Seven famous Chekhov short stories theatriclized for stage presentations. The tales showcase 7 of the master's most fascinating women and their interactions with the men in their lives. From a drama about suicide to a comedy about seduction, this evening of short plays entertains and enlightens.

A tale told in four vignettes, the theatre-venue itself becomes a character itself in this alternately terrifying, hilarious and always intriguing journey across the decades that allows the audience to experience the history of a haunted playhouse. . . from the inside. For almost a century an evil presence has haunted the Orpheus Theatre, awaiting the fulfillment of a chilling prophecy. A blood-stained Ouija board and a cryptic rhyme are the only keys that will unlock a terrifying truth. As generation after generation encounters the legend of the Orpheus and the dark power that lurks within it, piece after piece of the sinister puzzle falls into place and the dark prophecy draws nearer to fulfillment. Can anyone stop it? Written with two endings - one scary, one comedic - giving producers and directors complete control over the kind of experience they want to give their audience.

Playwright Jan Silverman adapts the much beloved Just So Stories of Rudyard Kipling into a theatrical and strikingly imaginative stage play that can be performed for and by young theatre lovers. Including favorites tales such as How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, The Elephants Child, The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo, The Beginning of the Armadillos, and The Cat That Walked by Himself, Silverman playfully captures Kiplings facination with legends, the nature of man, and the way things became the way they are today. An enjoyable, timeless script for all ages, this play is appropriate for schools, communities, and both amateur and professional childrens theatres.

This colorful, comedic tale, complete with a singing Fish and dancing Cow, paints the story of young painter Marc Chagalls quest to be an artist. Through fanciful biographical scenes where he must get permission from his parents and extended family, his childhood journey to art school artfully, playfully, comes to life.

Luann and her school mates are stoked - it's the last day of school! Summer vacation's here! But will the high expectations soar or crash? Luann's big dream is to hook up with Aaron Hill. But she'll have to compete with hot cheerleader, Tiffany. Luann's doofus brother Brad desperately wants to impress beautiful Toni. But he keeps acting like a moron. A series of hilarious scenes and songs explore the joys and agonies of teenhood, from "Why Do We Need To Know About Michelangelo?" to "Ode To The Mall" to "Do You Hate Me Cuz I'm Beautiful?"

Adjusting to married life can sometimes be a trying time for a young bride. For newlywed Ashley Wagner, however, marriage turns out to be an out of this world experience! For starters, the antique cuckoo clock, a family heirloom, that Ashley's Bavarian busybody of an Aunt-in-law gave Ashley's husband, Greg, as a wedding gift has, well. . .an unusual defect. The time piece has a wormhole which, when Greg turns back the clock to Standard time, opens a time warp that catapults Ashley back in time only to find herself pregnant and married to Greg's father, Klaus! Ach du lieber! Is Ashley then. . .Greg's mother? Expecting a baby and stuck in a time warp with a broken cuckoo clock and a different husband, Ashley comes to realize that her life is. . .well. . .A Crock of Schnitzel!

What would it take to push your child over the edge?? Eve, a 16 year-old girl, has fallen asleep in the darkened, dingy corner of a deserted subway station, not far from the platform edge where Billy, her 18 year-old brother, chose to leave this world, and where she'll soon struggle to find the reasons NOT to follow him.

Stones is a collection of three funny folktales about stones  a stone that makes blissful soup, stones that masquerade first as coins and then as jewels, an innocent stone that is falsely accused of stealing. Stone Soup tells the story of a tramp who convinces a family of bickering sisters to help make a pot of soup that sweetens their natures and changes their lives. Robbers Are Everywhere is about a poor man who turns the tables on a greedy rich woman, using her own greed to trick her out of his three precious coins she has tricked from him. In The Trial of the Stone a judge accuses a stone of stealing a penny, the trial lures in the real thieves who are caught when they steal again, as the clever judge knew they would, and the stone's good name is happily restored.

Winners of the Baker's Plays High School Playwriting Competition. Baker's Plays has been an advocate for theater in schools for over one hundred years. In the spirit of that commitment, we offer this playwriting competition for High School students. Plays may be about any subject and of any length. It is our hope that this competition will encourage aspiring high school authors to explore the creative possibilities of writing for the stage. This collection includes Devil by Nicky Glossman; Rose Colored Glass by Andrea Costin; To Whom it May Concern by Naomi Rawitz

The Great Grey Ghost of Old Spook Lane is about a little boy, Roger, who is new in town. The kids at school tell him about a haunted house and dare him to go in. Roger feels he has to do it to get "in" with the gang. So on a rainy night they all meet and push him in through a window. But when Roger discover the he isn't alone in the house - the fun really begins!

On Lyla's first day at The Perky Coffee Bean she discovers that Justin (her long-time crush) delivers the muffins. With the help of coffee shop regulars Gary and Kevin, the shop owner Sadie, Lyla's best friend Kat, and various other customers, she finally gets up the courage to tell him how she feels. Muffin Man is a whimsical, farcical musical about a little barista in love with the Muffin Man. Goofy customers, over-enthusiastic parents, and best friends are all in a day's work for Lyla. Can she tell the Muffin Man how she feels? A modern take on the classic nursery rhyme, Muffin Man will leave a smile on your face.

In the kingdom of Baloneya, the law says that King Fredipus is always right  even when hes wrong! When his mistakes start to cause real harm, only a shy peasant girl named Samantha finds the courage to speak up and the ingenuity to set things right. How she does so gives the show its title, as she calls upon the audience to assist her in the hilarious creation of The Nastiest Drink in the World.

Tracey Power's lively, youthful, and ultimately powerful adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic! The Jungle Book is the story of a boy abandoned to the jungle, Mowgli, who must learn to find his place within the longstanding community of animals. Taught by Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther, and Akela the old wolf, Mowgli is enlightened with the sacred master words of the hunting people: We be of one blood, you and I. However, Shere Khan the tiger does not believe that Mowgli is part of the jungle only because he is a human. Mowgli must learn to abide by the ways of jungle law and stand up to the fierce Khan.

A notorious high-society gossip employs several unscrupulous acquaintances in an attempt to break up a relationship between Charles Surface, whom she desires, and Maria, who stands to inherit a fortune and is in turn desired by one of the gossip's co-conspirators! A new look at Richard Brinsley Sheridan's classic play. Excellent for High School and College actors.

Sandy, the four-times-married-three-times-divorced owner of a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, has certainly seen her fair share of matrimonies! In the hilarious and heart-warming Four Weddings and an Elvis, we witness four of her most memorable: Bev and Stan, who are getting married as revenge on their exes; Vanessa and Bryce, two arrogant aging stars who are tying the knot as a publicity ploy; and Martin and Fiona, a gentle postal-worker and a tough ex-con who couldn't be more in love! However, the final wedding is the most touching of all: Sandy's fifth and final wedding to the love of her life.

In the same presentational style of theatrical docu-dramas and reader's theater like The Exonerated and The Laramie Project comes Women and War. Based on historical facts, this play is presented through a collection of stories told in letters and monologues by generations of Americans impacted by conflicts, from The Great War to the War in Afghanistan. Following women's journeys from housewife to worker, young bride to nurse, mother to widow, and now, young woman to soldier, these are tales of sacrifice, love, resolution, and hope told by those who bravely persevere on the home front and on the battlefield. A history lesson of sorts, the play brings to light the varying roles that women have played in all of America's 20th Century wars. Letters to and from American soldiers fighting on foreign soil reveal their significant roles in our history, and highlight the themes in Women and War. They express the agony of separation from loved ones, the determination to keep the home front stable, and most of all - personal sacrifice. With simple staging and flexible casting, this powerful script is perfect for school groups, community theaters, commemorative, as well as commercial productions.

Baker's Plays has been an advocate for theater in schools for over one hundred years. In the spirit of that commitment, we offer this playwriting competition for High School students. Plays may be about any subject and of any length. It is our hope that this competition will encourage aspiring high school authors to explore the creative possibilities of writing for the stage. This collection includes the winners of the 2010 competition: Hesperides by Gabrielle Hoyt-Disick; Keeping Company by Michael Bontatibus; So by Zo� Wilson. Also included is the winner of the prestigious Fidelity Future Stages' 2010 Billy Elliot Award. This play was selected out of over 1000 applicants in the Northeast Tri-state Region: Navy Blue Tiles by Katarzyna Roszczeda.

The classic story of A Christmas Carol is given a modern twist and set at West End High School, where the campus Scrooge is Meredith Priestly, the most beautiful, most popular, meanest, nastiest girl in school! With uninterested and never present globe-trotting parents, the lead in the school production of Romeo and Juliet and Queen Bee of campus (or so she thinks!) is in need of a reminder of what Christmas and frienship are about. Visited by five ghosts -- two of which are Patty and Patrick Prince, two former West End Cheerleaders from the 1950's -- Meredith is taken on a life changing journey.

Unfortunately, Eric, the lone shoemaker of Grimmsville, makes shoes that are miserably uncomfortable and impossible to walk in...leaving a lot of barefoot villagers and Eric without a means to provide for his family. While his wife tries to be supportive, his daughter Shannon just cant take it anymore! Sitting alone in the woods pondering her familys fate, Shannon is confronted by a stranger who offers her the deal of a lifetime... in exchange for her torturous pair of shoes, she is given a magical medallion that holds the charm of the elves. Wanting to help her family, Shannon tries the chant. Her words beckon a pair of elves that show up night after night at the shoemakers home creating the most fabulous shoes EVER! With his shoes now wanted throughout the land, Eric and his family have more gold than they can count. But they quickly begin to realize that all the money in the world doesnt necessarily buy happiness.

Sandy, the four-times-married-three-times-divorced owner of a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, has certainly seen her fair share of matrimonies! In the hilarious and heart-warming Four Weddings and an Elvis, we witness four of her most memorable: Bev and Stan, who are getting married as revenge on their exes; Vanessa and Bryce, two arrogant aging stars who are tying the knot as a publicity ploy; and Martin and Fiona, a gentle postal-worker and a tough ex-con who couldnt be more in love! However, the final wedding is the most touching of all: Sandys fifth and final wedding to the love of her life.

In this twist on the classic fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel are actually Hank and Gertie, two poor children from the hills of Appalachia. When a witch moves in to town and puts their parents under a spell, these intrepid siblings must outsmart and defeat her. A musical, this version of the story is set to a beautiful bluegrass score.

In the kingdom of Middlefield, there is a tradition. On a princess sixteenth birthday, she is tied to a rock, kidnapped by a dragon, rescued by a prince and lives happily ever after. But what happens when the prince is too afraid to fight, the princess wants to do the rescuing by herself, and the dragon is nowhere to be found? Adapted from the story by Edith Nesbit, The Last of the Dragons tells a tale of bravery, intelligence and unexpected friendship.

Set in October 1978, A Night of Dark Intent is the story of six women, who spend the weekend together in an abandoned house. The house, however, is no ordidary home: 13 years prior, it was the location of the grisley Stark chillings, in which young Lenora Stark brutally murdered her parents. Now, as the six women try to unravel the secrets of what really happen 13 years ago, they learn a horrifying truth: Lenora Stark as escaped from her asylum and just might be coming home!

The Pirate Musical! - Buccaneers Edition features the beloved, comic story of the original The Pirate Musical! but is written to accommodate larger and younger casts! With memorable music, captivating adventure, and outlandish, lovable characters, this new version is perfect for school groups, childrens theatres, or any large ensemble! Best friends Hoagy and Shirley find themselves shipwrecked in their imaginations, this time on the mystical island of Wacky Tacky Boo. Once a paradise, the islands natural resources have been plundered by Pollution Pirates. The local animals enlist the aid of our heroes in preventing the pirates from devastating their habitat. After harrowing chases Shirley and Hoagy meet The Big Mermaid, a Seaweed Siren who has spouted legs in time to compete in the islands annual talent show: Wacky Tacky Idol. By the end of Act One, everyone armed with their own agenda are on their way to compete in the extravaganza. Act Two is a show within a show which enables each production to showcase the unique talents of their cast. Who will win Wacky Tacky Idol? Will the pirates clean up their act? All is revealed in the all-singing, all-dancing finale!

The Red Feather Ladies Get Their Man. . ..or do they?! The Red Feather Ladies Investment Club is meeting again at their favorite tea room, The Fancy Frills Tea Room. At their last meeting, they all discovered that they were engaged to the same man, a conniving gigolo. He had been seeing each lady on a different day of the week. Each one planned to get even and came up with a unique way to teach the cad a lesson. They are meeting today to learn the outcome of their vengeance. As tea is served, each one reveals that their plan for revenge didnt go quite as planned. In fact, many times their plans back-fired! The surprise ending leaves them all in shock!

The girls of Fireside Scouts Troop #182 are lost. Their day trip to Yellowstone National Park went terribly wrong, and they dont have a scout leader or a map. To make matters worse, theyre at the mercy of a careless narrator who didnt go to the bathroom before the play started. How will they survive the rain and the dark? Can they find something to eat before something finds them to eat? Will their story unravel at the hands of a stalling stage manager and two talking trees? After letting off a few ear-splitting screams, these spunky girls gather their wits and their Fireside Scout Handbooks, and prepare themselves to earn the most difficult merit badge of all: The Red Merit Badge of Courage.

When four bored children decide to play in the Giants garden, they are in for a nasty surprise. The Giant builds a fence to keep them out, and threatens anyone who tries to come in. But when winter comes and sees that no one is having any fun, it decides to stay forever. Its up to the new girl in town to take down the fence and teach the Giant a lesson in friendship. Based on the story by Oscar Wilde.

Flash the Hare wants to prove that he is the fastest animal in the forest. He only has one more forest animal to beat in a race so he can claim his title: Theodore the Tortoise. Flash is so confident that he can beat Theodore that he doesn't prepare for the race. Furthermore, he brags to anyone who will listen that he is going to beat Theo. You can imagine Flash's embarrassment when Theo beats him in the race in front of all of the other forest animals. Flash learns that it isn't smart to brag or make fun of others. Theo learns that believing in himself is also very important. Based on one of Aesop's fables, The Tortoise and the Hare teaches children the importance of humility, not underestimating someone, and believing in themselves. A fun and educational play for children ages 5 - 9. There is a great deal of audience participation in this play, keeping them involved and interested.

Marjorie returns to Darkwood Hall after receiving a cryptic letter from her adoptive aunt Desdemona Bane, who has an aversion to garlic and direct sunlight. The other members of the Bane family are equally peculiar. Cousin Heathcliff digs in the villagers' flowerbeds whenever there's a full moon. Uncle Lester performs unusual experiments in his laboratory, Cousin Boris raises people-eating plants, Cousin Fenwick thinks he's Adolf Hitler, and Cousin Sylvia hasn't spoken a word since the day of the terrible accident which claimed Margorie's real parents. Todd Warrick, a struggling actor and Margorie's fianc�, follows her to Darkwood Hall, intending to rob her wealthy family  with the help of henchmen Fitzie and Higgins. Will Marjorie find out the terrible secret her foster parents have been keeping from her? Will she uncover Todd's true intentions before it's too late? Will she finally acknowledge her true feelings for Heathcliff, her childhood playmate? Actors and audiences will have a howling good time with this parody of the horror genre.

This is a delightful, audience pleasing, one-set, musical spoof based on Mr. Kelly's enormously popular hit The Butler Did It. Miss Maple, a flaky society dowager, invites a pack of zany detective writers to a spooky house on an isolated island and forces them to impersonate their fictional sleuths. For entertainment, she arranges some "classic" touches - a hairy face at the window, the threat of an escaped lunatic, no communications with the outside world. What she did not arrange was the body on the sitting room carpet! It's up to seedy Chandler Marlowe to solve the bizarre case and he makes a side-splitting mess of it! Ultimately, everyone has a guilty secret to confess and the real killer turns out to be the least suspected.

The story of Voltaires Candide, as adapted in 2 hilarious hours by a quirky amateur theatre group. Candide, the unlucky innocent, is lead through a series of outlandish, side-splitting misadventures that span nine countries, in order to be reunited with his childhood love. Along his journey he encounters shipwrecks and pirates, war, passion, riches beyond the comprehension of mortal man, death by fire, hanging and impalement, Inquisitions, earthquakes, volcanoes, revolution, slave traders, brothels, and sheep& lots of sheep. Throughout his Job-like escapades, he is forced to question his optimistic outlook: is life a cruel or kind expedition? In the end, optimism and good prevail. Candide discovers that the best of all possible worlds is a simple life along-side his true love, and the best example of optimism is a farmer who plants his garden and trusts that it will grow. The play is narrated by Pangloss, the philosopher of Optimism, Paquette, the generous chambermaid, and the Old Woman with No Name and Only One Buttock, who has only one buttock. Each lends their unique perspective to the activities. Candide is a play for directors who like big casts and small budgets. A unit set with simplified, cartoon-like designs best suits the fast paced action. Of the many parts, all but seven can be doubled, and nearly all the parts are gender neutral, thanks to a convenient disclaimer in the prologue.

Horseman is a versed and rather broad and comic adaptation of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Irving's delightful characters find themselves facing questions of young romance, social status, and the supernatural. The narrative body, the old and wise women of Tarrytown, lead us through the tale of Ichabod Crane and his quest for love and security. Steeped in the tone of the original short story, this one act blends the energy of light character ensemble performance with the power of poetry, closing in a purely theatrical crescendo of sight and sound.

Follow Jack up the beanstalk once more in this zany, 45-minute musical romp! Times have changed though, and Jack faces new obstacles on his journey - like how to make his truck go without gasoline and how to stop his mother from selling off his precious video games! Jack learns sometimes you have to take a leap of faith, but that when you do, you have to be prepared for anything - like maybe, oh&a giant! But in this modern-day fable the giant isnt just some tall guy in the clouds. Hes the C.E.O. of a giant farming corporation: Big Aggie Reaping Farms (B.A.R.F.). Through his battle with the Giant, Jack discovers that greed consumes itself, and that only through the help of our neighbors will we all prosper. Filled with comedy, puppetry, and lots of heart, Jack and the Soy Beanstalk plants the seeds of self-reliance, conservationism, and good ol American ingenuity.

This year, in a stroke of good will, Mr. Masterson invites bus kid Davey Bryant over for Thanksgiving dinner. The Masterson kids are appalled; Davey, the biggest bully the kids at Faith Baptist Church have ever seen, is coming to eat at their house! Together, the four Masterson kids (and guests) hatch an anti-Davey campaign to get rid of the pest for good. To add to the mayhem, Mrs. Masterson has been doing a little invitingand matchmakingof her own; the new, single youth pastor, Pastor Brian, as well as Erin Thompson, a young widow, and her two daughters will also be joining the festivities. But with three of the four young girls madly in love with Pastor Brian, bringing the pair together may be easier said than done. With falling bowls of mashed potatoes, invisible dogs, turkey costumes, slingshots, and Pilgrims, one things for certainitll be a Thanksgiving no one will ever forget!

Pre-teen Harriet always gets stuck with her little brother Walt tagging along everywhere she goes. The last thing she wants is an accident prone little brother interfering with her and her friends preparations for the Winter Carnival. When Walt almost gets hurt, Harriet realizes how much he means to her and stands up to her friend George, who criticized her kid brother. Based on the classic childrens book by Nancy Carlson, Harriet and Walt, this story teaches an important lesson about sibling rivalry.

Ghosts are haunting the woods of Ontario and Alice Wimbley - avid ghost hunter and disgruntled Tim Hortons employee - is going to prove it! Armed with her recorders and a crew consisting of her skeptical friend, her sardonic sister and her paranormally-inclined cousin, Alice boldly treks into the deep forest determined to get the spirits on tape. She's finally found the perfect place to investigate when suddenly a terrified deer hunter bursts on the scene. There's definitely something strange and scary in these woods, but Alice and her friends are about to find more than they bargained for. This adventure turns up few ghosts but lots of laughs. A sharp and spirited new comedy, suitable for a general audience.

Returning to the unmarked grave of his long-deceased father, Winston is determined to finally have carved into stone what he could never put into words. There hes met by C, a surprisingly young, beautiful, and very female mason, who helps him discover that before anyone can sum up a life, they first have to look at that life, and their own, honestly.

Eyes Wide Open is a touching and informative play about Kristin, a 16 year-old girl who suffers from anorexia and bulimia. Written by a woman who has experienced eating disorders first hand, the story begins after Kristin faints in her dance class. Kristin finds herself in a hospital room where she is met by the spirit of her grandmother, Birdy. Birdy, who is seen only by Kristin, gently guides her granddaughter through moments of her life. As they revisit the dance studio, Kristin relives both joyful and unhappy experiences with her best friend, Amber. Michael, the boy who Kristin has a crush on, helps her to learn the dance steps. We meet Julia, an obnoxious student who loves to show her 'creative' dances and give others fashion advice. Kristin helps Daniel, Michael's younger brother to stop his bad (and dangerous) habit of closing his eyes when he dances. Laura is the dance teacher who tries unsuccessfully to talk to Kristin about her eating disorder. Ultimately, these experiences and Birdy's guidance help Kristin to examine her life and make her final decision whether to live or die.

Stanley, a young dragon, has run away from home. He feels that he is a failure. As dragons go, he probably is. He's kind, soft spoken, and a good friend. But he can't, for the life of him, breathe FIRE! A lady bug named Persnickety is Stanley's best friend and side kick. Emma is an earthling girl who lives on a farm and plays in the nearby forest with her magical friends. The loveable villain is a raven named City Slick, the Third. Thomas, the pedantic sea turtle, expresses himself in colorful seafaring lingo. Queen Cleo, queen of all the fairies. And Cheets, the effervescent elf. One dark night Slick lures Stanley away from the forest and sells him to the circus. He is left chained, alone in a tent, until such time that he can breathe fire. The Queen of the Faeries gives Donald and Emma a quest; to go and find Stanley and rescue him. While this is an adventure story full of laughter and quirky characters, it also teaches children that no matter what, it is never a good idea to run away from home and is frequently very dangerous. The fable addresses bigotry, greed, loyalty and kindness to others.

"If you see any birthday parties today, let me know. It might be mine," moans the despondent piggy Oinkie to her friends, two hens and a rooster. It's her sixth birthday, but everyone - including her mother, father, and brother and sister, Pigtail and Pigsty - seems to have forgotten. It's no wonder that she cries, "Wee, wee, wee" all the way home. And what about the "little piggy that went to the market," the one who "stayed home," and the ones who "had roast beef" and "had none?" They're all here, along with a human mother who relates the delightful and charming story to her young daughter - who happens to be having her own surprise birthday party. In the end the parties of the pigs and persons merge in a cheerful and lively song and dance. Upbeat and enchanting!

The setting for this play is an orientation camp for new teenage clones. They are sent to "Camp I.M.U" fresh from the lab to make a transition into the world of the "Originals" who have ordered them made. The newest "Copy" (a word they prefer to "clone") to arrive is a very bright and positive teenager named Michael who soon realizes what the other copies in his cottage have known for awhile - that their stay at the camp is much longer than they had thought. Michael befriends a rebellious Copy named Melissa, who does not get along with her Original and refuses to change her attitude in order to please her. She informs Michael, and the other Copies, that she is going to escape from the camp and fight for what she calls "copy rights".

Everyones favorite gumshoe is back with another thrilling adventure! Old Granny Possum is entertaining us with her slightly irregular version of Snow White and Just the Two Very Tall Dwarves when shes kidnapped by Bluebeard and his band of scurvy pirates! Thank goodness Nick Tickle has been hired to get her back. Can he outwit the kidnappers and save her or is she gone for good? Hell need any help he can get with this tough case - fortunately, Puss In Boots is ready to lend a paw and some lucky audience member will get the chance to help Nick question the pirates. Will Rumplestiltskin and Mrs. Stiltskin be of any help and if so, will Nick have to give them a baby? Why has the Fairy Godmother turned Cinderella into a cow? Can the evil Queen Cupcake convince the Magic Mirror that rapping is not an acceptable form of delivering royal proclamations? We can only hope. Everyones favorite gumshoe is back with another thrilling adventure! Old Granny Possum is entertaining us with her slightly irregular version of Snow White and Just the Two Very Tall Dwarves when shes kidnapped by Bluebeard and his band of scurvy pirates! Thank goodness Nick Tickle has been hired to get her back. Can he outwit the kidnappers and save her or is she gone for good? Hell need any help he can get with this tough case - fortunately, Puss In Boots is ready to lend a paw and some lucky audience member will get the chance to help Nick question the pirates. Will Rumplestiltskin and Mrs. Stiltskin be of any help and if so, will Nick have to give them a baby? Why has the Fairy Godmother turned Cinderella into a cow? Can the evil Queen Cupcake convince the Magic Mirror that rapping is not an acceptable form of delivering royal proclamations? We can only hope.

A pantomime based on the famous parable with people in the audience providing an echo.

Mrs. Wallace informs her class that one student will be randomly chosen to make up a story and tell it to the Christmas assembly. All students beg to be picked except for Redheaded Robbie/Robin, whose words come out funny whenever he/she is nervous. Robbie/Robin is selected, and he/she asks Big Eddie, Cool Katie, and Munching Max for help. These friends suggest stories about presents, parties, and pranks, but Robbie/Robin reminds them that Christmas is for sharing, kindness, and forgiveness. At the Christmas assembly Robbie/Robin tries to speak, but the words come out wrong. Big Eddie, Cool Katie, and Munching Max take the stage and tell how they were visited by a redheaded angel (Robbie/Robin). After Robbie/Robin's visit Max shared presents, Katie befriended a lonely girl, and Max forgave his sister. The assembly ends with tears and applause for Robbie/Robin, his friends, and their wonderful Christmas story.

Sam Spud, Private Eye is a parody of the cheap detective novel. Sam Spud is a down-on-his-luck private eye with a fondness for junkfood and cliches. He is convinced that his down-to-earth secretary Jane Reynolds has a crush on him. Lula Baum-Schell, a gorgeous former model and actress, hires Sam to help find her husband, Edward, a wealthy dogfood magnate. Police detective Inspector Oiseau complicates matters because he hates Sam for making him smell bad in the Velveeta Cheese case. Will Sam be able to solve this case before the kidnappers kill Edward? Your guess is as good as ours! A fun, silly noir-style comedy that high schools could really have a blast with!

Emma and Lucy are lost in Tulgey Wood, a mysterious forest full of weird and wonderful creatures. Trying to find their way home, they encounter boisterous Toves and anxious Raths, receive a warning from the refined and snobbish Borogroves about the deadly Jubjub Bird, and are stalked by the frumious Bandersnatch. Joined by intrepid but hapless knight Percy, they come face to face with the awesome Jabberwock - and then Lucy is bandersnatched! Eventually the Jabberwock's terrible secret is revealed, and the children find out what 'frumious' really means.

Meet Spencer: a little mouse with big dreams. He's got exciting plans for the royal ball just like his friend Cinderella. In Spencer's case, he hopes to sneak into the ball and eat all the food on the buffet. But when Cinderella's fairy godmother turns Spencer and his sister Mitzi into horses, mouse and human dreams collide! How will Spencer sneak into the ball now? And will Spencer's crazy improvising make or break Cinderella's big night with the Prince? A fresh, frivolous take on a time-honored fairy tale, Cinderella's Mice shows that even the smallest characters in a story can make a big difference, and that being a good friend can bring great rewards.

Cheets, the irrepressible elf, saves Emma and the enchanted forest from certain destruction! Lord Hazard has employed Patsy, the Banana Spider, to keep Emma ensnared in her web while Hazard sells the forest to developers. Given his reputation for mischief, no one believes Cheets when he claims that he has found Emma because no one but Cheets can see her. Audience participation is encouraged, especially when Emma plays charades with Cheets to make herself understood. A stand alone sequel to Emma and the Lost Unicorn, new characters are introduced; Thomas, a sea turtle, nautical to his toes; Patsy, the spider, means well but cannot resist the tasty bugs supplied to her by Hazard. Rose and Lord Hazard, century old lovers, reunite. This fable contains greed, ecology, friendship, enduring love and justice.

Kiss, Then Tell is a series of nine very short romantic comedies written specifically for high school casts and audiences. Kiss, Then Tell is a series of variations on a theme: each of these poignant, bittersweet one act plays begins by discovering a young couple immediately AFTER their first kiss. In Love Bites, a ten year-old girl needs to convince the new kid in school, a lonely ten year- old boy, that sharing a sandwich is NOT like kissing. Two twelve year olds discover that kissing while wearing braces is painful, but treatable in Brace Yourself. Kiss, Then Tell is a series of nine very short romantic comedies written specifically for high school casts and audiences. Kiss, Then Tell is a series of variations on a theme: each of these poignant, bittersweet one act plays begins by discovering a young couple immediately AFTER their first kiss. In Love Bites, a ten year-old girl needs to convince the new kid in school, a lonely ten year- old boy, that sharing a sandwich is NOT like kissing. Two twelve year olds discover that kissing while wearing braces is painful, but treatable in Brace Yourself. An imaginative twelve year-old boy helps ease the pain of his friend's parents divorce by imitating her dog in My Li'l DiCaprio. In Mysterious Ways two young parochial school students discover that their first innocent kiss may have been a fate tempter. Two self-described math geeks toss away their calculator-based approach to kissing and discover that blind passion has its own drawbacks in After Math. In Two Good Pilgrims the quarterback learns how life can change after his girlfriend returns from summer drama camp. Two teenagers discover the power of pheromones behind the Macy's cosmetics counter in Beauty and the Beast Within. In Forearmed is Forewarned, a young man postpones his first week at college to stay home once he learns how much his little sister idolizes him. In Arcane Traditions, the king and queen of the prom fall in love, in spite of many obvious pitfalls.

When Lady Whites diamond necklace disappears after a dinner party, a police detective is called in to find out where the prized possession has gone. The case seems simple enough to Lady Whites husband and daughter, but when bumbling detective Bradley Baxter arrives and sends the household into disorder and frustration, the case becomes anything but simple. Neighbors are invited and not allowed to leave; accusations fly left and right; and comical misunderstandings multiply. And Detective Baxter is bound and determined not to leave until he can proclaim, Case Closed! at Whimbowly Manor.

This collection is filled with winners. Every play is an award winner and has been performed around the country. Each part gives an actress a chance to put in a winning performance. From the quirky characters in Rock, Paper, Scissors to the exercising ladies in Harvesting the Marigold Seeds; from the two caretakers of all the unborn babies in Limbo and with the final appearance of God, these characters will delight audiences from start to finish. Moving On is a hilarious evening of short plays that will have the audience laughing, crying and thinking about how women face the challenges of moving on while staying connected to the past. A winning combination!

This collection of humorous scripts offers young actors funny characters theyll enjoy playing and contemporary problems theyll find relevant. Clever dialogue, quick pacing, and surprising developments make these scripts fun for performers and audiences alike. The plays utilize flexible casts and simple props, sets, and costumes for easy production.

Shakespeare's bloodiest comedy, a romantic tale of parricide and sibling treachery. King Lear divides his kingdom and swears off women in hopes of spending more time with his books - but when the untimely visit of the Princess of France allows Lear's fellow scholars to fall in love with his three beauteous daughters, the courtly romance that ensues could tear the nation apart.

Banana Sandwich In A Boat is the story of a foolish bridegroom who must find three fools greater than himself before the wedding can take place. Lucky for him, the world proves to have no shortage of fools.

It's only when young Robbie frees Kong, a huge mountain gorilla, from the city zoo that he finds a companion strong enough to stand against the evil witch who has stolen away his brother. But Robbie too falls under the witch's spell, leaving only his Granny and the Gorilla to fight on. His Granny fears all is lost until she begins to understand that Kong is one of the great kings of the world's magic. . .

In A Fair Price honest women are being cheated out of three copper coins by greedy merchants. The women win the day by putting a different twist on the same trick used by the merchants.

The Lion Who Roared is about a noisy lion whose weary jungle neighbors yearn for a good nights sleep. Lion, after being defeated in three contests by a new animal, trades his roar in for a whisper.

A one-act about a young artist on a journey to create her one great masterpiece. On the way she learns lessons about life, art, flamingos, playing the tuba, Georgia OKeefe, really fat ducks, monkeys wearing roller skates, and the joy of coloring outside the lines. A strong ensemble, poetic language, and expressionistic visual elements make Masterpiece perfect for students or adults.

Mechant Enfant revolves around two seven year-olds that are wildly intelligent beyond their years. Their parents are dysfunctional, and many of the scenes take place in a creepy childrens toy shop. As they struggle to make a life for themselves in the city, they have many strange encounters that influence their general ennui.

A young man comes over to an eldery gentleman's home to teach him piano. It soon becomes clear that the old man is more interested in visiting with the boy than playing the piano. Ultimately, they both learn a little something from their encounter.

This is a mysterious comedy - or comical mystery - that will have everyone howling with laughter ...The eccentric owner of Grey's Hound Mansion has been murdered and the cast gathers at the gloomy mansion for the reading of the will. Lightning lights up the stage as thunder and barking dogs greet the wacky characters that arrive. Each one is a suspect, and each one suspects another. Mixed metaphors and alliterations will have the audience barking up the wrong tree until the mystery is solved

Wisely and with great skill, Paterson has adjusted the original tale. Princess Irene is old enough to become the wife of gruesome Goblin Prince Krankl. . . and the sweetheart of miner's son, Curdie. She is young enough to need a bossy nurse, Lottie, and to go squidgy over a Paterson-import, a dragon name d Fannon. And she is just the right age to respond to the magic of the loving, shimmering, enigmatic Lady. . . Paterson is a quite unrivalled talent within the theatre.' Herald

Kevin and Jill meet during auditions for a community theatre play. Kevin immediately expresses his dismay about the director's decision to have the actors read a kiss scene, with real kissing required. What starts as a debate between two strangers about the wisdom of the director's demands evolves into a funny and fragile connection as two lonely individuals confront their insecurities about romance, sex, and, of course, kissing.

All average teenager Beth wanted to do was go to sleep, but due to a case of mistaken identity, she gets caught up in an adventure to save the planet, and has to deal with a cocky narrator that she can't reason with, and is never seen.

A children's author, Aleck, is dealing with a case of depression that is only made worse by his insensitive agent, Danny. The depression turns more severe as he struggles to overcome his writer's block, and to produce material for Danny. Unable to handle his life, Aleck turns to suicide and meets Teddy, who will forever change his outlook on friendship, writing, and life.

Lou's Diner is the friendliest place in the south, but this Christmas Eve, Lou and the girls are steamed. Lou's husband, Bill, and his pals Dave and Jimmy have taken off for a day of hunting in the mountains. Dave is married to one of Lou's waitresses while Jimmy is trying to avoid marriage to the other. Seems they want to avoid family issues by getting out of town for the day. With the warm-hearted women hard at work in the diner on Christmas Eve and the men staunchly avoiding the traditional holiday setting back home, we get to witness each group's perspective of the other through the eyes of a stranded truck driver named Bob. Whoever said, 'Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus' must have met this crew! When Mary Sue, the pregnant and poignant stranger gets lost in the woods and ends up having her baby in a cow shed in the middle of a blizzard, the red-neck boys become the most unlikely Wise Men at the Nativity you ever saw! Bob is there to witness it all and give us the narrative of their adventure. The first miracle of Christmas blesses everyone in this tender comedy, and with simplicity and grace, gently reminds the audience of the real reason for the season! Blending a healthy dollop of southern comedy with a pinch of O'Henry's 'Gift of the Magi', A Good, Old Fashioned, Redneck Country Christmas is overflowing with infectious high spirits! Laughs abound!

Greedy humans exploit the kindness of a magical gnome in this fractured fairy tale based on the Brothers Grimm. An ambitious peasant will say anything to convince the cash-strapped king to marry her lowly daughter, even if it means pretending the girl knows how to spin ordinary straw into priceless gold. Forced to spin or die, the hapless girl begs a lovelorn gnome to save her with his magic. And when her newfound talent leads to a royal marriage proposal, the aspiring princess will promise the gnome anything to keep up the deception. Even her firstborn child! Too late, she realizes the only way to break her promise is to guess the identity of the mysterious gnome before her time runs out and her subterfuge catches up with her.

Mountains In My Stride is an indelibly American folk play, woven of mythic material, of people caught in the timeless trials of becoming their truest selves  whether in 1830 Missouri or now  facing head-on the need for courage, insight and inspiration to conquer their challenges. Jason Hunt, a veteran frontiersman, slated for Congress, finds his true destiny blocked by his love for Ruth, a young, wavering Bostonian, who demands security outside herself; while Hannah, her cousin must shatter the bonds of tradition if she is to find her real self  and true love. Blunder, raised by �the Pawnee and now snared by the mercenary Sary, startles to find himself through his own native-wrought Vision, which untangles all their lives.

Argonuts recounts the ancient Greek myth of Jason and his crew of heroes who sail the seas on a daring quest for the Golden Fleece. But here the classic old tale takes the form of a wild new comedy, with a cast of nearly 40 characters ranging from a half-man/half-horse centaur to a hot-tempered yet insecure bronze giant. Add a little music, a slideshow and your standard 10-foot snake puppet, and you've got that all-too-rare commodity for any high school or community group: a fast-paced, unpredictable and genuinely hilarious show that both kids and adults can enjoy!

During the horrors of the Holocaust, five women imprisoned in Auschwitz escape their fears and revive their spirits by pretending to act out a play in front of an imaginary audience. With the help of a smuggled diamond, they will orchestrate a powerful and stunning emotional victory over their Nazi captors to prove to their imaginary audience that triumph can be torn from the depths of tragedy. As you watch this play, you will soon understand that the imaginary audience was never imaginary at all, because you are a part of it. These women will transcend their surroundings and stare directly into your soul from the stage. They will teach you about the unique human bond that can restore strength and dignity to even the most oppressed people.

Four heart warming Christmas plays and one monologue play, just in time for the holiday!

Set in the early 19th century, Murder with Grace tells the story of Grace, who is horrified when her brother is betrothed to Naomi, a shallow, silly girl whom Grace cannot stand to be around. She is loath to think that Naomi will soon be her sister-in-law, and so she and her good friend Beth devise a plan to manipulate Naomi by convincing her that another, much more affluent, young man named Henry is interested in marrying her. They set the plan in motion before they have actually met Henry, and it works too well--when Grace finally meets Henry, she falls head over heels for him! To make matters worse, Henry returns Naomi's attentions! It seems that Grace's only alternative would be to murder the wretched girl -- that would not be very mannerly...but what alternative does she have? A dark comedy that will have even the most stoic of audiences in giggles.

The mother of the bride has every reason to panic. Three generations of Bower family weddings-three inexplicable disasters. Now, with the church building falling down, half the wedding party AWOL, and the bride's sisters still fighting over what happened at the last family wedding, daughter Jenna's nuptials seem hopelessly doomed. But peacemaking brother Brian is determined to end the sisters' feud-and the family curse. All he needs is to stage a rip-roaring intervention...and pray it turns divine!

Sylvia Goldberg, a respectable retired New Jersey school teacher, brings home more than just souvenirs upon returning from her grandsons wedding in Israel. Sylvies troubles begin when she realizes that the old teapot she purchased at an outdoor market is actually a priceless relic containing a geriatric genie Eugene with a bad back and a penchant for vodka and V8. Keeping Eugene a secret from her three best friends, Mabel, Thelma and Fannie, proves to be nearly as difficult as protecting herself from Eugenes former master who follows Sylvie home and threatens her at knifepoint. Be careful what you wish for Sylvie Goldberg! You never know, it might come true. Seniors of the Sahara is a magical romantic comedy for seniors and juniors of all ages.

Set in a community animal shelter, Sheltered Friends is a musical for young audiences. The characters' stories are inspired by real shelter animals. Miss Belle, the cranky "shelter cat," and Henry, an older, mixed breed dog, offer a tour of the shelter and introduce the audience to the many different animals there who are hoping for a happy home. These include guinea pigs; puppies; a dog who was deemed "too dangerous"; a cat who was returned because her fur didn't match a rug; a deaf cat; and a chorus of street dogs and cats. With eight songs ranging from mambo to rap to blues to ballad, the animals learn about friendship while the audience comes to understand the importance of humane treatment of pets and animals. This is a good script for pre-teens and teens to perform for younger children.

More Readers Theatre Scripts for Christmas! See Gargoyles, Plastic Balls, and Soup for previous plays about Timmy, Grandma, and the Gargoyle. All the plays are light-hearted and amusing as they each present a nugget of the Christian message to all ages. They are easily staged in a church chancel or on a bare stage with only one or two rehearsals.

Clara's Christmas Dreams is a stage adaptation of the Dumas (pere) version of the Nutcracker story used by Tchaikovsky for his ballet. It tells the story of the journey of a young girl from childhood to emotional maturity condensed into a series of dreams brought on by a high fever during a single special night. The audience for the play is children from nine to fourteen, and adults of all ages. One reader commented on this adaptation as follows: "The dream sequences interspersed with the 'real' illness scenes made sense of the ballet story line to me. The characters were simple and clear, appropriate for a fable/fairytale. I enjoyed the dialogue in verse. . .I found Clara's fight for her life and character journey stronger than in the ballet. . .". The NY Times commented: "the show mesmerizes even boys"

Swashbuckling pirates, sea battles, buried treasure and a pygmy or two make up the high seas adventure of The Pirate Show! ARG! Set in late 19th century London, Nigel and Virginia Huddersfield, orphaned brother and sister, are living under the cruel Miss Persimmon Crudmudgeon. Fed up with their life, the brother and sister flee. Pursued by Crudmudgeon and her Constable boyfriend, Nigel and Virginia hide in pier side barrels, but they are separated as the all-female crew of the Pretty Penelope and the all-male crew of El Bandido Loco accidently kidnap them. Both crews are in pursuit of the treasure of Captain Mauvebeard and the Caribbean Ruby, buried on Pygmy Island. Upon arrival to Pygmy Island, the pirates encounter the pygmies, who have discovered the treasure and spent it! Devastated, the bands of pirates are thrilled when the pygmies inform them they have one piece of treasure left -the Caribbean Ruby. The pirates decide to join together, thus reuniting Nigel and Virginia. Once back in jolly 'ole England, Nigel and Virginia, along with their new pirate and pygmy friends, buy the orphanage and fire Crudmudgeon. A family oriented comedy, The Pirate Show completely sold out its premiere run! Great fun for all!

Christmas Plays for Children. Many thoughts come to mind when the word Christmas is mentioned. Snowmen, Elves, and Nutcrackers are not only three images fondly connected to Christmas, but a collection of three Christmas plays that illustrate how those three words have become synonymous with Christmas around the world.

Swashbuckling pirates, sea battles, buried treasure and a pygmy or two make up the high seas adventure of The Pirate Show! ARG! Set in late 19th century London, Nigel and Virginia Huddersfield, orphaned brother and sister, are living under the cruel Miss Persimmon Crudmudgeon. Fed up with their life, the brother and sister flee. Pursued by Crudmudgeon and her Constable boyfriend, Nigel and Virginia hide in pier side barrels, but they are separated as the all-female crew of the Pretty Penelope and the all-male crew of El Bandido Loco accidently kidnap them. Both crews are in pursuit of the treasure of Captain Mauvebeard and the Caribbean Ruby, buried on Pygmy Island. Upon arrival to Pygmy Island, the pirates encounter the pygmies, who have discovered the treasure and spent it! Devastated, the bands of pirates are thrilled when the pygmies inform them they have one piece of treasure left -the Caribbean Ruby. The pirates decide to join together, thus reuniting Nigel and Virginia. Once back in jolly 'ole England, Nigel and Virginia, along with their new pirate and pygmy friends, buy the orphanage and fire Crudmudgeon. A family oriented comedy, The Pirate Show completely sold out its premiere run! Great fun for all!