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The Shadow Stories - A Cursed Play

The Shadow Stories - A Cursed Play

by Matthew Webster

Not all ghost stories are created equally: Some were never that scary. Some get lost in translation. Some lose their impact over time and fade into obscurity.

But what happens when a story is so timeless - so terrifying - it takes root in your brain and demands to be told?

An ill-fated storyteller is under the control of five very old, very dangerous stories from around the world: The Shadow Stories. The Shadows have a curse and a plan. Now all they need is an audience…

Competition cutting suggestions included in the script.

Drama Classical Adaptation

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Running Time
About 40 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
31 Characters
8 M8 F15 Any Gender
Set
Simple set
Length
45 pages
Free Excerpt
Classroom Study Guide
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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.

31 Characters
8 M, 8 F, 15 Any Gender
Storyteller [A] 82 lines
Cursed to tell these stories against their will
Shadow 1/La Llorona [F] 31 lines
The Weeping Woman – the damned specter of a mother searching for her children
Shadow 2/WWII Soldier [M] 21 lines
The ghost of a dead Hawaiian warrior
Shadow 3/Night Hag [F] 27 lines
The physical embodiment of a deadly nightmare
Shadow 4/Vampire [M] 24 lines
A vampire on the hunt
Shadow 5/Kuchisake Onna [F] 30 lines
A vengeful, disfigured spirit – The Slit Faced Woman
La Llorona
La Llorona/Shadow 1 [F] 1 line
Maria [F] 5 lines
A beautiful young woman
Person 1 [A] 11 lines
A villager
Person 2 [Carlos/Carlita] [A] 10 lines
A villager
Person 3 [A] 13 lines
A villager
Person 4 [A] 9 lines
A villager
Antonio [M] 9 lines
A wealthy man who marries, and abandons, Maria
Esmerelda [F] 0 lines
Antonio’s new love
2 Boys [M] 0 lines
Optionally, puppets
The Night Marchers
WWII Soldier/Shadow 2 [M]
Derrick [M] 16 lines
A newlywed on his honeymoon
Loni [F] 18 lines
A newlywed on her honeymoon
Soldier 1 [A] 0 lines
Ghost soldier of the Night Marchers
Solder 2 [A] 0 lines
Ghost soldier of the Night Marchers
The Terror of the Night Hag
Night Hag/Shadow 3 [F]
Body [A] 19 lines
The body of the sleeper
Mind [A] 21 lines
The mind of the sleeper
Mother [F] 3 lines
Mother of the sleeper
Puppeteer(s) [A] 0 lines
The Vampire of Croglin Grange
Vampire/Shadow 4 [M]
Emma [F] 21 lines
A young woman vacationing in the country with her siblings
George [A] 12 lines
Emma’s brother/sister
Daniel [A] 18 lines
Emma’s brother/sister
The Kuchisake Onna
Kuchisake Onna/Shadow 5 [F]
Jealous Husband [M] 1 line
A jealous man prone to violence
The Other Man [M] 0 lines
Traveler 1 [A] 1 line
An unsuspecting traveller
Traveler 2 [A] 2 lines
An unsuspecting traveller
Traveler 3 [A] lines
An unsuspecting traveller

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