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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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Comedy
Short, 25-35 minutes
15 either (7-50 actors possible: 0-25 females, 0-25 males)
$45.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
The entire Bible in thirty minutes or less -- just like the title promises. Led by an ambitious narrator, this energetic and hilarious play opens with the Book of Genesis and runs right through the Book of Revelation. Meet over 100 Biblical characters, famous and obscure, all at breakneck speed. Can this feat be completed in its allotted time? Grab your watch and find out!
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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
Short, 45-50 minutes
5 females, 6 males, 5 either
(7-36 actors possible: 3-18 females, 4-18 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
An emotional journey into the hearts and souls of Hurricane Katrina's survivors, THE KATRINA PROJECT: Hell and High Water is based on actual interviews, collected stories, and found texts, providing a voice for the greatest natural disaster in our country's recorded history. The play follows a diverse group of characters as they reflect on and experience the devastation, heartbreak, anger, and, ultimately, hope of the thousands affected by the Category 5 storm. (All royalties from THE KATRINA PROJECT: Hell and High Water will be donated to hurricane relief charities.)
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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, 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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Comedy
Short, 20-30 minutes
7 females, 10 males (5-17 actors possible: 2-8 females, 3-9 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
A parade of characters whirls through a museum gallery, in a rapid-fire series of hilarious scenelets. A single painting transfixes each of the viewers, who react from their own unique perspectives. In doing so, they become humorous sketches themselves, exploring the nature of art and how it enriches life from a variety of angles.
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| "Sophisticated writing and exuberant characters that are instantly funny and absolutely real -- the showpiece of the entire evening." |
| --Opelika-Auburn News |
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Comedy
Short, 45-50 minutes
1 female, 1 male, 4 either (6 actors possible: 2-4 females, 2-4 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
This play asks the question, "What if the entire universe was just some nerd's science project?" In a classroom in a dimension far beyond ours, a student striving for a "Master of the Universe" degree gives an oral presentation on an unusual thesis -- the creation of the heavens and the earth. Two professors and a dean interrogate the student and his two visual aids, a "typical" man and woman. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length collection HA!)
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| "Rich Orloff's charming and whimsical comedy about the creation of the universe delivers impish fun, along with a thoughtful and provocative message. Orloff brings a witty and engaging innocence to the excellent script." |
| --Variety |
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Musical
Full-length, 135-150 minutes
17 females, 23 males, 2 either (30-50 actors possible: 8-27 females, 14-33 males)
$8.99 per book
Other prices can be calculated by clicking "More Info"
Based on the beloved 1946 film, this musical faithfully follows George Bailey's life from his childhood dreams to his midlife disappointments and beyond, as we all take a journey to discover whether his life has mattered at all. Cinematically scored and theatrically staged, this adaptation breathes musical life into a familiar story, while retaining the warmth, humor, and pathos of the original. A new holiday classic for devotees and newcomers alike.
For more information, visit the playwrights' page for It's a Wonderful Life -- The Musical.
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| "Audiences are going to be enormously entertained by this enjoyable show. It's a crowd pleaser you don't want to miss!" |
| --Ruby Nancy, Quad-City Times (Indiana) |
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Comedy/Satire
Short, 20-35 minutes
3 females, 3 males
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Thanksgiving at the Bailey household takes a twist when Jimmy and his new friend Colin return home from their first semester of college. Jimmy reluctantly "outs" himself and reveals that he is, in fact, the Antichrist. The news does not go over well with the rest of the family, who refuse to accept their son's alternative lifestyle.
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Comedy
Full-length, 80-85 minutes
3 females, 3 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Barb finds out that Buddhist monks in Thailand only own eight things -- and wonders if that is all she wants. She starts giving away her things but her husband Bob keeps buying her new ones. Donna wants Carla Carla to marry her, but Carla Carla doesn't like that Donna smokes. Nick meets a shark at the aquarium -- they go on a date to the beach and Nick tries not to sleep with the shark too fast. Plus dream sequences. Plus a wedding.
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| "Bock tells his fairy tale in a surreal idiom that shows wit and imagination. Working with a loose-limbed structure of episodic scenes, [he] focuses on cute characters caught up in winsome gay love stories deriving considerable charm from their oddball humor." |
| --Marilyn Stasio, Variety |
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Drama
Short, 35-45 minutes
12 females, 6 males, 7 either (15-25 actors possible: 8-20 females, 5-20 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Debilitated by Alzheimer's disease, Nora Blodget follows the vision of her late husband into the woods on a cold night. Nora's life flashes before her -- revealing her former life as a dynamic teacher, a caring wife, and a loving mother. Will Nora's daughter find her mother in time? This poignant large-cast one-act explores the nature of memory and familial love, fractured by the onset of dementia.
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Drama
Short, 30-40 minutes
3 females, 2 males (5-9 actors possible: 3-5 females, 2-4 males)
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Three young people growing up in Nazi Germany struggle to claim their identities and transition into adulthood in this collage play about ethics, family, and self-perception. Marian's father wants to hide a Jewish family, but Marian just wants to fit in. Ernst joins the Hitler Youth but has trouble fully embracing the lifestyle. Rebecca endures discrimination from teachers and students for her Jewish heritage. No answers come easily as these three characters experience ordinary growing pains in the face of extraordinary historical tragedy.
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Drama
Full-length, 107-115 minutes
6 females, 4 males (8-14 actors possible: 5-7 females, 3-7 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
An adaptation of Sabina Zimering's memoir, Hiding in the Open tells the true story of two Jewish sisters from Poland who assume false Catholic identities and work in a Nazi hotel during World War II. Living in constant fear of having their identities revealed, the sisters bravely face danger and the challenges of growing up while keeping their heritage a secret. Thrilling and heart-warming, this story of survival and teenage courage examines the bonds of family and human kindness in the face of great atrocities.
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| "A disturbing, true tale of double lives...demonstrates the power of truth-telling and the art that shapes it." |
| --Lisa Brock, Star Tribune (Minnesota) |
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| HA! by Rich Orloff |
 
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Comedy
Full-length, 100-120 minutes
2 females, 4 males (6-16 actors possible: 2-6 females, 3-10 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
NOTE: Book contains three one-act plays
HA! is a collection of Rich Orloff's three most popular one-act comedies, including Oedi (a spoof of Oedipus Rex), The News from St. Petersburg (a Chekhovian parody), and The Whole Shebang (which asks the question, "What if the entire universe was simply one student's science project?"). Together the three pieces create a hilarious full-length show. (Oedi, The News from St. Petersburg, and The Whole Shebang can also be purchased and performed separately.)
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| "Deliciously satisfying. Buoyant, funny and occasionally quite touching.
Somewhere between Mel Brooks and Christopher Durang lies the talented Rich Orloff, and the world is all the better for it." |
| --Theater Online |
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Comedy / Drama
Full-length, 95-105 minutes
5 females, 3 males, 1 either (9 actors possible: 5-6 females, 3-4 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
In the near-distant future, an NYC charter school becomes the first to welcome artificially intelligent students. However, new AI students Olive and Godfrey receive a chilly welcome from the already self-conscious and stressed-out members of the Junior class. When a reality show swoops in to capture this social experiment on camera, the priorities and moralities of the student body are turned inside-out. At turns both droll and touching, this dark new play questions how we reconcile the thin line between our ever-improving technologies and what it means to be human.
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Comedy
Short, 30-40 minutes
11 females, 8 males, 1 either
(16-21 actors possible: 9-13 females, 7-11 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
It's the last day of creation, and time is running out. To help smooth things along, God has set up committees to design all the animals in the world. The Committee to Design Humans is having its last meeting, and things are not going so well...
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Comedy/Drama
Full-length, 120-135 minutes
3 females, 4 males
$100.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
In this hilarious, heartfelt sequel to Over the Tavern, the Pazinski family has left the conservative 1950s for the rebellious 1960s. But prior knowledge of this working-class family is not a prerequisite to appreciating their ongoing trials and triumphs. As Apollo 11 is about to land on the moon, the family gathers to honor their late father's memory, and they quickly become entangled in each others' problems -- Rudy is re-thinking the priesthood, Eddie is preparing for fatherhood and Vietnam, and Annie is contemplating divorce as their mother Ellen considers a new romance. There's rarely a quiet moment in the Pazinski household as they hurtle towards the next decade.
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| "Winces with pain and winks with joy. In its easy accessibility, this is a play that sometimes feels like an all-American musical comedy without the music." |
| --Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times |
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Comedy/Drama
Full-length, 75-105 minutes
6 females, 8 males, 6 either (14-40 actors possible: 6-20 females, 8-20 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
One of the most beloved characters of American fiction, Tom Sawyer is a force of nature -- whether he's sneaking out of his Aunt Polly's house at night to visit the graveyard, or duping his playmates into white-washing a fence, or stealing a kiss from the ravishing Becky Thatcher, or taking a stand against the murderous Injun Joe. Tom's small-town adventures on the banks of the Mississippi are the magical essence of childhood, a joyous leap into the great river of time and memory.
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Children's theater
Short, 45 minutes
4 either (4-12 actors possible: 0-12 females, 0-12 males)
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
The mischievous Chinese superhero The Monkey King comes to life in this energetic and charming play where Chinese Opera and hip-hop collide. Between finding and losing a home, getting kicked out of school, and battling with a one-horned ogre, the naughty Monkey King somersaults into the future on his adventures, where he hears hip-hop music and gets jiggy with it. After much dancing, battles and heroics, the impish Monkey King triumphs over his adversaries -- and learns about leadership, responsibility, and forgiveness in the process!
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