The plays of Jonathan Dorf for school age actors and audiences

Need a play to produce at your school?

"Jon Dorf is the voice of this generation's high school student. He has captured the inner and outward struggles that confront today’s youth and brings light to those issues that we deem important but are too afraid to broach. The significance of his work is far beyond that of his writing genius. It speaks to everyone on a personal level and gives a voice to a growing population that has so much to say. His plays have proven vital, not only to the growth of our young actors but also to the development of their young minds. We continue to use Jon’s works here at Choate Rosemary Hall and look forward to his next creation."--Paul Tines, Executive Director of the Paul Mellon Arts Center and Head of the Choate Rosemary Hall Arts Department.


Click on the title of any play listed below to go to a page where you can read a synopsis, excerpt (with cast breakdown and sample pages) and order a perusal copy or performance rights!

CRASH POSITIONS (Comedy: 1M 1F) is a comedy about two passengers who think their airplane is about to crash. Published by Brooklyn Publishers.


LAST RIGHT BEFORE THE VOID (Comedy: 2M 1F) follows Christian, a teenage boy, as he hitchhikes along a highway that seems to disappear into a black hole. Published by YouthPLAYS.


NEWT GINGRICH VISITS A RESIDENTIAL YOUTH FACILITY NOT NEAR OMAHA (Drama: 2M) is about a pair of residents at a home for troubled teens wait for a photo op with Newt Gingrich. Published by Brooklyn Publishers.


In PEPPERONI APOCALYPSE (Dark Comedy: 5 actors, gender flexible), a pizza delivery guy who arrives at the door of a doomsday cult at the exact moment they expect the world to end. Published by Brooklyn Publishers.


SUDDEN DEATH DEBATING LEAGUE (Dark Comedy: 1M, 1F) When a high school debate tournament's sudden death round turns out to be exactly that, losing is no longer an option...


TEN MINUTES (Drama: 1M, 1F) After two of their classmates stage a Columbine-style massacre at their high school, a pair of students hiding in a custodian's closet must decide whether ten minutes of silence means it's safe to come out, or something else entirely... Published by Brooklyn Publishers.


WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GODOT? (Comedy: 3 actors, gender flexible) is the untold story--until now--of why Godot, one of the most famous characters in all of theater, never showed up. Published by Brooklyn Publishers.

  • AFTER MATH (Dramedy: minimum 8-10 actors, no maximum, 30-35 minutes) When a student mysteriously disappears in the middle of math class, through a series of scenes and monologues, those left behind try to find some answers. Did anyone really know who he was? And why is it they've only noticed him now that he's gone? Written specifically for teen actors and ideal for school festivals and competitions. Published by Playscripts.


    DEAR CHUCK     (Dramedy: 10-30+ actors, flexible running time of 35-55 minutes) Through a series of scenes and monologues, the play's eclectic assortment of teen characters, caught between being children and adults, search for their "Chuck," that elusive moment of knowing who you are. Commissioned and developed by the Choate Rosemary Hall Summer Arts Conservatory specifically for teen actors. Published by Eldridge Publishing.


    The "fear dance" in Edwin Parr High School's (Athabasca, AB, Canada) world premiere production. Photo by Karon Friesen.

    4 A.M.(Dramedy: 6-30+ actors, 30-35 minutes) What's it like to be awake when the rest of your world is asleep? Meet an early-morning jogger, a short-wave radio DJ, a modern Romeo and Juliet, and even the monster under the bed--among many others--as they search for connection in the magic hour. Published by Playscripts.


    In FROM SHAKESPEARE WITH LOVE? (Comedy: 2M 2F, expandable to 12+ characters, 35-40 minutes), four of the Bard's characters wait for an overdue flight to London. When Romeo reveals that he plans to revenge himself upon Shakespeare by killing him in a duel, it's up to the others to save Shakespeare by convincing Romeo that Shakespeare does indeed love love. Published by Eldridge Publishing.


    NOW YOU SEE ME     (Dramedy: 3M 5F, expandable to 20+ actors, 30-35 minutes) is a one-act about what causes young people to slip through the cracks and what drives them to violence. Commissioned and developed by the Choate Rosemary Hall Summer Arts Conservatory specifically for teen actors. Published by Brooklyn Publishers.


    PLAY'S END     (Tragicomedy: 2M, 20-25 minutes) is the story of John, a door-to-door gun salesman who helps his young son remember the "something sad" that happened at school. Published by Brooklyn Publishers.


    RUMORS OF POLAR BEARS (Drama: 12-25+ actors, 30-35 minutes) A band of teenagers struggles for survival and to find the little moments of joy in the wake of a global warming disaster. Written specifically for teen actors and idealy for festivals and competition. Laced with humor--kiddie pool required. Published by Playscripts.


    The Springfield Academy of Arts and Academics production of Thank You for Flushing for My Head in the Toilet... (Springfield, OR)


    • THANK YOU FOR FLUSHING MY HEAD IN THE TOILET AND OTHER RARELY USED EXPRESSIONS (Dramedy: minimum of 10-12 actors, no maximum, 30-35 minutes) , a new play about bullying that is already catching on at schools across the United States and Canada. Visit it at its own special website, http://www.thankyouforflushing.com!


    TICKING (Dark Comedy: 3 males, 20-25 minutes) Dark comedy. A gun disappears from the pot on the right rear burner in the Doe family kitchen, replaced by an egg. John Doe, traveling gun salesman, thinks his teenage son Jay has taken it, and he wants it back.


    TWISTING CAROL (Comedy: 20+ roles, 30 minutes) is a one-act slaughter of the Dickens classic. Young Ebenezer Scrooge dancing with a popsicle stick, a ghost named Bob, another ghost who thinks his name is Bob and a Tiny Tim who considers himself short but not tiny. Published by Playscripts.

    In THE WHITE PAGES (Comedy: 2M 2-4F, 25-30 minutes), a customer takes matters into his own hands when he discovers a used bookstore is removing the pages from classic books and replacing them with blank ones. Published by Brooklyn Publishers.


    In YOU'RE NEXT (Drama: 2M, 15-20 minutes) two teenagers struggle with how to defend themselves against a bully. Published by YouthPLAYS.

    MUSICAL!!! Some people wish the high school years would last forever. Others would do anything to get them over with. The full-length musical DAY ONE (30+ roles, 90 minutes) asks, what if they all had a chance to get their way? Published by YouthPLAYS.


    HIGH SCHOOL (non) MUSICAL (Comedy: 6M, 5F plus an ensemble of flexible size and gender, 75-80 minutes). In this parody of Disney's High School Musical, join Toy Boatin, Gaberella, Shitzu, Cryin and the rest of your favorites as the Roswell High bowling team goes for a state championship, students pursue their dreams of performing in the Winter Muse Cycle and surgical decathletes compete in real live surgery. But when Gaberella's singing voice turns out to be so bad it could cause mass casualties, what will win out--following your dreams, or preserving life as we know it? Published by Playscripts, and visit it at its own special website, http://www.highschoolnonmusical.com.


    The students respond to Gaberella's horrific "singing" in High School (non) Musical at Durant High School (Plant City, FL).


    TINY TIM RUNS THE MARATHON     (Comedy: 4M, 8F plus a flexible ensemble of 2-40+ actors) When Tiny Tim throws away his crutches and declares his intention to run the marathon, he could inspire millions--but with big business behind Oliver Twist as their inspirational figure of choice, Tiny Tim may never make it to the starting line... Published by Playscripts.


    WAR OF THE BUTTONS (Drama: 10M 2F, 90-100 minutes) the youth of a town on the brink of ruin battle the students of a local prep school that is gradually buying up their town, all the while protecting one of their own whose parents have abandoned him. Look for a version with more female roles in the future. Published by YouthPLAYS.


    More plays coming soon! Stay tuned and check this space for updates!

     

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