DEAR JOURNAL by Judy Culp
Upper grades; few to many actors; 10 minutes to 1 hour.
An exciting collection of monologues, dialogues, and one-liners that can be used as a flexible drama workshop piece, introducing “journaling” to a class or a whole school. Author Judy Culp writes, “This piece is highly adaptable: It may be used as is; users may pick certain selections for presentations; or certain selections maybe combined with new original pieces written by students on timely issues.”
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BEYOND SANTA CLAUS by Virginia Miller McDonough
Upper and Middle Grades; 3 female; 10 minutes; contemporary.
What if you don't celebrate Christmas? This thoughtful play provides a great springboard for classroom discussion about tolerance, accepting and celebrating differences, and respecting all religions, cultures, and points of view.
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SOJOURNER TRUTH by Joanna L. Evans
Upper Grades; 2 female; 1 male or female; 10 minutes.
The fight for suffrage and equality drives a wedge between a spirited young woman and her mother in a story about the work of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Stanton, and Sojourner Truth.
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SHIRLEY CHISHOLM: "UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED" by Mary Satchell
Upper and Middle Grades; 11 female, 7 male, and 20+ males or females; 30 minutes.
Scenes from the inspirational life of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress and an outspoken advocate for the rights of women and minorities.
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QUEEN OF THE PLAYGROUND, by Eric Alter
Middle Grades; 2 female; 15 minutes.
An explanation of Tourette’s Syndrome and the problems of understanding differences as told through the conversation of the new girl at school and the popular “Queen of the Playground.”
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RALPH BUNCHE, MAN OF PEACE by Mary Satchell
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.
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DAVITA'S HANUKKAH by Renee C. Rebman
Middle Grades; 4 male; 7 female; 25 minutes.
Kids who celebrate Christmas gain a new perspective on holiday customs, thanks to the new Jewish girl in town.
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THE PIE THAT CHANGED HISTORY by Maureen Crane Wartski
Middle & Lower Grades; 4 female, 3 male; 20 minutes.
The story (maybe true, maybe not) of a couple who baked their way on to a wagon train to Oregon so they could open a school where Native people and settlers could learn together in peace. Their children settled in Kansas, where they were active in the 1850s Underground Railroad.
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A KWANZAA STORY by Claire Boiko
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!
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THE PICNIC PEACE by Jane Tesh
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.
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RACE TO THE FUTURE, by Janet Carl
Middle and Lower Grades; 5 male, 5 female, plus many extras; mid-1800s; 25 minutes.
A young girl invited to a "Bloomer" picnic—an unheard-of event for women to wear pants!—stands up for her beliefs in women's rights and freedom of expression.
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ONCE UPON A CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS by Kate Falconer
Upper Grades; 3 male, 2 female, 1 male or female; 1870s; 25 minutes.
Join a merry holiday gathering at the Perry Mansion in Southern California, where water rights, the immigration "problem," and other concerns of the day are being discussed. As for the predictions that were foretold by the I Ching and the visiting Archduke, see if you recognize how many of them actually came true!
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KWANZAA HEROES by Virginia A. Artist
Middle Grades; 5 female; 4 male; 25 minutes.
Stacey learns about purpose, ethics, and the rewards of hard work when she writes a report about "lesser known" Black achievers for a Kwanzaa contest. Discussion questions at the end include the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
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FREEDOM RIDERS, by Tom Quinn
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.
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THE ANCESTORS' BOX by Christina Hamlett
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.
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EMILY GEIGER, TEENAGE PATRIOT by Tara Wise Montgomery
Middle Grades. 8 actors: 5 male, 2 female, 1 male/female. 25 minutes. Set during the Revolutionary War, a young woman volunteers to carry the General’s message through Redcoat territory, in a dangerous mission no one could imagine a woman could carry out.
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GINGERBREAD MEN by Michael Kerr
Middle Grades; 5 female; 1 male; 15 minutes.
Trick-or-treaters let their imaginations run wild when they knock on the door of a newcomer to town.
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BORDERLINES by Christina Hamlett
Upper Grades: 8 actors: 5 female,1 male, and 2 male/female; 30 minutes. Heartbreaking portrait of the struggles and hardships of immigrants to America and the harsh realities of a complex immigration system, as seen when an aunt from Central America comes to California for a family wedding.
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ARMADILLO'S CHOICE by Pamela Love
Middle & Lower Grades: 6 actors: male/female; 10 minutes. Animals meet in the desert and learn to respect their differences, without asking each other to change the way they are.
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THE FRIENDSHIP BRACELET by Patricia Clapp
Middle Grades. 5 actors: 3 male, 2 female; 20 minutes. Prelude to Thanksgiving: A Pilgrim family and a Native American connect in friendship, thanks to a young girl’s generosity and spirit of diversity.
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