WHO IS RUFUS? This is my most recent effort (5 M,4 F, (1m, 1 f small parts which can be done be. doubled, ,1m nonspeaking)
This concerns two security organizations, one government and one privately run, at times co-operative but often in conflict. They interact and compete with each other and are often blissfully ignorant of what the other is doing, so frequently obstruct each other. Into this comes an investigative journalist intent on exposing famous people who would rather remain incognito. Also in the mix is an opportunist whose motives are questionable. Both organizations, although sophisticated are also inept. Both organizations are answerable to someone called "Rufus" whose identity is supposed to be secretive, but is there only one Rufus?
THERE"S NO JUSTICE
A very early one, set in a sport's club (6M,4F) A group of "regulars" at a local sport's club receive news that a mutual acquaintance has just been acknowledged in the honours list. All recount their memories of him, mostly unflattering. When the man himself arrives he confronts his accusers in what has become a mock court. Is he in fact an outstanding citizen worthy of the award or an absolute unprincipled bastard.
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A REAL FIRE
Charlie has invited some friends around for a barbecue. This is a regular event, and most people are sick of it. This time there are three new people. A lot of misunderstanding and disagreement leads to fiery exchanges and a review of relationships. (4M 5 F)
A SUNBURNT COUNTRY
The setting is an outback property where visitors are few, but this time there are a lot. Readings of predominantly Australian poetry are central to the action. This was originally written for performance by a church group, so includes related themes. (4M 4f 1 E) Other characters included an English upper-class twit, who is there for no real reason, and an Avon lady peddling her wares in this remote place.
PARSNIP WINE AND PUMPKIN SCONES(6M 8F)
Some of the characters from A Sunburnt Country return. This one features a missing packet which everyone seems to want. A lot of nonsense occurs as a TV program is recorded on the remote property. The potent parsnip wine is responsible for a lot of things while the pumpkin scones are a culinary disaster. There is an option to include songs. A lot of the characters are not who they seem to be
WE DON'T NEED THE OYSTERS (4M,4F)
This was my one attempt at a farce. It is based on the supposed aphrodisiac properties of oysters. A young man and a young woman, the president and secretary of the "Society of Decent Standards" want to have a fling at being a bit daring. They both arrange secret trysts, not realizing it is with each other. Throw in a bridge tournament, a politician of dubious ethics, a plumber doing a house call, and other odd characters with lots of misunderstandings and you have a recipe for mayhem.
LOOKING FOR LUDWIG (5M 7F)
This one is set in a small outback town where very little happens. It all changes when an author visits hoping to use the district as a setting for a novel, and a group of German historical researchers arrive looking for evidence of the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. It's all a bit bewildering for the locals, but the town will never be the same. There are songs included in this.
COME ON LITTLE FISHIES (4,M 4F)
This has been mentioned earlier. The title is a jingle which pervades the script. There are three acts. Henry, the capsicum expert gets caught up with jack and his dysfunctional family and associates, but it seems his involvement may be more than co-incidental. There is, or was a family fortune and everyone seems somewhat unhinged with less than honourable motives.
CYNTHIA (4M.5F,1 M Non speaking).( 8m & 8 f parts in all, some can be doubled)
Cynthia is a girl with not a lot going for her. She meets Cedric, an eccentric, who offers her a job. He is a man who has indulged in all sorts of crazy schemes over the years, wealthy but almost a hermit. On the one occasion on which she goes out she returns to find him gruesomely murdered. Having nowhere else to go she stays with and works for Jack, Cedric's cousin. Jack continuously questions her about Cedric. She tires of this and leaves with no real plans. She meets up with previous acquaintances with many connections to Cedric. There is a lot of money involved. as the story unfolds, her life starts to resemble normality. Eventually part of the mystery is unravelled.
KING PRAWN (6M, 6F 4E and optional chorus. A MUSICAL.
This concerns a king who is tired of it all and wants out. The only potential successors appear hopelessly inadequate. The newly appointed Prime Minister makes no secret of his goal to become the absolute despot. There is chaos at the palace, largely due to the inappropriate behaviour of the queen. The citizens closely follow all the goings on at the palace. There are several musical numbers and although I have written it all, I am still trying to find someone to look at arrangement and orchestration. There are a lot of jokes and running gags both historical and contemporary, as is the case with many of the other scripts. A lot of the jokes and comments relate to the king's name- Prawn.
THE CURSE OF THE ANCIENT MUMMY(3M,4F)
It is dress rehearsal night for the performance of "the Curse of the Ancient Mummy". There are significant problems with the sound equipment, and some of the cast have reservations about the dialogue and one is new, tentative and forgetful. Things really get out of control when one cast member pulls out due to illness. The production secretary and then the director and finally the stage manager fill in for the missing actor. The changes bring more problems as some of the cast have to help out with music, sound and lighting. Somehow, they manage to get through only to be confronted with another disaster.
OUT THE WINDOW(6M,4F)
Arthur breaks into Dianas's apartment not realizing she is home. He hides outside the window on multiple occasions as people come in and out. There is a mysterious book which is supposed to be extremely valuable and there is a lot of confusion about it. Several men come in and out and everyone gets confused as to who is who.
ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE FULL LENGTH SCRIPTS THOSE BELOW ARE SHORTER ONE ACT PLAYS
HISTORY OF MAN (4M,4F,1 E)
This is set in a TV studio where they are recording a documentary on "The History of Man". All the chosen items are present in an idiotic way. In addition, they perform some segments from a soap opera and several advertisements. The whole thing is ridiculous, and a lot of the references are dated.
MURDER NIGHT(2M,3F,2E)
This is an early one written as a "club night" show. It is very specific in time and place, but details in the script could be changed. The mayor of the town has some civic duties to be performed; however multiple threats are made against everyone. The audience is asked to identify the murderer.
THE BODY IN THE RESTAUANT(3M,3E,1M Non speaking)
This play was the winner of a competition rung by the English department at the local university, to commemorate the centenary of Sherlock Holmes. There are references to contemporary events and people. A murder is committed in a restaurant, and the local police call in Hemlock Shomes, who ingeniously solves the crime. Probably a little too specific for general use.
MURDER AT THE BANQUET (3M,3F) with several parts doubled
This is designed to be performed at a convention dinner and has some audience interaction. The cast are all involved with the actual dinner. A murder occurs during the interval, and the guests are asked to nominate the murderer. There are different ending depending on which character is chosen
This concerns two security organizations, one government and one privately run, at times co-operative but often in conflict. They interact and compete with each other and are often blissfully ignorant of what the other is doing, so frequently obstruct each other. Into this comes an investigative journalist intent on exposing famous people who would rather remain incognito. Also in the mix is an opportunist whose motives are questionable. Both organizations, although sophisticated are also inept. Both organizations are answerable to someone called "Rufus" whose identity is supposed to be secretive, but is there only one Rufus?
THERE"S NO JUSTICE
A very early one, set in a sport's club (6M,4F) A group of "regulars" at a local sport's club receive news that a mutual acquaintance has just been acknowledged in the honours list. All recount their memories of him, mostly unflattering. When the man himself arrives he confronts his accusers in what has become a mock court. Is he in fact an outstanding citizen worthy of the award or an absolute unprincipled bastard.
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A REAL FIRE
Charlie has invited some friends around for a barbecue. This is a regular event, and most people are sick of it. This time there are three new people. A lot of misunderstanding and disagreement leads to fiery exchanges and a review of relationships. (4M 5 F)
A SUNBURNT COUNTRY
The setting is an outback property where visitors are few, but this time there are a lot. Readings of predominantly Australian poetry are central to the action. This was originally written for performance by a church group, so includes related themes. (4M 4f 1 E) Other characters included an English upper-class twit, who is there for no real reason, and an Avon lady peddling her wares in this remote place.
PARSNIP WINE AND PUMPKIN SCONES(6M 8F)
Some of the characters from A Sunburnt Country return. This one features a missing packet which everyone seems to want. A lot of nonsense occurs as a TV program is recorded on the remote property. The potent parsnip wine is responsible for a lot of things while the pumpkin scones are a culinary disaster. There is an option to include songs. A lot of the characters are not who they seem to be
WE DON'T NEED THE OYSTERS (4M,4F)
This was my one attempt at a farce. It is based on the supposed aphrodisiac properties of oysters. A young man and a young woman, the president and secretary of the "Society of Decent Standards" want to have a fling at being a bit daring. They both arrange secret trysts, not realizing it is with each other. Throw in a bridge tournament, a politician of dubious ethics, a plumber doing a house call, and other odd characters with lots of misunderstandings and you have a recipe for mayhem.
LOOKING FOR LUDWIG (5M 7F)
This one is set in a small outback town where very little happens. It all changes when an author visits hoping to use the district as a setting for a novel, and a group of German historical researchers arrive looking for evidence of the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. It's all a bit bewildering for the locals, but the town will never be the same. There are songs included in this.
COME ON LITTLE FISHIES (4,M 4F)
This has been mentioned earlier. The title is a jingle which pervades the script. There are three acts. Henry, the capsicum expert gets caught up with jack and his dysfunctional family and associates, but it seems his involvement may be more than co-incidental. There is, or was a family fortune and everyone seems somewhat unhinged with less than honourable motives.
CYNTHIA (4M.5F,1 M Non speaking).( 8m & 8 f parts in all, some can be doubled)
Cynthia is a girl with not a lot going for her. She meets Cedric, an eccentric, who offers her a job. He is a man who has indulged in all sorts of crazy schemes over the years, wealthy but almost a hermit. On the one occasion on which she goes out she returns to find him gruesomely murdered. Having nowhere else to go she stays with and works for Jack, Cedric's cousin. Jack continuously questions her about Cedric. She tires of this and leaves with no real plans. She meets up with previous acquaintances with many connections to Cedric. There is a lot of money involved. as the story unfolds, her life starts to resemble normality. Eventually part of the mystery is unravelled.
KING PRAWN (6M, 6F 4E and optional chorus. A MUSICAL.
This concerns a king who is tired of it all and wants out. The only potential successors appear hopelessly inadequate. The newly appointed Prime Minister makes no secret of his goal to become the absolute despot. There is chaos at the palace, largely due to the inappropriate behaviour of the queen. The citizens closely follow all the goings on at the palace. There are several musical numbers and although I have written it all, I am still trying to find someone to look at arrangement and orchestration. There are a lot of jokes and running gags both historical and contemporary, as is the case with many of the other scripts. A lot of the jokes and comments relate to the king's name- Prawn.
THE CURSE OF THE ANCIENT MUMMY(3M,4F)
It is dress rehearsal night for the performance of "the Curse of the Ancient Mummy". There are significant problems with the sound equipment, and some of the cast have reservations about the dialogue and one is new, tentative and forgetful. Things really get out of control when one cast member pulls out due to illness. The production secretary and then the director and finally the stage manager fill in for the missing actor. The changes bring more problems as some of the cast have to help out with music, sound and lighting. Somehow, they manage to get through only to be confronted with another disaster.
OUT THE WINDOW(6M,4F)
Arthur breaks into Dianas's apartment not realizing she is home. He hides outside the window on multiple occasions as people come in and out. There is a mysterious book which is supposed to be extremely valuable and there is a lot of confusion about it. Several men come in and out and everyone gets confused as to who is who.
ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE FULL LENGTH SCRIPTS THOSE BELOW ARE SHORTER ONE ACT PLAYS
HISTORY OF MAN (4M,4F,1 E)
This is set in a TV studio where they are recording a documentary on "The History of Man". All the chosen items are present in an idiotic way. In addition, they perform some segments from a soap opera and several advertisements. The whole thing is ridiculous, and a lot of the references are dated.
MURDER NIGHT(2M,3F,2E)
This is an early one written as a "club night" show. It is very specific in time and place, but details in the script could be changed. The mayor of the town has some civic duties to be performed; however multiple threats are made against everyone. The audience is asked to identify the murderer.
THE BODY IN THE RESTAUANT(3M,3E,1M Non speaking)
This play was the winner of a competition rung by the English department at the local university, to commemorate the centenary of Sherlock Holmes. There are references to contemporary events and people. A murder is committed in a restaurant, and the local police call in Hemlock Shomes, who ingeniously solves the crime. Probably a little too specific for general use.
MURDER AT THE BANQUET (3M,3F) with several parts doubled
This is designed to be performed at a convention dinner and has some audience interaction. The cast are all involved with the actual dinner. A murder occurs during the interval, and the guests are asked to nominate the murderer. There are different ending depending on which character is chosen