High School & Middle School Plays

GILLIGAN VARIATIONS

Ten playwrights were given a task: write a short play inspired by the Gilligan’s Island opening theme song. Far from slavish adaptations featuring soon-to-be castaways on a three-hour tour, the resulting plays were filled with murder, existential crisis, gender-bending role reversal, absurdism and magic. These are THE GILLIGAN VARIATIONS.

The Island by Sean Abley
Gillian’s Isle by Liesl Ehmke
Jump Ship by Lydia Stewart
Lilli’s Lost at Sea by Jessica Burton
Sonia and Nancy by Caitlin McCommis
Search / Rescue by Kimberly Patterson
Five Steps to Murder Your Spouse by Meghan Reimers
Evacuate by Megan Wheelock
The Shadow of Gilligan’s Island by Sean Michael McCord
The Isle by Kyle Philip Jackola

HORROR HIGH: THE MUSICAL!

Comedy
Running Time: 90 minutes
9 females, 8 males, 17 total cast, unlimited chorus

Book by Sean Abley
Lyrics by Sean Abley and Amy Seeley
Music by Ryan O’Connell

Based on one of our most popular comedies, HORROR HIGH: THE MUSICAL takes all of those horror film icons of long ago – Frankenstein, the Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. – and transforms them into high school teenagers in their senior year at Horror High School. Will Georgia the Zombie stop eating brains long enough to realize her Bigfoot boyfriend is unhappy on the football team? Will Blair the Witch be able to convince Victor Frankenstein that his monster isn’t just a bunch of used parts? Will Nosferata the Vegetarian Vampire and Larry the Wolf ever be able to convince their parents a “mixed” relationship is okay? And will Miss Medusa, the computer teacher, be able to keep her sunglasses on without turning the entire student body to stone? Sixteen classic monsters make up the faculty and student body of HORROR HIGH! Click to read a sample, listen to the music demo, order a copy or get the performance rights!

TWO-FACED: A TRAGEDY…SORT OF

Comedy
Short, 35 minutes
3 females, 4 males, 14 either, 21 total cast, plus Greek chorus (any size) and extras possible

Mary Whatsername isn’t popular or unpopular. She’s just invisible. Now it’s her senior year, and Mary is determined to make her mark on Generic High School in Your Town, USA. Through sheer force of will she manages to get on both the cheer squad and the mathletes team. But trouble is just around the corner when she’s expected to cheer on the mathletes at the state Demathalon. Using the conventions of Greek tragedy, TWO-FACED is the perfect comedy for schools looking for scripts with almost two dozen great roles for girls. The length is also perfect for festivals and conventions. Click here to read an excerpt, order copies or license a production!

HISTORICALLY BAD FIRST DATES

Comedy
Short, 45 minutes
12 males, 10 females, 9 either (10-31 possible, 4-12 males, 4-10 females, 2-9 either)

Jenna and Achilles find themselves trapped in the Millennium Relationships Services offices located at the end of the Universe. With no memory of how they got there, and no knowledge of each other, the two confused singles are shown bad first dates throughout history – Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth and Latonya (Lady) Macbeth, George Washington and Martha, Frankenstein’s Monster and the soon-to-be Bride of the Monster, and Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty. These horrible first impressions are examples of what not to do, and Jenna and Achilles are expected to learn from them before they’re sent out on their “assignment.” (NOTE: This play contains stand-alone scenes perfect for drama festivals and competitions.) Click to read a sample or order a copy!

ELEVATOR GAMES

Comedy
10 minutes
1 male, 1 female, 1 either, gender flexible cast

Three people enter an elevator. The elevator stops between floors. One passenger, his/her name a mystery, takes this opportunity to hilarously torture the other passenger with a bizarre guessing game. Tensions rise as the elevator refuses to. Will everyone make it out alive? This is a perfect 10-minute one-act for festivals or competitions.Click to read a sample or order a copy!

DOUBLE TROUBLE ON THE PRAIRIE

Comedy
Short, 45-50 minutes
4 males, 4 females, more with less doubling

The identical twins Timothy and Jimothy Scrubb aren’t the smartest brothers in Virginia City – in fact they won the ‘Dumbest Twins in the Montana Territory’ contest. But when Victor Horrible (that’s ‘Horr-EE-blay’) swoops into town and begins killing off the shareholders of the Opera House in a plot to replace it with a new development, The Scrubb Brothers must use their collective smarts to save the theater and Miss Mary Sarah Sue Laura’s reputation! Click to read a sample or order a copy!

ADVENTURES OF ROSE RED (SNOW WHITE’S LESS-FAMOUS SISTER)

Comedy
Short, 30-45 minutes

Rose Red has just turned thirteen, and the pressure is on — what will she do to get famous like her sister, Snow White? Everyone in the kingdom, from her parents to her close friend Miss Muffet, is pressuring her to get discovered. But Rose Red doesn’t want to constantly be on the front page of the Grimm Times, even if Bo Peep, Cinderella, and Goldilocks eat up the attention. In her struggle to choose between doing what everyone else wants and forging her own path, Rose Red can’t help wondering if a girl who wants to be “just normal” can live happily ever after. Click to read a sample or order a copy!

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF…? EIGHT 10-MINUTE TALES OF IMPROBABILITY

Comedy
One-act collection, 10-60 minutes
3-13 males, 5-14 females, 9 either (36 roles, less with doubling)

Dr. Scientist hosts an evening of “What would happen if…?” experiments like “What if Cinderella was a vampire?” (Cinderella: Bloodsucker), “What if Peanut Butter never met Jelly?” (Pantry Tales: A Matter of Flavor), “What if the Three Stooges were rational people?” (Stooge Upgrade), “What if the Queen of England was a robot?” (Queen Elizabeth: The World’s Only Robot Queen!), “What if Cleopatra hosted a talk show?” (Cleopatra’s Ancient Egyptian Awesome Talk Show!) and “What if all the bicycles in Britain had square wheels?” (The Square-Wheeled Bicycles of London, England). This is a great evening of theater, OR you can break out each one-act for drama festivals and competitions! Click here to read a sample, order a copy or license the rights!!

WE WISH YOU A MERRY SPENDMAS!

Holiday Comedy
Full length two-act, 90 minutes
4 females, 5 males, 11-24 either, 20-33 total cast

In this hilarious holiday satire set in the near future, Sprawl-Mart, a gigantic corporation, has purchased all merchandising rights to Christmas – even Santa Claus! Determined to rebrand the holiday to ‘Spendmas,’ evil Sprawl-Mart CEO Mr. Reed must battle the young and idealistic Ann Turner, who has had enough of holidays without sentiment. But can she enlist a happily retired Santa and a bunch of disgruntled elves in her cause? With dozens of big, colorful characters of all ages, and laughs for both the kids and adults, We Wish You a Merry Spendmas! is the perfect large cast holiday comedy. Click here to read a sample, order a copy or license the rights!!

RISE OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

Murder Mystery Comedy
Short, 50 minutes
4-5 males, 4 females

Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” gets turned upside down in this sequel … of sorts! Far from the Gothic mood of the original story, this is a broad comedy-mystery with a little bit of the macabre thrown in for fun. Some characters from the original story, as well as a few new ones, are now trapped in a different mansion. They’ve been called together on this dark and stormy night by a mysterious host for a reading by Poe. The guests are unknown to each other, yet there must be a connection because one by one they disappear. It’s all deliciously spooky as lightning flashes, pendulums, and poisoned tea raise the play’s tension and dark humor. Actors are encouraged to break character and the fourth wall, as well as add physical bits if inspired to do so. The characters are aware that they are in a play, and can engage the audience socially when appropriate. Click to read a sample or order a copy!