Plays · Musicals · Books by Cenarth Fox
Scripts that fill a stage in five minutes — or an entire season
Royalty-clear plays for schools, community theatre and festivals — mini plays, one-act and two-act comedies, one-person shows, and Easter drama, staged and loved on every continent.
The Playwright
Cenarth Fox writes for people who actually have to stage the thing
Every script here is built with a director's practical problems in mind — a cast that scales up or down, a set that fits a school hall, and a running time that fits a festival slot. From two-minute mini plays to full two-act comedies, one-person touring shows and short religious dramas for Easter, there's a play here for almost any group and any occasion.
"These mini plays come with ideas to get started, as well as follow-up activities."
Reviewers and companies from Australia to Canada, the UK, the USA and Vietnam have staged these plays to sold-out houses, glowing local press and standing ovations. Scroll down to find the right show for your next production.
Mini Plays
48 Mini Plays
Thousands performed around the world
2–5 Minutes Each · Royalty-Free on Purchase
48 Mini Plays
A mini play is exactly that — short, sharp, and ready to rehearse in about half an hour. String a few together for a full concert, use one as a rehearsal warm-up, or hand a different play to every small group in your class.
- Can be rehearsed and performed in about 30 minutes
- Royalty-free for anyone who purchases the collection
- Need almost no props and inexpensive costumes
- Perfect for school camps, concerts and class lessons
- Comes with starter ideas and follow-up activities
Themes include an auction, a dentist's waiting room, a Santa visit, characters stepping out of a painting, passengers on a cruise ship, a gym workout, an audition, and a gang of bumbling burglars.
One-Act Plays
Short, Sharp & Festival-Ready
Two companion one-act plays, ideal as a double-header for drama competitions.
Dead in the Morning
4M & 4F · 45 min · Drama festival favouriteOn a stormy night in a village pub, a stranger claims he can name the exact date of your death. Two regulars want to know theirs — and one of them is told midnight, tonight. As the storm knocks out the lights, the argument builds to a finish that isn't decided until the very last line.
"Pretty spooky ... 4 stars."Addington Theatre Group
Box-Office Break-In
5 roles (M or F) · 40 min · Ideal festival entryTwo masked intruders storm a rock concert's box office — but they ignore the cash and go straight for the power switchboard. They're not after money, they're the Peaceful Sounds Party, and they want the whole show to go acoustic. A fast, funny double-hander with Dead in the Morning.
"The students really enjoyed the show."Nhill High School
Two-Act Plays
Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Farce
Full-length shows staged everywhere from school halls to professional houses.
Agatha Crispie
8 roles (3–4M/5F) · 100 min · Comedy mystery spoofA spoof on Agatha Christie, set just after WWI. Struggling writer Agatha Crispie scribbles in secret while her snobbish in-laws despair of her "scandalous" hobby — until a body turns up in the library and the village's favourite spinster-sleuth is called in to investigate.
"Sold-out audiences, four nights. They loved it."Powassan Players, Canada
Shakespeare in Saigon
1M/5F · 1 set · 100 minA retired English teacher's carefully planned retirement collapses overnight. Alone in a new suburb, he meets Thanh, a young Vietnamese woman facing her own crisis, and offers to teach her English — Shakespeare's English. A tender relationship builds, until secrets on both sides come to light.
"A fantastic show!"Chris Azure, Ho Chi Minh City
Stars
2M/2F · 1 set · 85 min · World premiere availableHousemates Jack and Jill are visited by ten callers over one evening — each one embodying a different star sign. A romantic comedy that puts astrology on trial, with two performers sharing twelve roles between them. Still waiting for its first-ever production.
"An easy play to promote — be the first to stage this comedy."
Remain Seated
7 roles (3M/4F) · 1 set · 85 min · Murder mysteryDuring a community theatre performance, the scripted "murder" turns into something that looks uncomfortably real. Every actor doubles two contrasting roles, and the audience is asked to remain seated while the twists keep coming, right up to the final line.
"More twists than a country lane."Sunshine Community Theatre Inc
It'll Be All Wrong on the Night
2–3M/4F · 90 min · ComedyA backstage nightmare: a sick actor is replaced mid-show by an unrehearsed stand-in, sound cues misfire, scenery jams, and the theatre appears to catch fire. A loving, chaotic tribute to everything that can go wrong on opening night — and does.
"One of our best shows ... the audience response was amazing."Yass Rep Theatre
Death by Eating
4 performers (M or F) · 1 set · 95 min · SatireA sharp comedy about Big Food, Big Tobacco and Big Pharma, and how eagerly we swallow what they're selling. Four characters chase a quick buck while the audience is left to wonder who really pays when a legal product makes people sick.
"A no-holds-barred parody of the machinations of big business."Roderick Chappell
The Hound of the Basketballs
17 roles, playable by 8 (6M/2F) · No set · 110 min · PantoA madcap panto retelling of Conan Doyle's most famous Sherlock Holmes tale, staged on an almost bare set with lighting doing the heavy lifting. Holmes and Watson race across the moor to catch a killer — with all the "he's behind you!" energy of a great panto.
As Farce As You Can
7 roles (4M/3F) · 1 set · 90 min · FarceOne small lie about a sick day spirals into a farce — a half-dressed neighbour locked out of her flat, a friend dressed as Santa, a wealthy great-aunt disguised as a nun, and a fugitive from the mob, all converging in one afternoon. Built for a set with plenty of doors.
The Corgi Queen
10 roles, playable by 2F/1M · 1 set · 90 min · Biographical comedyThe remarkable life of Queen Elizabeth II, told from below stairs in the Buckingham Palace kitchen, where a Peter Pan-like cook has watched the decades roll by. From wartime truck-driving to a lifelong love of corgis, history gets the comedy treatment.
The Real Sherlock Holmes
2M/1F · 1 set · 85 min · Touring showArthur Conan Doyle, tidying his affairs late in life, is visited by his own creation, Sherlock Holmes, and by his mother — who has 150 of his letters to jog his memory. The true story turns out to be stranger than the fiction. Also available as a CD radio adaptation.
"A well-researched play ... a super night."Curtain Up
Betty's Birthday
6 roles (3M/3F) · 1 set · 95 min · ComedyThree generations gather to celebrate Betty's birthday, and the conversation turns to how — and whether — to talk to kids about sex education. A gentle, funny comedy that lets the audience make up its own mind rather than preaching at them.
"A delightful play, a fun night."Brian Amos
Nursing Holmes
1M/1F · 1 set · 85 min · Two-handerSherlock Holmes is packing up 221B Baker Street for the last time when his long-serving landlady, Mrs Hudson, drops a bombshell: she's writing her memoirs, and she's kept notes on both her famous tenants for years. A witty, warm two-hander for two experienced actors.
"The audience just loved Nursing Holmes."Brian Amos
This Is Your Captain Speaking
10–20 roles (M/F) · 90 min · Promenade dinner-theatreThe audience becomes passengers on a chaotic flight, moving through three sets — airport terminal, customs and cabin — complete with an in-flight meal, a short-sighted pilot, and a mid-air medical emergency. Built for groups who don't normally go to live theatre.
"An absolute smash."Lachlan Arts Council
One-Person Plays
One Performer, One Unforgettable Story
Built for touring — minimal set, maximum performance.
Aunt Georgy
One woman · 80 min · For a brilliant mature actressGeorgina Hogarth spent decades inside the Dickens household as sister-in-law, housekeeper and confidante, co-executing Dickens's will and editing his letters. This one-woman play brings her extraordinary, mostly-unknown story to the stage.
"A complete and utter triumph."The Dickens Fellowship
Saucy Pat
One person · 80 min · Touring show · Double-bill with Aunt GeorgyEveryone knows the Brontë sisters. Few know their father — a blacksmith's son who reinvented himself as the Reverend Patrick Brontë. His wife called him Saucy Pat, and this play shows you exactly why.
"Probably his best work."Kevin Trask
Resting
1 performer (M or F) · 1 set · 80 minFrankie's been a professional actor for decades and the phone has stopped ringing. Between reality TV, crosswords and Shakespeare, Frankie holds out hope for one more part. Can be cast as a man or a woman — even staged as two separate productions on the same bill.
"A stunning tour de force role."John Gunn, Curtain Up
How to Enjoy Your Own Funeral
1 performer (M or F) · 1 set · 80 minGeorge spends his retirement building things in the shed — including his own coffin. Between stories about his fussy wife and eccentric neighbour, he plans every detail of his funeral, right down to rehearsing it. Also available as a radio play on CD.
"Excellent, superb! Very clever play!"
All-Female Play
The Merry Widows
The Merry Widows
All-female cast · Comedy mysteryFour mismatched widows meet weekly for coffee, until a fifth widow arrives with a strange, dramatic story of her own. Friendly rivalry turns competitive, and the audience is left to solve the mystery alongside the cast.
"The final moments were deeply moving."Joan Krutli, Golden Days Radio
Religious Plays
Three Plays for Easter
Three 30-minute plays, ideal for Easter services and worship.
Pilate Error
30 min · Easter dramaPontius Pilate and the High Priest Caiaphas clash with Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the days after the crucifixion and resurrection.
"Added greatly to our Easter worship."St Andrew's Uniting Church
Romeo and Juditha
30 min · Easter dramaA Shakespeare-inspired Easter story: a Roman boy and a Jewish girl fall in love against the backdrop of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, seen through the eyes of five teenagers.
Believing Thomas
30 min · Easter dramaLate in life, the disciple known as "Doubting Thomas" tells his story to a woman who has never heard of Jesus — and reflects on whether questioning one's faith was ever really a fault.
From the Reviews
What Companies Are Saying
"The overall impression was one of delight, and this play should be seen far and wide ... world wide."David Small
"A brilliant cast of readily recognizable characters given a new lease of life."Marie Ryan, Inner FM
"A wonderful, heartwarming, thought-provoking and beautiful production."Encore Theatre Company
"History with humour. We just didn't want it to end."Peridot Theatre Company
Ready to Stage Something?
Order a script or ask a question
Whether it's one mini play for a class warm-up or a full two-act production for your season, get in touch and Cenarth Fox will help you find the right show.