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Norman Maine Publishing
Big Dog/Norman Maine Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 1401
Rapid City, SD 57709

Info@NormanMainePlays.com
FAX: 605-791-0186

 
One-Acts (20-40 mins) One-Acts

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Adapted, Adapted Version of "As You Like It," The1. Adapted, Adapted Version of "As You Like It," The by Emilio Regina
Cast: 6 M, 4 F, 1 flexible, opt. extras
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 33 pgs.
FARCE. When a dimwitted professional wrestler mistakenly ends up at a community theatre instead of a wrestling arena, he is mistaken as an understudy and quickly finds himself on stage performing the... READ MORE | BUY NOW
After the Battle2. After the Battle by Denis Emorine
Cast: 4 flexible, extras
Time: Approximately 20-30 minutes, 21 pgs
DRAMA. After a major battle, only three soldiers survive. To pass the time, one soldier proposes that they play “The Last Survivor Game” in which they all draw straws, and the one with the shortest ... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Anti-Play3. Anti-Play by Forrest Musselman
Cast: 2 M, 7 F, 6 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 mins, 29 pgs.
FARCE/SPOOF. A pompous drama teacher obsessed with winning the state drama competition is forcing his students to perform a cutting from the trendy Broadway play Neck-wuss by Peter Scnauffner. Disgu... READ MORE | BUY NOW
At Church4. At Church by Felix Stripe
Cast: 11 M, 14 F, 6 flexible, opt. extras
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 25 pgs
COMEDY. What do people really think about during church services? In this hilarious comedy, the parishioners of a small church carry out all the conventional acts of a church service but their unfilt... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Baby Who Came to Dinner, The5. Baby Who Came to Dinner, The by Greg Elsasser
Cast: 2 M, 2 F
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 33 pgs.
COMEDY. Gina is afraid to tell her overbearing mother that she is pregnant, married to a teacher, and lives in a dumpy apartment. Gina thinks her secrets are safe until she gets an unexpected call fr... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Banana Nut Split6. Banana Nut Split by Wade Bradford
Cast: 1 M, 1 F, 2 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 24 pgs.
FARCE. As Mona, a restaurant owner, nervously awaits the arrival of a famous food critic, she discovers that all of her waiters have called in sick, and the only employee she has on hand is Lisa, the... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Barber of Seville, The7. Barber of Seville, The by C. Edward Wheaton
Cast: 6 M, 4 F, 2 flexible, opt. extras (With doubling 5 M, 3 F, 2 flexible)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 24 pgs.
COMEDY. Though The Barber of Seville is best known as a comic opera by Gioacchino Rossini (1816), the original play by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1775) is considered one of the greatest E... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Barry Botter and the Half-Eaten Bologna Sandwich8. Barry Botter and the Half-Eaten Bologna Sandwich by Clint Snyder
Cast: 10 M, 9 F, 6 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 30 pgs.
SPOOF. Audiences of all ages will enjoy this hilarious spoof of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. As Barry, a teenage wizard, anxiously waits for the Dark Lord to arrive and eat the other half of h... READ MORE | BUY NOW
BattleField9. BattleField by Richard Krawiec
Cast: 5 M, 2 F
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 24 pgs.
DRAMA. On the surface, Terry’s family appears quite ordinary, but underneath the small talk lies a fierce battle for control. Suffering from schizophrenia, Terry has been committed to a mental hospi... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Be Just! (30-45 minute version)10. Be Just! (30-45 minute version) by Thor Hopper
Cast: 4 flexible, opt. extras
Time: Approximately 30-45 minutes, 34 pgs
HORROR/SATIRE. Adapted from the short story “In the Penal Colony” by Franz Kafka. An esteemed foreigner arrives at a penal colony and is asked to witness an elaborate torture and execution device th... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Beasts of War, The11. Beasts of War, The by Rudyard Kipling
Cast: 12 flexible, extras
Time: Approximately 30 mins, 28 pgs.
CLASSIC. Adapted from The Jungle Book’s “Her Majesty’s Servants” by Rudyard Kipling. At a crowded military camp in northern India, a fearful baggage camel runs through the camp at night, knocking ov... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Birdgirl on Walkabout12. Birdgirl on Walkabout by James Armstrong
Cast: 1 M, 1 F
Time: Approximately 25 minutes, 24 pgs.
Drama. Winner of the Best Play Award, Boston Playwrights' Platform Annual Festival of New Plays. A brother and sister head west on a roadtrip to visit the Grand Canyon when their car breaks down in... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Black and White13. Black and White by Forrest Musselman
Cast: 3 M, 2 F
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 25 pgs.
SPOOF. Chock full of the “latest” catchphrases like “spiffy,” “keen,” “neat-o,” and “gee willikers,” audiences will love this spoof of 1950s TV sitcoms like “Leave It to Beaver” and “Father Knows Bes... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Blind Date, The14. Blind Date, The by Forrest Musselman
Cast: 2 M, 6 F, 5 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 36 pgs.
FARCE. This fast-paced show has a host of off-the-wall characters and endless opportunities to showcase physical humor. Barney Bumblestoop, a shy and awkward copyeditor, nervously arrives at a fancy... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Bottle Demon, The15. Bottle Demon, The by Odin Webster
Cast: 3 M, 1 F, 8 flexible, extras (With doubling: 3 M, 1 F, 4 flexible)
Time: Approximately 45 minutes, 38 pgs.
CLASSIC. Adapted from “The Bottle Imp” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Keawe, a poor sailor, buys a glass bottle with a demon living inside it that will grant its owner any wish. Of course, there is a c... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Box Office16. Box Office by Claudia Haas
Cast: 3 M, 4 F (With doubling: 2 M, 3 F)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 23 pgs
COMEDY. As the new box office manager for a small community theatre, Gayle soon discovers that there’s more drama in the theatre lobby than on stage! Chaos and confusion abound when Gayle encounters... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Bradley, the Last Dizz-Knee Princess17. Bradley, the Last Dizz-Knee Princess by Clint Snyder
Cast: 3 M, 12 F, 12 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 29 pgs.
FARCE/SPOOF. Bradley (her parents unfortunately gave her a boy’s name) dreams of becoming a Dizz-Knee princess and is visited by some of the Dizz-Knee Corporation’s movie princesses. Since the relea... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Breakfast with the Zombiesmiths18. Breakfast with the Zombiesmiths by Steve Lord
Cast: 2 M, 2 F, 3 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 30 pgs.
FARCE. With the help of a slick Realtor, a young couple thinks they have found the perfect home, even though it backs up to a spooky graveyard. But before they can sign on the dotted line, a bumblin... READ MORE | BUY NOW
BULL19. BULL by Clint Snyder
Cast: 2 M, 4 F, 1 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 27 pgs.
FARCE. Apple Award for best new play, University of Maine New Play Festival. In what may be the worst bully play ever written, actors provide “useful” solutions to prevent bullying like spraying the... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Bulletproof Heart, A20. Bulletproof Heart, A by Mark Dietrich Wyss
Cast: 1 M, 2 F, 2 flexible, opt. extras
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 31 pgs.
FARCE: Lois realizes that she and her boyfriend, Clark, are from two different worlds and that he’s not the man she thought he was. He’s Superman, and living with a superhero isn’t all it’s cracked ... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Burgie Belter Breakdown21. Burgie Belter Breakdown by Steve Lord
Cast: 4 M, 3 F (With doubling: 3 M, 3 F)
Time: Approximately 30-40 minutes, 40 pgs.
COMEDY. Everything is going well at The Burgie Belter, a local fast-food restaurant, until Josh arrives for work and notifies his boss, Herb, that he will be quitting his job as a fry cook and moving... READ MORE | BUY NOW
By Zeus!  Olympus' Got Talent22. By Zeus! Olympus' Got Talent by Lavinia Roberts
Cast: 6 M, 13 F, 6 flexible (Doubling possible.)
Time: Approximately 30-45 minutes, 32 pgs
SPOOF. Good evening, satyrs and dryads, nymphs and centaurs. Live from Mount Olympus, home of the gods, welcome to the reality TV show, “Olympus’ Got Talent.” There’s more talent here than a Hydra ... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Case of the Music Guild Murders, The23. Case of the Music Guild Murders, The by John Donald O'Shea
Cast: 2 M, 3 F
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 36 pgs.
FARCE/MURDER-MYSTERY. It’s been a tough year for the River City Music Guild. Two directors have been murdered and now the body of a third director has been found poisoned, stabbed, strangled, and sh... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Cell: A Cautionary Tale24. Cell: A Cautionary Tale by Christian Kiley
Cast: 3 M, 5 F, 27 flexible (With Doubling: 3 M, 4 F, 18 flexible)
Time: Approximately 30 mins, 27 pgs.
FARCE. "Beware the dangers of technology." In this satiric, absurd look at mankind’s attempt to communicate through the ages, follow the history and “evolution” of the telephone. How has Alexander ... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Cheerfully Geeky, Dramatically Bullish, Talentless Talent Show, The25. Cheerfully Geeky, Dramatically Bullish, Talentless Talent Show, The by Lavinia Roberts
Cast: 4 F, 13 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 25 pgs
COMEDY. To raise enough money to paint the kiwi-green gymnasium another color, students have organized a school talent show. The contestants include drama kids acting out the death scenes from every... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Coffee Buzz, The26. Coffee Buzz, The by Christian Kiley
Cast: 1 M, 3 F, 15 flexible, opt. extras (With doubling: 1 M, 3 F, 13 flexible)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 35 pgs
FARCE/SATIRE. When a big city coffee chain arrives bearing free samples of coffee topped with whipped cream and sprinkles, the tranquil citizens of Tepid Town are transformed into crazed coffee drink... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Critics, The27. Critics, The by Heather Lynn
Cast: 1 M, 4 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 25 pgs
COMEDY. Adapted from the play by St. John Greer Ervine. A local newspaper reporter, who usually covers city council but is filling in for the drama critic, arrives on the opening night of a new fore... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Darlin' Hero, The28. Darlin' Hero, The by Charles Kray
Cast: 7 M, 1 F, 2 flexible, extras
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 28 pgs.
FARCE. In a dilapidated funeral home in Dublin, Patrick and Mulligan sit beside the coffin of their dearly departed friend, Jake Kilrain, and drink to Jake’s final journey to the heavenly gates. Pa... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Diaries of Adam and Eve, The29. Diaries of Adam and Eve, The by Clint Snyder
Cast: 2 M, 1 F (With doubling: 1 M, 1 F)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 26 pgs
CLASSIC/SATIRE. Adapted from Mark Twain’s comical short stories “Eve’s Diary” and “Extracts from Adam’s Diary.” In this hilarious retelling of the story of Adam and Eve, the new couple finds that do... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Director, The30. Director, The by Clint Snyder
Cast: 1 M, 3 F, 21 flexible (With doubling: 1 M, 3 F, 11 flexible)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 26 pgs
FARCE. After recent budget cuts, a theater department is forced to combine three plays―A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Streetcar Named Desire, and an experimental freeform body piece―into one production... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Disappearing, A31. Disappearing, A by Mark Dietrich Wyss
Cast: 1 M, 1 F, 1 flexible
Time: Approximately 20-30 minutes, 22 pgs.
FARCE. A Craigslist magician who still lives in his parents’ basement accidentally makes a naughty kid disappear at a children’s birthday party. The magician has no idea where the boy is or how to m... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Don't Cry for Me, Pasadena32. Don't Cry for Me, Pasadena by Michael Vukadinovich
Cast: 2 M, 2 F
Time: Approximately 20-25 minutes, 20 pgs.
COMEDY. A neglected housewife, Irene Pasadena, calls the newspaper and reports that her husband, Jesus, has died just so that people will send her flowers. But the plan goes awry when Thomas, a rook... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Doofus33. Doofus by William Cameron NEW!
Cast: 2 M, 2 F, 1 flexible
Time: Approximately 30-45 minutes, 30 pgs
COMEDY. Winner, Best Play and Best Production, Pittsburg New Works Festival, 2000. Dana has written a play inspired by her relationship with her fiancé, Cliff. At the final dress rehearsal, Cliff w... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Droit Du Seigneur34. Droit Du Seigneur by Charles Kray
Cast: 8 M, 1 F
Time: Approximately 35 minutes, 32 pgs.
FARCE. Ian, a simple Yorkshire country lad, hears of a law, the droit du seigneur, at a local pub. Though it is a medieval law that is no longer enforced, Ian thinks that he must offer up his fiancé... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Expedient Family35. Expedient Family by Ed Vela
Cast: 3 M, 3 F
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 31 pgs.
FARCE. When Dex’s boss, A.J., invites herself over to his house to meet his wife and daughter, Dex has just one small problem—he has no wife or daughter! Afraid he will be fired for lying on his emp... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Extra Ordinary36. Extra Ordinary by Clint Snyder EDITOR’S PICK
Cast: 1 M, 1 F, 21 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 26 pgs.
FARCE. In this play within a play, extras try to convince their director that just because they’re extras doesn’t mean they’re not extra-ordinary. Tree 3 and Rock 2 try to upstage the Prince and Pri... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Fairest in the Land? Eeegh!37. Fairest in the Land? Eeegh! by Kory Howard
Cast: 1 M, 2 F, 1 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 28 pgs
FARCE. Gael and the Princess think they are a perfect match, but the King and Queen won’t allow the couple to marry. On the run from the King’s guard, Gael hides out in the cottage of a lonely, hide... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Fairy Fort38. Fairy Fort by Lavinia Roberts
Cast: 5 M, 6 F, 7 flexible, extras
Time: Approximately 30 mins, 27 pgs.
SPOOF. In this fairytale spoof of the reality TV show “Shark Tank,” fairytale characters present business proposals to judges with the hope of achieving happily ever after. Contestants include an ev... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Foolish Husband, The39. Foolish Husband, The by Stella Chester
Cast: 5 M, 3 F, 1 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 33 pgs.
FARCE. Adapted from the play by Molière. Misunderstandings, mishaps, and misconceptions abound in this madcap play that has more love triangles than characters! Celia and Lelio are in love and wish... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Four and Twenty Wretched Dates40. Four and Twenty Wretched Dates by Christopher Morse NEW!
Cast: 22 M, 20 F, 2 flexible, extras (With doubling: 10 M, 10 F) (Minimum cast: 2 M, 2 F, 1 flexible)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 32 pgs
COMEDY. With deepest apologies, a narrator introduces two dozen “romantic” dates that go dreadfully, horribly, horrendously wrong. There’s a woman who brings a backup date on a blind date, a couple ... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Four Thieves, Three Assassins, One Idol, and a Ruby41. Four Thieves, Three Assassins, One Idol, and a Ruby by Felix Stripe
Cast: 8 flexible
Time: Approximately 20-30 minutes, 23 pgs.
CLASSIC HORROR. Adapted from the play “A Night at an Inn” by Lord Dunsany. In this horror classic, four thieves are hiding out at a remote inn after having stolen a priceless ruby from the eye socke... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Ghost of Jerry Bundler, The42. Ghost of Jerry Bundler, The by Heather Lynn
Cast: 3 M, 4 flexible
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 24 pgs.
CLASSIC HORROR. Adapted from the short story by W.W. Jacobs. As guests at a small country inn pass the evening telling ghost stories, they discover that the inn has its own resident ghost, Jerry Bun... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Ginzberg's Irish Wake43. Ginzberg's Irish Wake by John Donald O'Shea
Cast: 3 M, 2 F
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 17 pgs.
COMEDY WITH MUSIC. Bereaved widow Mary O’Malley hires David Cohen to play Irish music at her husband’s wake, but when David arrives and doesn’t know any Irish songs, Mary refuses to pay him. Enraged... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Half an Hour44. Half an Hour by Heather Lynn
Cast: 4 M, 3 F, 1 flexible
Time: Approximately 20-30 minutes, 22 pgs.
CLASSIC DRAMA. Adapted from the play by J.M. Barrie. Lilian yearns to leave her abusive husband. After Hugh Paton proposes that she sail with him, Lilian realizes this is her chance to escape. Due... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Halloween 2050 A.D.45. Halloween 2050 A.D. by Joel Ensana
Cast: 1 M, 4 F, 1 flexible (With doubling: 1 M, 3 F)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 25 pgs.
SCI FI/HORROR. In this post-apocalyptic world, all the birds have died, foul-smelling foam bubbles up from water adorned with strange jewel-like rocks, and more and more people have to conceal their ... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Happily Ever After's Dating Show46. Happily Ever After's Dating Show by Lavinia Roberts
Cast: 6 M, 10 F, 2 flexible, extras
Time: Approximately 30 mins, 30 pgs.
COMEDY. Welcome to the dating show where contestants find the prince or princess of their dreams and live happily ever after…um, well, maybe? Little Red Riding Hood gets to select from an “impressiv... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Happily Ever After's Top Chef47. Happily Ever After's Top Chef by Lavinia Roberts
Cast: 6 M, 6 F, 4 flexible
Time: Approximately 20-30 minutes, 22 pgs.
FARCE/SPOOF. Greetings elves, witches, dwarves, and magical beasts to this week’s episode of “Happily Ever After’s Top Chef,” where fairytale guests prepare an array of mouthwateringly marvelous mors... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Here, There, or in the Air48. Here, There, or in the Air by Richard Krawiec
Cast: 2 M, 4 F, 1 flexible, optional extras
Time: Approximately 20-25 minutes, 20 pgs.
SATIRE/DRAMA. Three nameless female death-row inmates spend their days writing empty slogans on a blackboard as they await death. Prison personnel hired to help the inmates include an ineffectual pr... READ MORE | BUY NOW
Hope LoveJoy Show, The49. Hope LoveJoy Show, The by Clint Snyder
Cast: 2 M, 4 F, 2 flexible, opt. extras
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 25 pgs.
SPOOF. In this episode of “The Hope LoveJoy Show,” the phony, narcissistic, and self-promoting host, Miss Hope LoveJoy, interviews a series of guests who have all “benefitted” from “reading” her self... READ MORE | BUY NOW
If You Really Loved Me50. If You Really Loved Me by Richard Krawiec
Cast: 1 M, 1 F, 1 flexible, opt. extras
Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 25 pgs.
DRAMA. In this haunting tale of despair, anger, and fear, a teenaged couple finds themselves on the run with their dead baby in the trunk of their car. Bonnie convinces her boyfriend, Duane, to rob ... READ MORE | BUY NOW

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