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Our catalogue is separated into two sections:
Volume I: Musicals and Music Theatre
Volume II: Plays without music -
or where the music may be altered or omitted
You can access ANY play or musical
directly from this "Scroller"
BY CLICKING ON THE PAGE NUMBER AT THE
BOTTOM OF ITS DESCRIPTION
This may provide
additional information about the show -
eg. reviews, comments by
those who have already staged it, photographs etc.
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Catalogue of
PLAYSCRIPTS & MUSICAL SCORES
of theatrical works for performance by youth groups & schools
VOLUME I
MUSICALS and Music Theatre
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All the shows listed in this section include original music which is an integral part of the piece and which must not be re-written or significantly altered for performance without the consent of SchoolPlay Productions Limited.
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In those instances where cassettes are available, please note:
A rehearsal cassette contains a piano accompaniment suitable for rehearsal only.
A performance cassette contains a fully orchestrated backing track for use in performances. A past performance cassette is a recording made during actual performance and contains both vocals and backing. No guarantee can be made of recording quality but it may be a useful aid in learning the songs, etc.
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Page: M 1
A Musical of the 1960's (with apologies to Charles Dickens)
Words and Music by ANTHONY LEE
Cast: 28 (18m, 10f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13
Approx. Running Time: 105 minutes [ + interval]
Music: A variety of solos and group numbers in 1960's styles, accompaniment can be by piano and drums, keyboards or small band.
Set: Carnaby Street, London in 1968 outside two fish and chip shops; in an office; a basement "sweat shop"; a meeting room; and the interiors of the "chippies".
Synopsis: Two charladies become observers/commentators on this flippant story of Olive, who has run away to London to escape the cruelty of the orphanage where she was made to eat all the food which was piled daily on her plate. She finds herself among other young runaways confined to the "sweat shop" operated by Boss Snakeyes Santana and his gang. The appearance of protest groups (the duped Hare Krishna followers and an inept bunch of anarchists) add life and colour to the scene as the police, searching for Olive (whose parents have been found), accidentally trap Santana and his gang at the same time.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 17 5
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Page: M 2
RED SOCKS
A Musical
by ANTHONY LEE
Music by ANTHONY LEE and GARETH PRICE
Cast: 27 (18m, 9f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval]
Music: Range of songs in various styles; accompaniment by piano and percussion, keyboards or small band.
Set: "The Old Classic Dance Hall"; a property developer's office; the police station and the town hall.
Synopsis: The "O.C.D.H." is a privately owned establishment which has become a Community Centre catering for the local youth but the owner, a property developer, sees greater potential in it. He has not however reckoned with his niece, a member of the club, or her friends who outwit even the dignitaries on the Council.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 18 3
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Page: M 3
IDEA FROM A FRIEND
A Play with Songs
by ALLAN STEVEN
Music by MIKE SMITH
Cast: 23 speaking parts (7 m, 16 f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 12 - 16.
Approx. Running Time: 80 - 90 minutes
Music: Four songs which give enhanced dramatic effect.
Set: A school classroom - but a large acting space; could be performed "in the round".
Synopsis: Mrs. Melly receives little of the co-operation she requires from her class of teenage girls when attempting to start rehearsals for a Nativity play. Once she has left the room, however, the mysterious Jack appears and the situation changes radically as some of the girls reveal aspects of their character which none of their classmates had expected.
"Though not conceived as a religious work," writes the author, "the play uses that most famous of stories as a vehicle for exploring moral and social issues in education, putting teachers' attitudes under the microscope whilst simultaneously exploding the myth that girls are all sweetness and light."
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " F
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 22 1
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Page: M 4
FULL CIRCLE
A One-Act Rock Musical
by SYD RALPH
Music by DAVID MASTERS
Cast: 23 speaking parts (7m, 16f ) + singing narrator (m/f) + crowd (many singing/dancing).
Suggested Age Range: 13 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 50 minutes
Music: Contemporary rock-type solos, duets and big group numbers; scope for "street-cred" choreography; scored for three synthesizers.
Set: Minimal contemporary settings which can be portrayed symbolically; could work well "in the round".
Synopsis: This hard-hitting piece provides a fast-moving focus on some of the emotional and practical issues facing teenagers today, examining, with honesty and humour, their relationships with each other and with their parents. It also questions the part played by the media in modern society [is their role merely reporting events or is it more insidious?] before a strange twist in the tail completes the story.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: "
Performance Rights: " X
FULL CIRCLE was the winner as Best Original Production in the 1989 Barclays Bank Youth Music Theatre Awards.
ISBN 1 872475 26 4
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Page: M 5
LUMPY CUSTARD
A Rock Musical
by SYD RALPH
Music by DAVID MASTERS
Cast: 48 speaking parts (23m, 25f but many variable m/f; with doubling can reduce to about 30) + singing narrator (m/f) + crowd (many singing/dancing) + (optional) dog.
Suggested Age Range: 13 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 100 minutes [ + interval]
Music: A lively, varied, pop-orienated score; solos, small group and big musical numbers; scored for electronic keyboards + optional live instruments.
Set: Contemporary and versatile, changed by the cast as part of the action.
The setting varies from the London Underground to a bedroom; from a theatre agent's office to a boutique . . . . and more! All can be symbolic.
Synopsis: Young singer/songwriter Martin Cole's new single reaches the pop charts and he discovers that being successful is not what he expected. Pressure from local radio DJ's, his agent and the advertising moguls closes in on him and on his relationships with his very ordinary family, girl friend and other friends.
With an "Elvis-type" spoof of a nightmare, a gaggle of performing Brownies and a chaotic film-set sequence, this piece offers great scope for imagination, versatility and humour.
LUMPY CUSTARD was the winner as Best Original Production in the 1990 Barclays Bank Youth Music Theatre Awards.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 25 6
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Page: M 6
CRIPPEN
A Music-Hall Melodrama
by RICHARD CRANE
Original Music by MILTON REAME JAMES
Cast: A minimum of 5 (3m, 2f) which can expand to over 20.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards - probably best with a limited spread.
Approx. Running Time: 100 minutes [ + interval]
Music: 4 songs ( + some "snatches" ); one soloist (f); piano or small band.
Set: Minimal - a blend of law court and Music-Hall within which other situations are portrayed.
Synopsis: The famous murder in 1910 by Dr. Crippen of his wife, a Music-Hall artiste, followed by his escape on board ship with his secretary, disguised as a boy, and their arrest on arrival in America as the result of a message sent by wireless telegraphy.
The story is told as continuous, lively and comic burlesque, echoing the way it was perceived by the public at the time and since, yet showing understanding for the trapped but not uncommon situations in which all three principal characters found themselves.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Partial Score: " D
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 11 6
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Page: M 7
GUNSLINGER
A Wild West Show
by RICHARD CRANE
Original Music by JOSS BUCKLEY
Cast: A minimum of 10 (8m, 2f) which can expand to over 30.
Suggested Age Range: 10 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 105 minutes [ + interval]
Music: 12 songs, some solos; piano, drums and guitar - all on stage, in the saloon, if possible.
Set: Simple but expansive, incorporating the auditorium if possible; centred on the No-Name Saloon but continually spreading into the "wide open spaces".
Synopsis: All the archetypal characters of the Wild West appear in this extravaganza which also includes almost every known episode of that over-exposed period of American history.
"The challenge of Gunslinger is to take it seriously," writes the author, "to believe in its vastness, to understand that it contains not a word of 'send-up' and to enjoy it."
If you believe that then you may even believe some of the far-fetched tales in this fast-moving and lively piece.
The script of GUNSLINGER was formerly published by Heinemann Educational Books Ltd. The score was formerly published by Chappell Music Ltd.
:Price Codes Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 01 9
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Page: M 8
SWEET DREAMS
A Musical Fantasy
by DAVID WENDEN and TREVOR HUGGONS
Music by WARD BAKER
Cast: 17 speaking parts (12 m, 5 f, but all adaptable m/f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range:
8 to 13, but could be extended.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes [ + interval]
Music: Quite simple for piano only - percussion advantageous - or easily scored for small band.
Set: From a boy's bedroom into Dreamland - an abstract, open area.
Synopsis: Sam has stolen £5 from his parents and although he won't admit it, his conscience is troubling him. So much so that his Conscience comes to life and, to teach him the error of his ways, takes Sam through a nightmare adventure, during which he encounters some very varied recruits and some comic situations at the training school for apprentice consciences.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette " E [Full version: Code F]
Performance Cassette: " G
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 16 7
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Page: M 9
MEHUJA!
A Musical Play
by DAVID WENDEN and IAN KEARNEY
Music by WARD BAKER
Cast: 17 speaking parts (6m, 3f, remainder either - all but one could be m/f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes [ + interval]
Music: Written for small band but feasible with keyboard(s) only.
Set: 1940: Outside a railway station; a farm barn; a farm kitchen and a large open area - the land of Mehuja!
Synopsis: Five evacuees find themselves lodged with a farmer's widow, who exhorts them not to venture into the old barn. Of course they do and thence through a mysterious hole into another world, another dimension. The Mehujans are ruled by a tyrannical robot whose power extends over the children as well until its human origins give an unexpected twist to the tale.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Performance Cassette: " G
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 15 9
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Page: M 10
THE LEAVING OF LIVERPOOL
A Play with Music
by DAVID SCOTT and JEREMY JAMES TAYLOR
Music by RICHARD BRETT
Cast: 33 speaking parts (26 m, 7 f) ; one (m) is demanding.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards - best with a wide range.
Approx. Running Time: 105 minutes [ + intervals]
Music: A mixture of group and solo items of varying range; accompaniment written for seven-piece ensemble but could be simplified.
Set: Prologue in an Irish hovel; Act I on a Liverpool dockside; Act II on board ship. The date is 1850.
Synopsis: The desperation and anticipation which pushed on the emigrants from Ireland and the exploitation of children by those profiting from the transatlantic trade combine to create a gripping drama which is splendidly balanced with beautiful ballads and sparky humour.
Every character is quickly identified and provides scope for young actors to work together in a tight production of one of the National Youth Music Theatre's acclaimed successes.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 07 8
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Page: M 11
WITCHES!
A Musical Comedy
by JEREMY JAMES TAYLOR
Music by DAVID NIELD
Cast: 33 (13m, 20f but variable) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes [ + interval]
:Music Lively "big band" numbers for ensembles and ballads, mostly in 1930s styles; accompaniment should be largely brass/wind but could be piano and drums.
Set: Three settings: Act I in a forest clearing; Act II on Blackpool Promenade; Act III inside the Theatre.
Synopsis: Jezebel, High Priestess of the Pendle Coven of Witches, divides her time between plotting against Police Chief Perceval Plodthwaite and his intrepid force and provoking the Witches' latest recruit Belinda - who only joined them because of a spelling mistake!
When Jezebel hears that the celebrated Music Hall star Sandy Castle is lampooning her in his act, she declares war on him too and the broomstick squadron set off for Blackpool. Chaos ensues and everyone finally meets in direct conflict on the stage of the theatre, on August Bank Holiday, 1930. There is a mad frolic and a happy ending!
WITCHES! was commissioned by Granada Television for the National Youth Music Theatre
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette " F [Full version]
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 05 1
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Page: M 12
BERTIE'S GENIUS
A Family Musical
Words and Music by MARY HONOR
Cast: 16 speaking parts (14m, 2f ) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes [+ intervals]
Music: Several up-tempo tunes, mostly in 1920s styles, some set for choreography. Accompaniment should be small band (piano, guitar, 2 clarinets, trombone, cello or bass and percussion) but could be piano and drums. Ideally a small string group also on stage.
Set: From auction room, through antique shop, quayside and ship's deck, to middle-eastern road and finally palace; can mostly be very simple effects.
Synopsis: Back to the 1920s for a tale of intrigue, a little magic and good clean fun, helped along by lively music and dance. An adventurous young hero, the irrepressible Egbert Worthy, with liberal helpings of cheek and ingenuity, defies authority, reunites the twin Genies and saves the Padisah of Zevkli from a nasty coup.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Piano Score: " F
Performance Cassette: " F
Rehearsal Cassette " F
Past Performance Cassette " E
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 12 4
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Page: M 13
THE POWDER MONKEYS
A Play with Music
by DAVID SCOTT and JEREMY JAMES TAYLOR
Music by DAVID NIELD
Cast: 37 speaking parts (25m, 12f), some of which can be doubled and/or mixed with additional crowd parts.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards - best with a wide range.
Approx. Running Time: 120 minutes [ + intervals]
Music: Based on contemporary pieces of the Napoleonic War and before; some solo; accompaniment ideally ten-piece orchestra but can be simplified.
Set: Simple, versatile and fast-moving - to be rotated and/or converted by the cast as part of the action and sometimes the music. The setting varies from cricket field to quarter deck and from drawing room to open road but all should be portrayed symbolically and with minimum intrusion upon the acting area.
Synopsis: A powerful piece, originally from the National Youth Music Theatre, which highlights the social hyprocrisy and injustice of Nelson's England, whilst focussing on the inhabitants of the famous cricket-playing village of Hambledon. Young characters of varying backgrounds encounter the dilemna of conflicting loyalties whilst retaining the innocence and spark of childhood - even as they run risks in the face of death as "powder monkeys" on the fighting ships. A lively, poignant, noisy, humorous and moving play providing great scope and challenge.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Cassette: * " A
Past Performance Cassette " E
Performance Rights: " X
*Cassette contains only one number, which is required to be played on tape
ISBN 1 872475 08 6
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Page: M 14
A DAY AT THE SEA-SIDE
A Music-Theatre Excursion into Edwardian England
by JEREMY R. LUCAS
Original Music by WARD BAKER
Cast: 37 speaking parts (26m, 11f ) + crowd - including dancers and singers, if possible
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13, possibly to 15/16.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes [+ interval]
Music: Mostly contemporary light music/songs of the Edwardian period; mix of solo and group items; scope for choreography; ideally accompaniment includes small band and string quartet (on stage if possible) but mostly piano; key-boards could suffice.
Set: Based on sea-side architecture, changing rapidly through various aspects of an Edwardian resort.
Synopsis: Great Yarmouth, 1904. Two parties of children arrive for day trips - one from a Norfolk preparatory school, the other from the slums of London. The social taboos of the period alongside the jollity of pierrot shows and the elegant life-style of Edwardian England provide a lively but thought-provoking piece of theatre, full of bustle, noise and humour, yet tinged with irony and culminating in harsh reality.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " F
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 09 4
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Page: M 15
INJUNS
A Musical
by JAMES WARDROBE and WILLIAM GODFREE
Music by WILLIAM GODFREE
Cast: 11 (7m, 4f) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: Varied styles of music for solos and groups with strong accompaniment.
Set: The Wild West.
Synopsis: A lively and unusual musical in two acts set in the Arizona desert in 1870; several strong characters - some white, some Indian - find themselves in an unexpected tangle as the relationships between the races emerge as being more complicated than might meet the eye.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette " F
Past Performance Cassette " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 28 0
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Page: M 16
QUILL POWER
A Musical Biography of William Shakespeare
by DI COLEMAN
Music by CHRIS TINGLEY
Cast: Approximately 30 minimum ( some variable m/f ) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 12 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 120 minutes [+ interval]
Music: Solo and chorus numbers; accompaniment can be keyboards plus small band or full orchestra.
Set: 16th century London and Stratford Upon Avon. Flexible open staging suggesting the Globe Theatre, the Falcon Inn, street and internal scenes and the Clopton Bridge.
Synopsis: The story of Shakespeare's rise to prominence in London, whilst trying to maintain a family life in Stratford, exposes domestic difficulties which, like his works, remain as applicable today as when they first emerged.
The mix of historical and fictional characters give life and interest to the tale and there are explanatory footnotes to the text relating to authentic references.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Past Performance Cassette " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 29 9
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Page: M 17
BREAKER'S YARD
A Play with Music
by SYD RALPH
Music by CHRIS TINGLEY
Cast: Approximately 50 (many variable m/f and some doubling possible).
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 18 - best with a spread.
Approx. Running Time: 120 minutes [ + interval]
Music: Keyboards plus small orchestra.
Set: Open stage surrounded by staircases and gallery to provide various exterior and interior views of all aspects of 19th century London.
Synopsis: The slums of Victorian London provide an easy opening for the enigmatic Jack Breaker to purvey his "Rainbow Dreams" - and to ensnare many others beside those already trapped by poverty.
A powerful, energetic and thought-provoking piece of Music-Theatre, offering challenge to director and cast as well as to the audience.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Past Performance Cassette " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 30 2
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Page: M 18
STARBRIGHT
A Modern Musical of the Nativity
by DI COLEMAN
Music by CHRIS TINGLEY
Cast: Minimum about 30 (mixed m/f - can be many more) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 13, or 13 upwards
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [+ interval]
Music: Mix of solo and group items; scope for choreography; accompaniment written for full orchestra but could be keyboards and/or small band or piano plus percussion.
Set: Open and flexible; works well "in the round": a railway station; a nightclub; a supermarket; a restaurant; house interiors.
Synopsis: If the Three Wise Men had travelled to Bethlehem on a Camel Train operated by British Rail it might have given a different aspect to their journey but the importance of the event would not have been diminished.
This lively musical provides ample scope for director and cast to relate the Christmas story to modern youth and society but maintains a reverence and respect which should appeal to all.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts.
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Page: M 19
NO PLACE FOR A GIRL
A New Musical Play *
by MARK WHEELLER
Music by BRIAN PRICE
* for an alternative version without music - SWEET F. A. [SchoolPlay PLUS]
see under PLAYS in Volume II, Page P 14
Cast: Minimum 28 (15m, 13f).
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards - best with a wide range.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [+ interval]
Music: Solos and chorus numbers; the leading actors do not need to be singers. Accompaniment can be by keyboards or small band.
Set: Minimal settings to include a football pitch and the interior of a domestic situation, together with various other straightforward venues.
Synopsis: The true story of Southampton girl Sarah Stanbury and her struggle to gain recognition as a soccer player.
Just like her Dad, Sarah, or "Sedge" as she is known to most people, has always liked football . . . her Mother hates it!
Despite her talent, the football authorities prevent her from playing for her school. Nevertheless her ambition remains firm and by the age of 16 she has become a regular first team member of a Womens' Football Association adult Super-League Club and an England Womens' Under 21 International.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 32 9
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Page: M 20
OUT OF THE BLUE
An Original Musical Play
by GRAHAM FERGUSON
Music by DAVID HARDING
Cast: 25 (10 m, 5 f, 10 variable).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13 or 12 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + intervals ]
Music: A mixture of styles from baroque to jazz; solo and group items. Scored for full orchestra but piano accompaniment would suffice.
Set: Opens with blank set ("Infinite") then transfers to the drawing room of a large Georgian mansion.
Synopsis: Irving Cornell, dentist, [deceased] arrives via "Cloud Control" just in time for the Ghosts' AGM. Under Any Other Business they have to decide on a destination for their Spooks' Outing. This done, they descend upon Buntington Hall to cause comical havoc and mayhem as they haunt the incumbents.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Songs: Demo Cassette: " B
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 44 2
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Page: M 21
ROCK A-ROUND ROBIN
A Family Musical
Words and Music by MARY HONOR
Cast: 25 (minimum 15 m, 5 f - others can be varied m/f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + intervals ]
Music: Mostly rock 'n' roll but some period music. Solos and group numbers. Ideally small rock band but piano/keyboards would suffice.
Set: A glade in Sherwood Forest; the sheriff's castle; a dairy; a village green and a dungeon.
Synopsis: The traditional story takes another unexpected turn as it emerges that Robin Hood and his Band were in fact a Rock Group, who used the opportunity provided by the Grand Minstrel Contest, and even that of Robin's arrest, to expose the Sheriff's double dealing and then to give their own Royal Command Performance!
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 41 8
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Page: M 22
BILLY THE SILICON KID
A Musical
by BOB SANGWELL
Music by GEOFF OSBORNE
Cast: 12 (7 m, 5 f but some variable) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 60 minutes.
Music: Solo and group numbers in a modern genre. Ideally keyboards with effects.
Set: Various domestic/everyday settings plus a "space age" control room.
Synopsis: To his parents' despair, Billy is always in trouble. Desperate measures are called for and a microchip is implanted in his head - supposedly to curb his anti-social behaviour. But it turns Billy into a strange being with an insatiable desire for information; he is lured away by an evil Mastermind and it becomes a race against time.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 40 X
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Page: M 23
BOMBSHELLS
A World War II Musical
by MARTIN DIMERY
Music by JONATHAN PALMER
Cast: 21 speaking parts (7 m, 14 f), + chorus & crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 13 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 120 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: Pastiche 1940's music. Solo and group numbers. Scored for Big Band but could be piano and drums.
Set: World War II:- a munitions factory; the garden terrace of a mansion; a basement night club; a dressing room and a military camp in Egypt.
Synopsis: This light romantic musical, set in the 1940's, centres on a group of girls who work in a munitions factory. Four of them form a vocal group to entertain the troops but the Blitzkreig destroys the partnership, shatters ambitions and cuts across boundaries.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 43 4
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Page: M 24
BLACKOUT
A Musical
Words and Music by MARK WHEELLER
Cast: Large cast - many variable m/f parts.
Suggested Age Range: 11 plus.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: Pastiche 1940's music. Solo and group numbers. Preferably Big Band sound but piano and percussion might suffice.
Set: England during World War II, ranging through a school playground, an air raid shelter, a girl's bedroom, a railway station and the living rooms of two different houses.
Synopsis: An evocative musical, with a large cast, set in Britain 1939-43. It explores the life of an evacuee, torn from family and home and living with strangers; the death of her mother in a London bombing raid seems as remote as does her father when he comes to visit. In the end it is the parting from her guardians which is too difficult for any of them to handle.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 33 7
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Page: M 25
UP THE ODYSSEY
A Short Cantata
by DAVID NIELD
Cast: Any number of actors/singers; 5 narrators.
Suggested Age Range: Any.
Approx. Running Time: 20 minutes.
Music: Six lively numbers in styles from the 1920's, through calypso to rock 'n roll; suitable for any number of voices and any accompaniment from piano to a full orchestra, written by the principal composer of the National Youth Music Theatre.
Set: None needed.
Synopsis: A brief, lively and light-hearted musical romp through the story of Ulysses; the narration is written in witty verse.
Price Codes: Piano / Vocal Score: Code F
Chorus Part: " A
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 45 0
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Page: M 26
THE BEASTS OF ST. BOZO'S
A Musical
by JEFF GALLAGHER and GERRY HOWE
Cast: 30 speaking parts + other n/s pupils and teachers
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 13, but could extend upwards
Approx. Running Time: 110 minutes [+ interval]
Music: Eleven original songs in a variety of styles: rock 'n' roll, calypso, musical chorus, etc. Piano or small band accompaniment.
Set: Several different locations within a school: office, classroom, science lab., study and corridor.
Synopsis: There are unusual goings-on at Saint Bozo's Preparatory School. Several of the staff have disappeared and the science master is behaving very strangely. Meanwhile Findlay Scroggs, the new scripture teacher, arrives, and soon finds himself in the midst of a dastardly plot to raise teachers from the dead and turn all the children into zombies. Includes the immortal line, "Headmasters know everything".
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 47 7
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Page: M 27
"SAY GOODBYE TO SATCHWELL ROAD"
by PETER NIXON
Cast: About 40 named parts + extras, equally m / f but very flexible; some doubling is possible
Suggested Age Range: 9 upwards - best with a wide range.
Approx. Running Time: 110 minute [+ interval]
Music: Contemporary songs of 1930's and earlier, traditional hymns and childrens' chants. [No original music].
Set: Open stage area adaptable to various town and country domestic and public settings of 1939.
Synopsis: A musical drama which explores the experience of the 1939 evacuation, its effects upon a group of London schoolchildren from various backgrounds and upon the Norfolk adults and children on whom they are billeted.
The piece culminates in a pantomime "Nativity Play" with contemporary references (including an Angel / Chamberlain and a Herod / Hitler) in which the characters attempt to come to terms with their situation and the impending reality of war.
Price Codes: Script: " D
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 51 5
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Page: M 28
Two short plays with music by DAVID HARDING
******************
One Little Boy
Cast: 16 (11m, 1f, 4 variable) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 5 to 7.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes
Music: 7 original carols with piano or organ accompaniment.
Set: Designed for performance in Church or in a School Hall, so adaptable to circumstances.
Synopsis: The traditional Christmas story, with the characters more realistic than sometimes and including several small touches of humour.
******************
The Piper of Dreams
Cast: 40 upwards.
Suggested Age Range: 6 to 8.
Approx. Running Time: 50 minutes.
Set: A woodland.
Synopsis: All our dreams come from the magic notes of the Piper, who weaves them each night from under a tree in a wood. He summons six children to help provide a Dream for the Future and animals who explain why they are frightened of humans. Then monsters arrive who, to the childrens' surprise, turn out to be men and women - hunters, farmers, developers, yobbos and even picnickers. With the Piper's help the children show the monsters what they have to do to protect the environment.
Music: 6 original songs, one with actions. Simple piano accompaniment.
******************
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Songs: Demo Cassette " B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 56 6
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Page: M 29
Two Christmas plays with music
by JOHN SEDGWICK
Arranged by Janice Rhodes
******************
Kids' Nativity
Cast: 15 (10m, 1f, 4 variable) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes
Music: 8 original Christmas songs with simple piano accompaniment.
Set: The traditional Nativity locations - can be very simply represented.
Synopsis: The story of the Nativity told with humour and wit.
******************
Christmas Carnival
Cast: 6 + Chorus + Dancers.
Suggested Age Range: 7 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 20 minutes.
Music: 5 original songs. Simple piano accompaniment.
Set: An open road which can also lead us into the Elves' Enterprise Zone, the Fairies' Finishing School and the workshop of Kevin, The Chrsitmas Cracker Creator.
Synopsis: A young boy, in search of the baby Jesus, becomes caught up in some of the commercial preparations for a modern Christmas.
******************
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Score: " D
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 53 1
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Page: M 30
Two Christmas musicals
by TERRY ROGERS
******************
Shepherd Boy
Cast: 9 (8m, 1f) + sheep + choir (optional).
Suggested Age Range: 7 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 25 minutes
Music: 7 original songs in the pop idiom.
Set: A hillside and a stable in Bethlehem.
Synopsis: A new musical version of the Nativity as seen through the eyes of a young boy who leaves his flock and bullying shepherds to guide the Wise Men to King Herod. He is the first to listen to the Angels and the first to see the baby Jesus.
******************
Christmas Present
Cast: 10 (all variable m / f) + choir + shepherds (optional)
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: 6 original songs in the pop idiom.
Set: Various locations but no scenery is essential. Beds, a Christmas tree and presents are required.
Synopsis: Late on Christmas Eve, three children prepare for the exciting day ahead. A trip downstairs reveals that they will not receive many presents. Suddenly confronted by three intruders, they are kidnapped and taken back in time to the court of King Herod.
******************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 54 X
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Page: M 31
WHALE SONG
An Oratorio for Children
Music by ANDREW PEGGIE
Lyrics by STEPHEN CLARK
Cast: 4 principals + two choruses
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes.
Music: Piano accompaniment throughout, best enhanced by bass or bass guitar; alternatively a synthesizer may be used. Essential parts for four percussion players (mostly Latin American or Orff-type). Parts are also available for 2 recorders, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 violins, 'cello and electronic keyboard.
Set: Minimal. Can be performed as a concert piece or staged using lighting effects or with an Arctic backdrop.
Synopsis: Alaska, October 1988. A trio of grey whales are trapped within a small patch of coastal sea which is rapidly freezing over. Local people try to cut a passage through the ice but their resources cannot cope. American forces are drafted in to help - and with them come news reporters and TV cameras.
The race against time becomes serious and, in a rare example of East-West collaboration, a Soviet ice-breaker joins the struggle. The smallest whale disappears before the completion of a passage - which then freezes over again before the others have reached the end. The assumption is that they find open sea but no-one can ever be sure.
WHALE SONG recounts this remarkable true story as a musical parable of the benefits of co-operation and trust.
Price Codes: Piano / Vocal Score: Code G
Chorus Part: " A
Band Parts - please enquire
Performance Cassette: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 65 5
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Page: M 32
KING MIDAS
An Operetta for Children
by DREY COLE
Cast: 6 (4 m, 2 f) + chorus, choir & extras.
Suggested Age Range: 7 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: Songs for soloists and choir. Percussion band.
Set: In and around a palace in Ancient Greece.
Synopsis: A humorous look at the old Greek legend with commentary by Chorus.
Midas, the original "Goldfinger", discovers that love is more precious than gold when his One Wish has unpleasant repercussions.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 61 2
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Page: M 33
ARF 'N' ARF
A Victorian Musical
by PETE TALMAN and PAUL HARVEY
Cast: 50 or more, including 12 principals (8 m, 4 f) and many other speaking and/or chorus parts.
Suggested Age Range: 10 - 18 (could extend downwards)
Approx. Running Time: 120 minutes [+ interval]
Music: A full score with a range of comic, poignant and dramatic numbers including up tempo chorus routines suitable for choreography, ballads, solos and duets. Easily adapted for a smaller band.
Set: Act One : A Victorian School.
Act Two : In and around the streets of Victorian London.
Synopsis: Dancer Jessie Kemp has fallen on hard times and benefactor Sir George Farthing has found her employment at Bradshaw's School, as a maidservant. She attracts the attention of an assistant master, Henry Mould, who is already a source of romantic interest for another servant, Daisy, while Jessie herself falls for debonair Mr. Matthews. Joseph Farthing, a pupil, overhears a conversation concerning his father's financial difficulties. He runs away to London. A pursuit leads to the sinister domain of Silas Webber who runs an "academy" for chimney sweeps' boys.
The mood is alternately funny, lively, romantic and finally dramatic as Henry risks all to save Joseph from the villain's clutches.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Score: " G
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance: " E [Full version: Code F]
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 64 7
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Page: M 34
THE PRINCESS AND THE DRAGON
A Short Musical
by ALASDAIR FRANCIS and DREY COLE
Cast: 18 (8 m, 3 f, 7 variable) + chorus & extras.
Suggested Age Range: 7 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 50 minutes.
Music: Songs for soloists and choir.
Set: A village in a far away land.
Synopsis: Princess Belle's eighteenth birthday party goes disastrously wrong when the bad witch Grizelda finds she has not been invited. Will the wimpish Prince Ragwort, the Sometime Brave, rescue Belle from her tower? Must the courageous mayor forever singe his friends' clothes with his dragon-breath? Can anybody out-smart the evil Grizelda and restore the status quo?
Price Codes: Script: " A
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 62 0
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Page: M 35
THE LONELY SHEPHERD
A Christmas Musical
by SYD RALPH
Music by CHRIS TINGLEY
Cast: 25 speaking parts (6 m, 6 f, others variable) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 5 - 11
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes
Music: Seven songs for solo, ensemble and/or chorus.
Set: Adaptable: can be very simple but representational of the nativity scene; a Christmas tree and of the means to "cook" a gigantic Christmas cake!
Synopsis: One of the children cast in the school nativity play suddenly tears off his costume and refuses to perform. Christmas, he claims, is about presents and parties, toys and cakes - and he proudly announces what he has received. But once he realises that he has only taken and not given, he feels lonely, needs friends and understands something of the Christmas spirit.
Price Codes: Script: " A
Score: " D
Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 71 X
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Page: M 11
MEG
or
The Princess and the Megalosaurus
A musical play for children
by CECIL KELLEHAR
(with additional music by Stephen Glass)
Cast: 17 (6 m, 3 f, 8 animals) + chorus & extras.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: 17 numbers of which 5 are dances or marches. Accompaniment small band or piano / keyboard and percussion.
Set: The City Square; a forest path; and a forest clearing, with cottage behind.
Synopsis: Princess Meg is about to be betrothed to Prince Moribund when the wicked fairy, Stinkerbelle, changes her into a Megalosaurus. The prince goes off in a huff but Jack of the Forest volunteers to look after her and, escorted by Sapper Sam, takes her to the forest to find suitable food. They come across Dr. Mendham's Sylvan Surgery for sick animals but Meg then goes missing. After various adventures the doctor works out the antidote to the spell (involving the audience), the princess becomes herself again and, in true fairy-tale fashion, is betrothed to Jack amid general rejoicing.
Price Codes: Script: " D
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 66 3
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Page: M 37
OUT OF TUNE
A Musical Playlet
by GRAHAM FERGUSON and DAVID HARDING
Cast: 11 speaking parts (1m, 1 f, others variable) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 5 - 7
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes
Music: Three songs, one with actions.
Set: A School Hall or a Children's Play Room at home.
Synopsis: The Notes of the Piano are all set to have an enjoyable morning but someone has been playing too hard and they are now out of tune. When Ben and Sarah come in with their friends to find the reason for the noise, they are amazed to find the Notes out of the piano. They try to make music, singing a lively song with actions, but it is no good as the Notes get it all wrong. The Music Fairy appears and, with the assistance of her personal (and comic) Tuning Fork, the Notes are restored to their former harmony, so all ends happily.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " E
Songs: Demo Cassette: " B
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 72 8
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Page: M 38
THE SCHOOL PLAY
or
Seth The Swineherd
A musical play
by LIZ BARWICK
Music by DOROTHY EVERHART
Cast: 25 (17 m, 8 f but some variable) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: 13 songs (+ four reprises) in a variety of styles for flexible mix of group and solo. Scope for choreography. Accompaniment for piano or keyboard; possible addition of other instruments.
Set: A school stage or acting area - as found when not in use - which converts (partly during the action of Act I) to a Castle Chapel for Act II. The Chapel may be as primitive or elaborate as desired.
Synopsis: The School Play mirrors - "with utmost seriousness and sincerity!" - the familiar difficulties involved in the production of this annual obligation. The first act leads us through the choice of play, the auditions and the rehearsals - watched over by critical parents and a relentless calendar. The second act is an overplayed, "forsooth" laden, performance of the predictable final scene of a mediaeval gem entitled "Seth The Swineherd":- Princess loves Swineherd but must marry Brave Knight; Brave Knight proves himself a coward when confronted by a spider; love and Swineherd triumph!
Price Codes: Script: " C
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 73 6
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Page: M 39
CAPTAIN TELLUS and the CRYSTAL FOLK
A Science Fiction Operetta
by GERRY HOWE
Cast: 10 speaking parts (4m, others variable) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 9 - 12
Approx. Running Time: 20 minutes
Music: Six songs with piano accompaniment (plus one or more optional additional instruments). Opportunity for additional music to be composed by the cast!
Set: Minimal - but some sound / lighting effects.
Synopsis: Captain Tellus and his intrepid band of space heroes fall into a black hole in space. They land on the Black Planet where they rescue the Crystal Folk from slavery under the evil Glurps. In return, the Crystal Folk advise the crew how to get home safely.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 74 4
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Page: M 40
CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY
A Fun Musical Nativity
Words and Music by JEAN CROOK
Cast: 19 speaking parts + crowd, dancers & choir.
Suggested Age Range: 7 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 70 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: 14 songs (+ other instrumentals) wide ranging in style, including ballads, rock 'n' roll and gospel. Strong melodic lines and scope for choreography (including soft shoe shuffle, etc). Accompaniment for piano and drums; orchestral parts could be available.
Set: Simple and flexible: raised area or platform for God. Can be staged "in the round".
Synopsis: A colourful version of the Nativity providing ample opportunity for strong acting and good singing. The story of the birth of Christ containing an aerobics routine, belly dancers at the court of Herod and a very "human" God! There are serious moments but the overall atmosphere is light-hearted and joyous. A fun musical for almost any age group.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 77 9
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Page: M 41
TURN OF THE TIDE
A Musical Play
by GRAHAM FERGUSON and DAVID HARDING
Cast: 26 speaking / singing parts (10 m, others variable; total could be reduced to 14) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 9 - 13
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes
Music: 12 songs (including some reprises); scored for full orchestra but could be just piano accompaniment.
Set: Two main settings - a Cornish pub and the Central Square in the City of Gold - plus four intermediary scenes, which could be achieved by lighting or location (eg. an apron stage).
Synopsis: A storm is brewing when Big Sam takes a party of children on his boat to visit the lighthouse. On arrival they find it deserted but the weather forces them to spend the night there. Behind a door they discover a tunnel leading through gold mines to an ancient underground city, whose civilisation is a thousand years behind.
The children are captured and then persuaded to introduce the citizens to twentieth century ideas - at first greeted eagerly but soon leading to unrest and dissatisfaction. They try to escape but are caught and sentenced to death. At the last minute flood-gates are opened and in the ensuing chaos they escape, taking back with them two friends from the city.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Orchestra Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Songs: Demo Cassette: " B
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 82 5
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Page: M 42
WATCH THIS SPACE
A Musical Play
by GRAHAM FERGUSON and DAVID HARDING
Cast: 12 speaking parts (7 m, 5 f, or 11 m, 1 f) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 8 - 13
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes
Music: Nine songs (including three reprises); piano accompaniment.
Set: An old barn.
Synopsis: The children are preparing a float for Birchdale Village Carnival; it is to be a space ship and they are dressed as Space Invaders. In the same barn Professor Stroganoff is busy constructing what he fervently hopes will be a Time Machine. The children decide to hoax him into thinking that it works and that he has landed on another planet. He is almost taken in - but the practical joke is interrupted by the bombastic entrance of the Mayoress, a bossy dragon with her comic husband Hercules, a henpecked mouse.
She threatens to drop the children from the Carnival parade, bullies her husband and insults the Professor and his invention. In return, he persuades her inside the Time Machine, which succeeds in transporting both of them, not to another century but into the village duck pond. Lessons are learnt and all ends well!
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Songs: Demo Cassette: " B
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 83 3
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Page: M 43
PARALLEL LINES
A piece of music-theatre
by DAVID WENDEN and WARD BAKER
Music by WARD BAKER
Cast: 17 main speaking parts (6 m, 7 f, 4 variable) + 34 minor roles (variable m/f);
doubling is possible.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes .
Music: 12 numbers: solos, choruses and choreography; contemporary styles. Accompaniment by piano or, ideally, by keyboards and small band.
Set: Open and flexible - works well in the round. Can be done simply - with lighting and props - but there is scope to be more ambitious.
Synopsis: Life throws up many challenges and problems, failures and successes, triumphs and defeats; and at each age of man, worries are relevant and no less important.
Each contrasting scene illustrates that what may appear trivial to one may be vital to another; each story has its antithesis; each runs on Parallel Lines.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 84 1
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Page: M 44
DEJA VU
A music-theatre workshop creation
by DAVID WENDEN, ANDY JEFFERS and WARD BAKER
Music by WARD BAKER
Cast: 8 principals (4 m, 4 f) + 15 smaller parts (variable m/f).
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 60 minutes .
Music: 6 numbers: solos, choruses and choreography; contemporary styles. Accompaniment by piano or, ideally, by keyboards and small band.
Set: Open and flexible; minimal props. It can be made as simple or ambitious as required.
Synopsis: Two families, each with their own problems, each with their own teenagers, face up to the realisation that family life has to be worked at. Taking situations and people for granted can lead to unhappiness and solitude. For the parents, there is a strange feeling that they have been here before - and probably will again.
Price Codes: Script: Code C Piano Score: " F
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 85 X
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Page: M 45
THE WISHING BOX
by DAVID WENDEN, ANDY JEFFERS and WARD BAKER
Music by WARD BAKER
Cast: 13 main parts (2 m, 5 f, 6 variable) + numerous other speaking parts.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes.
Music: 7 numbers; solos, choruses and choreography; contemporary styles. Accompaniment by piano or small band.
Set: Open space with a box, which can serve as a seat, etc. Ideally a kitchen area should be created at times - perhaps by lighting.
Synopsis: Everybody dreams that they could have whatever they wish. Unfortunately we don't always wish for the things which would be best for us. Perhaps we can learn from living out our wishes and experience what it is like when we wish upon a star.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " G
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 86 8
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Page: M 46
LAST STOP BEFORE BETHLEHEM
A short nativity musical
by LIZ STOCKLEY
Music by ALICIA RICKARDS and LIZ STOCKLEY
Cast: 31 speaking parts (17 m, 4 f, 9 variable) + crowd + chorus of Roman recruits!
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes.
Music: 8 songs, mostly for large groups but several could be solos, duets etc. Accompaniment can be piano, guitar, recorder and percussion as available.
Set: The road to Bethlehem; the courtyard of the inn.
Synopsis: The children who live at the last inn on the road to Bethlehem are having to work extremely hard because of the number of travellers. On the arrival of Roman soldiers, fed up with chivvying people along, the housekeeper decides to slaughter the old goat, Phoebe, to provide stew. Timothy, the goat boy, is distraught and the children determine to save Phoebe.
Later in the evening a man arrives with a pregnant wife and an obstreporous donkey. The children sorry for the woman, persuade the innkeeper to let the couple stay in the stable with Phoebe, moving the donkey into Phoebe's pen - and giving the housekeeper a shock when she goes to slaughter the goat at dawn!
Phoebe is reprieved, shepherds arrive with strange news about the baby which has now been born and the Roman recruits eventually turn up in time for everyone to enjoy a celebration breakfast.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 87 6
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Page: M 47
POSTMAN'S KNOCK
A Teenage Fantasy
by WAYNE DENFHY
Music by CHRIS ALLEN
Cast: 17 speaking parts (8 m, 9 f ) + chorus.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 100 minutes [ + interval ].
Music: Rock, Reggae, Blues, Motown. Can be played by a four piece rock band.
Set: Act I: A teenage bedroom. Act II: A Party.
Synopsis: The desperation, embarrassment and confusion of your teenage years, acted with a pop "soundtrack". Martin fancies Rachel - but then so does everybody else. The Christmas party is his last chance to do anything about it or hide in his room forever.
This fast-moving comedy, punctuated by catchy, melodic songs, has proved a very popular and successful seconday school production.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " F
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 91 4
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Page: M 48
WHEREVER THERE'S A DREAM
A one act musical
by LIZ STOCKLEY
Music by CHRIS WILCOCK
Cast: 28 speaking parts (10m, 11f, 7 variable m/f) + chorus + crowd
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes.
Music: 7 songs, all sung by large sections or the whole cast. Simple piano accompaniment with opportunity for harmonies, carol singing, recorders and percussion.
Set: On the Docks; in the Workhouse; the Marringtons' living room at Christmas time.
Synopsis: A family of five children have come into the town, homeless, parentless and starving through no fault of their own. They end up in the Workhouse, with their days spent working on the new railway or gutting herring. Life is so awful they decide to run away but end up in prison. Finally, with a bit of help from a gang of pickpockets, they spend Christmas with the Marrington family and the play ends with a happy Victorian Christmas, carol singing and mince pies.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 92 2
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Page: M 49
THE STARFISH CENTRE PRIZE
A one act musical
by LIZ STOCKLEY
Music by CHRIS WILCOCK
Cast: 23 speaking parts (all variable m/f) + chorus / crowd / dancers
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes.
Music: 7 songs, all groups / whole cast + opportunities for dance. Accompaniment can be piano, recorders and percussion as available.
Set: The Starfish Centre; inside the spaceship; a dark field on earth.
Synopsis: A zany story about the future when teams of astronauts set out on a galactic search as part of a gameshow competition. The host keeps the show rolling with plenty of entertainment, audience participation and regular reports from the roving astronauts. Newsreaders interrupt occasionally with news of environmental crises on earth and, as we follow the adventures of the Green Team, we discover an underlying message about taking care of the earth. Lots of action, humour and strange creatures.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 94 9
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Page: M 50
THE TRUTH ABOUT GEORGE
A one act musical
by LIZ STOCKLEY
Music by CHRIS WILCOCK
Cast: 30 speaking parts (11m, 13f, 6 variable m/f) + chorus + crowd
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes.
Music: 8 songs, almost all for large sections or the whole cast. Solo opportunity for the dragon. Simple piano accompaniment with some optional descants and plenty of opportunity for guitars, recorders and percussion.
Set: The Town Square; the dragon's lair on the mountainside.
Synopsis: For years the townspeople have been regularly sending seven maidens to be sacrificed to the dragon on the mountain above their homes. Legend has it that there will be dire consequences if they don't. Maidens, however, are becoming much more assertive these days and this year's chosen girls decide it is time things were changed. Faced with this problem the Mayor and citizens send for Young George, the dragon-slayer's grandson, in the hope that dragon killing is a hereditary skill. But the George they have summoned does not turn out to be all they had expected - and neither does the dragon. Catchy songs, a chorus of little dragons and lots of fun contribute to this new look at an old tale.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 95 7
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Page: M 51
THE ROVER'S RETURN
A Jazz Cantata
by DAVID NIELD and SIMON TOYNE
Cast: Two soloists + Chorus + (optional) Dancing Girls
Suggested Age Range: 8 - 14.
Approx. Running Time: 13 minutes.
Music: Six lively numbers, written by David Nield, the principal composer of the National Youth Music Theatre. Accompaniment is for piano, with or without additional synthesizer, bass guitar and drums.
Set: None needed.
Synopsis: This is the story of the Prodigal Son in a jazzy musical style and up-dated language. The two soloists, father and son, quarrel and the son goes in search of flesh pots and dancing girls. His money runs out and he returns home, to the delight of his father.
Price Codes: Piano / Vocal Score: Code F
Chorus Part: " A
Band Parts - please enquire
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 98 1
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Page: M 52
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
A musical pantomime
by MARK and BRYAN ELLIS
Cast: 10 speaking parts (several variable m/f) + chorus
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes [ + interval ].
Music: Original music which could be performed by a piano or piano + drum kit but best from a small band.
Set: Two interiors plus various parts of the forest.
Synopsis: A variant on the traditional tale, with strong comic parts for Grandma and the Wolf.
Red Riding Hood and her sisters run away from home to escape the Bad Baron. On their way to Grandma's cottage they meet Lupe, a hungry wolf. They are rescued by Basil, the Baron's steward (who has become tired of being a villain and wants to be a hero instead) but Lupe gets away and reaches the cottage ahead of time. There he finds that Grandma shares his interest in food and they settle down to cooking together. When Red Riding Hood arrives Lupe dresses in Grandma's clothes to try to trap her but Basil comes to the rescue again. Lupe surrenders and promises to help dispose of the wicked Baron. He does so and everyone lives happily ever after.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Piano Score: " F
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 97 3
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Page: M 53
THE MOST ABSURD XMAS MUSICAL IN THE WORLD .... EVER!
by LINDSEY ADAMS, MICHAEL JOHNSTON, MARK & RACHEL WHEELLER & STUART WHITE
Music by JAMES HOLMES
Cast: At least 22 (6 m, 6 f, 10 variable m/f) + huge Chorus
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards + some younger chorus
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval].
Music: From ballads to rock and vaudeville to blues. Solo and group numbers. Accompaniment can be by keyboards, live band or using the fully orchestrated performance cassette.
Set: Locations within a Fantasy Land (The Bower of Bliss) alternate with a very average suburban house interior. The piece was originally performed as a Promenade production - but this is not obligatory!
Synopsis: WARNING: This musical IS absurd! Ionesco eat your heart out!
Santa fails to arrive one year in The Bower of Bliss. Why? A shortage of carrots, perhaps .... or is it because the central character (Bianca Beauty) is forbidden to play her music and her parents want to disguise her as a cactus so that no-one can suspect her special gifts? And where did that Pantomime Cow come from? All ends happily with a sackload of laughs from two Special Agents. Who could miss such a bizarre Xmas entertainment?
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 902472 01 2
________________________________________________________________
Page: M 54
X MARKS THE SPOT
A Humorous re-working of TREASURE ISLAND by R. L. STEVENSON
by D. JONES
Music by JOHN GOULD
Cast: 21 Speaking parts (10 m, 1 f, 10 variable m/f) + Chorus
Suggested Age Range: 9 - 13.
Approx. Running Time: 85 minutes [ + interval].
Music: The songs are melodious and rhythmical. In the style of the popular song, verses and chorus sections are well contrasted and often syncopated to produce interesting rhythms which are easy to relate to.
Set: In an Inn; on board a sailing ship; on an island.
Synopsis: Innocent Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map upon the (un?)timely death of Billy Bones and sets out - in the company of friends and pirates - to seek his fortune. More than once Long John Silver and his fellow pirates take over only to be overthrown (literally on at least one occasion). Their arrival on the desert island is fairly traditional and meeting Ben Gunn is not unexpected but the ending is definitely "after Stevenson" when it is revealed that Elvis Presley is also living there as a fellow hermit!
The play is written in verse form to facilitate the learning of parts and to add further humour to the script.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " F
Performance Cassette: " G
Past Performance Cassette: " E
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 902472 02 0
________________________________________________________________
Page: M 55
GUNFIGHT AT THE DEADWOOD DOOMSTONE SALOON
A "Western" Play with Music
by DAVID RAWSON and JENIFER HILLMAN
Cast: 37 Speaking parts (32 m, 5 f,) + Chorus
Suggested Age Range: 9 - 13.
Approx. Running Time: 60 minutes.
Music: There are suggested "Western" and other "Traditional" songs which can be substitued (or omitted) as desired.
Set: The Wild West: a Red Indian camp; the town of Deadwood Doomstone; a saloon; and out on the prairie. Can be extremely simple.
Synopsis: A Western story of wrong-doing and revenge, robbery and foul play, dastardly Red Indians and strange women. Two "old-timers" introduce the show and comment upon it as various larger than life characters attempt to impose themselves on this cartoon of the Wild West as it never was.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 12 8
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: M 56
THE RAILWAY
CHILDREN
The Musical
by ROBERT WILLIS and PHILIP LAWSON
Music by PHILIP LAWSON
Adapted from the book by E. Nesbit
Cast: 15 Speaking parts (9 m, 6 f, 10) + Crowd/Chorus
Suggested Age Range: 9 - 13 or older.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval].
Music: Solos, ensemble and chorus numbers. Piano accompaniment - could be small band.
Set: A Victorian town house; the cottage; the railway station and surrounding locations.
Synopsis: A faithful adaptation of the famous children's
book by E. Nesbit with songs which enhance the charm and poignancy of this
ever-popular story.
When their father is escorted from their
comfortable London home, Roberta (Bobby), Phyllis and Peter have to move with
their mother to a remote cottage in Yorkshire, close to the railway line.
Through their various adventures they become friendly with Mr. Perks, the
station porter, and eventually with the elderly gentleman who waves to them
from his train each morning. Their bravery in averting a railway accident leads
indirectly to being reunited with their seriously wronged father.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Piano Score: " G
Rehearsal Cassette: " F
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 902472 19 5
________________________________________________________________
VOLUME II
PLAYS without Music
( or where the musical items may be substituted or omitted )
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Although some of the plays listed in this section include original music, most have no musical content or suggest the possible inclusion of music which has been published elsewhere.
Where it is intended to use such items in performance it may be necessary to hold an appropriate licence from:
The Performing Rights Society Ltd.,
29 - 33 Berners Street, London W1P 4AA.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 1
SIEGE!
The story of the Siege of Reading - April 1643
by TONY DRIVER
Cast: 45 speaking parts (all m) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes
Music: None.
Set: Frequently changing sites in and around Reading - mostly outdoor; signs and symbols could often portray enough. Large spaces required on stage; could work well "in the round".
Synopsis: During the Civil War the county of Berkshire became one of the principal battlegrounds, causing increasing devastation and suffering to the inhabitants. Friends and families became divided and this well-researched play centres on the leading families affected by the Siege of Reading; the adult characters are mostly authentic; an added dimension of the drama has been imagined through the introduction of eight important children's roles.
In addition to telling an adventurous story, the play attempts to show people's attitudes to war and how they change; it also tries to demonstrate the futility of it all. Throughout there are interesting characters and many humorous moments which add to an exciting and educative narrative.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 06 X
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 2
BOOKWORMS AND BUNIONS
A Fantasy
by BRYAN CLEARY
Cast: 20 speaking parts (10m, 10f ) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 70 minutes
Music: None.
Set: Simple and flexible, ranging from classroom/library into the fantasy world within the books.
Synopsis: Aurora Jones, in detention in the school library, is surprised by the appearance of Boris, a Bookworm, who escorts her through various volumes including Cinderella, Hamlet, Hansel and Gretel and Alice in Wonderland, escaping the clutches of her schoolmistress, Miss Bunion, who has emerged as a witch. The tale ends with an unexpected twist.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 13 2
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 3
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
From the tale by Edgar Allen Poe
by PAUL WARD
Cast: About 50 (variable m/f); with doubling can reduce to about 30. One solo dancer (f) and a troupe of 6 or 7 others, including gymnast, acrobat, juggler, etc.
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 16 or 18.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes [+ interval]
Music: Mediaeval-style dance music and entertainment plus mood-music for scene changes etc.; either live or taped.
Set: Interior of castle/abbey, opening into streets, etc. Costume is part mediaeval, part modern.
Synopsis: A party of tourists visits the abbey of the notorious Masque of the Red Death; one is allowed to remain behind to see a rehearsal of a play telling its story:-
Prince Prospero rules his poverty-stricken, plague-ridden people with concern only for his self-indulgent luxury and the protection of himself and his friends. Poe's macabre tale, enlivened by various entertainers, tells of the destruction of the selfish aristocrats and demonstrates the price to be paid for indifference to others.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 14 0
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Page: P 4
THE ULTIMATE OLYMPUS
A Play in One Act
by CRUDEN RODGER
Cast: 9 speaking parts (all m).
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 13 or older.
Approx. Running Time: 35 - 40 minutes
Music: None.
Set: The top of Mount Olympus.
Synopsis: Two English businessmen have come to carry out a feasibility study for a package tour at the ancient home of the Greek gods - all of whom are terrified at the prospect. It happens that Hermes has decided it is time for some of his fellow gods to take a more active part in sorting out the human race but there is little harmony of ideas amongst them and Zeus has to exercise his authority. Unfortunately his policy of "If you can't beat them, let them join you" does not work out as he had planned!
A lively "sit-com" of an unusual kind with clearly identified caricatured types provides gentle satirical humour which should have wide appeal.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 03 5
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 5
Three 20-minute plays
by JEFF GALLAGHER
***************
An Evening at Grange Manor
Cast: 9 (8m, 1f)
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 20 minutes
Music: None.
Set: The drawing room of Grange Manor.
Synopsis: A spooky tale in which John, a schoolboy, turns out to have rather more to hide than his innocent friend, Tim, has realised and Grange Manor reveals some rather "over the top" characters!
***************
Trouble in Toyland
Cast: 12 (8m, 4f).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 11 or 13.
Approx. Running Time: 15 - 20 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A room with basic furniture.
Synopsis: Conflict between the traditional toys beloved of the parents and the robots demanded by today's children starts as a slightly sad reflection on the pace of modern life but soon shows that there is more beneath the surface.
***************
Imperial Nosh
Cast: 12 (10m, 2f).
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 20 - 25 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The dining room of the imperial palace in ancient Rome.
Synopsis: A spoof Roman play involving Pukka (the clever slave), Gaius Magnus Ludicrus (the Emperor), and Stupidus Maximus (the Tribune of the People) in a short farce in which every actor has something to offer .
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 24 8
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 6
ROBIN HOOD'S SHERWOOD SHENANIGANS
A Play in Verse
by D. JONES
Cast: 16 speaking parts (11m, 5f but some variable) + large crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 7 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes
Music: None prescribed but there are moments at which to introduce any suitable instrumental or sung items.
Set: Sherwood Forest; a village; and a town market place. All can be simple.
Synopsis: The traditional story of Robin Hood is dealt with in a light-hearted, humorous fashion. The play offers scope for a very large or a more modest cast, with ample opportunities for song, dance, tumbling etc. at the director's discretion. The humour of the lines should appeal to young and old.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 23 X
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Page: P 7
SLEEPING JACK WHITTINGTON AND THE SEVEN BEARS
A Pantomime
by NIGEL FLYNN
Cast: 38 speaking parts (several variable m/f and with doubling possible) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval]
Music: Various well-known songs and parodies plus incidental music; accompaniment could be piano or small band - percussion especially advantageous.
Set: "General" pantomime set with variants as required.
Synopsis: Jacqueline is very keen to be in a pantomime but the teacher she approaches refers her sarcastically to her fairy godmother who immediately appears and escorts her through a whole series of episodes, each emanating from a different story - a complete "Cook's Tour of Pantoland", so exhausting that everyone is delighted when it is finally over.
The traditional "panto jokes" are here in plenty but there are many others too and the piece moves at a cracking pace. It is well suited for casts of almost any size, provided that they have energy and enthusiasm.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 02 7
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 8
THE VISIT
A Short Play in Two Acts
by URSULA KENNEDY
Cast: 17 speaking parts (12m, 5f ) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 11 or 13.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes
Music: Any two (or more) well known popular tunes, if possible to be played on stage on any suitable instruments.
Set: Versatile enough to include a car, a space-ship and two interior scenes; considerable scope for use of lighting and sound effects.
Synopsis: A typical English couple are returning home at night when their car stops inexplicably and they are hi-jacked to another planet. Their reactions provide a humorous view of human life, as their children have to be summoned to join them before the inquisitive minds of the space-people can be satisfied. A simple conclusion does not detract from the effective theme of a well-constructed and lively observation of our society.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 04 3
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 9
Two short comedies
by MICHAEL FORBES
***************
The Quest for the Holy Pael
Cast: 19 (15m, 1f, 3 variable) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 9 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes
Music: None.
Set: King Arthur's court; a bridge; a forest; a cave; and a castle; all can be kept simple.
Synopsis: In the dangerous days of Arthurian Britain, Mistress Boyle bullies her son, Lancing, into applying for a knighthood for which he must undertake a near-impossible quest. Reluctantly he sets off, knowing that only questers with certain moral qualities will survive the perils - does he have them? Follow our hero across impenetrable forest and insurmountable mountain to find out!
***************
Robin Hood & the Jewish Gold
Cast: 20 (17m, 3f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 9 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Sherwood Forest; Nottingham Market; and Nottingham Castle.
Synopsis: A forgotten adventure of the famous outlaw. The bards have got it all wrong: new research by the author has brought to light the truth of how Robin hoodwinked the Sheriff of Nottingham and his minions, Guy of Gisbourne and Derek the Cleric, into believing that he had stolen a dumpling when really he... A quiverful of jokes per page!
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 19 1
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 10
THE POPPING OF THE GRAND BALLOON
A play to be performed by children
by MARY RENSTEN
Cast: 14 speaking parts (variable m/f), two of which are substantial, + crowd as required.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 50 minutes
THE POPPING OF THE GRAND BALLOON is adapted from the Hungarian folk story THE LITTLE ROOSTER AND THE DIAMOND BUTTON.
Music: Not prescribed. Can be live - recorders/percussion or as available - or recorded; simple dances and/or incidental music.
Set: As desired; could work well "in the round".
Synopsis: The Little Rooster, poor and hungry, scratching in the earth for something for himself and his poor Old Woman to eat, finds a Diamond Button. The Grand Balloon, the very fat ruler of the land, claims it and takes it from the Rooster.
As the Rooster attempts to persuade the inflated autocrat to concede, his native wit causes ever greater amusement as does the humorous, punning wit of the author as she symbolises the human frailty of those who apparently hold sway - and whose bubble is finally burst.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 10 8
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 11
THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH
by MARY RENSTEN
adapted from the book by ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF
Cast: 20 speaking parts (15 m, 5 f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 120 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A Roman amphitheatre; a courtyard; a fortress; a tribal settlement; and various parts of ancient Britain.
Synopsis: Roman Britain. Marcus, an injured ex-centurion frustrated by his disability, is prompted by the acquisition of Esca, a British slave of high birth, to set out with him to discover what really happened to the Ninth Legion which, led by his father, had disappeared north of the border several years earlier. Their search is adventurous and dangerous and includes some emotional moments as they encounter others whose connection with the mystery is also familial.
The story-line is strong and the historical background makes this a splendid and challenging piece of drama for director, cast and audience.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 20 5
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 12
REMEMBER, REMEMBER
A Short Play
by JEFF ROBERTS
Cast: 13 speaking parts (7 m, 6 f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes
Music: None.
Set: In a schoolroom which doubles as a youth club; in the playground and on a piece of urban waste ground.
Synopsis: Des, an enthusiastic youth leader, is delighted when asked to organise the municipal bonfire for November 5th but some of the "local lads" prefer to scorn the "goodies" who work hard on the project. The night of November 4th proves too tempting for the "heavies" who set the fire alight, not realising the precautions which had been taken to prevent them. The near-tragic result has a positive lesson for all.
A lively approach in a play especially suitable for an autumn production, with realism, humour and a clear message all sitting side by side in an enjoyable but poignant short piece of theatre.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 27 2
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 13
I WAS ADORED ONCE TOO
An adaptation for the stage
by STUART HENSON
from the short story by JAN MARK
Cast: 15 (9 m, 6 f) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 12 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 50 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A school stage, seen from the rear (including a an old-fashioned lighting gallery to one side), plus occasional outdoor sequences.
Synopsis: The exasperated, sarcastic Mr. Anderson is experiencing greater difficulties than anticipated in rehearsing his secondary school pupils for their production of Twelfth Night - and all the familiar snags are present too! But Birkett, the "numbskull" whom he barely trusts on the lighting board and certainly could not risk on stage, emerges not only as an unexpected romantic but has more to offer when he has to step into the role of Sir Andrew Aguecheek.
Offering a clear view of the life of contemporary teenagers in an easily imagined situation, this play contains a number of poignant as well as many humorous moments and should have wide appeal for secondary schools.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 21 3
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 14
SchoolPlay PLUS
SWEET F. A.
A Play
adapted from the musical
NO PLACE FOR A GIRL
[See under MUSICALS in Volume I, Page M 19]
by MARK WHEELLER
Extras for Teachers by
MARK WHEELLER & GINNY SPOONER
Cast: 14 (8m, 6f) or, with doubling, minimum 5 (2m, 3f).
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards - best with a wide range.
Approx. Running Time: 50 minutes.
Music: None
Set: Simple, uncluttered. Minimal settings to include a football pitch and the interior of a domestic house, together with various other venues.
Synopsis: The true story of Southampton girl Sarah Stanbury and her struggle to gain recognition as a soccer player. Just like her Dad, Sarah, or "Sedge" as she is known to most people, has always liked football . . . her Mother hates it! Despite her talent, the football authorities prevent her from playing for her school. Nevertheless her ambition remains firm and by the age of 16 she has become a regular first team member of a Womens' Football Association adult Super-League Club and an England Womens' Under 21 International.
SchoolPlay PLUS:
Teachers' Notes: Guidelines for DRAMA Teachers, including ideas for improvisation and for technique exercises.
Suitable for: GCSE; One Act Play Festivals.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Y
Teachers' Notes: " E
ISBN 1 902472 10 1
SchoolPlay PLUS
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 15
Two short plays
by ANDRA BISHOP
***************
Trouble With Brother
Cast: 26 (4m, 10f, 12 variable) + shadows & villagers.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes
Music: Circus music for one sequence.
Set: Simple and flexible; could be only signs and symbols. Scenes range from a living room to outside a Circus Big Top, the Castle of Darkness, the Palace of Dreams and outside the Witches' Cave.
Synopsis: Kelly is fed up with her brother Dean and wishes he would just disappear. But when the Queen of Darkness and her Shadows of Despair come and spirit him away she realises she did not really mean it. An unusual variety of people either help or hinder Kelly and her two friends in their search for the missing boy.
**************
Christmas is Cancelled
Cast: 20 (5m, 11f, 4 variable).
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes.
Music: None prescribed. Can include live or recorded song and dance music.
Set: Simple & flexible, ranging from Department Store Grotto entrance to a Toymaker's empty workshop, Sun Queen's land, Ice Queen's Palace, pop star's home & Police Station.
Synopsis: When three children and their mother visit the Department Store they discover Father Christmas has been kidnapped - and if he's not found soon Christmas will be cancelled. Their hunt brings them into contact with Mother Nature, the Sun Queen, the Ice Queen and pop star Donny Devine - who holds the key to his release. In the course of their adventure the older children discover that there is more to Christmas than getting presents.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 34 5
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 16
WE'LL BE HOME TOMORROW
A Play for Four Actors (though could be more)
by WAYNE DENFHY
Cast: 4 up to 17 (6m, 4f, 7 variable).
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes
Music: None.
Set: Open stage/area. All atmosphere is created by sound and light and the actors' movements and expressions.
Synopsis: A wryly observed comic drama on family life. School breaks up and the annual summer holiday begins. "Where to go?" presents the first problem, followed by the interminable car journey; arrival; a sortie to the beach and the minefield of disasters which the family encounter during their stay away.
Originally written to provide role-doubling for a cast of four, this is a challenging, irreverent and very funny play.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 35 3
Page: P 17
Two Curtain Raisers
________________________________________________________________
by BILL CONNOLLEY
***************
Blushes
Cast: 7 ( all f ).
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 18 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A comfortably furnished sitting room.
Synopsis: A mother's reaction to her first contact with two Muslim girls in rather unusual circumstances. In a gentle and humorous way, the play shows that racial prejudice often arises as a result of ignorance.
**************
A Happy Christmas
Cast: 11 ( 8m, 3f ).
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 11 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A bed-sit.
Synopsis: The Nativity in a modern setting. Herod becomes a wicked landlord and the Three Wise Men are streetwise!
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 36 1
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 18
Two Short Plays
by ANDREW SMITH
***************
Holes For Us to Breathe
Cast: 3 ( 2m, 1f ).
Suggested Age Range: 15 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes
Music: None.
Set: The Arctic seabed. Can be as intricate or simple as desired, either accurate or impressionistic.
Synopsis: Based on the true story of the Californian Grey Whales trapped by ice in Alaska in 1988, the play sees the predicament from the point of view of the whales themselves. As they attempt to stay alive, helped by humans, they discuss many aspects of humanity and man's treatment of nature, as well as telling their own endearing story in a telling yet humorous style.
**************
The Damn Fine Road
Cast: 6 (4m, 2f; one [m] is demanding) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 13 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Simple and flexible, to include an office, a flat, and a road construction site.
Synopsis: The play follows the Works Controller as he pushes all obstacles aside to build his new road. The humour, which is often quite black, serves to reveal the more serious consequences which the road's arrival is having on the countryside and on the Controller himself.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 38 8
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 19
Two Short Plays
by CHRIS MAYBURY
***************
Anonymous
Cast: 5 ( 3m, 2f ).
Suggested Age Range: 16 plus.
Approx. Running Time: 20 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Open stage. Scenes suggested by tables and chairs only.
Synopsis: An exploration of the minds of ordinary people and what mundanity can drive them to do to each other. An exacting, slightly macabre piece which should challenge performer and audience alike.
************
Hit & Run
Cast: 17 (8m, 4f, 5 variable).
Suggested Age Range: 14 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 60 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: An open stage but with the ability to suggest interiors. Scope for intricacy or suggestion: a street; garden; office; living room; library; and a penthouse.
Synopsis: A fictional detective of the "Raymond Chandler" style, the creation of a teenager disabled by an accident, comes to the aid of her journalist mother as they take on the might of an industrial tycoon. A humourous juxtaposition of reality and fantasy.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (Anonymous)
" Y (Hit & Run)
ISBN 1 872475 37 X
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 20
Three classroom plays
by BRIAN McGUIRE
***************
Spanner in her Pocket
Cast: 4 (2 m / 2f )
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 15 minutes.
Music: None prescribed but can open with lively taped music.
Set: A space and a bus stop.
Synopsis: Joanne, a garage mechanic, teaches Bill, a male chauvenist, a lesson.
**************
Sandgran
Cast: 6 (3m, 3f).
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None prescribed but some incidental live or taped music.
Set: Comical "seaside postcard" sets, including cut-out of a car and a small wooden hut.
Synopsis: A trip to the seaside proves unfortunate for Darren and Debra's grandmother as she is left behind. Does this prove she is an encumbrance to the family or that the family is self-centred and selfish?
**************
Puppets
Cast: 6 (3m, 3f).
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 20 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A "Punch & Judy" booth on the seafront.
Synopsis: Mark's Dad runs a "Punch & Judy" show: is Mark ready to carry on the family tradition and does he really want to? This short play explores the relationship between father and son or perhaps two generations with different values.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 39 6
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 21
BIG YELLOW TAXI
A "Green" Thriller
by PETER YATES
Cast: 30 (mostly variable m/f) + crowd. Some doubling possible.
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 16 or older.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Various locations, exterior and interior. Can be done simply with lighting and movable props or there is scope to present it more ambitiously.
Synopsis: Douglas Mitchell is a young, up-and-coming "Green" politician standing for The Environment Party. An outspoken campaigner and whistleblower on ecological issues he becomes a marked man under investigation by a secret Government agency. Framed and jailed for arson he is helped by an investigative journalist who himself becomes the target.
This is a fast moving thriller set against a backdrop of pressing ecological issues. Through varied characters and an exciting storyline it gives a realistic insight into the way that the environment, power and corruption may be inextricably interwoven and can affect our lives.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 42 6
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 22
THUNDER
A Play of the Brontës
by RICHARD CRANE
Cast: 6 (3 m, 3 f). All 45 characters are normally played by the six actors.
Suggested Age Range: 15 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 120 minutes [ + interval ]
THUNDER was formerly published by Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.
Music: Mixture of traditional and original. Emily is the pianist for the traditional pieces; the original songs are unaccompanied.
Set: A large pulpit should dominate the stage with a clear cyclorama behind; two areas represent rooms of the Parsonage. The whole design should be stark.
Synopsis: In the spring of 1820 the new incumbent moved into the Parsonage at Haworth, North Yorkshire, with his dying wife and six small children. In those times only those with iron constitutions lived beyond the age of thirty and only the Parson himself and his son-in-law lived into old age. But this was a power-house of creative energy - reams of prose and verse, blood, fire, torrential passions and granite love. They lived largely in a dream world and, although Charlotte achieved fame in her lifetime and there were brief bursts of fun, this is a gothic melodrama and a human tragedy. It takes off on flights of imagination and euphoria and returns finally to cold reality.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 46 9
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Page: P 23
THE OXEN
Freely adapted from an idea in Thomas Hardy's poem "The Oxen"
by WALTER J. ESSEX
Cast: 23 speaking parts (10 m, 13 f). Some doubling possible.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 14 or 16. Ideally there should be a contrast between the 'children' and the 'adults'.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes.
Music: There is a lullaby for one voice accompanied by a recorder.
Set: Can be performed adequately with a basic 'unit' set, with changes of props and lighting to suggest the various locations. However, there should be some suggestion of the period, c.1900. An appropriate representation of the exterior of the barn in the final scene is desirable.
Synopsis: Freely adapted from an idea in Thomas Hardy's poem The Oxen.
Intrigued by the legend of the oxen kneeling on the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, Ralph, Lizzie and Laura go in search of the truth of the legend. On their nocturnal journey they meet an array of people who all end up at an isolated barn. The setting works its own 'magic'.
A play for Christmas which contains the essence of the seasonal message.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 48 5
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Page: P 24
BROADWAY BLUES
A Play
by BRIAN McGUIRE
Cast: 14 main roles (8 f, 6 m) + "pupils".
Suggested Age Range: 13 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 85 minutes.
Music: Taped instrumental blues for links and mood, but any type of music could be appropriate.
Set: Exterior of school, classroom and Headteacher's office. A diagram and explicit notes are included with the script.
Synopsis: Two new teachers start at Broadway High School. Kate Dale copes, Michael Woggle struggles. It doesn't take long for incidents to overtake the developing relationship. In the meantime Brigette attempts to put on the school production with support and hindrance from a variety of interesting characters. The play moves from the hilarious to gripping recognisable reality. There are opportunities to portray strong demanding characters as well as numerous support roles. A very comical, powerful and satisfying drama.
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Performance Rights: " X
ISBN 1 872475 49 3
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Page: P 25
BETHLEHEM
A Play of the Nativity
by MAGGIE KEOGH
Cast: 26 speaking parts (9m, 5 f, 12 m/f) some doubling possible. Can also include up to 60 children in orchestra, choir, mime, cabaret.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 11.
Approx. Running Time: 60 to 70 minutes including music and palace entertain-ment scene; 30 minutes without.
Music: Is not essential. However, there is an ideal slot for a lavish Palace entertainment scene which could include any pieces of music which the class/school/orchestra/choir are working on. The play is also enhanced by the inclusion of Christmas songs/music between each scene.
Set: The play works well in the round with no scenery at all, or on a traditional stage with token or full scenery.
Synopsis: A humorous look at everyday life in Israel at the time of Christ's birth. Everyone from the Nativity story is there - but have you ever seen them like this before? There's Herod the Hugely Horrible who thinks he's Elvis Presley in a future life; the gossipy innkeepers' wives whose inns are stuffed with travellers; and many more, all getting on with their everyday lives, unaware that the new baby in Elisheba's stable will change the course of history.
"Bethlehem" is fun to perform, humorous to watch and easily rehearsed because each scene is completely self-contained.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 55 8
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Page: P 26
IS IT TIME YET, DAD?
A Play for Four Actors (though could be more)
by WAYNE DENFHY
Cast: 4 actors (parts can be adapted for up to 19).
Suggested Age Range: 10 +.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: All atmosphere is created by sound and light and the actors' movements and expressions.
Synopsis: In the same cartoon style as "We'll Be Home Tomorrow" we look at a traditional family Christmas. The embarrassing parents, Nativity plays, the Queen's Speech and Christmas bats! This fast-moving, challenging play appeals to a wide range of both audience and cast and can be performed anywhere. As well as being very funny, it has proved to be a big hit at Drama and Music festivals across the country.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 50 7
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Page: P 27
GEORGINA AND THE DRAGON
A Pantomime
by GARETH JONES
Cast: 25 speaking parts (5 m, 3 f, most variable m / f)
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13 or older.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: None prescribed.
Set: A castle, a forest, a cave and various "on the road" scenes - but all in traditional pantomime style
Synopsis: The play is set somewhere else, a land ravaged by a fearsome dragon called Keith. The king sends a hero to kill the beast but progress is slow and so Georgina, the king's daughter, heads off as well. The king's Tax Collector is also in pursuit but his aim is to protect the dragon so that it will continue to steal and destroy - thus forcing the king to collect more tax, giving the collector job security.
The Good Group are captured by robbers who eventually decide to help. Georgina meets a witch and obtains a lethal dragon potion which has strange effects on humans . . . . and so everyone converges on Dragon Mountain for the thrilling and unexpected climax!
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 52 3
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Page: P 28
THE SHOW'S THE THING
A Play
by ANDRA BISHOP
Cast: 28 speaking parts (12m, 16f).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13 or upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A Village Hall. The stage is bare but for a stool in the centre. One piece of scenery is carried on and held in position by two actors.
Synopsis: An Amateur Dramatic Society is performing the Dress Rehearsal of a Victorian Melodrama. The rehearsal suffers a series of most unfortunate interruptions from unprepared actors and an incompetent backstage crew, plus other village groups entering the hall. Despite everything, including even a fatal accident, the actors rise above all distractions to prove that "The Show's The Thing".
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 57 4
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Page: P 29
THE CHUMLEIGH TOWERS TRILOGY
Three 15-minute plays
by ALISON DAVIDSON
***************
Cast: [ each play ]: 12 - 25 ( 1 m, rest all f )
Suggested Age Range: [ each play ]: 11 to 18.
For performance separately, in any combination or all linked as
THE GYMSLIP
Further Cast: 5 - 15 ( all f )
Suggested Age Range: 13 to 18.
Approx. Overall Running Time: 60 + minutes.
Music: None prescribed.
Set: None required.
[A series of links for the other three plays].
Synopsis: The Chumleigh Towers Drama Group has decided to perform three short plays: A new Girl at Chumleigh Towers, Return to Chumleigh Towers and Last Term at Chumleigh Towers. They have rejected the thrilling scripts submitted by Dimsie of the Fourth. Dimsie, however, knows that if the audience once sees Tamsin the Jungle Girl, Sure Shot Sadie or Maggie o' t' Mill, her success is assured.
***************
A NEW GIRL AT CHUMLEIGH TOWERS
Synopsis: Polly Brown, a humble Scholarship Girl, at first finds life hard at the famous Chumleigh Towers boarding school. However, Polly has learnt to ride on the rag-and-bone man's horse and decides to compete against Lois Stanhope-Lacey, the School snob, in the Colonel's Cup!
***************
RETURN TO CHUMLEIGH TOWERS
Synopsis: Polly Brown is accused of cheating and faces expulsion. First, however, there is the cricket match to win and Lois Stanhope-Lacey to rescue from the burning San.
***************
LAST TERM AT CHUMLEIGH TOWERS
Synopsis: Chumleigh Towers faces closure. Can Polly win the tennis match, rescue Lois from the raging sea and find the smugglers' treasure?
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play separately
" Y or in combination)
ISBN 1 872475 58 2
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Page: P 30
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
adapted from the fourteenth century poem
by DAVID SELF
Cast: 6 speaking parts (4m, 1f, 1 variable) + knights, ladies and servants.
Suggested Age Range: 9 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 45 - 50 minutes.
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT was formerly published by Macmillan Education Ltd.
Music: None essential but incidental live or recorded mediaeval and Christmas music can be helpful.
Set: Open stage /arena. Scenes established by sound, light and simple props.
Synopsis: This version of the Gawain legend has been especially adapted from the fourteenth century poem and uses the anonymous poet as storyteller. King Arthur's Christmas festivities are interrupted by the arrival of the Green Knight. Young Gawain accepts the challenge and beheads him but, within the year, must seek him out to receive a return blow. Gawain eventually arrives unknowingly at the Knight's castle and is wooed by the latter's lady but he proves true and returns in triumph and honour to Arthur's court.
Originally commissioned by BBC Radio, this stage version can be as elaborate or as simple as desired and can stand alone or form part of a longer programme.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 59 0
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Page: P 31
SHELTER
A Play in One Act
by WALTER J. ESSEX
Cast: 8 speaking parts, all important (4 m, 4 f)
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 18 (2 young, 6 "adult").
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Ideally a split level - upstage the garden of a family house, downstage the interior of an air raid Shelter. Simple furniture to include a set of bunk beds.
Synopsis: The action takes place inside and outside the Anderson Shelter in the Coombes family's back garden during a night of heavy bombing raids on a Midlands industrial town during World War Two. The shelter becomes a place of refuge for more than just the family. The situation engenders tensions between and within the different generations. Courage is not the sole prerogative of the fighting forces!
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 60 4
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Page: P 32
CULTURED REBELS
A Play
by STEPHEN HIRST
Cast: 12 speaking parts (9m, 3f) + min. 2 non-speaking but easily adapted for as few as 4 (all m).
Suggested Age Range: 15 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes with full cast. (55 in abridged version).
Music: None.
Set: A premier independent boarding school. A housemaster's study; part of a sports hall in use for examinations; the second master's study. (Can be minimal - a couple of desks could suffice).
Synopsis: Boarding school rules have always been disobeyed a bit but when "anarchy" appears on the list of official school activities and the brightest and best of the Sixth Form are apparently signing up for it, perhaps things are a little out of hand? What will the press make of it? Will the school's standing in the league tables be affected?
A wickedly funny satire which raises uncomfortable questions about what schools ought to be doing, featuring much sharp dialogue, opportunities for elements of farce and the scope to slip in the occasional sly joke. Anarchic but intelligent fun!
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 63 9
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Page: P 33
THE TEN O'CLOCK ANGEL
A Play
by GRAHAM WALKER
Cast: 24 speaking parts (7 m, 4 f, 13 variable) + extras.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A fireside; Heaven; St. Graham's Abbey - stonework walls, including a window which opens.
Synopsis: Junior Angel Peter, an unsuccessful apprentice, and Junior Devil Ian, a failed imp, are sent back by their respective bosses for re-education on earth. By coincidence they both end up at St. Graham's Abbey, where an angel is alleged to give a blessing every hundred years. Also at the Abbey are a television company, cashing in on the rumour to run an appalling quiz show. Chaos reigns while a Senior Devil tries to take over but Good triumphs in the end.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 69 8
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Page: P 34
SPUD FERRET & THE CASE OF THE STOLEN DIAMONDS
A One Act Thriller!
by JEFF GALLAGHER
Cast: 10 speaking parts (6m, 4f)
Suggested Age Range: Any aged 10 or over.
Approx. Running Time: 40 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The Drawing Room of Blip Mansion, in rural Wastemoreland.
Synopsis: As Lady Blip's guests enjoy another weekend house party at luxurious Blip Mansion, a dastardly crime is about to be revealed: someone has stolen Lady Blip's diamonds! Can Spud Ferret, the world's greatest detective, solve the case? Only with a great deal of help from ace crime writer Davinia Flimsy. A light-hearted spoof on all the worst excesses of detective stories!
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 67 1
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Page: P 35
Two Short Plays
by CHARLES HEMMING
***************
The Schoolroom
Cast: 27 ( 18 m, 9 f ).
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A secondary school classroom.
Synopsis: " This Form is causing too much trouble. Already this morning I have had reported to me a case of a stolen pencil-case; a master has been unable to get into the room; and a boy has been attacked and had his trousers taken. And it's not yet 11 o'clock."
After the Head's lecture and further ribaldry and provocation, the boys of Form 2.3 show unexpected gallantry towards the girls, who were uninvolved with the earlier antics, and their generosity is reciprocated when one of the boys is wrongly accused of a more serious offence.
***************
Last Day of Term
Cast: 11 ( 9 m, 2f ).
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A classroom and the school assembly hall.
Synopsis: The boys in a Year 8 Form resent having to work on the last day of term, whilst also showing some hostility to two of the girls. Some manage to obtain some relief by "helping" the caretaker set up the hall for Assembly but plans to embarrass one of the girls do not work out quite as expected.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 68 X
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Page: P 36
FOUR "VICTORIAN" MELODRAMAS
Each in one short (but awful) act
by DAVID WENDEN or WARD BAKER and TIM ANDREWS
***************
Cast: [ each play ]: 6 or 7 speaking parts
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: [ each play ] 12 - 15 minutes.
***************
For performance separately; in any combination; or as part of a "Music Hall" evening.
Music: None prescribed.
Set: None required.
***************
A PENNY FOR BOB or BOB FOR A PENNY
Synopsis: Despite constant interruptions from a "latecomer" the Chairman sets the scene as we witness the plight of Penny Forum, the young mother abandonned to the threats of the landlord's demands for rent, until rescued by her (late) husband's travelling companion, Roland Butter.
***************
THE VIRTUE OF INNOCENCE or THE INNOCENCE OF VIRTUE
Synopsis: Old "ham" actors Evelyn Awl and Brandon Irons give stirring "farewell performances" to save their "Little Sweetie" fellow actress (Charlotte Rousse) from the clutches of the scheming, devious and evil confidence trickster, Jake Eland Hyde.
***************
PULCHRITUDE PERSONIFIED or "QUEUE FOR A BEDKNOB"
Synopsis: The Chairman has difficulty with both the actors and the stage management in attempting to bring together the down-at-heel heroine, Lucinda Lovelorn, and the unlikely, lisping hero, Eustace Bedknob.
***************
JACK THE DANDY or IT'S A RUM DO
Synopsis: Gentleman smuggler Jack Rattenbury robs from the Revenue to spoil the poor but he and landlord Master Quick are outwitted by rival Sam Chance, masquerading as the new Revenue Officer, assisted by the young, one-legged, John Silver.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (each play separately
" Y or in combination)
ISBN 1 872475 70 1
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Page: P 37
Two Short Plays
by GADFAN MORRIS
***************
The Miller's Daughter
Cast: 22 ( 12 m, 10 f + crowd).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 12.
Approx. Running Time: 35 - 40 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The stage is divided into three playing areas: the Royal Palace; the Miller's house; and outside.
Synopsis: Freely based on the fairy story Rumpelstiltskin. The story teller, not always helped by his assistant, links the scenes of the familiar tale, (whose characters have become even more familiar!) and which has acquired the only sense of humour which might be associated with a miller - corny!
**************
The Shoemaker
Cast: 35 ( 13 m, 14f + 8crowd [f] ).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 12.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Three playing areas: the living room; the shop (in which there is a workbench); and the glade where the Elves live.
Synopsis: The action is freely based on the fairy story The Elves and the Shoemaker. Much of the humour is derived from anachronic allusions. It ends in a tableau with Queen Victoria's visit to the shop. There is opportunity for considerable "comic business" involving the ten Elves.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 75 2
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Page: P 38
SOME TREASURE ISLAND!
extremely freely adapted from R. L. Stevenson
by NIGEL TIMMS
Cast: 20 speaking parts (Mostly m, but several adapable m/f and some doubling possible) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 14 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: The occasional sea shanty (well laced with rum).
Set: Bristol docks; On a ship at sea; Treasure Island.
Synopsis: When Billy Bones dies of the black spot at Jim Hawkins' Inn, Jim (who's a bit of a lad), together with the Very Upper-Class Squire Trelawny and the equally Stiff Upper-Lip Dr. Livesey, find his secret treasure map and resolve to get rich quick. They hire a ship, whose trusty crew turn out to be pirates, led by the monopod parrot fancier, Long John Silver. Jim's mother, a formidable lady, has stowed away on the ship, causing all manner of complications, which are in no way reduced once the island is reached and the true identity of Ben Gunn - custodian of a collection of rare historic coins and patron of amateur dramatics - is finally revealed. Calamity and hilarity compete throughout the piece but all the fatal episodes are rapidly cleared up by the two ubiquitous Undertakers for whom business remains good.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 76 0
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Page: P 39
JASON AND THE ASTRONAUTS
The Intergalactic Panto
by GARETH H. JONES
Cast: 40 speaking parts (several variable m/f and some doubling possible).
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 60 - 85 minutes (2 scenes optional) [ + interval ].
Music: None prescribed. Some dance music required for Finale and Directors may wish to use suitable music for effects elsewhere.
Set: Space Age Panto in various locations: a palace; space ships; various planets. Lighting and sound effects more important than constructed set.
Synopsis: "It has been written that there are only seven stories and four jokes", announces Pylon, the Pantomime Centaur, to introduce the show. But this deviation from Jason and the Argonauts, containing most of the legendary characters with many space age additions, and related through some stunning punning, makes a very serious attempt to disprove the statement! After his father loses his throne to the evil King Pelias, Jason goes in search of "The Golden Geez"; his adventures take him through the Planet of the Anoraks and into continual conflict with Pelias' side-kick, Daft Raider. But eventually all opposition is overcome and he finds the Geez, who banishes Pelias "to that solar system to the left of Wales" and places Jason on his throne.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 78 7
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Page: P 40
SHADOW IN THE GLEN
A Short Adventure Play
by JAN CAREW
Cast: 8 (5m, 3f)
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 13 but could extend upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: In and around an archeological camp site in the Scottish Highlands.
Synopsis: Sue Vernon has a shock when she arrives in Scotland to visit her brother on his "dig", only to discover that he has been missing for two days. Something is very wrong and she is certain that there are hidden dangers in the Haunted Glen. The reactions of Professor Sinclair and his assistant, Harry Bridges, do nothing to alleviate her fears, which the twists of this tale reveal to have been well founded.
Price Codes: Script: Code A
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 79 5
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Page: P 41
Three short comedies
by JAN CAREW
***************
The Angel of Death
Cast: 4 (all m)
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 15 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A bar in 1920's Chicago - the Prohibition era.
Synopsis: Three gangsters set out to look for the Angel of Death, a new hit man who is killing their friends. But will the Angel of Death find them first?
**************
Going, Going, Gone
Cast: 7 (4m, 3f).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 15 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The Drawing Room at Bragwell Hall; an Auction Room.
Synopsis: Lord Bragwell would do anything to avoid his wife's wrath but he seldom avoids being in trouble; when her latest expensive antique is mistakenly donated to a charity auction, however, matrimonial affairs take an unexpected course.
**************
Meet The Family
Cast: 6 (4m, 2f).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 15 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The sitting room of the Brown family.
Synopsis: Doris' new boyfriend is coming to tea and the family want to make him feel welcome. It is just that they have a funny way of showing it - as we discover when he reveals which buses he caught in order to get there!
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play separately
" Y or in any combination)
ISBN 1 872475 80 9
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Page: P 42
A Trio of Spoofs
by ROGER POOLE
***************
The Butler Did It
Cast: 9 (5 m, 4 f)
Suggested Age Range: 12 - 18.
Approx. Running Time: 30 - 35 minutes.
Music: The play ends with knockabout dancing to the Can-Can.
Set: The Drawing Room of Codliver Hall.
Synopsis: A farcical whodunnit in which Cutler, the butler, admits his guilt to the audience but succeeds in hiding it from dim detective, Seymour Clewes. After three fatal poisonings, the culprit is exposed by young Lucy and Ernest.
***************
Close Encounters of the Nurd Kind
Cast: 11 (6m, 5f).
Suggested Age Range: 12 - 18.
Approx. Running Time: 20 - 25 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A sitting room with basic furniture.
Synopsis: When two New York-bound Space aliens ask the Nurd family of West Bromwich for directions, confusion and misunderstanding result. After meeting Nurd relatives, friends and neighbours, the visitors decide that communication with Earthlings is impossible and settle for taking a live specimen home with them instead.
***************
Start of Term at Grunge Hill
Cast: 16 (9m, 7f).
Suggested Age Range: 12 - 18.
Approx. Running Time: 20 - 25 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The staff room at Grunge Hill School.
Synopsis: Every pupil's wildest imaginings about what goes on behind the staff room door! On the first day of term staff face the problem of protecting wealthy new boy, Jeremy Foxtrot, from Year 11 tough Neville Knuckles. As things turn out, however, this is not their real problem at all.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code D
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 81 7
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Page: P 43
THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES
adapted from the traditional Italian story used by Prokofiev in his opera
by MARK BILLEN
Cast: 23 speaking parts (9m, 7f, 7 variable) + guards and clowns
Suggested Age Range: 9 upwards
Approx. Running Time: 60 minutes [ + interval].
Music: The suite from The Love For Three Oranges (recorded) or similarly characterful music.
Set: Palace setting plus drapes and atmospheric lighting. It can be elaborate or simple and many props can be made by the cast.
Synopsis: Based loosely around the famous opera, this version includes a Stage Manager and two Assistants who try to influence the story.
The Prince of Clubs is suffering from hypochondria but if he could be made to laugh he might be cured. An entertainment is arranged but Fata Morgana, an evil witch, casts a spell to prevent laughter. She falls over, shows her bloomers and the prince laughs. Furiously she curses him to fall in love with three oranges but they are guarded by Creonta, a giantess who loves to cook humans. The Prince saves the oranges but when they are cut open princesses are inside! Fata Morgana has some more tricks in store but somehow a happy ending is achieved.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 88 4
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Page: P 44
DANIEL AND THE BEASTLY BABYLONIANS
A Play
by MARGARET FOREY
Cast: 32 speaking parts (9m, 23 variable); can reduce to 22 with doubling.
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 14.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: None.
Set: Interior, exotic, Middle Eastern effect; various rostra or benches, screens or hangings to allow several entrances.
Synopsis: A light-hearted treatment of the biblical story, with plenty of humour and dramatic interest - and some serious moments.
Daniel and his companions, captured in war, are brought to Babylon to work for the King. Their success arouses the envy of the High Priest and the now-redundant magicians and sorcerers, who conspire to get the newcomers into trouble - in the forms of a Burning Fiery Furnace and a Den of Lions. Their plots fail and it is the arrogant King Belshazzar who is destroyed, as forecast by the hand which writes mysterious characters on a wall. Under his successor the Priests and Sorcerers hope at last to have Daniel discredited; instead he is able to demonstrate their trickery to the King. Daniel's enemies are overthrown and hiscause vindicated.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 872475 89 2
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Page: P 45
Two Short Comic Plays
by ANDREW RICE-OXLEY
**************
The Dastardly Deeds of Lord Swindleham
or
The Reluctant Regent
Cast: 17 ( 12 m, 10 f ).
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 14.
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes.
Music: None (except recommended recorded music at the start of the play).
Set: Alternates between Larsony Wood in the Kingdom of Rogaria and the Royal Court of Rogaria.
Synopsis: A mediaeval-flavoured tale set in the murky past, involving a missing king and a corrupt minister ruling in his place. Honest rogues, a charlatan magician and a good, wise politician (!) join forces to oust the villainous Lord Swindleham. Even so, only the intervention of a higher power with genuine magic enable them to achieve their ends and restore order to the Kingdom of Rogaria.
**************
The Ratbusters
Cast: 20 speaking parts ( 6 m, 14 variable ) + crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 14.
Approx. Running Time: 40 - 45 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Market place; a room in the Town Hall; and a street.
Synopsis: A modern version of The Pied Piper of Hamelin with humanoid rats and a quirky team of "Ratbusters"- in the Ghostbusters mould (loosely!). Plenty of characters, including conscientious though incompetent policemen; manic action; and a moral which gets a little mangled along the way by the unscrupulous mayor.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 90 6
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 46
THE SCHOOL INSPECTION
A Play
by STEPHEN HIRST
Cast: 45 - 60 (12 "staff" speaking parts; remainder pupils; most variable m/f )
Suggested Age Range: 12 upwards - best with older (say 15+) as "staff".
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes
Music: None.
Set: A school staff room.
Synopsis: The initial visit of a marketing-trained "business executive" School Inspector leads the staff to claim allegiance to a new "politically correct" set of values in order to bluff their way through. Soon after the inspection is complete, however, developments suggest that empty teacher rhetoric has become reality!
Satire moves to farce as this witty and pertinent play comes to its chaotic finale with the whole cast on stage as wave after wave of enterprising free-market groups of pupils invade the staff room.
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 872475 93 0
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 47
Two Short Comedies
by MICHAEL THOMAS
***************
Murder at St. Barnabas
Cast: 7 ( 3 m, 3 f + 1 dead body [m] ).
Suggested Age Range: 12 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 15 - 20 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The conventional drawing room set of an amateur theatrical society, including a front curtain acting area.
Synopsis: It's the interval during a performance of a Whodunnit? by the St. Barnabas Amateur Dramatic Society but a member of the cast really is dead. Enter seasoned detective Harry Parrot with his trusty Sergeant Moor. With people queuing up to confess, will they solve the murder before the beginning of Act Two? And will the man calling the raffle ever shut up? Definitely a thriller.
**************
Drink?
Cast: 6 ( 5 m, 1 f ).
Suggested Age Range: 14 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 20 - 25 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A suburban room with two doors.
Synopsis: Derek has invited Jeremy in for a drink but problems with the plumbing, wild dogs, a religious maniac and the local policeman all seem to get in the way - not to mention his attractive daughter and several buckets. A very English farce.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 96 5
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 48
Two Plays
by ANGELA LANYON
**************
The Half Crown Boy
Cast: 19 ( 11m, 8 f + soldiers, apprentices, girls, revellers, etc. ).
Suggested Age Range: 10 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes [ + interval].
Music: Familiar folk tunes and Music Hall songs.
Set: Time 1854. Royal Worcester Porcelain Works; The interior of a working man's house; Common land; the Malvern Hills. Suggested as open plan - small inset scenes played side stage; cast can move set.
Synopsis: David Bates is taken by his father to sign articles of apprenticeship as a painter at the Royal Worcester factory. He makes and loses friends, his girl friend dies of T.B., he gains skills and finally sets his sights on becoming a landscape painter.
[Based on the true story of David Bates who went on to exhibit at the Royal Academy].
**************
Where Is Florrie?
or
Who Put the Body in the Prittlewell Brook?
Cast: 10 ( 6 m, 4 f + crowd).
Suggested Age Range: 8 to 13.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes.
Music: Folk songs and Music Hall tunes.
Set: Open plan. Southend Pier; London Dockland; A police station; A country lane; The Old Bailey. Cast move props andf furntiture as part of the action.
Synopsis: OTT melodrama based on a murder in Southend in Victorian days. Florrie Dennis is lured by train from London by the handsome, much-married docker, James Read. Her sister, suspicious from the first, sends him a telegram causing him to desert his wife and eight children, rob the dockyard fund and flee to his mistress in the country and illegitimate daughter, Rosebud. But Florrie's body is found in the woods, Read is identified by the rose bud left at her side and justice is done!
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 872475 99 X
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 49
HEAD TO HEAD
A Play
by BERNIE CROSTHWAITE
Cast: 10 speaking parts (7 m, 3 f) plus at least 3 others; optional: two sets of cheerleaders & onlookers
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 85 minutes [ + interval ]
Music: None.
Sound effects: Crowd noise.
Set: Open stage: An English town. Wheel-on counter with till for fish and chip shop; blackboard for classroom; jukebox or sign for Youth Club; one or two gym benches.
Synopsis: Pogo Potter has only one ambition - to become quarterback for the Rotherby Rockets, the local junior American football team. But when he is thrown out of the squad, unjustly accused of being a thief, and his Dad's fish and chip shop is threatened with takeover, it's time for a change of game plan. Pogo must use tactics which are not in the playbook to defeat the family's common enemy.
A lively, funny, fast-moving play which is not just for sports fans.
Price Codes: Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 902472 00 4
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 50
Two 30 Minute Plays
by ANDRA BISHOP
**************
Bermuda Tangle
Cast: 11 ( 5 m, 6 f ).
Suggested Age Range: 13 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Seven "scenes" - which can be depicted just with rostra and props. A small boat at sea; the Customs Hall at Dover; outside a house; a fast-food restaurant; the cellars of the House of Commons; inside a house; at sea again.
Synopsis: Frank and Maureen Snoxall are on a boating holiday in the Bermuda Triangle. A strange-looking ship appears and is sunk by their little boat. On board were Sir Walter Raleigh, aiming to discover Virginia and potatoes, his Cabin Boy and Guy Fawkes. Brought into the twentieth century they pursue their quests with unexpected - and often hilarious - results.
**************
Why Can't I Be a Teenager in Love?
Cast: 14 ( 6 m, 8 f ).
Suggested Age Range: 13 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Open plan. Changing between various houses; the street; a youth club; the school disco.
Synopsis: Sarah is a normal 15 year old girl trying to understand the complexities of teenage relationships. Steve is the good looking one: all the girls fancy him, Sam apes him and he fancies himself. Mark can supply "the goods"; Dave is preserving the environment; Paul's only love is football; Randolph does not really fit in. The good-looking Mel is determined to hook Steve, but he chooses Louise. Beccy is jealous, Marsha unaware. There is a dramatic climax at the school disco.
***************
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 902472 03 9
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 51
RODGE!
A Play
by ANDY EVANS
Cast: 12 speaking parts (5 m, 4 f, 3 variable m/f)
Suggested Age Range: 10 upwards - best with a wider range.
Approx. Running Time: 50 minutes
Music: None.
Set: Various settings - street corner; a living room; near an airport; a classroom; outside a house; a school playground; and a hospital waiting area. All can be very simple and flexible.
Synopsis: Max, a ten year old, has an unshakeable belief in his guardian angel -Rodge. He also seeks to fulfil his dream - to fly! Meanwhile, the dreaded Sibbert brothers pursue him relentlessly, threatening to rip his arm off and beat him with the soggy end! It is a light-hearted play but raises the issues of bullying and loneliness as well as asking whether we should be afraid to be an individual and stand up for what we believe in. After all, haven't we all wanted a friend like Rodge?
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 902472 04 7
________________________________________________________________
Page: P 52
JANKYN'S GOLD
based on some of the Tales of Chaucer
by MICHAEL THOMAS
Cast: 7 speaking parts ( 4 m, 3f ) + small crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 14 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes
Music: None.
Set: The interior of a mediaeval tavern and an open space, including a tree. Written to be performed as street theatre but will work equally well on an end stage or in the round.
Synopsis: A lively, entertaining and somewhat bawdy version of two tales from Chaucer (The Wife of Bath and The Pardoner) combined with a snippet of Everyman and a dash of Piers Plowman. All are combined into a single drama with strong character parts, opportunities for mime and for mask work; and of course there is a clever ending! After all, the Pardoner is basically a dodgy insurance salesman and the Wife of Bath a sex therapist, an agony aunt and a Believer in Life!
Price Codes: Script: Code B
Performance Rights: " Z
ISBN 1 902472 05 5
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 53
ROMEO LOVES JULIET - OK?
A Play
by
ANDRA BISHOP
Cast: 13 speaking parts (8 m, 5 f) + a few extras.
Suggested Age Range: 13 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes.
Music: Taped - including use for karaoke at one point - plus one possible song for the wedding scene at the end. Directors or students may wish to compose their own or use appropriate music as a soundtrack.
Set: Modern day. Can be played on a bare stage with the addition of chairs and props or with a set, representing: a car; a house interior; a disco; a house exterior (with balcony) and a tomb.
Synopsis: Shakespeare's story put into the present day
and seen from the perspective of Rosalind and Paris - who were intended to be
the spouses of Romeo and Juliet respectively. A further variation is the
introduction of lines from other Shakespearian plays and the concept that
Rosalind, Paris and Mercutio form a trio ("Three Witches") who manipulate
events into a vengeful plot.
Although principally a comedy, the play
involves the themes of Love, Jealousy, Hate, Revenge and ultimate Tragedy.
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Y
ISBN 1 902472 06 3
P 53 ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 54
Two One Act Plays
by CLAIRE JONES
************
Care
Cast: 9 ( All f ).
Suggested Age Range: 13 to 18.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Basic interior of an "institutional home". Can be played on a open stage.
Synopsis: Set in a residential home, run as a "halfway house"by Hazel, a harrassed housemother, and her (unseen) husband David. A group of teenage girls spend an eventful afternoon. Everyone has a problem or concern and some are resolved amid a welter of false alarms, fights, misunderstandings and stray dogs!
************
Shadows
Cast: 8 ( 2 m, 6 f ).
Suggested Age Range: 14 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Open stage, moving through several locations.
Synopsis: Debbie wakes up in a strange place with people around who seem to know her, although she does not recognise them. It is the beginning of a nightmare time for her in this thriller / spy story, where nothing is what it seems and even the most trustworthy people have another side to them.
************
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 902472 07 1
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 55
Two World War One Plays
by CLAIRE JONES
These two plays are complete in themselves but there is some overlap of characters and
they can therefore be played in tandem.
************
An English Heaven
Cast: 8 ( All f ).
Suggested Age Range: 15 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 30 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: Interior of a village post office / shop, during World War One.
Synopsis: It is 7.30 a.m. on 1st July 1916. A group of women and girls from the village call in for letters from their menfolk - husbands, fathers, brothers, sweethearts - all away at the Front, serving in the local regiment. Their own concerns are foremost: planned weddings, new babies, work and managing while the men are away; but within half an hour events abroad will have changed their lives.
************
Is There Honey Still?
Cast: 9 ( All f ).
Suggested Age Range: 15 upwards
Approx. Running Time: 35 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: A World War One dressing station; camp beds and orange boxes.
Synopsis: Later in 1916. A group of young VAD nurses from very different backgrounds are thrust together in a dressing station near the battlefields of the Somme during the First World War. They unite in facing up to the realities of war - which affect some of them far more directly than just through the men they are treating. The thought of the 'honey for tea', which they have left behind in England, is a long way away.
************
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 902472 08 X
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 56
Two Christmas Plays
by JENIFER HILLMAN
************
The Christmas Cracker
Cast: 38 ( mostly variable m/f ) + shepherds, angels etc.
Suggested Age Range: 5 to 8.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes.
Music: Various Christmas songs throughout.
Set: Home; Santa's workshop; in the sky; the soup kitchen; Bethlehem. (One Christmas-style backdrop would suffice).
Synopsis: A present day story. Mother writes a letter to Santa, asking him to help her children find the spirit of Christmas. He sends his Sprite, who travels in an enormous Christmas cracker, and who gives the children five crackers to pull. Each contains a different scene showing people giving at Christmas. The play ends in the stable where, surrounded by the traditional Nativity characters, the children learn to give their own special gift.
************
Who Is Welcome?
Cast: 36 ( mostly variable m/f ) + shepherds, angels etc.
Suggested Age Range: 5 to 8.
Approx. Running Time: 45 - 50 minutes.
Music: Various Christmas songs throughout; a suggested list is provided.
Set: In a spaceship; in the woods; the stable. Can be played with a backdrop of woods throughout.
Synopsis: Who is welcome at the stable? A story of a group of aliens who, whilst following the Christmas star, crash and land on Earth. Here they meet a variety of characters, pirates, animals, kings and shepherds all travelling to Bethlehem to see the new-born king. Worried that they are either too dirty, strange or wicked, they are relieved to find that all are welcome in the stable.
************
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: " Z (each play)
ISBN 1 902472 09 8
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 57
SPUD FERRET & THE CASE OF THE MISSING HYPERGYROCOPTER
Another One Act Thriller!
by JEFF GALLAGHER
Cast: 10 speaking parts (8m, 2f).
Suggested Age Range: Any aged 10 or over.
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes.
Music: None.
Set: The Drawing Room of Nobby Charles' Mayfair apartment, some time in the 1930's.
Synopsis: As Nobby Charles and his chum
Charlie Nobbs wait anxiously for their next adventure, news comes that
Britain's latest top secret weapon, the Hypergyrocopter, has been
stolen!
Could it be the work of the rogue republic of Amnesia? Could ace
mechanic Hector Heckmondwike have made off with his own invention? And what is
the link between voluptuous Letitia Levray and the mysterious manservant
Huggins? Only Spud Ferret, the world's greatest detective, has the answers;
unfortunately he cannot remember the questions. A ripping yarn which will keep
you on the edge of your seat until the very last word!
Price Codes:
Script: Code A
Performance Rights: Code Z
ISBN 1 902472 13 6
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 58
THE ZORON
A play about a computer game causing confusion
by MARK BILLEN
Cast: 23 speaking parts (15m, 8f but some variable m/f).
Suggested Age Range: 9 to 13 or older
Approx. Running Time: 80 minutes [ + interval ].
Music: Taped music and sound effects. Unaccompanied singing of extracts from three songs.
Set: The luxurious home of the Smuglee family and the impoverished headquarters of a gang of crooks - if at all possible, both should be visible on stage at the same time.
Synopsis: Cuthbert Smuglee is
addicted to computer games and almost believes that he must save the world by
defeating the Zorons. During a late night computer "battle" a Zoron-type figure
breaks into the house and kidnaps him. Before long he is assisting his captors,
the most inept gang of woould-be criminals imaginable, to demand a
ransom.
Meanwhile the police are called and television reporters arrive; his
doting and dotty parents are distraught although his sister Jonquil throws a
party to celebrate his disappearance. There is a commotion in the garden:
Cuthbert is home. But that is not quite the end of the story!
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 14 4
P 58 ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 59
YOUNG SCARLETT HOOD
(and the Desperately Wicked WOLVES)
by ANDREW MANNERS
Cast: 45 speaking parts (19m, 10f, 16 variable) + Crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 11 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes [ + interval ].
Music: None prescribed; suitable taped music for disco scene.
Set: "Fairy Tale" backdrop. Simple representations of: Charlie's Bar; a wall; the interior of Scarlett's house; a disco; a cellar.
Synopsis: Whatever happened to Little Red Riding Hood when she became the teenage Young Scarlett Hood and how did her parents cope? These developments turn out to be remarkably recent but all can now be revealed!? While she and her best friend Cindy Rellar plan an all-night party, the W.O.L.V.E.S. gather in Charlie's Bar, bemoaning their repeated failures as gangsters, until the sophisticated Foxy Loxy convinces them that they can plan for a life of affluence by kidnapping Scarlett. Snow White, Jack (of beanstalk fame), Sultan (the genie of the bicycle lamp) and the Seven Little Kids all get wrapped up in the story and famous detective Ivor Clue is soon hot on the trail which is observed throughout by three tea-swilling road-workers, who eventually help solve this "mystery romp".?
Price Codes:
Script: Code D
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 15 2
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 60
HOPES
by DUNCAN FOWLER-WATT
Cast: 35 speaking parts [5 substantial] (16m, 9f, 10 variable) + Crowd.
Suggested Age Range: 12 to 16.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes [ + interval ].
Music: None prescribed but some taped music for effects and "My Favourite Things" which can be taped or sung "live".
Set: Can be extremely simple using only tables and chairs but scope for creative staging.
Synopsis: The play revolves
around the Hopes, a family of five who take us on a humorous, painfully honest
journey through their lives together: their hopes, their holidays, their
arguments, their dreams.
A witty, fast-moving comedy with many moments of
both insight and pathos, HOPES explores themes which are central to
adolescent life - relationships with parents and the opposite sex, sibling
rivalry, academic pressures, the dreams, fears and frustrations of growing up.
Flexible in cast and staging, with plenty of scope for improvisation, this is a
play ideally suited to the adolescent age group.
Price Codes:
Script: Code D
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 16 0
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 61
THE VALHEIL WORLD
Cast: 10 speaking parts (6m, 2f, 2 variable) + a few others if desired.
Suggested Age Range: 11 to 15.
Approx. Running Time: 45 - 50 minutes.
Music: Not essential but atmospheric pieces could open and end the play.
Set: Set: A large room in a private house which could also be used for board meetings. Some years into the twenty-first century.
Synopsis: Fay Valpa, Research Chemist for the family company Valheil Cosmetics, has invented a spray which stops you from aging. The Board of the ailing company decides to escape impending financial disaster by having an asteroid built, charging it up with the spray and then retiring to a place "where no one gets sick, no one gets gets old and nobody dies." They engage J.P., Space Engineer (secretly working for their rivals) and he agrees to make the world in a very short time-scale in return for marriage with Fay and the secret formula. Convinced that he cannot achieve their deadline they sign the contract. There are tense days ahead as both sides attempt to outdo each other in the race to avoid bankruptcy, to double-cross each other and to claim ownership of the "world" and the magic formula.
Price Codes:
Script: Code A
Performance Rights: Code Z
ISBN 1 902472 17 9
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 62
PAVED WITH GOLD
A Play in Two Acts
Adapted from Henry Mayhew's "London Labour and the London Poor"
by GERALD KELSEY and JEAN McCONNELL
Cast: 22 speaking parts (12 m, 10 f) + (optional) crowd. All parts can be doubled.
Suggested Age Range: 13 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes ( + interval )
Music: None required but a (taped) hurdy-gurdy could open each Act.
Set: A courtyard in the back street of Victorian London.
Synopsis: The courage, humour and pride of the street people of the Victorian slums blazes theough as they reveal their fortunes and misfortunes to the "Gentleman" (Henry Mayhew). This unseen and unheard interviewer draws from them the facts of their way of life, sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic and always in their own genuine language. The action flows continuously as the people pass through the yard singly, in pairs or in groups. Their rich and contrasting characters present a fascinating and authentic picture of the 1860's; in Mayhew's own words: "A cyclopaedia of the industry, the want and the vice of thegreat metropolis."
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 18 7
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 63
TWIST & SHOUT!
The first in a Trilogy of Self-Contained Plays
with music by JOHN CHEETHAM
Cast: 32 speaking parts (15 m, 17 f).
Suggested Age Range: 13 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 90 minutes ( + interval )
Music: Extracts from various 1960's pop songs (recorded) + an orginal number
Set: Various urban locations, 1963. They include a concert hall, classroom, factory canteen and family home.
Synopsis: This comedy-drama celebrates the
early days of Beatlemania. When The Beatles come to town, local band Rocky
Storm and the Rainclouds win a coveted slot on the bill. Every schoolgirl in
town is desperate to see the show but 15 year old Shirley Sutton has a very
personal reason for wanting to meet her idol, John Lennon. This character-led
play explores the styles, sounds and social mores of the Sixties. It is set in
Mnasfield (north Nottinghamshire) but could easily be adapted to the many
British towns in which The Beatles performed
Twist & Shout is
the first in a trilogy of plays featuring the character Shirley Sutton. Her
story continues in Runaway Girl [P
64] and Shirley's Song [P
65]. The plays can each be performed in isolation.
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 20 9
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 64
RUNAWAY GIRL
The second in a Trilogy of Self-Contained Plays
Cast: 18 speaking parts (12 m, 6 f).
Suggested Age Range: 13 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 75 minutes ( + interval )
Music: One busker plays accordian and sings.
Set: Mainly in Soho, London, 1963. Includes an Italian café, a city street and St. Pancras Station.
Synopsis: This comedy-drama celebrates the
sights and sounds of Soho in the 1960's. Shirley Sutton has run away from her
home town in search of her mother. She finds herself in the heart of swinging
London, a world of Mods, street folk and glamourous gangsters. The bright
lights dazzle her but Shirley soon finds that Soho is a dangerous place -
especially when you're sixteen, alone and pregnant.
Runaway Girl
is the second in a trilogy of plays featuring the character Shirley Sutton. Her
story began in Twist & Shout [P 63] and continues in Shirley's Song [P 65]. The plays can each be
performed in isolation.
Price Codes:
Script: Code C
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 21 7
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Page: P 65
SHIRLEY'S SONG
The last in a Trilogy of Self-Contained Plays
Cast: 3 speaking parts (1 m, 2 f).
Suggested Age Range: 16 upwards.
Approx. Running Time: 60 minutes.
Music: Lead actress sings cabaret-style.
Set: The Pink Flamingo nightclub, Soho, London, 1984.
Synopsis: It is 21 years since the teenage
Shirley Sutton came to London. Now in her late thirties, she is a nightclub
singer who has put her troubled past behind her - or so she thinks. Shirley
runs The Pink Flamingo with the flamboyant female impersonator, Nicki
Piccadilly. But when Nicki hires a new waitress for the club, Shirley is forced
to confront the ghosts of her past.
Shirley's Song is the
last in a trilogy of plays featuring the character Shirley Sutton. Her story
began in Twist & Shout [P
63] and continues in Runaway Girl [P 64]. The plays can each be performed in isolation.
Price Codes:
Script: Code B
Performance Rights: Code Y
ISBN 1 902472 22 5
_______________________________________________________________
PRICE CODES
(With effect from 1st September 2002 until further notice)
Purchase of Scripts, Scores and Cassettes
Code A : 3.00 pounds sterling per copy
Code B : 4.20 pounds sterling per copy
Code C : 4.80 pounds sterling per copy
Code D : 5.40 pounds sterling per copy
Code E : 7.00 pounds sterling per copy
Code F : 9.00 pounds sterling per copy
Code G : 11.00 pounds sterling per copy
Value Added Tax is included in the price of cassettes.
******************************
POSTAGE AND PACKING charges
(Within the U. K. ONLY)
Order Value under 5.50 pounds sterling: Postage and packing: 90 pence
Order Value under 10 pounds sterling: Postage and packing: 1.80 pounds sterling
Order Value under 30 pounds sterling: Postage and packing: 3.50 pounds sterling
Order Value under 60 pounds sterling: Postage and packing: 6.00 pounds sterling
Order Value 60 pounds sterling or over: Postage and packing: 10% of order value
[Maximum charge (within the U.K.) of 12 pounds sterling].
******************************
SCRIPTS ON APPROVAL
(Within the U. K. ONLY)
Scripts, scores and cassettes may be ordered on Approval
but must be returned within 30 days, after which the full invoice price will be charged. We accept copies back in mint condition, but payment of the postage and packing charge is payable whether or not any purchase is made.
******************************
LICENCES FOR AMATEUR PERFORMANCE
Code Z : 20.00 pounds sterling per performance *
Code Y : 30.00 pounds sterling per performance *
Code X : 40.00 pounds sterling per performance *
* or 10% of the gross Box Office, whichever is the greater and to either of which must be added Value Added Tax.
******************************
No performance of any play or musical may be given unless a Licence has been obtained from SchoolPlay Productions Limited before rehearsals commence.
******************************
All programmes and posters must display:
"By arrangement with SchoolPlay Productions Limited" above the title.
******************************
How to order: -
Mail:
SchoolPlay Productions Limited,
15 Inglis Road, Colchester, Essex CO3 3HU, England
_________________________________________________________
Telephone:
[0] 1206 540111
_________________
Fax:
[0] 1206 766944
_________________
E-Mail:
schoolplay @ inglis-house.demon.co.uk
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