Bringing Down the House

Now available from Pioneer Drama Service! Commissioned by a private school to meet their DEI standards.

Ever hear of a musical without songs? Well, we haven't either. Which might just make this madcap comedy a first!

Jules, Sydney, and Elliot have some mighty big dreams. An up-and-coming musical composing team, they've rented the creaky old Edgar Street Theatre for six weeks so they can mount a workshop...

Now available from Pioneer Drama Service! Commissioned by a private school to meet their DEI standards.

Ever hear of a musical without songs? Well, we haven't either. Which might just make this madcap comedy a first!

Jules, Sydney, and Elliot have some mighty big dreams. An up-and-coming musical composing team, they've rented the creaky old Edgar Street Theatre for six weeks so they can mount a workshop production of their latest show. All the top investors on the Great White Way are slated to attend, and the team is going to need every minute of those six weeks to rehearse and polish the musical.

To their dismay, however, they discover that the theater is scheduled for demolition the very next day—and they don't have the money to rent another venue. There's only one thing to do. Throw the show together in just two hours and present it to any investors who can make it on such short notice.

And so the rehearsal begins. Unfortunately, every time a performer gets ready to sing, and the music starts to swell, someone bursts into the theater to cut the song short. There's the annoying child actor who desperately wants to be in the show. A group of very confused protesters. A pushy politician seeking a splashy photo op. And of course the bumbling demo crew themselves.

Things are looking bleak. How can they put on a show if they can't even rehearse one song?

Requiring only a few generic musical tracks, one informal dance number, the barest of sets, and no actual singing, this hilarious farce may just be the easiest "musical" you'll ever produce!

Run Time: 90-100 minutes

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Bringing Down the House

Cast of 38 (7M, 5F, plus 26 roles that can be any). Optional doubling and extras.


CAST OF CHARACTERS (# of lines)

THE DEMO CREW:

JERRY, leader; a jokester (43)

DALE, worker; easily amused (19)

MERLE, another; whiny (19)

HARLEY, another; clueless (15)


THE CREATIVE TEAM:

JULES, composer; optimistic, idealistic (96)

SYDNEY, book writer; pessimistic, sarcastic (75)

ELLIOT, lyricist; realistic, analytical (77)

MONA, talent agent; brimming with confidence but largely inept (38)


THE CREW:

CAMERON, theater director; uptight, short-tempered (133)

ROBIN, assistant director; mousy, until she isn't (167)

INA, costume designer; resourceful (22)

RILEY, set designer; a real problem-solver (16)

FAYE, sound designer; helpful, encouraging (55)


THE ACTORS:

KARLEE, child actor; precocious, annoying (44)

SHARON, the stagiest of stage mothers (23)

GLENDA, snobby older actor; tends to ramble (27)

BERNARD, pompous older actor; a bit daft (28)

YVONNE, vain Hollywood star (29)


THE CHORUS:

AVERY, seasoned performer; high-energy (29)

BLAKE, another; a know-it-all (32)

DYLAN, another; a smart aleck (29)

VAL, fledgling performer; ready to pack it all in (27)

TAYLOR, another; prone to panic (25)

MADDIE, another; ridiculously upbeat (25)


THE PROTESTERS:

CLEO, perky (11)

OLIVER, likes to gripe (11)

NOREEN, sassy (11)

PARKER, irritable (11)

WHITNEY, opinionated (10)

ZACH, enthusiastic (10)<BR>


THE MAYOR'S OFFICE:

UMA, bossy assistant (22)

PEG, overworked roadie (11)

KENDALL, photographer; the mayor's biggest fan (10)

MAYOR, publicity-hungry politician (18)


OTHERS:

LESLIE, unscrupulous landlord (18)

TRISH, architect; likes to blow things up (10)

HILDY, historical preservationist; self-absorbed, chatty (61)

ALLAN, investor; supportive, decisive (10)

Development History

  • Type Commission, Organization Belmont Day School, Belmont, MA, Year 2023

Production History

  • Type Community Theater, Organization Ebenezer Drama Ensemble, Bluffton, OH, Year 2025
  • Type High School, Organization Albuquerque Secular Homeschool Collaborative, Albuquerque, NM, Year 2025
  • Type High School, Organization Belvedere College SJ, Dublin, Ireland, Year 2025
  • Type High School, Organization St. Mary's Parish School, Westfield, MA, Year 2025
  • Type High School, Organization Terry High School, Terry, MS, Year 2025
  • Type High School, Organization Trinity Lutheran School, Freistatt, MO, Year 2025
  • Type High School, Organization Belmont Day School, Belmont, MA (World Premiere), Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Bonny Eagle Middle School, Buxton, ME, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Charles P. Murray Middle School, Wilmington, NC, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Cleveland High School, Cleveland, TN, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Eagle Crest Charter Academy, Holland, MI, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Hinkletown Mennonite School, Ephrata, PA, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Rising Sun High School, Rising Sun, IN, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization South Haven High School, South Haven, MI, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Willow Creek Middle School, Lehi, UT, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Woodhaven Middle School, Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada, Year 2024