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Life, Off Book by Scott Giessler play script cover

Life, Off Book

by Scott Giessler

Ophelia and Jeb have a relationship that's like a well-built theatre set. It looks great on the outside, but an empty shell on the inside. Ophelia is a phenomenal dancer and actress who's constantly afraid. Jeb is Ophelia’s mild mannered fake boyfriend who is also a closeted gay man. What happens when they have to tear themselves away from the script and live life off book?

This show has flexible cast with great opportunities for ensemble work, dancers and musicians. Don't have those? It can also be performed minimally.

Drama Character Study Movement-based

Recommended for High Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 35 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
18 Characters
5 M3 F10 Any Gender, Plus ensemble
Set
Simple set
Length
33 pages
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.

18 Characters

5 M, 3 F, 10 Any Gender, Plus ensemble

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.

Ophelia [F] 110 lines
A phenomenal dancer and actress with poor social skills.
Jeb [M] 82 lines
Ophelia’s mild mannered fake boyfriend. Pianist who is a closeted gay man.
Mac [M] 36 lines
Jeb’s significant other who is already out of the closet. Also a pianist.
Jude [M] 34 lines
A teen on forearm crutches who has feelings for Ophelia.
Director [A] 36 lines
A figment of Ophelia’s imagination who helps guide her actions.
Conductor [A] 8 lines
The high school music teacher.
Cyrus [M] 5 lines
A bad actor who defies all acting rules.
Kelly [M] 4 lines
A “rough around the edges” student.
Abby [F] 3 lines
Student in dance class.
Ali [F] 3 lines
Student listening to Jeb play.
Narrators (These are some of the high school students that populate their world.)
JOEY/JOIE [A] 22 lines
Other half of Garrison; intelligent and refined.
Garrison/Gabby [A] 21 lines
Other half of Joie; intelligent and refined.
George/Gwyn [A] 11 lines
The dry-witted narrator, with low tolerance for nonsense.
Emerson/Emily [A] 22 lines
The inner voice of the characters.
Mike/Mikayla [A] 23 lines
The upbeat, on the bright side, mediator between the narrators.
Gavin/Gracie [A] 10 lines
A rambunctious, energetic, young, individual.
Julian/Julia [A] 15 lines
A self-righteous “cool kid” who is clever with his words.
Mark/Marianna [A] 8 lines
An intelligent introvert with a particular interest in astronomy and physics.

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