one-acts
Who's afraid of the big, bad Bard?
”I Hate Shakespeare”
Admit it – the plays are too long and complicated, no one understands the words and the jokes aren’t funny!
So how do you introduce young thespians and audiences to Shakespeare without turning them off? This one-act no-set romp takes that snooty, sophisticated aura off Bill once and for all by poking fun while at the same time demonstrating his relevance to today’s modern world. What if Juliet went on “The Dating Game?” What if “Titus Andronicus” had been written as a gentle comedy of manners? What if something went wrong every time someone mentioned the word “Macbeth?” What if Othello, Iago and Desdemona appeared on “The Jerry Springer Show?” What if zombies tried to stage “Richard III?” What if the Immortal Bard of Avon married Mr. Drysedale’s secretary from “The Beverly Hillbillies?” What if a cow threw a pie at the director?
With actual Shakespearean lines added into the mix, the play painlessly eases audiences and performers alike into the world of the world’s greatest playwright. On tour or in the classroom, “I Hate Shakespeare!” can be staged in a mere hour by as few as 5 performers or as many as 25, with a cast of adults or kids. Don’t forget to have a nub ready if you go blank!
This play won Third Place in the East Valley Children’s Theatre 2008 Playwrighting Contest and Honorable Mention in the 2008 Beverly Hills Theatre Guild’s Marilyn Hall Awards For Youth Theatre. You can read a few pages and order a complete copy at Playscripts.
what the dickens do you call this?!
“A (Very Zombie) Christmas Carol”
In this twisted take on the well-loved Christmas tale, Scrooge not only has to contend with ghosts trying to save his soul but also zombies trying to eat his brains! Thank goodness Bob Cratchit and his family are armed to the teeth and ready to mow down the undead. Christmas is indeed shaping up to be the most wonderful—and bloodiest—time of the year.
Your new favorite horror-comedy runs 30 minutes and uses 2 females, 4 males, 2-6+ any gender (8-12+ performers possible). Suitable for middle school and older, perfect for Halloween, excellent for a twisted Christmas or any time. Published by YouthPLAYS, what are you waiting for, a zombie to come and eat your brains?! Quick, get your copy right now…while there’s still time!
The Wolf as the hero?
“Once Upon A Wolf”
This fast and furious collection of fractured fairy tales with a modern twist tells what happens when the big bad Wolf decides that he doesn’t want to be big or bad anymore! Old Granny Stinkyfeet is just trying to tell the kiddies some stories but she’s having trouble with the Wolf – he won’t eat her like he’s supposed to! Instead, he wants to be the good guy for a change – so he’s off on a mission to become a hero – no matter how many people tell him it’s impossible!
A flexible cast of kids, grown-ups or a mixture of both, a simple set, a few props and costumes and 60 minutes is all this extremely popular one-act requires and it couldn’t be more simple or fun to stage. Perfect for all groups with lots of audience participation, this is also a great show for touring (it can be done with as few as 4 performers or as many as 19). So what are you waiting for? It’s available at Concord Theatricals. Order your copy today!
The Brothers Grimm go Noir
”Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective”
Granny Possum can’t tell her favorite fairy tales because someone is stealing all the props! Bread crumbs, the glass slipper, the magic beans, the basket of goodies – all are missing! Where’s a Granny to turn? Why, to Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective, of course! Someone is framing Goldilocks for the thefts and Nick is her only hope. Can he solve the mystery and save all the fairy tales? With a little help from the audience, he might just crack his toughest case yet. Who is that mysterious figure? What clues can a talking tree possibly divulge? Why is Nick putting an a dress? These and other important questions will be answered in this clever and fun show!
Lots of audience participation, including a chance for some lucky junior detective to get up on stage and into the action, a single simple set, a flexible cast (can be staged with as few as 5 performers or as many as 18) make this one hour show great fun for kids and their grown-ups. Perfect for touring, too! Take a look at Concord Theatricals today!
Nick Tickle rides again
“The Further Adventures Of Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective”
Everyone’s favorite gumshoe is back in another thrilling adventure!
Once again, old Granny Possum is entertaining us with her slightly irregular version of “Snow White And Just The Two Very Tall Dwarves” when she’s kidnapped by Bluebeard and his band of scurvy pirates! Thank goodness the dwarves have the good sense to hire Nick Tickle to get her back. Can he outwit the kidnappers and save her or is she gone for good? He’ll need any help he can get with this tough case – fortunately, Puss In Boots is ready to lend a paw and some lucky audience member will get the chance to help Nick question the pirates. Will Rumplestiltkin and Mrs. Stiltskin be of any help and if so, will Nick have to give them a baby? Why has the Fairy Godmother turned Cinderella into a cow? Can the evil Queen Cupcake convince the Magic Mirror that rapping is not an acceptable form of delivering royal proclamations? We can only hope.
As usual, there’s lots of audience participation and since this 60 minute show requires only a single simple set and as few as 6 performers (or as many as 17), it’s easy and fun to stage. This sequel to the very popular “Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective” is great for touring, too. Get your copy hot off the press from Concord Theatricals right now!
Invaluable Advice For Today's Children
”Never Eat A Talking Lobster”
Tales of Moral Instruction for Incorrigible Children
It should be a simple, straight-forward production – a Narrator telling five Grimm’s fairy tales – but our Narrator isn’t happy with her part so she’s out to ruin everyone else’s happy ending. Can “The Fisherman and His Wife,” “The Bremen Town Musicians,” “The White Snake,” “The Frog Prince” and “The Golden Goose” be saved…by a talking lobster?
Here is a 60 minute show with a cast as small as 10 or as big as 30+. Costumes and set? Simple or detailed as you like. Now available from Playscripts!
IS THIS TITLE FOR REAL?
“Mother Goose Is Eaten By Werewolves”
What kind of lunatic would write a play for kids with this title?! Now, don’t get excited – there won’t be any blood and guts flying around and putting anyone’s eye out. Mother Goose is no fool. As soon as she discovers they’re using real werewolves in this production, she skeedadles it out of the theater and it looks like the show’s over before it’s even begun. I guess everyone will have to go home or worse, learn the principal exports of Brazil. But wait! Four adventurous audience members – a Fairy Godmother, a Witch, a Prince and a Wolf – volunteer to save the day and act out some stories for the kiddies. First up, the Fairy Godmother starts giving a very nice account of “Sleeping Beauty” until the others insist on telling their versions of the tale! We get the Witch’s side of things, then the Prince’s back-story and finally the narrative with the Wolf. (Yes, there is a wolf in “Sleeping Beauty!”) With the participation of a helpful Stage Manger and members of the audience, a good time is guaranteed for all. It’s not Mother Goose but it is hilariously entertaining!
A single set, a cast as small as 5 (with doubling) or as large as you want (up to 29), a few costumes, some props, an hour and a twisted sense of humor are all you’ll need for this skewered take on “Sleeping Beauty.” You’ll never look at this story the same way again. Quick, order your copy from Playscripts right now! (Did I mention it’s perfect for touring?)
A traditional Olde-World fairy tale
“Season Of Light – A Winter Fairy Tale”
Tired of the same old Santas and Scrooges, mangers and Menorahs when planning your holiday show? “Season Of Light” is a brand-new traditional fairy tale that’s the perfect alternative to “Christmas Carols” and “Best Christmas Pageants Ever.”
What would you do if the Winter Solstice came and the days didn’t grow longer but continued growing shorter instead? What could you do if the sun came up later and later and went down earlier and earlier? What should you do if you thought it was your fault that the world was coming to an end?
Magda is just an ordinary peasant girl chosen to play the Sister Of The Sun in her village’s ceremony celebrating the Solstice. But when the days keep growing shorter, Magda is given the blame and exiled from her home. Alone in the forest, she meets an odd group of players who have each lost something important but gained something special. Led by the brave Rodrigo, Apple (who cannot hear but always knows what is true), Toot (who cannot speak but communicates with birds through whistling), Gwendolyne (who is simple but talks to animals) and Stephen (who is blind but can see the future) join Magda in her quest to save the world by travelling east to find the real Sister Of The Sun and do whatever is necessary to bring back the light. Even with the help of the forest animals (presented in the style of Bunraku puppetry), is there enough time or will the darkness of night swallow the Earth forever?
“Season Of Light” is a highly theatrical piece (flexible set, 7 females, 5 males, 10 either) that’s a wonderful one hour alternative to the usual winter holiday plays. Visit Playscripts to read a sample or order a complete copy today!
A feminine twist on an old tale
“Emmalina Scrooge”
Tired of doing the same old show at Christmas? How about a new, modern adaptation of the Dickens’ classic that’s perfect for young actors in school, religious or community groups? This version has numerous advantages – a running time of just under one hour, one basic set with just a few alterations and flexible casting requirements with lots of good parts for girls!
Why is young Emmy Scrooge such a…well…scrooge? Perhaps a visit from Charles Dickens and 2 ghostly sisters can persuade her to have a change of heart. But when even the spirit of her thrice-great grandfather gives up on her, things don’t look promising…This 60 minute modern twist on an old tale, “Emmalina Scrooge” (flexible set, 17 females, 9 males) is sure to become your new holiday favorite. Available from Concord Theatricals,,order your copy now for this year’s holiday production.
SUCH TROUBLESOME KIDS
“The (Almost) Totally True Story Of Hansel And Gretel”
Pity poor Streptococcus – it should be a piece of cake for a fairy godmother to tell the story of Snow White but her wand is bent and things aren’t going quite as they should. Then, to make things worse, she’s interrupted by a couple of English policemen who are hot on the trail of two very devious and dangerous criminals – children who are causing no end of trouble in the forest. Their names? Hansel and Gretel! Streptococcus doesn’t believe a word of it and neither do a well-behaved pair of kids in the audience who volunteer to help her tell Hansel and Gretel’s familiar tale. But before everyone lives happily ever after, the police insist on having their say…and the well-behaved kids aren’t happy about that at all…
Since there are lots of parts (10 for girls, 5 for boys, 10 for either), everyone gets a role and since a single forest set is all that’s needed for this 60 minute show, it’s easy to produce. This is a great fun twist on the familiar, favorite tale. You can order it from Concord Theatricals.
Never lie to the Piper
“The Pied Piper Of Hamelin Town”
Forget the sad ending of this fairy tale – this version ends with everyone living happily ever after!
Who can save the children after the Pied Piper has led them away into a mountain? The stingy townspeople? The boy left behind? No! It’s 3 unlikely heroes to the rescue – Whiskers (a slow-thinking cat), Squeak (a hard-of-hearing rat) and Chirp (a bird who can’t fly). Join them as they come up with a plan and then face their fears all to rescue the future of Hamelin Town.
This 30 minute play written for Elementary School age players and audiences is fun and a snap to stage – a single, simple set, 11 major speaking parts plus a dog and as many children and rats as you like – and also contains an important lesson of tolerance for those who are a little different from the rest. You can read a sample at YouthPLAYS for free here!
Updated classic...with aliens
“Homer’s (After School, Out Of This World, Dangerous And Scary) Odyssey”
Homer’s just a regular kid who tends to give up when the going gets tough. This is unfortunate because things just got very tough indeed – his teacher and principal are aliens from outer space bent on conquering and devouring every person on earth…and he’s the only one who can stop them! With the survival of all humans now his responsibility, Homer’s flight back to his house after school becomes a daunting and frightening odyssey which mirrors that of Odysseus which Homer and his friends are currently studying. Will Homer make it safely back to his parents? Will his parents even believe them if he does? Can the aliens be stopped before it’s too late? This is a fun, modern slant on one of the oldest stories ever told which everyone has experienced at some point in their life – the journey through a myriad of dangers just to reach…home.
This 60-minute modernization of the classic story with several suggested locations requires only one set piece to establish each and calls for 7 females, 4 males and 10 either. This is the place to order a copy from Brooklyn Publishing.
