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CLASSICS/ADAPTATIONS

CLASSICS/ADAPTATIONS


Plays Magazine offers adaptations of the Classics perfect for children’s plays, kids’ plays, school plays, plays scrips, and readers’ theater. Plays include Beowulf, Les Miserables, Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, Pirates of Penzance, Little Women, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Gift of the Magi, The Red Badge of Courage, The Importance of Being Earnest, Mark Twain’s Million Pound Bank Note, and a host of play scripts by William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Downloadable plays are available as part of our print subscription package ($59).

SOME WORDS WITH A MUMMY by Craig Sodaro SOME WORDS WITH A MUMMY by Craig Sodaro

Upper and Middle Grades; 4 male, 4 female; 1840s; 25 minutes.
Based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe: A professor gets permission to examine a long-lost mummy, only to jolt it back to life and witness as it learns about the modern age.

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HANSEL AND GRETEL by the Brothers Grimm and adapted by Mary Flynn Casey HANSEL AND GRETEL by the Brothers Grimm and adapted by Mary Flynn Casey

Middle and Lower Grades; 3 female, 2 male; several male or female extras; 40 minutes.
Adaptation of the classic fairy tale starring inquisitive siblings, a wicked witch, gingerbread children, and more. Based on Engelbert Humperdinck's opera.

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MACBETH Adapted from Shakespeare by Elizabeth Boiko Burdick MACBETH Adapted from Shakespeare by Elizabeth Boiko Burdick

Upper Grades; 4 male, 4 female; 5 male or female; 30 minutes. Storytellers using modern language point the way to a thorough understanding of Shakespeare's original words, in this dramatic adaptation of one of the playwright's most powerful tragedies.

 
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THE GOBLINS AND THE GRAVEDIGGER by Craig Sodaro THE GOBLINS AND THE GRAVEDIGGER by Craig Sodaro

Upper and Middle Grades; 6 male, 8 female, 3 male or female; 19th-century England; 30 minutes. Goblins help to connect the meanest man in town with three loving orphans who desperately need a home, in this heartwarming Christmas tale.

 
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CYRANO DE BERGERAC Adapted by Joellen Bland CYRANO DE BERGERAC Adapted by Joellen Bland

Upper Grades; for round-table reading; 9 male and 1 female; 30 minutes. Edmond Rostand’s moving tale of appearance, intellect, and unrequited love set in 17th century Paris. Who could forget the lovely Roxane?

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THE LOVE POTION, based on the opera L'Elisir d'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti, adapted by Jesse Martin THE LOVE POTION, based on the opera L'Elisir d'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti, adapted by Jesse Martin

Upper Grades; 2 female, 5 male, and as many extras as desired as villagers, soldiers, and workers; 30 minutes. An Italian opera set in the mid-1800s complete with competing suitors, class warfare, poor village girls, magical elixirs, and love everywhere you turn.

 
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BEOWULF adapted by Eddie McPherson BEOWULF adapted by Eddie McPherson

Upper Grades; 13 male or female, plus; 25 minutes. A great introduction for students to Beowulf, the epic tale from 1000 AD with monsters and heroes, good and evil, fame and infamy.

 
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DRACULA by Bram Stoker and adapted by Joellen Bland DRACULA by Bram Stoker and adapted by Joellen Bland

Upper Grades; 6 male, 5 female; 35 minutes. A tension-filled adaptation of Bram Stoker’s thrilling tale set in Transylvania---if you listen carefully you can almost hear the doors creaking and the screams reverberating off the castle walls. A play your students will really sink their teeth into.

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THE BISHOP'S CANDLESTICKS (Les Miserables) by Victor Hugo and adapted by Lewy Olfson THE BISHOP'S CANDLESTICKS (Les Miserables) by Victor Hugo and adapted by Lewy Olfson

Upper Grades; 6 male, 2 female; 25 minutes. After nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, the Bishop's gift of stolen candlesticks allows a poor man to get a new start on life, in this adaptation of a scene from Les Miserables.

 
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THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY by Edward Everett Hale, adapted by Walter Hackett THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY by Edward Everett Hale, adapted by Walter Hackett

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.

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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, by Jane Austen, Adapted by Olive Morley PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, by Jane Austen, Adapted by Olive Morley

Upper and Middle Grades; 8 female, 3 male; 18th-century England; 35 minutes.
An adaptation of Jane Austen's classic story of love and respect, choosing wisely, and keeping your eyes open to the possibilities that life offers.

 
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PELLEAS AND MELISANDE by Claude Debussy and adapted by Jesse J. Martin PELLEAS AND MELISANDE by Claude Debussy and adapted by Jesse J. Martin

Upper Grades; 4 male, 2 female, 2 male or female; 40 minutes. Two brothers share an intense love for the same melancholy woman in this classic tragedy based on Debussy's opera.

 
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THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, Adapted by Frances Mapp THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, Adapted by Frances Mapp

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.

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ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare, Adapted for round-table reading by Lewy Olfson ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare, Adapted for round-table reading by Lewy Olfson

Upper Grades; 8 male, 2 female, 2 male or female; 30 minutes. The greatest love story—and tragedy—of all time.

 
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THE PICKWICK PAPERS, By Charles Dickens and adapted by Lewy Olfson THE PICKWICK PAPERS, By Charles Dickens and adapted by Lewy Olfson

Upper Grades; 11 male, 2 female; male and female extras; 25 minutes.
Lighthearted adaptation of a fun scene in which Pickwick finds himself in quite a pickle after his kind words to his widowed landlady, Mrs. Martha Bardell, are totally misinterpreted to be a proposal of marriage.

 
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THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR OF CALCUTTA by Alex and William Goldsmith THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR OF CALCUTTA by Alex and William Goldsmith

Upper Grades; 5 male; early 20th-century; 20 minutes.
A clever and fun mystery featuring the brilliant detective and his sidekick Dr. Watson as they try to solve the mystery of the missing Star of Calcutta diamond.

 
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JANE EYRE, adapted by Lewy Olfson JANE EYRE, adapted by Lewy Olfson

Upper Grades; 2 female, 2 male; 19th-century England; 30 minutes.
An adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's novel of romance and suspense, in which a devastating secret threatens to destroy the happiness of the young heroine.

 
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THE BRAZILIAN CAT, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and adapted for round-table reading by Maurine V. Eleder THE BRAZILIAN CAT, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and adapted for round-table reading by Maurine V. Eleder

Upper Grades; 4 male, 1 female, 2 male or female; 25 minutes. In this tale of terror, a double-dealing relative will do anything to protect his interest in the family fortune.

 
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ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, by Lucy M. Montgomery and adapted by Jamie Turner ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, by Lucy M. Montgomery and adapted by Jamie Turner

Middle grades; 6 female; 3 male; 25 minutes. An adaptation of this favorite warm-hearted, turn-of-the-century story of an orphaned girl who finds a loving home on Prince Edward Island.

 
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JO'S SACRIFICE, from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, adapted by Cheryl Capshaw JO'S SACRIFICE, from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, adapted by Cheryl Capshaw

Upper and Middle Grades; 6 female, 1 male; 20 minutes. A heartwarming holiday tale — of sacrifice, generosity, and giving to others — starring one of this classic novel's most favorite characters.

 
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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, by Oscar Wilde, Adapted by Lewy Olfson THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, by Oscar Wilde, Adapted by Lewy Olfson

Upper and Middle Grades. 5 male, 4 female; 30 minutes. A 19th-century British comedy that finds two charming ladies anxious to marry, but only if the groom is named Ernest. A dry, witty, and charming tale of the upper class.

 
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LOUISE, by Saki and adapted by Tracy Wells LOUISE, by Saki and adapted by Tracy Wells

Upper and Middle Grades; 19 actors: 8 female, 5 male, and 6 male/female. 30 minutes. An oh-so-fun British comedy about a forgetful aunt who thinks she has left her niece somewhere in London during an outing. While retracing her steps, she runs into all kind of situations, discovering at the end that her niece has been home the whole time. Anyone for tea?

 
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AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, by Henrik Ibsen and adapted by Paul T. Nolan AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, by Henrik Ibsen and adapted by Paul T. Nolan

Upper Grades; 10+ actors: 8 male, 2 female, and extras for townspeople; 30 minutes.

A courageous doctor fighting for the environmental health of his community and the safety of visitors faces violent backlash from friends and neighbors who are more interested in making money.

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