Drama Notebook is excited to partner with the International Thespians to bring you high-quality, published works, approved for Thespys. The International Thespian Excellence Awards, often called “Thespys”, recognize outstanding achievements in school theatre.
The following Drama Notebook plays have been approved for participation in Thespys for 2025-26 and are on the “Green Light List.”
For more information about the Thespys program and International Thespians in general, check out the Educational Theatre Association website.
The Acting Category for Thespys Competition is divided into solo, duo, and ensemble. It’s important to check the rules and regulations for your chapter.
Ensemble Plays
Duo Plays
Ensemble Acting
(3-16 players)
The Wind-up Rookie
25+ characters 15 minutes running time. Flexible casting. A comedy about an epic baseball game, written in verse.
TJ’s Elephant
21 Characters. Approximately 30 minutes running time. Cast size and gender breakdown are flexible. In this original play, the elephant in the room is grief. A perfect way for high schoolers to explore a difficult topic with creativity and heart.
The Crossroads
6-21 characters, flexible casting, approximately 30 minutes. 11 vignettes set at a crossroads in the woods, woven together with wit, wonder, and wisdom. Written by Jennifer Reif. (5 credits)
The Clearing
6-20 characters, flexible casting. Approximately 30 minutes long. 10 vignettes are set in a clearing in the woods and woven together with wit, wonder, and wisdom. Written by Jennifer Reif. (5 credits)
Poisoned in the Garden Script
17 characters, flexible casting. Approximately 45 minutes long. A comical and colorful mystery based on the interactive mystery of the same name. A wealthy old woman is found poisoned in her garden. There are lots of clues and suspects, but only one real murderer.
The Comic Book Play
15 characters, approximately 40 minutes running time. Aspiring comic book writers bring their characters to life in this fun and female-driven play for teens.
Peter Pan in Thirty Minutes
12+ characters, flexible casting. Approximately 30 minutes long. Includes songs from the public domain. Comedy adventure script based on the classic story of Peter Pan.
The Wizard of Oz in 30 Minutes
12+ characters, flexible casting, and approximately 30 minutes long. Abridged play script based on the classic story of The Wizard of Oz. Perfect for children and teens.
Mystery of the Stolen Treasure
12+ characters, flexible casting. Approximately 20 minutes long. A funny mystery play based on the interactive mystery of the same name, created by Jennifer Reif. Also contains monologues for Solo Acting
Alice in Wonderland in 20 Minutes
Flexible casting for 10+ characters. Approximately 20 minutes running time with ideas for adding creative movement. Traditional Alice in Wonderland story, perfect for elementary through high school. Includes suggestions for adding more Lewis Carroll poetry to your production.
Impressions
Flexible casting, 10-36 characters, approximately 30 minutes running time. Perfect for middle and high school. Impressions is a vignette play comprised of several scenes that explore the many meanings of the word “impressions.”
Stopping Here
10-15 characters, flexible casting. Approximately 40 minutes long. A dramatic adaptation of four Robert Frost narrative poems.
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening Script
9 characters, approximately 8 minutes long. A comic re-telling fo the classic poem by Robert Frost. Consider performing this as part of your holiday or winter showcase.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Play Script
7 characters; 5M; 2F; 6 pages in length. Approximately 5-10 minutes running time. A comedic adaptation about aging written by Andy Pavey.
Picture Girl
7 characters. Approximately 30 minutes long. Historical drama based on the true story of a young girl whose drawing spared her family at Ellis Island in 1924.
Dog Barking in the Distance
6 characters, gender flexible, approximately 15 minutes long. Scary and suspenseful play about teens who are lost in the woods. Fun for readers theatre, radio drama, classroom study or live performance.
The Guest
5-10 characters. Approximately 10 minutes long. Fun wintery mystery play for teens.
Canine Connection
4 characters, (3 speaking, 1 non-speaking) Gender flexible. All characters are dogs. Approximately 8 minutes running time. Hilarious play where dogs run a radio call-in show. Perfect for middle and high school.
Yes, Indeed
4 characters, flexible casting, Approximately 10 minutes running time. Four intrepid explorers lead the audience to rediscover the value of imagination. Comedy script perfect for commedia dell’arte, clowning, or physical theatre. Great for teens.
Benchmark
4 characters, all males. Approximately 10 minutes. A funny yet sentimental script about true friendship. Perfect for middle school and high school students.
The Spotted Skink
3+ Characters, Flexible Casting. Approximately 10 minutes running time. Clever and witty script about two young people trying to save their town by claiming they’ve discovered an endangered species. Will they go to any length to convince people?
Oh, Demetrius
3 characters, including 2 black students. Approximately 15 minutes long. This play for middle and high school students explores the idea of integrity. Charmaine has a crush on Demetrius and willingly does his homework for him. In the end, Charmaine takes back her power, and Demetrius owns his mistakes as well. Oh, Demetrius also provides a lesson in cultural history and the importance of knowing the sacrifices made by others for the sake of justice. The end of this play discusses great black people in history.
Themes: Integrity, Honesty.
Battle of What Bridge
3 characters. 3M; 5 pages in length. Approximately 3-5 minutes running time. A Renaissance comedy for teens or adults by playwright, Elizabeth Rapoza.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 30 Minutes
13-30 characters. Flexible casting. 30-40 running time. Short version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Maintains Shakespeare’s text. Great for middle and high school groups.
Macbeth in 30 Minutes
20+ characters. Flexible casting. 30-minute version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Condensed script maintains integrity of Shakespeare’s writing. Perfect for middle and high school groups.
Romeo and Juliet in 30 Minutes
15+ characters. 30-minute version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Flexible casting. Condensed script maintains integrity of Shakespeare’s writing. Perfect for middle and high school groups.
The Tempest in 20 Minutes
10-12 characters. Abridged to a fun and manageable 20 minutes. A shipwreck brings Prospero’s enemies to the very shore they cast him on a year ago. Will he take revenge, or learn the power of forgiveness?
Hamlet in 30 Minutes
8-11 characters. Approximately 30 minutes running time. Flexible casting. Maintains much of Shakespeare’s text. Great for elementary and middle school.
Duo Acting
(2 Players)
The Clearing
Vignette play with 6-20 characters, several scenes with 2. (5 credits)
The Crossroads
Vignette play with 6-21 characters, several scenes with 2. (5 credits)
Cold Case
2 characters, flexible casting. 5 pages. Funny mystery scene for middle and high school students.
The Unfortunate Teller
2 characters. 7 pages. A hilarious scene between a fake fortune teller and a customer.
