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The Super Non-Heroes by Taryn Temple play script cover

The Super Non-Heroes

by Taryn Temple

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Powerless Charlie sticks out like a sore thumb in a school full of superheroes. Smellinator can’t control her powers and forgot to do her Villain 101 homework. Golden Boy won’t follow protocol. And Toxic Sludge is, well, toxic sludge.

When a supervillain attacks the school Charlie must dig deep within herself. She may not be a superhero but she discovers her unique talents to save the day.

A fabulous middle school play that looks at friendship, acceptance and discovering yourself. Who doesn’t want to be a superhero?

Comedy Character Study Movement-based

Average Producer Rating: 5.0 out of 5

Also available in a competition-length version here.

Recommended for Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 60 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
23 Characters
3 M7 F13 Any Gender
Set
Simple set
Length
50 pages
Production Tips
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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.

23 Characters

3 M, 7 F, 13 Any Gender
PRINCIPAL BOOM / FIREHANDS [A] 11, 12 lines
Has the unenviable job of keeping a school full of superheroes under control, takes on the role of a supervillain to help students practice.
REFLECTOR [F] 70 lines
She can reflect any weapon used against her back onto her enemy.
SMELLINATOR [A] 49 lines
Imagines things into existence using her sense of smell. Unfortunately she doesn’t have much control over her power yet.
TOXIC SLUDGE [A] 39 lines
Big-hearted, simple and slow-moving. No one can touch him because of his nuclear skin.
GOLDEN BOY [M] 102 lines
He has both beauty and strength, plus the ego to match. Strength and charm are his superpowers and he uses them to get ahead with whomever he can.
SIDEKICK [M] 48 lines
He has attached himself to Golden Boy because he believes he can never be anything more than a sidekick.
BIG WHOOP [M] 31 lines
Golden Boy’s buddy, he’s a super bro.
SILVER TONGUE [F] 5 lines
Her powerful compliments are mostly for Golden Boy.
MRS. TEACHER [F] 35 lines
An elderly educator who sometimes unwittingly falls victim to her students’ powers.
CACOPHONY [A] 6 lines
The voice of the school, reads the daily announcements with flair.
THE SHIELD [A] 25 lines
Has the power to protect those around him.
WET BLANKET [A] 26 lines
The pessimist of the group. Always sees the negative side but ultimately has a very useful power.
SNEEZY MAGEE [A] 15 lines
His sneezes could move mountains but they are out of his control.
GUILTY PLEASURE [F] 10 lines
Uses bribery to get what she wants by convincing people to indulge in their guilty pleasures.
CHIEF CHIPMUNK [A] 0 lines
A person with super chipmunk powers; Lines are mimed
EMBER [F] 11 lines
She’s the only superhero hot enough for Golden Boy.
HOT MESS [F] 4 lines
She’s a super hot mess.
THE POET [F] 7 lines
Speaks in rhyme and commands lightning bolts to sizzle her enemies.
SNAGGLETOOTH [A] 17 lines
Blindth hith enemieth by thpitting all over them when he talkth.
HYSTERIA [A] 11 lines
Can cause mass chaos to disorient her enemies but since she hasn’t learned self-control she mostly just causes a ruckus among her fellow students.
CHARLIE [A] 81 lines
The only non-super attender of the superhero school.
THE VILLAIN [A] 31 lines
A non-super villain bent on revenge.
EVIL SIDEKICK [A] 0 lines
Adores The Villain. Her sole goal is to help The Villain take over the world. Lines are mimed.

Praise for The Super Non-Heroes

5 out of 5 stars
Jamie Hutteman
Providence Day School
My group had a great time with this show! I love the tremendous flexibility the playwright allows in terms of gender-flex casting, eliminating characters or adding ensemble characters, taking lines of dialogue and re-assigning them to other characters, etc. I am always looking for large cast shows that feature plenty of speaking roles for my kids and The Super Non-Heroes definitely fills the bill. With a run time of about an hour or less, it is a great length for a middle school play. We brought in a fight choreographer for the battle scene with the Villain, which the students absolutely loved, and we performed the optional cheesy song/dance number at the end of the play that added a new element the audience hadn't seen yet. We all had a great time with this production!
5 out of 5 stars
Andrea Candea-Carroll
HH Poole Middle School
Great characters for an ensemble cast! Every kid thinks their character is the best character in the play (but obviously Toxic Sludge is actually the best character 😂)!
4 out of 5 stars
April Davis
Saint George Seattle
This was a great play for character work and allowed for flexible casting.

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