JOSIE & THE ROCKAWAY TUFFS, a one-act children's musical

by Arianna Rose

[1-hour children's musical]

A young girl finds life on the Rockaway peninsula a daily challenge. Between babysitting for her younger siblings, navigating childhood, and dealing with the neighborhood gang, she barely has time to figure out who she is. One day, everything changes. A circus passes by, leaving a worker behind; a ghostly girl emerges from the sea foam; and adolescence and childhood crushes take...

[1-hour children's musical]

A young girl finds life on the Rockaway peninsula a daily challenge. Between babysitting for her younger siblings, navigating childhood, and dealing with the neighborhood gang, she barely has time to figure out who she is. One day, everything changes. A circus passes by, leaving a worker behind; a ghostly girl emerges from the sea foam; and adolescence and childhood crushes take precedence in this coming of age story. Themes of tolerance, friendship, and home prevail in this children’s/family musical. A cast of 11-12, with additional optional characters, JOSIE has roles for a variety of ethnicities and ages. The music has a bouncy, catchy feel to it, reminiscent of the time period (1979) the musical takes place in.

Workshop, MAD Performing Arts, North Miami FL, 2019
Workshop, Rockaway Artists Alliance, 2014

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JOSIE & THE ROCKAWAY TUFFS, a one-act children's musical

Character Information

The Jordans:
JOSIE (12)*
TABITHA, her sister (9)
SAM, her brother (8)

Animals:
**Wild Bird (non-speaking role: can be played by a dancer or by another cast member when no on stage in their primary character)

The Neighbors:
ADARA STEIN, Josie’s friend (11)
ELI STEIN, her sister (8)

The Tuffs:
SEAN O’SULLIVAN, Leader of the Tuffs (12)
MCDOUGAL (11)
O’DWYER (10)
MACKENNA(9)

The Strangers:
NICOLETTE, a mysterious girl from 1911 (10)
THE GREAT KALIMBO, a short carnival performer (any age, bad juggler)

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ENSEMBLE:
(Tuffs, Neighborhood kids to join the Jordans and Steins, Birds [dancers])
  • Josie Jordan
    smart, resourceful, weary of being the oldest
    12+
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Tabitha Jordan
    younger sister, mischievous, headstrong
    9+
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Sam Jordan
    youngest of the Jordan children, gets into trouble
    8+
    Any
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
  • Adara Stein
    friend of Josie, smart
    11+
    Jewish
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Eli Stein
    Adara's sibling, friends with Sam
    8+
    Jewish
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
  • Sean O'Sullivan
    leader of the Tuffs, secretly likes Josie
    12+
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • McDougal, a member of the Tuffs
    11+
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
  • O'Dwyer, a member of the Tuffs
    member of the Tuffs
    10+
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
  • MacKenna, a member of the Tuffs
    member of the Tuffs
    9+
    Any
  • Nicolette
    a mysterious girl (ghost) from 1911
    10+
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • The Great Kalimbo
    a short carnival performer, bad juggler
    any age
    Any
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child,
      Teens
  • Optional additional Ensemble ( Tuffs, neighborhood kids, birds)
    to play more Tuffs, more neighborhood kids to join the Jordans and the Steins, to play birds (dancers)
    any age
    Any
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
  • Wild Bird
    (non-speaking role: can be played by a dancer or by another cast member when no on stage in their primary character)
    any age
    Any
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child,
      Teens

Development History

  • Workshop, MAD Performing Arts, North Miami FL , 2019
  • Commission, Rockaway Artists Alliance, 2014

Production History

  • Workshop, Rockaway Artists Alliance, 2015