Dwayne Yancey

Dwayne Yancey

Dwayne Yancey is a playwright in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He's had scripts produced in 47 states, 6 provinces and 18 countries. A critic in Australia called his work "blood-curdlingly amazing." An actor in New York who has performed in his work has called it "beautifully-structured, fascinating and vaguely dangerous." A college theatre professor who has produced his play...
Dwayne Yancey is a playwright in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He's had scripts produced in 47 states, 6 provinces and 18 countries. A critic in Australia called his work "blood-curdlingly amazing." An actor in New York who has performed in his work has called it "beautifully-structured, fascinating and vaguely dangerous." A college theatre professor who has produced his play about the 2002 Moscow theatre siege has called 57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE "one of the most powerful pieces of modern theatre." Most of his scripts have female-majority cast with strong female leads.

Many of his one-acts and two full-length script have been published, through Eldridge Plays and Musicals, Brooklyn Publishing, Heuer Publishing, Playscripts, Big Dog Plays and Rebel Belle Publishing. Those, of course, you'll need to get through the publishers.

Dwayne Yancey does not charge royalties to non-profit theaters for his unpublished work.

Plays

  • ADAMS VS. LE VERRIER (full-length play)
    Based on the true story of one of the most celebrated — and controversial — scientific achievements of the 19th century, the discovery of Neptune. This is a story full of intrigue, deceit, incompetence, and that’s just on the English side of the channel. It’s also a story with a naturally strong dramatic arc. When astronomers had trouble calculating an orbit for the newly-discovered planet Uranus, many surmised...
    Based on the true story of one of the most celebrated — and controversial — scientific achievements of the 19th century, the discovery of Neptune. This is a story full of intrigue, deceit, incompetence, and that’s just on the English side of the channel. It’s also a story with a naturally strong dramatic arc. When astronomers had trouble calculating an orbit for the newly-discovered planet Uranus, many surmised that another, unseen, planet was influencing its orbit. It turned into a race between two mathematicians, each trying to plot the position of that unseen planet, something which had never been attempted. One of them was John Couch Adams, an unheralded and exceedingly shy English college student. The other was Urbain Le verrier, an egotistical, self-promoting French academic. Adams calculated the position first, only to have his work ignored by the British scientific establishment. Le Verrier, by contrast, carried on a public relations campaign to advertise his findings, but the French ignored his conclusion, as well. When Neptune finally was found, its discovery stirred nationalistic passions on both sides, and sparked another debate on what to call the new planet. Cast: Four. To be historically accurate, all four would be male but this can be done by any gender.
  • THE ARMADILLO QUEEN (full-length play)
    A high school girl from the city is forced to move to rural Texas for her senior year. She hopes to keep her head down and tough it out; instead, she’s drafted to be the school mascot — the Armadillo Queen — for a team that’s never won a game and suffers under a curse that if it doesn’t win this year, the town will dry up and blow away. Comedy ensues. Cast: Seven — five females (one teen, four adults), two...
    A high school girl from the city is forced to move to rural Texas for her senior year. She hopes to keep her head down and tough it out; instead, she’s drafted to be the school mascot — the Armadillo Queen — for a team that’s never won a game and suffers under a curse that if it doesn’t win this year, the town will dry up and blow away. Comedy ensues. Cast: Seven — five females (one teen, four adults), two males (one teen, one adult.)
    PUBLISHED BY BIG DOG PLAYS at www.bigdogplays.com.
  • THE BALLAD OF ALEJANDRO LOPEZ (full-length play)
    A play about baseball – and immigration. The immigrant-hating and baseball-loving sheriff of a rural Texas county faces a dilemma when he discovers a Hispanic boy who can throw a 90-mile-per-hour fastball. Cast: Ten – four female, six male, but three of those males have small parts. Note: One of the female characters is Hispanic/Latina, college student.
  • THE BROKEN ANGEL (full-length play)
    A Christmas story that involves a talking cat, a talking mouse, an angel and a newly-single mom and her son/daughter. Christmas is approaching and there’s not much joy for Riley (who can be anywhere from roughly 8-15). His/her parents have broken up and his/her mother says there’s not enough money for even a Christmas tree. Riley decides to fashion his/her own — out of beer cans salvaged from the trash, with...
    A Christmas story that involves a talking cat, a talking mouse, an angel and a newly-single mom and her son/daughter. Christmas is approaching and there’s not much joy for Riley (who can be anywhere from roughly 8-15). His/her parents have broken up and his/her mother says there’s not enough money for even a Christmas tree. Riley decides to fashion his/her own — out of beer cans salvaged from the trash, with sticks to serve as limbs. The mom is touched by this gesture, and, against her better judgement, agrees to hang ornaments on it — including a very old angel ornament that once belonged to her grandmother. The cat — who can talk to the audience, but no one else — tries to warn that this isn’t a good idea, but the humans don’t listen. The ornament falls and breaks, angering the mom, who orders Riley to bed while she tries to drink away her sorrows. It’s then that the broken ornament turns into an real angel, who tries to deliver an important message. Cast: Five. Two females, and three non-gender (including the child).
  • THE CACTUS RUSTLERS (full-length)
    Two young women are bored with their lives and wish they were living in the Old West. They read a newspaper story about how there’s a lucrative black market for cacti, and so set off to become cactus rustlers. Adventure ensues, which includes a space alien. Cast: 12 – 7 female, 5 male.
  • THE COSMIC CON MAN (full-length play)
    Both God and the devil are forced to become allies when they discover a mysterious third force — a time-travelling con man — is flitting across time and space, stealing souls. The con man comes from the 23rd century, where he has won a time machine in a poker game. Now he goes back in time to find people before they become famous, and promises them riches if they sell him their soul — along with a 10 percent...
    Both God and the devil are forced to become allies when they discover a mysterious third force — a time-travelling con man — is flitting across time and space, stealing souls. The con man comes from the 23rd century, where he has won a time machine in a poker game. Now he goes back in time to find people before they become famous, and promises them riches if they sell him their soul — along with a 10 percent cut of any future earnings. Then, when they become rich, he returns and collects his share of the loot. A comic farce that includes a pop singer tossing televisions from her hotel room and a disgruntled computer mogul, plus the Almighty Himself. Cast of at least 12– 5 male, 3 female, 4 non-gender. There are many small female parts which can be easily doubled and are counted here as a single female role. But if you wish to cast more females, you can easily expand the size of the cast to a cast of 16 with 5 males, 7 females, and 4 non-gender. Running time: Two hours.
  • A DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS (full-length)
    Two orphan girls in Victorian London desperately want a proper Christmas dinner. At first, they conspire to sneak into a private club and pass themselves off as men. Their plans are frustrated by a retired military man, and two fellow orphans. That’s when they devise another plan that involved the mean old rich woman at the end of the street. Cast: Six – three male, three female.
  • EXCHANGE OF GIFTS (full-length)
    A sweet Christmas story with a message. Three foreign students studying at colleges in the United States find themselves snowbound at an airport for Christmas. One is from Australia, one is from Canada, one is from Russia. Adventure ensues — involving broken chairs, computer hacking, and a health scare. By the time it’s over, each one has learned something about themselves that changes the direction of their...
    A sweet Christmas story with a message. Three foreign students studying at colleges in the United States find themselves snowbound at an airport for Christmas. One is from Australia, one is from Canada, one is from Russia. Adventure ensues — involving broken chairs, computer hacking, and a health scare. By the time it’s over, each one has learned something about themselves that changes the direction of their lives. Cast: Three women of college age.
  • EXTRACTED (full-length play)
    A dark allegorical tale about modern politics and immigration. An American truck driver sleeping in his cab at a truckstop in southern California is awoken by two teenage girls, Sam and Libby. He thinks they’re truckstop prostitutes and tries to run them away. Instead, the one explains that she has rescued her sister from drug gangs in Los Angeles and is trying to take her home to safety in New York. The...
    A dark allegorical tale about modern politics and immigration. An American truck driver sleeping in his cab at a truckstop in southern California is awoken by two teenage girls, Sam and Libby. He thinks they’re truckstop prostitutes and tries to run them away. Instead, the one explains that she has rescued her sister from drug gangs in Los Angeles and is trying to take her home to safety in New York. The rescued sister is our allegorical Statue of Liberty. In fact, she has not been rescued; she has been drugged against her will, for reciting — and practicing — the poem at the statue’s base: “give me your tired, your poor . . . ” As the roadtrip across North American unfolds, we see that the older sister is not, in fact, a protector and rescuer, but rather her kidnapper, who is trying to brainwash her. Along the way, the keep running into another truck driver, who is taking the same route across the country, and a mysterious woman. In the climactic scene, Sam has hired a tattoo artist to blot out “The New Colossus” poem that Libby has tattooed on her. Just then the two mystery figures burst in — revealing themselves to be special agents for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who are mounting a hostage rescue and extraction to take Libby to safety in Canada. They are joined by a Mexican intelligence agent, as well, who they had previously met along the way at a truckstop. Cast: Eight — Five female (including who can pass for teens, and one Latina adult), three male.
  • EXILED TO TEXAS (full-length play)
    A teen-age Russian chess prodigy is sent, against her will, on an exchange trip to a small town in Texas, which hasn’t had a girl born there in the past twenty years. Svetlana is immediately drafted to serve as cheerleader for a football team that has never won a game. Meanwhile, her big sister back in Moscow runs an Internet scam for mail-order brides. East meets west, and comedy ensues. Cast: Six – five female, one male.
  • FAIRWEATHER FRIENDS (full-length play)
    A British drawing room farce, with modern sensibilities. The chauvInistic proprietor of an 19th century London newspaper must deal with a wife who’s a suffragette and a daughter who seeks own career, and an old school rival out to embarrass him. The plot concerns a series of dispatches being penned by an adventurer in Africa, which have made the Herald a popular newspaper. Unbeknownst to the publisher, the...
    A British drawing room farce, with modern sensibilities. The chauvInistic proprietor of an 19th century London newspaper must deal with a wife who’s a suffragette and a daughter who seeks own career, and an old school rival out to embarrass him. The plot concerns a series of dispatches being penned by an adventurer in Africa, which have made the Herald a popular newspaper. Unbeknownst to the publisher, the dispatches are actually being written by his wife, who seeks a literary career. Meanwhile, the daughter suspects something is amiss — goes to work for the rival newspaper to expose the fraud. Comedy ensues. Cast: Seven — four males, three females. Running time: Two hours

    Note: This play is published by Eldridge Plays and Musicals, www.histage.com
  • 57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE (full-length play)
    A dark play that re-imagines the 2002 Moscow theatre siege, where Chechen terrorists seized a theatre and held hundreds hostage until Russian authorities gassed everyone. Audience members are held in the lobby, while “soldiers” guard the doors. At showtime, the doors open and patrons enter to find the theatre swirling with poison gas (presumably, you’ll use dry ice), seats overturned, and dead bodies strewn...
    A dark play that re-imagines the 2002 Moscow theatre siege, where Chechen terrorists seized a theatre and held hundreds hostage until Russian authorities gassed everyone. Audience members are held in the lobby, while “soldiers” guard the doors. At showtime, the doors open and patrons enter to find the theatre swirling with poison gas (presumably, you’ll use dry ice), seats overturned, and dead bodies strewn about, while a broadcast announcement plays about the end of the hostage drama. When everyone is seated, the dead bodies come to life, as theatre ghosts, re-telling the tale. Cast: Eight main cast members — three male, four female, one non-gender — plus two male soldiers – plus five to seven audience members who are enlisted. And some voices, which can be recorded. Running time: One and a half, no intermission.

    Note: This was produced at Studio Roanoke, Roanoke, Virginia in 2012. You can find photos and video from that production on www.dwayneyancey.com.
  • FOLLOW HER STAR (full-length)
    A different kind of Christmas story. A 12-year-old girl in the United States, disappointed that her mother couldn’t afford to celebrate Christmas, runs away from home in search of Santa Claus. Along the way she meets a series of characters eventually join the search for her as she makes her way north, eventually winding up in Churchill, Manitoba. While this appears to take a “fractured fairy tale” approach –...
    A different kind of Christmas story. A 12-year-old girl in the United States, disappointed that her mother couldn’t afford to celebrate Christmas, runs away from home in search of Santa Claus. Along the way she meets a series of characters eventually join the search for her as she makes her way north, eventually winding up in Churchill, Manitoba. While this appears to take a “fractured fairy tale” approach – the girl meets three people named Goldie, Frank and Murray, there’s a shepherd out tending his flock, and so forth – the ending conveys the message that Christmas isn’t about Santa Claus at all. There’s also a talking moose, three talking sheep who steal a farm truck and a police car, and a talking polar bear. Cast: 14-16, depending on doubling: 4 female, 4 male, and 6-8 non-gender. One of those female is 12 years old; one of the non-gender roles must be able to play a horn.
  • FREEDA’S FASCINATION WITH FIRE (full-length)
    A teenage pyromaniac in Texas is sentenced to an unusual community service punishment: To serve as fire baton twirler for a high school that doesn’t have a football team but needs a halftime show. Comedy ensues. Cast: Eight – five female, three male.
  • HATPINS
    In the early 1900s, some women started using their hatpins for self-defense, which led some communities to try to ban them. That's the backdrop for this play in which a group of women find themselves in jail for using their hatpins -- and decide to band together to fight crime. Cast: Eight -- five female, three male.
  • THE HURLEYBURG TWIRLING SOCIETY (full-length play)
    A twirler from back East finds herself stranded in Texas, in trouble with the law for accidentally setting fire to a motel room with her fire baton. To make amends, the judge orders her to teach baton twirling to the girls in the town. However, there are only three — all daughters of a local survivalist, who would rather spend time in weapons training than in baton classes. Meanwhile, the state of Texas drops...
    A twirler from back East finds herself stranded in Texas, in trouble with the law for accidentally setting fire to a motel room with her fire baton. To make amends, the judge orders her to teach baton twirling to the girls in the town. However, there are only three — all daughters of a local survivalist, who would rather spend time in weapons training than in baton classes. Meanwhile, the state of Texas drops the town from the highway map. To get back on the map, the town busybody thinks it would be a fine idea for this new baton corps to march in the Cotton Bowl parade. Comedy ensues, involving batons, armadillos, chickens falling from the sky, and many other things Texan. Cast: Eight — five female, three male. The females consist of one senior, one late teens or early 20s who can twirl a baton, and three teens. PUBLISHED BY REBEL BELLE PLAYS.
  • AN IMPROPER EDUCATION FOR AN IMPROPER LADY (full-length play)
    Two orphans in Victorian London pass themselves off as governesses. They find themselves employed by a minor nobleman who is trying to get his niece married before she's 21, so he can inherit her late father's estate instead of her. The girl appears quite mad but, in fact, is merely faking it to discourage suitors. When the governesses are instructed to get the girl presentable for a new suitor,...
    Two orphans in Victorian London pass themselves off as governesses. They find themselves employed by a minor nobleman who is trying to get his niece married before she's 21, so he can inherit her late father's estate instead of her. The girl appears quite mad but, in fact, is merely faking it to discourage suitors. When the governesses are instructed to get the girl presentable for a new suitor, comedy ensues. Cast: Six – four females, two males.
  • GOD OF A DEAD UNIVERSE (full-length play)
    GOD OF A DEAD UNIVERSE
    A dark look at the last days of life on Mars. The Martian civilization has mismanaged its resources and is now running out of water. The rival political factions appear to have come together to install a new government, one that has embarked on a massive canal project to bring water from the poles. A newspaper reporter covering the canal project notices a discrepancy, though, and...
    GOD OF A DEAD UNIVERSE
    A dark look at the last days of life on Mars. The Martian civilization has mismanaged its resources and is now running out of water. The rival political factions appear to have come together to install a new government, one that has embarked on a massive canal project to bring water from the poles. A newspaper reporter covering the canal project notices a discrepancy, though, and he/she begins investigating. The reporter suspects embezzlement. When the reporter confronts the chancellor, the chancellor freely admits to siphoning off money, but not for personal use. Instead, it’s to build a giant underground library in which to store Martian artifacts. The chancellor confesses that the canal project is merely a diversion to keep people busy – there’s no way it will work. The planet will run out of water long before it’s completed, and the underground library is an attempt to save at least some remnant of Martian life in case other intelligent beings ever discover it. Cast: 12 or 13, all non-gender.
  • JOSE AND MARIA: An old story for new times (full-length play)
    The birth of Jesus, in a modern setting. On the one hand, this is based on the New Testament accounts. On the other, it’s thoroughly updated: Joseph and Mary are Jose and Maria, two Mexican immigrants on the road to the courthouse to get their paperwork straightened out. The three wise men are three astronomy professors arguing over the nature of the star. The angel of the Lord is a pizza delivery girl named,...
    The birth of Jesus, in a modern setting. On the one hand, this is based on the New Testament accounts. On the other, it’s thoroughly updated: Joseph and Mary are Jose and Maria, two Mexican immigrants on the road to the courthouse to get their paperwork straightened out. The three wise men are three astronomy professors arguing over the nature of the star. The angel of the Lord is a pizza delivery girl named, well, Angel. And there’s a radio talk show host who talks a succession of calls from callers named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Humorous, but with a point. Cast: 20 — 18 adults and 2 children. Gender breakdown: For the 18 adults, 7 male, 8 female, 3 non-gender; the two children may be of either gender.
  • KLAUS (full-length)
    Where did Santa Claus come from? There is no particular origin myth, until now. This story begins in the 1740s with an eccentric German professor of what we now call physics. He invents time travel, and when he becomes the target of the wrath of a mob who wants to burn him as a witch, he uses it to escape. Involves science fiction, treason against the king, a love story, and some cooking. Cast: Seven – six male...
    Where did Santa Claus come from? There is no particular origin myth, until now. This story begins in the 1740s with an eccentric German professor of what we now call physics. He invents time travel, and when he becomes the target of the wrath of a mob who wants to burn him as a witch, he uses it to escape. Involves science fiction, treason against the king, a love story, and some cooking. Cast: Seven – six male, one female.

    For photos and video from the first staged reading, see www.dwayneyancey.com.
  • LILA’S LONG THREAD (full-length)
    This follows Lila’s quest to become a lawyer. There are three different timelines, Lila as a working-class girl who aspires to go to college, Lila as a young adult secretly reading for the law, and Lila in 1967, living in a retirement home, when she is confronted with what could be her most important case. She takes an interest in an African-American teenager working in the retirement home and arranges to get...
    This follows Lila’s quest to become a lawyer. There are three different timelines, Lila as a working-class girl who aspires to go to college, Lila as a young adult secretly reading for the law, and Lila in 1967, living in a retirement home, when she is confronted with what could be her most important case. She takes an interest in an African-American teenager working in the retirement home and arranges to get her into her alma mater, Rosewood College. When the college closes rather than integrate, Lila sues the school – and finds herself confronting an old antagonist. At the end, the different threads of her life all come together. Cast: Nine – Five female, four male.
  • A MAPLE LEAF ON THE WIND (full-length play)
    A quirky international love story. The Wind tries to play matchmaker between a lonely Canadian girl on the prairie of Manitoba and a lonely American boy in Texas. There’s also a talking chicken. Cast: Four – two male, two female.
  • MISS COW PIE BINGO (full-length)
    A Texas mother desperately wants one of her daughters to win a beauty pageant. Problem is, neither daughter is interested. The older one just wants to shoot her gun and the younger one is busy playing video games and hacking computer sites. To make up for this, the mom hires a pageant consultant, who turns out to be fake. There’s also a robot. Comedy ensues. Cast: Five females, three males.
  • MISS MITCHELL’S COMET (full-length)
    FULL-LENGTH: Based on the life of Maria Mitchell, America’s first female astronomer. She grew up on Nantucket Island during the whaling era, where she learned the stars at a young age from her father, who worked on navigational instruments for the sailors. In 1847, she became the first American to discover a comet, and went on to win fame as the first woman in a variety of scientific accomplishments, ending her...
    FULL-LENGTH: Based on the life of Maria Mitchell, America’s first female astronomer. She grew up on Nantucket Island during the whaling era, where she learned the stars at a young age from her father, who worked on navigational instruments for the sailors. In 1847, she became the first American to discover a comet, and went on to win fame as the first woman in a variety of scientific accomplishments, ending her career as a professor at Vassar College. Along the way, she faced opposition from men and women alike who frowned on a woman being a scientist. At Vassar, she was a hard taskmistress, insisting her students learn complicated mathematical formula to understand the orbits of the planets. Deeply religious, Maria Mitchell insisted that these formula were nothing less than a hymn to God’s grand design. Yet she also clashed with authorities, who were often exasperated by her disregard for school rules. She roused students in the middle of the night to look at the sky, once ordered a tree chopped down because it blocked her view of a comet, and even asked a minister to cut short his prayer at evening chapel so she could go observe Saturn. Cast: Two — one woman in her 50s and a man to play various other parts. This is basically a one-woman show with some incidental parts played by a man. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission.
  • MOON OVER MANITOBA (full-length play)
    A play about immigration, with a cast of two teen-age girls. Veronica is a teenager from Canada, whose father’s job has taken the family to Texas. She’s homesick for Manitoba. She meets Isabella, who turns out to have arrived recently, and illegally, from Honduras after a harrowing trip from Central America. The two girls know no one else and strike up a tentative friendship. When Isabella’s cousin, with whom...
    A play about immigration, with a cast of two teen-age girls. Veronica is a teenager from Canada, whose father’s job has taken the family to Texas. She’s homesick for Manitoba. She meets Isabella, who turns out to have arrived recently, and illegally, from Honduras after a harrowing trip from Central America. The two girls know no one else and strike up a tentative friendship. When Isabella’s cousin, with whom she’s living, is arrested by immigration agents, Isabella flees to Veronica’s house. Veronica impetuously decides they should run away to Canada, which Veronica is sure will accept Isabella. That’s Act 1. Act 2 is their trip north, which is full of danger and unexpected developments. Cast: Two teenage girls, one Latina.
  • THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ (full-length)
    A series of scenes, based on the public domain characters of “The Wizard of Oz.” The scenes stand alone, or can be performed as a larger work. The cast can be as large or as small as you want. The number listed with this isn't really accurate; that's just based on the number used in one performance. Had to put in something so used that.
  • PLAY BALL! (full-length)
    This is a series of short pieces about baseball, with two competing casts organized as a “home team” and an “away team.” There are nine innings, in which each team presents a short piece, five minutes or less. There’s even a National Anthem and a seventh-inning stretch built in. Casting is flexible, and there are some alternate scripts you can sub in, but generally count on needing seven men, three women, and...
    This is a series of short pieces about baseball, with two competing casts organized as a “home team” and an “away team.” There are nine innings, in which each team presents a short piece, five minutes or less. There’s even a National Anthem and a seventh-inning stretch built in. Casting is flexible, and there are some alternate scripts you can sub in, but generally count on needing seven men, three women, and either one boy and one girl, or two boys
  • RED MOON RISING IN THE EAST (full-length)
    Based on the life of Sergei Korolev, the mastermind of the Soviet space program. Because his name was a state secret in the Soviet Union, he is virtually known in the West, but he is almost single-handedly responsible for the space race — he launched the first satellite, the first animal into space, the first satellite to the moon, the first man in space, the first woman in space, and many other space firsts...
    Based on the life of Sergei Korolev, the mastermind of the Soviet space program. Because his name was a state secret in the Soviet Union, he is virtually known in the West, but he is almost single-handedly responsible for the space race — he launched the first satellite, the first animal into space, the first satellite to the moon, the first man in space, the first woman in space, and many other space firsts long before the Americans. Korolev was a visionary engineer who was first jailed under Stalin’s purges for his experiments, and then released when Stalin understood the need for a missile program. Korolev died tragically, in 1966, and the Soviet moon program died with him. Cast: One man show. Running time: 90 minutes.
  • REVENGE OF THE FAIRY QUEEN (full-length)
    The unauthorized sequel to Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Titania realizes that Oberon has duped her into falling in love with a mortal transformed into an ass. Furious, she plots revenge, to be carried out on Midwinter’s Day. Her plot, though, goes awry and many complications ensue. Cast: 12 – 4 female, 5 male, 3 non-gender.
  • RHONDA’S HIGH-CLASS ROADKILL CHILI (full-length play)
    Rhonda has never won anything in her life, so one of her sisters persuades her to enter a chili cook-off. Since time is tight, they decide on a roadkill recipe. Meanwhile, Rhonda’s husband is putting up Christmas lights out of season, because he’s determined to win the town contest that winter. When it turns out his light display is bright enough to be seen from outer space, things get more complicated. Aliens...
    Rhonda has never won anything in her life, so one of her sisters persuades her to enter a chili cook-off. Since time is tight, they decide on a roadkill recipe. Meanwhile, Rhonda’s husband is putting up Christmas lights out of season, because he’s determined to win the town contest that winter. When it turns out his light display is bright enough to be seen from outer space, things get more complicated. Aliens, and comedy, ensue. Cast: Nine, although two of those are bit parts at the end. The main cast is: Three adult females, two teen or pre-teen females, two adult males, and then the two small parts are two non-gender characters, although best played as males. PUBLISHED BY BIG DOG PLAYS at www.bigdogplays.com
  • RIKKI THE THIRD (full-length play)
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY: Shakespeare’s Richard III redone in a modern high school, with the genders switched. Here, the third place finisher in the vote for homecoming queen – Rikki – plots to seize the crown. Cast: With doubling, this can be done with a cast of 12 – 8 female, 3 male, 1 non-gender. Or you can cast each party separately and do it with a cast of 20-24. Those would be 14-18 females, 5 males, 1 non-gender.
  • THIS ROSE HAS THORNS (full-length play)
    FULL-LENGTH: A parody of some common Shakespeare themes, with good stage combat roles for women and girls. The daughters of a lord receive letters from their boyfriends, informing them that they have been imprisoned in the Tower of London and expect to be executed. The two girls do what seems only natural to them; they dress up as men and set off to London to rescue them – not realizing that the boyfriends...
    FULL-LENGTH: A parody of some common Shakespeare themes, with good stage combat roles for women and girls. The daughters of a lord receive letters from their boyfriends, informing them that they have been imprisoned in the Tower of London and expect to be executed. The two girls do what seems only natural to them; they dress up as men and set off to London to rescue them – not realizing that the boyfriends intended these as break-up letters. Comedy ensues. Cast: 13 – 7 females, 6 males.
  • SHAKESPEARE’S LOST CHRISTMAS PLAY (one-hour)
    A small English town in the 1600s tries to put on a Christmas pageant in the midst of a plague. The troupe lost all its scripts in a fire the previous year, so director writes to William Shakespeare to see if he’d write a Christmas play for the town. Comedy ensues. Cast: 13 – 2 male, 1 female, 10 non-gender. Running time: One hour.
  • SOFTBALL IS LIFE (full-length)
    A sports play for women that isn’t really about sports. A former high school softball star sits in prison, estranged from her 14-year-old daughter, who has inherited the woman’s talent for pitching but doesn’t realize it. While the mom tries to contact her daughter, the girl spends her time trying to avoid a dangerous situation in the home where she’s living. Cast: Eight — Four females (one to play a teenage...
    A sports play for women that isn’t really about sports. A former high school softball star sits in prison, estranged from her 14-year-old daughter, who has inherited the woman’s talent for pitching but doesn’t realize it. While the mom tries to contact her daughter, the girl spends her time trying to avoid a dangerous situation in the home where she’s living. Cast: Eight — Four females (one to play a teenage girl), three males, one non-gender.
  • THIS SUN OF YORK (full-length)
    A modern re-write of Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” In this version, the Yorks and the Lancasters are battling for control of the family newspaper, The Sun. As in Shakespeare’s version, the Yorks have triumphed. Here, Edward is publisher, not king, and his younger brother Richard is the newspaper’s lawyer, who has little to do but plot how he intends to take over. The plot follows the one laid out by Shakespeare...
    A modern re-write of Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” In this version, the Yorks and the Lancasters are battling for control of the family newspaper, The Sun. As in Shakespeare’s version, the Yorks have triumphed. Here, Edward is publisher, not king, and his younger brother Richard is the newspaper’s lawyer, who has little to do but plot how he intends to take over. The plot follows the one laid out by Shakespeare: Richard has the middle brother, George, killed — only this time it’s in a barrel of ink, not a barrel of wine. More murders follow and eventually Richard is installed as publisher, though not for long. The showdown with his rival, the distant cousin Henry Tudor, plays not out in a military battle on Bosworth Field, but a fight with golf clubs at Bosworth Country Club. Cast: Flexible, but best version is a cast of 23-25 — 9-11 males, 5 female, 9 non-gender.
  • SPIRITS FROM THE VASTY DEEP (full-length play)
    FULL-LENGTH: In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, one scene depicts Owen Glendower, a Welsh nationalist leader who led a rebellion against the English crown. In Shakespeare’s play, Glendower was depicted as a mystical barbarian who claimed he could call “spirits from the vasty deep.” In fact, Glendower was a cultured man – a lawyer who had served the English king and was known for keeping a retinue of poets and...
    FULL-LENGTH: In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, one scene depicts Owen Glendower, a Welsh nationalist leader who led a rebellion against the English crown. In Shakespeare’s play, Glendower was depicted as a mystical barbarian who claimed he could call “spirits from the vasty deep.” In fact, Glendower was a cultured man – a lawyer who had served the English king and was known for keeping a retinue of poets and musicians at his estate in Wales. This play looks at some of the events of Henry IV, Part 1 from Glendower’s perspective. The story as told here follows actual historic events but, for dramatic purposes, conflates many of them and omits others, just as Shakespeare himself did. For instance, Glendower had many children. For dramatic purposes, this script just shows three. Glendower was eventually defeated, but never captured. Welsh legend holds that his shade still walks the hills, waiting to return. That’s the premise that animates “Spirits From The Vasty Deep,” as the ghost of a poet and musician who had been in his service take a modern-day newsboy back in time to introduce him to Glendower. Good stage combat roles for women. Cast: 12 -- 5 male, 3 female, 4 gender-flexible.

    * Semi-finalist in "Shakespeare's New Contemporaries" competition at American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, Virginia, in the "Henry IV, Part 1" category.
  • SWEETS TO THE SWEET (The Female Hamlette) (full-length)
    This is the female version of Hamlet. It’s the basic Hamlet story, transported to a modern setting and with all the genders reversed. So Hamlet becomes Hamlette, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern become Rosie and Gilda, Claudius becomes Claudia, and so forth. Instead of being set in a castle in Denmark, this version is set in a suburban home — and opens at a slumber party instead of the nightwatch. And, of course,...
    This is the female version of Hamlet. It’s the basic Hamlet story, transported to a modern setting and with all the genders reversed. So Hamlet becomes Hamlette, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern become Rosie and Gilda, Claudius becomes Claudia, and so forth. Instead of being set in a castle in Denmark, this version is set in a suburban home — and opens at a slumber party instead of the nightwatch. And, of course, it’s told in modern language. Otherwise, everything’s here — the skull, the gravediggers, the poisoned swords, the climactic sword fight. And, because the genders are reversed, this script gives women a rare opportunity for a swordfight on stage. If you’ve ever wanted to stage Hamlet, but didn’t think the cast or audience would get the language, or that you didn’t have enough men, here’s the solution. Cast size can range anywhere from 13 to 20, depending on doubling. If 13 — 11 female, 2 male. Or the cast can be expanded up to 20 — 13 female, 6 male, 1 non-gender.
  • THE TASTE TESTER (full-length)
    A comedy with a message, and echoes of Shakespeare, set in Renaissance Italy. A shipwreck on a deserted island leaves only three survivors — two young children and a forgetful woman who thinks she is their servant. The girl, Antoinette, grows up to be a pirate, the boy, Tristan, grows up to be a poet, and all are eventually rescued. But now the brother is thrown into the duke’s prison for writing an offensive...
    A comedy with a message, and echoes of Shakespeare, set in Renaissance Italy. A shipwreck on a deserted island leaves only three survivors — two young children and a forgetful woman who thinks she is their servant. The girl, Antoinette, grows up to be a pirate, the boy, Tristan, grows up to be a poet, and all are eventually rescued. But now the brother is thrown into the duke’s prison for writing an offensive poem and the sword-wielding pirate-sister is determined to rescue him. She disguises herself as a man and takes a job as the royal taste-tester in order to get close enough to free him. She finds that everyone in the palace is in the wrong job — the court herald doesn’t like to speak in public, the court poet can’t rhyme, the chef can’t cook, and so forth — though each has some other talent. The play ends with a dramatic sword fight — between a man dressed as a woman and a woman dressed as a man — and the discovery that Antoinette is the true heir to the duchy, and the forgetful servant is really her mother. Antoinette’s first act upon taking office is to put everyone in the proper job. The message, of course, is that everyone has some hidden talent. Plus, a nice sword-fighting scene and some strong roles for women. Cast: 18 — 4 female, 6 male, 8 non-gender.
  • ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS (full-length)
    A wild, action-packed Christmas farce. A young woman suddenly finds herself receiving the gifts from the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” apparently from an unknown suitor. The play begins on the thirteenth day as she copes with the chaos outside her apartment, as neighbors demand she do something about the noisy birds and pipers and drummers. The woman hatches a plan to shoot the birds and organize the...
    A wild, action-packed Christmas farce. A young woman suddenly finds herself receiving the gifts from the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” apparently from an unknown suitor. The play begins on the thirteenth day as she copes with the chaos outside her apartment, as neighbors demand she do something about the noisy birds and pipers and drummers. The woman hatches a plan to shoot the birds and organize the people into an impromptu Christmas parade. Chaos ensues. Cast: 13 — 7f, 3m, 3 non-gender.
  • 39 HOURS IN THE SOVIET CITY OF ROSES (full-length)
    A dark look at what happened in the city next to the Chernobyl plant after the accident in 1986. It took 39 hours to evacuate the city. Most of the weekend, people went about their business, unaware they were being showered with radioactivity. Cast: At least 10 — 3 females, 3 children or teens of either gender, at least 4 males; number of males can be expanded up to 20 depending on how you feel about doubling.
  • TRUE NORTH (full-length play)
    FULL-LENGTH: A quirky love story, of sorts. The North Star has abandoned his post in the sky, tired of all the pressure. He just wants to have fun. He is pursued by three Arctic mermaids, guardians of the northern realms, who want to persuade him to return to the sky. They pop up in the backyard hockey rink of a teenage girl in rural Manitoba and persuade her, however reluctantly, to go after the North Star....
    FULL-LENGTH: A quirky love story, of sorts. The North Star has abandoned his post in the sky, tired of all the pressure. He just wants to have fun. He is pursued by three Arctic mermaids, guardians of the northern realms, who want to persuade him to return to the sky. They pop up in the backyard hockey rink of a teenage girl in rural Manitoba and persuade her, however reluctantly, to go after the North Star. After all, mermaids don't have legs and now that the North Star is inland, they're unable to do much. The girl agrees, but only because the mermaids promise to leave her backyard hockey rink, which they have punched through. Meanwhile, a neighbor boy has a crush on the girl, which appears to be unrequited. They often play hockey, which always ends with her knocking his teeth out. In the end, the girl and the mermaids devise a plan to persuade the North Star to return to the sky, and it all comes to fruition at a Winnipeg Jets hockey game. Lots of unusual costuming opportunities and physical humor. Cast: Seven – 2 male, 4 female, 1 non-gender.
  • THE ZONE OF ALIENATION (full-length)
    An absurdist look at the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the former Soviet Union, based on actual facts. Two vandals pick through the ruins of a ghost town to find salvage materials to sell; three old women insist on living in the radioactive forest. And two dolls come to life and set off in search of their owners. Dark comedy, and tragedy, ensues. Cast: Eight – three males (one late teens...
    An absurdist look at the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the former Soviet Union, based on actual facts. Two vandals pick through the ruins of a ghost town to find salvage materials to sell; three old women insist on living in the radioactive forest. And two dolls come to life and set off in search of their owners. Dark comedy, and tragedy, ensues. Cast: Eight – three males (one late teens), three senior females, two females (late teens, early 20s.)
  • MISS-LED (one-act)
    An enterprising reporter exposes Santa's secret: His reindeer are all female but a misogynistic Santa has tried to hide that fact. Cast: Seven – 1 male, 5 female, 1 non-gender.
  • THE BLACK TULIP (one-act)
    Set in the tulipmania of 17th century Holland, when tulips were traded as precious currency. A shoemaker sprouts a black tulip in his garden, which he attempts to sell for a high price. But his buyers have an evil plan to destroy it. Based on what may have been a true story, often repeated in tulip lore. Whether true or not, this is a story about temptation and greed. Cast: Seven or nine, with several...
    Set in the tulipmania of 17th century Holland, when tulips were traded as precious currency. A shoemaker sprouts a black tulip in his garden, which he attempts to sell for a high price. But his buyers have an evil plan to destroy it. Based on what may have been a true story, often repeated in tulip lore. Whether true or not, this is a story about temptation and greed. Cast: Seven or nine, with several configurations. Standard option is 4 male, 3 female. Another option, if you drop the prologue, is 2 male, 3 female, 2 non-gender with no lines. The nine-member option is 4 male, 3 female, 2 non-gender with no lines. It depends on whether you use the opening scene, and how you choose to play two characters with no lines. Running time: 30 minutes.
  • THE BLACK MARKET OF MEMORIES (one-act)
    A young woman wakes up in a strange place — and discovers she’s had her memories stolen. Now that doctors have devised a way to transplant memories, there’s a lively market for memories — and a black market of stolen ones. The woman shares a recovery room with another woman, who specializes in “customizing” memories — doing things for rich donors that they’d never do themselves, but would like to remember doing...
    A young woman wakes up in a strange place — and discovers she’s had her memories stolen. Now that doctors have devised a way to transplant memories, there’s a lively market for memories — and a black market of stolen ones. The woman shares a recovery room with another woman, who specializes in “customizing” memories — doing things for rich donors that they’d never do themselves, but would like to remember doing. A dark, serious piece, which is carried primarily by the two women; the other characters appear only intermittently. Cast: Five — one male, two female, two non-gender. Running time: Twenty five minutes.
  • AUNT MILLIE'S CAT (male version, one-act)
    A college student housesits for his or her great-aunt — and the great-aunt’s beloved cat — only to wake one morning to find the cat has turned into a human and expects every order to be carried out instantly. Comes in both male and female versions — one with male cat and female house-sitter, another with female cat and male house-sitter. Cast: Three — 1 male, 1 female and 1 non-gender role that has only a...
    A college student housesits for his or her great-aunt — and the great-aunt’s beloved cat — only to wake one morning to find the cat has turned into a human and expects every order to be carried out instantly. Comes in both male and female versions — one with male cat and female house-sitter, another with female cat and male house-sitter. Cast: Three — 1 male, 1 female and 1 non-gender role that has only a single line during a brief appearance. Running time: Thirty minutes.
  • AUNT MILLIE'S CAT (female version, one-act)
    A college student housesits for his or her great-aunt — and the great-aunt’s beloved cat — only to wake one morning to find the cat has turned into a human and expects every order to be carried out instantly. Comes in both male and female versions — one with male cat and female house-sitter, another with female cat and male house-sitter. Cast: Three — 1 male, 1 female and 1 non-gender role that has only a...
    A college student housesits for his or her great-aunt — and the great-aunt’s beloved cat — only to wake one morning to find the cat has turned into a human and expects every order to be carried out instantly. Comes in both male and female versions — one with male cat and female house-sitter, another with female cat and male house-sitter. Cast: Three — 1 male, 1 female and 1 non-gender role that has only a single line during a brief appearance. Running time: Thirty minutes.
  • MILKWEED (ten-minute)
    A short time from now in the future, monarch butterflies have gone extinct. So why is a young girl, who has never spoken before, now repeating the word “milkweed,” the sole plant that monarch caterpillars fed on? We find out on an icy Christmas morning. Cast: Three – 1 adult female, 1 non-gender child, 1 non-gender adult.
  • TOUGH (one-act)
    A teenage girl from the city goes camping in the desert – against her will – with her country cousin. They find a man bitten by a rattlesnake, and try to save his life. A look at what really constitutes toughness. Cast: Three – two teenage girls, one man in his 20s or 30s. Running time: 30 minutes.
  • THE RULES ARE THE RULES ARE THE RULES (one-act)
    A farce set on an airplane. A male passenger has apparently died, and the flight attendants carry him up to first class, telling other passengers he’s simply drunk. The chief flight attendant, though, insists they go by the book and perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth on the hapless victim until the plane lands. The other flight attendants devise ways to skirt those rules, with increasing hilarity. That hilarity...
    A farce set on an airplane. A male passenger has apparently died, and the flight attendants carry him up to first class, telling other passengers he’s simply drunk. The chief flight attendant, though, insists they go by the book and perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth on the hapless victim until the plane lands. The other flight attendants devise ways to skirt those rules, with increasing hilarity. That hilarity hits its peak when it turns out the man isn’t dead, after all. Cast: Five — four female, one male. Running time: Thirty minutes.
  • THE DEAD PASSENGER IN SEAT 24 (one-hour)
    A rookie flight attendant discovers a passenger, dead in his seat. The senior flight attendant tells her since he died in her section, she has to deal with it. The flight attendant devises one failed solution after another on how to hide the passenger, until finally she decides to throw him out of the plane. Fast-faced, with lots of physical comedy required. Cast: Five – four female, one male. Running time: Just under an hour.
  • THE RING (one-act)
    Sixty years after a close call in a state championship girls basketball game, the star of the losing team still can’t reconcile herself to losing — so she breaks into the home of the star player on the winning team, hoping to steal her championship ring. A poignant story about regrets and sportsmanship. Cast: Two senior females.
  • ONE MAGIC NIGHT (one-act)
    The rat who was turned into a coachman to drive Cinderella to the ball in a pumpkin carriage — and then turned back into a rat at midnight — longs to recapture the glory of that one magic night. Or is he simply crazy? Cast: Seven – five females, two male.
  • NO TWO SNOWFLAKES (one-act)
    A girl in rural Canada discovers that some snowflakes are the same. The government shows up to investigate. Dark comedy and horror ensue. Cast: Three – two female, one non-gender but best as male. Running time: 15 minutes or so.
  • THE WEIRD SISTERS GO ROGUE (one-act)
    The witches from Macbeth start rehearsing a performance of Shakespeare’s play, then get different ideas. Cast: Three females.
  • THE UNOPENED VALENTINE (ten-minute play)
    A grumpy widow with a tendency to worry is packing up her things to move into a smaller place .Her enthusiastic granddaughter is helping her, when the granddaughter opens an old schoolbook to find a valentine her granddaughter had never opened. The granddaughter wants to open it; the grandmother worries about what it might contain, and whether the course of her life would have changed if she’d opened it when...
    A grumpy widow with a tendency to worry is packing up her things to move into a smaller place .Her enthusiastic granddaughter is helping her, when the granddaughter opens an old schoolbook to find a valentine her granddaughter had never opened. The granddaughter wants to open it; the grandmother worries about what it might contain, and whether the course of her life would have changed if she’d opened it when she received it. Cast: Two females — one senior, one teen-ager. Running time: Ten minutes.
  • LOST LIGHT FOUND (one-act play)
    An allegorical Christmas story. A stray sheep leads two girls in rural Australia to a hidden stash of stars. Cast consists of a talking sheep, a talking dog and two teenage girls. Cast: Four – two female, two non-gender.
  • HOW THE CHRISTMAS STAR BECAME THE CHRISTMAS STAR (ten-minute play)
    HOW THE CHRISTMAS STAR BECAME THE CHRISTMAS STAR
    A parade of stars apply to be the Christmas star. Very suitable for a church Christmas pageant with lots of small parts for small children. Cast: 17, all gender-flexible.
  • THE WEIRD SISTERS GO WEST (one-act play)
    THE WEIRD SISTERS GO WEST
    The three witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth turn up in a western town and quickly bring order to the Old West, with a few complications along the way. Cast: Eight – four female, three male, one-non-gender.
  • THE MERMAID WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS (one-act play)
    THE MERMAID WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS
    Santa and his sleigh plummet from the sky one Christmas Eve, landing in the waters off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. There an Arctic mermaid and her animal friends – a seal, a polar bear, a beaver and three Canada geese -- come to his rescue to get his sleigh repaired so that Santa can return to his deliveries. Cast: Eight – 1 male, 1 female, 6 non-gender.
  • THE MATH LESSON (ten-minute play)
    A math teacher at a Martian school for girls teaches a forbidden subject – how to compute the rate of evaporation of the planet’s last, dying ocean. Cast: Five – one adult female, two non-gender adults, two teen-age girls.
  • THE SANDSTORM (ten-minute play)
    A dark vision from the last days of Mars. A local official in charge of building canals instead diverts some of the money to build an underground library to store his civilization’s artifacts because he knows Mars is doomed. Cast: Two non-gender.
  • SPACE JUNK. Or Zark and Zog Go Joyriding Without Mom's Permission and Find Voyager's Golden Record. (ten-minute play)
    In 1977 NASA launched two Voyager satellites to explore the outer planets and then continue on beyond the solar system. Both carried a “golden record,” a gold phonograph record containing sights and sounds from earth, in case the spacecraft were ever discovered by an alien civilization. Among the selections: “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry. Here's one possible encounter. Cast: Four – two male, one female, one non-gender.
  • AMERICA'S MASS SHOOTING CHANNEL (ten-minute play)
    At America's Mass Shooting Channel, it's all shootings all the time. We follow how the crew covers the latest mass casualty event. Cast: 9 or 10. Cast: If 9: 2 female, 2 male, 5 non-gender. If 10: 2 female, 2 male, 6 non-gender. Running time: 10 minutes.
  • THE FIRST VAMPIRE IN TORONTO (one-act play)
    A comedy about a vampire who turns up in Canada and is interviewed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Cast: Five – one female, four non-gender. Note: Three of those non-gender actors play a variety of roles. Some are male, some are female, some are gender-flexible. The traditional breakdown there would be one female, two male to accommodate certain scenes but directors should feel free to cast these parts however they wish.
  • THE FERRYMAN AND THE THIEF (ten-minute play)
    A boy accidentally kills his father on a hunting trip. He goes to the River Styx, sneaks aboard the ferry to the far shore. Once aboard, he picks the pockets of the dead, stealing the coins they have been given by loved ones for the final passage. He uses these to try to bribe the ferryman to let him cross to find his father and return him to the land of the living. The ferryman agrees, but on one condition,...
    A boy accidentally kills his father on a hunting trip. He goes to the River Styx, sneaks aboard the ferry to the far shore. Once aboard, he picks the pockets of the dead, stealing the coins they have been given by loved ones for the final passage. He uses these to try to bribe the ferryman to let him cross to find his father and return him to the land of the living. The ferryman agrees, but on one condition, which goes badly for the boy. Cast: Six: One juvenile male, two adult males, three non-gender. Running time: Ten to twelve minutes.
  • THE FERRYMAN’S APPRENTICE (ten-minute play)
    A boy accidentally kills his father on a hunting trip. He goes to the River Styx, fishes treasures out of the waters, and then makes a deal with the ferryman to let him cross over and retrieve his father. The ferryman agrees, but on one condition. Cast: Ideally six, but could be done with as few as four — one juvenile male, two adult males, one to three non-gender. Running time: Ten minutes.
  • THAT PLAY ABOUT THE GURGLING MUD PIT (ten-minute play)
    A director tries to explain a new play to the crew. Opinions vary. A meta-play about theatre. Cast: Five – all non-gender. About 10 minutes.
  • THE ONE-WORD CHRISTMAS CAROL (ten-minute play)
    The traditional Christmas Carol story, more or less, told with each actor speaking a line of just a single word. Cast: Can be done with as few as six, or expanded larger, if you desire. With six, 4 male, 1 female, 1 non-gender. Feel free, of course, to use non-traditional casting. Runs about 10 minutes.
  • FATHER CHRISTMAS (ten-minute play)
    It’s just before Christmas and the shopping mall Santa has sent word he won’t be showing up. Just then, security brings in a homeless man found rooting around in the trash outside. The manager makes him the Santa. Things go very well, almost too well. Then comes the last kid in line, who turns out to be the homeless man’s son. Cast: Six — 2 male adults, 1 female adult, 1 male child, 2 non-gender adults....
    It’s just before Christmas and the shopping mall Santa has sent word he won’t be showing up. Just then, security brings in a homeless man found rooting around in the trash outside. The manager makes him the Santa. Things go very well, almost too well. Then comes the last kid in line, who turns out to be the homeless man’s son. Cast: Six — 2 male adults, 1 female adult, 1 male child, 2 non-gender adults. Running time: Eight to ten minutes.
  • THE FATE OF POLYXENA (ten-minute play)
    Based on a story from the Trojan War. After Troy fell, one of the Trojan princesses — Polyxena — was sacrificed by the Greeks on the tomb of their hero Achilles, to be his bride beyond the grave. Cast: Twelve — 2 female, 8 male, 2 non-gender. Running time: Eight minutes.
  • THE FACE ON MARS (ten-minute play)
    The supposed face on Mars? It was commissioned by a politician who knew the truth — that Mars was running out of water. But he told the public something else entirely. Cast: Two, non-gender.
  • DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN (ten-minute play)
    A parable about fake news. In this play, after the infamous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline, the newspaper kept insisting Dewey really did win, publishing story after story about the Dewey administration. Now it’s eight years later . . . Cast: Four: Three male, one female.
  • THE DENMARK COUNTY BARBERSHOP QUARTET PRESENTS . . . (ten-minute play)
    A rag-tag barbershop quartet presents “Hamlet,” to the tune of “In The Good Old Summertime.” Cast: Six – one male, one female, four non-gender.
  • THE DEBATE AT BOSWORTH FIELD (ten-minute play)
    Imagine if Richard III and Henry Tudor had met in a campaign-style debate instead. This time, Richard wins. Cast: 8 – 5 male, 2 female, 1 non-gender.
  • THE CONTACT LENS (ten-minute play)
    The place: A busy sidewalk. Somebody loses a contact lens and asks others to help look for it. Dark comedy ensues. Cast: Six – 2 female, 1 male, 3 non-gender.
  • THE CHRISTMAS GOAT (ten-minute play)
    A goat wants to be part of Christmas. Dark comedy ensues. Cast of five: One female, four non-gender.
  • THE CHICKEN AND THE ROAD (ten-minute play)
    A script that’s either quite silly or deep existential, in which we explore the many reasons why the chicken might have crossed the road and what it means. Somehow this works in the clash of religion and science, Shakespeare, Einstein, country music and a police interrogation. Cast: Six to nineteen. The basic cast is 6 — 3 male, 1 female, 3 non-gender — but can be expanded to as large as 19, which would take 13...
    A script that’s either quite silly or deep existential, in which we explore the many reasons why the chicken might have crossed the road and what it means. Somehow this works in the clash of religion and science, Shakespeare, Einstein, country music and a police interrogation. Cast: Six to nineteen. The basic cast is 6 — 3 male, 1 female, 3 non-gender — but can be expanded to as large as 19, which would take 13 male, 2 female, 4 non-gender. Or, you can choose some number and gender configuration in between minimum and maximum. Running time: Twelve minutes.
  • THE CHICAGO WIND (ten-minute play)
    A man visiting Chicago has several strange encounters with iconic aspects of the Windy City – with a gangster, a goat, a cow, a bluesman, and several dead voters, among others. Cast: Six to ten, depending on doubling. If six: 4 male, 1 female, 1 non-gender. If ten: 4 male, 1 female, 5 non-gender.
  • CHEF PIERRE DOES NOT DO SIMPLE (ten-minute play)
    A television producer explains to a TV chef that he need to simplify some of his language because many younger viewers do not understand them. He reacts badly and winds up creating a mess with broken eggs and flour. Cast: Four -- One male, three non-gender.
  • BLACK MARKET BOMBS (ten-minute play)
    A series of men trace how one of the Soviet Union's "suitcase bombs" was peddled on the black market and wound up in the hands of a terrorist who smuggles it into New York City. A chilling look at the potential for nuclear terrorism. There are three different versions -- one for a cast of six, one for a cast of seven, one for a cast of eight.
  • THE BEAUTIFUL OGRE AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (ten-minute play)
    A father reads his daughter a fairy tale as a bedtime story --- which the characters begin to act out. The girl doesn’t like how the story is going -- no strong female role models, for instance -- so she changes it all around. This is the result. Cast: Five -- three males, two females.
  • MACBETH, THE PREQUEL (long one-act)
    What happened before Shakespeare’s famous play? We begin with the birth of Lady Macbeth, and a curse put upon her head that sets in motion all that is to follow. Using many of Shakespeare’s own words, the play examines how Lady Macbeth became both ambitious and murderous, and how she came to marry Macbeth. Cast: Eight — Five female, three male.
  • YES, SANTA, THERE IS A VIRGINIA (one-act play)
    Santa wonders why he hasn’t heard from Virginia, so he goes to check up on her. He surprises her during an authorized party when her parents are away. Complications ensue. Cast: Eight — 1 male, 6 female, 1 non-gender.
  • SVETLANA’S FIRST CHRISTMAS AWAY FROM HOME (one-act play)
    A last-minute substitute attempts to preside over a Christmas pageant, which has devolved into chaos – unruly kids, a pushy parent, a church busybody, a kitchen on fire. And then there’s the foreign exchange student, who’s supposed to be the angel, who is in the restroom in tears because it’s her first Christmas away from home. Then something unexpected happens. Cast: 21 – 6 adults (four female, one male, one...
    A last-minute substitute attempts to preside over a Christmas pageant, which has devolved into chaos – unruly kids, a pushy parent, a church busybody, a kitchen on fire. And then there’s the foreign exchange student, who’s supposed to be the angel, who is in the restroom in tears because it’s her first Christmas away from home. Then something unexpected happens. Cast: 21 – 6 adults (four female, one male, one non-gender), 7 teenagers (five female, two male), 8 early teens or pre-teens (one female, seven non-gender.)
  • JOY TO OTHER WORLDS (one-act play)
    A man’s display of Christmas lights flashing to the tune of “Joy to The World” attracts the attention of an alien race, which struggles to interpret the transmission. Cast: Nine — Four male, three female, two non-gender or one male, six females, two non-gender.
  • LET THERE BE LIGHTS! (one-act play)
    Two neighbors plot to see who can put on the biggest display of Christmas lights, with comical, and catastrophic, results. Cast: Eight — two adult males, two adult females, two teen-age males, two teen-age females. Running time: 30 minutes.
  • VERONICA'S DOLLS (15-minute play)
    A teenage girl’s old dolls come to life to try to save her life when she attempts to commit suicide by swallowing an overdose of sleeping pills. Cast: Four, plus an off-stage voice to make five. Three female, two non-gender. Running time: Fifteen or so minutes
  • THE GIRL WHO MADE EMUS BELIEVE THEY COULD FLY ON CHRISTMAS (one-act play)
    An Australian Christmas story. Sort of. A young girl decides that Santa should celebrate an Australian Christmas by having emus full his sleigh. One problem: They’re flightless birds. So she takes it upon herself to teach them to fly. Cast: Eight – four female, two male, two non-gender. Running time: 20 minutes.
  • THE CHRISTMAS SPIDERS (one-act)
    ONE-ACT: A poor family in Ukraine has a tree but can’t afford decorations. Meanwhile, three spiders living in the house decide the only place safe from the cleaning is the tree. Santa turns their webs into tinsel, delighting everyone. Cast: Six or seven. If six – four female, one male, one non-gender. If seven – four female, two male, one non-gender. Running time: 20-25 minutes. (Not to be confused with THE...
    ONE-ACT: A poor family in Ukraine has a tree but can’t afford decorations. Meanwhile, three spiders living in the house decide the only place safe from the cleaning is the tree. Santa turns their webs into tinsel, delighting everyone. Cast: Six or seven. If six – four female, one male, one non-gender. If seven – four female, two male, one non-gender. Running time: 20-25 minutes. (Not to be confused with THE CHRISTMAS SPIDER, singular, a shorter one-act play by the same author with a similar theme but different story)
  • THE CHRISTMAS SPIDER (one-act)
    ONE-ACT: A poor family in Ukraine has a tree but can’t afford decorations. Meanwhile, a spiders living in the house decides the only place safe from the cleaning is the tree. Santa turns her web into tinsel, delighting everyone. Cast: five – two female, one male, one non-gender. Running time: 15 minutes. (Not to be confused with “The Christmas Spiders,” which is longer and has more characters.)
  • THE ANGEL TREE (one-act)
    ONE-ACT: An angel appears to a single mother at Christmas and helps her find a common bond with her surly teenage daughter. Cast: Three females. Running time: 20 minutes.
  • DEATH BY POINSETTIA (one-act)
    ONE-ACT: A lonely woman tries to kill herself at Christmas by eating a poinsettia, convinced the plant is poisonous. It’s not, though. A male co-worker shows up and a touching scene ensues. Cast: Two – one male, one female.Running time: 20 minutes.
  • SILENCING THE VOICES (ten-minute)
    TEN-MINUTE PLAY: SILENCING THE VOICES
    A dark, abstract piece about school shootings and suicide. After a school shooting in which the shooter claimed to have heard the voices of other killers in his head, a teenage girl kills herself – in hopes she can find those voices and kill them. Cast: 7 – 2 female, 5 non-gender. Running time: Ten minutes.
  • THE VOICES IN HIS HEAD (one-act)
    ONE-ACT: THE VOICES IN HIS HEAD
    A nihilistic look at school shootings, and the role of social media. Cast: Four – one male, one female, two non-gender, plus many dead bodies. This is mostly a two-person show, one male, one female, with two or more police officers entering at the end. Running time: 20-25 minutes.
  • THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (ten-minute)
    FIVE-MINUTE PLAY: THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD
    A police officer’s somber monologue: He was at the scene of a mass shooting, and could literally hear the awful news start to spread -- as the cellphones of the victims started to ring with desperate messages from their frantic friends. This was inspired by the mass shooting at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, where this macabre phenomenon played out. Cast:...
    FIVE-MINUTE PLAY: THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD
    A police officer’s somber monologue: He was at the scene of a mass shooting, and could literally hear the awful news start to spread -- as the cellphones of the victims started to ring with desperate messages from their frantic friends. This was inspired by the mass shooting at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, where this macabre phenomenon played out. Cast: One speaker, with as many bodies as you muster. I've put in the number "10" in the form only because it required a number.
  • THE ONE-WORD ODYSSEY (one-hour)
    The story of the Odyssey, more or less, in which each line consists of just a single word. Ideal for a class project. Includes monsters and a talking hamburger. Cast: As few as 18 — 9 males, 3 females, 6 non-gender — or as many as 33 — 17 males, 7 females, 9 non-gender. Running time: One hour.
  • LEVERRIER’S PLANET (full-length)
    Based on the true story of one of the most celebrated — and controversial — scientific achievements of the 19th century, the discovery of Neptune. This is a story full of intrigue, deceit, incompetence, and that’s just on the English side of the channel. It’s also a story with a naturally strong dramatic arc. When astronomers had trouble calculating an orbit for the newly-discovered planet Uranus, many surmised...
    Based on the true story of one of the most celebrated — and controversial — scientific achievements of the 19th century, the discovery of Neptune. This is a story full of intrigue, deceit, incompetence, and that’s just on the English side of the channel. It’s also a story with a naturally strong dramatic arc. When astronomers had trouble calculating an orbit for the newly-discovered planet Uranus, many surmised that another, unseen, planet was influencing its orbit. It turned into a race between two mathematicians, each trying to plot the position of that unseen planet, something which had never been attempted. One of them was John Couch Adams, an unheralded and exceedingly shy English college student. The other was Urbain Leverrier, an egotistical, self-promoting French academic. Adams calculated the position first, only to have his work ignored by the British scientific establishment. Leverrier, by contrast, carried on a public relations campaign to advertise his findings, but the French ignored his conclusion, as well. When Neptune finally was found, its discovery stirred nationalistic passions on both sides, and sparked another debate on what to call the new planet. Cast: Eight, of any gender configuration you desire.
  • THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT (one-hour)
    An allegory about immigration. A 13-year-old orphan has an American flag on her face. The orphanage tries to market her as a celebrity. A mysterious government agency has another plan – to test her blood and use it to replicate a new race. Cast: Eight – seven female, one male. Note that six of the seven females are teenagers. Running time: One hour.
  • UNEMPLOYED GODS (one-hour)
    Imagine a factory town after the factory has closed. Now imagine it’s Mount Olympus and it’s the ancient gods who are now unemployed. A bleak look at what happens next, with music (well, one song at the beginning and reprised at the end, so it's really a straight play not a musical). Cast: Eleven – 6 males, 5 females. Running time: One hour.
  • VIRGINIA’S REAL (full-length)
    A Southern family is divided over what to do with the family farm when the
    patriarch retires. The drama focuses on the farmer’s youngest daughter, a
    waitress and single mom named Virginia, who is eager to subdivide the
    farm as a way to make her fortune. Her goal is complicated by the prospect
    of a new highway going through the neighborhood – and the discovery of
    Civil War...
    A Southern family is divided over what to do with the family farm when the
    patriarch retires. The drama focuses on the farmer’s youngest daughter, a
    waitress and single mom named Virginia, who is eager to subdivide the
    farm as a way to make her fortune. Her goal is complicated by the prospect
    of a new highway going through the neighborhood – and the discovery of
    Civil War artifacts on the site. The story deals with a variety of universal
    themes, but also many topical references, from urbanization of rural areas,
    the preservation of historical sites, and NASCAR. Cast : 11 – 4 adult
    females, 3 adult males, 4 female children (two teens, two pre-teens), and
    one off-stage voice which can be either male or female. Set requirements:
    Minimal, although at various points you’ll need to create some aspects of a
    kitchen and a diner.
    • Finalist, Shenandoah International Playwrights, Staunton, Va., 2004.
  • THE TALKING BUZZARD (full-length)
    In a small town in Texas, everyone is seeing their dream die before their eyes. The baseball player’s career is washed up. The pageant contestant can’t win a pageant. The newspaper editor is seeing his paper’s circulation dwindle. A talking buzzard who feasts on dead dreams waits for the inevitable. Then aliens show up and comedy and big explosions ensue. Cast: Nine – three males, four females (one senior, one...
    In a small town in Texas, everyone is seeing their dream die before their eyes. The baseball player’s career is washed up. The pageant contestant can’t win a pageant. The newspaper editor is seeing his paper’s circulation dwindle. A talking buzzard who feasts on dead dreams waits for the inevitable. Then aliens show up and comedy and big explosions ensue. Cast: Nine – three males, four females (one senior, one 20s, two teens) and two non-gender best as males.
  • THE MAKING OF THE KING 1483-1485 (full-length)
    Shakespeare had his version of Richard III. This is a modern telling, complete with press secretaries, pollsters, media coverage and cellphones. Beyond that, it’s historically correct. This consists of two one-acts, “The Making of the King 1483” and “The Making of the King 1485,” which can either stand alone, or, when put together, constitute a full-length script. Cast: 23 — 2 female, 10 male, 11 non-gender....
    Shakespeare had his version of Richard III. This is a modern telling, complete with press secretaries, pollsters, media coverage and cellphones. Beyond that, it’s historically correct. This consists of two one-acts, “The Making of the King 1483” and “The Making of the King 1485,” which can either stand alone, or, when put together, constitute a full-length script. Cast: 23 — 2 female, 10 male, 11 non-gender.
    • Finalist, Peterson Playwriting Competition, (final four out of 300) Catawba
    College, N.C., 2004.
  • THE LAST ZETA OF ‘38 (full-length)
    This comes in both a male version and a female version.

    THE LAST ZETA OF ‘38 (male version)
    A college prank from the ‘30s has consequences to this day. The Zetas from the class of ‘38 are still passing around a statue they stole from the college as a fraternity initiation rite. When the last Zeta dies, his grandson is faced with the question of what to do with the statue. See also female...
    This comes in both a male version and a female version.

    THE LAST ZETA OF ‘38 (male version)
    A college prank from the ‘30s has consequences to this day. The Zetas from the class of ‘38 are still passing around a statue they stole from the college as a fraternity initiation rite. When the last Zeta dies, his grandson is faced with the question of what to do with the statue. See also female version; same plot, different genders. There is also a one-act version. Cast: 14 — 13 male, one female. Set requirements: Minimal, but you’ll need a statue of a lion.

    THE LAST ZETA OF ‘38 (female version)
    A college prank from the ‘30s has consequences to this day. The Zetas from the class of ‘38 are still passing around a statue they stole from the college as a sorority initiation rite. When the last Zeta dies, his grandson is faced with the question of what to do with the statue. See also female version; same plot, different genders. There is also a one-act version. Cast: 14 — 1 male, 8 female, 5 non-gender. Set requirements: Minimal, but you’ll need a statue of a lion.
  • THE PIRATES OF PERCHANCE (full-length play)
    Two orphan girls from London in the 1700s sneak aboard a ship board of North America. It turns out to be a pirate ship. Adventure and comedy ensue. This is a good play for middle or high school students. A Rose and Lily adventure, in the vein of “This Rose Has Thorns,” “An Improper Education for an Improper Lady” and “A Dickens of a Christmas.” Cast: Eight – five female, three male.