The catalogues of the following play publishers and licensing organizations include shows that are appropriate for secondary school actors and audiences, as well as other groups. Most publishers handle licensing of rights as well.
Names in bold are Dramatics and Teaching Theatre advertisers. An index of scripts published in Dramatics since September 1978 is available here. If you remember a title or author but don’t know who the publisher is, search an online database of major publishers at www.findaplay.com, a free service offered by Playscripts.com. A useful guide for choosing a contemporary short play is available through the National Council of Teachers of English Assembly on American Literature. The Fall 2000 issue of This Is Just to Say contains an annotated index of short plays published since 1980. English teacher John Warthen included titles, lengths, casting requirements, and thematic summations. The index is available for $5 (or free with a $10 membership in AAL) from Bruce M. Penniman, AAL Newsletter Editor, 50 South Mt. Holyoke Dr., Amherst, MA 01002, or penniman@massed.net. Anchorage Press Plays
Baker’s Plays
Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
Brooklyn Publishers
I. E. Clark
Contemporary Drama Service
Crystal Theatre Publishing
Direct Plays
Drama Source
Dramatic Publishing Company
Dramatists Play Service
Eldridge Publishing
Samuel French, Inc.
Havescripts.com
Heuer Publishing Company
Lazy Bee Scripts
Limelight Scripts
Meriwether Publishing Ltd.
Music Theatre International
Mysteries by Moushey, Inc.
New Plays Incorporated
Pioneer Drama Service, Inc.
Plays Magazine
Playscripts, Inc.
Playstage
Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatre Library
SelectPlays.com
Seltaeb Music Pty. Ltd.
Smith and Kraus
Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.
Theatre Communications Group, Inc.
Theatrefolk
Theatrical Rights Worldwide
USA Plays for Kids
YouthPlays.com Anchorage Press Plays
P.O. Box 2901
Louisville, KY 40201
(502) 583-2288
fax: (502) 583-2281
applays@bellsouth.net
www.applays.com
Anchorage Press is generally regarded as the premiere publisher of plays for young audiences in the United States, representing Suzan Zeder and Aurand Harris, among others. Catalogue includes dramatic versions of folk tales and fables, world classics, and stories of search and growth.
Baker’s Plays
P.O. Box 699222
Quincy, MA 02269
(617) 745-0805
fax: (617) 745-9891
www.bakersplays.com
Baker’s Plays publishes a large collection of plays appropriate for young actors and audiences, in addition to its holiday, religious, and adult offerings. Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
56 East 81st Street
New York, NY 10028
(212) 772-8334
fax: (212) 772-8358
www.broadwayplaypubl.com
Broadway Play Publishing specializes in full-length, contemporary American plays, published individually and in anthologies. Brooklyn Publishers
1841 Cord Street
Odessa, Texas 79762
toll-free: (888) 473-8521
(432) 550-5532
fax: (432) 368-0340
www.brookpub.com
Brooklyn Publishers publishes full-length and one-act plays as well as monologues, skits, duets, children’s plays, radio plays, religious plays, acting books and workbooks, and plays for Halloween and Christmas for young adults and high school and college students. They specialize in contest material that is utilized by forensic groups. I. E. Clark
P.O. Box 246
Schulenburg, TX 78956
(979) 743-3232
fax: (979) 743-4765
ieclark@cvtv.net
www.ieclark.com
I. E. Clark offers many scripts for secondary school production, including one-acts, full-length plays, musicals, and skits. Plays tend to be didactic works or adaptations of well-known fairy tales and fables. Contemporary Drama Service
885 Elkton Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(800) 937-5297
customer service: (719) 594-4422
fax: (888) 594-4436
customerservice@meriwether.com
www.contemporarydrama.com
Specializes in musicals, plays, monologues, and sketches for secondary school, community theatre, and church performances. Crystal Theatre Publishing
12 June Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06850
(203) 847-4850
crystalt@crystaltheatrepublishing.com
www.crystaltheatrepublishing.com
Crystal Theatre Publishing is the publishing arm of Crystal Theatre, a children’s and community theatre group in Norwalk, Connecticut. Creates original plays and musicals for youth and community theatre groups. Direct Plays
NuComm Marketing
80 King Street, 3rd Floor
St. Catharines, ON
Canada L2R 7G1
(877) 305-1569
directplays@nucomm.net
www.directplays.com
Direct Plays is a small online publisher of ten-minute plays, one-person shows, and full-length plays. They offer printed copies of scripts as well as electronic ones. Drama Source
1588 E. 361 N.
St. Anthony, ID 83445
(208) 624-4726
www.dramasource.com
Drama Source specializes in G-rated, family-friendly plays and musicals. Dramatic Publishing Company
311 Washington Street
Woodstock, IL 60098
(800) 448-7469
fax: (800) 334-5302
plays@dramaticpublishing.com
www.dramaticpublishing.com
Dramatic Publishing has an extensive collection of plays for young audiences, including new works recently developed in major professional children’s theatres around the United States. Their catalogue of works for professional, stock, and amateur markets also includes full-length plays, one-acts, translations, adaptations, and musicals. Dramatists Play Service
440 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
(212) 683-8960
fax: (212) 213-1539
postmaster@dramatists.com
www.dramatists.com
Dramatists’ extensive catalogue features full-length plays and musicals, including many contemporary works produced in New York City and by professional regional theatre companies. Eldridge Publishing
P.O. Box 14367
Tallahassee, FL 32317
(800) HI-STAGE (800-447-8243)
fax: (800) 453-5179
info@histage.com
www.histage.com
Search this site for hundreds of plays and musicals geared for community and junior and senior high school productions. Also featured are “freeviews,” downloadable samples of the scripts. Samuel French, Inc.
45 West 25th Street
New York, NY 10010
(212) 206-8990
fax: (212) 206-1429
samuelfrench@earthlink.net
www.samuelfrench.com
French is a major publisher of acting editions of scripts, including full-length plays, one-acts, solo works, musicals, and plays for young audiences. Their catalogue contains many scripts never produced in New York, including light comedies and mysteries. Havescripts.com
inbasket@havescripts.com
www.havescripts.com
Online catalog of new plays sponsored by The Tidewater Dramatists Guild, which is a playwrights cooperative. Scripts for special groups, such as retirees, single gender, and the disabled. Heuer Publishing Company
P.O. Box 248
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406
(800) 950-7529
fax: (319) 364-1771
postmaster@hitplays.com
Specializes in one-act and full-length plays and musicals for school and community theatres. Lazy Bee Scripts
2 Wood Road
Ashurst
Southampton
SO40 7BD
United Kingdom
(011 44) 023-8029-3120
enquiries@lazybeescripts.co.uk
www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/Index.htm
Scripts for full-length and one-acts, sketches, a few musicals, and lots of English pantomimes for schools and children’s theatre groups. Complete scripts can be read on the website. Based in the United Kingdom, but they deliver world-wide. Limelight Scripts
152 Southey Hill
Sheffield
S5 8BN
United Kingdom
(011 42) 017338
info@limelightscripts.co.uk
www.limelightscripts.co.uk
Scripts for British pantomime plays and musicals, plus an online in-depth explanation of the history of pantomime. They also publish new plays, pantomimes, musicals, and one-acts. Based in the United Kingdom, they deliver world-wide. Meriwether Publishing Ltd.
885 Elkton Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(800) 937-5297
customer service: (719) 594-4422
fax: (888) 594-4436
customerservice@meriwether.com
www.meriwetherpublishing.com
Publisher of theatre arts books written by drama educators and professionals, plus DVDs, CDs, and videos for classroom use. Music Theatre International
421 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 541-4684
fax: (212) 397-4684
licensing@mtishows.com
www.mtishows.com
Broadwayjr@mtishows.com
www.broadwayjr.com
MTI’s catalogue features classic and contemporary Broadway musicals. Its holdings include the "Broadway Youth Collection": author-approved packages that are abridged for elementary, middle, and secondary school performance. They also license full productions, revues, and concert versions of musicals and offer various production resources. Mysteries by Moushey, Inc.
P.O. Box 3593
Kent, OH 44240
(330) 678-3893
fax: (330) 434-9376
info@mysteriesbymoushey.com
www.mysteriesbymoushey.com/
Mysteries by Moushey offers interactive mystery scripts and production packages. Plot summaries are available online, and most scripts are considered appropriate for high school audiences, with adaptation by the playwright possible upon request. New Plays Incorporated
P.O. Box 5074
Charlottesville, VA 22905
(804) 979-2777
fax: (804) 984-2230
patwhitton@aol.com
www.newplaysforchildren.com
New Plays is a small but reputable publisher devoted primarily to plays for young audiences. Many are based on familiar fairy tales, but their scripts are generally more innovative and better constructed than other published adaptations of the same source material. Pioneer Drama Service, Inc.
P.O. Box 4267
Englewood, CO 80155
(303) 779-4035 or (800) 333-7262
fax: (303) 779-4315
orders@pioneerdrama.com
www.pioneerdrama.com
Pioneer Drama Service offers new plays, musicals, melodramas, participation plays, and holiday scripts, as well as text and production resources, for school groups and other theatres. Plays Magazine
P.O. Box 600160
Newton, MA 02460
(617) 630-9100 or (800) 630-5755
lpreston@playsmag.com
www.playsmagazine.com
This sixty-four-year-old magazine offers eight to ten plays in each issue. Each issue includes plays for students in every grade level. Current subscribers may use plays royalty-free. The subscription rate is $33 per year (seven issues per year, October through May). Playscripts, Inc.
325 W. 38th Street, Suite 305
New York, NY 10018
(866) 639-7529
questions@playscripts.com
www.playscripts.com
A publisher of new plays, Playscripts includes several former Thespian Playworks finalists in their catalogue. They sell books and performance rights, and offer free online script samples. Playstage
West View
Crewkerne Road
Axminster, Devon
EX13 5SX United Kingdom
phone: (011) 44 01297 32905
mail@schoolplaysandpantos.com
www.schoolplaysandpantos.com
Royalty-free school plays and pantomimes written by drama teachers and children, ranging from modified Shakespeare, traditional stories, mini pantomimes, Christmas and nativity plays, and plays that can be used in both the classroom as a curriculum aid and for performance. Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatre Library
229 West 28th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(800) 400-8160
fax: (212) 268-1245
theatre@rnh.com
www.rnh.com
R&H includes classic Broadway musicals, from the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein to Andrew Lloyd Webber, plus a few other new shows. They also offer fairy-tale musicals for young audiences and revues. SelectPlays.com
P.O. Box 267
Newburyport, MA 01950
jbwelch@selectplays.com
www.selectplays.com
SelectPlays provides plays, musicals, and auxiliary components as well as rights of performance completely online. Specially designed programs allow screen reading without copy access; downloading of reading/production scripts and associated materials is only allowed after credit card, purchase order, or prepayment information is processed. Seltaeb Music Pty. Ltd.
P.O. Box 1078
Miranda
NSW 2228
Sydney, Australia
(011 61) 418 229 241
fax: (011 61) 2 9589 3272
seltaeb@bigpond.com
www.seltaeb.com.au
Australian-based publisher of plays and musicals. Their most popular show is the musical Class of 77, which is ideal for high school productions. Smith and Kraus
4 Lower Mill Road
North Stratford, NH 03590
orders: (800) 895-4331
customer service: (603) 669-7032
catalogue requests: c/o IDS, 300 Bedford Street, Building B, Suite 213, Manchester, NH 03101
fax: (603) 795-4427
smithkraus@propagandize.com
www.smithkraus.com
Smith and Kraus publishes anthologies of plays that premiered at the Seattle Children’s Theatre and in the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, plus other collections for secondary schools. They also have many anthologies of monologues and scenes. They don’t handle licensing, but their books contain contact information for rights. Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.
560 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022
(212) 688-9191
fax: (212) 688-3232
www.tamswitmark.com
Tams-Witmark licenses Broadway musicals, from Gershwin and Porter classics to contemporary hits. Rental often includes choice of orchestration and stage manager’s guide. Theatre Communications Group, Inc.
355 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212) 697-5230
fax: (212) 983-4847
www.tcg.org
TCG publishes scripts appropriate for regional theatres, some in thematic anthologies. Their catalogue includes British and Canadian play publishers, too. TCG doesn’t handle licensing, but books contain contact information for rights. Theatrefolk
2873 Dundas St. W., Suite 302
Toronto, Ontario M6P 1Y9
Canada
(866) 245-9138 or (416) 410-2282
fax: (416) 763-2865
tfolk@theatrefolk.com
www.theatrefolk.com
Theatrefolk offers a broad range of plays and collections specifically written for high school study and performance. A free catalog and sample pages are available on the website. Theatrical Rights Worldwide
1359 Broadway, Suite 914
New York, NY 10018
(866) 378-9758
fax: (212) 643-1322
licensing@theatricalrights.com
www.theatricalrights.com
Licenses productions for musicals from Broadway and Off-Broadway, plus shows from regional theatres and elsewhere. Also provides authorized performance materials for rehearsal and performance. USA Plays for Kids
Drury University
900 North Benton Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802
(417) 873-7430
fax: (417) 873-7250
sasher@lib.drury.edu
usaplays4kids.drury.edu
A literacy and creativity project of Drury University, USA Plays for Kids provides information from playwrights who focus on K-12 scripts. Scripts are not available directly through the service, but descriptions of the plays include publisher name and, in some cases, website link. YouthPlays.com
7125 De Longpre Avenue #209
Los Angeles CA 90046
info@youthplays.com
www.youthplays.com/main.html
A coalition of professional dramatists dedicated to making diverse plays and works available to schools, theatres, and institutions that serve young audiences. Synopses of plays available on website. Back to top of page |