The Bookstore by Adam Szymkowicz

FULL LENGTH: PUBLISHED ! (One Act version also available) A whimsical almost magical bookstore where people fall in and out of love. Flexible casting. Ida, the idiosyncratic store owner has died and has left it to her niece, Rachel, a harried and poor assistant book editor. The customers and employees are desperate to keep the fantastical haven as it is, but real estate magnate, Max Brewer is offering more...
FULL LENGTH: PUBLISHED ! (One Act version also available) A whimsical almost magical bookstore where people fall in and out of love. Flexible casting. Ida, the idiosyncratic store owner has died and has left it to her niece, Rachel, a harried and poor assistant book editor. The customers and employees are desperate to keep the fantastical haven as it is, but real estate magnate, Max Brewer is offering more and more money to turn the building into luxury apartments. Rachel must decide if she can say no to more money than she ever thought possible and also what to do about her fiance and if she has any patience for whimsy and for this sappy kind of love that's all around

https://www.playscripts.com/play/5101
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The Bookstore

Recommended by

  • John Bavoso:
    30 Jun. 2020
    “ I want to crawl into this play and live there forever! Adam Szymkowicz has created a delightful, escapist fantasy that I imagine would be a joy to bring to life for everyone from designers to actors to audience members. He’s managed to write into being a world that feels as warm, funny, and inviting as curling up with a big mug of tea under a soft blanket and reading a beloved book. If you need a heartwarming smile and good-natured chuckle, give this script a try! ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    7 Aug. 2019
    “ A wonderful delight into the most magical place there is. Where worlds await in a tiny shop whose value knows no bounds. Entertaining and sure to be adored by all. Marvelous! ”
  • Vince Gatton:
    18 May. 2019
    “ If you usually find whimsy cloying and hard to swallow, I strongly suggest you try the Adam Szymkowicz version. The Book Store is magical, yes, but it knows how you feel, it gets it, it’s been there...and it finds a million little ways to coax you in anyway. Delightful, witty, moving, and satisfying as a good novel — the one you didn’t know you needed, right when you needed it. ”
View all 7 recommendations

Character Information

(6-28 actors. Minimum 3F, 3M, Maximum 11F, 12M, 5 Any Gender.) All characters can be any race. Please try very hard for a diverse cast in every sense of the word “diverse.” All parts can be doubled except Candace and Rachel. Jamie and Also Jamie are probably of the same gender.

  • Rachel
    late 20s,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Candace
    20s to 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Turtledove
    around the age of Byron,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Ted
    around Ellen's age,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Max Brewer
    30s to 60s,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Sven
    any age-- adult male,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Sue
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Sadie
    around Josh's age,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Ryan
    30s to 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Neil
    Younger than Jane ,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Miss Whitherly
    around the same age as Greg,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Miles
    Any Adult,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Married Friend
    Any Adult,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Marie
    any-- adult female,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Machina (Mac) Rogers
    Around the same age as Rachel,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Kim
    Any Adult,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Josh
    around Sadie's age,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Jane Dricken
    40s or older,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Jamie
    Any Adult -- Around the Age of Also Jamie,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Greg
    around the same age as Miss Whitherly,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Bearded
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Ellen
    any-- adult female,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Dr. Hern
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Byron
    Around the age of Turtledove,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Anthony
    Around the same age as Rachel,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    wears a suit, kind of a bro
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Also Jamie
    Any Adult --Around the age of Jamie,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Alexis
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • A MAN IN ELIZABETHAN GARB
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Male Identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Woman in a gas mask
    Any Adult,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    The Juilliard School
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Flux Theatre Ensemble Retreat
    ,
    2018