Playscripts

The eight plays listed below range in length from 30 minutes (Aesop's Fables) to two hours (Dreams From The Pit). Six of them (those from the Fireside Folktales collection, indicated with an asterisk after the title*) are currently available to book as performances at your venue, school, or private event. All eight plays are available to licence for your own theatre company, drama group, or school to perform. Please contact shadowroadproductions@gmx.com with any further questions, or to enquire about booking.

The six plays in the Fireside Folktales collection were all originally written to be performed by a cast of four actors, doubling a large number of roles. Should you wish to have any of them performed by a larger cast, for example for a school production or drama group, you can drop the doubling and include far larger numbers of actors.




All hail Macbeth that shalt be King hereafter…” 

With these portentous words, the three witches seal the fate of not only the Thane of Glamis himself but also all the others whom Macbeth will dispose of on the way to fulfilling their deadly prophecy. 

A condensed version of this widely-studied Shakespeare classic that retells the old story of the 11th Century Scottish King and examines the physical and psychological damage done by political ambition - both to those who seek power for its own sake and to those who get in their way…

This electrifying new adaptation of Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy features a certain amount of original material, but nevertheless remains true to its source, both in tone and content.

Running Time: 1h 35 mins (A shorter 1hr 20 minute version, first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2023 is also available)

You might like to know...
  • This play can be staged either in the open air or indoors. If indoors, it can be performed either in promenade (with the audience following the action from space to space) or end on, with the audience seated.

  • The play includes sword fighting and staged violence.
     
  • Macbeth would be an obvious choice for school groups, many of whom are studying the play as part of the curriculum. It would also be a particularly good choice for Shakespeare-lovers, as an introduction to someone new to Shakespeare, or for anyone looking for some original Halloween entertainment!


If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.” 

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserly loner, destined to spend his afterlife making up for all the mistakes he made on earth – until, that is, a chilling encounter with the spectre of his late business partner, Jacob Marley, sets him on a different path.  Can Marley’s ghost – and those of Christmas Past, Present and Future – transform the unfortunate Scrooge in time, or is it already too late to save him?  See this charming Fireside Folktales adaptation of the classic Christmas tale by Charles Dickens and find out for yourself…

Variously described as ‘intimate’, ‘uplifting’ and ‘deeply moving’, this celebrated production has been a big hit with audiences across London and will return this Christmas.

Running Time: c 1h 30 mins plus interval

You might like to know...
  • This production can be performed in a wide variety of indoor spaces and different configurations - though the most popular is end-on. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

  • A Christmas Carol would be an obvious choice for venues looking for festive entertainment for the visiting public; for Christmas celebrations, whether private or corporate; for Dickens fans, and for school groups, many of whom are studying the novella as part of the curriculum. 

  • Certain of the puppets used at points throughout the play may make it a little frightening for young children.  This is not specifically a 'child's play', although it has been seen and enjoyed by audiences of all ages.


Treasure, treachery, mutiny and mayhem all await young Jim Hawkins, as he leaves the Admiral Benbow inn behind and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous voyage to recover Captain Flint’s hidden gold. Pirates, parrots, and plots abound, and Jim must risk everything to save his friends lives – if he can…

This exciting and emotional new adaptation brings Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic to life in a 50-minute masterpiece, which includes Shadow Road's usual stirring sword fights and riveting stage violence. A timeless tale of adventure, courage, friendship, and the endless lure of the distant horizon...

Running Time: c 50 mins

You might like to know...
  • This play has been adapted specially for the Edinburgh Fringe 2024, where it will premiere in August 2024.

  • The play includes sword fighting and staged violence.

With King Richard the Lionheart absent, corruption and injustice are rife in England.  The country cries out for a champion – and in the heart of the forest, a legend stirs... 

Join Robin and his friends on a daring mission to save Sir Guy of Gisborne’s prisoners from the hangman's noose.

Running Time: 1 h 15 mins

You might like to know...
  • This production can be performed in the open air, in our own 8m Bell Tent, or indoors in a large enough space.

  • The play includes sword fighting and mild staged violence

  • A Tale of Robin Hood: The Rescue would be a particularly suitable choice for weddings, as it features a lovely medieval wedding and reception of its own!  It has also proved popular with fans of action, adventure, and English myths and legends!


There are many versions of the classic Greek myth that explains how the seasons came to be – this is mine!  

Learn how close the goddess Demeter came to destroying the world when her beloved daughter Persephone was stolen away by Hades, the lord of the Underworld – and how Zeus and Hermes searched for a solution that everyone could live with.  Were they successful?  You’ll have to see the show to find out…

Running Time: c 45 mins

You might like to know...
  • This production can be performed in the open air, in our own 8m Bell Tent, or indoors in a large enough space.

  • The play includes sword fighting and mild staged violence.

  • Persephone & the Pomegranate Seeds would be a particularly suitable choice for anyone (school groups or otherwise) interested in Greek myths. It could also work for weddings, as it features a somewhat unusual but moving romance!


Three of Aesop's classic fables – The Ants & The Grasshopper, The Fox & The Stork and The Hare & The Tortoise – have been woven together into this delightful, funny and engaging play for children of all ages.  

Harvest time is nearly here and there’s still so much work for the animals to do to make sure they will last through the winter.  Can they put their disagreements aside and get the job done in time for the festival?

Running Time: c. 30 mins

You might like to know...
  • This production is recommended for ages 4 and up.

  • It is suitable for slightly younger children than The Musicians of Bremen (coming soon), as it does not include any staged fighting.

  • Members of the audience have the opportunity to join in with the Harvest Festival dance at the end of the play.

Taking its title from the work of WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon, Dreams From The Pit follows three soldiers - Razor, Jacko and Sully - as they deploy together to Afghanistan.  Life in Afghan' is tough but for some the return to civilian life is even harder...

Following the success of previous Remembrance productions, I was delighted to premiere the 'authentic, gritty and sometimes very funny' Dreams From The Pit at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, in aid of the Forces mental health charity Combat Stress.

Based on numerous interviews with Veterans, serving members of the Armed Forces and their families, Combat Stress staff and civilian counsellors, the play received some fantastic feedback from the audience (some of which can be read on the Reviews page), both military and civilian alike.

Running Time: c. 2h, including an interval

Cast: This play has been written to be performed by 14 actors. Should you wish to have it performed by a smaller cast, it is possible to double some of the roles.



ROBIN HOOD

With King Richard the Lionheart absent, corruption and injustice are rife in England.  The country cries out for a champion - and in the heart of the forest, a legend stirs...

Written to be performed as an open air, promenade production at the WWT London Wetland Centre in June 2016, this play could easily be adapted to a more traditional staging if preferred.  

In around 80 minutes, the audience is taken on a thrilling adventure through medieval Loxley alongside Robin and his men, the cruel Guy of Gisborne and his minions, and a number of endearing, amusing and, in some cases, fearsome new characters.  From a wedding to a jailbreak, from a woodland fireside to spectacular sword fights, robbery and murder - this original version of Robin Hood has got it all!

Running Time: c.1h 20 mins - full length with no interval.

Cast: This play has been written to be performed by 19 actors, doubling a number of roles. Should you wish to have it performed by a either a smaller cast or a larger one, you can increase the doubling or else drop it altogether and increase the size of the crowd scenes!

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