Chemo Girl and Other Plays is an incredible collection of plays that examines the impact of cancer through the eyes of teenagers. Sometime we have to dig deep to find the courage to overcome life’s biggest challenges.

Chemo Girl and Other Plays

Recommended for High Schools

Chemo Girl and Other Plays

by Christian Kiley

A collection of plays that examine the impact of cancer as seen through the eyes of teenagers. Can be performed as a full length or one acts.

 About 90 minutes

Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks


Simple Set


 70 pages

Drama Character Study Experimental Form Issue-Based Movement-based
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I’m losing my hair! I get sick to my stomach. My mouth tastes like metal, I sweat profusely, then I get the chills, I have to be careful not to cut myself, or get a cold, or bump into anything, or breathe in the wrong direction, or exert myself too much. My pee looks like watered-down fruit punch and the only thing I have to look forward to is a vanilla pudding cup and they may be out of those because people are hoarding them and eating them on the toilet at 3 a.m.

A collection of plays that examine the impact of cancer as seen through the eyes of teenagers. Characters deal with the difficulty of saying the word cancer out loud, the difficulty of admitting a friend or family member has the disease, and the difficulty of finding the energy and the attitude needed to fight.

Chemo Girl can be performed as a full night of theatre or as a cutting for competition.

This Book is a Collection of 4 Plays

Chemo Girl
Camille is given a video game system from her mom as a form of recovery therapy for cancer. She prefers reading books. Video game worlds lack realism and she believes they will not help her fight against cancer. However, Camille is pulled into the video game world that mirrors her fight. She meets the Gamemaster and takes on the screen name Chemo Girl.

3 W 13 Any Gender, Doubling Possible, ensemble expandable to 26 or more. Approx. 25 minutes long. Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $38.95

The Other Room
Dad is recovering from cancer and heavy chemotherapy treatments in the other room. It has become a dark corner of the house, especially for Mary, who rarely goes in there. Tommy goes in to watch Cubs games and wonders how the team’s over a century-long World Series drought is helping his Dad. Mom is trying to hold the family together, but it is not an easy challenge for a family dealing with cancer in The Other Room.

4 M 3 W. Approx. 20 minutes long. Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $20.95

Red Rover
A young girl is pulled out of her history class to go to the hospital where she discovers she has cancer. She befriends Lucy (who is chemotherapy personified) and she and Lucy prepare to take the disease.

1 M 3 W 12 Any Gender, Doubling Possible. Approx. 20 minutes long. Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $38.95

Waiting Room
A group of teenagers who all have various types of cancer are waiting to be called into the doctor’s office to receive updates on their progress. At first everyone wants to be by themselves, to stay in their personal bubbles. But as they discover their similarities and appreciate each other for their quirky eccentricities, a bond is created. Their common desire to find out who the mysterious Mr. Fitzpatrick is, after he is called time and time again to go into the office with no response, allows them to express their own feelings about their illnesses.

4 M 7 W 1 Any Gender, Doubling Possible. Approx. 25 minutes long. Rights: $25.00, Script Distribution License: $30.95

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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.

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