Skip to main content
Patterns and Power: The Female Edison by Lindsay Price play script cover

Patterns and Power: The Female Edison

by Lindsay Price Canadian Author

In the 19th century, the patterns of life were often rigid and unchanging. How did a 12 year old girl, with little education and no experience with mechanical engineering invent a safety part for a power loom? How did she not only get mill management to listen to her idea, but implement it?

That’s exactly what Margaret E. Knight did. She created 89 inventions and was issued over 20 patents over the course of her life.

Based on the true story of this inventor, the play asks the question: how did she break the pattern?

An excellent class project.

Drama
Check out the full-length version of The Female Edison here.

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 30 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
19 Characters
2 F 17 Any Gender
Set
Simple set
Length
37 pages
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.

19 Characters

  • 2 Females
  • 17 Any Gender

Aside from Margaret, directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.

  • MARGARET Female 79 lines
    Inventor. Adult. Worked in factories and many jobs where she used her hands (repairs, furniture upholstery)
  • MATTIE Female 148 lines
    Margaret at 12 years old. Tough. Spirited.

Margaret's Family

  • HANNAH Any gender 41 lines
    Margaret’s mother, factory worker
  • JIM Any gender 42 lines
    Margaret’s brother, Weaving Room #3 Assistant Overseer
  • CHARLIE Any gender 44 lines
    Margaret’s brother, factory worker

Factory Operatives

  • HARRIET Any gender 23 lines
  • MARY Any gender 10 lines
  • SARAH Any gender 17 lines
  • ELIZA Any gender 8 lines
  • LUCY Any gender 13 lines
  • FRANCES Any gender 17 lines
  • GEORGE Any gender 9 lines
  • HENRY Any gender 11 lines
  • SAMUEL Any gender 11 lines

Factory Management

  • BAKER, Jacob Any gender 21 lines
    Weaving Room #2 Overseer
  • GREEN, Daniel Any gender 26 lines
    Foreman of Repairs
  • LIGHTBODY, Eugene Any gender 4 lines
    Superintendent of Weaving
  • STICKNEY, William Any gender 33 lines
    Weaving Room #2 Assistant Overseer
  • PIERCE, James Any gender 3 lines
    Mill Manager #4

More Plays Like Patterns and Power: The Female Edison

Failure and Fortitude: The Female Edison

by Lindsay Price Canadian Author

Failure and fortitude are the touchstones for every inventor, but even more so for 19th century female inventors.

The Female Edison

by Lindsay Price Canadian Author

Margaret E. Knight was a 19th century inventor with two big but forgotten stories.

The House - Competition Length Version

by Lindsay Price Canadian Author

A competition-length cutting of The House. The house doesn’t just hold stories… it hungers to tell them.

Franz Kafka Cancels His Cell Phone Plan

by Kirk Shimano Canadian Author

A modern absurdist play that puts elements from three of Franz Kafka’s works into the context of the everyday absurdities of our 21st century lives.

Same Room, Different Story - One Act Version

by Claire Broome Canadian Author

This powerful vignette play uses one set to explore the vast range of teen experiences that can unfold within the same four walls.

Winnie-the-Pooh

adapted by Lindsay Price Canadian Author from Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

Join Pooh Bear, Piglet, and all their friends in the Hundred Acre wood.

From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre

Ensemble Awareness

No Ensemble Left Behind

Ensembles! It’s not about creating a divide about the leads and the chorus, it’s about a collection of parts that come together as a whole. Each element works in relation to the other. A production...
Featured Plays

Theatrefolk Featured Play: The Female Edison

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. The Female Edison by Lindsay Price is an incredible ensemble piece with something for everyone! Margaret E. Knight was a 19th century inventor with two big...
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