Play scripts for children
and youth
by Robert Reed

Robert Reed

(RP Reed) Playwright and Screenwriter, UK

4th July: Independence Day

Age group: 8-10 (elementary 3rd Grade -4th Grade; primary Year 4 – Year 5)

Run time: 30 minutes

Pages: 18

Style: humorous educational based on historical events

Cast: 32 – 41 characters (minimum 21 male), 1 music operator, up to 4 stage hands

Set, props: Suggestions of harbour and village, ships, canons

http://www.artdramascripts.com/usa_independence

Price: £ 9.00 or $ 16.00

The script provides perfect resource for a vibrant school show. As well as containing important historical information and references to the Declaration of Independence, the play is highly entertaining. The performance begins with the Boston Tea Party and goes on with the story of the struggle for American Independence: His Majesty's government and the idea of independence for the 13 Colonies; the beginning of the war; the retreat of Patriots to Boston; the British capture of New York and their partying, Washington's men capture of German soldiers serving with the British Army; the Battle of Saratoga, the triumph of John Paul Jones off the British coast and finally the decisive battle at Yorktown.

April Fools' Day

Age group: 8-10 (elementary 3rd Grade -4th Grade; primary Year 4 – Year 5)

Run time: 25 minutes

Pages: 15

Style: comedy

Cast: 34 characters (with doubling min 23, min 4 girls, min 8 boys); 1 music/sound, 2 stage hands

Set, props: 2D large TV frame, 2D cloud, 2D Lada car

http://www.artdramascripts.com/comedies__parodies

Price: £ 5.50 or $ 10.00

What do people really know about the origins of this much celebrated day?
This play script explains in a humorous way the possible origins of this tradition: from our Stone Age ancestors, Noah's Ark, Babylonian customs, through to the legacy of France's Charles IX. The play then portrays three of the most famous April Fool's Day hoaxes of the modern time.

Bobbi and Arrluk

Amusing play with two main moral messages: the importance of taking decisions for oneself and the importance of preserving nature. The play is centred on the relationship between an Inuit boy and a seal pup. Bobbi finds a little lost seal pup whilst hunting and decides to rescue it and take it home as a pet. Pretty soon the seal proves herself invaluable. The Chief realizes that Bobbi was right to listen to his heart and spare the seal pup.

Bollywood High School:
'Please Keep Off the Grass!'

Cast: 17-26 characters (minimum 7 girls and 6 boys), 4 female dancers, 1 music/sound effects

Comic script of how not to win affections of a girl. Ajay is nervous about his first day at his new big city school: Bollywood High School. He is determined to follow his grandparents’ wisdom but his resolve to stick to their advice disappears in a heartbeat when he sees Charvi. He resolves to win her affection, with disastrous and humorous consequences.

Christmas at the ZOO

Age group: 5-7 (elementary Kinderdarten – 1st Grade; primary Year 1 – Year 2)

Little children on the stage and their parents in the audience will enjoy this delightful and amusing Christmas play. The baby animals in the ZOO discover a Christmas card showing Father Christmas giving presents to children. The animals hope that if they are good, Father Christmas will deliver presents to them too. To ensure that they are on the 'Good List', they set about helping other animals in entertaining and unusual ways. Finally Father Christmas arrives with his reindeer and delivers presents.

Cosmic Pets

Age group: 6–8 (elementary 1st Grade – 2nd Grade; primary Year 2 – Year 3) or older

Cast: 19 characters (minimum 1 girl and 3 boys), 1 music/sound effects, 2 stage hands

Set, props: Suggestions of gardens, model of space shuttle, large space shuttle with chairs

The play is perfect for school shows, but would enliven any topic of study concerning space and exploration. There is a rich variety of roles for children; however may be challenging for Year 2 pupils.

The space pirate robots have stolen the Queen’s favourite corgi. Unfortunately, Bubbles –a highly trained chimpanzee- disappears. The accident-prone Captain Thunderboots can’t be left on his own for such a vital mission, so they recruit Jay. Will Butch be found and saved?

First Thanksgiving

Age group: 6–8 (elementary 1st Grade – 2nd Grade; primary Year 2 – Year 3)

Cast: 25 characters (6 dancers) (minimum 2 girls & 5 boys), 2-3 stage hands, 1-2 music/sound

Set, props: 2-D larger Mayflower ship, chairs and table, 2 smaller houses (model-like)

This play celebrates one of the first Thanksgivings by European settlers in the New World. Starting with the journey to the New World in the Mayflower, the Pilgrims arrive in America and establish Plymouth Colony. The survivors are taught by friendly local Indians how to plant crops. The harvest is gathered and grateful Pilgrims decide to give thanks for their bounty and invite King Massasoit and his tribe for feast.

Guido Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

Funny play script for Bonfire Night celebrations and assemblies. Our version of the events that preceded Guy Fawkes not blowing up Parliament on 5^th November. The script is also suitable for history lessons.

Intergalactic Easter

Cast: 24 characters (min 22 children, min 6 girls, min 7 boys), 4 stage-hands, 1 music/sound

This play is an entertaining and educational tour of some of the most famous and less well-known Easter traditions. Zork and Zindy from the planet Zargon 5 decide to visit Earth for Easter holiday.

Johanna's Walkabout:
an Australian Story

Cast: 36 characters (min 28 children, min 2 girls, min 11 boys), 4 stage-hands, 1 music/sound

This is a vibrant humorous epic play of nineteenth century Australia when the country was still largely unexplored and untouched by European settlers. Key Australian events, people, facts and other icons (among others an Aborigine corroboree, cricket, Burke and Willis, Ned Kelly) are portrayed through the eyes of Johanna, a seventeen year old seeking adventure and her personal life story.

Let it Snow

Age group: 4-6 (elementary Pre-K – Kindergarten; primary Reception – Year 1)

Cast: 11 characters for children (gender neutral), about 8 ballet dancers (girls)
1 teacher or older student, 2 stage hands

Amusing and visually appealing winter assembly or Christmas play.
Links traditional elements of Christmas with environmental topic.

The teacher and pupils compose a letter to Father Christmas asking for snow to cheer up the polar bears. After some disappointing weather forecasts, the Snow Fairies are woken up by children and it finally snows and everyone is happy.

Lucky Panda

Cast: 21 characters (min 2 girls, min 3 boys), 2 stage hands, 1 music/sound effects

A short script for simple school assemblies. Pandas are viewed as symbols of good fortune and friendship and this original play is based upon these ideas. The play is set in Ancient China with twelve animals and panda trying to decide whose year is the New Year going to be. The Emperor commands the animals to resolve the dispute in a competition. The kind-hearted panda misses the competition, for helping a desperate farmer, and the Emperor turns him into a Lucky Panda.

Lucky Panda's Chinese New Year

Cast: 31 characters (minimum 2 girls & 1 boy), 2 stage hands, 1 music/sound effects

Vibrant and colourful play for Chinese New Year shows. Also a great script to celebrate and share Chinese culture at any time of the year. The dialogues include a few Mandarin expressions. The play is fun and has a strong moral message. It begins in Ancient China with a competition of twelve animals and panda. The Emperor gives kind-hearted panda a gift of immortality to bring good fortune and happiness to deserving people. The rest of the play is set in present day San Francisco.

Merry Penguins

Cast: 29 characters (minimum 1 boy and 1 girl), 2 stage-hands, 1 music/sound effects

This is a humorous Christmas play script for family audiences. The penguins in London Zoo are too hot and write a letter to Father Christmas asking to visit him. The wish is granted and the penguins love the cold at the North Pole. But the reindeer all get the flu and can't fly. Will Christmas be cancelled? How did the penguins loose Father Christmas? Why is Mrs Christmas in despair? Who delivered presents to good children?

Miguel the Monkey
and the Cunning Lion

Age group: 7-9 (elementary 2nd Grade - 3rd Grade; primary Year 3 – Year 4) or younger

Light-hearted story for school assemblies.
Lazy monkey goes through the jungle in search of a vegetarian lion.

Mrs. Frankenstein M.D.

Age group: 9-11 (elementary 4th Grade - 5th Grade; primary primary Year 5 – Year 6)

Cast: 22 characters (min 20 children, min 10 girls, min 7 boys), 2 stage-hands, 1 music/sound

Set, props: minimal and simple set and very few props (cardboard box, tables, chairs, sheet, optional potted plants)

Romanticly monstrous comedy for school assemblies. Dr. Frankenstein is not a loving mummy but the poor unloved creature/monster is determined to find love. The play includes a dance scene with a suggested song.

Remember, Remember,
the Fifth of November

Set, props: minimal - table, chairs, throne, 6 barrels, cardboard model of Guy Fawkes

Light-hearted and amusing portrayal of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot for young children. This original play combines historical information with humour to retell one of Britain's most famous stories.

Romeo and Julie

Cast: 35 character (21 speaking roles, 11 non-speaking roles,
with doubling min 27 roles, min 4 females, min 10 males), 1 music/sound effects

Set: Fifteenth century Verona; palace of Lord Capulet, town square, Julie's balcony, chapel of Friar Lorenzo, Julie's bedroom, tomb of the Capulet family; fifteenth century Mantua

Comic adaptation of the classic tragedy. The play contains some verses from Shakespeare's original. The script includes a reference to three songs that could be optionally performed by the cast.

Saint David

Cast: 26 characters (minimum 22 roles with doubling), 2 music/sound effects/stage hands

Humorous yet respectful celebration of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales. The play script contains some Welsh words and phrases with a pronunciation guide.

Saint George,Alfred the Talking Camel
and the Dragon

Amusing and fast-moving original story of Saint George and his talking camel squire on a quest to protect the weak from evildoers. This play incorporates traditional elements of chivalry with some novel creative ideas of unusual beauty competitions, noble brave maidens, and nice dragons.

Saint George, the Dragon and the Lamp

Cast: 28 characters (minimum 22 chidren, min 7 girls, min 2 boys), 2 stage hands & music

Set, props: suggestions of dessert (backdrop), small tent, cushions, castle wall

Saint George is the patron saint to a total of eight countries, including England.
How the brave Saint George defeated the dragon; and what's the Lamp doing in the story?

Saint Patrick and the Shamrock

Cast: 26 characters (12 speaking, 14 non-speaking; minimum 23 children,
min 2 girls, min 6 boys), 2 music/sound effects/stage hands

Humorous celebration of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and Irish myths. Saint Patrick is one of the most famous saints in the world and this play is designed to entertain and educate audiences and performers about his life. The play contains some fun Irish expressions, dancing sheep and some rather inept pirates.

Spring Fairies

Age group: 4-6 (elementary Pre-K – Kindergarten; primary Reception – Year 1)

Cast: 31 characters (min 25 children, min 5 girls, min 1 boy), 1 teacher or older student

The Spring Fairies have got several tasks to perform in order to make the world ready for the new season.

Spring is a superb time of year to study nature and learn about science. This play explores the changes that happen in nature during spring in a fun manner combined with scientific information.

Spring Time Down on the Farm

Short simple script for school assemblies. Perfect script to celebrate Spring but suitable for any time of the year. The play includes some Maths practice (counting in twos). The baby animals are confused as to what type of animals they are and the sheepdog puts them through a series of tests.

St Patrick and the Emerald Isle

Cast: 34 characters (10 speaking, 24 non-speaking; min 23 children), 1 music/sound effects

Humorous celebration of the story of St. Patrick and Irish myths. The play features many Irish expressions, a highly enjoyable scene of Irish-dancing sheep and other amusing scenes. Young Patrick is befriended by a leprechaun and clurichaun and shows them how to be kinder fairy-folk to humans. Later he is banishing snakes, preaching, planting ash trees, and meeting with legendary Celtic warriors and druids.

The Back to the Past Guide
to Great Scientific Breakthroughs

Informative and funny play. For anyone who wants to prove that learning about Science can be fun, this is a must. Marty McFry and Doc Peppermint Brown take the audience back to the past to visit some great scientists: Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Wilhelm Röntgen, the Wright Brothers, and J.L. Baird. The play includes an option to link to Year 6 Design and Technology topic.

The Christmas Miracle

Set, props: screen with window, two fence panels, bed, school desk, table, chairs, suggestions of garden, Christmas tree

An original Christmas play with Father Christmas for schools and children's theatre groups and drama clubs. Sandy’s father, busy banker, has little time for Sandy and Christmas, little understanding for the orphans next door, and even wants to close down Mr. (Santa) Claus’ “business”. After a little “coincidence” he realizes he’s been wrong and everybody can enjoy Christmas.

The Lost Eagles

Humorous educational play about Romans and Roman Empire. This play will make pupils enjoy History lesson as well as teach them facts and important vocabulary. What happened in the Teutoburg Forest in A.D. 9 and how did sacred chickens and poetry affect the future of the Roman Empire?

The Real Pierre Pan

Age group: 9-11 (elementary 4th Grade – 5th Grade; primary Year 5 – Year 6) or older

This is an extremely amusing parody, fast moving with high level of audience participation. The script is also suitable for performance by high school children or adults for young audiences. This is a very funny short play script worthy of special occasions. This modern contemporary playscript could also be staged as an alternative Christmas play. Eagle G. and Mr Smith the supply teacher are transported by the magical Telly Fairies to meet their hero. Pierre Pan, who uses some basic French expressions, is a fashionista and has his own range of beauty products. He has a turbulent relationship with his crew member Toto. During their adventure they are attacked by a crocodile. Who saves them? And what will be the effects of Pierre Pan’s cosmetics?

Play scripts for childrenand youthby Robert Reed