A Box of Puppies
by Billy Houck
We can all relate to feeling small in a big world. The characters in A Box of Puppies share their insecurities, their frailties and how they cope.
14
2 M | 2 W | 10 Any Gender
Simple Set
31 pages
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me? Are you kidding, Mom? How about my whole freaking life? How about I have horrible nightmares every night, but the only thing that's scarier than my nightmares is the rest of my life when I'm awake?"
We can all relate to feeling small in a big world. The characters in A Box of Puppies share their insecurities, their frailties and their coping mechanisms with that big bad world.
This collection holds four short plays. Each are fresh, honest, and true. You know each of these characters. Perhaps they mirror your own insecurities and frailties.
Each play can be performed independently, or perform all four together for an outstanding competition piece.
This Book is a Collection of 4 Plays
Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time
A young girl examines the backpack of her life.
Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $9.95
About 10 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
1
1 W
Simple Set
Diatom
Two friends without a car wait and talk. And wait and talk. And wait and talk…
Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $13.95
About 10 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
2
2 Any Gender
Simple Set
Huge Hands
A scrawny teenaged boy envisions the perfect way to fight back.
Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $45.95
About 10 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
10
1 M | 1 W | 8 Any Gender
Simple Set
One Beer Too Many
Skip writes from the heart, but uncovers something no one wants to read.
Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $9.95
About 10 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
1
1 M
Simple Set
Characters
14
2 Men, 2 Women, 10 Any Gender
Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.
Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time:
- Rikki [W]
- A backpack wearing student, burdened in more ways than one. 1 extended monologue
Huge Hands:
-
Sparky
[M]
29 lines
- A small adolescent boy, several monologues
-
Sparky’s Mom
[W]
5 lines
- Considers putting Sparky on Ritalin.
-
Sparky’s Friend, but not really
[A]
9 lines
- They’re on speaking terms.
-
A Random Kid
[A]
2 lines
- Just a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- A Gang of Kids (6) who bully Sparky [A]
- One line, laughter, pointing
Diatom:
-
Dale
[A]
89 lines
- Teenager with a curious mind.
-
Robin
[A]
87 lines
- Teenager. Friend to Dale. More grounded in reality.
One Beer Too Many:
- Skip [M]
- An average kid. Once wrote a play that earned them a world of hurt. 1 extended monologue
- Settings
- Present day
- Dress
- Contemporary costumes
- Audience
- Pre-teen Teen
- Features
- Mime Character study Movement-based Physical comedy Special effects Stage combat Student directors Variable gender breakdown Online Performance
Prop List
Constantly, Incessantly, All The Time
Backpack, bathroom scale, three-ringed binder, notebook, calculator, Rubik’s cube, Red Bull, Twinkie, Huge Math Book, English lit Anthology, mechanical pencils, sharpies, smarties, can of spray paint, broken ipod, dirty PE clothes, sneakers, Green Eggs and Ham, padlock, party hat, toothbrush, tuning fork, sunglasses, towel, sweatshirt, Physics textbook, fluta, sunscreen, gum, second notebook, sandwich, highlighter, sketchpad, comic book, snickers, water bottle, History book, smaller backpack, series of self-help books (10), a sock, wireless phone, several bottles of pills (8)
Huge Hands
A pair of huge hands, backpack, t-shirt
Diatom
Water bottle
h One Beer Too Many
none
Production Photos
Multimedia
Talking with the cast and author.
Related Titles
Purchase Orders accepted from US and Canadian Schools.
Info for your purchasing department.
All others must pay at the time of ordering.
Not sure what you need to order? Check out our pricing and ordering guide.
Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.
Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.
A Box of Puppies
by Billy Houck
14
2 M | 2 W | 10 Any Gender
Simple Set
31 pages