Plays for All Year

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...

37 pages

4 m, 4 w.

Dramatized from real life events, this contemporary 1-act play focuses on religious believers in the former Soviet Union who were jailed for their convictions. Inside a jail cell, a small group of prisoners are trying to survive harsh interrogations and lack of food. When Katya is denied the privilege of visiting with her family who have traveled two thousand miles to see her, several in the group try to comfort her with a piece of saved bread. But the bread is missing. They suspect it was eatern by the newest prisoner, Nadya, a tough, streetwise woman. Later that night, an older woman, ...

20 pages

2 m

Here is an inspired dramatization of the temptation of the Christ in the wilderness. It sets forth the clash between absolute goodness and diabolical evil as personified in the main characters, Yeshua, the Hebrew version of the name Jesus, and Satan, the Prince of Demons and god of this world. This one-act play seeks to bring into relief the struggle between good and evil that tugs at the heart of all of us. In a thought-provoking way, we see afresh the timely message of Jesus to a fallen and desperate world. This is a strong and moving piece and, in the hand...

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...

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...

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...

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...

17 pages

2 m

A young assistant has been hired by an old keeper. It is the Keeper's dream to have the young man accept his offer to continue the tradition of loving care and the keeping of the priceless treasures found in the Master Room. The Keeper's last hope, for the future and a peaceful death, lies in the acceptance of his offer by the young man, who despises the room and job because it has restricted his ideal of life. Thus, in quiet desperation, the Keeper purposely activates the time lock of the vault door, trapping them for the night. He has one last night to conv...

18 pages

6 parts (3 moms, 3 daughters)

Hilarious and heartwarming, wise and witty, this vocal collage grabs your audience with fast-paced dialogue between three moms and their daughters. Perched on boxes at different heights, they recount their love and frustration with each other all through life, from the moment the daughters are born to their wedding days! And at each crossroad in life they say in unison, "You just don't understand!" Absolutely minimal staging, this high-spirited play is guaranteed to make your next Mother's Day program memorable.

23 pages

4 m, 3 w

Investigator Keith Schwartz has been sent to look into the alleged suicide of Mr. Nazareth, a patient at the Fallen Oaks Correctional Facility for the Criminally Insane. But there are complications: The body has disappeared from the morgue, staff and patients are hiding something, and even the head psychiatrist seems reluctant to talk. Schwartz interviews the patients to discover what really happened that night. This one-act, single set drama is both a whodunit mystery and a retelling of the gospel for a modern audience.

24 pages

2 m, 4 w

A drama troupe is preparing a play about Charles T. Studd, a missionary to China, India and Africa from 1880 to 1930. Andy, one of the actors, challenges how relevant the play is to today and in the ensuing argument makes a surprising discovery. Suitable for touring. About 35 minutes.

36 pages

8 m, 5 w, or 4 m, 9 w, extras.

This play with music recreates the life of Fanny Crosby, a special woman who blessed our world by writing the words to more than 8,000 hymns. She felt her lifetime of blindness brought her closer to the heart of God. Actual events - some humorous, others sad, a few even tragic - surrounding the inspiration for her most well-known hymns are dramatized in this easily staged portrait of the blind poetess whose words, poems, and lyrics continue to be sung by millions around the world today. Let your actors, choir, or congregation sing the suggested hymns which this remarkable woman wrote. A ...

39 pages

5 m, 5 w

It is the future, a time when it is illegal to own a Bible or to proclaim any faith in Christ. The West family are true Christians. When their older friend Anna gives them a picture of Jesus, they are delighted, yet aware of the dangers of having it in their home. Even more distressing is the immediate threat of Anna's arrest. The government has ordered all those who refuse to deny their faith and refuse to pledge allegiance to the government to be put to death. After the soldiers take Anna away, the family knows they will probably be next. They wonder -- will their faith be strong enoug...

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...

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...