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MANOR OF DEATH
Here's a terrific mystery for a mid-size cast
with suspense and humor. Newlyweds
Rachel and Archie have finally opened their
dream store--a mystery book store called
Manor of Death. But when Rachel finds a
body lying behind the bookshelves, life
begins to imitate art. Two lady detectives,
who have their own issues, zero in on
Rachel as the killer and the only way out is
for Rachel and Archie to find the real killer.
Easy set, enjoyable characters, a satisfying
evening of theater! 7 Males, 8 Females.
Available from BROOKLYN PUBLISHERS.

MURDER AT
THE ORIENT
EXPRESS
Ace private eye Dudley
Sharpe is hired by
gazillionaire Seymore
Twitt to find out who's
trying to kill him. They
meet in a Chinese fast
food restaurant--the
Orient Express--and a
week later rendezvous
again so Dudley can
report back to his boss.
Oddly,
the place is full that
night and one of the
patrons has murder on
his mind. Lots of fun
characters! 5 male, 9
female. Available from
Pioneer Drama Service.

Where Were You When
the Tardy Bell Rang?
A series of vignettes looking at the
funny and serious side of high school.
Use with a large cast or double and
feature a small cast. Available from
Brooklyn Publishers.

TUT, TUT, TUTSY
Two elderly sisters are accidentally hired by a business tycoon,
Mortimer Tutley, to find out if King Tut is really sending him threatening
letters from beyond the grave. Several sinisterly suspicious characters
greet the sisters at Tutley's mansion where murder is on the agenda.
This will wrap up your audience in laughs. 4 males, 8 females.
Available from Big Dog Plays.

From Big Dog Publishing--

SURELUCK HOLMES,
PRIVATE EYE (5M, 8F),
full-length mystery-comedy.
Detective Sureluck, an ancestor
of the one and only Sherlock,
has to solve a cold-case murder
which quickly heats up when a
couple of corpses pop up. Lots
of fun as the Nemesis
Society--made up of the world's
greatest detectives--faces
annihilation if Sureluck and his
ever-faithful secretary Joni
Watson don't think fast!

COOKIES AND CRIME (5 M, 13
F), full-length mystery comedy.
Raising funds to restore
magician Houtini's fabled house
by cookie sales is no easy task.
And when the curator turns up
dead and a mysterious woman in
black drifts through the corridors
of the old mansion, the
restoration committee has it's
hands full with more than cookie
dough!

From Heuer Publishing--

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE (3 M, 7F)
full length mystery-comedy.
A film noir spoof which finds private eye Nick
Noir--who takes the audience into his
confidence--hired to find out what really
happened to Vinnie the Leach who keeled over in
the local coffee shop while sipping a "Death by
Chocolate."

From PIONEER DRAMA SERVICE--

THE VILLAIN TOOK A CHIP SHOT or,
THAR'S GOLD IN THEM THAR GREENS (4
M, 10 F), old-fashioned melodrama.
When handsome, heroic banker Frank Lee Fairway shows up to
serve foreclosure papers on Gloria Greenfee's lodge out in the
middle of the desert, he instantly falls for Birdie, Gloria's niece.
No longer concerned with his financial duty, Frank decides to
give saving Gloria's little plot of heaven a shot--but he must face
the dastardly Nash T. Sandtrappe before he can score a
hold-in-one!

From Sterling Partners, Inc., publishers--

THE VERY BEST CHRISTMAS PLAYS FOR KIDS, an anthology of 25 plays edited by Elizabeth
Preston. My adaptation of the Dickens story, "The Goblin and the Gravedigger" is one of the
selections, all of which are sure to please.

CLOAK AND DAGGER
A spoof of "Casablanca," this comedy finds Nick, a cynical cafe owner looking for
enemy spies. When he gets word that the spy is a woman wearing a cloak and
carrying a dagger, he thinks he'll be able to unmask her with no trouble. That is, until
five women arrive at his cafe each wearing a cloak. Which one has the dagger? Lots
of fun whether your audience is familiar with the movie or not. 5 male, 6 female.
Available from Big Dog Plays.

NIGHT AT THE WAX MUSEUM
When six students and their teacher take a field trip
to a wax museum to help get ready for the grand
opening, they run into some hysterical--and
historical--personalities. An inscription on an ancient
bracelet brings to life the famous and infamous on
display. Henry VIII is suddenly smitten with
Cleopatra, making Anne Boleyn lose her head.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid team up with
Pancho Villa and Calamity Jane to look for a
long-lost treasure supposedly buried in the
museum. And Blackbeard and his pirates are out to
plunder everyone. To make matters worse, the
greedy landlord and her kids just want to close the
whole place down and sell the building for a fortune.
It's fast, it's furious, it's lots of fun! Available as a
musical with songs by Bill Francoeur. 11 Males, 18
Females, plus 2 either. Available from PIONEER
DRAMA SERVICE.

DRAMA QUEENS GONE
WILD!
Somebody at the Shakespeare Academy
for the Arts High School is trying to
sabotage the upcoming school play.
Everything is going wrong! The director,
whose eyes are only on Broadway, is about
to lose his mind as cast members face one
hysterical disaster after another. Lots of
funny characters for a large cast of
performers who can take the comedy over
the top!
9 Male, 14 Female, 1 Either.
Available from CONTEMPORARY DRAMA
SERVICE.

WICKED WITCH OF OZ
What could possibly go wrong with a high school production of "The Wizard of Oz"? Everything is the
real Wicked Witch of the West happens to drop by with one of her flying monkeys (who mysteriously can't
fly anymore but speaks the Queen's English)! And what does Witch Hecubah want? Her ruby slippers,
of course. But Glinda, the high school diva who plays Dorothy, has no intention of giving her shoes to
anybody. This show is filled with wild and wacky characters, perfect for a school play. One easy set with
parts for 4 Males, 11 Females 1 Either. Available from BIG DOG PLAYS

PETER PAN
An easy to produce version of James Barrie's beloved tale of
the boy who wouldn't grow up. The illusion of flying is easily
created, and the enchanting and exciting world of Neverland is
suggested by simple, yet effective sets. All the classic moments
are here--Peter chasing his shadow, Wendy and her brothers
finding the Lost Boys, Captain Hook fighting Peter to the death,
even the Crocodile with his ominous tick-tock. A sure audience
grabber! Large cast, available from CONTEMPORARY DRAMA
SERVICE.

LAST GASP AT THE LAST GULP

How about a wild west whodunit? Doc Robbins is the
only dentist for a couple hundred miles around the
and he's living mighty high off the hog on only a few
patients a year. So it's no big shock when he turns up
dead in the local saloon. It seems like lots of folks
have motives to do doc in. Maybe it's Bonnie Vivant,
owner of the saloon. What about Count Stroganoff, a
mysterious visitor from Russia? Could it be Minerva
and Louella, a pair of reformers who want to shut the
Last Gulp down? What about the three prospectors
who keep wetting their whistles? Or maybe it's Sheriff
Daisy and her Deputy Pablo. Wild and crazy, with
loads of laughs. 6 Males, 11 Females. Available from
ELDRIDGE PUBLISHING COMPANY.

CRUMPLED CLASSICS
When her students act out their favorite great works of
literature, new teacher Ms. Collins suddenly fears for her
job. Romeo and Juliet play out their love scenes in a fast
food restaurant, while Frankie Stein is trying to put
together the perfect date for the big dance. Shirley
Holmes and her friend Jane Watson are jump-starting a
new detective agency, and the Phantom of the Opera just
wants to earn a fast buck. Poor Artie's mom considers him
a real slacker--even when he pulls the sword from the
stone. Lots of great roles (10-25 mixed cast), available
from Pioneer Drama Service.

CAMP TWILIGHT
Camp Twilight promises teens an adventure,
and, boy, do they get one! A werewolf howls
through the night, new camper Eduardo looks
and acts a lot like a vampire, and a pair of hit
ladies are out to get somebody. It's one
hilarious episode after another until somehow
dawn breaks with the only injury being the
audience's sides splitting from laughter. One
easy outside set for 9 males, 13 females, from
Contemporary Drama Service.

This Ain't Heaven,
It's Shoofly!
For a low-down great time, how about
a 45 minute trip to Shoofly, populated
with a silliest Hillbillies you've ever
seen. A greedy banker with his hands
in everybody's pockets meets Dixie
Mae McGosh, the smartest little filly
this side of the Mississippi. She has
Witch Hazel work some magic and pulls
off a little slight-of-hand of her own at
the community talent show which
boasts a lot more laughs than talent.
For 7 males, 11 females from Brooklyn
Publishers.

MY FRIEND WILL
Here's a farce featuring none other than the Bard himself. Young Will
Shakespeare, desperately trying to escape from a charge of
poaching, is sent into the future by a witch. He ends up on the stage
of the Avon Little Theater hoping to mount a western comedy for the
first production. Roz, the director, mistakenly assumes Will is a new
cast member. Though he's truly a fish out of water in the 21st
century, Will swims mightily--though sometimes upstream. He's got to
unite a pair of young lovers, bring together a bickering couple, save
the theater from a pair of greedy relatives, and become inspired to
write his magnificent plays. Very easy set, for 5 males, 11 females,
with doubling, from Big Dog Plays

NIGHT OF THE TEENAGE
ZOMBIES
Student vampire hunter Mackenzie finds out a couple of
students are missing. She stumbles on evidence that the
disappearances involve her very weird chemistry teacher.
With a few fellow vampire hunters, they trail the teacher to
a mysterious old house where the comedy kicks into high
gear. Lots of fun for everybody! For 13 females, 6 males
from Contemporary Drama Service

Coming in January
DON'T STOP
BELIEVIN'!
A great new musical about down on
their luck kids rallying to save their
community center, their neighborhood,
and their dignity. Songs by Bill
Francoeur. Available from Pioneer
Drama Service.