Changelings: High School Edition: FULL LENGTH

by Reina Hardy

The Powers are a family suffering from a rare inherited condition-their children are extremely likely to be stolen away by a fairy. Megan Powers wants to defy the odds, but her brother, Luther, has to stop her wedding at any cost, even if it means revealing the secret, magical world beneath the city of Austin to an outsider. When he teams up with a lovestruck magician to defeat the Wicked Child, the centuries...

The Powers are a family suffering from a rare inherited condition-their children are extremely likely to be stolen away by a fairy. Megan Powers wants to defy the odds, but her brother, Luther, has to stop her wedding at any cost, even if it means revealing the secret, magical world beneath the city of Austin to an outsider. When he teams up with a lovestruck magician to defeat the Wicked Child, the centuries-old villain that has stalked him his entire life, Luther discovers a startling truth about his own history- and unleashes a danger that no-one can control. A spectacle, a fantasy, a buddy comedy and a family tragedy, "Changelings" asks frightening questions about the making of children and the making of monsters.

Now in a high school edition! Created for the 2018 Griffin School production, this version adds lots of fun, small, flexible roles (for a total of 19 satisfying speaking roles plus an infinitely expandable chorus of fairies), makes certain characters younger, and tones down some language. The Austin Chronicle described the original 2015 production as "a uniquely compelling tale... Changelings... thrust(s) its onlookers into a twisted, fantastical world of fairies and spells where the stakes are high and the unbelievable has become the everyday. Keep your babies close, turn your shirt inside out, and dive headfirst into this realm where up is down and reality has been kicked to the curb." -Austin Chronicle

A parent described the Griffin School production as "The first time I've seen my daughter be powerful on stage."

Interested in producing this play? Fill out the rights request form: http://gurmanagency.com/rights-request-forms/rights/

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Changelings: High School Edition: FULL LENGTH

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: Changelings: High School Edition: FULL LENGTH by Reina Hardy
    “

    A moving story written from the heart of magic, children and monsters. Well done!

    A moving story written from the heart of magic, children and monsters. Well done!

    ”
  • Rudy Ramirez: Changelings: High School Edition: FULL LENGTH by Reina Hardy
    “

    If you grew up loving movies like Labyrinth and The Never-Ending Story, if you love the work of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, if you want a play that's complex enough to give your high schoolers great roles to chew on while being funny and fantastical enough for their friends to want to come see it more than once, you've come to the right place. Changelings has rich leads, great comedic showcase roles, and opportunities for rich design and even puppetry. The students who first got to act this play adored it, as did faculty, family and friends.

    If you grew up loving movies like Labyrinth and The Never-Ending Story, if you love the work of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, if you want a play that's complex enough to give your high schoolers great roles to chew on while being funny and fantastical enough for their friends to want to come see it more than once, you've come to the right place. Changelings has rich leads, great comedic showcase roles, and opportunities for rich design and even puppetry. The students who first got to act this play adored it, as did faculty, family and friends.

    ”

Character Information

This version of the script is intended to increase role availability and cast flexibility for high school productions. Most one-scene roles can be double cast if needed.

With the exception of the Wicked Child and Pandora, the gender casting for fairies is quite flexible.

The play requires a "movement chorus” of fairies. This chorus can be double cast with the smaller roles, and can be used to create magical effects with mime, dance and spectacle.
  • The Luck Angel
    A very kind and pretty fairy. Smaller role.
    High Femme
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • Nursey
    A very strange caretaker. One-scene role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • Morning Glory
    The duelist's other acolyte. One-scene comic role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • Nightshade
    The duelist's acolyte. One-scene comic role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • The Duelist
    A flamboyant fighter in a variety of styles. One-scene comic role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • The Butt Part of the Sphinx
    This should be self explanatory. One-scene comic role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • The Sphinx
    An ancient riddle master. One-scene comic role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • Bantam
    A large burly man. The same person as Bantam Beth. Smaller role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • Bantam Beth
    A little girl, and a fierce fighter. Sometimes changes into a large burly dude spontaneously. Smaller role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child,
      Teens,
      20s
  • Luwis
    A fairy janitor. Grunts. Smaller role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • Luther Powers
    Has a habit of holding eye contact with others for entirely too long. Large role.
    Early 20s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Pandora
    An immensely powerful and scary fairy queen. Good-sized role.
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • The Whiteling
    Sort of a mother-of-pearl gargoyle thing. Good-sized role.
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • The Wicked Child/Elizabeth
    A whimsical, dangerous fairy princess with a habit of stealing babies. Large role.
    Appears to be 13, but actually much older.
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child,
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Young Mother
    The mother of an infant. A dramatic one-scene role.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Angus Powers
    A less than ideal father from the Elizabethan era. Dramatic one-scene role.
    30s-40s.
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Magus Kemp
    A grandiose and talkative wizard. Large role.
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
  • Timothy Stamp
    Megan's fiance. Eager, if not dashing. Large role.
    Early 20s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Megan Powers
    Luther's sister. Knows she is pretty. Large role.
    Early 20s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Production History

  • High School, The Griffin School, 2018