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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Lindsay Price play script cover

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

adapted by Lindsay Price Canadian Author from Washington Irving

Icabod Crane is new to Sleepy Hollow and seems to fit right in. He's taking over the choir, courting the wealthy daughter, and sharing a ghost story or two. But not everyone is happy to see Icabod and not everyone thinks he loves ghost stories as much as he says. What happens when Icabod gets a ghoulish surprise?

This new adaptation of the Washington Irving story is excellent for large groups and suitably spooky for Halloween!

Average Producer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 30 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
12 Characters
5 M 7 F
Plus Ensemble
Productions
Produced by 170+ schools
Licensed by schools and youth theatres around the world
Set
Simple Set.
Length
31 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.

12 Characters

  • 5 Males
  • 7 Females
  • 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.

  • Icabod Crane Male 61 lines
    The new teacher. About to get a nasty lesson of his own. One Monologue.
  • Brom Bones Male 29 lines
    A strapping man, gone a ‘courtin’.
  • Mr. Van Tassel Male 7 lines
    The Van Tassel patriarch. Wecomes Icabod to the area.
  • Peter Male 13 lines
    One of Brom’s flunkies.
  • Dolf Male 9 lines
    The second of Brom’s flunkies. All good flunkies travel in packs of two.

Four Girls

Girls enjoying the day’s festivities.

  • Anke Female 21 lines
  • Maret Female 29 lines
  • Lena: Female 20 lines
  • Britt Female 21 lines
  • Katrina Van Tassel Female 20 lines
    The apple of Icabod’s eye.
  • Mrs. Van Tassel Female 3 lines
    Katrina’s mother.
  • Mrs. Closson Female 8 lines
    Another partygoer who meets Icabod.
  • Chorus of Partygoers
    As many as you need
  • The Headless Horseman
    (A puppet operated by 2-3 performers)

Praise for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

5 out of 5 stars
Jessica Rodriguez-Snellings
Gainesville Middle School for the Arts and Sciences
My students had a fabulous time with this play, and even earned the highest rating at our state theatre competition. The choral commentary on the action of the play makes this adaptation a compelling ensemble piece.

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