Give your audience a delightful fright with "A Halloween Sleeping Beauty," a unique and spooky twist on the beloved fairy tale by Jane Tesh. This engaging script is perfect for elementary school plays, offering a fun, ghoulish take where beauty becomes a curse!

Features

• Suited for Middle and Lower Grades
• Flexible cast: 4 male; 4 female; 14 male and/or female
• Compact 15-minute running time
• A humorous and spooky narrative ideal for Halloween productions

Your students will love exploring this imaginative story, bringing its quirky characters and surprising plot to life. Discover more captivating play scripts for children and inspire creativity by considering a Plays Magazine subscription for your school.

DEAR JOURNAL by Judy Culp is more than just a performance piece—it’s an invaluable tool for upper grades looking for versatile scripts for school plays and drama workshops. This exciting collection of monologues, dialogues, and one-liners provides a unique, highly flexible foundation for teaching and performance. Designed to introduce the powerful act of "journaling" to a class or a whole school, this resource opens the door to creativity, self-expression, and student-led content creation. Unleash your students' dramatic potential and subscribe to PLAYS Magazine today!

• Exciting collection of monologues, dialogues, and one-liners.

• Highly flexible and adaptable for various presentation needs.

• Perfect for use as a drama workshop piece introducing the concept of journaling.

• Selections can be combined with new, original pieces written by students on timely issues.

• Royalty-free for performances by current subscribers.
  

Rediscover the magic of the woods with this enchanting adaptation of Hansel and Gretel by Mary Flynn Casey. Based on the Brothers Grimm classic and inspired by Engelbert Humperdinck’s famous opera, this script is a versatile choice for both an elementary school play scripts collection and a middle school play script library. The story follows two inquisitive siblings as they outsmart a wicked witch in a house made of gingerbread. Filled with whimsical characters like gingerbread children and forest spirits, this 40-minute production brings a timeless story to life with charm and suspense. Order yours today!

• Faithful Adaptation: Captures the heart of the original Grimm fairy tale while incorporating melodic influences from the opera.

• Large, Flexible Cast: Includes 5 lead roles and several extras, making it easy to accommodate an entire classroom or drama club.

• Engaging for All Ages: Specifically designed to bridge the gap between Lower and Middle Grades with age-appropriate dialogue.

• Imaginative Staging: Provides wonderful opportunities for creative set design, from a humble cottage to a candy-covered house.

• Perfect Performance Length: A 40-minute runtime is substantial enough for a main event while remaining manageable for younger performers.

Finding an elementary school play scripts option that also works as a middle school play script can be difficult, but this version of Hansel and Gretel strikes the perfect balance. It offers younger students the excitement of a well-known fairy tale while providing middle schoolers with the opportunity for more nuanced character work and theatrical ensemble building. Whether you are staging a holiday show or a spring festival, this script ensures a magical experience for your students and an unforgettable show for your audience. Bring this classic to life with Plays Magazine today!

Experience a hilarious twist on a literary classic with The "True" Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This reading play is designed to be performed with a heavy emphasis on comedic timing and creative sound effects, spoofing the original tale of horror and suspense. It’s an excellent way to introduce students to Victorian literature while keeping the mood light, engaging, and absolutely ridiculous.

Bring some spooky fun to your classroom—download this script today!

Features

• Comedic Spoof: A lighthearted take on the classic horror story that students find hilarious.

• Sound Effect Focus: Designed as a reading play that encourages student creativity with Foley sounds.

• Large Cast: 15 speaking roles (7M, 5F, 3 flexible) to ensure plenty of participation.

• Target Audience: Perfect for Middle Grade students.

Drama teachers often look for school play scripts that can bridge the gap between classic literature and modern humor. This spoof allows students to explore the famous themes of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde without the intensity of a traditional drama, making it accessible and high-energy. By focusing on the reading play format, you can sharpen your students' vocal acting and coordination as they sync their lines with wacky sound effects for a truly memorable performance.

Unlock this clever spoof and hundreds of other scripts with a Plays Magazine subscription today!

Specs

• Author: Bruce Berger

• Genre: Comedy / Spoof / Literary Adaptation

• Run Time: Approximately 20 minutes

• Format: Digital Download (Subscribers Only)

• Royalties: Royalty-free with an active subscription

• Features a large, flexible cast, perfect for accommodating a full classroom or drama club.
• A gripping courtroom drama plot filled with suspense, mystery, and sharp dialogue.
• A quick 35-minute runtime, making it ideal for one-act play festivals, competitions, or classroom study.
• Engaging, distinct character roles, including the dramatic star, witty lawyers, and surprising witnesses.

Upper and Middle Grades; 7 male, 4 female, 25 male or female; 30 minutes. The inspiring story of Detroit-born Ralph Bunche (1904-1971), the first African-American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (1950) for his work with the United Nations to help create a cease-fire in the Middle East.

Middle and Lower Grades. Battle Between Sun and Sky: 4 male or female and as many extras as desired; 10 minutes. How Coconuts Came to Samoa: 2 male, 2 female, 2 male or female, and as many extras as desired; 10 minutes. Two short stories from the Pacific Islands that help explain the ways of nature.

Lower Grades; 10 male or female and as many male and female extras as desired; 10 minutes. A Chinese folktale that shows that good sense and smart thinking are better than all the gold in the world.

Middle and Lower Grades; 5 male, 4 female, many male and female extras; 30 minutes. Wicked witch steals the royal creampuff recipe, upsets the King, and causes havoc in the royal kitchen.

Middle Grades; 10 female, 8 male, 9 male or female; 40 minutes. An appreciation of Kwanzaa comes to a girl who tries to boycott her family's celebration because she's in a snit; mad about something she can't even remember!

Upper and Middle Grades; 25 male and female; 19th century; 25 minutes.
A round-table readers' theatre that tells the heartrending story of Philip Nolan, a man whose punishment for treason is that he may never again set foot in his beloved United States.

Introduce your students to the Bard in a way they will actually enjoy with this delightful modern retelling of a classic. Perfect for plays for schools looking to tackle Shakespeare without the intimidation of Elizabethan language, this script reimagines the comedy with a contemporary twist. Full of love, romance, and mischievous dealings, it keeps the intrigue of the original while making the plot relatable for today’s middle schoolers. Get your copy today!

Features

• Modern Adaptation: A contemporary setting makes the story accessible and engaging for younger actors.

• Flexible Ensemble: Designed for a large cast, allowing you to involve the entire class.

• Introductory Shakespeare: The perfect gateway to teaching classic literature and plot structures.

• Comedy: Lighthearted and fun, ensuring a positive experience for the cast and audience alike.

Making classical literature fun is a challenge every drama teacher faces, but this script serves as an excellent tool for educational theatre. By using play scripts for students that modernize familiar themes, you remove the barrier of complex language and let the students focus on character and storytelling. This play fosters a love for theatre and literature, proving that Shakespeare’s stories are timeless. Create a memorable performance that students will talk about for years. Order yours from Plays Magazine today!

Info

• Grade Level: Middle Grades

• Cast Size: 3 male, 3 female, 17 male or female (flexible)

• Run Time: 20 minutes

• Genre: Contemporary Comedy / Adaptation

Lower Grades; 4 male, 1 female, as many male and female extras as desired for ants; contemporary; 10 minutes. Red ants and black ants fight over a picnic, only to discover that working together, sharing, and making friends are the most important morsels of all.

Middle and Lower Grades; 3 male, 2 female, 1 male or female adult or gifted reader for Narrator; 20+ male and female. 1880s; 15 minutes. Sure-to-please large-cast melodrama with the usual dashing hero, moustache-twirling villain, and sweet heroine named Sue. . .but this one also has plenty of audience participation, songs and choreography.

Lower Grades; 9 to 30 male and female. 10 minutes. This creative dramatics play in poem form is a wonderful way for young children to act out what happens when rain starts pitter-pattering on the playground . . . plenty of opportunity for body movement and sound effects.

Upper Grades; 10 female; 3 male; 1 male or female, and extras; 3 scenes, 15 minutes each.
High school students take center stage in this three-pack of plays about thinking of others at holiday time; creative gift-giving from the heart; and innovative sales techniques when jobs are one the line. Perform one, two, or three scenes, as time permits.

Upper Grades; 9 female, 2 male, 6 male or female; contemporary; 20 minutes.
Hotly contested Student Council election puts a strain on a longtime friendship as students fight for presidency.

Middle Grades; 11 female, 6 male, 8 male or female; 40 minutes. Spunky 1830s English girl flees her demanding guardian by impersonating a boy so she can find work on a ship bound for New York — and an uncertain future in a new country.

Immerse your audience in two pivotal eras of history simultaneously with this unique historical drama. An excellent choice for plays for schools seeking cross-curricular content, this script follows a troupe of actors rehearsing Shakespeare in Colonial Williamsburg just as the Revolutionary War looms. It masterfully blends the classic tragedy of the Bard with the tension and patriotism of early America. Give your students a rich historical perspective. Purchase this script today!

Features

• Dual Historical Setting: Teaches students about both Elizabethan theatre traditions and Life in Colonial America.

• Play-Within-A-Play: Offers a unique meta-theatrical experience that challenges and engages young actors.

• Flexible Casting: Designed for a large, mixed cast of 15+ actors, making it inclusive for the whole class.

• Educational Depth: Perfect for collaboration between History and English departments.

Info

• Grade Level: Upper and Middle Grades

• Cast Size: 15 male/female roles plus extras

• Run Time: 30 minutes

• Genre: Historical Drama / Period Piece

Middle and Lower Grades. 1 male, 5 female, 5 male and female, extras. Follow the Yellow Brick Road! L. Frank Baum's beloved story and colorful characters come to life in this wonderful adaptation.

Lower Grades; 20 male or female; 15 minutes.

Puns, jokes, and music make math come alive in this clever skit.

Middle and Lower Grades. Three plays in one: Play 1, Crocodile Gives Monkey a Ride, 2 male or female, 10 minutes; Play 2, Trapping the Jaguar, 1 male, 2 male or female, 15 minutes; Play 3, Wild Woman, 4 male, 3 female, 7 male or female, 20 minutes.
Set in different types of rainforests, three folktales of mystery and magic, featuring characters with pluck, ingenuity, and common sense.

Middle and Lower Grades; 3 male, 6 female, 4 male or female; 20 minutes.
A modern, fun take-off of Snow White (without the dwarfs) featuring a wicked stepmother who finds that vanity comes with a high price.

Middle Grades; 5 male, 7 female, 6 male or female; 20 minutes.
A family finds a hidden room under their stairway and learns that their house had been a station on the Underground Railroad.

Middle Grades, 5 male, 6 female, 6+ male or female; 30 minutes. A fun melodrama featuring the poor but honest Daisy Cornball, the villainous Count Von Cliché, and the rich society lady Mrs. Smythe-Dashington, in search of wealth and fame on the stage. Be still, my thumping heart!

Upper Grades; 3 female, 3 male, as many extras as desired; 25 minutes.

Platonic? Hardly! Will offbeat hero of a band triumph over cute basketball star? A play of crushes, stereotypes, and young love.

Step into the world of nursery rhyme investigation with CSI: Mother Goose Land by Jane Tesh. This clever and engaging script asks the ultimate question: Did Humpty Dumpty really fall, or was he pushed? Perfect for teachers looking for plays for school that involve a large cast, this mystery brings together a host of familiar fairy tale characters in a "whodunit" format that keeps students and audiences guessing until the very end. It’s an ideal choice for elementary or middle school drama programs aiming to spark creativity and critical thinking. Secure your school play subscription today to access this and hundreds of other royalty-free scripts!

Features

• Target Grade Levels: Suited for Middle and Lower Grades.

• Flexible Cast Size: Features roles for 7 females, 6 males, and several gender-neutral parts (Cat, King's Horses, King's Men).

• Performance Time: A concise 10–15 minute runtime, perfect for assemblies or class projects.

• Genre: Mystery/Melodrama with a comedic fairy-tale twist.

Upper and Middle Grades; 12 male, 6 female, and male and female extras. 35 minutes. A story of the struggle and heroes of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, with reference to the basics of human dignity: riding a bus, using the restroom, eating in a restaurant, and going to school.

Bring the spirit of the Old West to your stage with Rowdy Kate, a lively and humorous adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Perfect for middle school performers, this play script replaces Italian villas with dusty ranch lands, turning a classic battle of wits into a charming Western romp. Whether you are looking for a classroom read-aloud or a full-stage production, this script offers accessible dialogue and plenty of character-building opportunities for your students. Order your copy today!

Features

• Classic Adaptation: A creative Western twist on Shakespeare’s famous comedy.

• Flexible Casting: Designed specifically for student ensembles with varied roles.

• Royalty-Free: Included in your subscription or purchase for easy school performances.

• Educational Value: An excellent bridge for introducing middle schoolers to classical themes through a familiar, fun setting.

Finding quality play scripts for middle school that actually resonate with teenagers can be a challenge. Rowdy Kate solves the "boredom" factor by trading dense Elizabethan prose for high-energy Western charm, allowing play scripts for students to feel relevant and exciting. Your students will love the feisty characters and comedic timing, while you'll appreciate how the script builds their confidence and public speaking skills. Give your drama program the creative spark it deserves and watch your students shine on stage. Order yours from Plays Magazine today!

Specs

• Author: Claire Boiko

• Grade Level: Middle School (Upper Elementary/Junior High)

• Genre: Western Comedy / Classic Adaptation

• Cast Size: Large cast (15+ roles, flexible for smaller groups)

• Performance Time: Approximately 25-30 minutes

Middle and Lower Grades; 34 male and female; 25 minutes.
A wonderful spoof of a make-believe television show—complete with funny advertisements—with nursery rhyme characters participating in the competition and solving the mystery of the missing sheep.

Middle Grades; 8 male, 6 female, extras; 25 minutes.
The story of Mother Jones, a courageous woman who helped lead the fight for the right of American workers—men, women, and children—to join a union, have safe working conditions, and a decent wage.

Middle Grades; 20 male and female; 15 minutes.
Beloved nursery rhyme character and the Big Bad Wolf square off in a Mother Goose Land election.

Middle and Lower Grades; 6 male, 7 female, 8 male or female; 20 minutes.
Will web designer's plans take all the charm out of boy-meets-girl?

Upper & Middle Grades; 13 female, 3 male; 35 minutes. A large-cast play that tells part of the story of Japanese-American internment camps created in World War II, through the eyes of a high school girl who was sent off and her best friend, who stayed behind.

Middle & Lower Grades; 3 male, 6 female, 19+ male or female; 15 minutes. A large-cast play to welcome Spring and learn about the environment. Petulant King Bartholomew bans Spring, only to realize in a dream courtroom drama that he has upset the cycles of the seasons and destroyed the food supply.

Middle Grades; 13+ actors: 7 female, 4 male, 2 male or female, as many male and female as desired for Chorus; 30 minutes.
The myth of Persephone, and how the seasons came to be, told two ways: one traditional, one in rap.

Middle & Lower Grades. 8 actors: male or female; 20 minutes. Villagers are convinced by the Mayor to buy a gold-giving cow from a passerby, only to find that the poor creature can barely even give any milk. The villagers, of course, realize their mistake, but somehow draw the wrong conclusion. How silly.

Upper & Middle Grades; 10 female, 9 male; 30 minutes. America's first female investigative reporter set the standard for the best in newspaper journalism.

Middle and Lower Grades; 8 male, 4 female; as many male and female extras as desired for Other Students; 15-20 minutes. Four presidents have a little fun with visitors to a national memorial.