After their in-performance deaths, six female Shakespearean characters find themselves in a holding area until the play they are a character in gets revived by another Shakespeare company so that they can (re)live their tragedy over (and over) again. It’s a comic romp that evokes Jean-Paul Sartre’s “No Exit” meets Luigi Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author” meets “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”
Length: One Acts
Shows that are under about 60 minutes, and typically performed in schools for competitions.
Shakespeare’s Dead Dudes
After their in-performance deaths, six Shakespearean characters find themselves in a holding area until the play they are a character in gets revived by another Shakespeare company so that they can (re)live their tragedy over (and over) again. It’s a comic romp that evokes Jean-Paul Sartre’s “No Exit” meets Luigi Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author” meets “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”
Shakespeare Young@Part®: Some Comedies
SHAKESPEARE YOUNG@PART®: SOME COMEDIES introduces the audience to six of Shakespeare’s comedies. The shortened comedies that are included are TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, AS YOU LIKE IT, TWELFTH NIGHT, and THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.
Mary and Joseph… and Company
MARY AND JOSEPH… AND COMPANY tells the story of Mary and Joseph as they journey toward Bethlehem to be counted in the census, and their surprising encounters with characters the whole family will recognize. This fresh reimagining of Mary and Joseph draws on the comedic styles of Don Knotts, Steve Carell, John Cleese, and Kristen Wiig and provides warmth and joy during the holiday season!
Jacked!
Inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk and designed and developed for children, Jacked! fuses storytelling and poetry with hip-hop and break-beat music to encourage a dialogue about substance abuse and the overwhelming effects the opioid epidemic is having in our communities.
Jabari Dreams of Freedom
10 year old Jabari loves to paint. With his Forever President Barack Obama as a guide, Jabari escapes the violent reality of an encounter with the police through his colorful paintings where he meets children from the past who teach him how to be fearless. He then meets his hero, Barack Obama, as a 6 year old boy on the eve of the assassination of MLK, Jr. Will Jabari be able to instill in young Barack the lessons he’s learned and therefore ensure that Barack will have the necessary tools to become president? Will he learn to take these lessons back into his own life and heal his community? JABARI DREAMS OF FREEDOM is a 45 minute dream, a piece for ages 8 and up, using rap, freedom songs, hip hop dance, history, and humor to tell the story of a young Black boy from the South Side of Chicago who is afraid to leave the house, but learns to dream of freedom.
Fourteen
WINNER of the 2021 Tennessee Williams One Act Play Contest
In the near future, a robot named Laura has joined a high school to see if it can learn as humans do. Two girls, Ruth and Teri, decide that the superiority of computers would make Laura the perfect class president. When Laura helps Madison, the school bully, with her math homework, she adopts Laura as her best (and perhaps only) friend, and joins the campaign. After a disastrous assembly ends their election dreams, Madison learns that loneliness can’t be answered by a machine.
Lickety Split
Women and men in outrageous shorts! This fast-paced rollicking collection of short plays featuring fantastically funny females and madly misbehaving men is a laugh-out-loud adventure for all. You’ll encounter women who are brilliant, baffling and know a conscience is what hurts when other parts feel sooo good. And you’ll find men who are confident, strong and so brave they dare to drink water…just to surprise their livers.
In these short plays, you’ll meet a social media star on a quest to elevate the mediocre standard of American funeral food. You’ll witness two good ol’ Texas boys desperate to achieve the
impossible—an honest conversation about the meaning of life… and sports. You’ll spend time with two cousins struggling to write a eulogy for a family member—if only they could think of something
positive to say about him. And more!
These delightful short plays build to a rip-roaring climax. In short, you’ll experience the story of all out lives, which boils down to “we knew better, but we did it anyway.” Without a doubt, LICKETY SPLIT is side-splittingly hilarious!
Honey Sugar Lady Doll
Women in bodacious shorts! This sparkling and raucous comedy offers fast-paced tales about—and starring—strong and sassy females. Women who are intelligent, eccentric, mysterious, baffling, bullheaded and brilliant. As these short plays unfold, you’ll meet Vivacia, a Southern social media star, on a quest to elevate the mediocre standard of American funeral foods. Drop by a Christmas shop where the overworked proprietress unravels as she attempts to train a new crew of “elves” for the holiday tsunami. Spend an afternoon with theatre royalty on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where three theatre legends vie for “best friend” status in the hospital room of their lifelong colleague…and rival. And these are just a few of the unforgettable women you’ll meet in these joyous short plays.
Cinderella: The Real Story
This new take on an old classic tells the forgotten stories hidden in the fairy tale we all know so well. Hilarious, imaginative, and powerful, this play is specifically designed to be performed by young performers and may be adapted to a virtual or in-person performance venue.