ATTACK OF THE KILLER B’S by Sean Abley (HIGH SCHOOL VERSION)

Cast Size: 15+ Characters w/ doubling
Running Time: 1 hr 15 min
Royalty Rate: $60 per performance

While visiting their mother’s grave in the cemetery, Glen and Barbara are attacked by the dead risen from the grave to feast upon the living. Glen is killed, but that doesn’t stop him from coming back as a zombie to rescue his sister and flee Night of the Living Dead come to life. From Reefer Madness to Glen or Glenda, from Friday the 13th to Nightmare on Elm Street, from Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Barbara and Glen battle their way from one B-movie menace to the next. Will they survive?

Looney TV news anchor Rick Flick reports on the mysterious coma that has overcome all the residents of the King’s Court. The coma is the work of the evil Pixie Patrick of Paxton, who perpetrated the curse because lovely Princess Briar Rose failed to invite him to the gala palace ball. Once the curse is set loose, the race is on to find the one true Prince who can awaken the Sleeping Princess–and her entire court–with a magical kiss. Of course, Patrick will have none of it–unless he himself can be the Kissing Prince and marry the lovely Briar Rose himself! Lots of laughs and lots of action but, in the end, the sweet, romantic story of Sleeping Beauty is told with charm, humor and care. 

• Cast Size: 10M 4W 3 Gender Neutral
• Running Time: 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

The story of Pinocchio told in a new and exciting way! With Brecthian theatre elements dive into this magical world full of faires, puppets without strings, and a whole lot of heart!

• Cast Size: 3M 3W 3-27 Any gender
• Running Time 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

The Brothers Pig (4 characters. Flexible casting)

The Brothers Grimm story gets an interactive retelling in this compact version of the traditional story of the Three Little Pigs. Forrest, Rind, and Hamlet have left home and are ready to start life anew by building their own houses. However, when the Big Bad Wolf comes calling, the pigs are forced to flee for their lives as their homes made of butter, twigs, and bricks are put to the test.

The Flounder and the Fisherman (1M 1F 1M/F)

When a gentle fisherman takes pity on a wisecracking flounder with magical powers, and sets him free – he is given a chance to live the life he had only dreamed of living. However, his greedy wife might just spoil their opportunity with her desire to have more and more and more…stuff.

• Running Time: 45 minutes each
• Royalty Rate: $20 per show per performance or $40 for both shows per performance

Two intertwined holiday plays that take a different look at the famous Christmas legend of Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer. 

THE DAY RUDOLPH RAN AWAY TO PITTSBURGH

Rudolph is being bullied so he runs away from the North pole.  But when a super big storm  comes, and Santa can’t ride without him, Rudolph needs to trust in his friends to get the help he needs to get back in time.

RUDOLPH’S BIG SECRET

A holiday tale that reveals how Rudolph  continues helps out  others by sharing his personal story of triumph. When he meets Suzie McSneezer, an elf who feels worthless because of her constant need to sneeze, he shares a glimpse of his past.  A wonderful friendship begins that is sure to inspire and bring holly red cheer and evergreen to all.

• Cast Size: Flexible
• Running Time: Each under an hour
• Royalty Rate: $75 for both shows, $40 for each

The year is 1957 in Camden, Arkansas and Maud Crawford has vanished without a trace. She was a formidable woman, the first female lawyer in Arkansas and no one can figure out what happened to her. A chorus of townspeople speculates on what could have happened. There is no shortage of suspects in the sleepy town, but the mystery remains unsolved. This play is very loosely based on true events and small-town gossip. Production History: Tyler Civic Theatre (Winner of 2017 new play festival Leon Junior High (1st place winner Middle School UIL One Act Play) Highland Park, Amarillo (Middle School UIL One Act Play Entry) Byron P. Steele High School (Alternate to Area, UIL High School One Act Play 2023) Note: Casting is very flexible

• Cast Size: 5M 5W 5NB
• Running Time: 40 Minutes
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

In this delightful children’s comedy, Happy the Christmas Elf decides that he/she doesn’t want to be an elf anymore. Instead, he wants to go back to school and become a math teacher! Only problem? He can’t add. So, Santa sends him back to elementary school, where he experiences hilarity and fun with the other students – and gets reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

• Cast Size: Large Flexible Cast
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance
• Running Time: Under an Hour

Tiny’s having a bad day. First he breaks a doll, then he lies to Santa about it and has to clean the reindeer stalls for two weeks! When the reindeer make fun of him, he runs away to New York to become a taxi driver…taking his part of The List with him. Can the reindeer and elves find the biggest elf at the North Pole before Christmas is lost for everyone?

• Cast Size: Flexible
• Running time: Under an Hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

. In Dr. Chicken and Mr. Hawk, a shy chicken scientist turns into a homicidal hawk (2M, 9F). 

 McRumpelstiltskin involves a novel retelling of the classic Rumpelstiltskin story, with a leprechaun coming to the aid of a damsel in distress.  (6M, 6F).  

 And finally, in Seven Women, a night school poetry class is the setting for both humor and insights.  (7W).

8M, 22W (Doubling possible)

The Story: A trio of high school girls sneaks into a R-rated movie, and each one’s moral character is challenged by the experience.

• Cast Size: 1M 3F
• Running Time: 20 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $20 per performance

The Story: To “impress” her followers on social media, Xavia, a teenage girl, sneaks into the morgue to participate in “The Dodo Challenge,” an online dare to take a selfie next to a dead body. Unfortunately for Xavia, a dissatisfied spirit follows her home…

• Cast Size: 12 (Flexible casting)
• Running Time: 30 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $20 per performance

When Queen Mama sends her boys out into the world to seek their fortunes, they all meet the girls of their dreams.

• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance
• Cast Size: Large Flexible Cast
• Running Time: Under an Hour

A glimpse into the all too real world of high school academics: Eddie is new to the ultra-competitive world of Northwood High School. While he struggles to catch up to his current classmates after moving across the country, privileged Riley can’t keep up with the expectations placed on her by her family. Meanwhile, Madison – an unexpected talent from a single parent home – is sailing to the top of her class. Riley finds a way to get – and stay ahead – by breaking the school’s academic honor code, and in so doing, takes down an unsuspecting Eddie. 

• Cast Size: 7M, 10F, 6 any gender (doubling possible)
• Running Time: Under and hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

In this comedy, a group of high school students take summer jobs at Golden Olden Adventure Towne, an old-school theme park opening up a highly anticipated new roller coaster. G.O.A.T is having trouble adapting to a changing world where the theme park’s old colonial themes don’t quite work the way they used to. When valuables begin to go missing, the employees quickly suspect the thief is among them. What they don’t suspect is an unlikely show of empathy, a new understanding of democracy, and a chance to reimagine some of the park’s more bizarre policies.

• Cast Size: 1M 9W (Flexible)
• Running Time: 55 minutes
• $50 per performance

Gerald P. Murphy’s kid friendly version of the Shakespearean classic is perfect for schools or theatre companies that cater to younger audiences. This version is less than an hour in length, but still keeps the original tale intact.

16+ Characters (with doubling)

You’re cordially invited to a party to die for. Adapted from the Vincent Price classic, The House on Haunted Hill tells the twisted tale of millionaire Frederick Lauren, his fourth wife Annabelle, and five, money-hungry guests who will each received fifty thousand dollars if they stay in a supposedly haunted house until sunrise. Filled with double crosses, jilted lovers, a wicked sense of humor, and a restless spirt or two, Haunted Hill proves to be a night you’ll never forget.

NOW IN A NEW HIGH SCHOOL VERSION!!

• Cast Size:5M 6F
• Royalty Rate Per Performance: $75 per Performance
• Royalty for the Original Music CD Rental: TBA
• Running Time: 2 hrs.

At Ashby’s Galleria, art show attendees anxiously await the arrival of reclusive billionaire Jonathan Bixby. Each is eager to impress, hopeful that proximity to such wealth and power will increase their own status. However, the evening takes a turn when an unexpected guest appears, stirring up a whirlwind of confusion and confrontation. As the guests clash over matters of money and art, revelations come to light, and more than one life is forever changed.

• Cast Size: 3M, 4F, 1Any
• Running Time: 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

High-school senior, Ben, has a life filled with homework, marching-band practice, business club, and all the things his parents believe will lead to a standard, successful path in life. In the midst of all this, he discovers a newfound talent. His parents forbid it, leaving him torn between the pressure to make a living as a cookie-cutter citizen or risk it all to pursue his own track in life.
 
INSIDE OUT is a comedy drama about life in high school and authenticity. It has a flexible cast in number and gender and can be performed by as little as 6 actors and as many as 35. There is a standard version of the play that features two male leads and another version with an all-female cast.

• Cast Size: Large, Flexible.
• Running Time: 90 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $60 per performance

The classic story of Mowgli the Man-Cub springs to life in this lively and spirited adaptation of “The Jungle Book.” Raised by wolves and protected by a wise panther and semi-narcoleptic bear, Mowgli’s adventures take him from a crumbling ancient city to a run in with a massive python, to a climactic showdown with the ferocious tiger, Shere Khan. Filled with action, heart, and all your favorite characters from the Rudyard Kipling classic, this retelling puts a fresh spin on the story we all know and love, while weaving a lesson about finding one’s place in this vast and wild world.

• Cast Size: 4M 4W 5-22 ANY GENDER
• Running Time: 90 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

The King has an interesting theory of justice. Anyone accused of a serious crime must choose between two doors. One door leads to a beautiful princess and instant marital bliss. The other door hides a tiger, and if chosen, a horrible death ensues. When young Cato has the presumption to woo the King’s daughter, he is at the mercy of the King’s justice. Will Cato choose the door which hides a beautiful rival of the princess, or will he instead choose the door of the tiger? This acting edition contains the piano/vocal score.

• Cast Size: 2M 2W, 10 M/W
• Running Time: 45 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

As the school year comes to an end; Amy is desperate to make some memories. Unfortunately, nothing exciting has happened until the principal goes missing! Can Amy organize a secret group of students to find out what happened to him before the bullies find out he’s gone!?

• Cast Size: 1M 3B 3G (Gender Flexible)
• Running Time: Under and Hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per Performance

Making It Up As We Go Along

The story of how two down-on-their-luck mountebanks and one enterprising woman invented Commedia, by accident, on a Wednesday afternoon.

The New Kid

There’s a new kid at school.  The only problem is, he’s a zombie.

• Cast Size: 4M 2F (Making it Up As We Go Along) 5-6 M / 1-2 F (The New Kid)
• Running Time: 120+ minutes (Together) Under an Hour seperately
• Royalty Rate: $75 when produced together, $40 separately.

Mamma Mia – La Befana?! weaves the ancient Italian Epiphany tale, La Befana, into a contemporary American setting. Could the fun loving sixty-something Nonna from Florida really be the thousands of years old scruffy old woman who on January 5th delivers gifts to the good children and coal to the bad? The answer becomes evident as Nonna/Befana uses her holiday magic to find her lost and injured granddaughter, Mary.  Every January, La Befana finds all the Italian children in the world, this year she finds one very special Italo-Americana, her granddaughter.

• Cast Size: 3M 4F
• Running Time: Under an Hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

Ollie the Elephant just wants to sleep, but the other animals in the jungle want to play. In his frustration, Ollie snaps at everyone – including a vindictive snake who tries to get revenge. The jungle animals all have to band together to help one another, and learn a lesson about friendship and cohabitation.

• Cast Size: 12 Characters w/ flexible casting
• Running Time: Under 45 minutes 
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

In story theatre fashion, the play brings the fables of the Eastern Woodland Indians to life. Stories range from the creation of the world, the clans, European Explorers to ritual. Many Snows Ago is based on the extremely short tales of the Lenape and other Eastern Woodland People. The dramatization and embellishment of these tales was done to engage today’s young audience while still imparting the wisdom of this noble group of people. Perfect for schools and actors of all ages.

• Cast Size: Large Flexible Cast
• Running Time: Under an Hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

Molly Jones loves baseball, specifically the NY METS, still she’s never been to a real game. This brilliant 9-year-old reads Seneca and dreams of catching baseballs, while sleeping under a canopy of monitors in NY Presbyterian Hospital, being treated for Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Her Make-a-Wish is, of course, a Mets game and she has a ticket, not to just any Mets game, but a sudden death playoff game against the “Braves she hates”.  Meanwhile her physician, Dr. Teigen Marshall, has the rare opportunity to administer a new miracle drug, (Fluxamean) but, it must be today, right now, to save Molly’s life. The multiple chemo and radiation treatments haven’t worked. Molly is getting worse and both she and her Doctor know it’s “bottom of the ninth and Casey may be at bat”. Molly does not take this news well and decides to escape the hospital and steal away to the game. With the help of Lance Lane, a burned-out ex-Mets pitcher and Tammy the Toucan, an eccentric hospital clown, Molly sets out on her most unusual odyssey. Meanwhile Dr. Marshall and hospital security are just one step behind them. 

• Cast Size: 3M 4W 
• Running Time: 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

The empire has been in turmoil since the late empress was tragically eaten by a bear. The emperor has gone mad. A mysterious bandit is on the loose, robbing the tax collectors and returning money to the poor. The emperor’s evil sister Jezebeth is scheming to take over the empire. The advisors fight all the time, and the guards are morons. But when a brother and sister team of con artists pose as tailors promising to sew an amazing outfit for the Emperor’s birthday, Princess Primrose’s troubles really begin. This fast moving retelling of The Emperor’s New Clothes is fun for any age group!

• Cast Size: 3M 7W 11NB
• Running Time: 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

This play is intended for middle school or high school performers. Con-artist drifter Curley stows away on the early 1900s Mississippi River Paddlewheeler “The Mississippi Belle,” where her brother serves as a steward. The Belle may be cursed by the mummy brought aboard by Professor Julius T. Mayberry and his students. Shortly in their cruise to St. Louis, another professor – PJ Ricketts – is murdered, and his body and the killer are missing! Famed Detective Eloise Stout, a passenger aboard the Belle, declares her intent not to investigate the murder. She is on vacation, after all. Wealthy Socialite passenger Melinda Coates-Robertson decides to give away a million-dollar prize to the passenger who can solve the murder, so as toavoid any embarrassing police entanglement that might threaten her social status. And this is where Curley comes up with a devious plan: a master of disguise who can copy anyone’s handwriting if she sees it once, decides to adopt the alias of “Abel Underwood,” a southern gentleman. Curley will plant evidence framing “Mister Underwood” for the murder so that Curley can turn him in and win the prize! What threatens to undo Curley’s plan? That Melinda’s teenage daughter Violet falls in love with Mister Underwood… …and and Detective Stout believes this whole thing may not be a murder mystery at all

• Cast Size: 4-14M 1-12F 10NB
• Running Time: 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

The monster of climate crisis is staring eleven year-old Savannah right in the face, and she’s petrified. She is convinced she’s too young, too ignorant, and too powerless to help stop the destruction, and she despairs in her attempts to write poetry and make videos calling for change. When the non-human beings of the Earth – animal, plant, and mineral — call a council to inspire humans to take action, though, it’s Savannah they invite to sit in the seat reserved for humans. The trees, forest deities, and the council of all beings shower their pledges of help on Savannah, but it may not be enough to convince her of her own abilities. That’s where a little forest magic may come in handy… A play for young audiences. 

• Cast Size: 1G (Flexible Additional Cast)
• Running Time: Under an Hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

While bed-ridden with a very high fever, young Jennifer dreams that her beloved teddy bear Wintergreen, is stolen away through a hole under her bed by a gargoyle. Soon after, she and a collection of her favorite toys must follow after, navigating through a magical land in a desperate attempt to save Wintergreen from the clutches of an unseen villain. Filled with comedy, action, and a large collection of memorable characters, OLD FASHION TEDDY BEAR TALE is a charming story that has something for the entire family.

• Cast Size: 5M 5W 5M/W
• Running time: 2 hrs
• Royalty Rate: $60 per performance

When Olivia Twist discovers she’s been adopted, she runs away from home and becomes a street waif. She is “rescued” from the streets by Doriana Fagan, Who takes Olivia to the Happy Harmony Home for Girls, which seems, and is: too good to be true (4M 10F) In How to Succeed Against Bullies Without Even Crying, a drama class comes before the School Board in an attempt to convince them that their sketches against bullying deserve financial support. (FLEXIBLE CAST)

Running time: 40 minutes each

Royalty Rate: $40 each show, $60 when performing both

TRUE or FALSE?* 

1) Vikings wore horns 

2) Napoleon was short  

3) Marie Antoinette said “let them eat cake” 

History comes alive as students learn that fake news is old news and disinformation can be disastrous. With the school principal waiting for the slightest excuse to fire the students’ favorite teacher, Mr Parker, and Charlotte Locus manipulating the media to become Student Council President, will the students learn from the past or will they be doomed to repeat it? A trope-filled, historical myth-busting comedy, with a couple of songs thrown in. 
*FALSE!

• Cast Size: 10W, 6M, 1 M/W (Flexible ensemble casting)
• Running Time: 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

Rapunzel

2M 4F 3 Either

A one act comedy based on the fairy tale with the long-haired girl in the tower waiting to be rescued after being abandoned by her greedy parents.

Nun Fun

2M 7F, 1 Cow

Two old west villains try to remove nuns and orphans from an orphanage after they find out it sits over a gold mine.

• Running Time: 40 minutes each
• Royalty Rate: $40 each show, $60 when performed together

William Shakespeare is having a bad day. After a bad review, he doubts his ability to write. As he laments his choice to be a playwright – and considers turning to glove making like his father – he is visited by the nine Muses of Greek mythology.  The Muses guide him through the stories that will become his source material for new ideas and leave him feeling inspired and ready to put his quill to paper again. Shakespeare and the Muses is an exploration of Greek mythology, Shakespeare’s works, and the question of where writers get their ideas from. 

• Cast Size: Flexible cast of  9 M/ 12 F +Ensemble
• Running Time: Under and Hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

SHORE HOUSE, a suite of 10 short plays set in a resort cabin, the kind that high school seniors rent after the prom or graduation. A play for and about young people on the cusp of their new life, plays about moving on and growing up — who will and who will not. The plays incorporate a wide variety of character types and genres from romantic comedy, to taut drama, to farce. Each play has between 2 and 4 actors, and the entire evening can be performed with between 4 and 27 actors.

• Cast Size: Flexible, 
• Running Time: 2 hrs
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

When Snow White’s evil stepmother wants to have her killed for her beauty, she escapes into an enchanted forest where she meets Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and the three little pigs. Several classic fairy tales are woven into a charming story with, of course, a happy ending had by all.

• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance
• Cast Size: Large Flexible Cast
• Running Time: Under an Hour

A school goes into lockdown during the pandemic and the librarian moves in. But suddenly the books have changed. The Greek gods are having a zoom meeting, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are practicing social distancing, and Rapunzel is building a social media following — and that’s just the beginning. Strange Happenings follows the librarian as she unravels a literary mystery in this delightful comedic adventure for all ages.

• Cast Size: Large Flexible Cast
• Running Time: 60+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

Colin sits alone in the cafeteria every day.  The eye patch he must wear over his injured eye makes him a favorite target of the school bullies.  When Amy transfers to Colin’s school and wants to sit with him, he’s suspicious of her motives.  Most of his classmates have been trying to get the secret of what happened to his eye for years, but he’s never told a soul.  When Amy asks about the eye patch, Colin makes up increasingly outrageous stories (which are acted out on the stage).  Finally, Amy becomes fed up with Colin’s stories and he is faced with the choice to open up to Amy and make a friend or to keep his defenses up and remain alone.  

• Cast Size: 10-30 roles. Flexible Casting
• Running Time: 40 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

Laser scenes! Volcanic eruptions! Poisonous bees! Teenage Mutant Ninja Orphans is a brand new, two-act drama by Off-Broadway playwright Grizzly K. Sunshine. TMNO tells the story of Dallas and his tattered, orphan gang in the 1980s. One stormy Halloween night, this rag-tag team joins forces to steal the famous Paradise Emerald for the Hawaiian Mafia, a family that they think will always protect them. This play is meant to teach kids, who might not be in the best situation, to find a way to bloom where they are planted. TMNO features a multi-lingual component and its recommended audience age (10+). Fair warning, this show is high in spectacle! It is filled with unique challenges for your cast AND your crew! Turtle Power!!!

• Cast Size: MALE: 6-8; FEMALE: 5-8; M/F: 6-8; TOTAL: 17+
• Running Time: 90 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

“Lockdown!  Lockdown!  This is not a drill.”  When the announcement is made over the speaker, several high school students rush into an empty classroom and lock the door.  There is no teacher – just them.  Students who previously ignored each other in the hallways are now forced to communicate and band together to survive.  Personalities clash and tensions rise as they deal with the unknown.  Will they open the door when someone knocks and pleads to come inside?  And most importantly, will they come out alive?

• Cast Size: 9 M/F (Roles can be either gender)
• Running Time: Under an Hour
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

A youth theatre cast is preparing to stage the musical Joseph for a drama contest. Ironically, some of the cast members become jealous of the lead actor, who seems to be favored by the director. When they devise a plan to oust him, the production gets derailed and their chance to compete in the contest is jeopardized.

• Cast Size: 15-20 plus extras
• Running Time: 30-45 minutes
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance

V (Veanne), recently separated from her twin brother Baz as a result of their parents’ divorce, starts her senior year at a brand-new school in Elmira, NY. With her boyish appearance, manner, and nickname, V gets misgendered by the other kids at school—but she goes along with their misconception because she feels surprisingly welcomed by them. Misunderstandings, miscommunication, and misdeeds abound in this freewheeling, contemporary, high school-set adaptation of William Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT.

• Cast Size: 6M 4W; 1W or NB; 1 M or W off-stage voice; Extras M, W, or NB
• Running Time: 90+ minutes
• Royalty Rate: $75 per performance

Gerald Murphy puts his trademark spin on two kid friendly versions of famous tales from Greek Mythology. In Narcissus and Echo we find out how Echo falls in love with Narcissus as Narcissus falls in love with himself! In Perseus and Medusa, Perseus goes on a quest to bring back the head of the snake-haired Medusa in order to marry the lovely Andromeda. However, in order to do so, he must escape death several times!!

 Cast Size: 15+

Royalty Rate: $40 per show. $60 when performed together

In this modern take on William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Demetrius is in love with Hermia because of her amazing math skills, but she only has eyes for Lysander. Helena is in love with Demetrius, who doesn’t like her. Duke Theseus is on the cusp of marrying Hippolyta, a bridezilla who is making life difficult for her party planner, Philostrate. The fairy king and queen are in a lovers spat, causing chaos in the woods. Meanwhile, a crew of Mechanicals – the worst acting troupe in the land – are rehearsing a play for the Duke’s wedding day. The fairies narrate the action in rhyming couplets, as the lovers take to the woods and get tangled up in magic charms, misplaced love, and misunderstanding. But all ends happily for lovers, actors, and wedding planners alike. 

• Cast Size: LARGE FLEXIBLE CASTING
• Running Time: 45minutes
• Royalty Rate: $40 per performance