All Scripts

This page lists all the scripts in our catalogue. You may find it easier to use the Play Scripts menu at the top of the page to see the catalogue broken down into categories.

12 Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays: Humorous Takes on Favorite Tales That Boost Reading Skills, Build Fluency & Keep Your Class Chuckling With Lots of Read-Aloud Fun!

12 Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays by Justin Mccory Martin (Author), Terry Sirrell (Illustrator)

Students will have oodles of fun building essential reading skills with rib-tickling versions of beloved fairy tales turned into read-aloud plays! Even your most reluctant readers won’t be able to resist these hilarious twists on their favorite tales— Spiderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bullfrogs, The Popsicle Boy, Little Late Riding Hood, The Cheetah and the Sloth, Rafunzel and many more! Plus: Each play comes complete with instant discussion starters, vocabulary boosters, imaginative writing prompts, and a brief history of the fairy tale. For use with Grades 2-4.

12 Fabulously Funny Folktale Plays

12 Fabulously Funny Folktale Plays by Justin Mccory Martin

Students will have oodles of fun building essential reading skills with rib-tickling versions of beloved fairy tales turned into read-aloud plays! Even your most reluctant readers won¹t be able to resist these hilarious twists on their favorite tales‹ Spiderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bullfrogs, The Popsicle Boy, Little Late Riding Hood, The Cheetah and the Sloth, Rafunzel and many more! Plus: Each play comes complete with instant discussion starters, vocabulary boosters, imaginative writing prompts, and a brief history of the fairy tale.

22 Comedy Ten-minute Plays

by Laurie Allen

Published by Meriwether Press

A great-value Collection of 22 Ten-Minute Royalty-free Comedies

These plays by best-selling scene writer Laurie Allen are already winning spots in one-act play festivals across America

They’re all simple to stage and they all present interesting characters and intriguing situations

And although aimed primarily at teenage actors, the fresh variety of topics in unusual settings should appeal to actors of all ages

Each of the 22 ten-minute comedies is a complete, original play and includes a Cast of Characters, Set Description, and a List of Properties

Cast sizes range from 2 to 8, and include gender flexible roles for easy casting

And don’t worry about inappropriate language or situations — these short plays are all family friendly without feeling childish or condescending

Ideal for performance, competition or classroom use

5 Minute Plays for Teens

by Lawrence Harbison – Editor

Published by Applause Books

The plays in this volume of 5-Minute Plays for Teens are perfect for production by high schools

Each play contains only teen characters, and the subject matter will appeal to aspiring young actors, making it easy to connect with the characters and situations

Some of the plays are comedic

Some are dramatic

Some are realistic in style

And some are more unconventional

Their length also makes them perfect for scene work in class

Some are by playwrights well known for their full-length plays, such as the prolific and brilliant Don Nigro, Richard Vetere, and Jack Gilhooley

But most are by exciting up-and-comers, such as Nicole Pandolfo, C. S. Hanson, Catherine Weingarten, L. E. Grabowski-Cotton, Christopher Innvar, and Adrienne Dawes

Ideal for theatre students, youth groups, and acting classes

REVIEWS

“I’ve worked closely and happily with Lawrence Harbison for a quarter of a century now … during which time he has been instrumental in getting the work of hundreds of new writers into print … His deep love for the theater and for all sorts of plays, his unbounded enthusiasm for good work, and his tremendously clear eye for talent are all legendary” ~ Don Nigro

“One imagines that most people purchasing this book and its sister version for teens will be doing so to find acting and directing openings or perhaps audition opportunities but, with so much variety, this book will prove great fun for general readers as well” ~ British Theatre Guide

A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre

Jess Thorpe & Tashi Gore

Published by Methuen

Much of the theatre we make starts with a script and a story given to us by someone else

But what happens when we’re required to start from scratch?

How do we begin to make theatre using our own ideas, our own perspective, our own stories?

A Beginner’s Guide to Devising Theatre is aimed at those new to devising or wanting to further develop their skills

Written by the artistic directors of the award-winning young people’s performance company Junction 25 it explores creative ways to create original theatre from a contemporary stimulus and a structure within which to approach the creative process, including ideas on finding a starting point, generating material, composition and design

It also offers practical ideas for use in rehearsal; and it presents grounding in terminology that will support a confident and informed approach to production

The book features contributions from some of the young performers who have been a part of Junction 25’s work to date, as well as key artists and companies that work professionally in devised theatre, including case studies from Quarantine, the Team, Mammalian Diving Reflex, Nic Green and Ontroerend Goed

Ideal for any student faced with the challenge of creating work from scratch, A Beginner’s Guide to Devising Theatre offers constructive guidance, which supports the requirements of students taking Drama and Theatre Studies courses

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Foreword by theatre critic Lyn Gardner

PART ONE: An Introduction to devising theatre with young people

An Introduction to Junction 25

Who is this book for?

Why devise theatre?

Beginning to collaborate

PART TWO: Devising theatre in seven stages

An overview

Stage 1: Building the group dynamic

Stage 2: Selecting an inquiry question

Stage 3: Finding the frame

Stage 4: Making original material for performance

· Writing text

· Movement and choreography

· Performance images

· Action

· Music

Stage 5: Structure and composition

Stage 6: Reflection

Stage 7: Production: Sharing your work with an audience

PART THREE: Five interviews and one running order

Interviews with companies that devise theatre; an introduction

Interview about the process of devising All the Sex I’ve Ever Had by Mammalian Diving Reflex with Artistic Director Darren O’Donnell

Interview about the process of devising Wallflower by Quarantine with Artistic Director Richard Gregory

Interview about the process of devising Mission Drift by the TEAM with Artistic Director Rachel Chavkin

Interview about the process of devising (LIES) by Ontroerend Goed with Artistic Director Alexander Devriendt

Interview about the process of devising Trilogy by Nic Green with Artist Nic Green

An example of a running order ANOESIS by Junction 25

REVIEWS

“[A] useful, practical book … The emphasis, throughout, is on collaboration – an essential life skill … This book demonstrates just how much drama can contribute to educational development. Any young person who comes successfully through this process will be equipped for almost anything” ~ Ink Pellet

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens adapted by Gary Owen

This is the first play adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel from an award-winning playwright who remains close to the original text but significantly updates the humor and fleshes out in spoken dialogue many of the important character passages from the book. This adaptation is not the stuffy stereotype of Victorian England but is unconventionally humorous, gritty and not at all tame in confronting poverty, greed and issues of unfairness in society: themes that will strikingly resonate with modern audiences.

This adaptation and the large size of the cast make it the perfect edition for the thousands of school performances which are held across the country each year during the holiday season. Unique to this adaptation, playwright Gary Own fills in the missing details in Scrooge’s background to explain his miserliness: how he was sent to a workhouse as a boy, starved, beaten and nearly worked to death. The Constable character from the workhouse then haunts Scrooge and appears every time he chooses money over humanity.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare adapted by Carl Heap

This series of Primary Classics is produced by the UK’s National Theatre and aims to introduce young children aged 7+ to Shakespeare by combining clear story-telling with strong theatrical magic

This version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adapted and abridged by director Carl Heap, preserves the core of Shakespeare’s plot, retains the original language, yet is presented very much with the target age group in mind

And Carl Heap’s inspiring introduction will help readers, teachers, and practitioners to imagine, produce, and stage their own version

‘…in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush supposed a bear!’

With all the dark undercurrents of the traditional fairytale, Shakespeare weaves in farce, slapstick, romance and revelry into some of his most lyrical poetry to create what is perhaps his most joyous play

Runs about 70 minutes

A Midsummer Nights Dream for Kids

A Midsummer Nights Dream for Kids adapted by Lois Burdett

“Who is William Shakespeare?” For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Kids, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

A Monster Calls

by Adam Peck & Sally Cookson from Patrick Ness

Published by Walker Books Ltd

Large Mixed Cast

Winner Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family

Visionary director Sally Cookson brings the bestselling novel by Patrick Ness to the stage and tells the stunning story of love, loss and courage anew

Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started treatments that don’t quite seem to be working

But tonight is different

Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window

An ancient, elemental, a force of nature

And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor

It wants the truth

Advent Journey

Advent Journey by Ken Pickering

A Christmas musical show featuring an Advent Calendar with characters and objects appearing from the windows, taking the form of a journey towards the light at Bethlehem in an otherwise dark world

The play runs about 45 minutes and can be staged in almost any space using just simple props, or else a formal set with lavish costumes

Casting is also flexible and almost all parts can be play by either male or female

And the option to double-up, redistribute lines, and use additional musicians and dancers, makes it an ideal choice for Primary School, Drama School or Church Christmas production where it can be performed by a class, mixed age cast, or by adults for an audience of children

Aesop’s Fable-ous Christmas Tree

Aesop’s Fable-ous Christmas Tree by Michael Gravois

Aesop’s fables are given a festive spin …

There’s a mash-up of The Twelve Days of Christmas and The Tortoise and the Hare, where the six birds of Christmas compete in a comical race — with the turtle dove winning, of course. And a tiny snow mouse teaches the abominable snowman that little friends may prove great friends. Ebenezer Scrooge realizes that wealth unused might as well not exist. Santa’s elves dream of a life outside the workshop as they sing a “patter poem” about their ideal careers. And even though the eight reindeer panic when Rudolph gets a cold in the nose, they learn that necessity is the mother of invention

These dozen vignettes illuminate important life lessons by re-inventing the classic fables, blending humor, rhythmic elements, rapping, puppetry, poetry, song and storytelling to create a fast-paced, fun-filled show that’s filled with Christmas spirit.

8 to 50 gender-neutral roles

Single set – runs about 60 mins

Alex and the Warrior by Ann Coburn

Alex wants Grandad home from hospital for Christmas, so he makes a foolish wish. In spite of Cat’s warnings, he asks his favourite computer game character to come and help. But when The Warrior steps out of the screen, with a large sword and a lot of attitude, Alex begins to wonder what he’s let himself in for.

The Warrior’s deadly enemies, the Skarg, soon follow, trying to fit in as human beings in a world they don’t really understand. Alex and Cat struggle to keep The Warrior under control as they head through the winter streets to rescue Grandad, defeat the Skarg, conquer Karaoke and explain carol singing, all on one hectic and exciting adventure. Alex and the Warrior is a quest full of magic and danger, music and laughter: Dickens meets The Terminator in this modern fairytale for all the family.

Cast of 5 required

Alexander - Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move

Alexander – Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move

by Judith Viorst & Shelly Markham from Judith Viorst

Alexander has just received some really bad news from his parents … His dad has taken a job in a city a thousand miles away, which means that he and his mom and his dad and his bossy older brothers, Nick and Anthony, are going to have to move to a whole new city.

And even though his mom says, “Wait, you’ll like it,” Alexander already knows that he’ll hate it. He’ll hate it because he’ll never have a best friend like Paul again. And he’ll never have a great sitter like Rachel again. And he’ll never again have his soccer team or his car pool or kids who know him or…

Anyway, he can’t bear to leave the people and places he loves, so he decides that he won’t move. First he tries to live with three different neighbors. Then he tries to build a tent so he can live by himself. Then he decides he’ll hide so that his parents’ll never find him, but that doesn’t work out either.

While Alexander barricades his bedroom door, his mom and dad and even his brothers find some special ways to make it easier for Alexander to leave. They also help him to understand that home is “where your family is, where you’re with the people who love you best of all”.

Finally Alexander agrees to leave, but warns that — Do you hear him? He means it! He’s not not not not not not going to move again!

Commissioned and premiered by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Unit set – runs about an hour

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: A Musical

Adapted by Judith Viorst from her book of the same name

He could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He went to sleep with gum in his mouth and woke up with gum in his hair. When he got out of bed, he tripped over his skateboard and by mistake dropped his sweater in the sink while the water was running. He could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Nothing at all was right. Everything went wrong, right down to lima beans for supper and kissing on TV. What do you do on a day like that? Well, you may think about going to Australia. You may also be glad to find that some days are like that for other people too.

In this delightful adaptation of her popular children’s book, with musical score was composed by Shelly Markham, Judith Viorst sets Alexander’s rather trying life to music and brings to the stage one of America’s feistiest characters.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland adapted by William Glennon from the book by Lewis Carroll

This new version for stage is so close to the original in intention and feeling that you might suspect that Carroll himself had written it! And yet, it includes many unusual and imaginative staging devices.

A group of performers seeks out Alice in order to provide “her turn” in Wonderland. And, as her adventure unfolds, they play the many characters she encounters and grows to love.

Area staging – cast of 8 to 13 characters

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Simon Reade from Lewis Caroll

When Alice falls down a mysterious rabbit hole she stumbles upon a magical fantasy world where anything can happen …

Take tea with the Mad Hatter, meet the White Rabbit, grin with the Cheshire Cat, and play croquet with the Queen of Hearts

But whatever you do …

… don’t lose your head!

Lewis Carroll’s classic characters spring to life in an enchanting show for the whole family, bursting with music, madness and mystery

Simon Reade’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s much-loved fantasy classic is a witty and brilliantly inventive re-working

6 Male, 2 Female

All the Discworld's a Stage - Unseen Academicals & Feet of Clay & The Rince Cycle

All the Discworld’s a Stage – Unseen Academicals & Feet of Clay & The Rince Cycle

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Oberon

Large Mixed Cast

Stephen Briggs skillfully brings Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to the Stage

The three plays in the Collection are …

Feet of Clay

Someone is killing Lord Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork

No one knows who, no one knows why and, worst of all, no one knows how he just gets weaker and weaker

But it’s not just Vetinari

Across the city, people are being murdered, but there’s no trace of anything alive having been at the crime scene

Commander Vimes, Head of the City Watch, is a man who hates ‘clues’

He and his team must question everyone the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker

In a city teeming with vampires, werewolves, dwarfs with attitude and golems, Vimes must solve the crimes and save the Patrician.

The Rince Cycle

As a punishment, failed wizard Rincewind is given the task of guiding and safeguarding the Disc’s first tourist, Twoflower (with his magical luggage on legs)

As they travel the city and beyond, they meet the world’s oldest hero, Cohen the Barbarian

With him, and with Bethan (a qualified sacrificial victim), they encounter druids, trolls, adventurers, a hairdresser and a power-crazed wizard

Oh, and Death

But not fatally

And did we mention that Rincewind also has to save the world from destruction by a huge Red Star destined to collide with the Discworld at Hogswatch?

The Rince Cycle is mostly based on The Light Fantastic, with bits of The Colour of Magic and Sourcery added for good measure

Unseen Academicals

‘Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Ankh-Morpork, where we lay our scene’

Football divides the city

Each area has its own team and rivalry means supporters never mix

Until a Dimwell fan falls for a Dolly Sisters girl

And now an ancient bequest means the Wizards of Unseen University must win a football match

Without using magic

Luckily they’re coached by the mysterious Mr Nutt – no one knows anything much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt

As the match approaches, four lives are entangled and changed forever

Because the thing about football the important thing about football is that it is not just about football

Among Friends and Clutter by Lindsay Price

Among Friends and Clutter by Lindsay Price presents a montage of characters who experience the most important relationships in life: friends, family, and love.

Starting with seven classmates, the play explores what they imagine their lives will be, and shows what their lives eventually become. They grow, succeed, and sometimes fail.

Students love this play for its well-rounded characters and its wealth of comic and serious moments.

As She Likes It

by Karen Ruch – Editor

Published by Dramatic Publishing

Large Mixed Cast

As She Likes It is an anthology of 8 short plays featuring famous and familiar women from Shakespeare’s canon

Women who have had muted voices in the Bard’s plays

But in As She Likes It they take center stage

Here, the female characters boldly step outside of the male-dominated context of their original works, sometimes into another time and place, where they discuss the choices they made and how they navigated the power structures that controlled their lives

The result is a unique full-length theatrical experience offering great roles for women

And also opportunities for thoughtful scene study, opening a larger conversation about how these women’s stories still resonate in our lives

The 8 short plays are …

The Shrew Must Go On ~ Lori M Myers

A Women’s Battle ~ Sean Adams

Another Conversation ~ Marjorie Bicknell

Beatriz … If You Speak of Love ~ David Nice

The Lear Sisters ~ Sue Lange

Dance

Haircuts ~ Barbara Trainin Blank

The Nurse’s Rebellion ~ Sandra Fenichel Asher

CAST

M0,F4-18 + 1 or 2 either gender

Audition Speeches for 6 to 16 Year Olds

Audition Speeches for 6 to 16 Year Olds, edited by Jean Marlow

Intended for students and children taking part in speech and drama competitions and exams, this book contains a range of audition speeches. It includes female, male and unisex speeches selected from both plays and children’s books. Where relevant the author has indicated how a speech could be shortened for younger children. There is also an introductory section with contributions from Alan Ayckbourn, Carol Schroder (teacher and examiner for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), Richard Carpenter (TV writer) and Ed Wilson (Director of the National Youth Theatre) and senior casting directors for the RSC, TV and film. This edition has been freshly revised to include 10 new speeches from well known recent productions as well as children’s books including Harry Potter. ‘A superb compilation’ Amateur Stage.

Beauty IS a Beast

Beauty IS a Beast by D.M. Larson

Beauty might be beautiful on the outside, but she’s ugly on the inside. See what happens when her fairy godmother turns her inside out. Check out this “Taming of the Shrew” tale. Children’s Comedy – flexible casted extras.

Bombs and Blackberries

Bombs and Blackberries by Julia Donaldson

A short illustrated play set in World War Two, perfect for class reading as well as performance, written by Julia Donaldson, author of the modern classic The Gruffalo. Perfect for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day in 2019.

World War Two has been declared and the Chivers children are sent to the safety of the countryside. They are delighted to be brought back home when it looks like the Germans aren’t going to invade after all. But the air-raid siren goes off and this time it’s frighteningly real.

This dramatic and touching play brings Manchester during the Second World War and its people to life, and provides a variety of opportunities for school classes to explore both historical and literacy topics in an involving and creative setting. Also includes helpful tips on staging and costume.

‘This touching play brings to life the Second World War in a very accessible way for junior children’ – Books for Keeps

Julia Donaldson (Author)

Julia Donaldson is the outrageously talented, prize-winning author of the world’s best-loved picture books, and was the 2011-2013 UK Children’s Laureate. Her books include Room on the Broom, Stick Man, What the Ladybird Heard and the modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child which have sold 17 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 70 languages. Julia also writes fiction as well as poems, plays and songs and her brilliant live children’s shows are always in demand. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between Sussex and Edinburgh.

Thomas Docherty (Illustrator)

Thomas Docherty is an acclaimed author and illustrator of children’s books including Little Boat, Big Scary Monster and The Driftwood Ball. He also illustrated The Snatchabook, written by his wife Helen, which has been shortlisted for several awards in the UK and US and been translated into 17 languages.

Carpe Jugulum

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Samuel French Ltd

Large Mixed Cast

The de Magpyrs are the sort of vampires that would have Count Dracula spinning in his grave …

They’re modern, forward-looking and no longer afraid of holy water, garlic and religious symbols

Or, indeed, of anything else

This makes them very, very dangerous

Luckily for the Discworld, the three Lancre witches are on hand

And the battle is on!

Charley's Aunt - A Victorian Farce in Two Acts

by Paul Thain from Brandon Thomas

Published by Stageplays

6 Male 4 Female

“The World’s most popular Comedy”

Charley’s Aunt was a hugely popular vintage farce

It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds in February 1892 and quickly transferred to London’s Globe Theatre where it broke the record for the world’s longest-running play, clocking up 1,466 performances

But although the central conceit is as theatrical and funny as ever, after more than a 120 years, its three-act structure and laboured humour urgently needed a make-over

And here it is!

“A chap in the bedroom? In need of hairpins?”

This New Version by Paul Thain retains all the fun of the original but re-works it for a modern audience, conflating the original three acts to two and enlivening the stale dialogue to give much needed pace and energy

“Tell her she’s pretty. They all like that. Even when they’re not. Especially when they’re not.”

And it’s still Royalty Free!

Provided you purchase a cast-size quantity of Paperback scripts (12+), as a gift to the theatre community, Paul Thain has waived his Royalties for all of 2021

It’s still set in an Oxford college in 1892 where Charles (Charley) Wykeham uses the imminent arrival of his aunt Donna Lucia as an opportunity to invite two young ladies to his rooms for lunch

“We need to impress, Brassett. A cheese and pickle sandwich will not do.”

But when her visit is postponed and they’re without a chaperone, rather than cancel the lunch party, Charley and Jack persuade their fellow student Lord Fancourt to impersonate the Aunt

Lord Fancourt relishes the opportunity and particularly enjoys being kissed by the girls and sharing their confidences

So much so, he stubbornly refuses to abandon his role

But then the real Donna Lucia turns up …

REVIEWS

“Really Funny” ~ Mobile Theatre

“Who doesn’t love a good farce?” ~ North West End UK

“We’re so excited to show it to people … the script is hilarious and so funny ~ Jimmy Walters, Proudhaddock Productions

AUDIENCE 1: Believe it or not, the Second Act is even funnier

AUDIENCE 2: Oh man, I’d better go to the bathroom then – the First Act already made me ’bout pee my pants!”

~ Intermission conversation, Stained Glass Theatre, Joplin, USA

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: a play

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: a play adapted by Richard George

Roald Dahl’s much-loved story about how Charlie Bucket wins a ticket to visit Willy Wonka’s amazing chocolate factory is turned into a play for children to act. With tips about scenery, props and lighting, the play is easy to stage and there are lots of parts for everyone.

Roald Dahl, the best-loved of children’s writers, died in 1990 but his books continue to be bestsellers.

Richard George was an elementary school teacher in New York when he wrote this stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s bestselling story – and Roald Dahl himself recommended that it should be published.

More Roald Dahl scripts

Charlotte's Web (play)

Charlotte’s Web (play) adapted by Joseph Robinette from E.B. White’s classic novel.

This is the Play version of E.B. White’s beloved classic

The Children’s Literature Association named this “the best American children’s book of the past two hundred years,” and Joseph Robinette, working with the advice of E.B. White, has created a play that captures this work in a thrilling and utterly practical theatrical presentation

The costumes and unit set may be quite simple – it’s the story and relationships that make the show – or they may be as colorful and elaborate as you wish.

All the enchanting characters are here – Wilbur, the irresistible young pig who desperately wants to avoid the butcher; Fern, a girl who understands what animals say to each other; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; the Zuckerman family; the Arables; and, most of all, the extraordinary spider, Charlotte, who proves to be “a true friend and a good writer”

Determined to save Wilbur, Charlotte begins her campaign with the “miracle” of her web in which she writes, “Some pig.” It’s the beginning of a victorious campaign which ultimately ends with the now-safe Wilbur doing what is most important to Charlotte. This is a beautiful, knowing play about friendship that will give your actors a great opportunity and your audience an evening of enchantment. Unit set.

Charlotte’s Web - Musical Version

Charlotte’s Web – Musical Version by Joseph Robinette & Charles Strouse based on the classic novel by E.B. White.

This exciting, new musical version of Charlotte’s Web brings a new dimension to E.B. White’s beloved classic

With Music & Lyrics by Charles Strouse ( Annie & ‘Bye, ‘Bye Birdie) and Book by award-winning playwright Joseph Robinette your audiences will thrill to such numbers as Eating, Wilbur the Pig’s humorous yet poignant song about growing up; Who Says We Can’t Be Friends, an enchanting duet between Wilbur and his new-found companion Charlotte; Welcome to the Zuckerman Barn, featuring all the story’s unforgettable animals in a hand-clapping, toe-tapping hoe-down; and Summer, a haunting, nostalgic chorus number which evokes a time and place from everyone’s childhood

Childsplay - A Collection of Scenes and Monologues for Children

Childsplay – a Collection of Scenes and Monologues for Children

For children from 7 – 13, here is a treasure chest of excerpts from a rich and exciting variety of sources.

Scenes and monologues come from such plays and films asThe Diary of Anne Frank, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Curse of the Starving Class, The Secret Garden and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

And, most appropriately, from writings by children themselves.

Christmas on Stage - An Anthology of Royalty-Free Christmas Plays for All Ages

Christmas on Stage – An Anthology of Royalty-Free Christmas Plays for All Ages – editor Theodore O Zapel

You’ll find Royalty-free plays, readings, and monologs for all likes and all ages in this comprehensive anthology, all dramatizing the true meaning of Christmas. They offer both traditional and contemporary settings, drama and humor, new offerings and old favorites, and can be easily staged with a minimum of costumes and props. They may also be presented as live readings, tape recordings or radio-style broadcasts through sound systems.And since no royalty payments are required for performances, this low-cost anthology is a money-saving program resource for anyone with the responsibility of Christmas programming.

There’s enough material for many years of Christmas planning, and it’s conveniently divided into six sections –

Elementary Grades

Middle Grades

Programs for Teens and Adults

Readers Theatre for Christmas

Adaptations from Classics and Legends

Christmas Readings

Christmas Shorts - Going Home & The Christmas Witch & Xmas Cards & Nativity & The Student

Christmas Shorts – Going Home & The Christmas Witch & Xmas Cards & Nativity & The Student by Matt Hoverman

This Collection of hilarious festive comedy offers a wonderful alternative to the traditional seasonal play. The five short (10-15 minutes) comedy plays humorously comment on holiday themes – family, the nativity, Xmas cards, and elves!

The 5 Plays are …

Going Home – M1,F1

Newlyweds Greg and Cheryl have resolved to spend Christmas together alone in their tiny apartment for the first time

The Christmas Witch – M2,F1

Two dudes find their relationship challenged when an ex-girlfriend with a penchant for breaking hearts and feasting on human flesh shows up on Christmas Eve

Xmas Cards – M1,F1

Every year, prosperous, conservative couple Ned and Nelly fill out their Christmas cards together. Or rather, Ned tries to fill them out and Nelly slowly drives him insane. Why should this year be any different?

Nativity – M2,F2

Two strangers – one dressed as Mary, the other as Joseph for separate upcoming holiday pageants – meet in the waiting room of the Bethlehem, PA Fertility Clinic one Christmas Morning …

The Student – M2

Winner of the 2009 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival

A two-character holiday comedy about a burnt-out, adult education writing teacher who rediscovers his passion in one of the strangest student-teacher conferences of all time

“Four Stars! Touching and inspiring … a favorite!” ~ Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner

Cinderella (short, for younger kids)

Cinderalla by K I D S I N C O based on the story Cinderella by Brothers Grimm

The classic tale of Cinderella who, aided by a fairy godmother, breaks away from the cruelty of her step-sisters sisters to go to the palace ball where she enchants the prince. All looks lost when she must return home at the stroke of midnight before the price learns her name, but all ends happily when the prince tracks her down using her abandoned shoe. Suitable for younger kids; requires a cast of 7.

Cinderella and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Re-Imagined & Re-Twisted

by Sally Cookson & Caroline Bird

Published by Oberon

Large Mixed Cast

This BARGAIN BUNDLE offers two acclaimed plays for young people:

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ – Re-Imagined & Re-Twisted

Large Mixed Cast

Caroline Bird from L Frank Baum

A cyclone sweeps a young girl and her cheeky little dog Toto far-far away from their grey, boring lives

She didn’t mean for her house to land on the Wicked Witch of the East

But here she is, in the Land of Oz, ready for an adventure

Along the yellow brick road to the Emerald City she meets plenty of new friends like Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion

And a few enemies

But in just one day, this little girl revolutionizes an entire nation

She brings freedom and colour

Her name is Dorothy

And she’d rather keep her trainers than wear Ruby slippers

Expect magic and mayhem in this brand new version of the classic children’s story for adventurers aged 7+ (and their families)

CINDERELLA – A Fairytale

3 Male, 2 Female

Sally Cookson & Adam Peck

Winner of a 2014 Off West End Award and Nominated for an Olivier Award

This stage version of Cinderella has captivated audiences with its dazzlingly original take on one of the oldest and best-loved fairytales of all times

When Ella’s mother dies, she’s brought up by her devoted and loving father who teaches her the names and calls of the woodland birds that surround their home

But when her father marries again, Ella’s peaceful life is turned upside down by a host of new and unpleasant relations

It appears her only allies are the feathered friends who roost in the trees

But these are no ordinary birds

With crystal-clear storytelling, this classic tale of fortunes reversed is brought startlingly and imaginatively to fresh life

This is a play to enchant all ages

REVIEWS

” … funny, heart-warming and beautiful piece of stage craft. This Cinderella is a treat” ~ Independent

“This non-panto fairy-tale is so bewitching that you’d gladly watch it in a heat wave … A modern classic that ends with a kiss, an embrace, and a puff on an inhaler … low on syrup and full of magic” ~ The Times

” … a real classic, an exquisite Cinderella for all seasons that gets right to the heart of the story and offers its own delicious and surprising twists … This is not just a great Christmas show, but a great night for all times and ages” ~ Lyn Gardner, Guardian

Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Zany Fractured Fairy Tale Plays

Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Zany Fractured Fairy Tale Plays by Joan M. Wolf

What happens when Cinderella wears shoes she’s made from recycled materials to the ball? Tap into students’ sense of humor with five lively plays that take the plots, characters, and settings of traditional fairy tales and turn them on their heads! Includes character parts written at a variety of reading levels, book links, and writing activities that help students build on traditional fairy tale structures and write in different genres. For use with Grades 3-5.

Collected Plays for Children by Ted Hughes

This volume contains six plays by Ted Hughes which are particularly suitable for performance by children. Four of them were published originally under the title, The Coming of the Kings and Other Plays. Added to these are Orpheus and The Pig Organ, the former only ever published in America, the latter (which was written as a libretto) never before published.

Hughes enters the timeless world of folklore and fable and brings home a wonderful haul, managing to produce comedy, tragedy and magic from the same net, and then to move effortlessly between them. He makes stories from familiar elements (the Nativity, or Beauty and the Beast or a quest to save a sickening king), but approaches them from unexpected angles and sets them off in different directions. What characterizes the pieces is the energy Hughes generates not only in the unfolding action but in the drama of the language itself, which is as robustly up-to-date as it is lyrical.

Competition Monologues by Lindsay Price

Whether it’s for a competition, an audition or for class, these monologues will help get the job done.

Specifically geared for students, this collection contains a wide variety of characters, genres and lengths.

All the monologues come from plays published by Theatrefolk and include approximate timing, character/story background, and performance suggestions.

It offers a total of 40 Monologues – 19 Men, 21 Women

There is also a second volume available, Competition Monologues Book Two.

Coyote Killer

Coyote Killer a monologue by Matt Buchanan

A young teen’s cat is mauled by a wild coyote. Determined to avenge his pet, the teen sets out on a campaign to kill the coyote. But in order to get close enough to do it, he must essentially befriend the animal, and in the end his revenge sickens him. This emotional and sometimes shocking monologue is a great vehicle for showcasing an actor’s intensity.

Danny the Champion of the World: Plays for Children

Danny the Champion of the World: Plays for Children adapted by David Wood from Roald Dahl

Could you be Danny, or his dad, or even red-faced Mr Victor Hazell? Danny thinks his dad is the most marvellous and exciting father a boy could wish for. Now you can join in their daring and devilish plots with these fun-to-perform plays adapted by David Wood.

Roald Dahl, the best-loved of children’s writers, was born in Wales of Norwegian parents. After school in England he went to work for Shell in Africa. He began to write after ‘a monumental bash on the head’, sustained as an RAF pilot during the Second World War. Roald Dahl died in 1990.

David Wood works in children’s theatre with huge commitment and enthusiasm. His Dahl productions, such as The Witches, have been successful in the West End and around the country.

More Roald Dahl scripts

Dexter and Winter's Detective Agency

by Nathan Bryon

Published by Nick Hern Books

1 Male 2 Female

When Dexter’s mum is sent to jail for getting mixed up in a jewellery robbery, it’s up to Dexter and his best friend Winter to get her out

On their journey to uncover the truth and free Mum, their detective work leads them to some surprising discoveries

Dexter and Winter’s Detective Agency is a madcap adventure story for young people (and older detectives) to watch, read and perform

It was first produced in 2019 by Paines Plough and Theatr Clwyd on a nationwide tour, including a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Dragon Trouble

Dragon Trouble by D.M. Larson

Susie Sally Sassafras and her fairy friends like to make a lot of trouble. They decide to create problems in the peaceful kingdom of Chalupa. The play has a flexible cast with anywhere from 8 characters to dozens of parts.

Watch a video of this play here.

Drama Games for Classrooms and Workshops

Drama Games for Classrooms and Workshops by Jessica Swale

This book is the first in a projected series offering a wealth of drama games for people of all ages and abilities. Their aim is to ensure that the drama leader never runs out of fresh ideas. A dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book, packed with 101 lively drama games for use in any classroom or workshop setting. The games are designed to explore a wide range of core drama skills: energy, focus, teamwork, trust, character, storytelling, imagination and improvisation. Each page features clear instructions on How to Play, notes on the Aim of the Game and advice on age range, number of players, timing and skills developed. The games are also ideal for directors in the rehearsal room, searching for new ways to energise and inspire actors.

Drama Games for Rehearsals

by Jessica Swale

Published by Nick Hern Books

“I wish I’d had this book when I was starting out as a young director … I cannot recommend it highly enough” ~ Marianne Elliott from her Foreword

This dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book in the bestselling Drama Games series offers dozens of ideas and exercises to energise and inspire a bold, creative rehearsal process for any play, of any period or genre.

Aimed at directors of all levels, it covers every aspect of rehearsal, including:

★ Warm-up exercises to prepare the body, voice and mind, and to create a strong ensemble

★ Ideas for approaching the text, tackling the ‘Story of the Play’

★ A wealth of games for unlocking the ‘World of the Play’, including developing characters, finding a physical style, understanding genre and investigating themes

★ Suggestions for exploring sound and music, whether for use in the production or simply to encourage a sense of fun in rehearsals

This essential ‘go-to’ book will provide you with a host of original and illuminating games, perfect for the play you’re rehearsing, be it Shakespeare or Greek tragedy, a Restoration comedy, physical theatre, Modern Naturalism

Or even a brand new play

Marianne Elliott – one of the most innovative and exciting directors working anywhere in the world – describes it as ” … a beautiful, and very clearly written book” which will become “‘my constant companion in future”

Drama Games for Those Who Like to Say No

by Chris Johnston

Published by Nick Hern Books

Drama Games are a unique way to empower young people

Drama Games for Those Who Like to Say No is a quick-fire resource book for those working with difficult/reluctant students, youth groups and young offenders

Particularly those intent on saying “No” to whatever is offered them.

For these groups, drama games and activities need to be especially robust and engaging

The Games in this book have been devised with this in mind

And then tried and tested

Each game includes clear instructions on –

How to Play

Notes on the Benefits of the Game

And advice on age range, number of players and timing

Following the 90 games and exercises aimed at developing core skills, the book then offers scenarios for a series of improvisational challenges that test participants’ abilities in mediation, communication, negotiation, assertiveness and managing emotions

Also included is a special collection of games aimed at preparing teachers and workshop leaders for facilitating challenging sessions

The ultimate aim is to encourage reluctant participants to engage and collaborate

And develop not just skills for drama, but skills for life

REVIEWS

“Packed to the brim with bright and breezy ideas – a bargain!” ~ Total Theatre Magazine

“Each section of the book is well laid out and the games are clearly explained … contains some very interesting exercises” ~ Youth Drama Ireland

Drama Games for Young Children

by Katherine Zachest

Published by Nick Hern Books

The most comprehensive and practical drama resource ever published for anyone working with young children (including parents!)

The book offers material that will engage any child aged 3 and up – from the most reticent to the supremely confident

And it’s an ideal way to explore and encourage skills of creativity, self-expression, tolerance, mutual respect, problem-solving and communication, in a safe, non-threatening environment

This rich resource of inspirational drama games has been compiled by an expert in the field who has taught from pre-school through to further education

Its dip-in, flick-through, easy-to-use, pocket-sized format is packed with over 200 individual games and is perfect for teachers, playgroup leaders and drama facilitators who want to inspire and entertain children with vibrant and engaging drama experiences

It also includes 40 complete and easy-to-follow lesson plans that can be implemented with little prior preparation

All appropriate for exploring the curriculum or running extra-curricular workshops

Also included is advice on preparing sessions, and there’s a template lesson plan you can download

The action-packed sessions will transport you and your group to enchanted forests, pirate ships, bustling farmyards or the bottom of the sea, via magic-carpet rides or a journey through outer space

They incorporate vocal exercises, mime and movement, nursery rhymes and fairytales, character development, costumes, songs and music, puppetry, art and text work

REVIEWS

‘Tapping into a child’s ability to play is the way to educate our children and inspire them to learn. Katherine Zachest understands this and her book is a fantastic tool with which to do it’ ~ Sally Cookson, from her Foreword

Drama Menu - Theatre Games in Three Courses

by Glyn Trefor-Jones

Published by Nick Hern Books

DRAMA MENU is a brand new concept for planning and delivering dynamic, progressive drama lessons and workshops

Packed with over 150 tried-and-tested theatre games, exercises and improvisation ideas, it’s an essential resource for any drama teacher or workshop leader

Guaranteed to deliver delicious drama sessions every time

Simply make a selection from each of the three courses, and your whole drama session will come to life with new-found energy and focus …

APPETISERS are fast-paced warm-up exercises to energise and enthuse the group

STARTERS are the intermediary course to challenge the players and encourage creativity

MAIN COURSES provide the central part of the session, culminating in a final performance piece

And a few DESSERTS are also provided – if you still have some space at the end of your session for something sweet!

DRAMA MENU is the recipe book that will relieve the stress of planning lessons and workshops

Leaving you to get on with what you do best …

… delivering creative drama sessions that will have your groups hungry for more

PDF RESOURCE PACK

A comprehensive PDF Resource Pack accompanying the book is available to download by clicking here

The book also invites you to join the online Drama Menu community where you can browse and share other recommended menus and download a selection of sound effects

Drama Start, Drama activities, plays and monologues for young children (ages 3 -8): Volume 1

‘Drama Start’ is a collection of drama activities, including games, role playing ideas, action poems, plays and monologues, suitable for children between the ages of 3 and 8. It can be used in Early Years’ settings or in primary schools, up to and including second class. This book is also suitable for people working with children in any setting where drama is used such as community groups, out of school care facilities, therapeutic group work and so on.The book is accessible and easy to follow. It is divided into three parts – Drama Games, Plays and Monologues. Each section provides educators/teachers/leaders with a variety of creative and imaginative ideas for stimulating drama activities in many different settings.

Edward Bond and the Dramatic Child - Edward Bond's Plays for Young People

Edited by David Davis

Our future depends on the state of our imaginations, and drama becomes more important as the world changes

Plays young people write, act in and watch are the blueprints of the world they will have to live in

Edward Bond argues that drama helps children ‘to know themselves and their world and their relation to it’ but that neither Brecht nor Stanislavsky can provide a basis for modern theatre

Edward Bond and the Dramatic Child discusses all Bond’s important plays for young people and offers case studies of various productions of them

Contributors explore the demands and rewards of acting and staging Bond

The book will be of interest to everyone working in drama with young people in theatre, schools or community work, and to actors and directors in mainstream theatre

The contributors are Edward Bond, David Allen, Chris Cooper, Tony Coult, John Doona, Kate Katafiasz, Bill Roper and David Davis

The glossary explains Bond’s theatre terminology

Emil and the Detectives

Emil and the Detectives by Carl Miller from Erich Kastner

If Mrs Tischbein had known the amazing adventures her son Emil would have in Berlin, she’d never have let him go. Emil is excited to be taking the train on his own for the first time. He doesn’t like the look of his fellow passenger, the man in the bowler hat. Emil will just have to keep his wits about him and his money in his pocket. But Emil falls asleep and when he wakes up the man in the bowler hat is gone – and so is the money! Emil is determined to get it back. He teams up with a gang of young detectives and so begins a hair-raising chase across Berlin to catch the dirty rotten thief…

Suitable for children age 7 and above

First produced at the UK’s National Theatre in 2013

Erich Kästner was a German author, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poetry and children’s literature. For the latter contributions he received the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1960. Carl Miller was the Artistic Director of the Young People’s programme at the Royal Court Theatre from 1997 to 1999. Since 2002, he has been the Literary Manager of the Unicorn Theatre. He was textual advisor on Phyllida Lloyd’s production of Webster’s THE DUCHESS OF MALFI at the National Theatre in 2003.

Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl’s much-loved story follows the vain attempts of three farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Bean, one fat, one short, one lean, to get rid of the fox who regularly steals food from their farms. They try to kill him by any means possible. Outwitted at every turn, the farmer’s ploys backfire.

FANTASTIC MR FOX devises a plan which will ensure full stomachs for not only his family, but all his friends, who celebrate with a sumptuous feast.

This enthralling story by Roald Dahl, adapted for the stage by David Wood, can be performed by a small company of experienced actors supported by a large number of community and child actors

“Another excellent adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic by David Wood . . designed to capture fertile imaginations with its appealing storyline and simple language, no wonder it is a hit” – The Stage

“This is a fantastic show to be enjoyed by kids of all ages” – Coventry Evening Telegraph

More Roald Dahl scripts

Father Christmas and Uncle Holly

by Alison Hedger

Published by Cyberpress

Large Mixed Cast

Did you know that Father Christmas has a twin brother called Uncle Holly?

This happy story with seven happy songs reveals the well-kept secret of the twin brothers

We also meet the army of red and green elves and learn about the secret snow tunnel

And how the elves spend their Christmas morning now all the toys are finished

And what Uncle Holly and Father Christmas do for their Christmas dinner

And how they spend Christmas afternoon

Lots of action and plenty of accompaniment on pots and pans!

For children in toddler and play groups, nurseries, pre-school, reception classes and Key Stage 1

It’s also suitable for older children with learning difficulties

Runs about 20 mins

SONG LIST:

FATHER CHRISTMAS

UNCLE HOLLY

SAW, HAMMER, PAINT AND GLUE

TRAMPING ALONG

FILLING UP THE SACKS

PLAY IN THE SNOW

LAUGH AND SING AND DO A DANCE

This is the PDF SCRIPT

Fractured Fairy Tales for Student Actors: A Collection of Contemporary Fairy Tale Scenes

Fractured Fairy Tales for Student Actors: A Collection of Contemporary Fairy Tale Scenes by Jan Peterson Ewen

This collection of comedic fairy tale spoofs is divided into two sections: Short five-minute scenes for two or three actors and longer ten-minute scenes for six to twenty actors. Each scene is a comedic re-enactment of a classic fairy tale. Well-known characters face contemporary situations or have new issues of their own. Sample titles include: Have a Seat – Miss Muffet sends the spider up a waterspout. Is the Doctor In? – Jack and Jill seek medical help. Go for the Gold – For your consideration: the life of Jack and Edith Sprat, and many more. All scenes have flexible, balanced casts. Easy to stage. Excellent contest material.

Frankenstein (Oxford playscripts)

Frankenstein adapted by Phillip Pullman from the novel by Mary Shelley

An engaging classroom playscript. Frankenstein is the famous story of a young man who thinks he can change the world by making better human beings. Instead he creates a living monster with a mind of its own. New, innovative activities specifically tailored to support the KS3 Framework for Teaching English and help students to fulfil the Framework objectives. Activities include work on Speaking and Listening, close text analysis, and the structure of playscripts, and act as a springboard for personal writing.

Grease (full script)

by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Full Length, Musical / Characters: 9m, 8f

Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “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. An 8-year run on Broadway and two subsequent revivals along with innumerable school and community productions place Grease among the world’s most popular musicals. “A lively and funny musical–as well as the dancingest one in town…it’s a winner…the songs are dandies [that portray] the early rockers with zip and charm…the sheer energy of Grease carries all before it.” – N.Y. Daily News

Grease (script) - for schools

Grease (script) – for schools

by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Full Length, Musical/ Characters: 9m, 9f

ABRIDGED VERSION FOR SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS

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. Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “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. An 8-year run on Broadway and two subsequent revivals along with innumerable school and community productions place Grease among the world’s most popular musicals.

Great Scenes from Minority Playwrights

by Marsh Cassady

Published by Meriwether Press

Subtitled Seventy-four Scenes of Cultural Diversity, this is a unique Collection of scenes drawn from broad range of American theatre:

Native-American

African-American

Hispanic

Jewish American

Asian-American

The 74 scenes provide a stepping stone to the study of minority writing

Both scenes and playwright are examined in their historical and cultural perspective

The Scenes range from a couple of minutes to ten or more minutes and each is preceded by background information and discussion/analysis to help develop characterizations

The introduction explains the history of “minority theatre” and presents both directors and student actors with general suggestions for dramatic presentations

Each chapter is introduced by a short synopsis of the theater of a particular culture

Questions for students follow each scene, providing not only direction for the performance of the plays, but also some basic tools for criticism and cultural studies for literature classes

Perfect for acting and directing practice

Grow Up Grandad

by Gordon Steel

Published by Josef Weinberger

1 Male 5 Female

Poppy is eleven and has a lot of attitude

When she finds herself living with her cantankerous grandfather – a man she neither likes or loves – all hell breaks loose

Something of a hermit, a man living in the past who sees very little good in anything or anybody, Grandad Ken is suddenly and unexpectedly confronted by a tornado of energy who can’t sit still and asks too many questions

He is a man with no television, no computer and no patience

And while their relationship is volatile, it’s also very funny and strewn with moments of real tenderness

Grow up Grandad is a bitter-sweet comedy offering strong female roles, telling an inter-generational story that deals with love and loss, hope and sadness

Hamlet For Kids

Hamlet For Kids adapted by Lois Burdett

Perhaps the best-known of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Hamlet has all the ingredients for a gripping story: revenge and power, familial love and betrayal, dramatic sword fights, dark spooky scenes. Once again Lois Burdett has woven her own brand of magic by transforming Shakespeare’s complex verse into rhyming couplets. She has created a version of Hamlet especially for children, even as young as seven, and one that readers of all ages will enjoy.

At the appropriately named Hamlet Elementary School in Stratford, Ontario, where Burdett has taught for over 20 years, her students have created wonderful drawings of Hamlet to illustrate Burdett’s fluid rhymes. The students’ interpretations are vivid evidence of Burdett’s clever ability to bring Shakespeare’s complex characters and intricate plots to life for young people.

Happy Christmas Tommy - the Christmas Miracle of 1914 - performance pack

Happy Christmas Tommy – The Christmas Miracle of 1914 – Performance Pack – includes Backing Tracks CD & Full Score – by Anthony James

World War 1, the Western Front, both sides have quickly reached stalemate. Soldiers from Britain and Germany huddle in freezing muddy trenches, while shells and bullets explode around them. But on Christmas Eve 1914, the guns fall silent. For one brief magical moment the spirit and glory of Christmas shined across the battlefields of Flanders and Normandy, touching the hearts of mortal enemies. Dirty, tired, war weary soldiers from both sides climbed from their trenches to enter No-Mans land and to meet each other, to share chocolate, to tell stories, even to play a game of football.

Happy Christmas Tommy is based on that extraordinary Christmas of 1914 – those two days when the reality and futility of war were never so relevant, and the spirit of peace and goodwill never so strong.

Characters

Total Characters, Main parts – 4, British troops 4, German troops 4, Girls back home 2, Officers 1, Chaplain. Troops general. (All numbers flexible)

This Performance Pack includes …

The Script

An Art Pack – containing instructions as to how to design and construct the scenery, make the costumes and recreate the props

Music Score – score for piano which usually includes guitar chords

Music CD – fully orchestrated Backing Tracks which can be used for performance & rehearsal

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One & Two

by Jack Thorne from J.K. Rowling & John Tiffany

Published by Little Brown

Large Mixed Cast

Tony Award for Best Play 2018

Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Play 2017

Winner of the Evening Standard Award for Best Play 2016

Now everyone can delight in the latest Harry Potter adventure…

The eighth instalment of the Harry Potter saga is not a novel but instead a two-part play by Jack Thorne based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling and director John Tiffany

This 350 page Paperback Edition is the complete script of both Parts 1 & 2 of the Original West End Production

The play is set nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows Harry and his youngest son Albus Severus Potter

As we all know, being Harry Potter has never been easy

But now he must contend with being an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and a father of three school children

Harry struggles to keep his past buried and move on

And young Albus struggles to bear the weight of the family legacy

A legacy he doesn’t want

And when the Past fuses with the Present, father and son must both face an ominous truth

REVIEWS

“A compelling, stay-up-all-night read … The suspense here is electric and nonstop” ~ The New York Times

“Fans can breathe easy knowing this play has been respectfully and lovingly wrought. Tensions thrum, spells fly but at center stage, as always in the Potterverse, is the overriding importance of love and friendship, especially in the face of danger” ~ Booklist

“Whether encountered on stage or on the page, this trip back into the magical world of Hogwarts is thrilling” ~ Telegraph

Hogfather

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Methuen

Large Mixed Cast

Superstition makes things work in the Discworld and undermining it can have serious consequences

Hogfather begins the night before Hogswatch, the last night of the year

Time is turning

And it’s much too quiet

Worse …

Death is creeping down chimneys and trying to say “Ho Ho Ho”

And if Susan – gothic governess and Death’s granddaughter (sort of) – doesn’t sort everything out by morning, there won’t be a morning

Ever again

A wittily and faithfully adaptation of Pratchett’s bestselling Discworld novel.

Holka Polka

Holka Polka by D.M. Larson

Join a good little witch who sets out to save Fairy Tale land with the help of the Big Bad Wolf and Cinderella. This a Fairy Tale Mystery that puts a new twist on some famous fables such as Humpty Dumpty, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wizard of Oz and Hansel and Gretel – 6+ female, 2+ male, 11+ either and optional extras

How to Spot an Alien

by Georgia Christou

Published by Nick Hern Books

1 Male 2 Female

How To Spot An Alien is ideal for space cadets age five and up to watch, read and perform

Meet one confused alien

Two brave kids

And one busted spaceship

So what do you do if you think your aunt is an alien?

Twelve-year-old Jelly and her brother, Jonjo, have their suspicions

She won’t let them leave the house

Or ask questions

And she definitely won’t let them in the attic

Join Jelly and Jonjo on their quest to discover the truth in a rip-roaring adventure through space

Full of fun and friendship

And flying saucers!

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig and William Shakespeare

A foolproof, enormously fun method of teaching your children the classic works of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s plays are among the great bedrocks of Western civilization and contain the finest writing of the past 450 years. Many of the best novels, plays, poetry, and films in the English language produced since Shakespeare’s death in 1616—from Jane Austen to The Godfather—are heavily influenced by Shakespeare’s stories, characters, language, and themes. In a sense, his works are a kind of Bible for the modern world, bringing us together intellectually and spiritually. Hamlet, Juliet, Macbeth, Ophelia, and a vast array of other singular Shakespearean characters have become the archetypes of our consciousness. To know some Shakespeare provides a head start in life. In How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig provides the tools you need to instill an understanding, and a love, of Shakespeare’s works in your children, and to have fun together along the way.

Ken Ludwig devised his methods while teaching his own children, and his approach is friendly and easy to master. Beginning with memorizing short specific passages from Shakespeare’s plays, this method then instills children with cultural references they will utilize for years to come. Ludwig’s approach includes understanding of the time period and implications of Shakespeare’s diction as well as the invaluable lessons behind his words and stories. Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through the world in which the Bard wrote.

This book’s simple process allows anyone to impart to children the wisdom of plays like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. And there’s fun to be had along the way. Shakespeare novices and experts, and readers of all ages, will each find something delightfully irresistible in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.

Interesting Times

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Methuen

Large Mixed Cast

The Discworld’s most inept wizard has been sent from Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork to the oppressive Agatean Empire to help some well-intentioned rebels overthrow the Emperor

He’s assisted by toy-rabbit-wielding rebels, an army of terracotta warriors, a tax gatherer and a group of seven very elderly barbarian heroes lead by Cohen the Barbarian

Opposing him, though, is the evil and manipulative Lord Hong and his army of 750,000 men

Oh … Rincewind is also aided by Twoflower – Discworld’s first tourist and the author of a subversive book, about his visit to Ankh-Morpork, which has inspired the rebels in their struggle for freedom

“One of the funniest authors alive” Independent

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk — Libretto by Marcy Telles, Music by Jason Sherbundy

Children’s Musical/ 4 Characters, 2 Men, 2 Women/ One Act

Synopsis: A musical version of the classic tale about a boy who must travel to the fair to sell his beloved cow. After a run-in with some buyers who think his cow is too scrawny, Jack meets an Old Woman who buys the cow for three beans. The beans, she promises, will allow him to ascend to the sky, where he’ll find a giant’s castle full of riches stolen from his late father.

When Jack angrily throws the beans aside, they grow into a giant beanstalk, which he climbs. At the top, he meets the Giant’s Sister, who hides him just in time: The Giant comes home and demands that his treasure — a goose, a purse filled with gold, and a singing Harp — be brought to him. Listening to the Harp, he falls asleep, and Jack and the Giant’s Sister escape down the beanstalk.

Home again, Jack is overjoyed to discover that his cow has been returned to him and, even better, they all learn a wonderful secret about the Giant’s Sister!

We also have other scripts based on Jack and the Beanstalk for large and small casts.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk adapted by Georgs Pelecis, Ana Sanderson and Matthew White from Roald Dahl’s version of the classic story

This riotously funny adaptation of Roald Dahl’s irreverent twist on the traditional tale is produced in association with the Roald Dahl Foundation

The Performance pack includes the Script and features full Rehearsal and Performance Backing Tracks on CD

‘It is very difficult to pinpoint an aspect of performance which these musical packages do not address (These are) completely foolproof musicals, which could be used and adapted by the most inexperienced of directors undoubtedly an inspired resource’~ The Music Teacher

More Roald Dahl scripts

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk by Paul Kalburgi

Large mixed cast

The classic pantomime re-imagined!

Sing, shout, boo and cheer as our hero Jack journeys to the top of the beanstalk in search of his fortune and a better life for him and his sick mother

But Jack is not the only one seeking his fortune…

… his wicked Aunt Verruca and crazy new cousin Dame Dilly Dally are hot on his heels!

Meanwhile, on the eve of the Princess of Diamonds’ birthday party, the King of Spades has threatened the entire village of Lillyshaw with a demolition order if his precious golden items are not returned

Jack is guided on his adventure by good and bad fairies Virtue and Jeopardy, but when he finally reaches the top of the stalk things aren’t quite what … or who they seem!

Good wins over evil and he who dares to venture into this strange new world shall be rewarded with riches … and true love!

Complete with Pat the pantomime cow, Tom, Dick and Harry the three palace jesters

And of course, those magic beans!

TO READ THE OPENING SCENES, click here

Jack and the Giant Beanstalk

Jack and the Giant Beanstalk by Linda Daugherty

There is much more to this play than Jack and a Beanstalk.

Of course, there’s the proverbial giant, but there is also the giant’s overworked, over-wrought wife, an aria-singing harp, a golden-egg-laying chicken with performance anxiety, and a blue-eyed stranger who looks surprisingly like Jack’s long-lost father

Naturally, there’s the village at the foot of the Beanstalk and the giant’s home in the sky, but there is also, 10 years earlier, a sailing ship caught in a storm off the coast of Pago Pago (“or was it Bora Bora”) with its blue-eyed master pulled mysteriously from the wreckage by a giant hand

Certainly, there’s Jack’s distressed mother and the peddler who sells Jack the magic beans, but there is also the peddler’s story of having bought the beans from a blue-eyed stranger; the Ladies Plum and Pomegranate, who provide the comic relief in Jack’s village; and Jack’s pals, including a rough and ready tomboy named Adelaid

With all the familiar ingredients in the mix, plus so much more, and with fresh and witty dialogue, this will be a re-discovered delight for actors and audiences alike

Runs about 65 minutes – 4 male, 5 female

James and the Giant Peach: a play

Join James as he escapes from his horrible aunts and sets off inside the peach on his wonderful adventures. This dramatization of Roald Dahl’s hugely popular book can be staged in school, acted out at home or simply read together by a group of friends. With suggestions for staging, props and lighting.

Roald Dahl died in 1990 but his books continue to be worldwide bestsellers.

Richard George was an American elementary school teacher when he adapted James and the Giant Peach as a school play. Roald Dahl loved it and wrote an introduction.

More Roald Dahl scripts

Johnny and the Dead

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Oxford University Press

Large Mixed Cast

When Johnny Maxwell visits the local cemetery, he discovers that he can see the dead

He can talk to them, too – much to his friends’ amazement!

So when the news breaks that the local council plans to sell the cemetery to a property developer, Johnny learns that there are some things in life (and death) that are worth fighting for …

Features

The Oxford Playscripts series offers exciting and skilful adaptations of a range of major novels and also includes …

* New, innovative activities specifically tailored for Key Stage 3 English & Drama – 11-14 year old students)

* Activities include work on Speaking and Listening, close text analysis and the structure of playscripts, and as a springboard for personal writing

* Insights into the plays from their distinguished authors and adapters

* Advice on staging

* Speaking parts: 6 male; 18 female; 5 either

Kids Musical Theatre Collection Volume 1

Kids Musical Theatre Collection Vol 1 – Vocal Collection

This giant two-volume resource will be indispensible for teachers working with children singing solos. There is a large variety of material, from classic Disney songs to Broadway to movie favorites to songs from “Sesame Street.” Each volume has songs for both girls and boys.

Volume 1 includes 29 songs from stage, screen and television musicals, these are by far our largest collections of solos for children.

Contents: Any Dream Will Do (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) * Born to Entertain (Ruthless) * The Candy Man (Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) * Castle on a Cloud (Les Miserables) * Consider Yourself (Oliver!) * Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians) * Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat (The Aristocats) * Feed the Birds (Mary Poppins) * Happiness (You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown) * I Don’t Need Anything but You (Oliver!) * I Got the Sun in the Morning (Annie Get Your Gun) * I Know Things Now (Into the Woods) * I Whistle a Happy Tune (The King and I) * I’d Do Anything (Oliver) * It’s the Hard-Knock Life (Annie) * Les Poissons (The Little Mermaid) * Let Me Entertain You (Gypsy) * Let’s Go Fly a Kite (Mary Poppins) * Little Lamb (Gypsy) * Maybe (Annie) * My Favorite Things (The Sound of Music) * On the Good Ship Lollipop (Bright Eyes) * Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid) * Reflection (Mulan) * So This Is Love (The Cinderella Waltz) (Cinderella) * Tomorrow (Annie) * We’re All in This Together (High School Musical) * When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio) * The Work Song (Cinderella) .

Let's Perform! : Monologues, duologues and poems for children to perform

by Cath Howe

Published by Methuen

Let’s Perform! offers fresh, fun material from an experienced drama practitioner, for literacy lessons, drama classes, assemblies, after-school and drama clubs

From They’re Digging up my School Today to The Giant African Land Snail’s Rap, this book is full of brilliant scripts and poems to get children aged 7 to 11 confidently rhyming, moving and imagining

And you’re free to photocopy them

Drama and speaking opportunities boost children’s self-esteem and have a powerful impact on their confidence in school and in the wider world

Cathy Howe has included everyday dilemmas as well as surreal scenarios, ranging from the funny to the ridiculous to the serious and the emotional

Perfect for encouraging creative writing and public speaking, each monologue, duologue or performance poem is accompanied by easy-to-follow performance tips and activities that can also be used in cross-curricular subjects

Additional creative activities for the book are also available online

This vibrant and inspirational Collection is a must-have text to set every child’s imagination whirring

REVIEWS

“Cath Howe is a talented writer of drama resources for children. Her work is a treasure trove of material for anyone who works with children in the fields of drama or literature” ~ David Lawson Lean, Drama Practitioner and Children’s Playwright

Little Red Riding Hood - Grandmother's Tale

by Max Bush

Published by Dramatic Publishing

Large Mixed Cast

This version is based on the oral tale The Grandmother’s Tale (pre-1690) & Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault (1697) and Little Red Cap by the Brothers Grimm (1812)

Long before Perrault wrote down his moralistic version of Little Red Riding Hood the story The Grandmother’s Tale was told and retold across Europe

Perrault altered the story by making Little Red younger and putting a red cape on her, thus alerting the world that this was a child at risk

And by having the wolf – a Werewolf in the oral tale – gobble up Little Red, Perrault’s alterations violently changed the meaning and intent of the tale

In the original story, a mother sends a girl of indeterminate age into the deep forest to bring a basket of food to the girl’s grandmother

She encounters a wolf, who is pleasing to her, and she imparts the information about where she is going and what path she is taking

The wolf arrives first and pretends to be Granny by getting into bed

When the girl arrives, she recognizes the wolf and matches wits with him

This adaptation incorporates elements from all three versions but is primarily based on The Grandmother’s Tale, the closest version of the oral story.

It is told with a direct focus on the overall meanings of the original tale as well as with a sense of mystery, play and humour

CAST M6,F7 (flexible)

Runs about 55 minutes

Lords and Ladies

by Irana Brown from Terry Pratchett

Published by Samuel French Ltd

Large Mixed Cast

The Lancre witches, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, are the Discworld’s only hope of rescue when elves threaten to take control with their hypnotic “glamour”

Standing stones; wizards; Morris men and Rude Mechanicals; country lore and ancient magic

These are all elements of this hilarious, fast-moving and exciting adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s well-loved novel

CAST : M18,F9

Macbeth

Macbeth by William Shakespeare adapted by Carl Heap

This version of Macbeth, adapted and abridged by director Carl Heap, preserves the core of Shakespeare’s plot, retains the original language, yet is presented very much with the target age group in mind

And Carl Heap’s inspiring introduction will help readers, teachers, and practitioners to imagine, produce, and stage their own version.

MacBeth For Kids

MacBeth for Kids – adapted by Lois Burdett

Macbeth for Kids, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

From the author: “Most students will be exposed to the works of Shakespeare, typically in high school. The language and content of the plays is seen as too difficult for younger children but primary children are underestimated as to what they can accomplish given the challenge. The study of Shakespeare has become an integral part of my grade two program at Hamlet School, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.

When I first moved to Stratford, I had no intention of teaching Shakespeare to 7 and 8 year olds. Stratford is a beautiful city noted for its Shakespearean theatre and I was interested that the schools were all named after Shakespearean characters. I asked my class, “Who is William Shakespeare?” and “Why is our school called Hamlet?” Their answers were surprising. One thought he was a famous boxer. Another believed he was the President of Canada. A third student responded, “I don’t know who William Shakespeare is. I don’t know any of the big kids.” It was the children’s enthusiasm and excitement on making the connection between an historical figure and the name of their school, which led me to continue. Thirty years later I can’t imagine teaching anywhere in the world and not introducing Shakespeare. The study provided tremendous growth, particularly in the area of language and communication and evolved into a learning experience of a lifetime. I have endeavored in my books and workshops for teachers to share the excitement of exploring with children, the timeless emotions and ideas of Shakespeare.”

Make It Mystery - 12 Royalty-Free Short Mystery Plays

by Craig Sodaro

Published by Meriwether Press

Make it Mystery is a great-value Collection of 12 Royalty-Free Mystery Plays

The Anthology offers a wide variety of plays, each running 20-30 minutes

Perfect for classroom exercises, competitions, or an evening of one-acts, they all have an element of Mystery, often laced with comedy

For example:

Mummy’s a Zombie! is a fast-moving classic farce

The Clue in the Library is certain to challenge your audience’s detective skills

And in Queen of Hearts, a young William Shakespeare helps solve a crime

Cast sizes range from 4-11, offering strong roles for both male and female

Also included are complete Production Notes on setting, props, costumes and sound effects

And while they’re great fun for all ages, they’re especially suitable for middle and high schools

Best of all, they’re all Royalty-free!

Making Money

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Samuel French Ltd

Large Mixed Cast

Lord Vetinari wants to overhaul the banks of Ankh-Morpork so he appoints former con-man Albert Spangler, aka Moist von Lipwig, to the position of Mater of the Royal Mint, attached to a senior post at the Bank of Ankh-Morpork

Then Mrs Lavish, the bank manager, dies, leaving her dog Mr Fusspot – who also happens to be the majority shareholder – to Moist

Suddenly he finds himself in charge, and his life being threatened by resentful members of the Lavish family

His talent for a swindle soon has customers queuing up, but when the chairman of the bank needs to be taken out for walkies and its chief cashier may or may not be a vampire, making money is not always easy

M19 F10 + Extras – Various simple settings

“As bright and shiny as a newly minted coin; clever, engaging and laugh-out-loud funny” ~ The Times

Making Theatre

Making Theatre by Joss Bennathan

An inspiring, practical handbook for anyone working with young people to make devised theatre.

Managing the devising process is often demanding, difficult and challenging. It can lead even highly competent drama teachers to feel disempowered. However, help is at hand. Making Theatre: The Frazzled Drama Teacher’s Guide to Devising provides a framework that will take the stress out of the process, and help teachers to ensure their students realise their full potential.

Bennathan answers the common questions raised by drama teachers, from ‘What’s the best way of grouping my students?’ and ‘How long should the rehearsal process be?’ to ‘How do I enable students to avoid shallow, clichéd work?’ and ‘How do I ensure that boys engage and attain?’ He shows how to build the foundations that underpin devised theatre, and provides ten invaluable structures for devised work, to meet the needs of different students and situations.

The book also includes a range of stand-alone exercises covering key areas such as voice and movement, characterisation, communication, scene transitions, narrative economy and clarity, performance conventions, and the relationship between style, content and form.

Mary Poppins - Vocal Selections

Mary Poppins – Vocal Selections by Anthony Drewe & George Stiles & Richard M. Sherman

All the songs from the family-friendly stage musical from Disney and Cameron Mackintosh: Chim Chim Cher-ee * Feed the Birds * Let’s Go Fly a Kite * The Perfect Nanny * A Spoonful of Sugar * Step in Time * Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious * and more. Includes a beautiful 8-page color section of photos from the Broadway production as well as an introduction from George Stiles and Anthony Drewe!

Note: this book contains songs from the show only, NOT a full script

Maskerade

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Samuel French Ltd

Large Mixed Cast

All is not well in the Ankh-Morpork Opera House

A ghost stalks the dark corridors, leaving strange letters for the management

And killing people!

Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, two Lancre witches, investigate

And are soon involved in all kinds of skulduggery, mayhem and ear-splittingly loud singing

Quirky and original characters, a labyrinthine plot and numerous witty one-liners make this a treat for Discworld fans and ‘uninitiated’ theatregoers alike.

Much Ado About Nothing for Kids

Much Ado About Nothing for Kids adapted by Lois Burdett

“What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?” These famous lines from Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing delightfully show the verbal sparring between the reluctant lovers, Beatrice and Benedick who are happily brought together at the end by the schemes of their friends. And, no story is complete without at least one evil character, Don John, who unsuccessfully tries to tear apart the wedding plans of Hero and Claudio, the other lovers in this sparkling tale.

Written in rhyming couplets, Much Ado About Nothing, the eighth book in this successful series, captures all the exciting elements of the original story, and is truly a delightful read for both adult and child.

Lois Burdett has been a teacher at Hamlet Public School in Stratford, Ontario, for over twenty years and her expertise in bringing Shakespeare to life for children as young as seven is reflected in the children’s clever insights and wonderful drawings which complement the play.

Her success has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for workshops as far afield as Europe and Australia where she instructs educators on how they too can familiarize young children with Shakespeare.

From the Foreword by Denzel Washington

“[Lois Burdett’s] delightfully entertaining text is complemented by her students’ thoughtful interpretations and charming artwork which make Much Ado About Nothing come alive in a whole new way.”

No Stable Too Small - Fifteen Christmas Plays for Churches of All Sizes

No Stable Too Small – Fifteen Christmas Plays for Churches of All Sizes

This great value festive Collection offers no fewer than 15 Christmas plays

These humorous, down-to-earth plays each bring a fresh perspective to the Christmas story through such creative devices as imagining the thoughts and feelings of fringe characters (like an innkeeper or a servant or one of the magi)

Or by updating the story with contemporary settings and characters

It also offers a variety of practical material for a range of situations – from shorter plays with small casts and lines that can be easily mastered by younger children to more elaborate pieces with sophisticated themes for older children and adults

The flexible scenes are especially valuable for small congregations that lack the resources to mount large-scale productions

No sets are required, and only simple costumes and minimal props are needed

And with a running time of about 20 minutes each, it’s easy to fit them within a Christmas Eve or Advent Sunday worship service

TITLES INCLUDE:

No Stable Too Small

Love Finds a Way

It Wasn’t the Hilton, You Know

Christmas Eve at Angel School

Because God Said So, That’s Why

No Small Parts

“Unto Us a Child Is Born”

Miracles? No Problem!

And seven more!

O'Bannion's Gold

by Jean Goodman

Published by Cyberpress

Large Mixed Cast

In mystic old Ireland mortals live alongside magic: cursing witches, fallen angels, ‘human’ worms, a dreaded Great Banshee and a leprechaun kingdom guarding its precious pot of gold!

Two children of very poor families eventually kidnap the leprechaun King for ransom

Do they return home safely, get the gold or what?

In a charming original family friendly play — destined to be an old Irish or St. Patrick’s Day evergreen production – two young people encounter mysterious creatures and battle dangers unknown in modern times to learn invaluable lessons

There is magic, suspense, bravery, fighting, singing, dancing, a hint of romance and much laughter!

O’Bannion’s Gold has enjoyed several successful performances and now awaits your own magical touch in a new production!

Oakshot Complete Works of William Shakespeare

The complete works of William Shakespeare in Kindle format, free to download and use.

The ebook is specifically formatted for kindle devices and tested with all Kindle 5 way navigation functions and Kindle table of contents button. Ebook comes with main table of contents and interlinked sub table of contents.

Supplemental prose materials (biographies, criticisms) now contain paragraph indentation on all works. Apart from two works which contain line spacing instead. However all works now clearly distinguish paragraphs to make it easier for the user to read.

•Each play Illustrated with Illustrations unique to this release, over 350 Illustrations in total.

•Biography and literary critique includes annotated inline footnotes.

The Plays.

The Comedies of William Shakespeare.

•All’s Well That Ends Well. (Illustrated)

•As You Like It. (Illustrated)

•Comedy of Errors. (Illustrated)

•Cymbeline. (Illustrated)

•Love’s Labour’s Lost. (Illustrated)

•Measure for Measure. (Illustrated)

•Merchant of Venice. (Illustrated)

•Merry Wives of Windsor. (Illustrated)

•Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Illustrated)

•Much Ado about Nothing. (Illustrated)

•Taming of the Shrew. (Illustrated)

•Tempest. (Illustrated)

•Troilus and Cressida. (Illustrated)

•Twelfth Night. (Illustrated)

•Two Gentlemen of Verona. (Illustrated)

•Winter’s Tale. (Illustrated)

The Histories of William Shakespeare.

•Henry IV, Part 1. (Illustrated)

•Henry IV, Part 2. (Illustrated)

•Henry V. (Illustrated)

•Henry VI, Part 1. (Illustrated)

•Henry VI, Part 2. (Illustrated)

•Henry VI, Part 3. (Illustrated)

•Henry VIII. (Illustrated)

•King John. (Illustrated)

•Pericles. (Illustrated)

•Richard II. (Illustrated)

•Richard III. (Illustrated)

The Tragedies of William Shakespeare.

•Antony and Cleopatra. (Illustrated)

•Coriolanus. (Illustrated)

•Hamlet. (Illustrated)

•Julius Caesar. (Illustrated)

•King Lear. (Illustrated)

•Macbeth. (Illustrated)

•Othello. (Illustrated)

•Romeo and Juliet. (Illustrated)

•Timon of Athens. (Illustrated)

•Titus Andronicus. (Illustrated)

The Sonnets of William Shakespeare.

The Poems of William Shakespeare.

The Biographies of William Shakespeare.

•Some Account Of The Life Of Mr. William Shakespeare By Nicholas Rowe.

•Shakespeare His Life, Art, And Characters By Henry Norman Hudson.

•The People For Whom Shakespeare Wrote By Charles Dudley Warner.

•Life Of William Shakespeare By Sir Sidney Lee.

•Shakespeare’s Family By Mrs. C. C. Stopes. (Inline Footnotes)

•The Man Shakespeare and His Tragic Life Story by Frank Harris.

•Shakespearean Playhouses: A History Of English Theatres Joseph Quincy Adams, Jr. (Illustrated / Inline Footnotes)

The Critical Works of William Shakespeare.

•Notes To Comedies By Samuel Johnson.

•Notes To Tragedies By Samuel Johnson.

•A Study Of Shakespeare By Algernon Charles Swinburne.

•Preface To Shakespeare And Notes On Plays By Samuel Johnson.

•Eighteenth Century Essays On Shakespeare By D. Nichol.

•Shakespeare’s Attitude Toward The Working Classes By Ernest Crosby.

•Shakespearean Tragedy by A. C. Bradley. (Inline Footnotes)

•Leo Tolstoy on Shakespeare – A Critical Essay. (Inline Footnotes)

•Shakespeare By Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

•Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays by William Hazlitt.

Oily Cart - All Sorts of Theatre for All Sorts of Kids

Oily Cart – All Sorts of Theatre for All Sorts of Kids by Mark Brown

“There are good theatre companies, and there are great theatre companies. There are great theatre companies and there is Oily Cart” ~ Lyn Gardiner – Guardian drama critic

Acclaimed theatre company Oily Cart has for 30 years been making colourful musical interactive theatre for young children and for children and young adults with learning disabilities or on the spectrum of autism

This fascinating book presents a rich and illuminating picture of its three decades of skilled theatre making

It’s an essential source book for …

– theatre practitioners who make, or are seeking to make, theatre for young children or for children and young adults with learning disabilities

– teachers and students who are engaged in Special Educational Needs, early years and nursery work, or drama and theatre

– anyone interested in drama therapy or music therapy

one on one playing with a purpose monologues for kids big

by Stephen Fife et al (editors)

Published by Applause Books

Kids of today face a different world and a different set of challenges than did the children of even 15 years ago

Playing with a Purpose features a collection of monologues that reflects these new attitudes and circumstances

Highly diversified in its view of the family and the child’s place in the world, the monologues have been chosen from several sources:

From contemporary playwrights and screenwriters

From YouthPlays – a new company that specializes in publishing cutting-edge plays for the youth market

And from such conservatories for young actors as The Playground, the Los Angeles-based training center run by Gary Spatz, the leading acting coach for performers ages 6 to 16

“Playing with a Purpose” is an idea that arose from Fife’s work with young actors over the course of several decades

The included monologues have been chosen and arranged to allow for a young actor’s development

From Getting Started: Simple Situations and Circumstances to Intermediate: Adding Elements of Character to Advanced: Character Counts each chapter includes pieces that will test the young actor’s ability

Organised Chaos: A Very Practical Guide to Drama Teaching

Organised Chaos: A Very Practical Guide to Drama Teaching by Harry Tawse

I know how valuable time is for teachers. I remember well, thumbing through book after book looking for some practical advice on drama teaching; frustrated at having to wade through page after page of theoretical waffle to get to some practical gems. You need some real keys to success. What you need are practical ways to survive on a daily basis; teaching a subject that is, traditionally, vastly undervalued in schools and has challenged and will continue to challenge you to the core as a teacher.

What I share with you in this book is knowledge and information gained from 30+ years of tough teaching experience.

The more I have learned the more convinced I am that there are no easy answers to effective drama teaching but there are clear strategies and approaches that can make life easier and ensure a high measure of success.

E-book Contents

Chapter 1. Portrait of a Sucessful/Failed Drama Teacher

A brief outline of my career from it’s early beginnings till now.

Chapter 2. The Teacher/Student Relationship

Some hard lessons I learned on how to establish the right relationship with your students to ensure success.

Chapter 3. The Drama Class is Dynamic and Unpredictable

Some insights into what to expect and how to deal with the dynamics of a drama class.

Chapter 4. The Drama Space

An outline of what are the best spaces and best resources for an effective drama teaching space.

Chapter 5. The Problem with Mandatory Unitised Curriculum?

Some key guidelines on how to organise a drama program and what to expect when you run it.

Chapter 6. A Practical Approach to Drama

My personal approach on how to structure a drama program and why.

Chapter 7. Sell Your Subject

Some keys on how to promote drama as a subject within the school community to students, parents and colleagues.

Chapter 8. Games are Essential not Optional

Insights into the importance and use of games in the drama class.

Chapter 9. Group-Work Keys

Real gems on how to work with diverse groups of students to achieve desired outcomes. What to look for in group dynamics and

some solutions to problems.

Chapter 10. Improvisation – The Foundation of Drama Work

A very thorough outline of how to teach improvisation in the drama classroom and why it is so important.

Chapter 11. Clowning

One of my most successful units of work with young drama students and an excellent foundation for future work.

Chapter 12. Theatre-In-Education Project (TIE)

One of the most popular, productive units of work in my drama program. Excellent for teaching a broad range of performance and

stage craft skills.

Chapter 13. Community Theatre Project

An outstandingly successful and popular unit of work for senior students. This project has enormous value by itself but could also be

the springboard for other Community Theatre projects.

Chapter 14. Characterisation

I have been absolutely ‘blown away’ by the standard of performance and depth of characterisation that students have achieved in this

unit of work.

Chapter 15. Scripted Drama

This unit of work lays great foundations for student understanding of the complexities involved in taking a script, analysing and

interpreting it and finally turning it into a performance.

Chapter 16. Group Devised Performance

This outlines a journey which is not for the faint-hearted but one which has the potential to produce your most memorable moments in theatre performance and your most rewarding achievements as a drama teacher.

Chapter 17. The Big School Production

The keys to mounting a successful large scale school production. Distilled from years of experience working not just in the school

environment but also in professional and amateur theatre.

Chapter 18. Cross-Curricular Units of Work

The outline of several units of work designed to be conducted in collaboration with colleagues in other teaching disciplines.

Appendix: The appendix includes a range of resources to help organise and conduct your drama program.

Our Teacher's a Troll

by Dennis Kelly

Published by Oberon

Large Mixed Cast

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there were two terrible twins called Holly and Sean who got up to all kinds of mischief

In fact, they were so badly behaved at school that the Head Teacher, Mrs Spike, had a nervous breakdown and was found in the sand pit eating sand and mooing like a cow

The twins were extremely pleased with themselves

That is, until the new Head Teacher arrived

You see, the new Head Teacher was a –

– a Troll

Yes, that’s right

A Troll

And this Troll Head Teacher soon created all kinds of mad new rules for both pupils and teachers

Can Holly and Sean save the day and stop the Troll from eating their classmates and Teachers?

Can naughtiness be restored to its rightful and proper place?

And will brussels sprouts and peanut butter ever be taken off the menu?

This gleefully nasty tale of triumph over adversity for the over-sevens is full of worms, horribly clever sound effects of children being chewed up, purple tongues, jokes at the expense of ineffectual adults

And worse – after the troll has eaten little Tommy Anderson his burps smell of the poor child’s feet!

This is simple but cracking storytelling for two actors and one Troll encourages audience interactivity

Great fun – suitable for all children, young and old

CAST

Mixed Ensemble Cast (flexible) – 2 Actors + 1 Troll

REVIEWS

“Funny and unpatronising. Comic perfection” ~ The Times

“All of the wit, grotesque humour and naughtiness of Dahl’s best” ~ WhatsOnStage

“A celebration of naughtiness and questioning, it’s a raucous, skin-crawling treat” ~ Guardian

‘[The solution] is a far superior moral twist, one that mocks self-aggrandising authority and finds the value of understanding an alien culture – while giving the production space for pure adrenaline fun all the way’ ~ Stage

“An hilarious dark fable” ~ Herald

Paddington on Stage

Paddington on Stage – plays for children – adapted by Michael Bond and Alfred Bradley

This is something of a rarity and, as far as we are aware, now only available second-hand.

Based around Michael Bond’s popular Paddington Bear books, this book of seven short play scripts is intended for young children to perform.

The scripts were based on the play The Adventures of Paddington Bear published by Samuel French.

The plays included are:

The arrival of Paddington

Paddington paints a picture

Paddington has a holiday

Paddington visits the dentist

Paddington goes to the launderette

Paddington goes to hospital

Paddington turns detective.

The book also contains costume notes and the lyrics (but not music) of two songs: I try so hard, and Paddington Bear.

Papa Panov's Magic Christmas

by Paul Thain from Leo Tolstoy

Published by Samuel French Ltd

Large Mixed Cast

Papa Panov is an old shoemaker, now almost too blind to thread a needle

On Christmas Eve he has a dream that Jesus will visit him on Christmas Day

Eager and anxious, he waits all day

But his only visitors are a tramp, a roadsweeper, and a pauper woman with her cold and hungry baby

Despite his disappointment and fading hope, Papa Panov gives them his coat, his money, his soup

And even the tiny shoes he was saving as a present for Baby Jesus

Night falls and his special visitor still hasn’t arrived

Papa Panov thinks himself a silly, old fool

But then he has another dream …

A dream which convinces him his special visitor did come after all

Adapted from a short story by Leo Tolstoy, Papa Panov’s Magic Christmas makes a perfect play for Christmas

It can involve any number of children and it runs about 25 minutes

Papa Panov's Magic Christmas - PDF

by Paul Thain from Leo Tolstoy

Published by Cyberpress

Large Mixed Cast

Papa Panov is an old shoemaker, now almost too blind to thread a needle

On Christmas Eve he has a dream that Jesus will visit him on Christmas Day

Eager and anxious, he waits all day

But his only visitors are a tramp, a road sweeper, and a pauper woman with her cold and hungry baby

Despite his disappointment and fading hope, Papa Panov gives them his coat, his money, his soup

And even the tiny shoes he was saving as a present for Baby Jesus

Night falls and his special visitor still hasn’t arrived

Papa Panov thinks himself a silly, old fool

But then he has another dream …

A dream which convinces him his special visitor did come after all

Adapted from a short story by Leo Tolstoy, Papa Panov’s Magic Christmas makes a perfect play for Christmas

It can involve any number of children and it runs about 25 minutes

Play Time by Julia Donaldson

From the best-selling and much-loved author of THE GRUFFALO and other classic picture books, eleven fun-to-act short plays for primary-aged children (Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2) complete with helpful, simple guidance on target age, running time and cast! Ranging from adaptations of traditional tales (eg, the legend of Persephone and Three Billy Goats Gruff) to original and contemporary short plays, Julia Donaldson has produced an entertaining, simple, satisfying play collection.

About the Author

Julia Donaldson MBE is the Children’s Laureate and author of many bestselling books for children, including the acknowledged modern classic THE GRUFFALO, which has won the Smarties Prize and the Blue Peter Award for the Best Book to Read Aloud. Julia has also written many children’s plays and songs, and runs regular storytelling and drama workshops. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

Plays for Young Audiences

by Max Bush

Published by Meriwether Press

Large Mixed Cast

Winner of the AATE Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award for a nationally significant body of work for young audiences

Many consider Max Bush to be the fountainhead of the renaissance in playwriting for young audiences

His sensitivity to current themes and the modern idiom infuses a contemporary appeal into all of his works

The ten full-length plays in this Collection are adaptations of classics, heroic fantasy adventures, and dramas

They’ve all been successfully produced by community, educational, and professional theatre companies, and many of them are recipients of prestigious regional and national awards

As well as Bush’s internationally acclaimed The Emerald Circle, the Anthology includes:

Ghost of the River House

Hansel and Gretel – The Little Brother and the Little Sister

The Emerald Circle

Puss in Boots

13 Bells of Boglewood

The Crystal

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers

Rockway Cafe

Rapunzel

Voyage of the Dragonfly

Second edition (revised) – 365 pages

Edited Roger Ellis, Professor of Theatre at Grand Valley State University

Plays of the American Experience

by Thomas Hischak

Published by Meriwether Publishing

Nothing brings the past alive better than stories performed by live actors. Subtitled 25 Fascinating Stories for the Classroom or Stage, Plays of the American Experience is a unique Collection of 25 short plays that brings to life critical moments in American history

Most of the characters are not famous figures or even factual, instead they represent ordinary Americans who did not make history, but rather lived history

And it’s through them we experience the past

Each of the 25 plays runs about 10 minutes

They can be read aloud

Or simply staged in the classroom

Or else fully staged with the help of complete set and costume descriptions included with each play

And to further enhance their educational value, each of the plays includes background information of the historical situation and explains what happened after the event

These engaging scenes capture the essence of the American spirit and are ideal for middle school or high school drama classes

Cast sizes range from two to eight and they offer roles equally for male and female

The 25 plays are …

1845–Without Ice (3M, 3F)

1863–Her First Decision (2F)

1865–Laura Keene’s Big Night (5M, 3F)

1873–The Good Fight (1M, 3F)

1888–Breaker Boy (2M, 2F)

1891–Beaded Souvenirs for Sale (1M, 4F)

1906–Music in the Air (2M, 2F)

1909–The Letter E (2M, 4F)

1918–Caught in the Wire (1M, 3F)

1920–Tiny Pieces of Light (2M, 2F)

1927–Lamb Chops and Pineapple (4M, 2F)

1933–Bread and Soup (4M, 3F)

1937–Lady Lindy (1M, 1F)

1938–We Interrupt This Program (1M, 4F)

1939–Poison (1M, 2F)

1941–Sunday Morning (1M, 3F)

1943–Add One Cup of Sugar (1M, 3F)

1945–VJ Day Blues (2M, 4F)

1951–‘Til Further Notice (2M, 3F)

1955–Waiting for the Bus (4F)

1957–About the Size of a Beach Ball (1M, 3F)

1959–Adios, Havana (4M, 2F)

1964–All My Loving (4F)

1972–A Triangle Box Frame (2M, 3F)

1973–Just Like a Toaster (1M, 3F)

REVIEWS

“A highly recommended collection of short 10-minute plays that are particularly well-suited for middle to high school presentation under all kinds of conditions. Students will absorb historical facts and the social sentiments of various times; audiences will receive food for thought through hard-hitting aftermaths that cement the lasting impacts of these events. Educators seeking powerfully-crafted scenes that hold high interest for students normally resistant to learning history could do no better than to choose this versatile, compelling collection as their foundation text for not just teaching drama, but adding life to the American history learning experience” ~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer — Midwest Book Review

Playscripts for Primary Schools: A Resource Pack of Scripts for Adaptation

Playscripts for Primary Schools moves beyond the traditional end-of-year or Christmas production to show that working together with variously sized groups of pupils can be a valuable curricular activity. The author’s playscripts can be used for many purposes e.g. to reinforce or introduce history topics, for group writing exercises, to build co-operation and problem-solving skills and a way of opening up discussions on any range of topics. The playscripts can also be customised to suit individual schools and location, and to include opportunity for improvisation.

Puppetry - How to Do It

by Mervyn Millar

Published by Nick Hern Books

A practical, accessible and inspiring guide to using puppetry in theatre

It’s the perfect entry point for anyone looking to use puppets in their productions, to explore what puppets can do, or to develop their puppetry skill

Written by an experienced theatre and puppetry director, Mervyn Millar’s Puppetry – How to Do It focuses on the performer and the craft of bringing any puppet to life

No puppet-making is required to use this book

Starting just with simple objects, it lays out the skills required to unlock a puppet’s limitless potential for expression and connection with an audience

Inside you’ll discover fifty practical, easy-to-follow exercises for use in a group or on your own to develop elements of the craft, build confidence and help you improve your puppetry through play and improvisation

Also included are sections on different types of puppet, thinking about how the puppeteer is presented on stage and how to direct and devise puppet performances

Ideal for actors and performers, for directors and designers, and for teachers and students of all ages and levels of experience, this book will demystify the art of puppetry, and help you become more confident and creative with all kinds of puppets and objects on stage

REVIEWS

“This is a superb guide to puppet manipulation by one of the world’s most experienced puppetry directors and teachers at a time when many actors are seeing puppetry as the twenty-first century’s evocative and powerful new performance medium” ~ Basil Jones, Handspring Puppet Company

“This book captures Mervyn’s playful and accessible process for working with actors to develop their puppetry skills it’s like having him in the room” ~ Lucy Skilbeck, Director of Actor Training at RADA

“Mervyn Millar has a unique perspective on the meteoric rise of puppetry in British theatre having witnessed it from the inside. He was resident at the Puppet Centre Trust at BAC when Improbable Theatre were exploding theatrical form in 70 Hill Lane and Animo. He was studying with Handspring when they created the exquisite and game-changing giraffe puppet in Tall Horse. He was present from the earliest experiments at the National Theatre Studio in which puppetry and “poor theatre” were combined to create the performance language of War Horse. There is no one better placed to reveal the techniques of puppetry which made these changes and these shows possible” ~ Tom Morris, Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic, and Co-director of War Horse

“More and more contemporary actors are adding puppetry to their arsenal of performance techniques. Here is a very timely guide to what is required from the actor to give life to the performed object as developed from Mervyn Millar’s own deep practical experience” ~ Adrian Kohler, Handspring Puppet Company

“Based on the workshops he developed for training performers for War Horse, Mervyn has written this book to share his craft … the exercises are clear and easily reproducible for many different types of participants a wonderful gift to the field of puppetry. I hope that it will be used widely to introduce adventurous spirits to this dynamic art form” ~ Cheryl Henson, President of the Jim Henson Foundation, from her Foreword

Readers Theatre in the Middle and Junior High Classroom - A Take Part Teacher's Guide

by Lois Walker

Published by Meriwether Publishing

This teacher’s guidebook, sub-titled Springboards to Language Development Through Readers Theatre, Storytelling, Writing, and Dramatizing, is ideal for introducing Readers Theatre to young students

It includes step-by-step instructions on a variety of ways to use Readers Theatre in the classroom through Circle, Instant, and Cooperative Readings

It provides a springboard of ideas for storytelling, writing, and creative drama

And allows teachers to build theme units for cooperative learning, special education, and English as a second language

Nine drama activities and two complete sample scripts are included for duplication and use in the classroom

This is a practical teacher’s guide to using Readers Theatre for language development

This theatre book makes reading fun!

Rightyville Vs Leftyland - The Hopeful Handshake

by Tom DeMuro

Published by Cyberpress

Large Mixed Cast

Though located side-by-side, the citizens of Rightyville and Leftyland have allowed some very basic differences to divide them

Beliefs as simple as their choice of dominant hand, colors they choose to wear, music they like to listen to and the food they prefer to eat etc, have built an invisible wall between them

With the help of an unlikely courageous individual, the people of Rightyville and Leftyland begin to view their lives through a much clearer lens

Very large mixed cast

Runs about 60 minutes

Roald Dahl: Plays for Children 6 Books Collection Set (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, The Twits, The Witches)

Buy Now Green Button Png - Free Transparent PNG Download ... Roald Dahl The Plays 6 Books Collection Set

Titles in the Set:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,

Fantastic Mr Fox

James and the Giant Peach

The BFG

The Twits

The Witches

The son of Norwegian parents, Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 and educated at Repton. He was a fighter pilot for the RAF during World War Two, and it was while writing about his experiences during this time that he started his career as an author.

His fabulously popular children’s books are read by children all over the world. Some of his better-known works include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG.

He died in November 1990.

Robin Hood and the Raven’s Revenge by John Chambers

Comedy/ 9 characters, 5 Men, 4 Women (double/extra casting if desired)/ Full Length, Two Acts

Synopsis: Written for a family audience, with plenty of humour and some added twists to the traditional story. It intertwines the favourite elements of the Robin Hood legend with less known myths, such as the witch Mother Maudlin and an evil Raven and equates Robin with the English folk-lore figure, The Green Man.

John has written three epics for Lancaster Dukes Promenade Seasons – Tales of King Arthur, Jungle Book and The Three Musketeers, and several pieces for/with young people at Manchester Youth Theatre and M6 where he was also Resident Writer.

Robinson and Friday

by Hansjorg Schneider trans Kenneth & Barbi Rugg

Published by Samuel French Inc

3 Male 1 Female

This delightful play is a gentle spoof on authority that will appeal to children of all ages

It is the story of the shipwrecked Robinson and Friday, who live alone on a desert island

REVIEWS

“Tailor-made for giving youngsters an appreciation for theatre” ~ Boston Globe

“Lovely, beautiful, and very funny. Something special and new” ~ The Village Voice

Romeo and Juliet Class Pack: Oxford School Shakespeare [Paperback]

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare – Classroom teaching pack

A pack containing: * 15 copies of the OSS edition of Romeo and Juliet * 15 Romeo and Juliet Reading Guides to support KS3 students in their study of the text OSS Romeo and Juliet * Full accessible notes ideal for students * Additional information and reading lists * A range of llustrations, both decorative and explanatory * A school edition that is both accessible and academically rigorous * OSS range also includes Romeo and Juliet Reading Guide and OxBox to support study of the text OSS Romeo and Juliet Reading Guides * Provide essential background material for students * A reusable booklet with magazine-style feel to engage students * A useful ‘way in’ to various aspects of the play * A flexible resource that can be used throughout the study of the play Oxford School Shakespeare * A school Shakespeare series that is both accessible and academically rigorous * Range also includes Romeo and Juliet OxBox CD-ROM

Romeo and Juliet for Kids

Romeo and Juliet for Kids adapted by Lois Burdett

Romeo and Juliet for Kids, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Scenes That Happen - Snapshot Dramatizations about Life in High School

by Mary Krell-Oishi

Published by Meriwether Publishing

Here is a hit for any classroom!

This helpful text contains thirty-four real-life scenes for boys, girls and mixed casts

Each with two to four actors, they are ideal for classroom or stage performances

They are also excellent for use as contest scripts because student actors portray themselves in the bearable and impossible situations of teenage existence

The thoughtful and touching themes include dating, popularity, growing up, graduation, suspension from school and moving experiences to laugh about and cry about

The scene lengths vary from four to seven minutes each

All scenes are royalty-free with book purchase

Includes 13 scenes for 2 girls, 11 scenes for 2 boys and 10 scenes for 1 boy and 1 girl

Sci-Fi Scenes and Monster Dreams - 16 ROYALTY-FREE Comedy Scenes for Student Actors

by Jan Peterson Ewen

Published by Meriwether

Large Mixed Cast

These highly creative and imaginative scenes will produce out-of-this-world laughs for both actors and audience

The 16-scene collection includes original stories as well as spoofs of popular movies, books, and television shows

Perfect for classroom use or performance, these sketches include 2 to 6 (or even more!) actors and run 5 to 10 minutes

Actors of all ages and experience levels will appreciate the many roles that can be played by either gender

In addition to containing laugh-out-loud scenes, this valuable resource also focuses on important acting skills such as comedic timing, pantomime, using accents, and physical characterization

Student actors will love playing a wide variety of characters, such as:

· Comical monsters

· Socially awkward robots

· Powerful wizards

· Courageous superheroes

· Mad scientists

· Charismatic talking dogs

· Adventurous space explorers

· And many more!

Complete production notes make it easy to bring these skits to life onstage

And they can all be performed Royalty-free!

Secrets

by Vicky Ireland from Jacqueline Wilson

Published by Nick Hern Books

5 Male 1 Female

An adaptation for the stage of Jacqueline Wilson’s popular novel …

India and Treasure come from very different backgrounds but soon become the best of friends

Together they escape from their problems by writing diaries, inspired by their heroine, Anne Frank

But when secrets start jumping off the page and into real life, Treasure and India find themselves in deep trouble

This adaptation is suitable for young actors as well as young audiences and the adapter has provided production Notes to indicate how the play can be staged even with minimal resources

REVIEWS

“You’d have to be insensitive and iron-hearted not to be smiling through tears at the end of this powerful emotional rollercoaster” ~ The Stage

Shakespeare with Children: Six Scripts For Young Players

Shakespeare with Children: Six Scripts For Young Players by Elizabeth Weinstein

Does your class or children’s group need a jump start in producing thrilling, engrossing, lively theater?

Joy, greed, love, fear, and gluttony are just a few of the elements woven into Shakespeare’s plays; these timeless topics provide endless fascination for children of any age.

In Shakespeare with Children: Six Scripts for Young Players, Elizabeth Weinstein retains the beauty of Shakespeare s original language and the sheer fun of acting onstage, while substantially shortening and adapting six plays for children ages eight to thirteen.

These forty-minute scripts come with an arsenal of practical suggestions for simple productions. Teachers (and parents) will find ideas for easy back-of-the-closet costume pieces, as well as for sets, props, and music. Historical and literary background is also provided.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Why Perform Classroom Plays?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Macbeth

King Henry IV, Part I

Twelfth Night

Romeo and Juliet

The Tempest

Appendix A. About Shakespeare

Appendix B. Bibliography

Appendix C. Sample Letter Home

Weinstein has created an amazing resource for teachers who want to introduce their own students to the richness and wonder of the Bard. Her beautifully adapted texts are especially well served by the wonderfully useful suggestions for staging and music. Hurray for Shakespeare with Children! –Bruce Coville, Author of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (and other Shakespeare picture books), My Teacher Is an Alien, Song of the Wanderer, and many other books for children.

As a fifth-grade teacher, I am thrilled that I can use this wonderful resource to introduce my students to the beautiful language, marvelous characters, intriguing plots, and fascinating history in Shakespeare’s plays. The adaptations in this well-chosen collection lend themselves beautifully to cross-curricular connections among social studies, reading, language arts, music, and art. It is hard to imagine a better way to hook young students on Shakespeare than by having them read and act in these delightful versions of the Bard’s work. –Elizabeth Ester, North Shore Country Day School, Winnetka, Illinois

Ms. Weinstein’s book is a must for every creative elementary classroom. She gives you all the tools you need to build a beautiful production of six different Shakespearean classics including comedy (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, The Tempest), tragedy (Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet), and history (King Henry IV, Part I). The book provides a detailed blueprint that includes a synopsis and ideas for music, props, backdrops, and costumes, as well as a hard-to-find pronunciation key for each character. A great gift for teachers that will benefit their students forever. –Ronald Bell, Artistic Director, Syracuse

Stone Soup

by Paul Thain

Published by Samuel French Ltd

Large Mixed Cast

This contemporary re-telling of an ancient folk-story uses allegory and humour to explore major challenges of our time

It begins when the wise Sophia enters a starving Village and declares she will feed everyone with her magical soup

But first Makomo must follow the Star and persuade Mr & Mrs North to give up their control of the Giant Cooking Pot

They finally agree and soon the Giant Cooking Pot begins to boil and bubble

Hungry and curious, the Villagers gather around

Sophia asks them to each contribute a stone to help make her soup

They think she’s mad

But their children quickly oblige

And – as if by magic – the soup begins to acquire a delicious taste and smell!

But when Sophia speaks of peace and justice, the fearsome General Mayhem marches into the Village and orders Major Hazard to seize the soup and place it under military control

Sophia faces the firing squad and all seems lost

But the human spirit finally prevails and the Play ends with a dance and the hope of a new beginning

Stone Soup - PDF

by Paul Thain

Published by Cyberpress

Large Mixed Cast

This contemporary re-telling of an ancient folk-story uses allegory and humour to explore major challenges of our time

The wise Sophia enters a starving Village and declares she will feed everyone with her magical soup

But first Makomo must follow the Star and persuade Mr & Mrs North to give up control of the Giant Cooking Pot

They finally agree and soon the Giant Cooking Pot begins to boil and bubble

Hungry and curious, the Villagers gather around and Sophia asks them to each contribute a stone to help make her soup

They think she’s mad – but their children quickly oblige

And – as if by magic – the soup begins to acquire a delicious taste and smell!

But when Sophia speaks of peace and justice, the fearsome General Mayhem marches into the Village and orders Major Hazard to seize the soup and place it under military control

Sophia faces the firing squad and now all seems lost

But the human spirit finally prevails and the Play ends with a dance and the hope of a new beginning

It runs about 60 minutes

Tally's Blood

Tally’s Blood by Ann Marie di Mambro

As well as being a highly popular play for National 5 English study, Tally’s Blood paints a wonderful picture of life in wartime Scotland, as experienced by the Italian immigrant community. Exploring the themes of racism, love and family loyalties, it does so with humour and warmth through the eyes of an Italian family with close blood ties. When World War Two breaks out, friendships outwith the family are sorely tested by the difficulties of wartime prejudice.

– One of the set drama texts for National 5 English

– Written by a very successful playwright and television screenplay writer

Teaching Drama to Little Ones - 12 Ready-to-Go Lesson Plans for Kids Age 3-7

Jessica McCuiston

Published by Beat by Beat Press

Do you find it difficult to find drama activities for preschool age children?

Teaching theatre to very young children is a completely different experience than working with older kids

Their attention spans are shorter and they require games that are simple, short and active

But also games that provide them with the skills necessary to grow as an actor

Teaching Drama to Little Ones is packed with activities that do just that

It includes 12 lesson plans specifically designed for kids age 3-7 that you can implement today

It also includes guides on how to adapt a script and rehearse a show with this age group

Teaching Drama to Little One offers …

* 12 lessons plans packed with over 70 activities ideal for kids age 3-7

* Each lesson contains a Warm-Up, Focus, Voice, Movement and Imagination activity

* Simple reflection questions after every lesson

* A guide to creating a script for little ones

* A guide to auditioning, rehearsing and performance tips for little ones

* An appendix with lyrics of simple songs for classroom use

And here are just a few of the topics covered in the lessons …

Getting to Know You. Students will feel comfortable in a new environment, realizing that theatre class is a place where they can make new friends while learning how to sing, dance, and act.

Make Believe. Students will use their imaginations to be different characters and go on make believe adventures.

Working with a Partner. Students will build trust and gain confidence by learning to work with a partner.

Working as a Team. Students will realize that theater involves teamwork and everyone has a role with something important to contribute.

Rhythm. Students will understand rhythm, be able to clap and follow a steady beat, and practice speeding up and slowing down their voices and movements.

Energy. Students will explore how energy is necessary when performing and learn how to control and focus using that energy.

Emotions. Students will explore how we use emotions to show the audience what we are feeling.

Actions. Students will use movement to learn the basic concepts of blocking, choreography, and stage directions.

Becoming a Character. Students will become familiar with the practice of pretending to be different characters.

Using Your Voice. Students will understand why projection and diction are necessary while singing and acting.

Acting Is Reacting. Students will understand that listening and reacting are just as important as speaking.

Putting it Together. Students will learn how their newly developed acting skills fit together as they prepare for a final presentation or show

About the Author

Jessica McCuiston has worked as a teaching artist and director/choreographer in the New York City area since 2007. She has taught in over twenty schools, ranging from pre-kindergarteners in the NYC public school system to college students at Pace University. She currently teaches musical theatre for Bronx Arts Ensemble and Mile Square Theatre, and is resident choreographer for Broadway Bound Kids

Ten Minute Plays for Kids

by Lawrence Harbison – Editor

Published by Applause Books

In 10-Minute Plays for Kids, young thespians will find terrific plays by some of our most prominent playwrights. These include Sharyn Rothstein, Alex Broun, Jenny Lyn Bader, Claudia I. Haas, and Mark Harvey Levine

As well as less well known but equally exciting playwrights such as Sharai Bohannon, Suzanne Bailie, and Shirley King

The characters and situations portrayed are perfect for the kid actor

Some of the plays explore tales of friendship and family

And others allow the actors to take on the personas of non-human characters

Such as fish and chess pieces!

10-Minute Plays for Kids is ideal for theater students, youth groups, and acting classes

The Adventures of a Bear Called Paddington - A Musical Play for Children

The Adventures of a Bear Called Paddington – A Musical Play for Children by Alfred Bradley from the books by Michael Bond

Anyone familiar with Paddington, who was found in Paddington Station by the Browns and adopted by them, will welcome this play.

These stories have been favorites with children for years and this series of playlets has been woven together to make a play that will delight young (and not so young) audiences everywhere.

Some of his notorious adventures are dramatized here – with plenty of scope for audience participation in the action and the singing

Certain to appeal to young and old audiences alike.

Casting: 5 Male, 3 Female

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Oxford University Press

Large Mixed Cast

Maurice is no ordinary cat – he’s amazing, he can think, he can talk …

… and he has an amazing scam going

All he needs to pull it off is an army of intelligent rats and one stupid-looking kid

But when his gang enter Bad Blintz, the town they have decided to con next, they soon realize that all is not as it should be – and decide to investigate

Three squads of rats spread out under the town, their mission to dismantle traps, bury poison, do some serious widdling, and to find out exactly what those resident rat-catchers are up to …

Features

The Oxford Playscripts series offers exciting and skilful adaptations of a range of major novels and also includes …

* New, innovative activities specifically tailored for Key Stage 3 English & Drama and 11-14 year old students

* Activities include work on Speaking and Listening, close text analysis and the structure of playscripts, and as a springboard for personal writing

* Insights into the plays from their distinguished authors and adapters

* Advice on staging

* Speaking parts: 18 male; 4 female; 12 either

The BFG: a set of plays

The BFG: a set of plays by David Wood, adapted from Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl fans will rejoice at the opportunity to bring their favorite books and characters to life. Five of Dahl’s hugely popular, beloved books have been adapted into winning plays for children.

With useful tips on staging, props, and costumes, these plays can be produced with a minimum amount of resources and experience.

Teachers, parents, and children everywhere will recognize Quentin Blake’s appealing classic cover art and will find these easy-to-perform plays to be a great source of entertainment!

More Roald Dahl scripts

The Box of Delights

by Piers Torday from John Masefield

Published by Faber & Faber

5 Male 3 Female

Adapted for the stage for the first time by Piers Torday, John Masefield’s much-loved classic The Box of Delights lauded by The Times as “One of the greatest children’s books ever written”

It’s a magical and festive adventure in which one boy must confront the secrets of the past to defeat the evil in his present

Kay Harker is heading home for the school holidays

Recently orphaned, he knows this Christmas will be different but nothing could prepare him for the journey that lies ahead

On the train he meets an old magician – Cole Hawlings – who charges Kay with safeguarding a wondrous device that has time-travelling powers

It’s an instrument that Cole’s nemesis, the wicked sorcerer Abner Brown, will stop at nothing to steal for himself

And so when the old man mysteriously disappears, Kay faces the fight of his life

The future of Christmas itself depends upon him and now he must protect both the Box of Delights and the people he loves

The Brave Little Tailor

by Brian Guehring from the Brothers Grimm

Published by Dramatic Publishing

Large Mixed Cast

A mischievous and silly Jester introduces the audience to a young tailor who has been looked down on his entire life because he is small

This meek village tailor is bullied by his boss, smothered by his mother, and harassed by his customers

He does, however, dream of fighting dragons

And during one vivid fantasy he manages to kill seven flies in one blow

This achievement is half-heard and half-understood and soon the rumours spreading around the village get exaggerated until the King hears of a tailor who can kill seven Giants in one blow!

The tailor is then brought before the King and his beautiful stepdaughter

Now the tailor must find his own true courage

With the help of the Princess and the Jester he battles a rampaging unicorn, two troublesome giants, and a fierce dragon

Flexible staging, runs about 60 minutes

The Christmas Cracker & Who Is Welcome? - Two Christmas Plays

The Christmas Cracker & Who Is Welcome? – Two Christmas Plays by Jenifer Hillman

The Christmas Cracker

Mother writes a letter to Santa, asking him to help her children find the spirit of Christmas.Santa sends his Sprite, who travels in an enormous Christmas cracker, and who gives the children five crackers to pull. Each cracker contains a different scene showing people giving at Christmas, and the play ends in the stable where, surrounded by the traditional Nativity characters.

Cast : 38 ( mostly variable m/f ) + shepherds, angels etc

Suggested Age Range : 5 to 8 – runs about 45 minutes

Music : Various Christmas songs throughout

Set : Home; Santa’s workshop; in the sky; the soup kitchen; Bethlehem (One Christmas-style backdrop would suffice)

Who Is Welcome?

This is the story of a group of aliens who, whilst following the Christmas star, crash-land on Earth. Here they meet a variety of characters, pirates, animals, kings and shepherds all travelling to Bethlehem to see the new-born king. Worried that they are either too dirty, strange or wicked, they are relieved to find that all are welcome in the stable.

Cast : 36 ( mostly variable m/f ) + shepherds, angels etc

Suggested Age Range : 5 to 8 – runs about 45 – 50 minutes

Music : Various Christmas songs throughout; a suggested list is provided

Set : In a spaceship; in the woods; the stable, or can be played with a backdrop of woods throughout

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse from K I D S I N C O based on the classic tale by Aesop

The classic tale of two cousins, who live very different lives. They both explore life in the country and the city and each learns that things are not always as they first seem.

Cast of 3 required

The Fifth Elephant

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Methuen

Large Mixed Cast

In this stage adaptation of one of Pratchett’s best-selling novels, Commander Vimes is sent to wild, wintry and Transylvania-like Uberwald to establish trade links with the King of the Dwarfs but he ends up trying to stop and inter-species war

On his side though, is a talking dog, a reformed vampyre and a self-made man. You can tell he’s self-made because the stitches still show

Vimes may have arrived as Ankh-Morpork’s ambassador but he soon finds it’s not all golden chocolate balls. Now he’s an escaped prisoner – out in the icy woods, wearing only the gloomy trousers of Uncle Vanya and being chased by a pack of fascist werewolves who don’t play by the rules

REVIEWS

“One of the funniest authors alive” ~ The Independent

The Improv Book - Improvisation for Theatre, Comedy, Education and Life

by Alison Goldie

Published by Oberon

This is a smart, witty and accessible guide to the rewarding and joyful practice of improvisation

It’s a major asset for students and teachers of improvisation in schools, drama schools, higher education and theatre groups – both professional and amateur – and offers tried and tested strategies for …

Using classic improv games and variations

Telling stories and creating characters

Using improv to make theatre and comedy – from monologues to full-scale productions

Using improvisation scenarios directly or to trigger ideas for new ones

The Improv Book not only outlines how improv can be used for making theater and comedy – from monologues to full-scale productions – but it also highlights the practical application of improv in education

In so doing, it opens up this exciting discipline to a much wider audience and it will be of great benefit to organisations and individual readers who want to discover how improv can stimulate creativity and confidence in all areas of life

And it’s a lot of fun!

REVIEWS

“A wondrous toolbox for the imagination” ~ Jake Arnott, novelist

“Cheerful, chatty and very informative … A readable heedable role-book, a fine fools’ guide to improvisation, wherein lies plenty to plunder for those learning and teaching drama at all levels” ~ John Hegley, poet and musician

“The Improv Book is a treasure chest of ways to bring more zest, surprise and depth back into your life – and into the lives of your students, your employees, your children, your parents and anyone else who might need it” ~ Guy Claxton, author

“Fabulous book … humorous, instructive, informative” ~ Brenda Gilhooly, comedian and TV writer

‘In a world where imagination seems to be fighting a losing battle against technology, Alison Goldie has come up with a brilliant and easy to follow guide to putting people back in touch with this essential part of their creative minds …” ~ Phill Jupitus

The Island of Dr Libris

by Chris Grabenstein & Ronny Venable

Published by Dramatic Publishing

Large Mixed Cast

The Island of Dr Libris celebrates the power of imagination with an action-packed adventure that shows that sometimes the real story starts after you close the book!

What if your favorite literary characters came to life?

Billy’s spending the summer in a lakeside cabin that belongs to the mysterious Dr Libris

But something strange is going on …

Besides the security cameras everywhere, there’s Dr Libris’ private bookcase

Whenever Billy opens the classic books inside, he can hear sounds coming from the island in the middle of the lake

The clash of swords

The twang of arrows

The chatter of characters

Sometimes Billy can even feel the ground shaking!

It’s almost as if the stories he’s reading are coming to life

But that’s impossible

Or is it?

Before long, Dr Libris’ island is populated by some of the most famous characters in all of literature: Hercules, Robin Hood, Maid Marian, The Three Musketeers, Tom Sawyer and Pollyanna

When these characters mingle, their plot lines get mixed up

And are further complicated by the arrival of a few comic book heroes and villains

It’s up to Billy and his magical imagination to come up with a happy ending for everybody

Including himself!

The Island of Dr Libris harnesses the imaginative powers of live theatre, calling on the audience to use their imaginations along with Billy’s

Runs about 2 hours

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book by Stuart Paterson, adapted from the book by Rudyard Kipling

Darker than the Disney classic, this is a Jungle Book red in tooth and claw. Packed with great songs and a snappy script, this show knows exactly what the kids want. The story begins with a little boy lost in the jungle. The evil Shere Khan, the tiger, stalks him but before he can kill him, Akela the wolf, and king of the jungle, protects the young boy and takes him in as his own. We follow Mowgli, the boy, as he grows in the wild, learning from his wise teachers, Balu and Bagheera, playing with the monkeys and trying to hide from Shere Khan. As Mowgli grows, he begins to wonder of his life with the men and following a large argument returns to his village where he is faced with yet more alienation and struggle. This is a heart-warming story,that shows the importance of friendship and trust within diversity.

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth adapted by Susan Nanus from the novel by Norman Juster

Large Mixed Cast

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

15 Characters – Male or Female

The Railway Children

The Railway Children by Mike Kenny, adapted from the book by E. Nesbit

You don’t need a real train to stage this version of the much loved classic – though that’s what they had at Waterloo Station for a smash-hit production. The most powerful prop is the imagination of the audience, the most effective tool, the skill of the actors. This version of The Railway Children is eminently suitable for schools, youth theatres and drama groups – anywhere, in fact, where the cry of ‘Daddy! My Daddy!’ is likely to provoke a tear.

The Storyteller Sequence - Karamazoo & Fairytaleheart & Sparkleshark & Moonfleece & Brokenville

by Philip Ridley

Published by Methuen

The Storyteller Sequence brings together Philip Ridley’s five acclaimed one-act plays for young people …

As an old woman and five teenagers begin to act out stories for a mute and frightened child, they begin to discover a little of who they were and what they can be

Karamazoo is a fifteen-minute monologue about one of the coolest, most popular kids in the school, whose recent increase in popularity is the direct result of a character make-over following the death of a parent

A witty and moving performance piece for the teenage actor

Fairytaleheart features two fifteen-year-olds, Kirsty and Gideon, who meet for the first time and come to terms with their broken families by sharing their hopes, fears and past experiences – as well as stories – in a derelict community centre

Sparkleshark tells of fourteen-year-old Jake – a victim of bullying and other teenager’s mockery – who has to take refuge on the roof of a tower block in order to write his stories

Moonfleece sees Curtis, a young right-wing activist, arrange a meeting in a flat of a derelict tower block where he lived as a child

But his older brother’s ghost keeps haunting him

An intense and thrilling exploration of memory and identity.

Brokenville features an unknown disaster, which has left seven characters with little knowledge of who they are or of what has happened

The Tempest for Kids

The Tempest for Kids adapted by Lois Burdett

The Tempest is an exciting tale of jealousy and betrayal, magic and romance, repentance and forgiveness, and has all the elements necessary to ignite a young child’s imagination and creative energy. By her use of rhyming couplets, Lois Burdett has once again succeeded in transforming Shakespeare’s complex verse into a format readily understood by children.

Children’s enthusiasm toward Burdett’s adapted Shakespeare is evident in the wonderful drawings and anecdotes created by her Grade 2 and 3 students at Hamlet Elementary School in Stratford, Ontario. Together with the five other books in the successful and beautifully produced Shakespeare Can Be Fun! series, The Tempest will delight teachers, parents and children.

The Truth

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Methuen

Large Mixed Cast

A witty and inventive Stage adaptation of one of Pratchett’s best-selling Discworld novels …

There’s been a murder

Allegedly

William de Worde is the Discworld’s first investigative journalist

He didn’t mean to be – it was just an accident

But as William fills his pages with reports of local club meetings and pictures of humorously shaped vegetables, dark forces in Ankh-Morpork’s society are plotting to overthrow the city’s ruler, Lord Vetinari

The Twilight Zone

by Anne Washburn from Rod Serling & Charles Beaumont & Richard Matheson

Published by Oberon

Large Mixed Cast

“What you are about to watch is a nightmare. It is not meant to be prophetic, it need not happen, it’s the fervent and urgent prayer of all men of good will that it never shall happen. But in this place, in this moment, it does happen. This is the Twilight Zone”

In this skilful Adaptation, the acclaimed CBS Television Series lands on stage for the first time

Magic and fantasy unite as the ordinary becomes extraordinary when this spooky ride into the supernatural opens a new dimension

A dimension we call The Twilight Zone

Anne Washburn weaves eight of the original CBS episodes into a single play, framed by the classic Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up? …

Two police officers investigating a UFO sighting arrive at a local diner where they meet seven stranded bus passengers, all of whom claim to be from Earth

But one of them is lying

The final narrative dates from 1961 shortly before the Cuban missile crisis, in which an impending nuclear attack leads to an outbreak of suburban hostility, chillingly anticipating the kind of arguments about national identity that have resurfaced under President Trump

This compelling Stage Adaptation embraces these eight classic tales …

And When the Sky Was Opened

Three astronauts return from the first manned space flight aboard the experimental ship X:20. One by one, they begin to disappear

Eye of the Beholder

A woman lies in a hospital, having undergone an eleventh operation to ‘fix’ her face to prevent her being exiled. Completely covered by bandages, she waits to see if the operation has been successful

Little Girl Lost

A small girl’s parents are woken in the middle of the night by their daughter’s cries. After struggling to find her they call a friend who discovers their daughter has fallen into another dimension

The Long Marrow

Before leaving for his latest mission, astronaut Doulas Stansfield falls in love with his colleague. He decides to forego the suspended animation machine that will prevent him from aging on the trip, so that they can age at the same rate despite being apart. But as he returns to Earth we discover the sacrifices made for love

Nightmare As A Child

A teacher meets a young girl outside her apartment who seems oddly familiar. After inviting her in, it is revealed that the girl is herself as a child, who slowly uncovers an important memory from her past

Perchance to Dream

A man believes that if he falls asleep, a woman who stalks his dreams will kill him

The Shelter

An impending nuclear attack leads to an outbreak of suburban hostility

CAST

M6,F4 (doubling)

The Twits: Plays for Children

The Twits Plays for Children by Roald Dahl

David Wood has created six short plays to read and perform. With notes on simple staging, props and costumes, the plays can be produced with the minimum of experience and resources.

The Twits is one of his many successful and highly entertaining books. The Twits are a couple that nobody would like to know. They are hairy, dirty, smelly and generally unpleasant. Roald Dahl’s characters are possibly the most horrid people you will ever read about. Mr and Mrs Twit spend their days inventing new ways to be be nasty to each other. Each time Mrs Twit does something bad to Mr Twit, he just invents something worse to do to her. The Twits are not only unpleasant towards each other but they also hate animals. It is because of the Twits’ attitude towards animals that we see their really awful side: Mr Twit keeps a family of monkeys that have to spend their days upside down and Mrs Twit likes to make pies with freshly caught birds.

Dahl’s story, as is characteristic with all his books, has a happy ending. Only how will the animals beat the Twits?

More Roald Dahl scripts

The Wind in the Willows - junior play script

The Wind in the Willows (junior play script) is a musical version of Kenneth Grahame’s classic riverside story of Rat, Mole, Badger and Toad.

Keeping faith with the original story, the musical contains 10 catchy and lyrical tunes of differing styles. The story is set in a narrative style with cameo scenes acted out. There are 14 main characters, plus many smaller parts and a chorus.

Runs about an hour and is suitable for Junior Schools (8-12)

The Wind in the Willows adapted by Mike Kenny

This delightful stage adaptation combines all the joy and mystery of Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved classic with the lightness of touch and playful theatricality that award-winning playwright Mike Kenny is known for.

Tired of spring-cleaning, Mole leaves Mole End and ventures out to the riverbank, where he befriends the resourceful Ratty, the gruff Badger and the infamous Toad of Toad Hall (Poop-poop!). Together they explore the Wide World, and the Wild Wood, and try to keep Toad out of trouble…!

With ample opportunities for creativity on stage and wonderful character parts for actors, it is ideal for schools and youth theatres, or any drama groups looking for a fresh new version of an old favourite.

Mike Kenny is one of Britain’s leading children’s playwrights, and was included in the Independent on Sunday‘s list of Top Ten Living UK Playwrights. His adaptation of E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children won an Oliver award for Best Entertainment and has toured worldwide.

The Witches: A Set of Plays

The Witches: A Set of Plays adapted by David Wood from Roald Dahl

Meet a hero, a wise old grandmother, and the most gruesome, grotesque gang of witches imaginable!

Roald Dahl fans will rejoice at the opportunity to bring their favorite books and characters to life. Five of Dahl’s hugely popular, beloved books have been adapted into winning plays for children. With useful tips on staging, props, and costumes, these plays can be produced with a minimum amount of resources and experience. Teachers, parents, and children everywhere will recognize Quentin Blake’s appealing classic cover art and will find these easy-to-perform plays to be a great source of entertainment!

More Roald Dahl scripts

The Worst Witch - The Play

by Emma Reeves & Lucy Potter from Jill Murphy

Published by Samuel French Ltd

2020 OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Family Show

Can Mildred Hubble save the world?

This is the long-awaited Stage Adaptation of Jill Murphy’s hugely popular children’s novel The Worst Witch, sure to be a certain hit with young actors and their audiences alike

Mildred is an ordinary girl who found herself in an extraordinary place – a School for Witches

Now in her final year at Miss Cackle’s Academy, accident prone Mildred and her fellow pupils are about to embark on their biggest adventure yet

This begins when Mildred and her friends decide to put on a play about their experiences as witches in training

Mayhem inevitably ensues …

Jealous Ethel Hallow is always out to spoil Mildred’s fun

Stern Miss Hardbroom is opposed to all fun in general

Worst of all, an old enemy returns with a plan for revenge that threatens not just the Academy …

But the entire world!

CAST

Large Cast – All Female

Tinker Bell

by Patrick Flynn from J.M. Barrie

Published by Dramatic Publishing

A new, twinkling light shines on all the characters you love as J.M. Barrie’s story is reborn from this feisty fairy’s point of view

Everyone thinks they know Peter Pan

But until you have heard Tinker Bell’s side of the story, you really have not heard it at all

When all the fairies in Neverland start dying, Tinker Bell comes to London to find a friend

There she meets a young boy named Peter Pan who has just run away from his family so he can be a little boy forever

When Tink takes Peter to Neverland, all sorts of wonderful and amazing things happen …

Flowers grow

Animals appear

And pirates arrive

But as Peter brings more Lost Boys and the Darling children back to her island, Tink finds she doesn’t like sharing her friend with anyone else

Especially that Wendy girl

This fresh and intensely theatrical adaptation of the classic story emphasizes play and fun as well as the complicated nature of friendship

CAST

7 Actors

Runs about 60 minutes

Tom's Midnight Garden

Tom’s Midnight Garden: Play (Acting Edition)

This play is an adaptation of Philippa Pearce’s 1950s classic novel of a boy’s nightly voyage to a Victorian past. Quarantined in his Aunt’s and Uncle’s stuffy flat because his brother has measles, Tom is restless and bored.

Intrigued by a Grandfather clock, religiously wound by the elderly owner of the house, Mrs. Bartholomew, Tom is startled one night to hear the clock strike thirteen! Slipping out of bed he goes to what in his time is a concrete backyard, only to discover a beautiful Victorian garden of the 1880s.

He meets the unhappy orphan, Hatty, who initially is the only person who can see him, and he visits her each night at the same hour, writing enthusiastically to his brother, Peter, about his adventures. But although Tom stays the same exuberant 10-year-old, Hatty grows into a young woman during these visits. Before the story can reach its outcome, Tom has to return to his parents, but the truth is revealed in a touching denouement.

The play was first presented by Unicorn Theatre at the Pleasance Theatre, London in 2000. The following year, the production toured the UK and played at the New Victory Theatre, New York, USA.

The Unicorn production won The Equity Award for Best Show for Children and Young People in the 2001 Theatre Management Association Awards.

Read a review of the 2010 touring production here.

Tracy Beaker Gets Real!

by Mary Morris & Grant Olding from Jacqueline Wilson

Published by Samuel French Ltd

7 Male 4 Female

Britain’s most popular teenager comes to the stage!

We join Tracy, aged 15, as she returns to the “Dumping Ground” and looks back on the last four years of her life, from being fostered – and dumped – and fostered again, to finding a happy, if not altogether harmonious home with writer Cam

When Tracy’s mum unexpectedly re-appears in her life, Tracy hopes that her days of being passed around like a parcel are over, but she soon comes to realize that the people she has always tried to push away are the ones she really needs the most

Adapted from one of the most successful children’s books ever, this touching and very funny musical play brings Tracy Beaker’s trademark talent for troublemaking, fun and friendship to any production The Cast

Tracy, 10-15: exhausting, rude, cheeky, angry and beguiling

Justine, 10-15: haughty and smart

Peter, 9-14: quiet and easily shoved around

Louise, 10-15: pretty; a peacemaker

Elaine the Pain, likeable, bungling social worker

Mum, self-deceiving and unreliable

Cam, bookish, clever, steady

Twelfth Night for Kids

Twelfth Night for Kids adapted by Lois Burdett

Twelfth Night for Kids, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Uncle Pirate - The Musical

by Ben H Winters & Drew Fornarola from Douglas Rees

Published by Samuel French Inc

3 Male 3 Female

Musical Comedy for Children

Wilson is just your average kid

Then one day he finds out his uncle is a pirate

Yes – a REAL pirate!

With help from Uncle Pirate and his talking penguin, maybe, just maybe, Wilson can survive the fourth grade

So grab yer eye patches and pirate hats, mateys!

The adventure begins now!

Songs:

Done with Fourth Grade

Uncle Pirate’s Story

I Wanna Read!

Pirate Lessons

Carla’s Song

Pirate and Secretary

Pirate Code

Not Afraid

Piano Score available to Rent – Runs about an hour

CHARACTERS

WILSON a nervous eight year-old with glasses. Very smart, very kind, very scared of the world

UNCLE PIRATE a tough-talking, barrel-chested, sword-rattlin’, sea-garglin’ old salt; eye patch optional, heart of gold required

CAPTAIN JACK a wise-cracking penguin; played by an actor in a penguin suit

WOMAN 1 (Mom, Carla, various pirates and kids) – Mom is the sensible long-suffering mother of Wilson; Carla is a bullying eight year-old with pigtails and a perpetual scowl

WOMAN 2 (Miss Quern, various pirates and kids) – Miss Quern is a secretary who looks and acts like a librarian; prim and proper, hair in a bun, etc

MAN (Dad, Principal Purvis, Mr. Twissel, various pirates and kids) – Dad is the sensible long-suffering father of Wilson; Principal Purvis is a shifty-eyed middle-aged man whose great love is making life hard for children; later Purvis is revealed to be a pirate; Mr. Twissel is terrified of everything, especially fourth graders

EXTRA PIRATES if required

REVIEWS

“At heart Uncle Pirate proves more of a Boy Scout than a buccaneer, but that won’t distress theatergoers under 12, this diverting and often funny musical’s ideal audience … Theatergoers at a recent performance particularly enjoyed a classroom duel in which Uncle Pirate bravely wields first a pointer, then a ruler and finally a book. Education, it seems, really is the way to win life’s battles” ~ The New York Times

“There’s a talking penguin and plenty of ‘arrrs!’ for the young’uns, while elementary schoolers and their parents will appreciate the sarcastic dialogue and clever songs … a whimsical adaptation of the eponymous kids book is Jolly Roger fun” ~ Time Out, New York

War Horse

Buy Now Green Button Png - Free Transparent PNG Download ... War Horse adapted by Nick Stafford from the book by Michael Morpurgo

Winner Tony Award 2011 – Best Play

At the outbreak of the First World War, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Caught up in enemy fire, fate takes Joey on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find and bring him home.

Nick Stafford’s stage adaptation of the celebrated novel by the Children’s Laureate (2003-5) Michael Morpurgo leads us on a gripping journey through history.

The Oxford Playscripts series offers exciting and skilful adaptations of a range of modern novels and includes:

New, innovative activities specifically tailored for Key Stage 3 – 11-14 year old students

Activities include work on Speaking and Listening, close text analysis and the structure of playscripts, and act as a springboard for personal writing

Insights into the plays themselves by their popular authors and adapters

Advice on staging

William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play

William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play

by Reed Martin & Adam Tichenor

Published by Josef Weinberger

Large Mixed Cast

The Reduced Shakespeare Company presents the literary sensation of the Century!

Discovered buried beneath a parking lot in Leicester, UK, next to a pile of old bones, an ancient manuscript proves to be the long-lost first play written by none other than seventeen-year-old William Shakespeare

It’s a discovery that has thrilled scholars across the world

The Holy Grail of English literature

An original manuscript, quilled by the Bard’s own fair hand, featuring his most famous characters and familiar speeches

Presented in a brand-new story …

An ancient grudge pits Puck against Ariel and turns Shakespeare’s canon upside-down

Creating such strange bedfellows as Hamlet and that master motivator Lady Macbeth

And Viola and Richard III

And King Lear and the Weird Sisters

And – of course – Dromio and Juliet

Using questionable scholarship and street-performer smarts, playwrights Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor weave together most of the famous speeches and plot devices of Shakespeare’s 39 plays to create a fast and funny fortieth, filled with witty wordplay and vaudevillian variety

And twins, twins, lots of twins!

REVIEWS

“A breathlessly irreverent and pun-filled romp!” ~ Washington Post

“Hilarious, outrageous fun! A romp of epic proportions” ~ Edinburgh Guide

“A cauldron full of belly laughs! Make no mistake, this is an absolute, resolute, hoot, of a bawdy comedy of errors” ~ Broadway World

CAST

M3 or F3 or Any combination of Males and Females and any number of Actors

Wyrd Sisters

by Stephen Briggs from Terry Pratchett

Published by Corgi

Large Mixed Cast

A zany, crazy parody of Macbeth

Terry Pratchett’s wild Discworld humour is brought to the stage in this large cast adaptation where all that stands between the Kingdom and destruction are three Witches

It’s all there – a wicked duke and duchess, the ghost of the murdered king, dim soldiers, strolling players, a land in peril

And who stands between the Kingdom and destruction?

Three witches – Granny Weatherwax (intolerant, self-opinionated, powerful), Nanny Ogg (down-to-earth, vulgar) and Magrat Garlick (naïve, fond of occult jewellery and bunnies)