School is either back or almost back in session for most folks around the country, so I thought this would be a perfect time to highlight all the scripts I have available for young performers! If you're a theater educator, or just looking for new theatrical material in general, be sure and check these plays out:
Elementary School And Up:
NO TALKING ALLOWED!, ten - fifteen minutes
Synopsis: Jordan gets kicked out of class for talking. But a zero on the test may be the least of Jordan’s problems when a pencil starts to talk—and then a locker and a mop and a slew of other inanimate objects. Maybe Jordan’s going crazy, but Jordan’s not the only one, as soon a hall monitor, the custodian, a teacher and the principal join in as they try to get to the bottom of all the yammering in this comedy inspired by an African folk tale.
Cast: 6-12 performers of any gender.
Available for purchase and licensing through YouthPLAYS.
Also available in the YouthPLAYS anthology: It's Elementary! Twelve Short Plays for Upper Elementary School Actors.
CLEVER CATHERINE, twenty five - thirty five minutes
Synopsis: Farmer comes across a beautiful golden mortar and decides to present it to the King as a gift, despite his daughter Catherine’s warnings that the King will ask for a golden pestle to match. When the King learns of Catherine's uncanny predictions, it launches a series of riddles going back and forth between the two of them culminating in a royal marriage proposal for the clever girl. But if you marry a clever girl, you get a clever queen, and Catherine cannot help but meddle in the affairs of state. Now Catherine must use all her wits to save her marriage and prove to the King that he needs her to help him run the kingdom.
Cast: 1-6 F, 1-6 M (5-7 performers possible)
You can also pick up a copy of this script and license it through YouthPLAYS!
Middle School And Up:
MUCH ADO ABOUT MATHLETES, twenty five - thirty minutes
Synopsis: High school senior Kimberly is the founder and president of the school’s undefeated all-girl math team. She expects nothing but the best from her mathletes, especially since it’s her senior year and her last opportunity to compete and secure her legacy. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. One of their members is suddenly forced to sit out the rest of the season, so their first alternate — Monica H. — must step up and compete even though she longs desperately to join the drama club instead. A possible solution presents itself when Mr. Roberts tries to put Jared on the team, but the other girls aren’t on board… after all, this was supposed to be an all-girls team. They debate, argue, and ponder (sometimes in Shakespearean-style verse), as they try to find a solution all of them can live with.
Cast: 6 F, 2 M.
You can purchase and license MUCH ADO ABOUT MATHLETES through Eldridge Plays & Musicals right here!
High School And Up:
CHEERLEADERS VS. ALIENS, full-length
Synopsis: When aliens invade a small town and abduct the high school football team to steal their brain jelly, no one steps up to save them. Not any parents, not the principal, not the police, not the fire department, not the governor, not even the marines. Thankfully there’s one last group no one ever thought of as heroic, and they’re ready and able to kick some alien butt. That’s right, the cheerleaders. Lead by science-fiction enthusiast and self proclaimed mega nerd Gilda, the Greenville High School Cheerleading Squad uses rhymes, cartwheels, glitter, and a fun-ton of tin foil to save the day.
Cast: 10 F, 4 M, 6 performers of any gender.
Read CHEERLEADERS VS. ALIENS on my New Play Exchange page, and email me if you're interested in obtaining rights, or you don't have a New Play Exchange account and would like a pdf of the play.
THE FINAL DEBATE, ten-minute
Synopsis: While preparing for their annual debate in front of the whole school, Jaime and Courtlin receive devastating news.
Cast: 2 F, 1 performer of any gender.
You can find THE FINAL DEBATE on my New Play Exchange page right here. If you're interested in production rights, email me to get the ball rolling. Also feel free to send me a note if you don't have a New Play Exchange account but would like to read the play.
College:
It's tricky sometimes to find age-appropriate work for acting classes and productions. Here are some of my plays that I think would work really well in the college setting, please email me if you're interested in using any of these plays. For samples or the full scripts, click on the title for a link to the New Play Exchange, or reach out to me for a pdf.
(Some of the scripts listed above would work great for college too, especially THE FINAL DEBATE and CHEERLEADERS VS. ALIENS)
RIPPED, full-length
Synopsis: Lucy, a freshman in college, is torn between her excitement about the new people in her life and having to leave her old life and loves behind. As she struggles to find a balance between the new and the old, a sexual encounter leaves her confused and concerned that she may have been a victim of rape. The play moves back and forth through time and space as Lucy tries to piece together the unraveling interactions between herself and the two young men she’s torn between, illuminating the events behind her uncertainty and sparking questions regarding consent.
Cast: 1 F, 2 M.
REALLY ADULT, ten-minute
Synopsis: Julie would love to have a great first day working the Customer Service desk at Target, but maybe not as much as flirting with Frank, the employee assigned to train her. As the two discuss a possible date their personal lives become more and more clear, which leads to awkward territory.
Cast: 1 F, 1 M
OF SERPENTS & SEA SPRAY, full-length
Synopsis: OF SERPENTS AND SEA SPRAY, tells the story of an orphan named Iro who is the subject of ridicule by other children and punishment by uncaring foster parents. During one of her many tours through solitary confinement in the closet, Iro’s imagination brings the her with a mission: find Pegasus. On her quest, taking with her only books and her imaginary friend Annika, Iro hides herself on an ocean liner, joins a circus, and has many other adventures… and along the way finds the truth about the death of her parents.
Cast: 4 F, 2 M
MY BODY, ten-minute
Synopsis: In a world in which men are no longer trusted to make decisions concerning their own bodies, women hold all of the cards.
Cast: 1 F, 1 M
SWALLOWED, ten-minute
Synopsis: Three young scientists film their own destruction in an attempt to wake up to the world to the reality of climate change.
Cast: 2 F, 1 M
TOXIC, twenty - twenty five minutes
Synopsis: Football is life, and boys are men in this twenty minute one act about gender roles. Chris is having a day the worst day of his young life, he’s been dumped by his girlfriend, and is possibly kicked off the football team, when he accidentally hits a raccoon. When he discovers the animal is dead everything proves too much and Chris falls to pieces, which prompts Brandon, his best friend and most true worshiper, to follow suit. Because if the star of your life isn’t a star, what does that make you? Toxic is a fast ride about status, masculinity, and how people are and are not allowed to behave.
Cast: 2 M
BREAK ROOM, thirty five - forty minutes
Synopsis: The evening spirals out of control for Luke and Chloe, as the two try desperately to hold onto one another as their situation changes. Luke, an almost thirty year old assistant manager at Target, has put together a celebration for his co-worker and girlfriend, Chloe, who happens to still be in high school. Unfortunately, what’s good news for Luke devastates Chloe, and she lashes out with the only weapon she has until a new balance can be reached between them. Break Room is one continuous scene with two characters.
Cast: 1 F, 1 M
THE RED TRUCK, a monologue
Synopsis: A woman tries to define a terrible situation through a past experience.
Cast: 1 F.