Kings and Pawns
- 10 minutes
- 5-6 M; I F
Farce, Bare Stage, Lust
$6.97 – $39.97
Kings and Pawns is a comic 10-minute play based on the story of David and Bathsheba–a contemporary-sounding look at the spoils of love and war.
Play Details
Overview
David knows he has sinned, and the only way to cover it up is for Uriah to sleep with his wife, Bathsheba. David’s simple plan goes awry when it turns out that Uriah has a big ego.
From the Play
DAVID: (To attendant only) I cannot allow her to get stoned, which is sure to happen if Uriah gets wind that the baby she is carrying is…
ATTENDANT: Not kosher.
DAVID: Yeah, not his. Showtime ….
David and attendant enter throne room. David sits on throne. Attendant stands at his side.
ATTENDANT: All hail King David, who has slain tens of thousands of Philistines.
SOLDIERS: All hail!
NATHAN: As an instrument of God’s will.
ATTENDANT: I was getting to that — (Less enthusiastically) as an instrument of God’s will.
SOLDIERS: (Even less enthusiastically) Yeah, yeah, yeah — instrument of God’s will.
ATTENDANT: However, we’re not at war with the Philistines anymore…
DAVID: I think they all know that now. (To soldiers, primarily) Right? Everyone knows to lay off the Philistines….right? Let’s not cast the first stone.
SOLDIERS: (Unenthusiastically) Yes, King David.
ATTENDANT: We’re at war with the Ammonites so give a BIG welcome to today’s hero, Uriah, the …
MEPHIBOSHETH: (Interrupting) There’s no Israelite named Uriah!
ATTENDANT: If you’d let me finish … Uriah, the Hittite.
MEPHIBOSHETH: But aren’t we also fighting them? (Looks at Nathan, who shakes his head “no”)
ATTENDANT: Look, Mephibosheth, if you’d get out a little more, you’d know these things. All you do is sit at the king’s table. Uriah is on our side…
NATHAN: He’s on the side of God.
ATTENDANT: You never let that go, Nathan.
Related products
- $11.00 – $90.00
Hymn to the Chesapeake
- 95 Minutes
- 5 Males, 5 Females, Max/Min 10
Musical Drama, Flexible Casting
An award-winning, full-length play with music filled with the poetry of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Robert P. Arthur weaves fragments of conversations and traditional melodies to portray the love and heartbreak of its watermen and women–the love of the sea, a mother for a child, a man for a woman.
Read More - $9.97 – $69.95
Ten After Ten: Ten 10-Minute Comedies
- 10 - 60 minutes
- 2 M/F - 20+ M/ F Doubling possible
Classroom Use, Farce, Seniors, Collection, Comedy
In Ten After Ten, Jack J. Berry uses unique settings to highlight current problems and issues. These short comedies can be performed as a single evening or used separately as part of a larger presentation to underscore a point. Excellent for classroom, church, or senior facility.
Read More - $9.95 – $80.00
Humans Remain
- 110 Minutes
- 2 Males, 5 Females; 1 African dancer (optional) (small roles are doubled).
Doubling Possible, Drama, Staging Design Potential
A well-meaning “foreigner” attempts to rescue the White Cliff Kinfolk – a mixed-race society isolated from civilization in the hills of New Jersey for over 200 years. Love. Death. History. Magic. Nature. Belief. All of these are played out on the stage. All but one character are mixed race, mainly African-American. One character is specified as African-American. The others are as diverse as desired. Highly theatrical staging possible.
Read More - $11.00 – $80.00
The Canterbury Tales
- 90 Minutes
- 3+ Males, 4+ Females, Max Cast 20+, Min Cast 8
Accessible, Doubling Roles, Flexible Casting, Music Lead Sheets
This full-length comedy play with music brings rapid-fire dialogue to an old classic. With a flexible cast, it is an excellent play for high school performances, college theaters, or community productions. Elvgren has selected the bawdiest and most satirical tales for this version. A sense of Chaucer’s language is maintained but is made accessible to a modern audience.
(Lead sheets available)
Read More