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The Shadow Stories - A Cursed Play by Matthew Webster play script cover

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

At a Glance

Running Time
About 40 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
31 Characters
8 M 8 F 15 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

Because these stories are based on traditional ghost stories from specific cultures, please keep the main ghost characters’ genders as written whenever possible. Directors may cast supporting, ensemble, and already-noted gender-flexible roles at their discretion.

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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