The Enchanted Bookshop

by Todd Wallinger

#1 selling full-length play at Pioneer Drama Service. Over 800 productions since 2017.

During the day, A Likely Story may look like any other used bookstore. But at night, it’s a place where magic happens. That’s when the characters inside the books come alive.

Six of those characters — Dorothy Gale, Robin Hood, Pollyanna, Sherlock Holmes, Heidi, and Tom Sawyer — long to help Margie, the scatterbrained owner...

#1 selling full-length play at Pioneer Drama Service. Over 800 productions since 2017.

During the day, A Likely Story may look like any other used bookstore. But at night, it’s a place where magic happens. That’s when the characters inside the books come alive.

Six of those characters — Dorothy Gale, Robin Hood, Pollyanna, Sherlock Holmes, Heidi, and Tom Sawyer — long to help Margie, the scatterbrained owner, save her struggling store. But they’re not allowed to leave the building or be seen by human eyes. So when a pair of smugglers comes looking for a stolen necklace hidden inside one of the books, the characters are torn.

Should they warn Margie and risk disappearing forever? Or can they find a way to defeat the crooks without being seen? Featuring additional appearances by such beloved literary characters as the Queen of Hearts, Long John Silver, and Doctor Dolittle, this charming comedy celebrates the joy of reading in a fresh, fun-filled way.

Run Time: 60-70 minutes.

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The Enchanted Bookshop

Cast of 23 (8M, 9F, plus 6 roles that can be any). Optional doubling. You are also free to add as many famous literary characters as you like.

CAST OF CHARACTERS (# of lines)

MARGIE, bookshop owner; scatter-brained, eternally hopeful (140)

BOMBALURINA, Margie's cat; likes to steal things (8)

MOM, bored bookshop customer (24)

TIMMY, kid; hates books (10)

ROBIN HOOD, vain Medieval English outlaw (54)

TOM SAWYER, mischievous Missouri schoolboy (36)

SHERLOCK HOLMES, brainy English detective (58)

TOTO, Dorothy's dog; not as brave as he thinks he is (0)

DOROTHY, Kansas farm girl; fearless, clever (64)

HEIDI, Swiss mountain girl; melodramatic (38)

POLLYANNA, New England schoolgirl; annoyingly optimistic (42)

BOOK FAIRY, brings the book characters to life; overbearing (29)

LADY IN RED, mysterious bookshop customer (24)

FAGIN, English pickpocket; sneaky (13)

LONG JOHN SILVER, English pirate; treacherous (17)

OFFICER KETCHUM, confused police officer (24)

FINGERS, jewel smuggler; dumb (61)

EDDIE, another; bossy and dumb (90)

DOCTOR DOLITTLE, English veterinarian; talks to animals (16)

QUEEN OF HEARTS, ruler of Wonderland; hothead (9)

FRANKENSTEIN, monster; grunts a lot (0)

WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST, Dorothy's nemesis, smart aleck (8)

HOPALONG CASSIDY, noble cowboy (7)

Production History

Type Community Theater, Organization Evening Shade Mennonite Church, Warsaw, MO, Year 2025
Type Community Theater, Organization Reno Little Theater, Reno, NV, Year 2025
Type Community Theater, Organization The Saints Drama Society, Coventry, UK, Year 2025
Type High School, Organization All Saints Catholic Academy, Naperville, IL, Year 2025
Type High School, Organization Murrieta Mesa High School, Murrieta, CA, Year 2025
Type High School, Organization Wisconsin Dells Middle School, Wisconsin Dells, WI, Year 2025
Type Community Theater, Organization Graceful Monsters Educational Theatre Collective, Plymouth, MN, Year 2024
Type Community Theater, Organization Greenwood Little Theatre, Greenwood, MS, Year 2024
Type Community Theater, Organization Hockomock Area YMCA, North Attleboro, MA, Year 2024
Type Community Theater, Organization The Winterset Stage, Winterset, IA, Year 2024
Type Community Theater, Organization Venice Theatre, Venice, FL, Year 2024
Type Community Theater, Organization Young Actors Studio, Santa Rosa, CA, Year 2024
Type High School, Organization Adelaide High School, Adelaide, Australia, Year 2024
Type High School, Organization American International School of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria, Year 2024
Type High School, Organization Crest View Elementary School, Minneapolis, MN, Year 2024
Type High School, Organization Manchester Middle School, Richmond, VA, Year 2024
Type High School, Organization Pell City High School, Pell City, AL, Year 2024
Type University, Organization Cecil College, North East, MD, Year 2024
Type Community Theater, Organization Fiesta Grande RV Resort Community, Casa Grande, AZ, Year 2023
Type Community Theater, Organization Perlman Productions, West Hollywood, CA, Year 2023
Type Community Theater, Organization Storybook Theatre, Kansas City, MO, Year 2023
Type Community Theater, Organization Ziegfeld Arts Academy, Ogden, UT, Year 2023
Type High School, Organization Copper King Elementary School, Phoenix, AZ, Year 2023
Type High School, Organization First Presbyterian Day School, Macon, GA, Year 2023
Type High School, Organization Quakertown Christian School, Quakertown, PA, Year 2023
Type High School, Organization Trinity Lutheran School, Tinley Park, IL, Year 2023
Type High School, Organization Valmeyer High School, Valmeyer, IL, Year 2023
Type Professional, Organization Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT, Year 2023
Type University, Organization Florida College, Temple Terrace, FL, Year 2023
Type University, Organization Southwest Minnesota State University Children's Theatre, Marshall, MN, Year 2023
Type Community Theater, Organization Ann Carroll School of Dance, Franklin, TN, Year 2022
Type Community Theater, Organization Children's Performing Theatre, Independence, MO, Year 2022
Type Community Theater, Organization Pied Piper Players, Burlingame, CA, Year 2022
Type Community Theater, Organization South Arkansas Arts Center, El Dorado, AR, Year 2022
Type Community Theater, Organization The Spotlight Playhouse, Berea, KY, Year 2022
Type High School, Organization Bible Baptist Church, Stillwater, OK, Year 2022
Type High School, Organization Kingwood Middle School, Kingwood, TX, Year 2022
Type High School, Organization Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA, Year 2022
Type High School, Organization Rosslyn Academy, Nairobi, Kenya, Year 2022
Type High School, Organization The Classical Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, Year 2022
Type High School, Organization The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori, Cincinnati, OH, Year 2022
Type University, Organization Kaskaskia College, Centralia, IL, Year 2022
Type Community Theater, Organization Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, Milford, NH, Year 2021
Type Community Theater, Organization Enchanted Playhouse Theatre Company, Visalia, CA, Year 2021
Type Community Theater, Organization Pontotoc Community Theater, Pontotoc, MS, Year 2021
Type Community Theater, Organization Riverside Performing Arts, Vancouver, WA, Year 2021
Type Community Theater, Organization South Baldwin Community Theatre, Gulf Shores, AL, Year 2021
Type Community Theater, Organization Stained Glass Theater, Joplin, MO, Year 2021
Type Community Theater, Organization Standouts, Wellington, New Zealand, Year 2021
Type High School, Organization Atwater Elementary School, North Port, FL, Year 2021
Type High School, Organization Colbert Heights High School, Tuscumbia, AL, Year 2021
Type High School, Organization Homeschool, Call, TX, Year 2021
Type High School, Organization Livingston Christian Schools, Brighton, MI, Year 2021
Type High School, Organization Morrison Academy, Taichung, Taiwan, Year 2021
Type Community Theater, Organization Haines City Community Theatre, Winter Haven, FL, Year 2020
Type Community Theater, Organization North County Community Church, Hazelwood, MO, Year 2020
Type Community Theater, Organization Parklane Theatre, Crystal City, Manitoba, Canada, Year 2020
Type Community Theater, Organization Southwest Friends of the Arts Society, Hugoton, KS, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization Abiding Word Lutheran School, Houston, TX, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization Banta Elementary School, Tracy, CA, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization Christian Academy of Fine Arts, Orange, TX, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization Oakfield High School, Oakfield, WI, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization Ruth Musser Middle School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization St. Pius Catholic School, Southgate, MI, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization Tri-Valley High School, Dresden, OH, Year 2020
Type High School, Organization Trottier Middle School, Southboro, MA, Year 2020
Type Community Theater, Organization Actors of Tomorrow, Concord, NC, Year 2019
Type Community Theater, Organization Topeka Civic Theatre, Topeka, KS, Year 2019
Type Community Theater, Organization Young People's Theatre Guild, Defiance, OH, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization American International School of Muscat, Muscat, Oman, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization Chincoteague High School, Chincoteague Island, VA, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization Crossroads Christian Academy, Clinton, NJ, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization Holy Family Catholic School, Rockford, IL, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization International School of Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization Keystone Montessori School, Charlotte, NC, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization Lewis Elementary School, Portland, OR, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization London Youth Theatre Education Homeschool Program, London, Ontario, Canada, Year 2019
Type High School, Organization Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, WI, Year 2019
Type Community Theater, Organization Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, Houston, TX, Year 2018
Type Community Theater, Organization Idaho Southwest Acting Group, Meridian, ID, Year 2018
Type Community Theater, Organization Ironwood Carnegie Library, Ironwood, MI, Year 2018
Type Community Theater, Organization Shoals Community Theatre, Florence, AL, Year 2018
Type Community Theater, Organization The Barn Theatre, Willmar, MN, Year 2018
Type High School, Organization Mount Slesse Middle School, Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, Year 2018
Type University, Organization Saint Ignatius' College, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Year 2018
Type Community Theater, Organization Orange County Players, Paoli, IN (World Premiere), Year 2017

Awards

Scriptapalooza International Screenplay Competition

Semi-Finalist

2018

Genre

comedy,

fantasy,

young audiences

Subject Matter Keywords

family friendly,

reading,

single set

Length

30-60 minutes,

60-90 minutes

Cast Size

19—23

Age of Intended Audience

all ages

Narrative Attributes

Centers Female Characters

Supporting Materials

Published Script

https://www.pioneerdrama.com/SearchDetail.asp?pc=ENCHANTEDB

Script Sample

ENCHANTEDB_7288_Script_Sample.pdf

Supporting Video

https://youtu.be/i4ri1zWti0o,

https://youtu.be/8ZKDqOnskmE,

https://youtu.be/g_sc1Fz6qGg

Reviews

Chicago Tribune

“
When I read the script, it was absolutely adorable. I wanted to work on this... There are new things that I find every night at rehearsal that get a laugh out of me and really make me invested. It's the actors, it's the story, it's the kids. It's so beautiful.
”
High River Online

“
This is a really funny show and I feel like it's just so sweet. Like with all the different characters and all the book characters all together, I feel like it makes it such just like a happy place. Just come watch it because it'll make you happy.
”
The Tribune

“
I like how it promotes how important books are and how important it is to read... Growing up, if you're a reader, if you're bookish, you're a nerd, you're not cool, but this really shows that reading is an adventure, it's fun, it's exciting.
”
Capitol Momma

“
It was playful and exciting; a perfect show for the whole family to enjoy!
”
DC Metro Theater Arts

“
The Enchanted Bookshop is a crowd-pleaser that mixes expert staging, dialogue, delivery and humor into a captivating show.
”