The gruesome, true story of Lizzie Borden, accused of murdering both her parents, told by a group of schoolchildren, including Lizzie herself, through a series of "flashforwards" in time.
I was A Good Little Girl, 'Til... 36 Characters (doubling/trebling essential) Various Settings - 1900-1920Main events in the Women's Suffrage Movement leading to their ultimate enfranchisement. With songs.
Titanic 64 Characters (doubling/trebling essential) Various Settings - 1910-1912
The story of the "Titanic", its conception and its ill-fated maiden voyage. With songs.
The Godmother M5 F16 Settings: 1920's - Office Night Club
A 'spoof' gangster story of the same era as "Bugsy Malone", in which the girls ultimately take control. With songs.
(The above four plays are published by Nelson Thornes in one volume entitled "SEPIA AND
SONG')
A pastiche of the `Angela Brazil' - type girls' school story, in which St. Javelin's Girls School is infiltrated by a group of four boys intent on getting the school a bad name and having it closed - their plans backfire outrageously.
Unsung 26 Characters (doubling possible) (published by Macmillan in `Drama 2' edited by John L. Foster) Various Settings: Modern.`Barry Wakefield' never wanted to be an engine driver, or a spaceman, or a footballer - he always wanted to be a `hero'. But parents, schoolteachers, and careers officers just don't understand ... until one day, as a soldier in Northern Ireland...
Victor 39 Characters (doubling essential) (published by Macmillan in `Drama 3' edited by John L. Foster) Various Settings: Modern.Victor has always had an invisible friend, Sam - he's his twin brother, he claims. It's quite charming when he's little, but as he grows up and the belief persists it's little wonder that his parents, teachers, and others, begin to become a little alarmed at Victor's insistence on Sam's presence.
Rabbit 15 (any combination of M or F) Setting: A ruined building - Future.A pathetic group of children who survived a nuclear attack attempt to make a life and a community for themselves with little sophistication of language and communication and the continual threat and fear of intruders and illness.
Ambush Big cast: suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.A group of young 'freedom fighters' take refuge in a stately home. They have been ambushed on their way to attack some kind of military outpost. They are wounded and scared. Who tipped off the authorities - is it one of their own number? And where are the owners of the house, why is there no indication of the house on their maps, who is the mysterious 'servant', why are they not being pursued? Are they alive or dead?
Amy Large cast. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.A documentary play based on the life and achievements of Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo to Australia and a pioneer in early aviation generally. The play includes the memorable flight itself! Songs included.
ChCl3 Large cast. suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.A courtroom setting.Based on the true story of Adelaide Bartlett who, allegedly, poisoned her husband with chloroform. All experts claimed it was impossible for anyone to drink chloroform, but somehow Adelaide’s powers of persuasion over her husband were outstanding. Quite amazingly, however, Adelaide was acquitted of the crime. The play explores the character of Adelaide Bartlett and the sequence of events that lead to her trial.
Daft Large cast: suitable for Youth theatre presentation.Bradford 1858, and a maker of sweets inadvertently adds 'arsenic' to his peppermint mixture rather than 'daft' (a mixture of plaster and stone powder) which was usual. The resultant illnesses and deaths led to Government legislation on the adulteration of foodstuffs. A strong documentary piece.
Figments Large cast. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.Two young people let their imagination run riot in a supermarket. What if ... you filled other people's trolleys with items when they weren't looking, what if ... you ate items from the shelves as you walked round, what if ... the supermarket had a formation trolley-pushing team, what if ... there was an alien force at work. Are they all figments of their over-active imaginations? Or are there other reasons for the strange goings-on?
Flying Circus Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.The story of the development of aviation told in sketches and routines (some music involved) from stoneage times (the invention of the wheel) via Icarus and the early pioneers of man's attempts to fly. Fast, furious and played as a Circus performance throughout. Scope for an inventive director and an exuberant large cast. Note: Add Amy as a second play and there is a full evening's entertainment.
Goodnight, Children Everywhere Large cast: suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.It is early in World War II and at the village school rehearsals are well advanced for the Nativity Play. Then the evacuees arrive - and they too were rehearsing a Nativity Play prior to their being moved away from London. How can the two plays be successfully combined without creating confrontations?
Kenneth (published by New Playwright's Network,10 Station Road Industrial Estate, Colwall, Malvern, WR13 6RN.)Large cast. Intended for Youth Theatre presentation.
We never see 'Kenneth', but in a series of short and poignant scenes the character is created by what others relate. Kenneth is a pathetic and abused child who ultimately is 'forgotten' in tragic circumstances.Children playing soldiers and the harsh reality of World War I - these two themes are brought together in a poignant and touching manner. Much of H.E. Bates descriptive passages is retained.
An exclusive girls' boarding school takes a 'scholarship girl into their midst. It soon becomes clear that 'Maisie' can perhaps teach the upper-class girls some useful 'life-skills'. A period piece in the 'Angela Brazil' style.
A sequence of events based around a young married couple and their personal and financial problems. Centred on a housing estate where petty crime flourishes, teenagers enjoy the excitement of arson, and older people feel vulnerable and unable to fight back.
Setting: A newly-re-opened 'secret' room in a medieval castle now open to the public: the present and the past.
As the present-day guides theorise to the visitors about the historical use of the door-less, window-less room, we see in flashback what happened there back in the 12th(?) century; how the female servants were forced to steal to order,how the Lord fell in love with a girl who was accused of witchcraft, how plague struck the village and how the Lord's brother sealed him, his devoted servant Anne and the girl into the oubliette where they subsequently died. Anne's ghost links the past to the present in this atmospheric and moving play.
Official Secrets Large cast. Some music. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.An old General is being interviewed by a young enthusiastic reporter about his First World War exploits. His memory is somewhat erratic but it is clear that his promotion from the ranks owed much to chicanery and double dealing ... little wonder that he claims he was a personal friend of Mata Hari. A humorous little story with many delightful characters and a whole host of spies.
A young girl, jilted by her boyfriend, has an encounter in a graveyard with a girl from the past. This fellow 'spirit' has a strange story to tell in which her modern-day counterpart becomes actively involved. A mystery is revealed and the strands of the story, which seem separated by time, are ultimately brought together in a surprising way.
Spoof 'Western' in the best 'B' movie tradition. All the usual happenings - gunfights, Indians, saloon girls, gold-prospectors, good guys, bad guys, drunken doctors, corrupt sheriffs, girls with hearts of gold.
Sawney Bean Large cast. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.The legend of the Scottish cannibal 'Sawney Bean'. Sawney's career as thief and cannibal is explored in a series of lurid scenes that portray his family's life style and their ultimately being brought to justice. A gruesome tale.
Sleeping Dogs Large cast. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation. Many scenes.A new girl, Julie, arrives at school. It soon becomes clear to her classmates that she is sparing with the truth, and her boasting and her exaggerating coupled with the blatant lying lead to antagonism and resentment - especially when she deliberately implicates one of the class and brings about an exclusion. But how much of what she says is actually true, can anything be believed? In taking steps to ensure that Julie is punished, the class adopts a plan that has chilling results.
Someone Large Cast: suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.Why were the pyramids built? Who was 'Jack the Ripper'? Who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays? Who was the 'Man in the Iron Mask'? Someone knows the answer to these questions. What if that 'someone' was an alien with a part to play in all these stories?
Cinderella married Prince Charming and they had a son - who is left in the loving care of his two ugly Aunties - Auntie Macasser and Auntie Phlogistene. Needless to say he is forced to dress as a girl and do all the dirty work around the house. And then there's a fairy godmother ... A re-working, with considerable licence, of the Cinderella tale ... involving other fairy-story, nursery rhyme characters (who are looking for work).
The Beano Affair Large cast. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.A comedy using many of the cartoon characters from 'The Beano' and 'The Dandy'. 'Biffo the Bear has ultimately to face Dennis the Menace' in the fight of the century.
The 'B' Team Only one part for a male; intended for Youth Theatre presentation.A school's Second Netball team (the 'B' team) meet up, having been left school some time, to discuss their success in adult life. No-one has really made it ... they still are very much second-raters. So together they look to new careers - as thieves, and carry out a raid on a betting-shop. Despite being more than somewhat incompetent they do ultimately make good.
A team of cheerleaders was desperate for more members to complete their team and enable them to enter a prestigious competition. Two boys who are witnesses to a hold-up are on the run from the gang who did the job, and take sanctuary in the cheerleaders' headquarters. What better disguise than to become part of the team (including wigs and tights!). Will the team win with their new members?
A documentary piece based on the story of the celebrated 19th century journalist, W.T. Stead's involvement in the campaign to end child prostitution which prompted him to actually prove it was possible to buy a 13 year old girl. The events were chronicled in his own newspaper 'The Pall Mall Gazette', and brought about both his going to prison and the raising of the age of consent to 16.
At the 'Monster Club' well-known film monsters bemoan being type-cast so often. They would really like the opportunity to try different roles - perhaps even starring in a Western. The resulting scenes exploit some lesser-known difficulties that beset the early days of film-making.
Morris Bedford has only recently left school and already he feels lost and inadequate. If only he could have another try at the lost time ... enter his old school friend, Andy, who is on a Youth Training Scheme, training to be a 'Fairy Godmother'. Andy offers Morris the chance to relive some of his lost opportunities ... especially those involving girls!
Think Tank Large cast. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.A group of script writers have to come up with a new idea for a science fiction television series. As they throw ideas about the script room becomes the flight deck of a space-ship and the writers the predictable characters. The tension builds as their ship is attacked only to be broken by a 'phone call from the sponsors to say they've lost the 'slot' and what is needed now is a children's programme. They must rethink ... Needs a director with inspiration and a cast with commitment.
The Searchers Various scenes in and around a town. Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.A chance meeting brings about a search to find and reunite members of a childhood 'gang' - a sort of 'Famous Five'. Where are they all now? Will they welcome being sought out? What is the disconcerting news there is to tell about one of their number?
The school play is auditioning - a production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Hecate O'Sullivan is determined that the part of Dorothy will be hers. Is she really a witch or are the events that follow her not getting the part she wants purely coincidental? Will the show ever go on?
Hallowe'en and two travellers calling at a remote pub are told a disturbing story. When one of them 'disappears' the locals claim no knowledge of her, indeed their own identities seem changed. Is there any truth in the implied 'devil worship', and the legend surrounding the Old Hall?
Spoof 'Western' in the best 'B' movie tradition. All the usual happenings - gunfights, Indians, saloon girls, gold-prospectors, good guys, bad guys, drunken doctors, corrupt sheriffs, girls with hearts of gold.
You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet Large cast. Music content. Suitable for Youth theatre presentation.The advent of 'sound' on the silent movie industry. Owing much in essence to "Singing in the Rain", the play contains all the problems of the development of talking pictures ... as it affects a particularly unsuccessful film-maker and his galaxy of 'stars'.
Victoria Large cast: Suitable for Youth Theatre presentation.A documentary of the reign of Queen Victoria. Colourful characters, sketches and songs of many of the events in her illustrious reign.