Is He Dead? adapted by David Ives
based on the play by Mark Twain |
 
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Comedy
Full-length, 105-120 minutes
4 females, 7 males (11-16 actors possible: 4-6 females, 7-12 males)
$100.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
Jean-Francois Millet, a young painter of genius, is in love with Marie Leroux but in debt to a villainous picture-dealer, Bastien Andre. Andre forecloses on Millet, threatening debtor's prison unless Marie marries him. Millet realizes that the only way he can pay his debts and keep Marie from marrying Andre is to die, as it is only dead painters who achieve fame and fortune. Millet fakes his death and prospers, all while passing himself off as his own sister, the Widow Tillou. Now a rich "widow," he must find a way to get out of a dress, return to life, and marry Marie.
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| "A ripely enjoyable confection! An elaborate madcap comedy that registers high on the mirth meter and reaches especially giddy comic heights!" |
| --David Rooney, Variety |
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Comedy
Full-length, 80-95 minutes
3 males (3 actors possible: 0-3 females, 0-3 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Instead of performing Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told -- plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. A madcap romp through the holiday season!
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| "Warning: If you see Every Christmas Story Ever Told, you'll never be able to watch Dickens' A Christmas Carol without laughing out loud." |
| --David Jacobson, Life Newspapers (Sacramento) |
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Farce
Full-length, 110-120 minutes
3 females, 4 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Two cops. Three crooks. Eight doors. Go. In a cheap motel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his female accountant, while in the room next-door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on videotape. But there's some confusion as to who's in which room, who's being videotaped, who's taken the money, who's hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.
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| "A smash hit! Two hours of non-stop laughter. The plot weaves you through mix-ups and mayhem you won't believe. This is one funny show you don't want to miss!" |
| --Jim Fordyce, ABC 53 (Michigan) |
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Farce
Full-length, 80-90 minutes
5 females, 4 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
It's 1942, and two of Hollywood's biggest divas have descended upon the luxurious Palm Beach Royale Hotel -- assistants, luggage, and legendary feud with one another in tow. Everything seems to be in order for their wartime performance...that is, until they are somehow assigned to the same suite. Mistaken identities, overblown egos, double entendres, and a lap dog named Mr. Boodles round out this hilarious riot of a love note to the classic farces of the 30s and 40s.
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| "A rib-tickling good time." |
| --Hap Erstein, Palm Beach Post |
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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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Comedy
Short, 25-30 minutes
5 females, 5 males, 10 either
(14-40 actors possible: 4-36 females, 4-36 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
To win his freedom from school bully Bugs, smart aleck Tommy offers to help him get a date to the prom with popular actress Stephanie Mezaluna. But the only way to get her attention is to convince her that Bugs is a famous actor in hiding, and as one cover-up leads to another, it's not long before a jock, Steve, is parading as Bug's slick New York agent, and Tommy is stuck trying to get Steve's sister a date to the prom. Of course, prom tickets are only on sale until fifth period -- so Tommy has to act fast and try to control the chaos in this wild high school hallway farce.
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Comedy
Short, 25-35 minutes
3 females, 3 males, 14 either
(8-20 actors possible: 3-17 females, 2-18 males)
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Zoe thinks a quiet, romantic camping trip in the middle of nowhere should be the perfect opportunity for her easily-distracted boyfriend Perry to finally pop the question. But this idea seems nearly impossible when a steady stream of unexpected guests -- from Robin Hood to The Safety Squirrels -- shows up! With a new forest-dweller disaster happening every time her boyfriend turns his back, will Zoe ever find a moment for a perfect proposal?
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Said and Meant
Ten Short Plays About Language and Misunderstanding
by Randy Wyatt |
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Comedy
Full-length, 75-90 minutes
3 females, 2 males, 2 either
(6-52 actors possible: 2-50 females, 2-50 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
A fast-paced, witty compilation of ten short plays exploring how we use the same language to mean all kinds of different things, and the dangers therein. Whether it's a farce dressed up as a Greek tragedy, a soon-to-be wed couple seeking counsel-free counseling, a hapless suitor named Bob who's learning how complex a simple phrase can be, or four actors desperately trying to fit 32 awkward silences into ten minutes, this play has all sorts of hilarious surprises in store.
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| "Somehow playwright Randy Wyatt has found passage into your most private and devious thoughts. He's listened to all the things you've wanted to say to every unpleasant person you meet on a daily basis and took notes. Just imagine this tiny little man squatting on a short stool between your ears with a stethoscope pressed to your internal voice. There's a reason we think before we talk." |
| --Kalamazoo Gazette |
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Comedy
Full-length, 105-120 minutes
3 females, 3 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
The best laid plans go awry when the cast and crew of a Broadway-bound play resort to manipulation, diva-like behavior, and chaotic abandon to get what they want. Fledgling playwright Jerry Przpezniak and his fiancee are a couple of Buffalo greenhorns suddenly swept up in the whirlwind of New York's theater scene when Jerry's play is optioned for the big money, ego-driven world of Broadway. It's a young playwright's dream, but the crazy characters and dilemmas they encounter are the things theatrical nightmares are made of.
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| "Drop-dead, scream-out-loud, tear-wrenchingly funny." |
| --The Buffalo News |
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Comedy
Full-length, 90-95 minutes
8 females, 6 males (14-28 actors possible: 8-16 females, 6-12 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
One crime. Four high school students. And one angry principal. This hilariously action-packed comedy caper unites four unlikely students who may not have a lot in common on the surface. But they do share one thing -- utter animosity towards the man who's haunted their high school years. Will they get their revenge?
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Comedy
Short, 45 minutes
5 females, 6 males
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Madcap, chaotic hilarity ensues when Jason hires a troupe of local actors to play the part of a perfect family to impress Sheila, his new girlfriend. This elaborate ruse nearly goes as planned, only to backfire when Jason's real family comes home unexpectedly. The actors remain in character and do their best to keep their act together, but things quickly unravel. From overhearing a murder plot to meeting the "ghost" of General Washburn, Sheila decides she's seen enough of Jason and his families.
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Tom Jones adapted by Jon Jory
from the novel by Henry Fielding |
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Comedy
Full-length, 130-140 minutes
4 females, 5 males (9-27 actors possible: 4-12 females, 5-15 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Abandoned as a child to the care of Squire Allworthy, Tom Jones is now all grown up and launched into the bewildering romantic world. He falls madly in love with the virtuous Sophia Western -- but Sophia's father is determined to keep the two apart. In his pursuit of true love, the well-intentioned Tom finds himself the object of female attention and romantic complication. But will these misadventures permanently jeopardize his chances with Sophia? Adapted from the classic novel by Henry Fielding, Tom Jones is a bawdy and rollicking comedy for the stage that will have the audience in stitches.
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Comedy
Short, 25-35 minutes
1 female, 1 male, 10 either (12 actors possible: 1-10 females, 1-10 males)
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
They say love conquers all, but that was before Pardonnez Moi opened its doors. When Charlie made his reservation at the romantic restaurant to ask for Laura's hand in marriage, he had no idea that his proposal would be repeatedly thwarted by a revolving staff of cuckoos. Among them are a waitress obsessed with conspiracy theories, a bus boy with a cabaret act, a chef with an accent thicker than his gravy, and a violinist that doesn't even know how to play. As Laura flits from disaster to disaster, Charlie tries desperately to make heads or tails of the nonsense spewing from everyone's lips.
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Comedy
Short, 35-45 minutes
10 females, 6 males (5-25 actors possible: 3-23 females, 2-22 males)
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Reverse the title of this large-cast comedy and what do you get? A fast-paced parody and exploration of reversals in seven short scenes. A stereotypical villain plays the part of the innocent victim. The stage lighting in a Chekhov scene directly opposes everything the three actresses are saying. And a play runs completely backwards from end to beginning, including the actual words...
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Comedy
Full-length, 75-85 minutes
4 females, 2 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
After years of traveling abroad, Avery Sutton is happy to return to the comfort of his home in Connecticut. Unfortunately, almost nothing is as he remembered it. The entire house is tilted at a distinct angle, the dog hasn't been fed in five years, and Avery's Grandmother, who everyone thought was dead, is still alive and kicking. Forced to either accept the oddities of his family, or leave them behind, 37 Postcards suggests that you can, in fact, go home again... You just never know what you're going to find.
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| "McKeever's writing illuminates not only insightful wit, but a disarming poignancy that, while poking fun at this dysfunctional family, also reveals a well-thought-out and emotional resonance." |
| --George Capewell, Backstage |
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| Act A Lady by Michael Friedman and Jordan Harrison |
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Comedy
Full-length, 90-100 minutes
3 females, 3 males
$100.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
When the men of a small Prohibition-era town decide to put on a play dressed in "fancy-type, women-type clothes," the whole community is affected: gender lines blur, eyebrows raise, identities explode, and life and art are forever entangled. A thoughtful and exuberant Midwestern fable about the woman in every man, the man in every woman and the power of theatre to uncover both. Accompanied by accordion.
(This play is also available in the collection Humana Festival 2006: The Complete Plays.)
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| "The [2006 Humana] Festival's most uproarious comedy, a farce of outlandish proportions, takes on and celebrates the art of theater itself...Part Waiting for Guffman and part Dangerous Liaisons, Act a Lady's dizzying gender-bending explores the theater, the fallibility of stereotypes and the joys of accordion music with a deft wisdom..." |
| --Tony Brown, Cleveland Plain Dealer |
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Comedy
Full-length, 80-100 minutes
6 females, 6 males (12 actors possible: 6-8 females, 6-8 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
It's 1948, it's the dead of winter, and it's time for "Loving Lives," a radio soap opera on its last legs. A pompous romantic lead, an incapacitated announcer, an obnoxious kazoo-tooting child star, and multiple off-the-air seductions all contribute to the hilarious demise of the radio show.
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Comedy/Drama
Full-length, 60-85 minutes
3 females, 5 males, 8 either
(11-41 actors possible: 3-31 females, 5-33 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
A collection of five Christmas-themed short plays from New York City's acclaimed Flea Theater. From a family sitting down to read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" with unexpected results (Not a Creature Was Stirring), to elves rapping about bloody films (Holiday Movies), to an irreverent take on the story of Jesus' birth (Away in the Manger), these comedies and dramas take on the holiday season like never before.
To purchase this book of 5 plays, click "Order this play" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
Away in the Manger by Roger Rosenblatt
Before the Before and Before That by Mac Wellman
Christmas Song by Len Jenkin
Holiday Movies by Elizabeth Swados
Not a Creature Was Stirring by Christopher Durang
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| "[Len Jenkin's Christmas Song is] elegantly written... A brief snapshot of a few lonely individuals in a boarding house, it's tender and heartfelt." |
| --Dan Bacalzo, Theatermania |
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Farce
Full-length, 90-100 minutes
4 females, 4 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Junior executive Brooke invites her boss and his wife over for dinner in the hopes of securing a promotion. While frantically getting ready, Brooke and her husband discover that the hired help is coincidentally the boss' ex-daughter-in-law. Just when it seems everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, Brooke's boss has an unfortunate announcement to make -- though not as unfortunate as the candlestick attack, appetizer toss, and general chaos that then ensues...
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Comedy
Full-length, 110-120 minutes
3 females, 4 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Illinois schoolteacher Harmony Green has told her fourth grade class that Menard County's most beloved homegrown hero, Abraham Lincoln, was gay. When Honest Abe is "outed" in a reimagined Christmas pageant, controversy and chaos engulf the town. As the trial of the century begins, big-city reporters and Congressional candidates descend, and family skeletons are forced out of the closet. Top hats and beards abound in this hilarious, poignant, and timely look at prejudice past and present.
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| "An...ambitious mashup of burlesque anarchy, elaborate narrative intrigue, serious sociopolitical themes, and campy dance interludes. [...] It shouldn't hold together. Yet somehow this frequently ingenious, hilarious contraption does." |
| --Variety |
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