| Oz by Don Zolidis |
 
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 40-50 minutes
4 females, 4 males, 4 either
(8-16 actors possible: 4-8 females, 4-8 males)
$45.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Reeling from her sister's death, Beth suddenly finds herself journeying through a world suspiciously resembling the film The Wizard of Oz. But with the yellow brick road sold to foreign investors after a financial meltdown, the Scarecrow reveling in his ignorant bliss, the Cowardly Lion acting like a paranoid sociopath, and the Tin Man embracing his emotional numbness, Beth wonders what role she plays in this classic story gone awry. A hilarious and heart-wrenching exploration of grief and perseverance on the road to acceptance.
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Comedy/Drama
Full-length, 85-95 minutes
3 females, 1 male
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Meet the Nowaks of Buffalo, NY. Clara and her three grown kids have always known they were special, ever since the miraculous night in 1942 when the Blessed Mother appeared to Grandpa in his barbershop! Since then, the neighborhood has looked upon the Nowaks' 20-foot commemorative shrine as a beacon of hope and faith amidst the urban rubble. And now daughter Ruth unveils her plan to write and star in a one-woman show about the family miracle so the "whole world will know!" However, as her plans for theatrical immortality unfold, the entire family's faith is shaken to the very core when a deathbed confession causes the family legend to unravel. The results are heartfelt and hilarious. (Included is a guide for turning this play into a Christmas Play.)
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| "...a sprightly, gentle comedy, where revelations that might remake a family's sense of itself are each rolled out in service of laughter." |
| --Daniel M. Gold, The New York Times |
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Dramedy
Short, 30-45 minutes
5 either (5-32 actors possible: 0-32 females, 0-32 males)
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Being a teenager is hard, and nobody wants to talk about it. Confronting the daily challenges of growing up, this series of monologues and scenes offers a look at a multitude of issues -- including dealing with parents who just don't get it, rumors, bullying, and suicide. By turns funny and tragic, the gritty details of adolescence surface -- exposing the things teenagers can't, won't, and don't want to talk about.
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Comedy/Drama
Full-length, 150 minutes
3 females, 4 males
$100.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
In that most idealized period of 20th-century America, the Eisenhower years of the 1950s, the Pazinski family has a lot going on in their cramped Buffalo apartment. The youngest of the bunch, 12-year-old Rudy, is a smart, wise-cracking kid who's starting to question family values and the Roman Catholic Church. When Rudy goes up against the ruler-wielding Sister Clarissa and announces that instead of being confirmed he'd rather shop around for a more "fun" religion, all hell breaks loose. A warm and hilarious look at family, growing up, and God.
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| "A hilarious and touching depiction of 1959 Americana. Absolutely enchanting...a little bit of heaven!" |
| --Richard Christiansen, Chicago Tribune |
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Drama
Full-length, 80-90 minutes
20 either (5-76 actors possible: 0-76 females, 0-76 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
If you could say anything you wanted, without any consequences or judgment, just what would you say? Based on student responses from around the country, What I Want to Say But Never Will explores this simple but intimate question, offering a glimpse into teenagers' most private thoughts. Told through monologues and anecdotes from the playwright himself, these confessions range from a hilarious rant on an art teacher's bad breath to a touching piece of advice from a brother leaving for the Navy.
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Romantic Comedy
Full-length, 140-160 minutes
14 females, 10 males (23-26 actors possible: 13-14 females, 10-12 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Marriage is an inevitable fact of life for the five Bennet sisters -- Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. With the family estate entailed away to their closest male cousin, their only hope to advance in life is to find a rich and single man -- and one has just arrived in the form of the very handsome and very well-off Charles Bingley. The kindhearted and beautiful Jane seems poised to make a match, but must contend with her overly zealous mother, his snobbish sister, and a slippery social ladder. And when Bingley's taciturn friend Fitzwilliam Darcy shows an interest in the opinionated and spirited Elizabeth, the situation becomes more complicated than either of them expect. The fire and wit of Jane Austen's classic 1813 romance shines through in this vibrant new adaptation.
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| "This adaptation of Jane Austen's masterpiece honors the source material through a contemporary theatrical lens... Set within an elaborate social fabric, this adaptation may well be the best of many for stage or film that have emerged in recent years." |
| --The Durango Herald (Colorado) |
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Comedy/Adventure
Full-length, 75-90 minutes
7 females, 6 males, 13 either
(16-40 actors possible: 2-20 females, 3-20 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Rediscover the loopy fun and the darker corners of J.M. Barrie's original novel with this faithful, fast-moving, and easy-to-stage adaptation. When the carefree and careless Peter Pan flies into the nursery of the Darling home, Wendy follows her instincts for maternity and adventure, bringing her little brothers along to the magical Neverland to take care of the motherless Lost Boys. Soon the Darling children are swept into Peter's deadly battle with Captain Hook and his mostly-fearsome pirate crew. With so much excitement, why ever go home again...?
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| "...not only a beautiful and stirring piece of theater, but also an homage to the homespun, human-scaled magic that makes theater unique." |
| --Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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Comedy
Short, 20-30 minutes
2 females, 2 males, 15 either
(4-19 actors possible: 2-15 females, 2-15 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Living with parents can be rough -- especially when Mom and Dad are nothing but ordinary. So when Julie and her mother get into a battle over curfew, Julie convinces her brother Johnnie to hold interviews for new and improved parents. Not to be outdone, Mom and Dad conduct their own interviews for new children. Faced with interviewees from a militant father to a get-rich-quick-scheming child, "ordinary" doesn't look so bad anymore.
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Comedy
Short, 32-34 minutes
10 females, 9 males, 15 either
(21-34 actors possible: 8-28 females, 6-28 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Welcome to the Advanced Placement Theatre examination. To demonstrate your knowledge of theater history, you will adapt three classic styles (Bunruku, Greek Theater, and Theater of the Absurd) into short plays dealing with the problems of the modern adolescent. You have thirty minutes to finish. Your time begins...now.
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Comedy
Short, 50-60 minutes
8 females, 5 males, 3 either (16 actors possible: 5-15 females, 1-11 males)
$40.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Five middle schoolers take on overzealous parents, crazy coaches, and
nostalgic relatives as they prepare for the annual spelling bee in this insightful comedy for young actors. With contestants that range from an unflappable cheerleader who cheers all her words to the anxiety-prone daughter of a movie star, spelling the words correctly may be the least of these kids' worries. This play wonderfully illustrates the pressure that kids feel to compete, and the family support that makes it all bearable.
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Farce
Full-length, 100-110 minutes
5 females, 3 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Accusations, mistaken identities, and romances run wild in this traditional, laugh-out-loud farce. Two nuns at the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing have been secretly making wine to keep the convent's doors open, but Paul and Sally, reporters and former fiancees, are hot on their trail. They go undercover as a nun and priest, but their presence, combined with the addition of a new nun, spurs paranoia throughout the convent that spies have been sent from Rome to shut them down. Wine and secrets are inevitably spilled as everyone tries to preserve the convent and reconnect with lost loves.
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| "...a delightful comedy with a touch of silliness...a zany and funny story with plot twists galore." |
| --Patricia L. Garcia, Las Cruces Sun-News |
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Drama
Full-length, 100-110 minutes
7 females, 4 males (11-24 actors possible: 7-12 females, 4-12 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Under the guidance of their beloved mother, the four young March sisters -- tempestuous Jo, motherly Meg, shy Beth, and spoiled baby Amy -- struggle to keep their family going while Father's away in the Civil War. In this beautifully dramatized adaptation of the classic novel, even as privation, illness, and sibling rivalry cast their shadows, each girl strives to find her true self. (A one-act version of this play is also available.)
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| "The story, as revealed in Chamberlain's deft adaptation, is a warm tale of love, family, and individuality during the American Civil War." |
| --Peter Vaughan, Minneapolis Star and Tribune |
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Comedy
Full-length, 65-85 minutes
6 females, 11 males, 22 either
(11-39 actors possible: 5-28 females, 6-33 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
A whimsical reinvention of Dickens' most beloved Christmas story in wacky rhymed couplets. With zoot fruited juices and binka bird geese, from Bed-Headed Fred to Timmy Loo Hoo, this tale of glorious holiday cheer is similar to something Dr. Seuss might have come up with -- if he ever had his way with the story... (A one-act version of this play is also available.)
"A Seussified Christmas Carol" is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
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Comedy
Short, 32-35 minutes
4 females, 4 males, 3 either
(10-11 actors possible: 4-7 females, 4-7 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Nick is going off to college for the first time. The only problem is, his family is taking him -- his mother worries he will starve to death, his father forgot his tuition check, his teenage sister doesn't see why she has to go, his younger sister just wants to go to her ballet recital, and his grandmother "don't hear so good no more." It's going to be a fun day.
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Comedy
Short, 45-50 minutes
10 females, 9 males, 4 either
(9-31 actors possible: 5-21 females, 4-21 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Rose Red has just turned thirteen, and the pressure is on -- what will she do to get famous like her sister, Snow White? Everyone in the kingdom, from her parents to her close friend Miss Muffet, is pressuring her to get discovered. But Rose Red doesn't want to constantly be on the front page of the Grimm Times, even if Bo Peep, Cinderella, and Goldilocks eat up the attention. In her struggle to choose between doing what everyone else wants and forging her own path, Rose Red can't help wondering if a girl who wants to be "just normal" can live happily ever after.
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Drama
Short, 20-30 minutes
2 males
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Eighteen-year-old Michael and his fourteen-year-old brother Brucie -- who has been considered mentally "slow" since birth -- venture out on a camping trip together. Brucie's never-ending curiosity becomes increasingly unbearable to Michael, especially when the questions involve the death of their mother. Down Came the Rain is a touching, sad, and ultimately hopeful exploration of two vastly different brothers, and how they navigate the delicacy of family and truth.
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Drama
Full-length, 90-100 minutes
4 females, 4 males (8-30 actors possible: 4-15 females, 4-15 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
This is the heroic and true story of children coming of age in Terezin, the "Jewish city" established by the Nazis near Prague as a way station before the death camps. In the face of unspeakable horror, these children use their determination and creativity to build lives filled with hope and beauty -- playing, studying, making art, and writing an underground newspaper -- all at the peril of being executed. Their actual poems and stories are woven into a fast-paced drama, evoking the universality of children caught in the insanity of war.
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| "[And a Child Shall Lead] not only sheds light on this dark camp, it's also relevant to modern conflicts around the world." |
| --Christopher Stollar, Bend Bulletin (Oregon) |
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It's a Wonderful Life adapted by Doug Rand
from the screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, and Jo Swerling |
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Comedy/Drama
Full-length, 90-110 minutes
18 females, 18 males, 15 either
(20-70 actors possible: 6-35 females, 5-35 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
This faithful, fast-moving stage adaptation of the classic film features fluid scene changes, reasonable set requirements, and scores of beefy roles, particularly for women. It's not only a joyful Christmas tale -- it's the gorgeous love story of George and Mary Bailey, a vivid portrait of the Greatest Generation, a descent into the darkest hour of a man trapped by circumstance, and a powerful meditation on what makes a meaningful life.
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Dramedy
Short, 25-35 minutes
3 females, 4 males, 6 either
(10-13 actors possible: 2-11 females, 2-11 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
In this modern adaptation of the Greek classic Antigone, a rebellious high school student named Alice must respond to the sudden and shattering death of her older brother, the class valedictorian -- who was shot while robbing a convenience store. Up against an unyielding principal and accompanied by a bookish Geek Chorus, Alice must find her own way through personal and classical tragedy. In honoring her brother, she'll probably break some rules. Which is more important?
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Antigone Now by Melissa Cooper
inspired by Sophocles' Antigone |
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Drama
Short, 50-60 minutes
3 females, 1 male (4-11 actors possible: 2-10 females, 1-9 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
In the midst of a bombed-out city still feeling the aftershocks of war, the rebellious and intense Antigone defies her uncle to bury her disgraced brother. This contemporary response to the myth of Antigone brings powerful, modern prose to an ancient and universal story.
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| "The real star was Ms. Cooper's brilliant writing, which transforms the visceral poetry of ancient Greece into contemporary but no less magnificent language. This is a white-hot script..." |
| --Dallas Morning News |
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