PLAY SCRIPTS ONLINE
Complete texts of one-act plays, short plays, dramatic vignettes, and a puppet play by

Heldor Schäfer
playwright / stage director

On-line versions of the author's play scripts are being made available for reading and study purposes only. All rights reserved. Performances and staged readings of any of these plays require prior written permission from the author.
For amateur performance rates see royalties

SHORT PLAYS & DRAMATIC VIGNETTES

  • A Leak in the Plumbing -- 4-5f, 1-2m. Playing time approx. 20 minutes.
      When the elevator at Beecham Apartments gets stuck between floors - loaded with four elderly residents, a healthcare worker, a flower deliverer and a trades person - and one of the occupants has an "accident," the issue of bladder incontinence comes to the forefront. The "imprisoned" (mis)handle the situation with varying degrees of incompetence and compassion. This play is suited for forum theatre (Theatre of the Oppressed) performance.
  • Shadows on the Beach -- 1f, 1m. Playing time approx. 10 minutes.
      A man tells his companion why he suspects his wife of infidelity with someone she regularly meets on the beach below their cottage at dusk. But who is his companion?  READ THE COMPLETE SCRIPT.

ONE-ACT PLAYS

  • Cassie -- 2f, 1m, 1 male or female. Playing time approx. 45 minutes.
      Cassie, a high school student, becomes infatuated with her history teacher, and her diary is taken as proof of their affair, apparently resulting in his resignation. But soon the surreal undertones in this story beg the question: what is real and how much belongs to Cassie's imagination?  READ THE COMPLETE SCRIPT.
  • The Cuckoo Song -- 2f, 2m. Playing time approx. 55 minutes.
      The war is over. But while Donia, a refugee from an Eastern European country now living in Germany, is waiting for her sailor husband's return home, she is pursued by old memories and must face new demons.
  • Dropping Ballast -- 2f, 1m. Playing time approx. 65 minutes.
      Three characters of three different generations have a chance meeting in a shopping center at lunchtime. In one way or another each has been abandoned by a loved one, yet in a quirky fashion all are able to help each other -- not totally overcoming the feeling of loss, but at least beginning the healing process.  READ THE COMPLETE SCRIPT.
  • You Can't See Africa From Sicily -- 2f, 2m. Playing time approx. 45 minutes.
      Upon his estranged wife's return, a writer dreams of the couple's Mediterranean honeymoon. But soon all-too-real ghosts appear, engage him in a physical and verbal duel, and force him to acknowledge his missed opportunities, wasted time and neglect of his wife.

ONE-ACT CHILDREN'S PLAYS

  • Warm Fuzzies and Cold Pricklies -- 7-16 f/m. Playing time approx. 40 minutes.
      Once upon a time, people across the world had forgotten about the custom of chasing rainbows -- all except one person who knew exactly where the rainbow was hiding. His name was Willie, a greedy little fellow. Didn't have eyes for the beautiful things in life, or so it seemed. Some say it was all the fault of the Cold Pricklies. Most of the time you can't even see these little creatures, but if they touch you it makes you feel cold and creepy all over -- and mean -- but only if you let them. After all, you can always call the Warm Fuzzies for help... READ THE COMPLETE SCRIPT
  • Pipsqueek and the Pumpkin-eating Monster -- 1f, 3m. Playing time approx. 25 minutes.
      Cracatorius, the mean magician, has devised a clever plan to get rid of all the children. He'll turn them into pumpkins! And his pet monster, Gobble, loves eating pumpkins. The first child to fall victim to his wicked scheme is Pipsqueak. But Master Cracatorius hasn't counted on the wit of her best friend, Moppy. With the help of the children in the audience, Moppy devises a plan to thwart the magician, save Pipsqueak and keep Gobble happy at the same time. This play has also been performed as a puppet show.

FULL-LENGTH PLAYS

  • Penance -- 3f, 4m. Playing time approx. 90 minutes.
      On their European vacation, a middle-aged American couple is delayed in a small town on the River Rhine where they meet a young Canadian man returning to his childhood home. Cultural and political differences soon become the catalyst toward helping them face their unresolved past.
  • Rewind -- 1f, 2m. Playing time approx. 90 minutes.
      Tahti is giving birth to a son. As she speculates on the mysteries of life with her friend Croe, a dramatic change occurs: while her son grows up under the shadow of an increasingly sinister and powerful Croe, Tahti becomes younger with each passing year!   Read what the reviewers have said.

ADAPTATIONS

  • Othello by William Shakespeare -- 2f, 3m. Playing time 80 minutes.
      Audiences of this condensed version of Shakespeare's play will notice some unconventional touches. To start with, there are only five actors playing six characters and a chorus (although, without doubling, this play would accommodate nine actors). First performed at the 1999 Victoria Shakespeare Festival.  PLAY SYNOPSIS
  • The Mountain Race from a short story by Jean Speare -- 1f, 1m. Playing time approx. 25 minutes.
      Native tribes from far and wide are converging on the Williams Lake Stampede, and all the men and young women have gone into town to celebrate. Only the very old and the very young stay behind in an encampment at the outskirts of town. As the fires burn low, and young Josh tells his grandmother his dreams of one day becoming a competitor, old Noki relates the story of a fateful horse race that a few years ago claimed Josh's father's life.  READ THE COMPLETE SCRIPT.
  • The Princess Swan from a short story by Jean Speare -- 2m, 5-7 dancers. Playing time approx. 25 minutes.
      A farmer's son makes friends with a Native boy and learns first hand about the ancient legend of a chief's daughter who became a swan, returning every year to a nearby lake on the Chilcotin plateau of central British Columbia.  READ THE COMPLETE SCRIPT.

For general information, performance contracts, and production royalties, please contact the playwright c/o:

CALAMUS PRODUCTIONS
PO Box 8454
706 Yates Street
Victoria, BC
Canada V8W 3S1

Tel./Fax: 250-590-7207
Phone or fax  8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Pacific Time
my@islandnet.com