Plays for All Year

72 pages

6 m, 5 w

Early morning July 1, 1863. Gettysburg, Pa. As thousands of troops from both North and South amass for what will become one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, five teenagers from several local farms escape to the safety of the surrounding hills. There's the level-headed Eliza and her little sister, Justine, who's strong-willed; Georgina, whose mother has sheared her hair to make her look like a boy; and Rachel and Jeremiah, a brother and sister from a wealthier family. As they witness the horrors of battle over the next three days, the teens are force...

29 pages

11 roles with any combination of Men/Women in the Chorus.

A clever adaptation of the Old Testament Book of Jonah. Ease of staging, flexibility of cast, faithfulness to the original text, humor, theatricality and relevancy to today's world help to make this adaptation one which will interest any theatre group. The script follows the story of "Camel-trader, potter, jack-of-all-trades yet expert in none" Jonah as he is called to save a people for whom he has nothing but hatred. After attempting to elude his calling, Jonah reluctantly does God's bidding. His transformation from potter to Prophet is successful: he saves people. But does he save hims...

28 pages

4 m, 5 w, 1 flexible

An evil banker, Char Cole, wants the land the church sits on to build a casino. He sends a bogus mortgage bill demanding the church pay a $10,000 balloon payment to scare the congregation in to selling him the property for a fraction of what it is worth. Church members hurriedly decides to submit a secret barbecue recipe to a contest in hopes of winning the huge cash prize. They even open a barbecue restaurant in the church to raise money. Meanwhile, Miss Phit, the bumbling church secretary, is constantly getting the bulletins and newsletters wrong, sending m...

40 pages

22 flexible characters, 12 with doubling.

This is a somewhat zany retelling of the traditional story of Jonah. Although enhanced with some extra characters and scenes, the theme and overall message hold true to the Old Testament Scriptures. Included in the story is Herald, the angel who acts as God’s voice and has the ability to turn up at unusual places and in unusual ways. In the opening scene a handful of fun-loving woodland creatures discover Jonah asleep, and bring in the right blend of seriousness when they realize he must be the prophet. Along the way Jonah interacts with some sailors who even...

0 pages

14 m, 8 w, 1 boy, 1 girl, and 8 to 15 flexible roles with doubling possible.

Have you ever wondered about the people who wrote the hymns that you sing in church every Sunday? What events in their lives led them to sit down and write these songs - songs that would eventually became "hymnal classics" in the Christian church? This musical uncovers the true, behind-the-scenes stories of seven people and how they were prompted by tragedy or triumph to write such treasured favorites as "Just As I Am" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers." In addition, a beautiful, original song "Bringing a Hymn to Life," is also included. Told in a series of vig...

31 pages

7 m, 5 w, 1 boy.

Alarm bells sound when Pastor Larry Bowman and his wife, Janet, find out the leader of their denomination, Rev. Grisham, wants to visit and use their three children as role models for his newest book. As loveable as they are, young Eric, Cherie and Cody are famous for their outrageous ideas and rambunctious behavior. Their antics especially seems to grate on the nerves of one of the church's more conservative deacons. To impress Rev. Grisham, the kids build an altar to use the youngest child as their sacrifice - following the example of Abraham and Isaac, of course! Hapless, hilarious, a...

51 pages

14 m, 1 w, 1 child (can be doubled to 10 actors)

The play tells the true story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who led the resistance to Hitler in the German church. Narrated by his friend Eberhard Bethge, the play follows Bonhoeffer from his early years as a seminary professor, to leading his students to organize an underground seminary and distribute clandestine anti-Nazi literature, and finally to his joining the secret unit of German military intelligence plotting the death of Hitler. Arrested by the Gestapo, Bonhoeffer is sent to prison, where he is visited by relatives and his fiancée in a poignant scene. In a poetic chorus, his...

48 pages

Large, flexible cast including several children's roles. Doubling possible.

He first started preaching at age 16 in small English countryside cottages, carrying a lamp to light his way over fields. Soon the teenage preacher was invited to give a sermon in London. He was asked to "stay on" and for the next thirty years he preached to hundreds of thousands and built one of London's largest tabernacles even to this day. Now, more than a century later, the sermons of Charles Haddon Spurgeon continue to be spirtually meaningful. The life of this preaching giant is recreated here and even portions of several of his sermons are included.

76 pages

5 m, 6 w

In this serious drama, the fairy-tale world is under a curse: Sleeping Beauty has insomnia, Snow White is on the verge of insanity, and Cinderella has lost her faith in magic. These and other fairy-tale characters have gathered in a castle for protection from a dragon which threatens to bring their "ever after" to an unhappy end. Into the midst of their despair steps a mysterious knight. The castle is divided: some think the knight will slay the dragon others doubt salvation is possible. The action builds to a final, climactic battle between the forces of goo...

24 pages

Cast: 12 flexible.

The allegorical figure, Everyone, has only one hour left before starting his journey to Eternity. He has been instructed to find the One Person who can lead him to the town of Paradise so he can avoid the town of Hell. What must he do? Who can help him? Unable to remember exactly who this One Person is, Everyone seeks out many companions: Wealth, Friendship, Good Deeds and Charity. His search includes humor and drama with an energizing ending that will command the audience to search their souls concerning their personal journey to eternity. This play can fit ...

39 pages

7 m, 6 w, 1 boy

The wealthy Stanton family and hillbilly Hill family are camping together, but what was supposed to be a peaceful trip turns into a series of hilarious mishaps. The social-climbing wife contracts poison ivy; the pregnant wife is plagued with morning sickness and severe mood swings; and one of the daughters eats some berries that cause her to become strangely intelligent. But it isn't until a wild bear is spotted that the families really become frantic! Hour long.

Also see this hilarious family in the prequel “Second Chance...

33 pages

Approx. 3 m, 8 w, 1 flex. Doubling possible.

A simple but bright orange robe, discarded years earlier and now found at a church bazaar sale, makes an incredible journey of ministry. Trisha buys the robe for twenty-five cents, and on a wild whim, wears it to meet her daughter's future in-laws. She gives the "lucky" robe to them and it provides a comic moment, one which leads to them talking again to get their marriage back on track. Soon they give the robe to Chyna, a lonely newcomer at church. Hard to miss while wearing the robe, Chyna meets new friends and she soon gives it to Jackie, who is ill. The r...

40 pages

6 m, 4 w, 4 flexible, extras,

Mild-mannered suburbanite Rob Clark is shocked when Eugene, an unlikely angel, tells him that he is going to have a baby. Rob and his wife, Cindy, have wanted a child, but they never expected Rob to be the one to get pregnant! Their family physician, Doc Mitchell, an old-fashioned doctor who'd rather be fishing, confirms the pregnancy, but Dr. Stern, a cynical psychologist, says everyone is nuts! Meanwhile, Rob and Cindy, who are trying to come to terms with the situation, are besieged by a parade of curiosity seekers, led by Dr. Stern, while Doc Mitchell com...

45 pages

8 m, 1 w, 3 flexible, many speaking extras

When high-schooler Tom is assigned a report titled “Jesus: Myth or Reality?” he wants tangible evidence, not just faith. Resting for a moment, he dreams he is a reporter in biblical time. Motivated by a possible promotion, he must disprove that Jesus is the Messiah. First he meets Nicodemus who secretly requests that Tom speak with Jesus face-to-face before writing his article. Later Tom meets John the Baptist, a man healed by Jesus, a vendor, and Caiaphas. But Tom finds himself scrambling to save Jesus after hearing plans to arrest him. Instead of getting th...

39 pages

Approx. 10 m, 10 w, much doubling possible

Frankie meets his end in an act of wanton cowardice. This offense isn't bad enough to send him to the basement, but he isn't good enough for the attic. He is assigned to Angie the Angel in the "Situation Re-Modification Department." He is given three chances to try to correct something in history that didn't go the way it was supposed to go. He messes up all three chances, but is offered a fourth chance by Herman, Angie's boss. With this one, the toughest of them all, he succeeds.

56 pages

5 m, 6 w, 1 girl, optional Piano Player

Four strangers arrive in the little western town of Larrabie, Texas. One is a gunslinger looking for the man who shot his pa, another is a gambler looking for some action, the next is a snake oil salesman who promises to have anything anyone could ever need, and lastly is a preacher who offers the word of God. What follows is one of the most curious bets the gambler has ever seen, pitting the salesman against the preacher in a high-stakes game where lives – and souls – are on the line. With a loveable bunch of characters, from Liza, the soiled dove, to Old Su...

23 pages

Flexible cast of 13

This play is an updated version of the classic medieval morality play. Death has come for Everyman, but Everyman pleads for time to find a companion to accompany him and help clear his book of reckoning. One by one, those he treasures most abandon him to his deserved fate. In the end, only the Son can erase his debt. The play is a powerful depiction of the gospel story, a clear display of man’s unworthiness and God’s grace. The script borrows from the language of the original but gives us a modern take on the story with humor and emotion. The cast has thirtee...

47 pages

4 m, 5 w, 8 flexible

This stage adaptation of Frank Baum’s original story is perfect for churches and Christian schools. Dorothy, a teenager in Kansas, just isn’t interested in church anymore. In fact, she’s trying to determine what she really believes. Then in a dream, she finds she has been sent by God to a strange land, Oz, to be a missionary. Convinced she cannot accomplish the task, she is encouraged by Glinda the Good to seek the assistance of the Great Missionary in the Emerald City. On the way, she encounters three familiar characters who are also failed missionaries beca...

74 pages

8 m, 8 w, 2 flexible

All the fun and nostalgia of the '50s make this play a winner! Judy Harding's life as a 16-year-old isn't too sweet right now. Her dad can't find the money to fix up the family's soda shop; her older brother is flunking out of school; and her younger brother has retreated into a fantasy world of comic book superheroes since their mom died. To add to the dilemma, Judy has a major crush on a new student who's a mysterious loner. Enter Angela, a bumbling angel-in-training who must earn her halo by helping the Hardings. But when the shop is hit first by a fire an...

46 pages

7 m, 5 w, 2 boys, 2 girls

Here is a lighthearted comedy about lonely millionaire Jonathan Bingsley whose life is turned upside down when, against his better judgment, he allows six energetic orphans to stay at his home. To complicate matters his long-time maid and butler disappear under mysterious circumstances. Jonathan's sister, Elizabeth, convinces him to use her lazy son and his wife as replacements with disastrous (and hilarious!) results. They do a terrible job keeping house and let the children run wild. So Jonathan is forced to hire questionable substitutes, who create chaos of their own.

37 pages

5 m, 8 w, 12 flexible

In this one-act play, tragedy meets fantasy, myth meets reality. A fairy-tale world winds itself around the real drama of one little girl’s battle with cancer and her family’s anguish. As they struggle to cope with her prognosis and desperate treatment, the fairy tale characters from the little girl’s book play out their own drama. Will an evil sorceress and her dark creatures succeed in pulling Princess Caroline away from her beloved family and prince? Will little Cora’s experimental cancer treatment save her? In our imaginations, the villain is always slain...

64 pages

5 m, 14 w, 1 flexible part

If you're ready for some hard-nosed action, spying, deceit involving a stolen painting, a shady real estate deal, and an auto repair shop that's more a chop shop, stop in at the convent of St. Fermilda. The Sisters of Faith, Hope, and Charity are in the midst of all kinds of intrigue and they're not even sure how they got there! But don't think because they took vows of reverence and poverty that they'll let some hard-nosed hoods get the best of them. After all, the Sisters have work to do for the poor in this rundown neighborhood, and they're bound and deter...

30 pages

5 m, 5 w, 9 or more flexible

From the short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" by Stephen Vincent Benet. Poor Jake Stone is a total loser. When he finally loses the worst job he's ever had, he makes the claim that he would do anything to be a winner. Soon he meets Lucy, a seemingly attractive, professional woman who can make a special deal with him: she gives Jake wisdom, and he signs away his soul. Rather than waste his opportunity, Jake becomes a kind and intelligent person who gives much to the world. As the time to relinquish his soul draws near, he seeks out the counsel of Daniell...

76 pages

16 characters (approx. 8 m, 8 w)

You should never make a pact with the, well, you know, because the consequences can be disastrous. Jimmy Faust, Jr., great-great (etc.) grandson of the legendary Faust, makes that mistake. In exchange for his soul he first demands to be made valedictorian of his class, even though Essie outscores him on every test. Big mistake. Then he tells the, you know, that he wants a date with Deshara, the sexiest girl on campus. Bigger mistake. Greedily, he further requests great wealth. Biggest mistake. His friends and Essie disown him, and he becomes an outcast. But e...

64 pages

7 m, 15 w, optional extras

Coco is a lovable French poodle who dies of a broken heart after being DOGNAPPED! Every pooch in doggie heaven gets one wish, and Coco’s wish is to return to school on the day of the mid-term dance. Her former owner, a teacher named Steve Ritter, taught Coco to “sing” and he planned to have her entertain. Coco was anxious to make him proud. Keeper, the basset hound in charge of such things, grants the wish but sends two other dogs to keep an eye on Coco as French poodles are inclined to be somewhat frivolous. The two other dogs are Alice, a blood-hound, and R...