PATRON: Stephen Billington, actor

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ALL PLAYS A-Z

All Plays

A-Z by Title

A Fishy Tail

Marc Harris

M2/F2 (one aged 9)

Short, drama


The dramatic rescue of a girl on the Cornish coastline is linked by the account of an elderly man, who has waited to tell a similar story most of his life. 


Can they convince those who doubt them that the incredible events, connected by many decades apart, really happened?


‘A very uplifting piece with some intriguing twists and turns. I very much enjoyed the fantasy elements that became evident towards the end of the piece’. Underscore Studios


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A Good Boy

Danny Dice

M1/F0 (a woman could deliver the narrator's direct female speech)

Monologue, drama, comedy


School bores troublesome teenager Luke. He addresses Max, who’s regarded as ‘a good influence.’ Lockdown has enabled them to spend time together. Luke is a ‘harder to place’ child in foster care, awaiting his annual review.

Why is his foster carer, Rob the knob, behaving strangely?


“Important and original-unexpectedly moving” M6 Theatre judges, Love in the Time of Corona competition.


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A Kind of Marriage

Charles Leipart

M5/F3

Full length, drama


E.M. Forster, the British novelist lived a homosexual life concealed from public awareness.


By the summer of 1931, aged 52, Forster has taken as his male lover a young bisexual London policeman, Bob Buckingham. Into Forster’s love affair with Bob, enters a young nurse May Hockey. May and Bob begin a passionate love and sexual relationship. Forster, along with his own hidden homosexuality, must face the bisexual preferences of his new lover.


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Adrian's Wall

Nick Wilkes

M6/F1 

Full length, comedy drama


Adrian has worked in an office for a long time; the same desk, the same telephone, the same office window. Having just turned forty he’s decided that the time has come to change the view.


He sets out on an hilarious journey to walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall, and finds far more than just backpacks, blisters and bricks.


A school reunion, a few military ghosts, and a short eighty-four mile wander, what could possibly go wrong?


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Agnodice

Vanessa Lee

M4/F7 

One act, historical


The story of Agnodice, an Athenian gynaecologist who lived during the 4th century BC, believed to be one of the first female doctors in Western history. 


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AIBU?

Danny Dice

M1/F2 

Short, comedy drama


‘Why does something as simple as sex have to be so complicated?’ A mother posts on Mumsnet asking if she is being unreasonable for constantly snapping at her husband whenever he pesters her for sex. She sometimes gives in to his demands and asks if she should leave her husband.

In the light of #MeToo, is it ever acceptable to expect sex in a long term relationship? 


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Believe

Baz Stilinski

M6/F8 (Please note some characters can change gender as required.  Jamie is a young role. Ensemble is also required which can include some of the characters. Some characters expected to sing)

Full length, comedy

Two life-long friends are reunited. One is an angel on a mission to try & save the other. The other is an atheist & doesn’t know his friend has died.

Can a group of angels get someone to believe before it is too late or will the past prove to be the biggest barrier?

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Ben Jonson's Dogsbody

James Lewis Huss

M10/F5

Full length (approx. 2 hrs), comedy (Mock Renaissance Tragedy)

Ben Jonson’s Dogsbody is a mock Shakespearean tragedy in blank verse based on the real life history of Sir Henry Norris.

 

A comedy in five acts, it tells the story of King Henry VIII’s best friend & political ally, executed after being accused of sleeping with Anne Boleyn. Henry lived a tragic life with shit upon his hands before he died with it upon his name. 


A shittier tragedy has yet to be written. 


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Between Two Rivers

Michael Lucchesi

M3/F2

Full length, drama


An AWOL Marine returns home to help his sister deal with an abusive father. 


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Blast from the Past

Marc Harris

M4/F4 or M3/F4

Full length, drama/light comedy


Take one actor who wants to act; a brother, daughter and neighbour who want him to; another daughter who doesn’t, and an actor - who can’t! 


The scene is set for an entertaining, poignant and humorous drama about family relationships, ageing and hope. 


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Camp

Kay Andrews-Kuhn

Large Cast

Full length, panto


This original, feel good panto takes place at Sandy Shores Holiday Camp in the early 70s (when hair was long, platform heels were high & flares were wide).


The highlight of the season is the grand talent contest which attracts a young man who wants to be a star & a mysterious stranger who may not be all he seems.


Join the party for a show packed with laughs, songs, romance, mystery & nostalgia which is completely, overwhelmingly, undeniably CAMP.


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Casting

Nick Wilkes

M3/F1 

Full length, comedy


Julius is an award-winning gritty Director. Raymond is an independently wealthy posh Producer. Their much-anticipated production of Hamlet is about to premiere but their Hamlet and Ophelia have run off together.


They have until 6pm to overcome this problem or the money gets pulled. Such is the state of arts funding, such are the problems of casting!


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Christopher Marlowe's Henry

James Lewis Huss

M7/F5 (+2-4 non speaking men)

Full length, comedy (Mock Tragedy)


This is a mock Renaissance tragedy based on the life of Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of King Henry VIII and one-time contender for the crown of England. 


Henry was married at 15, died at 17, and NEVER consummated his marriage. A greater tragedy has yet to be written.

This is not just a comedy about sex and erectile dysfunction written in blank verse, it is a story of a love that grows out of friendship.


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Clementine Delait, the Bearded Lady of Thaon-les-Vosges

Vanessa Lee

M4/F7

One act, historical 


Inspired by the life and adventures of Clémentine Delait, an early-twentieth-century café owner and entertainer from the Vosges region in France. 


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Cloak and Dagger

Chris Shelstone

M4/F3

Short, comedy, Murder Mystery Event  


The Cloak & Dagger pub is hosting a quiz night with their regulars.  Arthur Lager, the landlord, has chosen the occasion to announce he's moving to Italy to open a new restaurant and bar with his latest conquest - Delilah from the Brewery. Problem is, he hasn’t told his current partner, Sue, who's on holiday with Arthur’s daughter, Amber.  


But when they return unexpectedly all hell lets loose!


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Cold Calling

Doc Watson

M2/F2

Full length, dark comedy


Matt and Louise having come into money decide to buy a house in a very upmarket area. However, they soon attract the attention of the neighbours, Michael and Vicky.

One power struggle leads to another as each couple tries to outdo the other. Matt and Helen feel the need to protect themselves with alarms and flood lights and CCTV – but have they taken things too far? Both couples seem on a collision course. The question is who turns first.


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Come Die with Me

Chris Shelstone

M5/F3 (M4/F3 with doubling)

Short, comedy, Murder Mystery Event


Come Die With Me takes place in the arrival/dep. lounge of a budget airline co. at a local airport.  When the Captain is found squashed to death under the front wheel of his plane, arguments ensue - was this was an accident or murder? Inspector Grey, on secondment from the French police, is called in to solve the mystery.

Expect affairs, drug smuggling shenanigans & audience participation in this fun script. 


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Coming Clean

Anne Rainbow

M1/F2

Short, drama


Madge is an interfering mother-in-law, living with her son Lance and his wife Lily in the house she gave them. 


Madge guesses daughter-in-law Lily is pregnant and is eager for the arrival of her first grandchild. She tries to persuade Lily to come clean about her condition and tell Lance. When Lance finds out, it’s Madge’s turn to come clean.


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Confession

Nadya Henwood

M2/F2

Short, drama

  

A Priest is torn when his brother confesses to a serious crime in the confessional. Should he keep his brother’s secret or break the seal of confession? What unfolds challenges his and our beliefs that we can accept the truth, even when it is unpalatable.


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Cram

David Lydon

M3(1 boy)/F2

Full length, drama, black comedy


What is the true price of education? 


Alec finds it just enough to live on, whilst his student Michael finds it an unwelcome distraction from his own imagination. Sally and Marcus are counting the cost of self-improvement whilst scouring the wreckage of previous dalliances, and Julia is trying to make sense of the logic of paying for education when you can get a perfectly good one for nothing.


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Curtain Call

David Lydon

M8/F4 (1 vo)

Full length, comedy


It's the first night for Sir Andrew Samson's new play. The preview was a disaster, with the harshest critic in town giving it a terrible review.


In the audience are Michael & Fiona, a young couple. They are sitting next to another young couple, Lawrence & Charlotte, both of whom Michael hates & there's every chance the harshest critic in town might well be in the crowd. 


What ensues is a very interesting first night...


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Disconnected

Nick Wilkes

M3/F2

Full length, comedy


Norman is an island. Actually, Norman is a telecoms engineer and has been sent to the small island of St Peters to disconnect the old red telephone box, which is no longer commercially viable. The residents are not happy about it.


With a boat to catch and a job sheet to complete, will time and tide wait for Norman? Or like the island will he end up disconnected?


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Dummy

Ali Gallo

M1/F1

Short, Comedy 


Love in these modern times – when Liz’s husband buys her a robot to keep her company they both might get more than they bargained for.


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Edward, Mrs Simpson and Freda

Geoff Buckingham

M7/F4

Full length, drama


This epic play examines the two main romances of King Edward VIII.


We see Edward's days in WWI, his meeting with Freda Dudley-Ward & his arguments with parents Queen Mary & George V.


Following Freda's rejection, & with war looming over Europe, he seeks solace with American socialite, Wallis Simpson.  PM Stanley Baldwin urges him to give her up but Edward remains undeterred, finally deciding to abdicate rather than risk a crisis.


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Elysian Fields

Nick Wilkes

M6/F2

Full length, drama


Stephen Fields is having a bad day. In fact, he’s having the worst day possible.

Although waking in an unfamiliar place, he feels fitter, healthier and more relaxed than he has in years. Things could seem pretty good?


He just doesn’t know how he got here, who brought him, or why. Worse, he may never leave…


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Feeling Lost

Ali Gallo

F2

Short, drama


Being geographically lost leads to sisters finding each other at long last.


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Fit for Purpose

Catherine O'Shea

M0-3/F6-8  

Full length, drama


In 2010 50 female asylum seekers’ held in Yarl’s Wood detention centre went on strike to protest the conditions they had to endure. It ended with violence & the women moved to Holloway.

 

Aruna & Kaela (13) a Somali mother & daughter are detained in Yarl’s Wood at the start of the strike. The stress of the journey & subsequent treatment by the UK Border Agency makes Aruna retreat into herself while Kaela tries to understand what's happened


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Flood

Vanessa Lee

2 actors - either gender  

One act, comedy, dark comedy, fable/folktale, radio drama, science fiction 

 

The world has become submerged under water. 


Icarus, with the help of his loyal sidekick Meander, is searching for their only remaining link to the humans of old: a box containing a priceless treasure. 


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Grammatically Speaking

Marc Harris

M2 - or any combination of either sex

Short, drama/ghost


Simon decides to carry out his first burglary, unknowingly breaking into his former school teacher's cottage. 


Clive tries to convince Simon that everyone deserves a second chance but is everything as it seems?


The script relies on numerous sound effects to enhance the production and build the suspense. 


Running time: Approximately 13 minutes.


In 2020, this reached the long list of Pintsized Plays


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He, Haditcummin

Jo Smith

M6/F3

Full length, comedy/parody


Lord & Lady Ownalott are hosting their annual soiree, one dark and stormy night, inviting neighbours, Mr & Mrs Fortune, and the local clergyman, Reverend Churcher, for dinner. However, the guests get more than they bargained for when one of them ends up dead...

A hilarious, light-hearted, fast-paced stage play which gently pokes fun at the classic "whodunnit" format. 


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Hey L'il Man

Baz Stilinski

M5/F10 

(Please note that there are small ensemble parts needed which can be doubled up 2 male and 2 male are young characters. Some characters expected to sing)

Full length, drama comedy


A journey of family life told through the eyes of a stranger who becomes involved when tragedy strikes. Join two families who experience life’s twist and turns, laughter and tears, happiness and sadness. 


Even in life’s greatest tragedy, can a miracle still be found?


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Hofstadter's Law

Danny Dice

M2/F0 (could be M3/F1)  

Short, comedy drama


26.2 miles in under 26.2 minutes! Danny is convinced that running his first marathon with best friend B will enable him to write his first novel. 


Why do two unexpected fellow competitors so unsettle Danny? Can Danny learn something from ex-world record holder Dr Ron Hill MBE? Why is B furtive about his wife’s texts? Will Danny and B’s friendship survive?


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Hood

Kay Andrews-Kuhn

Large Cast

Full length, panto


Robin & his friend Flora Mopp are transported from a future where magic is forgotten to a bright new world in pursuit of a book of fairy tales. However, all is not sunny in the magic kingdom.


In the forest, a girl in a red hooded cloak & sparkly red shoes is being followed by a big, bad wolf.


In this funny, fast paced adventure, we meet characters from panto, fairy tales & 80s sci-fi, discovering the magic of music, laughter, friendship & love.


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Hooley

Peter Cowlam

M8/F8/4 extras

Full length, comedy


Hooley runs a psychotherapy practice (unsuccessfully, as she remains only one step ahead of creditors). Her personal life fares little better, having bought a vicarage occupied by squatters who are impossible to evict.


Meanwhile Pollock, a client of Hooley’s, believes Hopkins, a religious fanatic, is about to commit murder, while Hopkins thinks the universe is caught between good & evil resulting in a life & death battle.


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iBard

Nick Wilkes

M4

Full length, comedy 


Andrew was an English teacher. He now cleans toilets. He has a wife, a child, half a cat, and isn’t quite making ends meet.


He’s decided that if Shakespeare was indeed ‘for all time’, then he must belong in the twenty-first century too. So Andrew is off to London to seek his fortune by bringing Will Shakespeare into the digital age. Is he Fortune’s fool, or is there method in his madness? That is the question.


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Imagine

Baz Stilinski

M3/F2

(A voiceover of a news reporter is also required)

One act, comedy

(Please note that this play has also been adapted to be a pilot episode for television and has an alternative ending)


A family are trying to come to terms with isolation during the lockdown but with two teenage boys in the house, this is going to be a struggle for anyone.


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Jitters

Nick Wilkes

M5/F2

Full length, comedy


Saying ‘I do’ is easy, but finding that special someone to say ‘Will you?’ is an entirely different proposal. It’s a big step, especially when it’s the second time around and the first ended in disaster.


A groom with a past, a best man losing his best mate, and a father of the bride with just a little too much pride. It’s fair to say they all have jitters.


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Let's Make Sweet Music Together

Doc Watson

M2/F1

Short/one act, comedy

Fresh out of Music College a brother and sister with their friend formed a Music Trio and began to make their mark. Then the friend won a music competition and left the other two in the lurch. 


Now some thirty-five years later the brother and sister are scratching out a living – he marking exam papers, she giving piano lessons, until the friend returns to ask a favour. Then all the old enmities come bubbling to the surface.

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Leverage

David Lydon

M3/F2

Full length, drama, modern tragedy, legal, morality 


Archie is caught at a crossroads - does he defend the man most hated by the nation or let his career, and life, stagnate? 


‘Leverage’ represents modern life and all that entails. The play discusses the difficulty of modern masculinity - does working alongside the embodiment of toxic masculinity make you guilty by 

association? 


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Litter Hero

Nick Wilkes

M2

Full length, comedy


Mike has just been left at the altar. Forty, fat and jilted, you could say his life is rubbish.


With his girlfriend gone and a hole where the wedding once was he needs more than a happy meal to make him happy. So when he sees a drinks can littering a country lane, and gives it a good hard kick, how could he possibly imagine where it would end up?


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M

David Lydon

M3/F3 

Full length, tragedy, adaptation, 


‘M’ is a high-achieving Upper 6th student with a place at a good University lined up. She has lost Jason, the love of her life, to another girl in her year on the cusp of their school leaving party. 


M only arrived at the school in the Sixth Form (and isn’t a native Londoner) whereas Jason and his new beau Sara-Jane have been at the school since they were eleven. M wants her revenge. 

This play is inspired by Euripides’ Medea.


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Men of the Empire

Bill Savage

M9/F2

Short, historical drama


After a prologue in present-day London, the scene takes place the night before the Battle of the Somme.


Two railway workers-turned-soldiers, one from Newfoundland and the other from Britain talk about their commitment to the cause.


Next we are taken to a hospital, where a nurse laments the carnage and what it's done to her generation.


An epilogue in modern-day Newfoundland provides an interaction between the generations.


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Miner's Canary

Charlotte Jung

 F4

Short, drama

Four female miners give voice to their endless experience of digging the mines. Talking choir format. 


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Mom, I Smoke!

Bill Savage

M4/F4

Short, drama


In a series of vignettes, we see not only the choices and the effects of those choices made by a man (who appears only in prologue and epilogue), but also the genesis of society's view on cigarette smoking between the 1960s and 2010s. In most of the vignettes, this character is referred to either in the third person, or cast members break the fourth wall to address "him" directly.


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Mr Wong's Wonderful Winged Delivery Service

Vanessa Lee

M2/F3

One act, comedy, radio drama

 

When the post office branch of his shop closes down, Simon Wong decides to open a bird-post service. 


But things don't all go according to plan... 


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Murder at Sea

Chris Shelstone

M3/F4 or M4/F3 or M3/F6 

Short, comedy Murder Mystery Event  


The Happy Wanderer and its hapless crew are about to set sail for a one-night taster cruise to promote its recent refurbishment. But the Captain makes a few enemies when he reveals some of the crew’s secrets.   Soon tragedy strikes as he's seen in the water, Accusations fly as to who could have thrown him overboard .

Was he thrown or was it an accident? And was it really the Captain that went overboard?

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Murder at Stodge City

Chris Shelstone

M7/F4 or M6/F5

Short , comedy, Murder Mystery Event


The Rusty Spur saloon is short of customers and Diamond Lil is looking for big spenders.Dirty Dick arrives wanting to buy up the bar, with Wyatt Twerp in hot pursuit.

Lil’s daughter is getting married, but Peaches upsets everyone with startling revelations.  


Lil is found murdered, and her twin sister Sapphire arrives to try and sort out this tragedy.Can the Milky Bar Kid help or is he here just to give out the chocolates?

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Murder in the Library

Chris Shelstone

M5/F2

Short, comedy, Murder Mystery Event

A book signing has been arranged for Ray Bentos, a well-known author. Unfortunately, he won't be there in body because he's just been murdered. But his soul is alive and well and although he can't be seen or heard by the suspects, he is able to present himself to the library guests (ie the audience).


The family argue amongst themselves over who could be responsible for Ray's death. And hidden secrets start to be revealed... 


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Murder Most Vile

Chris Shelstone

M6/F3 or M4/F5

Short, comedy, Murder Mystery Event  


Gordon Bennett runs a run-down hotel, but he has plans to get it into shape.It seems he has cousins helping out but is it really Gordon in disguise in order to give the impression he has more staff?  The plot thickens when some guests are invited to an all-expenses paid meal and overnight stay by a mystery benefactor.


Revelations are made, tragedy strikes and mayhem ensues as Gordon tries to uncover who is behind it all.

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Nay, Remember Me!

Amelia Marriette

M15/F7 (Min without doubling 22, 13 with)

Full length, comedy drama


A fast paced comedy about the printing of the first complete works of Shakespeare – The First Folio of 1623.

 

In the play, Shakespeare appears as a ghost; actors become editors & a wayward apprentice turns order into chaos.


The play also propels the story forward to Washington DC in the 19th Century to unravel the story of the greatest collector of First Folios – Henry Clay Folger of the Folger Library.  


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Not the Mail

Danny Dice

M1

Monologue, comedy

1 minute monologue. Script available on request. 


A senior whose adult daughter regularly reproaches him for reading The Daily Mail is buying his copy. Surprised to see an eligible man also buying a copy, the senior wishes his daughter could witness this. But his ‘conversation’ with the younger man does not go quite as planned. 


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Offshore

Peter Cowlam

M4/F3/3 extras

Full length, tragedy/drama


England is bound with the imaginary, war-torn African country of Kbandra.


Two people who can help Kbandra are Hillier & Keller, put together by TV show hosts, Alan & Moira. Hillier is a consultant in the oil business. Keller is an English aristocrat with ancestry going back to Elizabeth I.


Neither Westerner want to use their skills/resources to alleviate suffering, leaving naïve Hillier to justify his position.


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On Our Way to the Fair

Bill Savage

M4/F5

Full length, drama


Two acts of this play take place in 1939, and one in 1964. All revolve, indirectly, around the New York World's Fairs of those years. It is a story of intra-family relationships, dreams shattered by the force of history, and of the aspirations of second-generation immigrants in America. The main theme involves the continuity of generations and of youth across decades.


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Only Love Can Do That

Alison Roe

M1/F3

30 mins, drama


When a young refugee requires urgent medical care, some surgery at the Royal Berkshire Hospital must be postponed.


90-year-old Anna, a child refugee from Germany, is one of those affected. The other is Joyce, a cleaner with a view about foreigners that this situation can only reinforce. Throw in an African nurse & Anna’s grieving son Paul & the stage is set for a thought-provoking & compassionate exploration of modern-day attitudes towards migration.


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Playing Solitaire

Michael Lucchesi

M1/F1

One act, drama


A daughter has to tell her father (a WWII vet) that he is no longer capable of living on his own. 


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Plot

Kay Andrews-Kuhn

M3/F2

30 mins, adult comedy


Backstage of a town hall, November. The local arts festival has commissioned a new musical, PLOT, expecting to see a drama about the events of 1605. Instead, it re-tells the gunpowder plot as a revenge tragedy led by Gay Fawkes. 


The script is as terrible as it sounds & the songs are even worse. The actors fear for their reputations & ten minutes before curtain up, decide to set off the smoke detectors, forcing an evacuation.


What could go wrong?


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Protect Yourself At All Times

Mark Whicker

M16/F6

Full length, drama


Curtis “The Hammer” Jerome is an aging boxer who is finally nearing a championship. He defeats Kiki Ortega, who dies in the aftermath of the fight. Confused by his emotions, he is angered when his promoter Eddie casts him as a killer to prop up his fame. He also struggles with his feelings for Christina, Kiki’s widow. 


In the end he tries to reverse his plummeting career, and to learn to function with guilt and the self-absorption within. 


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Psychos Inc.

Vanessa Lee

M2-3/F4-5

One act, drama, mystery, thriller, science fiction 


Psychos Inc. is a short thriller set in a world where memories are recorded, shared and sold publicly. 


Carla is more than happy with her job at Psychos Inc., a powerful memory-recording company, but her husband Geoff, who is unemployed, has his doubts about the system. 


One day, he is given the chance to make a change… 


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Putting the Fun Back in Fun Run

Ali Gallo

10 characters - M4/the rest can be either M or F

Short, comedy


A news broadcast with a fairy tale twist (part of the news desk series).

Here at ‘L8 Nite News,’ Phil, the anchor man and Stan, the roving reporter bring you all the latest info on your favourite fictional characters.

Tonight, join us for the first annual fun run between the hares and the tortoises. Who will win? Tune in and find out…

Read an extract of the play here.


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Running Wild Across Barren Ground

Anne Rainbow

M1/F1

Short/duologue, drama


A man and a woman, ex-lovers, meet in a bar, years after they split up and compare their experiences with lovers much older than themselves.


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Say He Was a Soldier

Bill Savage

M5

Short, historical drama


Shortly after the Civil War, a young veteran of the war finds no place for him in post-war society, specifically because of his sexuality. He wanders into a town where he encounters a former officer. 


The two have never spoken before, but they are united by their admiration for a former superior who died in the war. They discuss the past and the future, and in the end, each achieves a measure of peace.


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Shakespeare's Robin V

James Lewis Huss

M18 speaking (7 non-speaking, can be paired with other roles)/F2 

Full length, comedy


Shakespeare’s Robin V is a mock Shakespearean tragedy based on the legends of Robin Hood & the history of Richard the Lionheart.


A comedy in five acts, we follow Robin of Loxley as he struggles to convince his merry band of men to use their stolen wealth to save his true love, King Richard, from captivity in Germany before the dummy-prince John usurps the throne of England.


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Shards

Catherine O'Shea

M2/F2

Full length, drama


It’s 2012 & the Shard is half completed. Matt, a wing dancer & Laura, a particle physicist hunting for the Higgs Boson particle, are negotiating online dating desperately looking for a connection.


On their first date there is catastrophe. We flit back & forth in time, with the Shard at different heights, witnessing the lives of swing dancers & particle physicists at different points. 


Shards features live lindy hop dancing on stage throughout.


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Stage Door Blues

Marc Harris

M2/F1

Short, comedy 


Liz is determined to wait until she has her theatre programme signed. Robert is impatient, and persists in undermining her and Russ, an actor, because of her infatuation with him. 


Can they overcome their differences and bickering, and is Liz able to hold on to her secret?

A fun script with a plot twist half way through. 

Running time: Approximately 17 minutes.


In 2019, this reached the short list of Pintsized Plays.


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Stuff (and Nonsense)

Charlotte Jung

M2/F2/NB1

Full length, drama

This is an absurd feminist play focusing on the liberation of the suppressed female voice & spirit.


Luce is asleep & dreams her way through the play - the stage represents her subconscious. The further the play, the further down Luce's suppressed psyche - a blocked yet unruly inner world full of her painful memories & feelings.
In meeting with her painful feelings & repressed memories, Luce goes through an intense & transformational process.


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Tailoring Hitler

Charles Leipart

M3/F2

One act, historical drama

Demagogues aren't born. They’re made-to-measure.

A cold rainy April evening in Munich, Germany, 1919. A wounded WWI corporal and self taught public speaker arrives in Munich with political ambitions. But Adolf is in definite need of sartorial advice. Members of Munich’s wealthiest Social Elite are charmed. They decide to lend a hand in giving this young man some much needed style and polish.   


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That Place

Ali Gallo

M1/ - other 3 characters can be M or F 

Short, comedy


Jim is dead but he’s also got a phobia about heaven. He can’t even bring himself to say the word. So, where does he go now?


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The Customer is Always Right

Ali Gallo

M2/F1

Short, comedy  

Have you ever thought about what it’s really like to be a magic mirror? The things they see and hear would be enough to drive anyone to drink!

 
Well, one mirror has had enough of all the lies and that can only mean one thing…

Read an extract of the play here.


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The Epic Battle for Kevin's Soul

Ali Gallo

M2/F1 plus 2 other characters that could be M or F

Short, comedy

It’s the age-old struggle between good and evil. With a human soul at stake, this clash between the forces of heaven and hell will be played out…at the local bus stop.

Read an extract of the play here. 


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The Fall

Michael Lucchesi

M1/F1

One act, drama


A married couple living in Poland reveal secrets kept 20 years.


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The Five

Charlotte Jung

F5

Short, drama


The Five depicts the ten years preceding the commencement of what would be Hilma af Klint's life work of paintings; later to be classified as ground breaking, and western art history's first ever abstract paintings. 


The Five was a group of women holding regular seances in which they communed with spirits. The decade long work of The Five was instrumental in preparing Hilma for her forthcoming mission. The Five centers on these consequential seances.


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The Get Out

Nick Wilkes

M8/F5

Full length, comedy 


The curtain has fallen, the performance has concluded and the audience are on their way home. For some however, the evening has only just begun...


Props to pack away, furniture to move, scenery to take down, lights to lower, ropes to haul, a lorry to pack, a romance to conclude, and no accidents please...! 


A technical comedy about keeping the show on the road.


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The Ghost of Blackstoke Manor

Jo Smith

M3/F2

Full length, dark comedy/ghost


Blackstoke Manor has been empty for years which has been great fodder for urban legend. They say the ghost of Ebenezer Blackstoke roams the halls, desperate to protect his manor from unwanted guests.

The gruesome stories don't seem to affect Will who drags his wife and brother-in-law to investigate the house.

If the derelict house wasn't creepy enough, an old friend of Ebenezer Blackstoke turns up to confirm the tales of terror.


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The Heist

Jo Smith

M6/F3

Full length, comedy

Bored of life and tired of being down on his luck, Eddie Smith gathers his not-so-merry men for one last heist.  If tempers aren’t frayed enough as the has-beens dust off their stocking masks and plan the raid of a lifetime, a surprise appearance from a skeleton in the cupboard threatens to throw a spanner in the works.

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The Owl and the Pussycat Went to War

Ali Gallo

M3/F1

Short, comedy  


A news broadcast with a fairy tale twist (part of the news desk series).   


Here at ‘L8 Nite News’ Phil, the anchor man and Stan, the roving reporter bring you all the latest info on your favourite fictional characters. Tonight, join us for the great boat race between the Owl and the Pussycat.  

Read an extract of the play here.

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The Play

Ali Gallo

4 characters – can be any sex

Short, comedy

What happens when a group of characters discover they’re in a new play – but have no idea what to do next…?  


Read an extract of the play here.


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The Real Cost of Happy Ever After

Ali Gallo

M4  

Short, comedy  


A news broadcast with a fairy tale twist (part of the news desk series).   Here at ‘L8 Nite News’ Phil, the anchor man and Stan, the roving reporter bring you all the latest info on your favourite fictional characters. Tonight, join us for an exclusive interview with Trevor (a very large troll) and Rumplestiltskin (a very small man) to find out just what effect fake news has had on their lives.  


Read an extract of the play here.

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The Revenger's Tragedy

Amelia Marriette

M24/F3

Full length, drama

Vindice appears holding the skull of his dead fiancée, killed by the Duke as punishment for refusing his advances. Vindice meets with his brother, Hippolito who agrees to help in his quest for revenge. Hippolito informs him that the Duke’s son, has requested a “pander” to help win the affections of a chaste virgin.Seizing his chance, Vindice disguises himself as the pander & takes on the mission—but to his horror the virgin is his sister.

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Three Feet

Nick Wilkes

M3/F1

Full length, comedy

Albert works the night shift, a porter at an Isle of Man hotel. Comfortable by himself and content in his work he deals with the guest’s night-time requests.

So when two new staff are assigned to his shift he finds that more than his space is invaded. He might cope with the wisecracks of a Liverpudlian lad, but what will he do with a woman!

Is more than two company, is less than three a crowd, and will Albert ever stand on his own three feet?


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Three Years a Prime Minister - The Remarkable Times of Spencer Perceval

Geoff Buckingham

M8/F4

Full length, drama (costume)


The true story of Spencer Perceval, Britain's only PM to be assassinated. 


We follow his eventful premiership as he deals with the madness of King George, the feckless Prince Regent, the belligerent Napoleon Bonaparte & a host of enemies at home, culminating in his murder.


We examine his support for William Wilberforce & the motives of the murderer John Bellingham & the possible culprits who urged him to do the dastardly deed.


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Through a Glass Darkly

Nick Wilkes

M2

Full length, drama 


The Prime Minister has been assassinated. 


At a state banquet a high-ranking church official, well-known to the nation and with no previous animosity towards the government, picked up his knife, extended his arm past the Prime Minister’s throat, and drew the blade back towards him…


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To Build a Wooden O

Nick Wilkes

M9/F3

Full length, comedy drama


It’s 1598 & Will Shakespeare needs a new theatre.


He & his company are stuck at the ageing Curtain Theatre in the wrong part of town, whilst south of the river business is booming & theatres are packing in pounds & pennies a plenty.


Against this backdrop an audacious plan is hatched with the highest of stakes, life or death, all whilst Will is writing a new little history piece called Henry V.


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Transient

Catherine O'Shea

M2/F2

Full length, drama


Germany, 1945. The war is over. Four young people meet in an underground office, sharing the obsessive pastime of reading the lists that will tell them who died & who may be alive.


As they search for answers the world changes beyond recognition as the enemy forces carve up the war-ravaged country they once knew. 


Borders appear where there where none before & they find themselves trapped between imaginary countries as Germany is swallowed up.


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Violette - The Fight for Freedom

Geoff Buckingham

M8/F5

Full length, drama (one act version available)


Violette Szabo was a great heroine in WW2 working for the Special Operations Executive in occupied France.


We visit her early days in London, her marriage to French soldier Etienne, her quest for revenge against the Nazis & her ultimate sacrifice when she is shot by a firing squad.


Thoroughly researched & including anecdotes from Violette's daughter, this epic play can prove a blockbuster for a drama group.


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Wasters

Nick Wilkes

M3/F1

Full length, comedy drama


Peter lives in an alley at the back of the supermarket. Has done for years. He knows that at six o’clock every day the food arrives. Food that is past it’s sell-by date, which the supermarket throws out.

Mostly warm and mostly dry, his existence is one of cardboard, coffee and chatting to his friend, the bin. He is king of his road…


… and then David arrives.


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What's the Time, Virginia Woolf?

Doc Watson

M1/F2 plus one male v/o

Short/one act, black comedy

George & Martha are living on a university campus somewhere in the Mid-West. They seem to have the ideal lifestyle that is until Alice comes to call. Then they all have a take on what happened that afternoon. But who is telling the truth?


Winner of Sterts Cornish One Act Play competition 2012 as well as Segora Competition in 2015: “Excellent piece of craziness... a zany tour de force.”Gordon Simms adjudicator Segora.

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When I Have Fears

Anne Rainbow

M1/F3

Short, drama


While the other inmates enjoy watered-down wine, a once remembered and much-loved poem provides Peter with the perfect route out of a Hotel for the Elderly. 


And life goes on.


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Whenever the Day Comes

Bill Savage

M2/F2

Short, drama


The latest tragedy in a family stricken by tragedies hits a young man especially hard in 1938, but a few years later, now a World War II veteran, he meets a mother and her daughter, with whom he shares both dread and hope.


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Who's Afraid of the Booker Prize?

Peter Cowlam

M4/F3/3 extras

Full length, comedy/satire


Marshall Zob, a well-known novelist’s main frustration is that, although frequently shortlisted for the Booker Prize, he's never actually won it. 


His latest novel is longlisted but he & his agent, Cornelius Snell, fear that Zob won’t win without clever publicity scheme. The best that Snell comes up with is a reading at the South Bank complex.


However, Snell has hatched a plan to maximise coverage of Zob's reading: a public riot.


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Wolf Like Me

David Lydon

M2/F3  

Full length, drama, black comedy, modern tragedy, music 


Punk legend, Robin O is on the cusp of being relevant again – she's finally clean enough to tour, her fans are returning after years of neglect, & there is the promise of new material on the horizon. Yet she seems determined to see this long-overdue revival go down in flames. 


Faced with the prospect of a reunion with her former band mate, her love of music is enough to conquer any personal demons. Surely? 


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You Bet

Pete Harrison

M6/F1

One act, comedy


Based on a true story, the customers and staff of a 1970's betting shop devise and carry out a betting 'coup' that nets one of them a small fortune.


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