Radio and ZOOM Scripts
JESSE AND GRACE: A BEST FRIENDS STORY
Co-authored by David L. Harrison, this two-hander version of the award-winning play published by Dramatic Publishing Company is perfect for on-line and radio presentations. One male, one female, of any age. Jesse and Grace are 4th graders who have been Best Friends Forever. Then Grace writes a poem for Jesse’s birthday, classmates start teasing them about being boyfriend and girlfriend, Jesse throws the poem away — and it’s a long journey back to realizing “A best friend is the very best friend of all.” Also suited for stage performance, a la “Love Letters.”
Here’s a link to the recent ZOOM reading by the authors as part of the Dramatists Guild – Philadelphia region’s Footlights series: https://youtu.be/wiD4avfXCAI
For a copy of this script, please email me at sandyasher@gmail.com.
For a copy of the award-winning published script requiring 4 – 5 actors plus extras and/or puppets, see https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/jesse-and-grace-a-best-friends-story.
THE WOLF AND ITS SHADOWS
Developed with and produced by The Open Eye Theater (http://theopeneyetheater.org), THE WOLF AND ITS SHADOWS is based on my one act stage play published by Dramatic Publishing Company. More info at https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/the-wolf-and-its-shadows. This radio version is also now available from Dramatic Publishing. See at https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/the-wolf-and-its-shadows-radio-manuscript.
In the forest at night, Wolf and Dog encounter stories from around the world that contrast the positive and negative wolf images that have long influenced human understanding . Traveling toward Dog’s home, where Wolf intends to seek employment, the two meet a hunter and a shepherd, each of whom spins a tale of the evil wolf’s foolishness and greed. Wolf responds with very different stories of her own. By dawn, she and Dog understand the high price of freedom. With respect for one another, they choose their separate ways.
For copies of the stage plays (full-length and one-act), see Dramatic Publishing Company: https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/the-wolf-and-its-shadows. The radio play is also available from Dramatic Publishing Company at https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/the-wolf-and-its-shadows-radio-manuscript.
Characters (may be played by any gender, although casting the WOLF as female may explode the storybook stereotype more effectively):
FIRST ACTOR — also plays WOLF
SECOND ACTOR — also plays DOG
THIRD ACTOR — also plays HUNTER, SHEPHERD, VOICE of SPIRIT OF THE SKY
WELCOME HOME, BEAR!
A radio version of my in-progress stage play, developed with and produced by The Open Eye Theater. For stage or radio scripts, please email me at sandyasher@gmail.com.
Bear and Mouse are neighbors, but they are not friends. Bear keeps his den neat and tidy, just the way he likes it. Mouse keeps her den filled to the brim with seasonal decorations, just the way she likes it. They have their differences and keep their distance. One day, Bear decides to visit a friend who lives on the other side of the forest and asks Mouse to keep an eye on his den while he’s gone. She agrees to do so, but, to Mouse’s eye, Bear’s den is empty and sadly in need of decoration. One week later, Bear returns to a den so stuffed with Mouse’s additions, there’s no room inside for him! Together, Bear and Mouse restore Bear’s den to its former simplicity, and Mouse realizes that it’s not empty at all. It’s filled with Bear and their new friendship.
CHARACTERS
FIRST STORYTELLER, also plays MOUSE, who loves to collect beautiful things.
SECOND STORYTELLER, also plays BEAR, who is all about tidiness and simplicity.
Note: To distinguish between them in this script, BEAR is male and MOUSE is female, but they may be played as any gender.
FIDELIO
A radio-play-in-progress being developed with The Open Eye Theater, FIDELIO is inspired by the English fairy tale “Cap O’Rushes” (and has elements in common with “King Lear”). For a perusal script, please email me at sandyasher@gmail.com.
To hear me read a 5-minute excerpt from the script, visit my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/1oD3WyHv_iw.
FIDELIO tells the story of a vain king who calls each of his three daughters to his throne room on her 18th birthday and asks how much she loves him. AMELIA, the eldest daughter, declares she loves him as much as he loves power, and BELINDA, the middle daughter loves him as much as he loves wealth. Satisfactory answers, both. Then the youngest daughter, CARAMIA, says that she loves him for himself, just as her dog FIDELIO loves her, and the king flies into a rage. He banishes CARAMIA from the kingdom and is later forced to learn, the hard way, what the love of a loyal heart truly means.
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
KING
ANITA, his eldest daughter
BELINDA, his middle daughter
CARAMIA, his youngest daughter
FIDELIO, a dog, who barks and whines
FIRST CROWD VOICE
SECOND CROWD VOICE
CROWD VOICES, additional voices as needed
THUNDER MOUNTAIN
OLDER JOANNA, the narrator
YOUNGER JOANNA, a teenaged girl, brave and determined
PAPA, loving, but weak with illness
THOMAS, Joanna’s friend, a teenaged boy, braver than he knows
DRAGON, a fierce and caring mother protecting her young
ENSEMBLE, male and female, who play
ADVENTURER 1
ADVENTURER 2
ADVENTURER 3
FRIEND 1
FRIEND 2
FRIEND 3
NOTE: For a cast of three actors, OLDER JOANNA and YOUNGER JOANNA may be played by the same actor. PAPA and THOMAS may be played by one actor. Both of these actors and actor playing DRAGON may speak the ENSEMBLE lines.
TIME: When there were dragons . . .
PLACE: a village in the shadow of a mountain
PLAYING TIME: about 30 minutes
SYNOPSIS: No one in Joanna’s village dares to climb Thunder Mountain, where dragons’ dens are said to contain great treasure and greedy adventurers have disappeared before. But, now, a dragon has stolen the sun, throwing the village into darkness, and Joanna’s father has fallen ill from hunger and cold. When Joanna sets off alone to climb the mountain and face the dragon, she finds unexpected help along the way and a surprising conclusion to her journey.
SANDY ASHER 