The Playwrights Database
NIGEL HOLLOWAY
(1949 - )Nationality: British
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Nigel Holloway's plays including biography, theatres, agent, synopses, cast sizes, production and published dates
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below is a list of Nigel Holloway's plays - click on a Play Title for more information
Big Idea Burning Damning Of Henry Morgan, The Dead Lucky Murdering the Mikado Nanny State Prima Donna Retirement Plan Ripping Off Angels Savoy Beggar's Opera, The Savoy Christmas Carol, The Scartato Second Death Skin Smell Of Almonds, The thesps TravestiBig Idea
Synopsis:
Big Idea is the story of how the group's director, Jonathan, is asked to write a play, which the BBC will broadcast as part of their Big Idea series. Big Idea encourages people to fulfil their life's ambition, and Jonathan sees it as his great opportunity to show that he does really have talent (despite what the other members say about him!), and he sets off to write his magnum opus. the Off-the-Wall theatre company are certainly not Jonathan's choice to perform the work of art which will show him for the true genius he really is. But he's stuck with them! the course of true love never runs smooth, and neither do Jonathan's attempts to get his play to the stage. Unexpected obstacles arise to constantly thwart his ambitions, until, despite everything, the group finally manage to present the show - as a live radio broadcast - or so they think!
Notes:
Big Idea is one of the Off-the-Wall plays: A series of comedies About the Adventures of A hapless Amdram group called the Off-the-Wall theatre Company (no connection to Any existing Amdram group!). Podcast version Available from: http://www.off-the-wall-plays.co.uk/14.php
1st Produced:
Market Theatre Cowbridge, Glamorgan -
Organisations:
Concept Players
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2006) -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 6 Female: 5 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageBurning
Synopsis:
What causes a young woman to stab her fiancee in front of a restaurant full of witnesses? Is it a crime of passion? Or a premeditated act of violence? Or some kind of exorcism? This one act play tells the story of how a young woman discovers the truth about the spirit that has shared her mind since she was a little girl - the spirit of an eighteenth century prostitute called Sally Salisbury. as far as Lucy is concerned, Sally has always been there, her constant 'imaginary friend'. But when Lucy falls for Robert Coyle, a young history lecturer, doubts start to creep into her mind about Sally's 'story'. What really happened all those centuries ago between Sally and her lover, John Finch? When Sally was abandoned, and cast into prison, what forced her spirit to survive? History says one thing; Sally says another - but which is the truth? What has caused her to survive at any cost? What has led her down the centuries, from generation to generation? What does she want?
Notes:
a haunting life And death struggle for survival, based Around the stabbing of John Finch by the eighteenth century prostitute, Sally Salisbury.
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Production Scripts (www.productionscripts.com), Jan 2010 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
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Genre:
Play/Drama One act
Parts:
Male: 10 Female: 4 Other: Lots of opportunity for doubling parts
Further Reference:
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Top of PageDamning Of Henry Morgan, The
Synopsis:
Saved from the Inquisition, and forced into slavery to write the eyewitness account of pirate battles in the Caribbean, can the forgotten French surgeon, alexandre exquemelin, survive? Will his account, cynically manipulated and distorted, discredit his friend, Henry Morgan? Or will another soul be damned? But what was a young student of medicine from France doing in brutal, lawless Tortuga? What made him give up six years of study to become an indentured slave? Was it religious persecution? Or forbidden love? How did he come to join Henry Morgan, a Welsh soldier in the service of england? Why did he write his book about the exploits of these pirates? and why did the english version of his book cause Henry Morgan to sue the publishers for defamation of character? From the court of the Inquisition to the cesspit of Tortuga, from the jungles of Panama to the royal courts of London and Madrid, with its mixture of high adventure and high politics, centred on real events and people, this challenging two act play poses the question: the unwilling spy, the inquisitor, or the pirate - who will pay the price for damning Henry Morgan?
Notes:
a challenging two-act, full length play with A large cast, but many opportunities for doubling parts.
1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 3 Other: approx 30, with lots of opportunity for doubling
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageDead Lucky
Synopsis:
Clive and Bonnie are competing in a global reality TV talent show, but how far are they prepared to go for the ultimate prize - being cryogenically frozen until the prize fund exceeds any fortune in the world?
Notes:
Dead Lucky is A one Act satire on celebrity culture in which A couple fight to the finish to win A reality game show.
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2008) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageMurdering the Mikado
Synopsis:
the latest in the series of Off-the-Wall Plays, Murdering the Mikado follows on from the situation at the end of Big Idea - the local theatre has mysteriously burned down, and the group are trying to raise money to supplement the Lottery grant to re-equip the theatre. as part of their fund-raising efforts, Jack and anne hold a Murder Mystery Party. as well as the return of Jonathan, the party has plenty of other surprises for the guests, including Doris' little known talent as a master detective, Richard's talent for stand-up (if not for Pantomime), anne's fondness for Pimms, and the inability of at least three of the guests to read the invitation in the first place! Despite clearing Jonathan of any suspicion of arson, a journalist from the local newspaper proves himself entire untrustworthy, and as punishment is thrown headlong into a hastily improvised performance of aladdin, based very loosely on the Mikado, for the inmates of the local open prison. add to that the audience participation 'Fetish Song', an unexpected visit from the author Lady Chatterley's Lover, the surprise appearance of Daisy the Cow, and you have all the ingredients for yet another of the Off-the-Wall comedies!
Notes:
Murdering the Mikado is one of the Off-the-Wall plays: A series of comedies About the Adventures of A hapless Amdram group called the Off-the-Wall theatre Company.
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2009) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 6 Other: chorus
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageNanny State
Synopsis:
When Bernard dies, his wife discovers he's been writing a political blog that has galvanised the country. She steps into his shoes, fights the election campaign and becomes Prime Minister. But the cost is high for saving the country. a hard-hitting political play, posing the question 'Could the Grey vote really change the world?' However, when it comes down to it, the play is not about how to right the wrongs of governing the country, it's about one woman's blindness to the people closest to her, about losing sight of the things that really matter in life.
Notes:
a study of the conflict between political responsibility And familial love.
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2008) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 7 Other: 10
Further Reference:
-
Top of PagePrima Donna
Synopsis:
When Sharon, the leading soprano, has a car accident, the group's latest production of Orpheus in the Underworld is in jeopardy. Where can they find a replacement soprano? To save the show, Jack produces a substitute - apparently from nowhere. But when eva, the new soprano, turns up late for her first rehearsal, throws a tantrum and walks out in disgust because the chorus don't know their parts, what are they to think? What does Jack know that he's not telling? and why is aggie keeping so tight-lipped about her? and why are Richard and Barney so nervous? Is eurydice really Brunhilde?
Notes:
Prima Donna is one of the Off-the-Wall plays: A series of comedies About the Adventures of A hapless Amdram group called the Off-the-Wall theatre Company (no connection to Any existing Amdram group!). Podcast version Available from: http://www.off-the-wall-plays.co.uk/15.php
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
Concept Players
1st Published:
Limelight Scripts www.limelightscripts.co.uk (2009) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 5 Female: 7 Other: chorus
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageRetirement Plan
Synopsis:
ageing games programmer, Walter, didn't get to enjoy his retirement - he was forced to keep working because his pension fund was stolen. His daughter never understood his passion for the virtual worlds he worked in, and after his wife died, only his granddaughter gave him a reason to live. But what is the definition of living?
Notes:
a fantasy of one man's fight Against time - And his murderous daughter.
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2008) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 3 Other: Invisible cat?
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageRipping Off Angels
Synopsis:
Ripping Off angels is the story of how the Off-the-Wall theatre Company get themselves out of the financial difficulties they find themselves in. at the start of the play, Jack, the chairman, has serious news to discuss with the other members, and the remainder of the play tells how the group devise and carry out their various inventive and outrageous plans to raise money. Why has the previously undomesticated aggie suddenly developed a taste for baking? Why do George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg and Sharon Stone decide to turn up? Why has Jonathan decided to set Macbeth in an Ibiza nightclub? What is Robert's secret talent? a video clip of the climax can be found here: http://www.xmas-carol.co.uk/video/pod1.wmv
Notes:
Ripping Off Angels is one of the Off-the-Wall plays: A series of comedies About the Adventures of A hapless Amdram group called the Off-the-Wall theatre Company (no connection to Any existing Amdram group!). Podcast version Available from: http://www.off-the-wall-plays.co.uk/13.php
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
Concept Players
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2008) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 6 Female: 6 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageSavoy Beggar's Opera, The
Synopsis:
the Savoy Beggar's Opera takes its title from the Beggar who claims to have written the piece for the pleasure of his fellow vagrants. It tells the story of the tangled relationships between Macheath and the daughters of Peachum (a fence) and Lockit (a gaoler at Newgate). Upon discovering the marriage of Macheath and his daughter, Polly, Peachum, determines to have Macheath arrested and hanged. Polly warns him, but Macheath cannot resist the company of whores, who betray him. Lucy (Lockit's daughter) is already pregnant with Macheath's child, and when Macheath is cast into Newgate prison, she believes his protestations that there is nothing between himself and Polly, and she helps him to escape. Macheath is recaptured, and sentenced to death. Just as he is about to be hanged, four more wives are discovered, each with a child apiece. This is too much for Macheath, and he prepares himself to be hanged. at this point, the Beggar is persuaded to change the result from a tragic execution, to a happy ending, more in tune with the expectations of the audience. Macheath is reprieved, and takes Polly as his wife.
Notes:
an Adaptation of the Beggar's Opera, set to the music of Arthur Sullivan, And much indebted to W S Gilbert for many of the lyrics. It was especially written for All those G&S societies who fancy doing something different, the Savoy Beggar's Opera gives the opportunity for strutting their stuff through the eighteenth century, or bringing it right up to date with A modern day version, but Always with Sullivan's music guaranteeing An evening of sheer delight. With A cast of thieves, cut-throats, highwaymen And whores - All those parts we All love to play - the Savoy Beggar's Opera is A classic romp through the criminal underworld of John Gay's London, showing that corruption And vice can be found in the lowest And highest levels of society. the language has been updated to make it more understandable for today's Audiences, And the piece can be put on with minimal sets And costumes. More details can be found At: http://www.beggars-opera.co.uk/1.php
1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Musical adaptation
Parts:
Male: 5 Female: 3 Other: 8m, 9f
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageSavoy Christmas Carol, The
Synopsis:
a Savoy Christmas Carol was specifically written to provide an alternative, traditional version of a Christmas Carol, aimed at musical and Dramatic societies whose repertoire includes the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. the show takes its inspiration from the original text, and draws on the wealth of characters that people Dickens' world; from the miserly ebenezer Scrooge to the Ghost of Jacob Marley, the Cratchit family, Tiny Tim, Mr and Mrs Fezziwig, and of course the three spirits who bring about Scrooge's conversion
Notes:
an Adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, set to the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, And based on the lyrics of W S Gilbert. More details can be found At: http://www.xmas-carol.co.uk/ And video clips from original performance can be found At: http://www.xmas-carol.co.uk/11001.php
1st Produced:
Dolmen Theatre, Gwent 1999
Organisations:
Concept Players
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2006) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Musical adaptation
Parts:
Male: 13 Female: 12 Other: chorus
Further Reference:
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Top of PageScartato
Synopsis:
Set in the eighteenth century, this one act play moves from the dusty workshop of violin maker, Bartolomeo Guarneri (Del Gesu), in Cremona, Italy, to teeming Drury Lane in London, where actor, singer, dancer and violinist, Richard Charke plans his escape from his creditors and sets off for the promise of a new life in Jamaica. On his voyage to the West Indies, Charke discovers the potential of a cast-off violin made by Guarneri, and given to his fellow violinist, Creponi, in exchange for his sister's virtue. Charke cheats the drunken Creponi of his flawed instrument, and sets off a chain of events that lead Charke to rediscover his feelings of love, not only for music and the violin, but for the baby daughter he abandoned in London.
Notes:
the story of how A discarded violin kindled the spark of A father's love for the daughter he Abandoned. An Audio version of the play can be found At: http://www.off-the-wall-plays.co.uk/22.php
1st Produced:
Audio Version 2009
Organisations:
Concept Players
1st Published:
Production Scripts (www.productionscripts.com), Dec 2009 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama One act
Parts:
Male: 11 (10 with doubling) Female: 5 (4 with doubling) Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PageSecond Death
Synopsis:
Despite his a-list status, surgeon Hamish Mcallister is finding that there are drawbacks to playing god. the established church, for one. they'd like to crucify him. Elizabeth died. But now that she's alive again, who is she? and why can't she catch? Geraldine is dying for revenge. But she has to be dead to get it. She never wanted to be brought back to life - especially to spend it in a wheelchair. Richard wants his dead wife back. But how can he forget what she and Hamish did to him, and live happily ever after? Three murders, two suicides and a judicial execution. an intriguing story of death, life and virtual immortality - at the end of a 13 amp plug.
Notes:
an intriguing And thought-provoking play About life, death And immortality, celebrity, computer simulation And the death of god.
1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
- -
Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
two acts Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 6 (4 with doubling) Female: 4 (3 with doubling) Other: 7 pre-recorded supporting roles (video and audio)
Further Reference:
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Top of PageSkin
Synopsis:
Skin is a one act play about the central mystery in the life of talented and successful musician Michael arne, the legitimate son of Thomas arne, the famous eighteenth century composer of 'Rule Britannia' and 'God Save the Queen'. Despite his successful musical career, Michael arne became obsessed with alchemy, the search for the Philosopher's Stone and the elixir of Life - so obsessed, in fact, that it led him to the debtors' prison, and the death of his beautiful young wife. He recovered from this disastrous setback, going on to conduct the first performance of Handel's Messiah in the composer's native country of Germany. He remarried, again to a much younger woman, and despite his previous experiences, turned once more to the study of alchemy. What forced this successful, intelligent man to repeat his previous mistakes, only to die and leave his second wife in poverty?
Notes:
What causes An intelligent man to make the same fatal mistake - twice? An Audio version of the play can be found At: http://www.off-the-wall-plays.co.uk/25.php
1st Produced:
Audio Version 2009
Organisations:
Concept Players
1st Published:
Production Scripts (www.productionscripts.com), Nov 2009 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama One act
Parts:
Male: 13 (9 with doubling) Female: 5 (3 with doubling) Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PageSmell Of Almonds, The
Synopsis:
the play tells the story of Yitzhak, a migrant Jewish worker in the bulb fields near amsterdam, his cat, Pushka, his son, Ibrahim, and his wife, esther. Despite the apparently placid exterior of a man in the autumn of his life, Yitzhak's past has been dominated by violent and tragic events, both internal and external, which rise at random to the surface of his deteriorating understanding of where and who he is, and the events that brought him there. What is the true nature of justice, and the price of survival?
Notes:
a play in one Act, charting the dark And unexpected secrets which hide behind the disjointed memories And imaginings of An old man And his cat.
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama One act
Parts:
Male: 4 (2 with doubling) Female: 2 (2 with doubling) Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of Pagethesps
Synopsis:
What happens when you bring a professional producer into your amateur theatre group? What happens when that producer has had an affair with your leading actor? and that woman has tendencies towards stalking. . .When the new producer walks into their first rehearsal, Barney does his best to avoid her - but it's too late, she's seen him! What can he do now? In a story that involves Barney being murdered by his wife, a synthesiser with a mind of its own, and the group sabotaging the rehearsals for their own show, the Off-the-Wall theatre Company eventually sort out their problem producer - and HMS Pinafore seems set to go ahead with the real cast - and a chorus of cardboard sailors. But on opening night, who do they find sitting the front row? You guessed . . . now what will they do? Barney can't go on to play Ralph Rackstraw - at least, he can't allow himself to be seen. So Robert is press-ganged into doing the part with the script, while Barney hides behind a cardboard sailor to sing the songs. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan, so the cardboard sailor has to take the lead role on his own -
Notes:
thesps is one of the Off-the-Wall plays: A series of comedies About the Adventures of A hapless Amdram group called the Off-the-Wall theatre Company. Some video clips from thesps can be found At: http://www.off-the-wall-plays.co.uk/10.php
1st Produced:
Llanover Hall, Cardiff 2008
Organisations:
Concept Players
1st Published:
Lazy Bee Scripts (2008) -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 6 Female: 5 Other: chorus
Further Reference:
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Top of PageTravesti
Two men stand out in the world of eighteenth century theatre: in the latter half of the century, David Garrick, and in the early part, Colley Cibber. Cibber rose from apprentice actor to become not only a playwright and author, but also actor-manager in charge of Drury Lane for over twenty years, and, eventually through his cultivation of politicians and others of power and influence, Poet Laureate. His rise to riches and influence was entirely due to his ability to flatter, cajole, and ingratiate himself with the rich and powerful, but that talent for hypocrisy and self-promotion was never passed on to his children, especially his daughter, Charlotte, who despite becoming an actress of note, insisted on ploughing her own furrow, and flying in the face of her father's conventional sensibilities.
Notes:
a Dramatic reconstruction in two Acts of the life of eighteenth century Actress, Charlotte Charke, And her relationship with her father, Colley Cibber. Charlotte became notorious for playing male parts on the stage, And for carrying through her cross-dressing to her private life. Suspicions As to her immoral behaviour, together with her flagrant satires of her famous father, lead Cibber to disown her, And to Assist in the introduction of the censorship of the English theatre which lasted until the Lady Chatterley 's Lover trial of 1969. Cut off from her chosen profession, And from the support of her family, Charlotte (with her daughter Kitty) led A hand to mouth existence for the rest of her life, And eventually died in poverty. This play does not Attempt to be A history. It depicts both the comic And tragic events of Charlotte's life Against the background of the life of the eighteenth century theatre, And her defiance of convention in the face of her father's embarrassment And Anger, leading to her inevitable fall from his favour.
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Jasper Publishing Ltd (2009) >>> 978-1906997397
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 9 (5 with doubling) Female: 8 (6 with doubling) Other: 2 androgynous puppets
Further Reference:
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