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Dead Highway by Christopher Evans play script cover

Dead Highway

by Christopher Evans

Dead Highway is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the terrifying aftermath of a viral apocalypse. Six teenagers fight for survival against the undead, facing brutal realities and testing the limits of their bonds. Expect intense action, dark humor, and raw emotion in this gripping story of desperation and resilience.

This high-stakes play offers flexible staging and unique opportunities for your makeup and costume team. Dead Highway delivers a visceral and thought-provoking theatrical experience, perfect for captivating audiences with its chilling portrayal of survival against overwhelming odds.

Drama

Average Producer Rating: 5.0 out of 5

Recommended for High Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 30 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
8 Characters
3 M 5 F
plus Several Zombies
Set
Simple set
Length
30 pages
Production Tips
Read production tips for this play
Free Excerpt

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Performance Royalty Fees

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.

8 Characters

  • 3 Males
  • 5 Females
  • plus Several Zombies
  • EBS VOICE Any gender 4 lines
    Offstage radio voice for the Emergency Broadcast Service. Can be played by one of the dead.
  • CURT Male 54 lines
    The athlete and the protector of the group. Very tempermental. You want Curt in your apocalypse group even with his temper.
  • CASEY Female 50 lines
    The play’s “everygirl.” She is smart and pragmatic. She can be funny. She can also be fierce.
  • BONZAI Male 63 lines
    The human embodiment of the slang word “chill.” It’s his car. It’s his half-eaten bag of Doritos. It’s his Pink Floyd cassette tape. Tries to enjoy life as much as he can. Even in the Apocalypse. Gets bear-sprayed in the face.
  • CAITLYN Female 42 lines
    Smart and sarcastic even to the point of being considered mean. Loves to point out the mistakes of the group. Friends with Jennifer.
  • DENISE Female 41 lines
    The book-smart one of the group. Sees herself as an outsider. Seems okay with it. Fascinated by the current apocalypse situation and is learning from it. Not a fan of Caitlyn.
  • JENNIFER Female 30 lines
    The girl with money, great hair, and high end clothing. Named her cellphone. Not quite the level of mean and sarcastic as Caitlyn but very close.
  • MASON HENDRICKS Male 1 line
    Offstage disc jockey. Nice guy. Loves his family. In a situation that he can’t get out of and eventually runs out of time.
  • BRYNN Female 15 lines
    We first meet Brynn as a girl who is quite bloodied on her face and torso. Brynn meets the group outside of town when the group has stopped there to gas up at her family’s gas station. She is mentally and spiritually broken after witnessing a fatal attack on her little sister by the zombies. The blood on Brynn came from embracing her little sister after the attack. She’s not mentally breaking down. That happened a while ago. She’s broken mentally. Right now. The old Brynn is gone and this is what’s left. Her personalities range from childlike to serious to dangerous. She carries bear spray to protect herself from the “monsters.”
  • THE ZOMBIES Any gender 0 lines
    I based these on the slow and very driven zombies from the George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead movies and The Walking Dead TV series. These zombies are no joke. Given an opportunity, they will kill.

Praise for Dead Highway

5 out of 5 stars
Lynne Comartin
Tecumseh Vista Academy
We took our production of Dead Highway to the 2026 NTS Drama Festival Windsor-Essex District Competition, where we received awards for acting, directing, makeup, technical design, ensemble work, outstanding design, and outstanding production, advancing to South Regionals. This show is an incredible opportunity to introduce students to many areas of stagecraft, including stage combat, intimacy work, choreography, lighting and sound design, SFX makeup, physical theatre, and ensemble performance. It’s a strong competition piece with the perfect runtime for festivals.

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