Poverty-Themed Play Scripts for Schools
Commedia Chekhov
Introduce your students to Russian playwright Anton Chekhov through the vibrant lens of Commedia dell’Arte.
- About 70 minutes
- 3 M + 7 F
- Simple set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
- 70 pages
Failure and Fortitude: The Female Edison
Failure and fortitude are the touchstones for every inventor, but even more so for 19th century female inventors.
- About 40 minutes
- 1 F + 12 Any Gender, plus 3 groups (3/4/4)
- Simple set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
The Female Edison
Margaret E. Knight was a 19th century inventor with two big but forgotten stories.
- About 70 minutes
- 2 F + 22 Any Gender
- Simple set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
- 79 pages
Finding Jo March
You should know right away that this is not a traditional adaptation of Little Women.
- About 120 minutes
- 5 M + 5 F + 1 Any Gender + 3 F or NB
- Recommended for High Schools
- 85 pages
The First Herald Angel
On the first Christmas Eve, a shepherd meets an angel who states something miraculous is about to occur. The shepherd's wife has her doubts.
- About 25 minutes
- 1 M + 2 F + 2 Any Gender
- Unit Set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
- 15 pages
Free - Version 1
A free picnic forces a struggling town to reconcile their belief systems with their greed.
- About 45 minutes
- 6 M + 10 F + 3 Any Gender
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 40 pages
Free - Version 2
A free picnic forces a struggling town to reconcile their belief systems with their greed. More parts for girls in Version 2.
- About 45 minutes
- 4 M + 12 F + 2 Any Gender
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 40 pages
Free: Competition Version
A competition-length version of Free by Lindsay Price.
- About 35 minutes
- 2 M + 5 F + 11 Any Gender + 2 M or F
- Simple set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 31 pages
Humbug High: A Contemporary Christmas Carol
A modern take on the classic Dickens tale. Eddie Scrooge is a 17-year-old Bah Humbug of a guy. Till one Christmas Eve when three ghosts change his life.
- About 70 minutes
- 6 M + 13 F, Expandable to 11M 20F
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 63 pages
Just Girls Talking
A drama for six women that will have your audience talking long after they leave the theatre.
- About 30 minutes
- 6 F
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 30 pages
Little Nell and the Mortgage Foreclosure
A delightful melodrama replete with broad comedy, memorable characters, and plenty of booing and hissing for the stovepipe-hat-wearing villain!
- About 45 minutes
- 2 M + 3 F
- Unit Set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
- 30 pages
Malled: Two One Act Plays for Young Women
Many things happen in a mall. Heartbreak, Uncomfortable truths,True friendship, Cosmic questions with your french fries. Two plays. Great parts for girls.
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 38 pages
Patterns and Power: The Female Edison
How did a 12 year old girl, with little education and no experience with mechanical engineering invent a safety part for a power loom?
- About 30 minutes
- 2 F + 17 Any Gender
- Simple set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
- 37 pages
The Pauper Princess
A retelling of Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper.
- About 75 minutes
- 10 M + 28 F + 34 Any Gender
- Simple set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
- 71 pages
Sweep Under Rug
In the future the issue of poverty is solved through separation and subserviance. A teen causes trouble simply because she wants to better herself.
- About 35 minutes
- 1 M + 3 F + 1 Any Gender
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 34 pages
Sweep Under Rug: Competition Version
A competition-length version of Sweep Under Rug by Lindsay Price
- About 35 minutes
- 1 M + 3 F + 3 Any Gender, plus ensemble
- Simple set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 29 pages
Tuna Fish Eulogy
The tragedy of a young boy's death is examined. Written in the Ladder play format the text runs in vertical columns for fuller choral work.
- About 40 minutes
- 1 M + 2 F + 1 Any Gender, Easily Expandable
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools
- 40 pages
Wenceslas
A moving interpretation of the classic carol Good King Wenceslas. With music, song, a touching message and great roles for actors of all levels.
- About 45 minutes
- 2 M + 2 F + 14 Any Gender, Easily Expandable
- Simple Set
- Recommended for High Schools & Middle Schools
- 30 pages
