Henchmen

by James Kelsey Nelson

(FULL LENGTH) A handful of low-level gangsters have a simple job: kidnap the son of a billionaire and keep him alive until a ransom is negotiated. But when the hostage turns up dead and nobody knows who did it, their bloodthirsty boss goes on a rampage, starting a violent escalation that leaves a high body count in its wake.

(FULL LENGTH) A handful of low-level gangsters have a simple job: kidnap the son of a billionaire and keep him alive until a ransom is negotiated. But when the hostage turns up dead and nobody knows who did it, their bloodthirsty boss goes on a rampage, starting a violent escalation that leaves a high body count in its wake.

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

Henchmen

Recommended by

  • Liam Castellan: Henchmen by James Kelsey Nelson
    “

    Fantastic blend of action, suspense, comedy, and plot twists. I really love action/heist movies, and this is one of the best plays I've ever read or seen that scratches that itch. Great payoff at the end of Act 1, and an ending with surprising (but earned) heart. Simple unit set. I really really want to direct this someday.

    Fantastic blend of action, suspense, comedy, and plot twists. I really love action/heist movies, and this is one of the best plays I've ever read or seen that scratches that itch. Great payoff at the end of Act 1, and an ending with surprising (but earned) heart. Simple unit set. I really really want to direct this someday.

    ”

Character Information

Written for 6 actors with doubling. Most roles are written to be open to any gender, age, ethnicity, and type, to give ownership to the producer and director to create dynamics that they are interested in. HOSTAGE and PAULIE should double. The actor playing FINLEY can also play HOSTAGE/PAULIE if cast with a male-presenting actor or with SUSIE if cast as a female-presenting actor. The actor playing BRYCE also plays WALLY. Pronouns in the script default to non-binary for most characters but can be changed to align with casting.
  • TONY
    One of Franky's gangsters.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • BILLY
    One of Franky's gangsters.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • BRYCE
    One of Franky's gangsters.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • FINLEY
    Franky's top gangster.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Man
  • FRANKY
    A powerful gang boss.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • HOSTAGE
    A hostage.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • SUSIE
    A pizza delivery girl.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • PAULIE
    One of Roderick's henchmen.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • WALLY
    One of Roderick's henchmen.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+

Development History

  • Workshop, Theatre Arcana, 2026
  • Workshop, Anglo-Irish Theatre Group (Tuebingen, Germany), 2013
  • Workshop, UC Berkeley (Berkeley, CA), 2012