SHORT PLAYS AND MUSICALS
9 Feb
Looking for something short or in one act? Look no further. Here are our top picks of short plays and short musicals for 2022.
SHORT PLAYS
The Real Inspector Hound
Tom Stoppard
Short Play, Comedy
CAST: 5M, 3F
Feuding theatre critics Moon and Birdboot, the first a fusty philanderer and the second a pompous and vindictive second stringer, are swept into the whodunit they are viewing. In the hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie-like melodramas that follows, the body under the sofa proves to be the missing first string critic. As mists rise about isolated Muldoon Manor, Moon and Birdboot become dangerously implicated in the lethal activities of an escaped madman.
More info
DNA
Dennis Kelly
Short Play, Drama, Contemporary
CAST: 11M or F
Some teenagers do something bad, really bad, then panic and cover the whole thing up. But when they find that the cover-up unites them and brings harmony to their once fractious lives, where's the incentive to put things right?
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Quinn)
Adapted by Don Quinn. From C.S. Lewis.
One Act, Fantasy/Adventure
CAST: 15M or F
An old house in rural England becomes the home base for four children who wander into an incredible country through an old wardrobe and help the country return to summer.
In the incredible Narnia, they make friends with the frightened forest people who have almost given up hope for the return of good King Aslan, their true ruler. When Aslan was there, it was always summer. There is a great battle to see whether this magical country will remain under a wintry spell or will, once again, know freedom and summer under good King Aslan.
More info
I Never Saw Another Butterfly
I Never Saw Another Butterfly (one-act)
Celeste Raspanti
One Act, Drama, 1940s / WWII
CAST: 2M, 2F
Raspanti has extracted a beautiful and moving one-act play based on the poetry created in a concentration camp by the Jewish children of Prague.
More info
The Internet is Distract-- OH LOOK A KITTEN!
Ian McWethy
Short Play, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
CAST: 3M, 5F, 12M or F
Micah only has twenty minutes to finish her paper on The Great Gatsby. She just needs to check a few facts on the internet first. Unfortunately, the web is a nefariously wacky place where boxing cats, Facebook lurkers, and pig-throwing games threaten to take over Micah's schoolwork, or worse. Will she finish her paper and escape with her life before the school bell rings?
A high-octane comedy that explores the rabbit hole of distraction we all go down every time we go online.
More info
Superheroes
With Great Power Comes Ordinary Responsibility.
Ian McWethy
Short Play, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
CAST: 11M, 12F, 10M or F
For superheroes, saving the world is tough, but the time spent away from work is tougher. The Hulk has to do taxes, a crime-fighting sidekick joins a support group, and Batman goes stir-crazy without enough criminals to take down.
SUPERHEROES is a funny, fast-paced series of vignettes that explores how the caped crusaders deal with life in street clothes.
More info
SHORT MUSICALS
21 Chump Street
Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Based on the story by Robbie Brown.
Short Musical, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
CAST: 5M, 1F
21 CHUMP STREET by Lin-Manuel Miranda (IN THE HEIGHTS, HAMILTON) is a new 14-minute musical based on a true story as reported in the series 'This American Life.'
21 CHUMP STREET is a cautionary tale of a high school honors student who falls for a cute transfer girl. He goes to great lengths to oblige her request for marijuana in the hopes of winning her affection -- only to find out his crush is actually an undercover cop planted in the school to find drug dealers.
21 CHUMP STREET discusses the ramifications of peer pressure, conformity and drug use in our schools with a message that will stay with teenagers long after they leave the theater. Perfect for donor evenings, galas, special events and student/community outreach programs.
More info
The Wind in the Willows - Young@Part®
Book by Julian Fellowes. Music by George Stiles. Lyrics by Anthony Drewe. Based on the book by Kenneth Grahame.
Short Musical, Backing Tracks, Comedy
CAST: 4M, 4F, 4M or F
Full of humor, wit, a gorgeous, soaring score, and heartwarming lessons of friendship, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS Young@Part® is a rich 60-minute ensemble show perfect for schools and youth theatres.
This riotous comedy follows Mole, Rat, Badger, and the impulsive Mr. Toad, whose antics land him in serious trouble. With his beloved home under threat from the notorious Chief Weasel and his gang of sinister Wild Wooders, Toad must attempt a daring escape leading to a series of misadventures and a heoric battle to recapture Toad Hall.
More info
Footloose (90-Minute Version)
Music by Tom Snow. Lyrics and Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford. Stage Adaptation by Walter Bobbie.
Full Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy, Contemporary
CAST: 8M, 7F
A new 90-minute version of the explosive stage musical! With dynamic new songs augmenting the powerhouse hits from its bestselling Oscar-nominated film score, Footloose celebrates the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another, and the power of forgiveness.
To the rockin' rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated Top Forty score, augmented with dynamic new songs, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people while guiding them with a warm heart and open mind.
More info
How I Became a Pirate Younger@Part
Book, Music & Lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman
Short Musical, Backing Tracks, Comedy
CAST: 14M or F
HOW I BECAME A PIRATE Younger@Part® is the authorized 30 minute edition of the TYA musical for primary schools and youth theatres (grades 2 - 5). Song keys are changed where needed, songs and scenes are edited for time and content, while keeping the spirit of the original show intact.
Sail off on a fantastic musical excursion when a band of comical pirates lands at North Beach looking for an expert digger to join their crew. Braid Beard and his mates enlist young Jeremy Jacob as they look for the perfect spot to bury their treasure. Jeremy learns that adventuring can be lots of fun, but love and home are treasures you can't fine on any map. Your elementary school-age cast will love flaunting their pirate swagger in this delightful and swashbuckling musical adventure!
More info
Tuck Everlasting: Theatre for Young Audiences Edition
Book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle. Music by Chris Miller. Lyrics by Nathan Tysen.
Short Musical, Adaptations (Literature), Comedy, Victorian (British and American)
CAST: 6M, 4F
A Theatre for Young Audiences adaptation of the popular Broadway family musical.
Eleven-year-old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence, but not until she becomes unexpectedly entwined with the Tuck family does she get more than she could have imagined. When Winnie learns of the magic behind the Tuck?s immortality, she must fight to protect their secret from those who would do anything for a chance at eternal life. As her adventure unfolds, Winnie faces an extraordinary choice: return to her life, or continue with the Tucks on their infinite journey.
More info
Wizard of Oz YPE
The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition
By L. Frank Baum Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen Music and Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Short Musical, Backing Tracks, Drama, Comedy, Fantasy, Contemporary
CAST: 4M, 3F
A one-hour adaptation of the RSC version of Baum's classic tale, specially designed for young performers.
Like so many girls her age, little Dorothy Gale of Kansas dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Come join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as they travel the universe of Dorothy's imagination.
More info
The Real Inspector Hound
Tom Stoppard
Short Play, Comedy
CAST: 5M, 3F
Feuding theatre critics Moon and Birdboot, the first a fusty philanderer and the second a pompous and vindictive second stringer, are swept into the whodunit they are viewing. In the hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie-like melodramas that follows, the body under the sofa proves to be the missing first string critic. As mists rise about isolated Muldoon Manor, Moon and Birdboot become dangerously implicated in the lethal activities of an escaped madman.
More info
DNA
Dennis Kelly
Short Play, Drama, Contemporary
CAST: 11M or F
Some teenagers do something bad, really bad, then panic and cover the whole thing up. But when they find that the cover-up unites them and brings harmony to their once fractious lives, where's the incentive to put things right?
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Quinn)
Adapted by Don Quinn. From C.S. Lewis.
One Act, Fantasy/Adventure
CAST: 15M or F
An old house in rural England becomes the home base for four children who wander into an incredible country through an old wardrobe and help the country return to summer.
In the incredible Narnia, they make friends with the frightened forest people who have almost given up hope for the return of good King Aslan, their true ruler. When Aslan was there, it was always summer. There is a great battle to see whether this magical country will remain under a wintry spell or will, once again, know freedom and summer under good King Aslan.
More info
I Never Saw Another Butterfly
I Never Saw Another Butterfly (one-act)
Celeste Raspanti
One Act, Drama, 1940s / WWII
CAST: 2M, 2F
Raspanti has extracted a beautiful and moving one-act play based on the poetry created in a concentration camp by the Jewish children of Prague.
More info
The Internet is Distract-- OH LOOK A KITTEN!
Ian McWethy
Short Play, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
CAST: 3M, 5F, 12M or F
Micah only has twenty minutes to finish her paper on The Great Gatsby. She just needs to check a few facts on the internet first. Unfortunately, the web is a nefariously wacky place where boxing cats, Facebook lurkers, and pig-throwing games threaten to take over Micah's schoolwork, or worse. Will she finish her paper and escape with her life before the school bell rings?
A high-octane comedy that explores the rabbit hole of distraction we all go down every time we go online.
More info
Superheroes
With Great Power Comes Ordinary Responsibility.
Ian McWethy
Short Play, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
CAST: 11M, 12F, 10M or F
For superheroes, saving the world is tough, but the time spent away from work is tougher. The Hulk has to do taxes, a crime-fighting sidekick joins a support group, and Batman goes stir-crazy without enough criminals to take down.
SUPERHEROES is a funny, fast-paced series of vignettes that explores how the caped crusaders deal with life in street clothes.
More info
SHORT MUSICALS
21 Chump Street
Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Based on the story by Robbie Brown.
Short Musical, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
CAST: 5M, 1F
21 CHUMP STREET by Lin-Manuel Miranda (IN THE HEIGHTS, HAMILTON) is a new 14-minute musical based on a true story as reported in the series 'This American Life.'
21 CHUMP STREET is a cautionary tale of a high school honors student who falls for a cute transfer girl. He goes to great lengths to oblige her request for marijuana in the hopes of winning her affection -- only to find out his crush is actually an undercover cop planted in the school to find drug dealers.
21 CHUMP STREET discusses the ramifications of peer pressure, conformity and drug use in our schools with a message that will stay with teenagers long after they leave the theater. Perfect for donor evenings, galas, special events and student/community outreach programs.
More info
The Wind in the Willows - Young@Part®
Book by Julian Fellowes. Music by George Stiles. Lyrics by Anthony Drewe. Based on the book by Kenneth Grahame.
Short Musical, Backing Tracks, Comedy
CAST: 4M, 4F, 4M or F
Full of humor, wit, a gorgeous, soaring score, and heartwarming lessons of friendship, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS Young@Part® is a rich 60-minute ensemble show perfect for schools and youth theatres.
This riotous comedy follows Mole, Rat, Badger, and the impulsive Mr. Toad, whose antics land him in serious trouble. With his beloved home under threat from the notorious Chief Weasel and his gang of sinister Wild Wooders, Toad must attempt a daring escape leading to a series of misadventures and a heoric battle to recapture Toad Hall.
More info
Footloose (90-Minute Version)
Music by Tom Snow. Lyrics and Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford. Stage Adaptation by Walter Bobbie.
Full Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy, Contemporary
CAST: 8M, 7F
A new 90-minute version of the explosive stage musical! With dynamic new songs augmenting the powerhouse hits from its bestselling Oscar-nominated film score, Footloose celebrates the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another, and the power of forgiveness.
To the rockin' rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated Top Forty score, augmented with dynamic new songs, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people while guiding them with a warm heart and open mind.
More info
How I Became a Pirate Younger@Part
Book, Music & Lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman
Short Musical, Backing Tracks, Comedy
CAST: 14M or F
HOW I BECAME A PIRATE Younger@Part® is the authorized 30 minute edition of the TYA musical for primary schools and youth theatres (grades 2 - 5). Song keys are changed where needed, songs and scenes are edited for time and content, while keeping the spirit of the original show intact.
Sail off on a fantastic musical excursion when a band of comical pirates lands at North Beach looking for an expert digger to join their crew. Braid Beard and his mates enlist young Jeremy Jacob as they look for the perfect spot to bury their treasure. Jeremy learns that adventuring can be lots of fun, but love and home are treasures you can't fine on any map. Your elementary school-age cast will love flaunting their pirate swagger in this delightful and swashbuckling musical adventure!
More info
Tuck Everlasting: Theatre for Young Audiences Edition
Book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle. Music by Chris Miller. Lyrics by Nathan Tysen.
Short Musical, Adaptations (Literature), Comedy, Victorian (British and American)
CAST: 6M, 4F
A Theatre for Young Audiences adaptation of the popular Broadway family musical.
Eleven-year-old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence, but not until she becomes unexpectedly entwined with the Tuck family does she get more than she could have imagined. When Winnie learns of the magic behind the Tuck?s immortality, she must fight to protect their secret from those who would do anything for a chance at eternal life. As her adventure unfolds, Winnie faces an extraordinary choice: return to her life, or continue with the Tucks on their infinite journey.
More info
Wizard of Oz YPE
The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition
By L. Frank Baum Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen Music and Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Short Musical, Backing Tracks, Drama, Comedy, Fantasy, Contemporary
CAST: 4M, 3F
A one-hour adaptation of the RSC version of Baum's classic tale, specially designed for young performers.
Like so many girls her age, little Dorothy Gale of Kansas dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Come join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as they travel the universe of Dorothy's imagination.
More info
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