Click on the link for each play to see sample pages. There are always enough to show the main story-line, character range and style.
You will find some plays in more than one section [for instance some make good School Plays as well as plays for A level; some are suitable for strong candidates at GCSE as well as for A level candidates, and so on.]
M/F indications of cast are NOT set in stone. There have been productions, for instance, of Crowding Me In and of Coming Closer with mixed casts. Always feel free to contact Jeni for advice if you want it.
For most plays, Production Notes have been written. These are optional for hard copies. There is a small extra charge [typically £2.00 – £3.00] should you want them.
Production Notes include set, lighting, sound, costume and prop suggestions, character notes and Page by Page suggestions where there are difficulties posed by the script.
Where there are additional Production Notes available, the price for these is indicated beside the price for the play script.
Production Notes, where they exist, are already attached to downloaded plays and this is reflected in the price.
Scripts for GCSE or Equivalent Levels [age 15/16]
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ALL ABOUT JENNY by Jo Hardy. 3F, 2M, OR 4F, 2M. approx 20 mins. Good exam script. Jenny struggles with self-image issues. Boyfriend killed in London bombing. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| ALL CHANGE by Jo Hardy. 2M, 3F. Making us aware of the consequences of our actions . If we had a chance, is it possible to alter what we have set in motion? Strong characters. approx 30 mins. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| BEAUTIFUL INSIDE by Jo Hardy. 5, 6 or 7F. approx 25 mins. the dangers of peer pressure and its effect on personal image. Anorexia. | £7.50 | £10.00 |
| BEHIND THE WIRE by Jo Hardy. 4F/1M approx 30 mins. Set around a women’s labour/concentration camp with echoes of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Strong characterisation. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| BREATH by Nikki Atkin-Reeves. 4/5F, 2/3M. With the physical approach required, the running time is approx one hour but easy to reduce. Uses fairy-stories and nursery rhymes to explore the issue of stalking. Recommended for stronger candidates. ISBN: 978-1-911313-01-4 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| COMING CLOSER by Jeni Whittaker. 4, 5 or 6 F, flexible cast. The play runs at about an hour with the physical and ensemble work involved, making it very adaptable for examination purposes. A tale in a physical and narrative theatre style about the murder of a young girl. Don’t trust even female strangers. Recommended for stronger candidates. ISBN: 978-1-911313-09-0 | £9.00 | £12.00 |
| CROWDING ME IN Jeni Whittaker. 5M. Running time: approx. one hour, but it is easy to pick and choose scenes, or alter monologues, to reduce the length. Rebellion in a modern-day big corporation, where pressure and expectations have become too high. Physical theatre and strong characters. Recommended for stronger candidates. ISBN: 978-1-911313-13-7 | £8.00 | No Notes |
| DIRTY MONEY by Joe Maingot. 5M. approx 25 mins. when big business clashes with personal integrity, who is the winner? Bush and the Iraq war the background for the play. Could be adapted to any current conflict. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| FLAT SPIN by Marsali Taylor. 6/7 F. approx 25 mins. an unselfish act amongst University students sharing a student flat. Realistic setting and situation. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| FLAT SPIN 2 by Marsali Taylor. 8F doubling poss. approx 25 min. the same students try to persuade their difficult landlady they are fit tenants for another year. Comical Fun. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| INSIDE SAM’S HEAD by Marsali Taylor. 14F chars. approx 25 mins. about the experience of being deaf and other peoples’ perceptions of it within a school environment. Doubling necessary if done for GCSE. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| IT’S MY PARTY AND I’LL CRY IF I WANT TO by Jo Hardy. 5F. approx 30 mins. snappy role-swapping, physical piece about the dark and light sides of being a teenager. Challenging but fun. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| PUNCHING JUDY by Jo Hardy. 2F/1M. a teenage pregnancy ends tragically. accompanied by moving or still projected images and/or puppetry, this is a challenging, thought-provoking piece. Recommended for stronger candidates. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| TERROR by Jeni Whittaker, 30-40min play. flexible cast, approximately 4F, 4M. The build up to a terrorist bomb placed in a busy shopping mall on a Saturday morning. Physical style, role-swapping, Chorus work. | £8.00 | No Notes |
| THE JOKER Jo Hardy. 3F/2M, 4F/1M or 4F/2M, 5F/1M approx 30 mins. The dangers of on-line gambling. Interesting characters and some physical theatre opportunities. Recommended for stronger candidates. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| THE LOST ONES by Jo Hardy. 4F, 2M. A private house in WW1 becomes a school in the 50s, then a modern correction-centre. Two WW1 ghosts and their diary link the three periods. approx 30 mins. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| THE STORY OF MAGGIE REID by Marsali Taylor. 5F, 3M. approx 30 mins. true tale of a 19th century girl who killed herself when her sailor fiancé, believed dead, turned up after she had married his father. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| THE WATCHERS by Jeni Whittaker. approx one hour. It should not be hard to reduce to examination length. 5F, but flexible. Spooky neighbours harass a new arrival to the neighbourhood. Role-swapping and physical/ chorus work throughout. Recommended for stronger candidates. ISBN: 978-1-911313-02-1 | £9.00 | No Notes |
| TONTINE by Marsali Taylor. 14F / 3M. The running time, uncut, is approx one hour. Or, for a shorter play, it could be cut to exclude some of the periphery characters, focusing on the main ones, doubled with the modern teenagers. Linked together with the silk-workers’ chants, it could still be an effective piece. The appalling facts about the young women who worked in the French silk manufacturing businesses in the 18th century. Doubling necessary if done for GCSE. ISBN: 978-1-911313-33-5 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| WOMAN IN THE MOON by Jeni Whittaker. 8F. The play lasts roughly one to one hour fifteen minutes [dependent on the length of the physical theatre section]. It is easy to pick and choose scenes and characters to reduce the length. The female role and differing views of marriage. Useful piece for Performing Arts exams, involving music and dance opportunities. Recommended for stronger candidates. Doubling necessary if done for GCSE. ISBN: 978-1-911313-07-6 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| WORKING FOR THE COMPANY by Andrew Shakeshaft. 4F. The play as it stands lasts about an hour. It is easy to pick and choose scenes to reduce the length. Andrew Shakeshaft is an award-winning playwright and many of his plays have been professionally performed. Futuristic idea – what if the cultivation of drugs was government funded and big business? Serious piece. Recommended for stronger candidates. ISBN: 978-1-911313-05-2 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
Scripts for A level or Equivalent Levels [age 17/18]
Note that, as required by many examination boards, all the following are over an hour in playing time, so that you can make judicious cuts, and all have ISBN numbers.
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ADAM AND EVE by Terence Brady. Full-length play. 2M, 1F with poss. chorus. Very witty dialogue. A talented trio of young actors could pull this off, or plunder it for good exam dialogues. Based on Mark Twain’s story. A great fun version of the familiar story, with witty dialogue and humour. The play does not ignore the darker side of the story: Lucifer, the expulsion from Eden and the murder of Abel by his brother. Its suitability for examination purposes, although it is a full-length play, is that it is easy to pick and choose scenes which will hang together, without losing the story-line. The late Terence Brady was a professional writer with many screen and television credits to his name, including popular series like Upstairs, Downstairs, as well as stage plays and novels [often co-written with his wife, Charlotte Bingham]. ISBN: 978-1-911313-21-2 | £16.00 | No Notes |
| BIG HAIR DAY by Fiona Baddeley. 9F, 2M. approx one hour fifteen minutes. It is easy to pick and choose scenes to reduce the length and involve only 5 cast members. comedy set in the 1970’s in a hair salon, exploring the hopes and dreams of those who work there. ISBN: 978-1-911313-11-3 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| BREATH by Nikki Atkin-Reeves. 4/5F, 2/3M. With the physical approach required, the running time is approx one hour. Uses fairy-stories and nursery rhymes to explore the issue of stalking. ISBN: 978-1-911313-01-4 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| COMING CLOSER by Jeni Whittaker. 4, 5 or 6 F, flexible cast. The play runs at about an hour with the physical and ensemble work involved, making it very adaptable for examination purposes. A tale in a physical and narrative theatre style about the murder of a young girl. Don’t trust even female strangers. ISBN: 978-1-911313-09-0 | £9.00 | £12.00 |
| CROWDING ME IN Jeni Whittaker. 5M. Running time: approx. one hour, but it is easy to pick and choose scenes, or alter monologues, to reduce the length. Rebellion in a modern-day big corporation, where pressure and expectations have become too high. Physical theatre and strong characters. ISBN: 978-1-911313-13-7 | £8.00 | No Notes |
| MARKED by Nikki Atkin-Reeves. 18F, min 6M with doubling. Though a full-length play, for examination purposes it is quite easy to follow through one or two patients’ stories and exclude others. Act One stands quite well on its own and deals with the top eight characters only, for instance. It’s easy to reduce still further and to bring the cast numbers down to 4,5 or 6, with occasional doubling. This play was written as a commissioned piece of theatre. Explores attitudes to the mentally disturbed and care in the community. thoughtful, often funny. strong characters. ISBN: 978-1-911313-31-1 | £15.00 | £18.00 |
| PINOCCHIO by Jeni Whittaker. mixed cast, or single sex. 14 – any number. Between half an hour and one hour or more. physical theatre re-interpretation of trad. story, including whole cast all the time. Though commissioned and written initially for youngsters, this play has been performed professionally by a T.I.E. group as a Community Theatre project, with adults playing the parts. It was divided up [which isn’t hard] between 5 people [in that instance] but is adaptable to any number you wish. ISBN: 978-1-911313-35-9 | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| RAIN LKE GLASS by Andrew Shakeshaft. 7M, 3F. approx one hour fifteen minutes. It could easily be cut to examinable length. Andrew Shakeshaft is an award-winning playwright and many of his plays have been professionally performed. Marcus must learn to move on from the shadow of his talented brother and stand up for himself in the worlds of work and girls. ISBN: 978-1-911313-17-5 | £12.00 | No Notes |
| SHEHEREZADE by Jeni Whittaker. 41 mixed cast speaking cast, much doubling possible. approx 1hr. how our heroine tricks her husband to save her life through telling stories [Arabian Nights]. approx. one hour fifteen minutes. There are many opportunities for cutting this play to make it focus more on the messages about feminism and the role of the artist/writer in society. It is very physical theatre, with often slapstick humour. It has been performed, in abbreviated form, by a much smaller professional cast, focusing on the sisters and the Caliph, with the few additional characters who occur in these scenes doubled. This play was especially commissioned for professional performance. ISBN: 978-1-911313-23-6 | £15.00 | £18.50 |
| THE ARGUMENT by Andrew Shakeshaft. 4M, 3F. approx an hour fifteen minutes. It is easy to reduce the scenes, which mainly involve two actors at a time, and to pick scenes without certain characters, to reduce the number of players. Andrew Shakeshaft is an award-winning playwright and many of his plays have been professionally performed. Sophia has to find the strength to ditch cheating boyfriend Leon, with the help of her friends. ISBN: 978-1-911313-15-1 | £13.00 | No Notes |
| THERE WERE 7 OF US by Andrew Shakeshaft. 5M, 2F. approx an hour fifteen minutes. Andrew Shakeshaft is an award-winning playwright and many of his plays have been professionally performed. A level leaving get-together weekend goes badly wrong when outsider Simon makes a statement impossible to ignore, which affects everyone’s lives. ISBN: 978-1-911313-19-9 | £12.00 | No Notes |
| THE VILLAGE THAT KILLED A MAN by Michael Hatfield. min 10F / 13M or more. full length play. strong, physical, passionate – and often funny adaptation of ‘Fuente Ovejuna’ by Lope de Vega. approx two hours. It has really great scenes for fewer characters, however, which would reduce it to the main storyline and make this fine play suitable for examination purposes. ISBN: 978-1-911313-27-4 | £15.00 | £18.50 |
| THE WATCHERS by Jeni Whittaker. approx one hour. It should not be hard to reduce to examination length. 5F, but flexible. Spooky neighbours harass a new arrival to the neighbourhood. Role-swapping and physical/ chorus work throughout. ISBN: 978-1-911313-02-1 | £9.00 | No Notes |
| TONTINE by Marsali Taylor. 14F / 3M. The running time, uncut, is approx one hour. Or, for a shorter play, it could be cut to exclude some of the periphery characters, focusing on the main ones, doubled with the modern teenagers. Linked together with the silk-workers’ chants, it could still be an effective piece. The appalling facts about the young women who worked in the French silk manufacturing businesses in the 18th century. ISBN: 978-1-911313-33-5 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Michael and Patricia Theodorou. Possible for 2F, 1M; 2F, 2M, 3F,3M. From the ghost story by Henry James. Can be done with a cast of about 15/16, in a show lasting approx 80 minutes, but also offers versatile casting and is easily reduce-able for exam purposes. ISBN: 978-1-911313-36-6 | £12.00 | No Notes |
| WAITING by Nikki Atkin-Reeves. mixed cast, min. 18, of which at least 6M. The play is about one hour fifteen minutes long. For examination purposes it would be possible to choose scenes involving characters that would reduce the length and the cast size. This play was written as a commissioned piece of theatre. Teen and life issues in a physical theatre format – waiting for life, death, good or bad news, or just queuing! ISBN: 978-1-911313-25-0 | £9.00 | £12.00 |
| WOMAN IN THE MOON by Jeni Whittaker. 8F. The play lasts roughly one to one hour fifteen minutes [dependent on the length of the physical theatre section]. It is easy to pick and choose scenes and characters to reduce the length. The female role and differing views of marriage. Useful piece for Performing Arts exams, involving music and dance opportunities. Doubling necessary if done for GCSE. ISBN: 978-1-911313-07-6 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| WORKING FOR THE COMPANY by Andrew Shakeshaft. 4F. The play as it stands lasts about an hour. It is easy to pick and choose scenes to reduce the length. Andrew Shakeshaft is an award-winning playwright and many of his plays have been professionally performed. Futuristic idea – what if the cultivation of drugs was government funded and big business? Serious piece. ISBN: 978-1-911313-05-2 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
Medium – Large Cast shorter Plays, useful for group bonding and practicing performance skills
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| THE DEVIL IN THE SHADOWS by Andrew Shakeshaft. all M cast. min 15 M + extras. approx 1hr. Years 7/8/9 [ages 11-14]. different ‘take’ on the Grendel/Beowulf story. mix of drama, physical theatre poss. and humour. | £9.00 | £12.00 |
| BULLY FOR YOU by John Tarrant. mixed cast of 18, could be all F, could be less cast with doubling. approx 40 mins. Years 7/8/9 [ages 11-14]. bullying and how to cope with it. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| SUSPICION by Marsali Taylor. 13F chars. doubling poss. approx 30 mins. Years 7-10 [ages 11-15] theme of gossip and the damage it can do in a school environment. | £8.00 | £10.50 |
| INSIDE SAM’S HEAD by Marsali Taylor. 14F chars. approx 25 mins. Years 9/10 [ages 13-15]. about the experience of being deaf and other peoples’ perceptions of it within a school environment. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| A GOOD CAUSE by Marsali Taylor. 5F,4M or more, approx 40 mins. Years 9/10 [ages 13-15] A story of family and political conflict as we follow Janie Sandison and the Women’s Suffrage Movement from 1910 onwards. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| THE REUNION by John Tarrant. 7F, 3M. approx 30 mins. Years 10/11/12 [ages 15-17] the contrast between the aspirations of a group of pupils and what has happened to them ten years after leaving school. | £9.00 | £12.00 |
| WHY MUST I BE A TEENAGER IN LOVE? by Michael Hatfield. – mixed cast of 31, doubling possible. approx 1hr. Years 8/9/10 [ages 12-15]. fun script about gangs, acceptance, boy-girl stuff and rock’n’roll! | £9.00 | £12.00 |
Larger Cast Scripts for ‘School Play’, Festivals or for Practicing Performance Skills
One Act equivalent plays suitable for Years 10-13 [ages 15-18]
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BIG HAIR DAY by Fiona Baddeley. approx one hour fifteen minutes. 9F, 2M. Comedy set in the 1970’s in a hair salon, exploring the hopes and dreams of those who work there. ISBN: 978-1-911313-11-3 | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| PINOCCHIO by Jeni Whittaker. mixed cast, or single sex. 14 – any number. Between half an hour and one hour or more. physical theatre re-interpretation of trad. story, including whole cast all the time. Though commissioned and written initially for youngsters, this plays has been performed professionally by a T.I.E. group as a Community Theatre project, with adults playing the parts. It was divided up [which isn’t hard] between 5 people [in that instance] but is adaptable to any number you wish. ISBN: 978-1-911313-35-9 | £8.00 | £10.50 |
Full-length plays suitable for Years 10-13 [ages 15-18]
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FAMOUS AND FORGOTTEN by Andrew Colley and Fiona Ross [music]. 20 plus mixed cast. full length fun docu – musical. true story of a Preston ladies’ football team team in the First World War. As a musical, the price reflects the addition of a CD of the music, and sheet music of the songs. [Only available as hard copy directly from Jeni.] | £27.00 | £30.00 |
| SHEHEREZADE by Jeni Whittaker. 41 mixed cast speaking cast, much doubling possible. approx 1hr. how our heroine tricks her husband to save her life through telling stories [Arabian Nights]. approx. one hour fifteen minutes. It is very physical theatre, with often slapstick humour. It has been performed, in abbreviated form, by a much smaller and older cast, focusing on the sisters and the Caliph, with the few additional characters who occur in these scenes doubled. This play was especially commissioned for its first professional performance. Suitable for all Secondary School ages 11 – 18. ISBN: 978-1-911313-23-6 | £15.00 | £18.50 |
| SINDRELLA, QUEEN OF THE NIGHT by Chris Walker. mixed cast of between 37-50! can be just 3M, the rest F. very good fun Vampire version of Cinderella story with a difference – a spoof. Suitable for all Secondary School ages 11 – 18. | £17.00 | £20.00 |
| THE REVENGERS by William Meadows. Full-length play. 21 fairly evenly mixed cast. Excellent fun based on the best-known of Shakespeare’s characters and scenes. Ideal school play. Suitable for all Secondary School ages 11 – 18. | £12.00 | £14.00 |
| THE VILLAGE THAT KILLED A MAN by Michael Hatfield. min 10F / 13M or more. full length play. strong, physical a, passionate – and often funny adaptation of ‘Fuente Ovejuna’ by Lope de Vega. approx two hours. ISBN: 978-1-911313-27-4 | £15.00 | £18.50 |
| MARKED by Nikki Atkin-Reeves. 18F, min 6M with doubling. ISBN: 978-1-911313-31-1 | £15.00 | £18.00 |
Suitable for top end of primary school [8+] and/or lower end of secondary. Years 7/8/9 [ages 11-14].
All are full-length plays, except Pinocchio, which relies on much improvised additional work, so is as long as you make it!
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| THE CUCKOO CLOCK by Michael Theodorou. mixed cast 30 plus. adapted from Victorian children’s book. Years 5/6/7 [ages 8-11]. Could involve even younger children. Full – length. Lonely orphan Griselda is shown a magical world by the cuckoo clock. | £16.00 | No Notes |
| GHOSTHUNTERS by Jeni Whittaker. – 55 speaking parts, mixed or single sex [orig. for M], doubling poss. approx 1hr. Years 5/6/7 [ages 8-11]. 5 plays within play. spoofs Harry Potter, James Bond etc. | £15.00 | £18.00 |
| THE CHANGELING PRINCESS by Marsali Taylor. 38 or more mixed cast, can double. full length. Years 6/7/8 [ages 9-13]. humorous fun panto-style play without lovey-dovey bits. | £10.00 | £13.50 |
| PINOCCHIO by Jeni Whittaker. mixed cast, or single sex. 14 – any number. suit Years 5, 6 or 7. between half an hour and one hour or more. physical theatre re-interpretation of trad. story, including whole cast all the time. ISBN: 978-1-911313-35-9 | £8.00 | £10.50 |
The following could also be done by years 7 upwards, as they are suitable for any age.
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SHEHEREZADE by Jeni Whittaker. 41 mixed cast speaking cast, much doubling possible. suit Years 7/8. how our heroine tricks her husband to save her life through telling stories [Arabian Nights]. approx. one hour fifteen minutes. Suitable for all Secondary School ages 11 – 18. ISBN: 978-1-911313-23-6 | £15.00 | £18.50 |
| SINDRELLA, QUEEN OF THE NIGHT by Chris Walker. mixed cast of between 37-50! can be just 3M, the rest F. very good fun Vampire version of Cinderella story with a difference – a spoof. Suitable for all Secondary School ages 11 – 18. | £17.00 | £20.00 |
| THE REVENGERS by William Meadows. Full-length play. 21 fairly evenly mixed cast. Excellent fun based on the best-known of Shakespeare’s characters and scenes. Ideal school play. Suitable for all Secondary School ages 11 – 18. | £12.00 | £14.00 |
Christmas Plays
| Play | Price | With Extra Notes |
|---|---|---|
| YEAR OF THE STRANGERS by Marsali Taylor. 8F, 6M suitable for upper primary or middle schools. approx 50 mins. Years 6/7/8 [ages 10-13]. Follows the assimilation of a Polish family into a British school. | £9.00 | £11.50 |
| THE SNOW QUEEN by Jo Hardy. Large mixed cast, or can be doubled down to 15-20. Years 7/8/9 [ages 11-14]. A fun modern retelling of the traditional Hans Andersen story. approx 1 hr 15mins | £9.00 | £12.00 |
| A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Michael Theodorou. 9F + 24M or up to 22F + 11M. approx 45 mins. Secondary ages [11 upwards]. a charming new rendering of the well-known story. ideal for Xmas end of term. | £8.00 | £11.00 |
| GOD REST YE MERRY BUSINESSMEN by Jo Hardy. 10-15 chars, mixed cast mainly F. Could be all F. Very good modern take on Christmas Carol story. Years 10 upwards [ages 15+]. approx 45mins | £8.00 | £11.00 |
Further Questions Answered
Will Exam Boards accept these plays as texts in a scripted performance examination?
Yes! DramaWorks is a registered [with Nielsen] publisher of plays. All the A level plays, as demanded by some examination boards, have ISBN numbers and all are over one hour in length, which means that, as required, you will have to make judicious cuts to gain the right length.
Are more plays needed?
YES!! Please keep sending them to me. We need plenty more – especially plays for single-sex casts, short and full-length.
Dramaworks is looking for short plays of around 15-20 minutes duration, with either all female, or predominantly female characters with a view to publication and distribution. Plays of a similar length for an all-male cast are also welcome. Also for new plays and musicals of any length, suitable for school use.
Most questions will be answered if you look at the details given for each play. Otherwise, Jeni will be happy to answer questions if you contact her.