PATRON: Stephen Billington, actor

StageLaunch
  • Home
  • About Us
    • All Plays A-Z
    • Full Length Plays
    • Short/One Act Plays
    • Comedy
    • Drama/Thriller/Mystery
    • Pantomime
    • A-Z by Playwright
  • Our Playwrights
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Join Us
  • Blog
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Our Plays
      • All Plays A-Z
      • Full Length Plays
      • Short/One Act Plays
      • Comedy
      • Drama/Thriller/Mystery
      • Pantomime
      • A-Z by Playwright
    • Our Playwrights
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
    • Join Us
    • Blog

StageLaunch

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Playwrights
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Join Us
  • Blog

ALL PLAYS A-Z

All Plays

A-Z by Title

image316

700 Mile Situation

Ingram Noble

M6 /F2

One act, drama


The story following the whirlwind relationship of Ross Edwards and Dom Murphy. Follow their story from Glasgow to London and the events that will change the course of their lives over two weeks.


Visit Ingram's profile page

image317

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


Visit Marc's profile page

image318

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.


Visit Danny's profile page

image319

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.


Visit Charles's profile page

image320

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?


Visit Nick's profile page

image321

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. 


Visit Vanessa's profile page

image322

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.com. Is she being unreasonable rejecting her invisible* husband’s endless sexual advances? Should she leave him? 


Two posters with opposing views give contradictory advice.


*Timesaver! Skip this if you’re not comfortable with invisible characters. Or dishwashers.


Visit Danny's profile page

image323

As the Crow Flies

Ingram Noble

M10/F11

Full length, drama


Follow the lives of Bricklethwaite’s most notorious residents through the weeks of abuse, war, baby daddy drama, inappropriate makeup names, and psychic readings that will change the lives of the residents alive and departed.


Visit Ingram's profile page

image324

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?

Visit Baz's profile page

image325

Between Two Rivers

Michael Lucchesi

M3/F2

Full length, drama


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


Visit Michael's profile page

image326

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. 


Visit Marc's profile page

image327

Body of Knowledge

Craig B. Holland

M1/F1

Short, dark comedy


A dull day in the morgue is interrupted when an Aussie mortuary worker tries to remove a body without the proper paperwork. 


Visit Craig's profile page

image328

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.


Visit Kay's profile page

image329

Care Free

Steve Dimmer

2F/1M

One act, black comedy


Peggy & Pat have been partners for many years. Peggy's decline in health, both physical and mental, means she's had to enter a care home. 


Late one morning Pat visits her and experiences Peggy's fluctuation in mental health until her tolerance reaches breaking point.  


The play examines the relationship between the two women, exploring themes of love, loyalty and the situations the elderly have to endure as they reach the end of their life.


Visit Steve's profile page

image330

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!


Visit Nick's profile page

image331

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.


Visit James' profile page

image332

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. 


Visit Vanessa's profile page

image333

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.


Visit Anne's profile page

image334

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.


Visit David's profile page

image335

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...


Visit David's profile page

image336

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?


Visit Nick's profile page

image337

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.


Visit Geoff's profile page

image338

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…


Visit Nick's profile page

image339

Fags, Shags, Festivals and Kebabs

Ingram Noble

M4/F3

One act, drama


Two sisters. One thinks they’re going to Rome. The other has planned the ultimate weekend at a Music Festival. 


What could go wrong? Or what could go right?


Visit Ingram's profile page

image340

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


Visit Catherine's profile page

image341

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. 


Visit Vanessa's profile page

image342

Funny Faces 1: Heavenly Margaret

Steve Dimmer

1F

One act monologue, comedy drama


Sitting in limbo before entering the pearly gates, Margaret Rutherford, one of the most beloved actresses of all time, reflects on her life, her relationships with some of the giants of theatre & her career.


Funny & poignant, secrets about Dame Margaret's life will surprise her admirers.


This kinetic play is a true challenge 

for any company. Combined with any other play in the FUNNY FACES 

series, it makes for a great evening of theatre.

 

Visit Steve's profile page

image343

Funny Faces 2: Wot Sid Did

Steve Dimmer

M1

One act monologue, comedy drama

  

Holed up in his dressing room just before what will be his final performance, lovable rogue Sid James reflects on his life, his career, his affairs and his many addictions, all the while avoiding the painful memories of the lost love of his life, Barbara Windsor. 


You will laugh, think & sympathise for this great flawed talent who is remembered for simply making us all laugh.


This kinetic play is a true challenge for any company.

 

Visit Steve's profile page

image344

Funny Faces 3: SIMply JOAN

Steve Dimmer

F1

One act monologue, comedy drama

  

Joan Sims was considered a happy actress, yet her life was one of highs & lows as she sought love & a face to  meet her growing fame.


The show explores her career, her friendships with Kenneth Williams & other Carry On legends, her relationship with her parents & failed romnce.


This kinetic play is a true challenge 

for any company. Combined with any other play in the FUNNY FACES 

series, it makes for a great evening of theatre.

 

Visit Steve's profile page

image345

Funny Faces 4: Goodnight Irene

Steve Dimmer

F1

One act monologue, comedy drama

  

Looking back on her life, Irene Handl's acting career did not begin until her 40s & her successful life as a novelist began when she was 64. 


Irene worked with all of the great actors of the day, including Sellers & Coward. Irene's constant optimism ripples through this play about the much admired yet private actress.


Combined with any other play in the FUNNY FACES series, it makes for a great evening of theatre.

 

Visit Steve's profile page

image346

Funny Faces 5: Conking Out

Steve Dimmer

M1

One act monologue, comedy drama


Actor, John Le Mesurier, reminisces about his life, his work, his love (and loss) of Hattie Jacques & his decency when his third wife began an affair with best friend Tony Hancock.


Tinged with humour, wit & warmth, this gentle man has a life story that is as fascinating as it is unique.


This kinetic play is a true challenge 

for any company. Combined with any other play in the FUNNY FACES 

series, it makes for a great evening of theatre.

 

Visit Steve's profile page

image347

Funny Faces 6: Going Through the Mill Again

Steve Dimmer

M1

One act monologue, comedy drama 


Set on a psychiatric ward, this is a play about the genius of comedy, Spike Milligan, as he reflects on his achievements & the price he paid for them.


Packed with humour & melancholy, Spike's journey to s is full of jokes, depression & language that reflects his army background.


This kinetic play is a true challenge for any company. Combined with any other play is the FUNNY FACES series, it makes for a great evening of theatre.


Visit Steve's profile page


image348

Good for the Soul

Roger Lee

M2/F1 

Short (approx. 10 minutes), comedy  


Steph is a feisty young woman not to be taken on lightly. However, even she knows she’ll be in trouble for killing her boyfriend, Bim.


Befuddled but defiant she decides to make her confession, something she hasn’t done for a while…


‘Genuinely funny’ Suzanna Cardash, Scriptwriters & Co

The Undisposables Scratch Night, Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, Walthamstow

Pint Sized Plays Long List


Visit Roger's profile page 

image349

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 11 minutes.


In 2020, this reached the long list of Pintsized Plays


Visit Marc's profile page

image350

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. 


Visit Jo's profile page

image351

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?


Visit Baz's profile page

image352

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?


Visit Danny's profile page

image353

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.


Visit Kay's profile page

image354

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.


Visit Peter's profile page

image355

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.


Visit Nick's profile page

image356

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.


Visit Baz's profile page

image357

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.


Visit Nick's profile page

image358

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? 


Visit David's profile page

image359

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?


Visit Nick's profile page

image360

LOL

Craig B. Holland

3 actors (any gender) and 2 actors to carry off a body

Short, dark comedy/absurd comedy


Two young people with smartphones encounter a crisis and struggle to do the right thing. 


Visit Craig's profile page 

image361

Looking For Mr Right

John Collings

M3/F1

Full length, drama - MATURE CONTENT


A mature prostitute works out of a flat owned by her pimp. Turns out the pimp is her son. 


The pimp wants his mother out. Eventually the prostitute meets Mr Right & starts a new life.


The new man in her life, Barabbas, is abusive & the prostitute has a breakdown when he is arrested for murder & released. During her breakdown she is visited by Jesus, asking why Barabbas got away with murder when he was nailed to the cross.


Visit John's profile page

image362

Love is a Crocodile

Craig B. Holland

M6/F7 (or M3/F4 w/doubling)

Full length, comedy, romance 


Down-and-out and living in a homeless camp, Cyrus and Phoebe wager over whether or not true love exists in the world. 


They position themselves near a garden cafe and overhear the conversations of several couples in various stages of their relationships. 


They search for clues behind the nerd date, the blind date, the first date, the gamophobe, and all those distractions that get in the way of love. 


Visit Craig's profile page

image363

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.


Visit David's profile page

image364

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.


Visit Bill's profile page


image365

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.


Visit Bill's profile page

image366

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... 


Visit Vanessa's profile page

image367

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.  


Visit Amelia's profile page

image368

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.


Visit Peter's profile page

image369

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.


Visit Bill's profile page

image370

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.


Visit Alison's profile page

image371

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. 


Visit Michael's profile page

image372

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?


Visit Kay's profile page

image373

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. 


Visit Mark's profile page

image374

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… 


Visit Vanessa's profile page

image375

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.


Visit Anne's profile page

image376

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.


Visit Bill's profile page

image377

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.


Visit James' profile page

image378

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.


Visit Catherine's profile page

image379

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.


Visit Marc's profile page

image380

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.   


Visit Charles' profile page

image381

The Fall

Michael Lucchesi

M1/F1

One act, drama


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


Visit Michael's profile page

image382

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.


Visit Nick's profile page

image383

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.


Visit Jo's profile page

image384

The Girl Who Collects Clouds

John Collings

M1/F2

Full length, drama


A young girl's father dies suddenly. She stares out of the window imagining her father’s soul, living in the clouds. 

Her mother, also to escape the pain of her bereavement, throws herself at the first man that comes along. The mother moves in with the new boyfriend, leaving the daughter, only to find out that the new boyfriend is abusive. 


So the mother returns to the daughter, finishing the play with a happy ending. 


Visit John's profile page

image385

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. 


Visit Jo's profile page

image386

The Other Woman

Steve Dimmer

1M/1F

Full length, drama


Wally Stott is a band leader & Shirley Bassey’s MD. Stott's wife, Christine starts to notice some odd things; her stockings disappear, lipstick marks that isn't hers etc. She believes that Wally's having an affair & leaves him. Wally confesses that he identifies as a woman & has kept this secret all his life. Christine is shocked.


The play ends in an optimistic way as they realise the love they have is deeper than the labels of ‘man’ & ‘woman.’


Visit Steve's profile page


image387

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.

Visit Amelia's profile page 

image388

The World's Greatest Dance Teacher

Ingram Noble

M1/F11

One act, drama

The World’s Greatest Dance Teacher is the only “Dance Moms” play endorsed by Abby Lee Miller.

This original story by Ingram Noble follows the world-famous Dance Studio as they prepare for the first competition of the season.


Visit Ingram's profile page 

image389

This is Where We Get Off

Ingram Noble and Heather Spiden

M2/F4

Full Length, comedy drama


“Welcome to Bricklethwaite. Located in the heart of the North of England, this bustling town is the perfect place to explore with over six hundred years of history, beautiful scenery and famous attractions."


This Is Where We Get Off follows the lives of an ordinary family dealing with the return of a sick relative. How long will it be until cracks start to show in this family unit?


Visit Ingram's profile page

image390

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?


Visit Nick's profile page 

image391

Three Losses

John Collings

M3/F0

Short, drama


Three Losses is a short play about 3 losses in a man’s life.


Visit John's profile page

image392

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.


Visit Geoff's profile page

image393

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…


Visit Nick's profile page

image394

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.


Visit Nick's profile page

image395

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.


Visit Catherine's profile page

image396

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.


Visit Geoff's profile page

image397

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.


Visit Nick's profile page

image398

Welcome Home

Roger Lee

M2/F1

Short (approx. 20 minutes), drama


Jimmy has just been released after serving twenty years in jail for murder. Greg was a toddler when his father went away and although Jimmy wrote to say he was coming home Greg didn’t respond. 


Jimmy does not get a warm welcome when he arrives and slowly discovers how much has changed over the years and how it will affect his future.


'Very touching' Spotlight Theatre, Bridlington - Rehearsed Reading


Visit Roger's profile page


image399

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.


Visit Anne's profile page

image400

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.


Visit Bill's profile page

image401

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.


Visit Peter's profile page


image402

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? 


Visit David's profile page

image403

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.


Visit Pete's profile page

image404

You in Your Small Corner

Steve Dimmer

M2/F2  

Full length/black comedy


After the end of her marriage Christine moves in with her manipulative, scheming mother, Mon & her lodger, Gregor.


On Christmas night a remark by Mon threatens Christine's new romance with Paul. Unable to control her temper, Christine hits Mon.


Although there's no more violence, Christine begins mistreating Mon, eventually drugging her. Gregor sees this & tries to put an end to it but Mon refuses to believe him, siding with her daughter.


Visit Steve's profile page


Copyright © 2020 StageLaunch - All Rights Reserved.

PATRON: Stephen Billington

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Welcome to Stagelaunch - supporting indie playwrights create drama. 


If you'd like to receive our newsletter, click below.

Newsletter