within must fight for their lives. Can they escape? Is there a cure? Is artistic integrity ever worth dying for? A true and accurate account of the Elizabethan zombie plague.

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

KEN LUDWIG’S

MIDSUMMER/JERSEY Comedy | 5m, 10f | 120 minutes

A hilarious high-octane re-telling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream set on the boardwalk of a seaside town in modernday New Jersey. The story revolves around the impending marriage of the Governor of New Jersey, the love affairs of four beach-bound high school crushes, a lively crew of fairies and the staff of the local beauty salon. The night takes a magical turn when Oberon and the impish Puck arrive on the scene armed with a powerful love potion and a desire for mischief making.

PERICLES BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: AS PERFORMED BY MS. GOWER’S 1ST GRADE CLASS

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes

We have 456 different versions of Shakespeare’s plays. If you’re looking for something a little more faithful to the original, you can find it at samuelfrench.com

adapted by Jeffrey T. Bower Comedy | 12boy(s) or girl(s) | 40 minutes

A classic is restored as a group of hyper and unfocused children try their best at performing a light hearted and comical version of the traditional tale. Narrated by their teacher, Ms. Gower, the story follows Pericles’ travels and adventures. From saving starving nations by delivering fast food, to gallantly fighting knights with his plastic sword, to winning over hearts with his dance skills, this clever “play-within-a-play” is a well-crafted ball of mayhem, perfect for theatrical competitions or pleasing your audience.

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THE PLAY’S THE THING

F H OL ER D E

Ensemble

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: VOLUMES 1 – 3

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

by Joann Rose Leonard Collection/Anthology Flexible Casting | Short Plays

Get swept up in stories from around the world. Featuring family-friendly fairytales and modern takes on myths, this collection of tales is great for actors of all ages. Many titles include roles for young performers and large casts.

VOLUME 1

Folktales from around the world. Flex-gendered and diverse roles are incorporated into plays from an array of world cultures. These short plays offer timeless, universal lessons and cultural insights. Multicultural Roles

THE RIDDLE OF THE TAMBOURINE THE RING OF TRUTH QUACK, QUACK, STICK TO MY BACK! WISDOM FOR SALE ALL THE WEALTH ONE NEEDS EAST OR WEST, HOME IS BEST THE GREAT BEAR OF ORANGE

VOLUME 2 THE HANDLESS MAIDEN KISMET THE MONEY GARDEN MOZART IT ISN’T THE SHADOW STORIES THE STORY KEEPER THE WHITE DOVES

VOLUME 3 THE HEALING LEAVES JOHNNY APPLESEED IN CYBERSPACE SEARCH FOR PERFECTION SONG OF THE SEA THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP THE PRIDEFUL PRINCESS

THE (ALMOST) TOTALLY TRUE STORY OF HANSEL AND GRETEL

by Steph Deferie Comedy | 5m, 7f, 2boy(s), 3girl(s), Flexible Casting | 60 minutes

Poor Streptococcus. It should be easy for a fairy godmother to tell the story of Snow White, but her wand is bent and things aren’t going quite as they should. To make things worse, she’s interrupted by a couple of policemen, hot on the trail of two very devious and dangerous criminals. Their names? Hansel and Gretel! Streptococcus doesn’t believe a word of it and neither do the well-behaved pair of kiddies who volunteer to help tell her tale.

A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE

music & lyrics by Rick Hip-Flores book by Ben H. Winters Comedy | 4m, 4f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Musical Piano Only

A boy named Samuel is tired of his life. It’s nothing but rules, rules, and more rules! So when Sammy meets the Tooth Fairy, and she confesses that she’s bored with her own life and wishes she could be just a regular lady, the two arrange a swap. Samuel becomes the new Tooth Fairy, and the Tooth Fairy heads off to New York City. A musical comedy filled with fairy dust, bright shiny quarters, and maybe just a small molar – sorry, moral – about being true to who you really are. Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

by Ruth Newton Comedy | 12m or f | Short Play

by Kim Esop Wylie Comedy | 8boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

The Fairy Godmother needs help from the audience because she is out of practice and not at all certain her magic is going to work properly. Cinderella is a natural, joyous girl with a bubbling sense of humor and great honesty. Of course, she and the Prince live happily ever after. There is ample opportunity for optional ballet court dances.

This short play weaves five of Aesop’s most famous fables into a show that’s fun, fast-paced, and full of surprises. Also available:

MORE AESOP'S (OH SO SLIGHTLY) UPDATED FABLES

THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPERS

Strong Female Lead(s)

book by Ross Mihalko and Donna Swift music by Linda Berg lyrics by Ross Mihalko Comedy | 1 girl(s), 10m or f, Flexible Casting | 60 minutes Piano Only | Easy Vocals | Classic Broadway

by Daniel Elihu Kramer from stories collected by Allan Hayton and Daniel Elihu Kramer Comedy | 16boy(s) or girl(s) | 40 minutes

A lively journey through Native American stories of Coyote, the trickster. Coyote is always trying to trick someone, but things rarely turn out quite as he plans. Through his adventures, Coyote tries to get a new name from the Spirit Chief, stops his friends Lizard and Cottontail from making fingers for the humans, steals salmon from five arguing sisters, and learns the trick of throwing his eyes (but has a little trouble getting them back).

Ensemble

Also available:

Multicultural Roles

THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPERS (PLAY)

(A COMEDY OF TRAGIC PROPORTIONS)

This extremely adaptable comedy shows the other side of several familiar fairy tales when two of their biggest villains, the Big Bad Wolf and the Wicked Witch, are brought to trial. Both the Wolf and the Witch have been frolicking from fairytale to fairytale wreaking havoc. Hear personal accounts of what happened, told in testimonies and flashback sequences, from characters such as Snow White, Dorothy, Sleeping Beauty, the Three Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and many others, including the Witch and the Wolf themselves.

It’s funny, easy to produce, tells a classic story and gets a ton of kids on stage. In other words, it’s the show you’ve been looking for. A cast of more than 20 play nearly 40 characters to tell a creative, innovative, and truly hilarious version of the ancient Greek myth of Jason and his heroic quest for the Golden Fleece. Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

THE ILIAD, THE ODYSSEY AND ALL OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY IN 99 MINUTES OR LESS

book by Ross Mihalko and Donna Swift music by Linda Berg lyrics by Ross Mihalko Comedy | 3m, 3f, 3boy(s), 3girl(s), Flexible Casting | 60 minutes Piano Only | Easy Vocal | Classic Broadway

by Jay Hopkins and John Hunter Comedy | 3m, 2f, Flexible Casting | 99 minutes

With the clock ticking in front of everyone’s eyes, the cast speeds through all of Greek mythology. It's funny, updated, and made easy to understand. The Gods walk the red carpet. The Creation of Mankind is a botched subcontractor's job. Man and Pandora try settling down despite an ominous wedding gift. Love stories are a dating show and the Greek Tragedies are sports highlights!

Jack has his head in the clouds and his nose in a book of fairytales. When the magic beans Jack trades for the family cow grows into a gigantic beanstalk, he finally gets the chance to have an adventure of his own. Now if he can only find the treasure, save his family, and get the cow back, today might just really be his magical fairytale after all. Strong Male Lead(s)

Ensemble

Also available:

BEANSTALK! THE PLAY!

BEWARE THE JABBERWOCK

FAIRY TALE COURTROOM

by Dana Proulx Comedy | 28boy(s) or girl(s) | 75 minutes

by Scott Lynch-Giddings Comedy | 10m, 13f, 5boy(s) or girl(s) | 105 minutes

BEANSTALK! THE MUSICAL

COYOTE TALES

When those goof-off grasshoppers arrive in Ancient Greece, the ants discover all the forbidden fun they’ve been missing, but when Winter arrives, the Queen leaves those good-for-nothing grasshoppers out in the cold. Now it’s up to Eddie, the Queen’s son, to save the colony from dying…of boredom! A hilarious twist on the classic fable.

ARGONUTS: JASON & THE QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN FLEECE

CINDERELLA

book & lyrics by Jerrod Bogard music by Sky Seals and Emily Fellner Comedy | 6m, 2f, Flexible Casting | 75 minutes Piano Only

by Ron Nicol Comedy | 1m, 3f, 12boy(s) or girl(s) | 40 Minutes

Emma and Lucy are lost in Tulgey Wood, a mysterious forest full of weird and wonderful creatures. Trying to find their way home, they encounter boisterous Toves and anxious Raths. Joined by intrepid but hapless knight Percy, they come face to face with the awesome Jabberwock – and then Lucy is bandersnatched! Eventually the Jabberwock’s terrible secret is revealed, and the children find out what “frumious” really means.

Follow Jack up the beanstalk once more in this zany, 45 minute musical romp! In this modern day fable the giant isn’t just some tall guy in the clouds. He’s the CEO of a giant farming corporation: Big Aggie Reaping Farms (B.A.R.F.). Through his battle with the Giant, Jack discovers that greed consumes itself, and only through the help of our neighbors will we all prosper. Strong Male Lead(s)

Strong Female Lead(s)

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JACK AND THE SOY BEANSTALK

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

F H OL ER D E

AESOP’S (OH SO SLIGHTLY) UPDATED FABLES

JUST SO

ROBBERS ARE EVERYWHERE Comedy | 8boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

by Jan Silverman based on the classic stories by Rudyard Kipling Comedy | 6boy(s) or girl(s), Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

A poor man turns the tables on a greedy rich woman, using her own greed to trick her into returning his few precious coins she has tricked from him.

Including favorites tales such as “How the Camel Got His Hump,” “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin,” “The Elephant’s Child,” “The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo,” “The Beginning of the Armadillos,” and “The Cat That Walked by Himself,” Silverman playfully captures Kipling’s fascination with legends, the nature of man, and the way things became the way they are today. An enjoyable, timeless script for all ages.

THE TRIAL OF THE STONE Comedy | 1m, 1f, 16boy(s) or girl(s), Flexible Casting | Short Play

A couple hides their one and only coin under a stone, not knowing they are being watched by thieves who then steal the coin. They tell the facts of the case to a judge who accuses the stone of being the thief.

Ensemble

STORY THEATRE

MIRROR, MIRROR

adapted for the stage by Paul Sills from stories in the Grimm Brothers’ collection and Aesop’s Fables Comedy/Fantasy | 5m, 3f | Full Length Play

by Sarah Treem Dramatic Comedy | 6m, 5f | 90 minutes

In this dark comedy, based on Snow White, ten teenagers love, lose, betray, and avenge each other over one autumnal weekend in a kingdom far, far away. At a high school homecoming dance in the south, Gretchen Black, the most popular girl in school, lights a cigarette and asks the mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all. The mirror shows her a horrible witch instead of her own reflection. A mysterious new girl named Rose White arrives. She has no hips or chest to speak of, but her skin shines white as snow And, she’s after Gretchen’s boyfriend, Badger Biers.

Originally on Broadway in the 1970s, here you’ll meet Henny Penny, the Golden Goose, Venus and the Cat, the Fisherman and His Wife, The Robber Baron, the Bremen Town Musicians, and other favorites. The fables require talented actors with expressive bodies. Both family friendly and top-drawer adult theatre. Ensemble

THREEE: THREE FUNNY FOLKTALES

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s)

NICK TICKLE, FAIRY TALE DETECTIVE

THE LION WHO ROARED

When a noisy lion won’t let his jungle neighbors get a good night’s sleep, he’s challenged to three contests by the Popalopalus: a new “animal” that all the jungle animals join together to create. This Popalopalus proves to be biggest, strongest and, most of all, loudest. Lion must trade his roar for a whisper.

Granny can’t tell her favorite fairy tales because someone really cruel and evil is stealing all the props! Breadcrumbs, magic beans, a basket of goodies, a glass slipper – all missing! The future of fairy tales is at stake and it’s up to the title character to set things right. With detective reasoning, his connections to the fairy tale underworld, plus some dumb luck, Nick Tickle sets out to locate the Mysterious Figure who’s been pilfering all the props!

A FAIR PRICE

Three women are cheated out of three copper coins by merchants who want to charge them for the shade under a cart, the smell of a honey cake, and hearing the sound of a flute. The women win the day by putting a different twist on the same trick.

Also available:

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF NICK TICKLE, FAIRY TALE DETECTIVE

BANANA SANDWICH IN A BOAT

A foolish bridegroom who must find three fools greater than himself before the wedding can take place. Luckily for him, the world proves to have no shortage of fools.

by J. Michael Straczynski Dramatic Comedy | 11boy(s) or girl(s) | 60 minutes

An enchanting and timeless classic. The vain and wicked Queen seeks to destroy her rival in beauty. The Dwarfs are obstinate, generous, mean, kind, and totally appealing. The Prince is a true Prince, sometimes foolish, always brave, and Snow White is as lovely and lovable as legend says.

THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE

Flash the Hare wants to prove that he is the fastest animal in the forest. He only has one more forest animal to beat in a race so he can claim his title: Theodore the Tortoise.

by Colleen Neuman Collection/Anthology

THE UGLY DUCKLING

by A. A. Milne Comedy | 4m, 3f | Short Play

STONE SOUP

Arrangements have been made for Prince Simon to marry Princess Camilla. The King and Queen are nervous because – let’s face it – Camilla is plain! It is decided that a beautiful maid will impersonate Camilla until the wedding. The Prince hears of Camilla’s beauty and, considering himself rather plain, has his extremely handsome man Carlo impersonate him.

Comedy | 6boy(s) or girl(s) | Short Play

A tramp convinces a family of bickering sisters to help make a pot of soup that sweetens their natures and changes their lives. The tramp puts his “soup stone” in a pot of water and then convinces the arguing sisters to add potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and more. So thrilled are they at the result, the sisters set about planning their next soup and forget to argue.

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

by Candice Cain Comedy | 10boy(s) or girl(s) | 30 minutes

Ensemble

STONES

by Colleen Neuman Collection/Anthology Comedy | 2m, 2f, 66boy(s) or girl(s), Flexible Casting | Short Plays

by Steph Deferie Comedy | 5m, 4f, 2boy(s), 2girl(s), Flexible Casting | 60 minutes

SNOW WHITE

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

adapted for the stage by Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass Fantasy/Comedy | 30m or f | Full Length Play

ADVENTURE AWAITS!

Originally produced, and later revived, on Broadway, the most successful dramatic version of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, offering myriad opportunities for multiple roleplaying over a range of types and ages. Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

Travel through fantastic lands, battle pirates on the high seas, or ride out on the Wild West! Packed with action and adventure, these titles let performers explore inventive storytelling, creative stagecraft, and stage combat.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

adapted by Brainerd Duffield from Lewis Carroll’s story Fantasy/Comedy | 20 boy(s) or girl(s) | Full Length Play

Alice plunges down the rabbit hole and finds herself in a madcap and deliciously satiric series of adventures as immortalized by Lewis Carroll. Dramatized as a series of fourteen episodes, it’s a kaleidoscope of action and madness, with the necessary elements of suspense and frustration to make it all work. Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

A BOY CALLED LIZARD

by James J. Mellon music & lyrics by James J. Mellon and Scott DeTurk based on the novel Lizard by Dennis Covington Drama | 8m, 5f | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band

With his sea-green eyes more displaced than most people’s and a nose deformed at birth, Lucius Sims, or “Lizard” as he is called by his friends at school, looks and feels like a freak due to his reptilian features. So when Callahan, a shoe salesman from up North arrives and claims to be his father, Lizard takes a chance. He escapes from his miserable life at the reformatory into the madcap world of Callahan’s traveling theater troupe and their ragtag production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Strong Male Lead(s)

CANDIDE

by Scott Hunter adapted from Voltaire’s Candide Comedy | 12m, 16f, 20boy(s) or girl(s) | 120 minutes

Candide, the unlucky innocent, is lead through a series of outlandish, side-splitting misadventures in order to be reunited with his childhood love. Along his journey he encounters shipwrecks, pirates, war, Inquisitions, earthquakes, volcanoes, revolution, slave traders, brothels, and sheep – lots of sheep. Throughout his Job-like escapades, he is forced to question his optimistic outlook: is life a cruel or kind expedition? Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

THE COWARD

by Nick Jones Comedy | 7m, 1f | 90 minutes

A period comedy set in 18th century England. A cowardly young gentleman named Lucidus initiates a pistol duel, then finds that he can’t go through with it. He hires a common criminal to fight in his place, only to have the scoundrel make a bloody mess of things. As duel follows duel with many shots fired, this coward finds his reputation growing beyond his wildest expectations.

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ADVENTURE AWAITS!

F H OL ER D E

Cautions: Gun Shots Ensemble

MASTERPIECE

DEADWOOD DICK, OR THE GAME OF GOLD!

by Nathan Metcalf Comedy | 1m, 1f, 8m or f | 30 Minutes

by Tom Taggart Melodrama | 7m, 7f | Full Length Play

A young artist is on a journey to create her one great masterpiece. On the way she learns lessons about life, art, flamingos, playing the tuba, Georgia O’Keefe, really fat ducks, monkeys wearing roller skates, and the joy of coloring outside the lines. A strong ensemble, poetic language, and expressionistic visual elements make Masterpiece perfect for students or adults.

A blood and thunder melodrama based on Edward L. Wheeler’s 19th century dimestore novels about the “Robin Hood of the Black Hills.” Taking the most exciting plots, the most colorful characters, and the most amusing dialogue from these novels, Taggart has fashioned an adventurous and theatrical western. Long lost daughters, stolen gold mines, kidnapped heroines and hairbreadth escapes abound!

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

Multicultural Roles

PETER PAN

THE FRONTIER TRILOGY

by J.M. Barrie Fantasy/Adventure | 25 boy(s) or girl(s) | Full Length Play

NEW!

by Jethro Compton Collection/Anthology

The everlasting classic account of the Darling children who follow Peter Pan and the invisible fairy, Tinker Bell, into Neverland, where children never grow old and where Captain Hook and his pirates are outwitted. Barrie’s original non-musical version.

BLOOD RED MOON Drama | 3m, 1f | Short Play

The Hill Brothers journey west to California. Gold and fortune await, but so too does the blood moon – an omen warning that death follows close behind. Brotherhood has kept them together; jealousy threatens to tear them apart.

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH

by Susan Nanus based on the book by Norton Juster Comedy/Fantasy | 19 m or f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

THE CLOCK STRIKES NOON Drama | 3m, 1f | Short Play

Here are Milo’s adventures in the Land of Wisdom where he’s forced to think about many new things. Milo learns of the argument between King Azaz and his brother, the Mathemagician whose disagreement over words and numbers has led to the banishment of Princesses Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason. Milo is dispatched to rescue the Princesses from the Land of Ignorance. The knowledge and skills Milo picks up on his journey help him to save the Princesses. When he must return home, Milo’s sorry to leave his friends – but enriched by his experience, he realizes his attitude towards learning will never be the same.

Trapped, guns near empty, the clock is ticking. Walker must make the choice: do what’s easy, or do what’s right. The railroad shines like a beacon of the modern age; for the people of Cooper’s Ridge, it brings only darkness.

THE RATTLESNAKE’S KISS Drama | 3m, 1f | Short Play

Hidden deep in the dust of the American West, the outlaw comes face to face with the lawman in search of justice. His life of murder is far behind, but can he ever escape the man he was born to become?

Ensemble

THE PIRATE MUSICAL!

HORSEMAN

book, music & lyrics by Michael Tester Comedy/Adventure | 12 boy(s) or girl(s) | Full Length Musical Large Orchestra

by S. Daly Sweeney a versed and somewhat broad adaptation of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Dramatic Comedy | 7m, 8f | Short Play

A book is pulled from a treasure chest and we spin the tale of Hoagy and Shirley. Once in a blue moon, these best friends find themselves shipwrecked in their imaginations, this time on the mystical island of Wacky Tacky Boo. Once a paradise, the island’s natural resources have been plundered by Pollution Pirates. The local animals enlist the aid of our heroes in preventing the pirates from devastating their habitat.

Irving’s delightful characters find themselves facing questions of young romance, social status, and the supernatural. The narrative body, the old and wise women of Tarrytown, lead us through the tale of Ichabod Crane and his quest for love and security. Steeped in the tone of the original short story, this one act blends the energy of light character ensemble performance with the power of poetry, closing in a purely theatrical crescendo of sight and sound.

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

Ensemble

THE JUNGLE BOOK

THE PIRATE SHOW

by Mark Landon Smith Comedy/Adventure | 15m, 13f | Full Length Musical

by Tracey Power adapted from the novel by Rudyard Kipling Comedy | 3m, 2f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

Swashbuckling pirates, sea battles, buried treasure, and a pygmy or two make up this high seas adventure! ARGH! Set in late 19th century London, Nigel and Virginia Huddersfield, orphaned brother and sister, are living under the cruel Miss Persimmon Crudmudgeon. Fed up with their life, the brother and sister flee only to be separated when the all-female crew of the Pretty Penelope and the all-male crew of El Bandido Loco kidnap them. Both crews are in pursuit of the treasure of Captain Mauvebeard and the Caribbean Ruby, buried on Pygmy Island.

A lively, youthful, and ultimately powerful adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic. Abandoned in the jungle, Mowgli must find his place within the longstanding community of animals. Taught by Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther, and Akela the old wolf, Mowgli is enlightened with the sacred master words of the hunting people, “We be of one blood, you and I.” However, Shere Khan the tiger does not believe that Mowgli is part of the jungle only because he is a human.

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

ADVENTURE AWAITS!

ROBIN HOOD

L. FRANK BAUM’S THE WIZARD OF OZ

by Larry Blamire Dramatic Comedy | 14m, 7f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes

by Claude Townley adapted from the story by L. Frank Baum Drama | 17boy(s) or girl(s) | 75 minutes

The conflicting legends and ballads about the outlaw folk hero are combined here into a hysterical, sprawling, action-packed drama. In his retelling, Blamire has created roles that challenge and reinvent the myth, including a wise-cracking, superior swordsperson in Marian, and a Robin who only by chance finds himself a hero.

From the moment the spotlight focuses on Dorothy and her clever dog, Toto, this enchanting tale begins to spin as the sounds of a tornado are heard. You’ll fall in love all over again with this clever, modern, and exciting stage version of Dorothy’s adventures in the wonderful land of Oz. Terrific fun! Strong Female Lead(s)

Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

ROBIN HOOD

by Don Nigro Comedy | 14m, 8f, Flexible Casting | More than 120 minutes

YO, VIKINGS!

NEW!

book & lyrics by Marcus Stevens music by Sam Willmott based on the book by Judith Byron Schachner Comedy | 7m, 6f, 1boy(s) | 90 minutes Piano Only | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway, Pop/Rock

In a land where the rich get richer and the poor are starving, Prince John wants to cut down Sherwood Forest to put up an arms manufactory, a slaughterhouse, and a tennis court for the well to do. This bawdy epic unites elements of wild farce and ancient mythologies with an environmentalist assault on the arrogance of wealth and power in the face of poverty and hunger.

The mini-saga of 10-year-old Emma Katz, the fiercest Viking in Swarthmore, PA, and her quest for real adventure. Yo, Vikings! combines sweeping melodies, thrilling Viking chants, and funky rock ‘n roll with a beautiful, heart-warming story to engage and excite every member of the family.

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

Strong Female Lead(s)

SHOES ALONG THE HIGHWAY

by Maureen Brady Johnson Dramatic Comedy | 4m, 4f | Short Play

During a trip from California to Ohio, Jeremy challenges the world to think, “How does one shoe end up on the highway?” Through his photography, Jeremy attempts to draw attention to the stories behind the shoes. When he lets his work “speak for itself ” and one of the shoes’ stories is discovered, Jeremy is not prepared for the answer that brings him face to face with reality.

YOUR SWASH IS UNBUCKLED, STAGE COMBAT PLAYS: VOLUMES 1 & 2

by Jeff Goode Collection/Anthology, Comedy | Flexible Casting | Short Plays

These short plays about piracy, brigandry, and heart-robbery combine tongue-in-cheek wordplay with swashbuckling swordplay in stories about buccaneers, damsels, gladiators, Amazons, and rapscallions of all shapes and sizes. This unique collection of playlets can be used to create a full night of entertainment or in the classroom for teaching stage combat techniques. Of special note: these combat scenes contain roles for both male and female combatants.

Strong Male Lead(s)

KEN LUDWIG’S

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

from the novel by Alexandre Dumas Dramatic Comedy | 8m, 4f | 120 minutes

The story, set in 1625, begins with d’Artagnan who sets off for Paris in search of adventure. Along with d’Artagnan goes Sabine, his sister, the quintessential tomboy. Sent with d’Artagnan to attend a convent school in Paris, she poses as a young man – d’Artagnan’s servant – and quickly becomes entangled in her brother’s adventures. Soon after reaching Paris, d’Artagnan encounters the greatest heroes of the day, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the famous musketeers, and he joins forces with his heroes to defend the honor of the Queen of France.

VOLUME 1: JOLLY JACK JUNIOR: THE BUCCANEER’S BAIRN LEWD LOVES OF A LUSTY LAUNDRESS THE BAWDY BRIGANDESS SIR SIMON’S SECOND THE HARLOT AND THE HIGHWAYMAN GLADIATORS GLORIOUS THE AMAZON AMBASSADOR MAIDS MADE MEN

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

VOLUME 2:

KEN LUDWIG’S

TREASURE ISLAND

THE LEGENDS OF ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN MUTINY ON THE BOOTY THE TROJAN DIPLOMAT DON JUAN’S WANTONS THE HARLOT AND THE HYPOCRITE MONSIEUR LATOIT’S LESSON ARC’S ANGELS FLOUNCY’S FANCY GLADIATRIX GOSSIP THE PRINCE IN THE POPPIES MY CONQUISTADOR

adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson Dramatic Comedy | 9m, 2f | 120 minutes

From the masterful adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson comes this stunning yarn of piracy on the tropical seas. It begins at an inn on the Devon coast of England in 1775 and quickly becomes an unforgettable tale of treachery and mayhem featuring a host of legendary swashbucklers. At the center of it all are Jim Hawkins, a 14-year-old boy who longs for adventure, and the infamous Long John Silver, who is a complex study of good and evil, perhaps the most famous hero-villain of all time.

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ADVENTURE AWAITS!

F H OL ER D E

Strong Male Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

BEGETS: FALL OF A HIGH SCHOOL RONIN

YOU ENCOUNTER A LEVEL-3 TROLL

NEW!

by Qui Nguyen Dark Comedy | 3m, 5f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

In this action-packed samurai story set inside the halls of an allAmerican high school, Begets: Fall of a High School Ronin tells the tale of Emi Edwards, a high school geekgurl who’s fighting to overthrow the cruel shoguns of her school. However in her journey to right wrongs, will her own cravings for popularity and power corrupt her quest to save the school? Will she able to establish a new world order? Or will violence just beget more violence? Cautions: Strong Language Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

COPIES

Advance to the next level of theatre with plays inspired by comic books, roleplaying, and video games. Battle armies of orcs, swarms of zombies, and supervillians intent on destroying the planet in these sci-fi and geek theatre titles.

by Brad Slaight Dramatic Comedy | 2m, 6f | 90 minutes

Teenage clones are sent to “Camp I.M.U.” fresh from the lab to make a transition into the world of the “Originals” who have ordered them made. The newest “Copy” (a word they prefer to “clone”) to arrive is a very bright and positive teenager named Michael who soon realizes that his stay at the camp is much longer than he had thought. Michael befriends a rebellious Copy named Melissa, who does not get along with her Original and refuses to change her attitude in order to please her. She informs Michael, and the other Copies, that she is going to escape from the camp and fight for what she calls “copy rights.” Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

by Georg Osterman Comedy | 3m, 5f, 1m or f | Full Length Play

A modern take on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic science-fiction novel. A mild mannered librarian has brutally butchered sixteen and one half people. The distinguished pneuro-physicist Dr. Henry Jekyll believes this is a case of a rare theoretical disease called quantum synaptic dualism. He ingests a special concoction that changes the good doctor into a loathsome stand up comedian whose act trades on violence, misogyny, homophobia, and ethnic slurs. Strong Male Lead(s)

GEEK!

by Crystal Skillman Comedy | 2m, 4f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes

To score a rare meeting with their comic book idol, teenage outcasts Dayna and Honey will take on obsessive Magic players, Jedi, elves, cos-players, and convention guards through all nine flights of Ohio’s “Dante’s Fire Con.” But when the dark nature of their quest breaks through the fantasy of their cos-playing, they find that no game can mask the deep loss they’ve recently shared, unless they truly discover who they are. Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

Also available:

GEEK! HIGH SCHOOL EDITION Edited for content.

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

YOU ENCOUNTER A LEVEL-3 TROLL

STARMITES

IN LOVE AND WARCRAFT

music & lyrics by Barry Keating book by Stuart Ross and Barry Keating Comedy | 5m, 6f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Broadway, Pop/Rock

by Madhuri Shekar Comedy | 3m, 3f | 105 minutes

Evie Malone, gamer girl, college senior, and confirmed virgin has it all figured out. Not only does she command a top-ranked guild in Warcraft, she also makes a little cash on the side writing love letters for people who’ve screwed up their relationships. Then Evie actually falls for a guy. In Real Life. And no amount of gaming expertise will help her out when she finds herself with a totally real boyfriend who wants more from her than she’s willing to give.

Shy Eleanor has built a fantasy world around the sci-fi comic books she collects. She has learned to avoid the pains of growing up by escaping into fantasy, imagining herself to be an unrecognized superhero. When she is mysteriously thrust into the website world of her favorite comic book, Eleanor is drawn into the conflict between the Arch-Creep of Chaos, and the Starmites, guardian angels of Innerspace. She turns out to be the legendary Milady, teen superhero who must lead the Mites to save the galaxy.

Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

Also available:

STARMITES HIGH SCHOOL

NEIGHBORHOOD 3: REQUISITION OF DOOM

6m, 8f | 105 minutes

Streamlined and upgraded for maximum fun and effectiveness for today’s audiences, young and old. This show is designed with students in mind – contemporary songs, funny dialogue, and real heart and soul to the story.

by Jennifer Haley Dark Comedy | 2m, 2f or Flexible Casting | 75 minutes

In a suburban subdivision with identical houses, parents find their teenagers addicted to an online horror video game. The game setting? A subdivision with identical houses. The goal? Smash through an army of zombies to escape the neighborhood for good. As the line blurs between virtual and reality, parents and players realize that fear has a life of its own.

STARMITES LITE 11m, 15f | 75 minutes

This one act version has a playing time of approximately one hour and twenty five minutes. The original creators have adjusted the story line and musical numbers so that theatre beginners can participate in this wonderful show.

Cautions: Intense Adult Themes, Strong Language Ensemble

SUPER SIDEKICK: THE MUSICAL

book by Gregory Crafts music & lyrics by Michael Gordon Shapiro Comedy | 3m, 1f, 3m or f | 60 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Broadway, Pop/Rock

THE PANIC BROADCAST OF 1938

by Michael Druce Comedy | 5m, 9f | 75 minutes

When famous superhero Blackjack the Bold is kidnapped, it’s up to his assistant Inky to step up and save the day! Little does he know that he’ll also have to contend with Ninja Koalas, dark caves, secret weapons, and an abducted princess who’s considerably braver than he is. Colorful characters, witty humor, and an upbeat catchy score make this musical treat for young audiences, and an engaging project for thespians of all ages.

In this comedy based on the events of the famous Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds radio broadcast, it is the evening of the broadcast and nothing is happening in the quiet and sleepy town of Misty Valley. But then the world turns upside down. Martians have invaded and Misty Valley is caught in the middle of a war of the worlds! Cautions: Gun Shots Multicultural Roles

Strong Male Lead(s)

ZOMBIE PROM

book & lyrics by John Dempsey music by Dana P. Rowe based on a story by John Dempsey and Hugh Murphy Comedy | 5m, 5f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Broadway, Pop/Rock

SHE KILLS MONSTERS

by Qui Nguyen Dramatic Comedy | 3m, 6f | Full Length Play

Agnes leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into an action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge. A heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

This girl-loves-ghoul rock-and-roll musical is set in the atomic 1950s at Enrico Fermi High, where the law is laid down by a zany, tyrannical principal. Pretty senior Toffee has fallen for the class bad boy. Family pressure forces her to end the romance, and he charges off on his motorcycle to the nuclear waste dump. He returns glowing and determined to reclaim Toffee’s heart. He still wants to graduate, but most of all he wants to take Toffee to the prom.

Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s)

Also available:

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

SHE KILLS MONSTERS: YOUNG ADVENTURERS EDITION

Also available:

Edited for content.

ZOMBIE PROM: ATOMIC EDITION 60 minutes adapted by Marc Tumminelli

REQUEST A LICENSE AT SAMUELFRENCH.COM

YOU ENCOUNTER A LEVEL-3 TROLL

F H OL ER D E

Revised for length and content.

ABSOLUTELY MURDER

by Guernsey LePelley Comedy, Mystery | 5m, 8f | Full Length Play

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

A body – which just won’t stay dead, it seems – is found in a chest in an abandoned gunpowder factory. This has all the elements of the classic “dark-and-stormy-night” mysteries: a young girl and her two rival boyfriends, stranger-than-strange strangers, a mysterious doctor, a murderer, and that corpse that just won’t stay put! Find out which boyfriend Kate decides to marry, who the murderer is, and what happens to the wandering corpse!

Complete with dark and stormy nights, dreary mansions, and the occasional dead body, our best age-appropriate thrillers, and a few classics, too. From the humorous to the whodunit, these titles will keep your audience on the edge of their seats.

AFRAID OF THE DARK

by James Reach Farce, Mystery | 6m, 7f | Full Length Play

Chauncey and Lillums arrive at an isolated country estate, “Stone Mansion” for their honeymoon. Chauncey confesses he’s been “afraid of the dark” ever since childhood. Having unburdened himself, the lights suddenly go out! When they come back on, Chauncey and Lillums are surrounded by fantastic characters and find themselves in the midst of a spy plot! Ensemble

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

by Agatha Christie Mystery/Drama | 8m, 3f | 90 minutes

The Queen of Crime’s most popular stage thriller! Ten strangers are trapped on an island of the coast of Devon, England. A mysterious voice accuses each of having gotten away with murder and then one drops dead – poisoned. One by one each person is accused of murder; one by one they start to die. Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

Also available:

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, ENHANCED EPLAY

ANY BODY FOR TEA?

by C.B. Gilford Comedy | 3m, 6f | 30 minutes

Detective Dennis O’Finn, investigating the death of an elderly lady, discovers that he is the motive for murder. Six sweet but slightly balmy ladies are all in love with their bachelor neighbor, the handsome, forty-ish O’Finn. To lure him to visit, they stage a homicide. But to keep him around, they must do it again! Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble (Female)

AWESOME GHOSTS OF ONTARIO

by Catherine Pelonero Comedy | 2m, 3f | 30 minutes

Ghosts are haunting the woods of Ontario and Alice Wimbley, avid ghost hunter and disgruntled Tim Hortons employee, is going to prove it! Armed with her recorders and a crew consisting of her skeptical friend, her sardonic sister, and her paranormallyinclined cousin, Alice boldly treks into the deep forest determined to get the spirits on tape. There’s definitely something strange and scary in these woods, but Alice and her friends are about to find more than they bargained for. Strong Female Lead(s)

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

BRENDA BLY: TEEN DETECTIVE

THE GREAT GREY GHOST OF OLD SPOOK LANE

book & lyrics by Kevin Hammonds music by Charles Miller Mystery | 4m, 13f | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band

It’s 1958 – a time of rock and roll, space discovery, and great hope for a bright future. But trouble is brewing at the Whitney Ellis Private School For Girls. Only days away from the opening night of the end of term musical, “Rocket Girl,” the leading lady is knocked unconscious with a sandbag. It’s up to our favorite teenage sleuth, Brenda Bly, to solve the crime, catch the crook, and save the day.

Roger is the new kid in town. The kids at school tell him about a haunted house and dare him to go in. Roger feels he has to do it to get “in” with the gang. So on a rainy night they all meet and push him in through a window. The house isn’t empty! An elderly man lives there. Together he and Roger teach the other kids a lesson! Strong Male Lead(s)

Strong Female Lead(s)

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

THE BUTLER DID IT

adapted by David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story Dramatic Comedy | 8m, 2f | Full Length Play

by Tim Kelly Farce, Mystery | 5m, 5f | 75 minutes

London. 1889. Detective Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Dr. John Watson are called in to investigate a most intriguing mystery: What frightened Sir Charles Baskerville to death? Is there a curse on the Baskerville family? Is Sir Henry, Sir Charles’ young heir, being stalked by a Hound from Hell? Holmes and Watson pursue the answers to these questions from their rooms in Baker Street, through the streets of London and on to the moors of Devonshire.

This comedy parodies every English mystery play ever written: Miss Maple, a dowager with a reputation for “clever” weekend parties, invites a group of detective writers to eerie Ravenswood Manor on Turkey Island. The hostess has arranged all sorts of amusing incidents: a mysterious voice on the radio, a menacing face at the window, a mad killer on the loose. Then a real murder takes place. Miss Maple is outraged! She offers an immense reward to the “detective” who can bring the killer to justice. Laughs collide with thrills as the true killer is unmasked!

Cautions: Gun Shots, Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

Also available:

LET’S MURDER MARSHA

THE BUTLER DID IT, AGAIN

by Monk Ferris Comedy | 3m, 4f | 90 minutes

6m, 6f | 90 minutes

A happy housewife named Marsha, hopelessly addicted to reading murder mysteries overhears her loving husband discussing her upcoming birthday surprise. To her ears, though, it sounds like they are planning to murder her! With the assistance of her next door neighbor she tries to turn the tables on them with a poisoned potion.

CLUE: THE MUSICAL

book by Peter DePietro lyrics by Tom Chiodo music by Galen Blum, Wayne Barker and Vinnie Martucci Comedy, Mystery | 5m, 3f | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

Cautions: Alcohol

THE MOUSETRAP

The world’s best known murder suspects from the internationally popular game are brought to life in this fun-filled musical. Audiences are invited to help solve the mystery: who killed Mr. Boddy, in what room and with what weapon? With over 216 possible solutions, only one hard-nosed female detective is qualified to unravel the merry mayhem.

by Agatha Christie Melodrama | 5m, 3f | Full Length Play

A group of strangers is stranded in a boarding house during a snow storm, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the newly married couple who run the house, a spinster with a curious background, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a retired Army major, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. Into their midst comes a policeman. To get to the rationale of the murderer’s pattern, the policeman probes the background of everyone present, rattling lots of skeletons.

Ensemble

DONE TO DEATH

by Fred Carmichael Comedy, Mystery | 8m, 8f | Full Length Play

Ensemble

Once-famous mystery writers involve the audience as they apply their individual methods to solving various murders. They include a couple who write sophisticated murders, a young author of the James Bond school, a retired writer of the hard hitting method, and an aging queen of the logical murder.

MURDER AT THE PROM

by Peter DePietro Comedy, Mystery | 3m, 2f, 1m or f | 90 minutes

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes

It’s Senior Prom! Bask in the glory of your recent varsity victory and cheer as the king and queen are selected from among the guests. But beware! Glory days soon turn into gory days as one among you is murdered, then another. The list of suspects includes class snobs Charles Jonathan Edward Buckley III and Margot Ralston, the class outcast Patty Primpinpoof, and a couple from the wrong side of the tracks, Vinnie DiMici and Bella Baloopi.

EXIT THE BODY

by Fred Carmichael Farce, Mystery | 5m, 5f | Full Length Play

A mystery writer rents a New England house that is the rendezvous point for jewel thieves. The hunt for the jewels reaches a climax at 2 am when four couples, unknown to each other, turn up to search.

Cautions: Gun Shots, Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

F H OL ER D E

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book, music & lyrics by Anne Phillips Comedy, Mystery | 1m, 4boy(s), 4girl(s), 1boy(s) or girl(s) Full Length Musical | Piano Only

MYSTERY AT WHIMBOWLY MANOR

by Natasha L. Cederberg Comedy, Mystery | 6m, 18f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

MAKE ’EM LAUGH

When Lady White’s diamond necklace disappears after a dinner party, a police detective is called in. The case seems simple enough to Lady White’s husband and daughter, but when bumbling detective Bradley Baxter arrives and sends the household into disorder and frustration, the case becomes anything but simple.

Give your actors the chance to exercise their funny bones, practice their pratfalls and learn the art of comic timing with these classic screwball comedies and farces.

ROPE

by Patrick Hamilton Drama | 6m, 2f | Full Length Play

A noirish thriller made famous by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 film. For the mere sake of adventure, danger, and the “fun of the thing,” Wyndham Brandon persuades his weak-minded friend Charles Granillo to assist him in the murder of a fellow undergraduate. They place the body in a wooden chest, and to add spice to their handiwork, invite a few acquaintances, including the dead man's father, to a party. Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

SAM SPUD, PRIVATE EYE

by Maureen Ulrich Comedy, Parody | 9m, 6f | Full Length Play

A parody of the cheap detective novel. Sam Spud is a down-onhis-luck private eye with a fondness for junk food and cliches. Lula Baum-Schell, a gorgeous former model and actress, hires Sam to help find her husband, Edward, a wealthy dog food magnate. Will Sam be able to solve this case before the kidnappers kill Edward? Your guess is as good as ours! A fun, silly noir-style comedy that high schools could really have a blast with! Strong Male Lead(s)

SOMETHING'S AFOOT

book, music & lyrics by James McDonald, David Vos, and Robert Gerlach additional music by Ed Linderman Comedy, Mystery | 6m, 4f | 120 minutes Medium Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

A zany musical that takes a satirical poke at Agatha Christie mysteries and musical styles of 1930s English musical halls. Ten people are stranded in an isolated English country house during a raging thunderstorm. One by one they're picked off by cleverly fiendish devices. As the bodies pile up in the library, the survivors race to uncover the identity and motivation of the cunning culprit. Strong Female Lead(s)

WHILE THE LIGHTS WERE OUT

by Jack Sharkey Comedy, Mystery | 5m, 9f | 90 minutes

A thunderstorm! The lights go out! An agonized voice! A pistol shot! The lights come up! A blonde in black lace stands over the dead man holding a bloody dagger! This is but the opening of one of the most astounding and hilarious murder mysteries ever staged. The delightful evening of mayhem gallops madly about the stage and will leave your audience breathless with surprise and laughter. Cautions: Alcohol

Find even more mysteries and whodunit parodies at samuelfrench.com. While there, check out the Agatha Christie Boutique to see the Queen of Crime’s canon of great plays.

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

DON’T DRINK THE WATER

THE 39 STEPS

by Woody Allen Comedy | 12m, 4f | Full Length Play

adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock, licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited and an original concept by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble Farce, Mystery | 3m, 1f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes

Behind the Iron Curtain, an American tourist, his wife, and daughter rush into the embassy two steps ahead of the police who suspect them of spying. It’s not much of a refuge, for the ambassador is absent and his son, now in charge, has been expelled from a dozen countries and the continent of Africa. Nevertheless, they carefully and frantically plot their escape, and the ambassador’s son and tourist’s daughter even have time to fall in love.

A man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on his trail in a nationwide manhunt across Great Britain! Packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters, an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance, this show is a riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft.

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes

NEIL SIMON’S

FOOLS: A COMIC FABLE

Cautions: Gun Shots Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

Comedy | 7m, 3f | Full Length Play

Leon Tolchinsky has landed a terrific teaching job in an idyllic Russian hamlet. When he arrives he finds people sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and people milking upside down to get more cream. The town has been cursed with Chronic Stupidity for 200 years and Leon’s job is to break the curse. No one tells him that if he stays over 24 hours and fails to break the curse, he too becomes stupid. But, he has fallen in love with a girl so stupid that she has only recently learned how to sit down.

BOEING BOEING

by Marc Camoletti translated by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans Farce, Comedy | 2m, 4f | 120 minutes

This 1960s French farce adapted for the English-speaking stage features self-styled Parisian Lothario Bernard, who has Italian, German, and American fiancées, each a beautiful airline hostess with frequent “layovers.” He keeps “one up, one down, and one pending” until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris and Bernard’s apartment at the same time.

Strong Male Lead(s)

THE MISER

by Freyda Thomas inspired by Moli ère’s L’Avare Comedy | 7m, 3f | Full Length Play

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

A comedic classic adapted from Molière’s most famous prose play. The elderly Harpagon obsesses over the feeling that he never has enough money, and unfortunately his obsession wreaks havoc on all around him. This includes his two children, Elise and Cleante, who are passionately in love with a valet and the girl next door, respectively. While Harpagon’s arranged them to be married to absurdly mismatched types, the two smart children plot against their frugal father until all erupts in a climatic dinner, and truths are revealed.

CASH ON DELIVERY!

by Michael Cooney Farce, Comedy | 6m, 4f | 120 minutes

This fast-paced British farce concerns a con artist who has duped the welfare authorities for years by claiming every type of benefit for the innumerable people he claims live at his address. This scam nets him tens of thousands tax free. Just when he decides to kill off many of the imaginary dole recipients because matters are getting a bit too risky, welfare investigators show up. Some make inquiries about what is going on, while others offer additional benefits for which he has not yet applied.

Strong Male Lead(s)

MUFFIN MAN

by Camille Harris Comedy | 4m, 4f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Musical Piano Only

Strong Male Lead(s)

On Lyla’s first day at The Perky Coffee Bean she discovers that Justin (her long-time crush) delivers the muffins. With the help of coffee shop regulars Gary and Kevin, the shop owner Sadie, Lyla’s best friend Kat, and various other customers, she finally gets up the courage to tell him how she feels. A modern take on the classic nursery rhyme, Muffin Man will leave a smile on your face.

CHARLEY’S AUNT

by Brandon Thomas Farce, Comedy | 6m, 4f | Full Length Play

Jack Chesney loves Kitty Verdun and Charley loves Miss Amy Spettigue. They invite the ladies to meet Charley’s wealthy aunt from Brazil, “where the nuts come from.” Canceling her visit at the last minute, the millionaire aunt sends the boys into cataclysmic confusion. What do they do now? The problem is solved by drafting their feckless Oxford undergrad pal into a black satin skirt, bloomers and wig. As “Charley’s Aunt,” this charming frump is introduced to the ladies, to Jack’s father and to Stephen Spettigue, Amy’s guardian. When the real aunt turns up, classic comic confusion ensues as Fancourt Babberley, posing as “Charley’s Aunt,” tricks Spettigue into agreeing to the marriage of his ward, the real aunt marries Jack’s father, Jack gets Miss Verdun, and Fanny Babs regains the fortune he lost at gambling as well as the girl he loves.

Strong Female Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

ON THE BOARDWALK

by Thomas Hischak Comedy | 5m, 4f | 120 minutes

Atlantic City, the summer of 1910. Our protagonist Jack, who often goes by the name of Jonathan Pippin, is in love with Lily. Lily, on the other hand, is in love with Jonathan Pippin! When Jack’s father tells Jack that he is to marry Lily, Jack couldn’t be happier and Lily couldn’t be more unhappy. As the plot thickens, secrets are revealed, more love lives are tangled, and chaos ensues all on the Atlantic City Boardwalk!

Strong Male Lead(s)

MAKE ’EM LAUGH

F H OL ER D E

REQUEST A LICENSE AT SAMUELFRENCH.COM

Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

PECCADILLO

by Gardon Kanin Comedy | 4m, 2f | Full Length Play

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Maestro Vito De Angelis, an egomaniacal but charming conductor, is under contract to deliver his autobiography. The publisher has paid a huge advance and Vito has just fired his fifth ghost writer. The publisher sends pretty Iris Peabody, knowing that Vito is a sucker for the ladies. The stratagem works, a fact that distresses Mrs. Vito, former opera star Rachel Garland. She hires a handsome young ghost writer to write her autobiography: Mrs. Maestro. Strong Male Lead(s)

Celebrating a life in the theatre, backstage drama, and onstage antics, this collection includes classics of the genre by theatre’s biggest names and short plays that work great for competitions.

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE

by Steve Martin Comedy | 7m, 2f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

An absurdist comedy that places Einstein and Picasso in a Parisian cafe in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism. Bystanders, including Picasso’s agent, the bartender and his mistress, Picasso’s date, an elderly philosopher, and an idiot inventor introduce additional flourishes of humor. The final surprise patron to join the merriment is a charismatic dark haired singer time warped in from a later era. Cautions: Alcohol Strong Male Lead(s)

NEIL SIMON’S

RUMORS

Farce, Comedy | 5m, 5f | Full Length Play

At a large, tastefully appointed Sneden’s Landing townhouse, the Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself. Though only a flesh wound, four couples are about to experience a severe attack of farce. Gathering for their tenth wedding anniversary, the host lies bleeding in the other room and his wife is nowhere in sight. His lawyer, Ken, and wife Chris must get “the story” straight before the other guests arrive. As the confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into classic farcical hilarity. Cautions: Alcohol, Gun Shots, Strong Language Ensemble

THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL

an adaptation of the play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan adapted by Charles Jeffries and Jerry Knight Comedy | 9m, 4f | Full Length Play

A notorious high-society gossip employs several unscrupulous acquaintances in an attempt to break up a relationship between Charles Surface, whom she desires, and Maria, who stands to inherit a fortune and is in turn desired by one of the gossip’s coconspirators! A new look at Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s classic play. Excellent for high school and college actors! Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS & MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

MAKE ’EM LAUGH

COMPETITION PIECE

NOISES OFF

by John S. Wells Comedy | 10m, 10f, Flexible Casting | Short Play

by Michael Frayn Comedy | 5m, 4f | 120 minutes

This comedy is an ideal competition play. Three groups prepare for a student drama competition. One has lots of rehearsal and chooses a romance. The meatheads decide to do a typical teen problem play. The arty clique wants to do King Lear as a Japanese Noh drama.

This smash, and oft-revived, Broadway and West End hit sets the standard for the modern farce. A manic menagerie of itinerant actors attempt to rehearse and then perform a flop of a classic British farce called Nothing’s On. Doors slamming, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play.

FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

by Jack Frakes Comedy | 13f | Short Play

An amateur theatre group’s final dress rehearsal of Cinderella is a disaster: Cinderella is late, the sassy stage crew is noisy, and the author feels her brainchild is being ruined.

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN

by Francis Swann Comedy | 7m, 5f | Full Length Play

Ensemble

Six young actors, and roommates, try to lure their downstairs neighbor, a Broadway producer, to their apartment to see them perform. As neighbors do, he comes up to borrow a cup of flour. At last the kids have him and they aren’t going to let him go until he sees some evidence of their ability, so they stage a murder.

KEN LUDWIG’S LEADING LADIES Comedy | 5m, 3f | 120 minutes

Two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, find themselves so down on their luck that they’re performing “Scenes from Shakespeare” on the Moose Lodge circuit. When they hear that an old lady is about to leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives. Trouble is, they find out that the relatives aren’t nephews, but nieces!

Ensemble

PLAY ON!

by Rick Abbott Comedy | 3m, 7f | 90 minutes

A theater group tries desperately to put on a play in spite of maddening interference from a haughty author who keeps revising the script. Act I is a rehearsal of the dreadful show, Act II is the near disastrous dress rehearsal, and the final act is the actual performance, treating the audience to a madcap climax.

Strong Male Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

KEN LUDWIG’S LEND ME A TENOR

Cautions: Alcohol, Gun Shots Ensemble

Comedy | 4m, 4f | 120 minutes

September, 1934. Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world-famous Tito Morelli, Il Stupendo, to appear for one night only as Otello. The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers. In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Morelli’s Otello costume and fool the audience into thinking he’s Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his other costume ready to perform. Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo.

THE SCHEME OF THE DRIFTLESS SHIFTER

by Carolyn Lane Melodrama | 4m, 5f | Short Play

A cast and crew try to produce a serious melodrama despite a series of unfortunate setbacks. Through it all, the players valiantly try to surmount the confusion and create an atmosphere of madcap zeal! Ensemble

Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble

STAGE FRIGHT, OR “LAUGH?, I THOUGHT I’D DIE! “

MAKING NICE

by Todd McGinnis Dramatic Comedy, Mystery | 16m, 6f, 1girl(s), 1m or f | 105 minutes

by Alan Haehnel Comedy | 8m, 4f | Short Play

A tale told in four vignettes, the theatre venue itself becomes a character in this alternately terrifying, hilarious and intriguing journey across the history of a haunted playhouse.

A dictatorial director interrupts a performance of Cymbeline and forces the abused cast and crew to beat the production into shape. Enter two representatives from OSHA’s theatre division: OSHAT.

Multicultural Roles

KEN LUDWIG’S MOON OVER BUFFALO

STAGE KISS

Comedy | 4m, 4f | 120 minutes

by Sarah Ruhl Comedy | 4m, 3f | 120 minutes

Strong Male Lead, Strong Female Lead, Ensemble

Cautions: Alcohol, Drugs, Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

REQUEST A LICENSE AT SAMUELFRENCH.COM

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

F H OL ER D E

Art imitates Life. Life imitates Art. When two actors with a history are thrown together as romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama, they quickly lose touch with reality as the story onstage follows them offstage. Stage Kiss captures Sarah Ruhl’s singular voice. It is a charming tale about what happens when lovers share a stage kiss—or when actors share a real one.

George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s, are working in Buffalo, NY in a rep with five actors. On the brink of a disastrous split-up, they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinée, and if likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that can go wrong does.

ALL THE KING’S WOMEN

by Luigi Jannuzzi Docudrama/Comedy | 17f, 7m or f | 90 minutes

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES

The story of Elvis Presley told through the eyes of 17 Women! Some Enthralled! Some Appalled! ALL OBSESSED! A fast paced series of 5 comedic plays and 3 monologues. From Tupelo, Mississippi where 11-year-old Elvis wanted a BB gun instead of a guitar, to The Steve Allen Show; from President Richard Nixon’s office, to Andy Warhol’s studio; from Cadillac Salesmen, to Graceland guards, this is a touching, bring-the-family comedy. Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

THE AMISH PROJECT (ENSEMBLE)

Whether ripped from the headlines or torn from the history books, these plays based on real-world events give students an opportunity to understand and participate in the world around them.

by Jessica Dickey Drama | 3m, 4f | 75 minutes

A fictional exploration of the Nickel Mines schoolhouse shooting in an Amish community and the path of forgiveness and compassion forged in its wake. Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

Also available:

THE AMISH PROJECT

The original one-woman solo piece.

BLOOD AT THE ROOT

NEW!

by Dominique Morisseau Drama | 3m, 3f | 105 minutes

An ensemble drama based on the Jena Six, six black students who were initially charged with attempted murder for a school fight after being provoked with nooses hanging from a tree on campus. This play examines the miscarriage of justice, racial double standards, and the crisis in relations between men and women of all classes. Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

DEFYING GRAVITY

by Jane Anderson Dramatic Comedy | 3m, 4f | Full Length Play

This free-structured look at the 1986 Challenger disaster places the teacher who died with six others as they hurtle into space. It artfully weaves the past with the present and the lives of participants and bystanders, drawing parallels among painter Claude Monet’s artistic quest, the zest of the teacher selected to the first civilian astronaut, the perspectives of her grieving daughter, the guilt felt by a NASA mechanic, and his girlfriend’s fear of heights. Cautions: Flying, Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

ELEPHANT’S GRAVEYARD

by George Brant Drama | 10m, 3f | 75 minutes

The true tale of the tragic collision of a struggling circus and a tiny town in Tennessee, which resulted in the only known lynching of an elephant. Set in September of 1916, the play combines historical fact and legend, exploring the deep-seated American craving for spectacle, violence and revenge. Cautions: Alcohol, Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

Also available:

ELEPHANT’S GRAVEYARD (ONE ACT VERSION) 40 min

Perfect for high schools looking to perform the play at theatre competitions or for producers looking for a shorter version of the original script.

LD E FO ER H

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES

FACING OUR TRUTH: TEN MINUTE PLAYS ON TRAYVON, RACE, AND PRIVILEGE

LEADER OF THE PACK: THE ELLIE GREENWICH MUSICAL

by Anne Beatts music & lyrics by Ellie Greenwich and Friends based on the original play by Melanie Mintz additional material by Jack Heifner Comedy, Biography | 4m, 10f, flexible roles | 90 minutes Large Band | Easy Vocals | Pop/Rock

NEW!

Collection/Anthology

In light of the George Zimmerman verdict, The New Black Fest commissioned six diverse playwrights to write 10 minute plays. The purpose of this collection is to provoke serious discussion in our collective communities around these urgent issues.

This hit Broadway musical retrospective celebrates the life and times of Ellie Greenwich, whose doo wop sounds skyrocketed to the top of the sixties charts. The story of Ellie’s rise to fame and fortune is punctuated with the virtual Hit Parade of her music: “Chapel of Love,” “Da Do Ron Ron,” “Be My Baby,” “And Then He Kissed Me,” and, of course, the title song “Leader of the Pack.”

Multicultural Roles

THE BALLAD OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN by Dan O’Brien music by Quetzal Flores Drama | 2m, 1f | Short Play

A folk opera recreating the ten minutes leading to the murder of Trayvon Martin and exploring the mind of his killer.

Strong Female Lead(s)

MONSTER MAKERS

COLORED

by Stephen Dolginoff Drama | 4m, 1f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Piano Only | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

by Winter Miller Drama | 4m, 3f | Short Play

Interactions between passengers on a subway ride escalate dangerously.

A musical triple-feature inspired by monstrously true, behindthe-scenes tales. In 1920s Germany, director F.W. Murnau fears he may lose a lawsuit brought by the estate of Bram Stoker. In 1930s Hollywood, make-up man Jack Pierce works carefully to create the defining look for Frankenstein’s monster. In 1970s England, actor Peter Cushing hopes to finish the final sequels to Frankenstein and Dracula before outside forces threaten to get in the way. Sometimes real life can be even more frightening than the movies!

DRESSING

by Mona Mansour and Tala Manassah Drama | 1m, 1f | Short Play

A mother teases her son over his attire. He pushes back playfully; they play this game all the time. Later, the mother experiences an unimaginable loss, shedding light on the nature of the vulnerability of the physical self.

NIGHT VISION

A PIECE OF MY HEART

by Dominique Morisseau Drama | 1m, 1f | Short Play

by Shirley Lauro Drama | 1m, 6f | 120 minutes

Ayanna and Ezra witness a woman getting beaten on the street by a man in a hooded sweatshirt. After diffusing the situation, they return to their apartment to call the police and discover how their accounts of the attacker differ.

A true drama of six women who went to Vietnam: five nurses and a country western singer booked by an unscrupulous agent to entertain the troops. The play portrays each young woman before, during, and after her tour in the war-torn nation and ends as each leaves a personal token at the memorial wall in Washington.

NO MORE MONSTERS HERE by Marcus Gardley Satire | 3m, 2f | Short Play

Cautions: Alcohol, Drugs, Gun Shots, Strong Language Mild Adult Themes, Smoking Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

A young white female visits a psychiatrist and gets diagnosed with “Negro-phobia”: a fear of African-American people. The only treatment is for her to spend three days literally living in the body of a young African American male.

THE SPIRIT OF LIFE

by David F. Eliet Drama | 3m, 6f, Flexible Casting | 40 minutes

SOME OTHER KID

by A. Rey Pamatmat Drama | 2m, 1f | Short Play

Drawing on material from Yaffa Eliach’s book, Hasidic Tales of The Holocaust, the play relates the experiences of individuals, many of them young people, during the Shoah. The play examines some of the mechanisms of the Final Solution and tells of the hatred and prejudice that fueled this unthinkable event.

Three young people weigh the potentially liberating privileges and the potentially deadly consequences of being just some other kid.

HAZELWOOD JUNIOR HIGH

WOMEN AND WAR

by Rob Urbinati Drama | 6f | 90 minutes

by Jack Hilton Cunningham Drama | 1m, 4f, Flexible Casting | 60 minutes

At first, Hazelwood Jr. High is like any other middle school – cliques and crushes, dances and detention. But when a new girl unwittingly steps into a “love triangle,” a revenge plot is hatched and events spin out of control, escalating into a shocking and unimaginable climax. Based on a true story. NOTE: An alternative, less violent scene is included in the script.

A collection of stories based on historical fact, told by generations of Americans impacted by conflict from The Great War to the War in Afghanistan. From housewife to worker, young bride to nurse, mother to widow, and now, young woman to soldier, these are tales of sacrifice, love, determination, and hope told by those on the home front and on the battlefield.

Cautions: Alcohol, Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

Also available:

WOMEN AND WAR (ONE ACT VERSION)

REQUEST A LICENSE AT SAMUELFRENCH.COM

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES

F H OL ER D E

Drama | 5m, 8f, Flexible Casting | 40 minutes

ANATOMY OF GRAY

by Jim Leonard, Jr. Drama | 4m, 5f | Full Length Play

ROADTRIP ACROSS AMERICA

When June’s father dies, she prays for a healer to come to the small town of Gray, so that no one will ever suffer again. The next thing she knows, there’s a tornado, and a man in a balloon blows into town claiming to be a doctor. At first, the new doctor cures anything and everything, but soon the town’s preacher takes ill with a mysterious plague. And then the plague begins to spread. Set in Indiana during the late 1800s, the play deals with death, loss, love, and healing in a unique coming of age story. Strong Female Lead(s)

Discover the charms of rural life, the quirks of suburbia, the drama of big cities, and even a few tourist traps along the way. This collection of plays bring you an array of stories all adding to the diversity of American culture.

CALIFORNIA ODYSSEY

by Jack Frakes Comedy | 8m, 9f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

A romantic comedy (with a touch of fantasy and myth) about the hopes, struggles, and adventures of Corky, Tad, and Jinx, on a day-and-a-half trip from San Francisco to San Diego. Squabbles over the journey, fears from a hitchhiker, a rescue from an old prospector, temptations over opening a treasure box given to Jinx, and romance between Jinx and the two young men cause delays, adventures…and fun. Ensemble

FAITH COUNTY

by Mark Landon Smith Comedy | 3m, 6f | Full Length Play

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the south, there’s a place where the beehive hairdo is still the rage and Saturday nights are reserved for the tractor pull in nearby Pickler. A colorful collection of good ol’' country folk gather for this year’s county fair, and there’s stiff competition in the arts and crafts category. Ensemble

GREATER TUNA

by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard Comedy | 2m or f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes

One of the most produced plays in American theatre history. Two (or more) actors play over 20 residents of Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas. From Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie at the microphones of Radio OKKK (broadcasting at a big 275 watts when they remember to turn the transmitter on) to Didi Snavely of Didi’s Used Guns to Yippy, the Pet of the Week, Tuna’s citizens parade across the stage in all their outrageous and irreverent glory, commenting on life, politics, and what makes them (and sometimes us) tick. Strong Male or Female Lead(s) or Ensemble

Also available:

RED, WHITE AND TUNA A TUNA CHRISTMAS TUNA DOES VEGAS

INFINITE BLACK SUITCASE

by EM Lewis Drama | 9m, 6f | 120 minutes

The story of one day in a small Oregon town and three families who are trying, in the most loving and human ways, to deal with death and dying. Cautions: Language Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

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ROADTRIP ACROSS AMERICA

LA GRINGA

THE SUNKEN LIVING ROOM

by Carmen Rivera Comedy | 3m, 3f | 105 minutes

by David Caudle Dramatic Comedy | 2m, 2f | 105 minutes

A young woman’s search for her identity. Maria goes to visit her family in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holidays and arrives with plans to connect with her homeland. Once there, she realizes that Puerto Rico does not welcome her with open arms. The majority of the Puerto Ricans on the island consider her an American: a gringa. If she’s a Puerto Rican in the United States and an American in Puerto Rico, Maria concludes that she is nobody everywhere.

November, 1978. Wade Minnick, 16, is a slender, effeminate bookworm in suburban Miami. With his parents away, Wade settles down in the family’s showpiece living room to read A Passage To India. His volatile brother Chip, 17, takes off on a dubious errand, leaving Wade alone with Chip’s foxy pothead girlfriend. “Freak” Tammy teaches “brain” Wade more about life and about himself than he could learn from a dozen novels. Cautions: Drugs, Intense Adult Themes, Strong Language, Nudity/ Partial Nudity, Open Flame, Smoking Strong Male Lead(s)

Strong Female Lead(s), Multicultural Roles

Also available:

LA GRINGA (SPANISH)

THE TALL GIRLS

Full play in a Spanish language version

by Meg Miroshnik Drama | 1m, 5f | 120 minutes

PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES

Inspired by the flourishing and then decline of high school girls’ basketball teams in the 1930s rural Midwest. The tiny hamlet of Poor Prairie doesn’t see a lot of folks coming to town, least of all men. They’ve all left to find desperately needed work. So when one gets off the train, everybody talks, especially the high school girls looking for a meal ticket. As for that meal ticket? He may just have it after all, if he can get his girls good enough at basketball to sell a few tickets. And keep them from marrying off. And out of fights.

by John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan John Schimmel, and Jim Wann Dramatic Comedy | 4m, 2f | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band | Pop/Rock, Country/Western

The “Pump Boys” sell high octane on Highway 57 in Grand Ole Opry country and the “Dinettes” Prudie and Rhetta Cupp, run the Double Cupp diner next door. Together they fashion an evening of country western songs that received unanimous raves on and off Broadway. With heartbreak and hilarity, they perform on guitars, piano, bass, and, yes, kitchen utensils.

Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

Ensemble

THINGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME

by Katherine DiSavino Comedy | 3m, 3f, 1m or f | 90 minutes

SEALED FOR FRESHNESS

Olivia and Gabe are moving across the country to Chicago and into their first apartment together. Their moving day doesn’t go exactly as planned, when all of their parents show up to help! Can a two-bedroom apartment contain all the love, laughs, worry and wisdom that’s about to happen? A generational look at relationships, and how parents pass their best lessons to their children, without even meaning to.

by Doug Stone Comedy | 1m, 5f | Full Length Play

It’s 1968, the heyday of Tupperware parties. Hostess Bonnie invites a group of neighbors over for a party. The guest list: perky, rich Jean, Jean’s very pregnant sister Sinclair, ditzy blonde Tracy Ann, and new neighbor Diane (who’s made quite a career selling Tupperware). The mix of personalities and the number of martinis consumed lead to absurd hijinks plus revelations secrets and insecurities.

Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Strong Female Lead(s)

Ensemble

THROUGH THE NIGHT

by Daniel Beaty Dramatic Comedy | 1m or Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

SEE ROCK CITY & OTHER DESTINATIONS

A timely and inspiring story of possibility and hope, weaving together a unique blend of humor, poetry, music, and drama. It portrays a community of people who experience an unexpected epiphany on the same evening that changes their lives forever.

book & lyrics by Adam Mathias music by Brad Alexander Dramatic Comedy | 4m, 3f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock, Country/Western

Strong Male Lead(s) or Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

A contemporary musical about connections missed and made at tourist destinations across America. Wanderers, romantics, and even a bride-to-be each encounter unexpected struggles and adventures in various locations across the country. With a book full of humor and humanity, and a score that incorporates pop, rock, folk and more, each story builds on the last to create a vivid travelogue of Americans learning to overcome their fears and expectations in order to connect.

VROOOMMM!

by Janet Allard conceived and developed with Michael Bigelow Dixon Comedy |6f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

In this breezy “NASComedy” the fast lane is stalled to a screeching halt by the arrival of a woman driver on the NASCAR scene. Egos get bruised as Holly “Legs” Nelson starts stealing the show, driving so fast some think she’s cheating. Her rival, Hotshot, wants to sabotage her success, which results in a fast-paced story of NASCAR drivers and their kooky fans, all in pursuit of highoctane glory. And for the sexism of these chauvinist drivers? Well, they’re all played by women!

Ensemble

Also available:

SEE ROCK CITY & OTHER DESTINATIONS: SCENIC ROUTE A school version, adapted to be more community-friendly. Most of the content remains the same but some language has been changed to suit more youthful audiences and performers.

ROADTRIP ACROSS AMERICA

F H OL ER D E

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Ensemble ( female)

35MM: A MUSICAL EXHIBITION

music & lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver based on photographs by Matthew Murphy Song Cycle | 3m, 2f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Small/Combo, Medium Band | Difficult Vocals Broadway, Pop/Rock, Country/Western

AND NOW, SOMETHING DIFFERENT

A picture is worth 1,000 words – what about a song? Can a picture inspire a song or even fifteen? In 35mm, each photo creates an unique song, moments frozen in time; a glimmer of a life unfolding, a glimpse of something happening. A stunning new multimedia show that reimagines what the modern American musical can be. Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

Beyond the bright lights of Broadway lies daring performance art, fun immersive theatre, and the bustling Off-Broadway scene. Introduce your performers to the nontraditional with these celebrated contemporary plays.

THE AWESOME 80s PROM

by Ken Davenport and The Class of ’89 Interactive Comedy | 12m, 8f | 90 minutes

A blast-from-the-past party in the style of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding and The Donkey Show set at Wanaget High’s Senior Prom… in 1989! All your favorite characters from your favorite ’80s movies are there, from the Captain of the Football Team to the Geek to the hottie Head Cheerleader, and they’re all competing for Prom King and Queen. Just like on American Idol, the audience decides who wins! Ensemble

THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY

by Kristoffer Diaz Dramatic Comedy | 5m | 120 minutes

In the world of professional wrestling, Macedonio Guerra is a “jobber,” the guy who loses to make the champions look good. When he discovers a brash, hip-hop influenced Indian kid from Brooklyn, he thinks he’s found the partner to take him straight to the top. His boss has other plans: pair the two in the ring as terrorists. A politically-minded comedy about wrestling, geopolitics, and raisin bread. Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Male Lead(s), Ensemble (Male), Multicultural Roles

EMILIE: LA MARQUISE DU CHÂTELET DEFENDS HER LIFE TONIGHT

by Lauren Gunderson Dramatic Comedy | 2m, 3f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes

Tonight, 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet is back and determined to answer the question she died with: love or philosophy, head or heart? In this highly theatrical, fast, funny, sexy rediscovery of one of history’s most intriguing women, Emilie defends her life and loves; and ends up with both a formula and a legacy that permeates history. Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s)

EURYDICE

by Sarah Ruhl Dramatic Comedy | 5m, 2f | Full Length Play

Sarah Ruhl’s reimagining of the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. Strong Female Lead(s)

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AND NOW, SOMETHING DIFFERENT

EXHIBIT THIS! THE MUSEUM COMEDIES

MIDDLETOWN

by Will Eno Dramatic Comedy | 6m, 6f, Flexible Casting | 120 minutes

by Luigi Jannuzzi Comedy | 2m, 3, Flexible Casting | 105 minutes

A deeply moving and funny new play exploring the universe of a small American town. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge and new arrival Mary Swanson, the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways in a journey that takes them from the local library to outer space and points between.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has come to life! A fast-paced series of seven comedic plays and six monologues based on 50+ exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Paintings, sculptures, antiquities, and fertility gods emerge from their molds and frames. Mix in some artists, guards, critics, lovers, curators, and one very special night and you have this comedic hit. Even the artwork speaks to the audience! Using a variety of theatrical styles and flexible casting makes it perfect for all schools.

Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble

MR. BURNS: A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY

Ensemble

by Anne Washburn Dark Comedy, Play with Music | 3m, 5f | Less than 120 minutes Small/Combo Band | Easy Vocals | Broadway, Pop/Rock

THE FAIRYTALE LIVES OF RUSSIAN GIRLS

by Meg Miroshnik Dark Comedy | 6f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes

An animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another. After the collapse of civilization, a group of survivors share a campfire and begin to piece together the plot of The Simpsons episode “Cape Feare” entirely from memory. Seven years later, this and other snippets of pop culture have become the entertainment of a post-apocalyptic society trying to hold onto its past. 75 years later, these are the myths and legends from which new forms of performance are created.

Once upon a time—in 2005—a twenty-year-old girl named Annie returned to her native Russia to brush up on the language and lose her American accent. Underneath a glamorous Post-Soviet Moscow studded with dangerously high heels, designer bags, and luxe fur coats, she discovers an enchanted motherland teeming with evil stepmothers, wicked witches, and ravenous bears. Cautions: Mild Adult Themes Strong Female Lead(s), Ensemble (Female)

Cautions: Gun Shots, Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

FAR AWAY

OFF OFF BROADWAY FESTIVAL PLAYS 40TH SERIES (2015)

by Caryl Churchill Drama | 1m, 3f | 60 minutes

This hour-long futuristic nightmare envisions a world where the promise of violence broods and nothing is to be trusted. This innovative work consists of three brief scenes. In the first, a young girl spending her first night in her new guardian’s house witnesses a bloody slaughter. Next, the girl, now grown, is spending her first day working in a hat factory. There, she and a young man concoct funny and elaborate hats that are to be worn for a horrific purpose. In the final scene, the boy and girl, now wed, are seeking refuge from global conflict.

Collection/Anthology

The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival fosters the work of emerging writers, giving them the exposure of publication and representation. Multicultural Roles

EVELYN SHAFFER AND THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME book & lyrics by Greg Edwards music by Andy Roninson Dramatic Comedy | 2m, 1f | Short Musical Piano Only | Moderate Vocals | Broadway, Pop/Rock

FUGITIVE SONGS

A 10-minute musical infused with a 32-bit score. Evelyn, an indie game designer has landed an interview for her dream job with Moonbeam Studios. As the interview progresses, she realizes just how quickly dreams can turn to delusion.

music by Chris Miller lyrics by Nathan Tysen Song Cycle | 3m, 3f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes Small/Combo Band | Difficult Vocals | Pop/Rock, Country Folk

An innovative song-cycle journey, conceived as half-musical/ half-hootenanny, spotlights people on the run: a disgruntled Subway sandwich employee, a jilted ex-cheerleader, a pair of Patty Hearst fanatics, and others. Blending traditional folk music with contemporary pop and gospel, this eclectic score provides material for a wide range of experienced singers and delivers poignant and thoughtful lyrics that capture each character’s “reasons to run.”

NARRATORS

by Simon Henriques Comedy | 4m or f | Short Play

Bill is a narrator. Walter is a narrator. Stephen is a stagehand but wishes he were a narrator. Being a narrator is the best job in the world. But as these narrators’ myopic world begins to fold in on itself, it becomes increasingly unclear which stories are worth telling.

Cautions: Intense Adult Themes Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

THE GULF

by Audrey Cefaly Drama | 2f | Short Play

THE INSANITY OF MARY GIRARD

On a quiet summer evening, somewhere down in the Alabama Delta, Kendra and Betty troll the flats looking for red fish. After Betty begins diagnosing Kendra’s dead-end life with What Color is Your Parachute, their routine fishing excursion takes a violent turn.

by Lanie Robertson Drama | 3m, 4f | Short Play

In 1790, Mary Girard’s husband has her committed to an asylum, after becoming pregnant by another man. Now, Mary sits in a chair as the “furies” dance around and impersonate people from her past. By the end of this haunting and highly theatrical piece, she has grown rather convincingly into her diagnosis.

THROWS OF LOVE

by Amy Staats Comedy | 1f, 3girl(s) | Short Play

AND NOW, SOMETHING DIFFERENT

F H OL ER D E

Three 13-year-old girls on a late night adventure have an unexpected meeting with their former Girl Scout leader.

Strong Female Lead(s)

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NEW!

SEABIRD IS IN A HAPPY PLACE by James Gordon King Drama | 1f | Short Play

COMFORT AND JOY

A woman purports to have died and come back to life under the condition that she die again as soon as the rain stops. But her resurrection coincides with a sudden romance that complicates her inevitable return to the state of being dead.

BLIND

by Gloria Calderon Kellett Comedy | 1m, 1f | Short Play

Add spice to your end-of-year holiday show with plays that go beyond that regular, old production of A Christmas Carol. Filled with festive spirit, these titles celebrate beloved traditions, family gatherings, and good cheer.

While a man waits for his blind date to show, a female stranger catches his eye and ends up being exactly who he was looking for.

RUNAWAYS

words & music by Elizabeth Swados Musical Revue | 11m, 9f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Pop/Rock

A collection of songs sung by troubled children. While the subject is primarily runaway children from broken homes, the piece also comments on the larger world in which the children live. Initially created from interviews with homeless children and those in orphanages, Liz Swados weaves songs about personal struggle and the world at large through the eyes of youth in New York City in the 1970s. The show blends different musical styles from pop to hip-hop, jazz to reggae, while asking why children can’t remain children. Ensemble, Multicultural Roles

TALKING WITH…

by Jane Martin Dramatic Comedy | 11f | Full Length Play

These extraordinary monologues received a standing ovation at Louisville’s Actors Theatre. Idiosyncratic characters amuse, move, and frighten, always speaking from the depths of their souls. They include a baton twirler, a fundamentalist snake handler, an ex rodeo rider, and an actress willing to go to any length to get a job. Ensemble (Female)

TOP GIRLS

by Caryl Churchill Dramatic Comedy | 7f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Play

Marlene has been promoted to managing director of a London employment agency and is celebrating. The symbolic luncheon is attended by women from legend or history who offer perspectives on maternity and ambition. In a time warp, these ladies are also her co-workers, clients, and relatives. Marlene, like her famous guests, has had to pay a price to ascend from proletarian roots to the executive suite: she has become, figuratively speaking, a male oppressor and even coaches female clients on adopting odious male traits. Marlene has also abandoned her illegitimate and dull witted daughter. Her emotional and sexual life has become as barren as Lady Macbeth’s. Ensemble (Female)

Our Advance Search feature can help you find even more great plays. Try the “experimental,” “from Off-Broadway,” or “musical revue/ cabaret” tags to discover something new.

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AND NOW, SOMETHING DIFFERENT

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!

MASHED POTATOES AND DAVEY

by Megan Orr Comedy | 2m, 2f, 5boy(s), 5girl(s) | Full Length Play

by Barbara Robinson Comedy, Play with Music | 4m, 6f, 8boy(s), 9girl(s), Flexible Casting 60 minutes | Piano Only | Easy Vocals

This year, in a stroke of good will, Mr. Masterson invites Davey Bryant over for Thanksgiving dinner. The Masterson kids are appalled: Davey, the biggest bully the kids at Faith Baptist Church have ever seen, is coming to eat at their house! Together, the four Masterson kids (and guests) hatch an anti-Davey campaign to get rid of the pest for good. With falling bowls of mashed potatoes, invisible dogs, turkey costumes, slingshots, and Pilgrims, one thing’s for certain – it’ll be a Thanksgiving they’ll never forget!

A couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids – probably the most inventively awful kids in history. Mayhem (and fun) ensues when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on! This delightful comedy is adapted from the best-selling young adult book, and has become a holiday staple for groups across the United States!

Ensemble

CHRISTMAS CAROL HIGH SCHOOL

SCROOGE!

by Mark Landon Smith Drama | 8m, 13f, Flexible Casting | 90 minutes

book, music & lyrics by Leslie Bricusse Dramatic Comedy | 10m or f, Flexible Casting | Full Length Musical Small/Combo Band | Moderate Vocals | Classic Broadway

The classic story is given a modern twist and set at West End High School. The campus “Scrooge” is Meredith Priestly, the most beautiful, most popular, meanest, nastiest girl in school! With uninterested and never present parents, the Queen Bee of the campus is in need of a reminder of what Christmas and friendship are all about. Visited by five ghosts, two of which are Patty and Patrick Prince, former West End Cheerleaders from the 1950s, Meredith is taken on a life changing journey.

In 1970, renowned writer-composer-lyricist Leslie Bricusse adapted the classic Charles Dickens tale A Christmas Carol into the hit screen musical Scrooge! Now it’s a charming stage musical. Included are six new songs not performed in the film. A sure-fire audience pleaser! Strong Male Lead(s)

Strong Female Lead(s)

Also available:

SCROOGE! (ABBREVIATED VERSION)

THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES

A 55 minute adaptation with selected musical numbers.

by Jeff Goode Dark Comedy | 5m, 3f | 90 minutes

A TUNA CHRISTMAS

Tired of A Christmas Carol and Gift of the Magi? Well, this is the script for you: eight reindeer dishing about the real Santa. All those rumors you've heard about him and the elves? About Rudolph's little secret? About Vixen's story that was leaked to the press? All true. Yes, the reindeer finally speak up and they do not hold back!

by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard Comedy | 2m or f, Flexible Casting| Full Length Comedy

In this hilarious sequel, it’s Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas. Radio station DJs Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including hot competition in the annual lawn display contest and Joe Bob Lipsey’s production of A Christmas Carol. A total delight for all seasons, whether performed by two quick changing comedians or by twenty.

Cautions: Strong Language, Mild Adult Themes Ensemble

KEN LUDWIG’S THE GAME’S AFOOT OR HOLMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Strong Male or Female Lead(s) or Ensemble

Also available:

GREATER TUNA RED, WHITE AND TUNA TUNA DOES VEGAS

Comedy, Mystery | 3m, 5f | 120 minutes

It is December 1936 and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. When one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house quickly turn dangerous. Then it’s up to Gillette himself, as he assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes, to track down the killer before the next victim appears.

YO, HO, HO, A PIRATE’S CHRISTMAS

book by James J. Mellon music & lyrics by Scott DeTurk and James J. Mellon Comedy | 2m, 2f, 3girl(s), 7m or f, 1boy(s) or girl(s) Full Length Musical | Piano Only

Cautions: Gun Shots Strong Male Lead(s)

It’s up to a little seven-year-old girl named Eve to save Christmas for everyone! What will become of Christmas when Santa Claus and the citizens of the North Pole are kidnapped by a bunch of directionally-challenged pirates? This wondrous musical is destined to become a holiday tradition for you and your entire family.

IN-LAWS, OUTLAWS, AND OTHER PEOPLE (THAT SHOULD BE SHOT)

by Steve Franco Comedy | Flexible Casting | 105 minutes

Strong Female Lead(s)

It’s 6pm and the Douglas family is busily preparing for their annual Christmas Eve dinner. After robbing a neighborhood liquor store, high strung and irritable Tony and his dim-witted sidekick Vinny, find themselves in need of a hideout. A comic treasure that is sure to leave your audience in stitches while celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

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COMFORT AND JOY

F H OL ER D E

Cautions: Open Flame

LICENSING A TITLE

REQUESTING A LICENSE

Head to the product page of any play or musical on samuelfrench.com and begin the licensing process by clicking the “Request License” button. You can search for titles’ product pages by using the search bar at the top of the homepage.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

We’ll do our best to respond to requests within 24 to 48 hours. Newer and popular titles may take longer as we work directly with authors and their agents to process the request. We recommend applying for rights at least four weeks in advance of your pre-production process or any internal deadlines you have for season planning. We can accept applications as early as 18 months in advance of your proposed production dates (and the sooner you submit, the better). Occasionally a play or musical will be unavailable or restricted due to a current first class production or a national tour. You may also be in a city in which rights are currently withheld. Once you submit a license request, your contract and additional paperwork will be available for review via your customer login.

DO YOU NEED A LICENSE?

Legal authorization and payment of author royalties (licensing fees) is required if your performance takes place in front of an audience, regardless of whether or not admission is charged, it is a public or private event, or whether it is for charity or gain. This applies to the performance of any part of any copyrighted work as well as the whole. It applies to “readings” as well as “performances.” A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS Licensing fees are not charged and authorization is not required of copyrighted materials within a classroom setting in which only the instructor of the class and those students regularly enrolled in that class are present during use. If the copyrighted material is performed in front of an audience, which does not meet the strict “classroom” definition, then a licensing fee must be paid and legal authorization for usage must be obtained. For the purposes of National Speech & Debate Association tournaments, Member Schools and Students need not apply for permission to present Dramatic Interpretations, Duo Interpretations, or Humorous Interpretations of Samuel French titles. No public or private presentations may be presented which do not strictly adhere to the formal tournament adjudication process. If the copyrighted material is performed in front of an audience, which does not meet adjudication guidelines, then a licensing fee must be paid and legal authorization for usage must be obtained. Monologues and brief excerpts of less than ten minutes do not require a license from Samuel French when performed for audition purposes or for a limited audience of adjudicators at festivals and competitions.

PLAYS AND MUSICALS FOR SCHOOLS

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