Skip to main content
Dead Men Don't Do Radio Plays by Allison Williams play script cover

Dead Men Don't Carry Handbags

by Allison Williams

Real life and fiction collide as radio show detective Steve Powell finds himself in the middle of a hot handbag case in cold blood. Will his fake detective skills win the day?

Comedy

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 25 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
14 Characters
9 M 5 F
Doubling Possible
Set
Simple set
Production Tips
Read production tips for this play
Source
Part of Dead Men Don't Do Radio Plays, a collection of 2 plays
Free Excerpt

What to order?

Not sure what you need to order? Check out our pricing and ordering guide.

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.

14 Characters

  • 9 Males
  • 5 Females
  • Doubling Possible

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.

  • STEVE POWELL Male 131 lines
    Plays a detective on the air, and sometimes in real life. A heart of gold and a face for radio.
  • BARBARA MITCHELL Female 55 lines
    If looks could kill, you’d have to lock her up.
  • MITCHELL MARKHAM Male 34 lines
    A no-good vagrant. A nobody who just might be a somebody.
  • SERGEANT ANDERSON Male 19 lines
    A hard-nosed cop.
  • Slightly-less-hard-nosed cops
  • OFFICER 1 (PETE) Male 8 lines. lines
  • OFFICER 2 (MICKEY) Male 7 lines
  • SECRETARY Female 13 lines
    A lover of radio.
  • SALLY Female 4 lines
    A young lover from a half-forgotten memory.
  • JUDGE Male 18 lines
    Voice like gravel. Carries a gavel.
  • BLONDE Female 3 lines
    A character in Steve’s Radio Play.
  • ANNOUNCER Male 2 lines. lines
    the dignified voice of San-Sweep. It’s not just a broom, It’s Sani-Sweep!
  • DIRECTOR Male 8 lines
    Sees Steve going in a different direction.
  • PENNY Female 18 lines
    From publicity. Finds some older men appealing.
  • DRUGGIST Male 1 line
    A key witness to the case.
We accept
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Google Pay, and Apple Pay
We accept school purchase orders too. Info for your purchasing department
How can we help? Open chat