A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Stage Fright, Or... 'LAUGH?' I Thought I'd DIE!

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  6w, 16m, 1girl(s)

For almost a century an evil has haunted the Orpheus Theatre, awaiting fulfillment of a chilling prophecy, and a blood-stained Ouija board and cryptic rhyme are the only keys to a terrifying truth. With lots of casting options, simple production requirements, and TWO possible endings (one scary, one funny), this show is destined to become a staple for theatre groups everywhere!

Stage Fright, Or... 'LAUGH?' I Thought I'd DIE!

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 16m, 1girl(s)
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller

Details

Summary
A tale told in four vignettes, the theatre-venue itself becomes a character itself in this alternately terrifying, hilarious and always intriguing journey across the decades that allows the audience to experience the history of a haunted playhouse… from the inside.

For almost a century an evil presence has haunted the Orpheus Theatre, awaiting the fulfillment of a chilling prophecy. A blood-stained Ouija board and a cryptic rhyme are the only keys that will unlock a terrifying truth. As generation after generation encounters the legend of the Orpheus and the dark power that lurks within it, piece after piece of the sinister puzzle falls into place and the dark prophecy draws nearer to fulfillment. Can anyone stop it?

Written with two endings—one scary, one comedic—giving producers and directors complete control over the kind of experience they want to give their audience.

History
Stage Fright, Or... "LAUGH?" I Thought I'd DIE was first presented by S.L.V.S./City of Brampton Theatre Production Office at the Heritage Theatre in Brampton, Ontario, in 2001.
LOTTY V.O., Child Female - the ghost of a little girl heard as a Voice Over.
EVELYN V.O., Female - Heard first as Voice Over. We will meet her in Act 1 Scene 2
SANDRA, Female - 20s to 30s, a stage actress.
VOICE on phone, Male - an evil demonic voice heard as voice-over.
MONSTER, Male - 20s to 40s,  a stage actor.
GERALD, Male - 30s to 40s,  a theatrical director, wiity, affected, arrogant, irritable, condescending.
PHIL, Male - any age 20+, long suffering theatre technician whose voice is heard from off stage.
JIM, Male - late teens to 20s, stage hand
CORWIN HAYGOOD, Male - late 20s to early 30s, slick, rich-voiced radio announcer from the "Golden Age" of radio must have a similar height and build to the ACTOR in Act 2 Scene 1.
PRESTO, Male - 40s to 50s+, a stage and slight-of-hand magician, the "Amazing Kreskin" of his day.
ROGER, Male -  30+, A businessman enjoying a night "on the town".
TOM, Male -  20, A factory manager, somewhat skeptical.
EVELYN, Female - Over 30, A well-to-do, gregarious, bubbly woman, whose light airy humour masks a dark secret.
CIGARETTE GIRL - 20+,  A sexy presenter and assistant on Corwin’s radio broadcast.
CHARLOTTE V.O., (appearance optional) – the ghostly voice of a little girl. (she may appear as well if desired).
P.A., Male – 20+, a flamboyantly effeminate and amusingly bitchy film production assistant whose job is to coordinate the extras on a movie shoot.
IAN, Male – 30+, Production Accountant responsible for keeping production costs on target.
JIMMY, Male - 20+, A theatre technician who is on set to help out and observe.
SET DRESSER, Female - Any age,  cranky, militant anti-smoker
ACTOR Male - 70+ but in great shape, may appear younger – this is CORWIN HAYGOOD as an old man, so height and general physique should be similar.
WRANGLER, Male or Female - Any age
TERRY, Male – 30+, Motion picture director, a nice guy under a lot of pressure.
SCRIPT GIRL, Female – 20+, sweet and sincere, able to cry convincingly
JENNA - Female - 30+, A mature, savvy real estate agent
THOMAS FOX – 60+, The grown son of JIM the stagehand from Act 1, Scene 1. A man on a mission he knows makes him appear crazed.
MARTIN, Male - 30+, Jenna’s male friend
MERLIN BLACK aka "The Juggler", Male - a sleight of hand Magician

Minimum cast size requires only 5 Male and 2 Female with
doubling/trebling. The child role of Charlotte is optional. She need not
appear onstage, her lines can be handled by voice only whether live or
recorded. Cast is expandable up to 24 individual speaking roles.
Additional walk-ons, or extra roles (no lines) can be created by
populating scenes 1, 2, and 3 with stage, radio or movie crew working in
the background. Several of the male roles including (but not limited
to) Ian, the production accountant and the P.A. in Act 2 Sc. 1, could be
gender-flipped easily. While two of the scenes take place in the first
half of the 20th Century in what would be sterotypically
White-predominant scenarios, the Author encourages open-ethnicity
casting wherever possible.

  • Time Period Contemporary, New Millennium/21st Century, 1990s, 1980s, 1960s, 1950s, 1940s/WWII, 1930s
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Audience Participation/Interactive, Special Effects
  • Duration 105 Minutes

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Todd McGinnis

Todd McGinnis is an award-winning professional playwright and actor. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada sometime before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and definitely after the end of World War II. He makes no claims or assertions that he had any significant part in th ...

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