Category Archives: Crime

Who dunnit plays, detective, murder mysteries etc.

funny crime script

KILLERS WITH BENEFITS – FUNNY CRIME SCRIPT (OR – WHO IS ABOUT TO DO IT)

It’s a dark and stormy night, and the young, attractive, married Mandy is all alone at home (except for her security guard and live in maid, of course) sipping a long island iced tea when the announcement comes over the radio. A dangerous convict has escaped and is at large in the area. A moment later, the lights go out and somebody unknown takes her hostage. He’s armed, soaking wet and … well not quite as dangerous looking as you’d expect.

Featuring everything you’d expect from a funny crime script. A body in the bathtub! An escaped convict! A philandering husband! A cheating wife and her lover! A nefarious plot by more than one party to get rid of the other and by the end of the play, utter chaos.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Emerge Productions, Tasmania, Australia – 2022
Diva LasVegas, AZ, USA – 2023
AUT Performing Arts, Auckland, New Zealand – 2023

Read about playwright Tony Broadwick. Other plays by Tony – Death’s no laughing matter.

Author: Tony Broadwick

Genre: Comedy, funny crime script

Type: Short two-act play

Length: Sixty minutes

Cast: Eleven: 4F, 7M

Ages of the actors: Adult

Suitable for: To view – all ages. To perform – adult but could be done by older teens

Set: Living room of an upper-middle class family. Furniture reminds one of IKEA –functional, minimalist, and characterless. Two watercolor paintings on the wall are an ostentatious attempt at emulating “The Water Lilies” – A failed attempt at best. Stage right, an over-sized, frosted glass door, is the main entrance door to the house. Three other doors upstage open into the kitchen, the master bedroom, and a guests’ bathroom. Two big windows, one close to the entry door reveals a fichus hedge in the distance, and the second window between two doors shows a street lamppost and a part of the hedge. Floor-length curtains hang on each side of the windows.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – chaos at the end of the script

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $8.00 for this digital play script. Just Click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Killers with benefits

Copyright © February 2017 Tony Broadwick and Off the Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other crime scripts:

All in the past – period whodunit play
The Mysterious death of Christine Wilde
Why shoot your husband – ten minute drama scripts

Comedies, Crime, One act plays

Who..You..Me..Someone – funny whodunit script

January 19, 2017 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

Who..You..Me..Someone – funny whodunit script

Someone is dead. Stabbed in the back on the living room floor, the blood just missing the priceless Persian rug in this funny whodunit script. But who did it? Could it be Mr Who, called in investigate the murder of Mr Someone, the unfortunate victim found lying in the living room by Mr You the night before? Mr Me, who lives in the cupboard can definitely vouch for Someone’s whereabouts. He was in the cupboard with Mr Me the whole evening. Where? Oh, that’s also the name of the sister of the deceased, Mrs Where. So the investigation begins and continues with the appearance of the extremely suspicious Miss Hymn. So to sum it all up: Someone was killed by the suspect, who could be either Me, You or Hymn. When more bodies start to fall, it falls upon the shoulders of Mr Who to unravel it all.

If you think that’s confusing, imagine the confusion of the characters themselves in this funny whodunit.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

This play has been performed at the Delbarton One Act Festival, USA
Christian Homeschoolers of North Michigan, MI, USA – 2017
Vryberg High School, North West Province, South Africa – 2018
Christian Academy in Japan, Tokyo, Japan – 2018
Yappers theatre co., Victoria, Australia – 2018
Merritt Island High school, FL, USA – 2018
Westville Theatre, KZN, South Africa – 2020
Cuyahoga Falls High School, OH, USA – 2021
Pinnacle High School, AZ, USA – 2021
Pearland High School, TX, USA – 2022
Friends University, KS, USA – 2022
Southern Connecticut state university, CT, USA – 2023
Hanford High School, WA, USA – 2023

Read another bestselling play by Chris – The Game of Life.

Author: Chris Connors

Type: One act play

Genre: Funny whodunit script

Cast: Cast of 5 3M 2F

Ages of the actors: Adult but could be played by any age above 14

Suitable for: All ages

Length: 20-25 minutes

Set: The Living room of a large home. A closet door stands in the corner of the room (upstage right). There is an eloquent, Persian rug neatly covering the stage where the men stand.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – keeping a straight face

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $11.00 for this best selling digital play script. Just click Shakespeare

Contact Off The Wall plays with any queries about Who..You..Me..Someone

Copyright © January 2017 Chris Connors and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other funny and bizarre whodunit scripts:

Murder in the Asylum – absurd whodunit script
Murder and Other Fun things – off the wall whodunit
Ralph – a monty python film noir type whodunit
Mascot Masquerade – a costume party whodunit comedy

Comedies, Crime, One act plays

Murder in the asylum – absurd whodunit script

October 13, 2016 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

absurd whodunit script

MURDER IN THE ASYLUM – ABSURD WHODUNIT SCRIPT

It’s another day at Saint Woden’s Asylum. Another day and another mysterious murder has occurred in this absurd whodunit script. The patients at the asylum are dying like flies and nobody has a clue as to who’s knocking them off. In fact, it’s driving Doctor Mario von Woden a little round the twist himself. Let me rephrase that – he’s just very, very, very stressed. He’s most stressed that even the simple task of dictating a memo for the police is a struggle. When a policeman arrives at the asylum and starts interviewing patients and staff, who then die in a number of weird and wonderful ways, Doctor von Woden’s suspicions are aroused….

The original version of Murder in the Asylum was presented Off-off Broadway in New York City at Stagelights II in
1971, with Ray Hagen, Penny Pettis, Fran Berzanski and Saul Fredricks and directed by Jim Carroll.

FURTHER PRODUCTION HISTORY

Spotlight Drama Group, Galashiels, United Kingdom – 2019

Read about playwright James Campbell. Other plays (Jumping the league – comedy about a priest who doesn’t want to be) by James.

Author: James Campbell

Type: One act play

Genre: Absurd whodunit script

Cast: 3M, 2F

Ages of the actors: Adult

Suitable for: All ages

Length: Twenty minutes

Set: The office of MARIO VAN WODEN, MD, Phd, Saint Woden’s Asylum. The office is furnished with baby furniture. A little white table and a little white chair and little red telephone on the little white table. The room is white, with two revolving doors, SL and SR.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – being serious in the face of absurdity

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $9.00 for this previously produced digital script. Just click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Murder in the Asylum

Like this play? Other absurd and dark comedies:

Murder and other fun things – off the wall whodunit
Ralph – film noir Whodunit
Mascot Masquerade – whodunit at a costume party

Comedies, Crime, Plays in 2 acts

Mascot Masquerade – a whodunit comedy play

July 23, 2016 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

whodunit comedy play

MASCOT MASQUERADE – A WHODUNIT COMEDY PLAY

In this whodunit comedy play, five theme park mascots arrive, (in costume, of course), as the guests of honor at a special dinner party hosted by an eccentric billionaire and his proud but temperamental butler. In order to share in the million dollar prize for attending this party, the theme party mascots must confess to their child-cruelty sins and beg forgiveness. However that becomes a moot point right after they “accidentally” kill their eccentric billionaire host. In Mascot Masquerade, a unique comedic whodunit by Mark aloysius Kenneally, secrets are revealed but complications arise and things immediately go from bad to terribly worse. Just because they’re mascots, doesn’t mean they’re always nice. Is there a motive underneath one of those masks?

This play is an homage and a tribute, not only to the wonderful murder mystery plays of Agatha Christie and other writers of that ilk, but to other classic spoofs on the genre, e.g. the movies Murder by Death and Clue. It should be staged with that in mind.

MASCOT MASQUERADE got an Honorable Mention in the McLaren Memorial Comedy Play Writing Competition in 2015.

Read about playwright Mark Kenneally. Other comedies (Moose tracks – a dark comedy about family and murder) by Mark.

Author: Mark aloysius Kenneally

Genre: Whodunit comedy play

Length: Two – two and a half hours

Cast: Cast of seven: 4M 3F

Ages of the actors: Adult – one of the characters is an elderly man.

Suitable for: All ages

Set: This play was written with stage directions that indicate a two level set with an upstairs, downstairs and spiral staircase, however, these are not an integral part of the story and therefore a single level set can be used. The only real things necessary for this play are lots of doors for entrances and exits offstage.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – achieving the feel of the murder mystery genre yet conveying the comedy overlying it

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $6.50 for this digital play script. Just Click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Mascot Masquerade

Copyright © July 2016 Mark Kenneally and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other whodunits for you to enjoy:

Murder and Other Fun Things – whodunit play script
Guilty party – whodunit three act farce
All in the past – a murder mystery set in 1930’s Shanghai

Comedies, Crime, Plays in 2 acts

Human Rat Lab – Hit Comedy Script about an Unconventional Private Eye

February 28, 2016 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

HUMAN RAT LAB – HIT COMEDY SCRIPT ABOUT AN UNCONVENTIONAL PRIVATE EYE

Extorting big business? Yes! Writing ‘them’ a damning blackmail letter? Of course!
Demanding hundreds of thousands from this ‘seedy’ corporation? Naturally, it should be easy. But that is not the case when Valerie Ann Bennett, head of said company, hires a
private detective to find the culprit before he brings her pharmaceutical empire down to its knees. Unconventional, unconvincing, and un- everything really, Charles Picket would not be
Ms. Bennett’s first choice for a P.I. were it not for the discretion he organically provides.
Throw in his cleaner, and a struggling stuttering actor as his associates and this case looks like it could very well implode in Ms. Bennett’s face. In fact it does indeed implode. But not
in a way she ever suspected in this hilarious hit comedy script.

Human Rat Lab has had a successful run and received rave reviews in France. This is a burlesque comedy in the lines of Lucille Ball and Jerry Lewis in their best days.

“You have a staggeringly good ear for dialogue. The words fairly crack along. And you have a good eye/mind for the “memorable scene” – I mean things like the marvellous Spanish nurse scene, and the crazy Viagra fuelled scene.” – Robert Jarman, Co-founder and director of Hobart’s highly successful Blue Cow Theatre and recipiendary of the Federation Medal for his services to Performing Arts in 2002.

FURTHER PRODUCTION HISTORY

Playmasters Theatre-workshop, PA, USA – 2018

Read about author Bruno Lacroix. Other comedies (Lofty Larceny – a two act comedic farce) by Bruno. Bruno Lacroix is a member of the playwright’s guild of Canada.

HUMAN RAT LAB – HILARIOUS COMEDY SCRIPTS

Author: Bruno Lacroix

Type: Two-act comedy

Genre: Hilarious hit comedy script

Cast: 2M 2F

Ages of the actors: Adult actors

Suitable for: Suitable for all ages

Length: 90 minutes long

Set: A private detective’s office. On the garden side (stage left), there is a door that opens into a kitchenette. The main entrance is in the middle. On the hallway side (stage right), there is a window, and a bathroom door.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – character driven script

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $9.00 for this previously produced play with a successful run. Just Click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Human Rat Lab

Copyright © 2014 Bruno Lacroix

Like this play? Other crime scripts for you to enjoy:

Ralph – a one act funny whodunit
The Investigation – award winning drama whodunit
The mysterious death of Christine Wilde

Comedies, Crime, Plays in three acts

Murder and other fun things – off the wall whodunit play script

February 21, 2016 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

funny whodunit play script

MURDER AND OTHER FUN THINGS – OFF THE WALL WHODUNIT PLAY SCRIPT

Murder is the mischief in this grand tale, when a burglar wanders into the Von Cash household but does not make it out alive (lucky for him if you ask me). The butler, the chef, the gardener, the maid,
the clairvoyant and even the madam of the house, Ms. Chattel Von Cash herself (an outrage if you ask her, darling), are all suspects when Detective Schenectady takes it upon himself (poor
unsuspecting sod) to investigate the case.

Old money meets new money madness as the detective discovers this will not be a routine examination of the events of this one day. From the body popping up in different locations within the house itself, to the chef insisting upon using it as his next main ingredient, Schenectady has to defy the amazing obstacles set before him by the extreme
personalities who run the Von Cash mansion. When the culprit is exposed, all hell not so muchbreaks loose, as explodes into something Von Cash would dread to see on her carpet, darling.

Truth will out! But don’t expect to love the consequences, darling.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Badhuis Theater, Almere, Netherlands – 2023

Author: Geoffrey Stoddard

Genre: Off The Wall Whodunit play script, comedy

Type: Three act play

Cast: 4M 3F

Ages of the actors: Adult

Suitable for: All ages

Length: 3 hours

Set: Changes with the acts.

Act one: A living room. Center stage sits a couch with a coffee table before it. Right center is a small round table with two chairs on either side of it. Up right is a tall bar.

Act two: Operating Room. A table sits in the middle of the room horizontally with a body upon it, face up, the head on the right end.

Act three: Living room

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – the length of the play.

Read a Sample of the Script

A shorter script is available on request.

Cost is $6.50 for this new digital script. Just Click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Murder and other fun things

Copyright February 2016 Geoffrey Stoddard and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other whodunits that we stock:

Parlor city noir – classic gritty whodunit
All in the past – murder mystery play set in 1930’s Shanghai
Why shoot your husband? A woman suspected of murder has to prove she hasn’t done it, but there is a twist…

Action, Crime, Screenplays

Straight to the top – Screenplay set in the Prohibition

September 30, 2015 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

Screenplay set in the prohibition

STRAIGHT TO THE TOP – SCREENPLAY SET IN THE PROHIBITION

It’s Chicago in the 1930’s during the prohibition. The time when the big gangs ruled the streets and to get anywhere, you had to have connections. Hazel is a dancer at the Queen of Sheba Nightclub. She’s recently been dumped by a gangster, Charlie and has fallen on hard times. She is rescued by a rich shipping magnate, Ray who installs her as his home as his mistress. She finds a friend in the magnate’s chauffeur, Wes. Unfortunately a jealous Ray begins to abuse Hazel because of Wes. When she meets and takes up with the Charlie the gangster again the abuse becomes worse. Together Hazel, Charlie and Wes devise an elaborate plan to frame Ray for drug smuggling.

However, a bad seed doesn’t become good again and Hazel is about to learn that trusting Charlie the gangster again can only lead down one road…

Other screenplays (Iron Willed – world war 2 movie script) by Lauren Ennis.

Author: Lauren Ennis

Type: Screenplay set in the prohibition

Genre: 1930’s gangster movie script

Length: Screenplay Two hours long

Cast: Cast of 3M 1F

Ages of the actors: Adult – young to middle aged

Suitable for: PG – violence

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – getting the gritty feel correct

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $30 for the digital screenplay

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Straight to the Top

Copyright September 2015 Lauren Ennis and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this screenplay? Our other screenplays we stock:

The Rocking Horse Christmas – children’s movie script
Once a pirate – action packed period screenplay
A fighting chance – a British soldier finds himself caught up in the Spanish Civil War

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Crime, Dramas, One act plays, Plays in three acts

Why shoot your husband? – ten minute drama scripts

April 23, 2015 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

ten minute drama scripts

WHY SHOOT YOUR HUSBAND? – TEN MINUTE DRAMA SCRIPTS

In this ten minute surreal drama, which is divided into six acts or scenes, Marjorie Phillips is seemingly being interrogated for shooting her husband. We know that she writes plays, and that on the night in question she was submitting her taxes. We also know that he husband was shot through the windscreen of his car and there was a bullet hole in the kitchen window. But did she do it, or are things not what they seem to be…

Other plays by author James Kent. More about playwright James Kent.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Drama Tech Theatre (Part of Georgia Institute of Technology), GA, USA – 2020

Author: James Kent

Genre: Ten minute drama scripts

Type: Surreal drama, six act play in ten minutes

Cast: 1M 1F

Ages of the actors: All adult

Suitable for: All ages

Length: Ten minutes

Set: Variable – six quick scene changes from an area where someone is being interrogated to a black stage to a bedroom.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – surreal play that starts out as a crime drama

Read a sample of the script

Cost is $8.00 for the digital play script. Just Click Shakespeare!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Why Shoot your Husband?

Copyright © April 2015 James Kent and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other surreal dramas

Restaurants at beautiful times – one act surreal drama for 4 actors
The condition – one act play about an insane asylum
The Devil dances – twisted sexual drama in one act

Comedies, Crime, Plays in three acts

Guilty Party – Whodunit Three Act Farce

May 27, 2014 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

GUILTY PARTY – WHODUNIT THREE ACT FARCE

You are cordially invited to a murder at Dr. Phil Fein’s early retirement party. There will be juicy gossip, backbiting insults, personal threats and a corpse.

In this comedic 3-act farce, five guests hide deadly secrets. One of them hides a murder weapon. Who is guilty? Could it be Joe, the social climbing public relations director or Sal Monella, director of food services? There’s Royalty too and she’s acting suspiciously. How about the nurse’s aid, who’s just a little too stupid? Or the cardiac surgeon who isn’t as clever as she thinks she is? A funny whodunit three act farce script for five people.

Read about playwright Scott Doss.

Production History

Mount Cotton Drama Group, Queensland, Australia – 2016
St Columba College, Southern Australia, Australia – 2019
Beadle County Players – SD, USA – 2020
Department of Foreign languages and literature in National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan – 2020
El Reno Community Theatre, OK, USA – 2021
Coventry High School, CT, USA – 2022

Author: Scott Doss

Genre: Comedy, Murder Mystery

Type: Three-act farce

Number of Actors: 1M, 4F

Ages of the actors: All adult

Length: 1-1½ hours with 2 intermissions

Suitable for: All ages

Set: The hospitality room of a medical emergency center.

Level of Difficulty: 7/10 – a fast-paced mystery farce that revolves around a murder. (For comic effect, male actors may portray all the characters.)

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $11.00 for this best selling digital script. Just click Shakespeare above!

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Cost is $15.00 for the printed script. Reduced costs for multiple purchases. Please click Shakespare right above!

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Guilty Party

License Guilty Party for production

Copyright May 2014 Scott Doss and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Have a look at some of our other whodunits

Murder and a Show – a whodunit comedy
Parlor City Noir – film noir script
Clown Car – a whodunit play. With clowns

Comedies, Crime, One act plays

Murder and a show – whodunit comedy

March 19, 2014 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

MURDER AND A SHOW – WHODUNIT COMEDY

Murder and a Show is the story of Eric, who is married to Aubrey, who is dumb as bricks, and Tom, who is married to Trixie, who thinks she knows everything about everything. These two neighbors have devised a plan to have both wives killed at Aubrey’s birthday party. Eric has hired a theater troupe to come perform a murder mystery dinner theater at their apartment, only what Aubrey and Trixie don’t know is that one of the actors is really an assassin there to kill them. Everything goes south when one of the actors turns out to be Eric’s mistress and one of the other actors winds up dead instead of the two wives. While the actors try to figure out who killed Jay, Eric and Tom try to figure out who didn’t kill their wives and why. And to make matters worse a nervous police officer shows up because of report of gunfire in the area. Tensions mount as everyone at the party scrambles to find the murderer while trying to convince the police that nothing is wrong.

This whodunit comedy show was produced and performed at Theatre 29 in Twentynine Palms, California in 2001 and was presented as a dinner theater experience. Read more about best selling playwright Mike Maxwell.

FURTHER PRODUCTION HISTORY

On Deck Players, Yuma, AZ, USA – 2017
Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center, AK, USA – 2018
Woodbine High school, IA, USA – 2022
Diva LasVegas, NV, USA – 2022

Author: Mike Maxwell

Genre: Whodunit comedy

Type: One act play

Length: Sixty minutes

Number of Actors: Nine actors 9 (10) 5F, 4M

Ages of the actors: All adult, ages 20-60

Suitable for: All ages

Set: The William’s apartment. The front door is located stage left. There is a closet stage right. There are two bedrooms. One is upstage right and one is upstage left. There is a couch center stage. There is a counter and a mini-fridge located stage right, upstage of the closet. There is a phone on the counter.

Level of Difficulty: 7/10 – a play with fun, over the top characters

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $7.50 for this previously produced digital play. Just click Shakespeare!

Buy a performance license for Murder and a Show

Copyright March 2014 Mike Maxwell and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other medium length one act comedies:

Cancelled – award winning 1940’s farce
Internet love story and farce
Missing the Mark – when you’re the conman – and you get conned
The Mistress of Wholesome – a comedy where the mistress takes on the wife

Crime, Dramas, One act plays

The Investigation – Ten Minute Drama Scripts

March 16, 2014 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

ten minute drama scripts

THE INVESTIGATION – TEN MINUTE DRAMA SCRIPTS

Essalyn Tompkins has been hearing strange noises in her house ever since her husband mysteriously died in a car accident. Out of desperation, Essalyn has come to consult a psychic, bringing her friend Claude with her for moral support. But what will happen when the psychic reveals what actually happened?

The author will allow workshopping of this script. Read more about playwright Evan Guilford Blake.

Production/award history

PRODUCTIONS:

Pleasure Ridge Park High School, Kentucky, USA (2023)
Sir Winston Churchill High School, Alberta, Canada (2019)
North Hawaii Players, Hawaii, USA (2018)
Maret School, Washington, DC, USA (2017)
Dragon Lady Players, Syracuse, NY (2009)
Blacktown City Community Theatre (Seven Hills, NSW, Australia) (2008)
Carrollwood Players, Tampa, FL (2006)
Panoply Arts Festival, Huntsville, AL (2005)
Colonial Playhouse, Aldan, PA (2004)
Lebanon (PA) Community Theatre (2003)

AWARDS:

Winner, 2003 Lebanon (PA) Community Theatre Playwriting Competition
Winner, 2005 Panoply Arts Festival Competition

Author: Evan Guilford-Blake

Genre: Murder mystery

Type: Ten minute drama scripts

Number of Actors: Four 4

Ages of the actors: Late twenties and up

Suitable for: All ages

Set: Simple – a psychics lounge/living room with a table and a deck of cards.

Level of Difficulty: 6/10 – A nice piece for community theatre with an easy build of tension and a surprising twist at the end.

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $11.00 for this award winning best selling script

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about The Investigation

Like this play? Read other crime scripts:

Two Many Witnesses – a courtroom drama script
The Mysterious Death of Christine Wilde – young actres with a promising career murdered
Parlor City Noir – a film noir whodunit

Crime, Dramas, Plays in three acts

Parlor City Noir – whodunit script

March 6, 2014 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

whodunnits

PARLOR CITY NOIR – WHODUNIT SCRIPTS

It is the 1940’s – the era of hard boiled detectives and gangsters. Nick Holliday, PI and his girl Friday Dora Chase are hired by a grieving widow to find the murderer of her husband, an art gallery owner named Peter DeLucci. But as Nick and Dora soon find out there is nothing routine about this case, as they run afoul of a Numbers Racketeer and a shadowy underworld figure calling themselves the Sicilian all leading to an ending that is sure to surprise.

Endless Mountains Theatre Company November production of Parlor City Noir has been nominated for nine awards including Best Drama, Best original Production and Best overall production.

Further Performance History:

University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom – 2017
Eydon Players, Daventry, UK – 2019

Read about playwright David Schmidt.

Author: David Schmidt

Genre: Whodunit, Crime

Type: Three act whodunit script

Length: Two Hours

Number of Actors: 8, eight actors. 4M 4F

Suitable for: All ages

Set: A 1940’s style detective’s office. A large wooden desk and swivel chair are CENTER. An old chair for clients sits in front of the desk. A sofa is set against the right wall of the office. A metal filing cabinet and a coat tree can be found in another corner. On the desk is a name plate that reads NICK HOLLIDAY, PI. A window with the reversed inscription SILVER SHIELD INVESTIGATIONS NICK HOLLIDAY PI painted on it looks out upon the city. A door connecting the outer office to the detective’s office bears a frosted glass pane with the reversed inscription NICK HOLLIDAY, PRIVATE DETECTIVE on it. A bottle of scotch and two glasses are set on one corner of the desk. A bulletin board cluttered with wanted posters and other papers hangs on one wall of the office.

Level of Difficulty: 7/10 – a great amdram play with fantastic audience reviews

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost $8.00 for this previously staged digital play with great reviews

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about Parlor City Noir

Like this play? More like it:

Mysterious death of Christine Wilde
Ralph – a who killed the parrot(and the wife) bizarre mystery
Jack Masterson and the Case of absurdity – a who stole it comedy

Comedies, Crime, Plays in 2 acts

Clown Car – a Whodunit play script in two acts

June 9, 2013 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

whodunit comedy script — Suffer Fools Gladly, Stetson University, 2009, Photos courtesy of Ken McCoy, Ph.D.

comedy about clowns — Suffer Fools Gladly, Stetson University, 2009, Photos courtesy of Ken McCoy, Ph.D.

CLOWN CAR – A Whodunit play script in two acts

In this whodunit play script, dozens of circus clowns pile out of a car. One doesn’t. Thus begins the new murder mystery comedy by Mark Aloysius Kenneally. Artie and Nick are two detectives who thought they had seen it all. But they find out that when you’re interrogating suspects like Chuckles, Pozo, and Backwards Bobo… clowns can turn out to not only make you laugh, but also… drive you crazy. Who killed Bubbles? And why? Join Artie, Nick and Doctor Amy Harris-Talmun, the police psychiatrist, as they try desperately to solve the most bizarre, challenging, surprising and humorous murder mystery they’ve ever investigated.

CLOWN CAR, under the previous title, SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY, received its first staged reading at The Players Theatre in in Sarasota, FL. July, 2007. Then had a staged reading at Ten Grand and a Burger in New York City, September, 2007. It had a staged reading at the DeLand Theatre Festival, DeLand, FL in January, 2008 and another Staged Reading in Midland, TX in August, 2009 (It was a finalist in the 2009 McClaren International Comedy Playwriting Contest). SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY received its World Premiere Production at Stetson University, DeLand, FL in September, 2009.

Further Production History:

Liberty Lake Community Theatre – WA, USA – 2016
Okaw Valley High School, IL, USA – 2017
Oakbrook Preparatory school – SC, USA – 2018
Starlighters II Theater, IA, USA – 2018
Little River School, KS, USA – 2019
Lake Air Montessori, TX, USA – 2021
Circle Theatre of Barnwell, SC, 2022
Pennwest Edinboro University, Alpha Psi Omega Gamma Kappa, PA, USA – 2023

Author: Mark Aloysius Kenneally

Genre: Crime,Whodunit, Comedy

Type: Two act play

Number of Actors: 4M, 5F.
The roles of the clowns have been written with the intention that they all be played by one Actor and one Actress with minimal costume and wig changes to heighten the confusion and frustration as it builds throughout the play. However, it is recognized that individual producers, such as school and community theatre groups may wish to expand the cast size by having these roles be played by different actors and actresses, or have some of the roles played by actresses rather than actors or vice versa. This decision is entirely permitted by the author and is left up to the individual producers.

Ages of actors: One policeman in his thirties, and one male and female character each in their thirties. The clowns can be of any age.

Set: Various different rooms at a police station in any “small town U.S.A.” and at the big top circus. The sets should be suggested with as simple set pieces as possible. Many of the locales can simply be suggested with lighting changes and/or with as little as a table and a few chairs as set pieces.
Level of Difficulty: 7/10 – especially if the same actor is playing multiple roles

The author will allow workshopping of the script. Read more about playwright Mark aloysius Kenneally.

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $11 for this finalist best selling digital play script

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries in relation to Clown Car

Like this play? Or others like it?

Jack Masterson and the case of absurdity – a whodunit comedy farce in 2 acts
Ralph – a bizarre monty python who killed the parrot whodunit
The mysterious death of Christine Wilde – a period piece drama murder mystery
What’s on your mind – a comedy of the absurd(and the loony bin)

Crime, Dramas, Plays in 2 acts

War Stories – Three Act Drama Play

January 16, 2013 Demmer Dewan 1 Comment

WAR STORIES – THREE ACT DRAMA PLAY

Phil Lavan an ex cop, haunted by his past, has decided to go into business with an acquaintance of his, Carmen Guzzo. Carmen owns a pet store and his aim is to sell the business to Lavan. Lavan has secrets in his past as a cop that he shares with his ex partner, and close friend, Joey Nicks. When internal affairs sends an investigator to the pet store because they suspect Joey of being a dirty cop, the friendship is threatened as Joey becomes paranoid that Lavan will expose him now that Lavan has left the force. Joey gets a local girl, Jane Smith to spy on Lavan in order to try and find out if he will expose him. Tensions climb throughout this three act drama play to reach a bloody climax where all the secrets and lies are exposed for good.

Donald Dewey is an established playwright and author and has had more than 30 plays staged in the United States and Europe, as well as published 33 books of fiction, nonfiction, and drama. More about Donald Dewey

Author: Donald Dewey

Genre: Drama

Type: Three act play, 3 act play, three-act plays

Length: Full length play 2 hours.

Number of actors: 5 actors, 4M, 1F, 4 men 1 woman

Ages of actors: 30-65 – there are four younger characters and one older man

Suitable for: PG 12 violence

Set: 2 different areas or sets on stage can be used. The main action takes place in a pet store, which should have a counter as well as various cages to contain the animals. The other part of the play takes place in an apartment where the bedroom with a doubled bed in it is shown as well as a refrigerator in another room.

Level of difficulty: 8/10 Maintaining the tension and building slowly to a climax. This play could do very well with the right accomplished actors.

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Crime, Dramas, One act plays

Two Many Witnesses – a courtroom drama script

November 7, 2012 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

courtroom drama script

TWO MANY WITNESSES – A COURTROOM DRAMA SCRIPT IN ONE ACT

In this courtroom drama script, Bernard Wells is dissatisfied with his life as Bistro owner, especially when a school friend of his, Alex Pole, decides to expand his café across the road into a restaurant. Wells asks if he could be his partner in this venture, but Pole tells him he has Frank Horner, a beverage supplier and a friend of his as a partner.

Wells decides to get rid of the opposition. He discovers his cousin’s (Arthur Wells) passport in his flat, where Arthur had mislaid it on his last visit. After witnessing a drunken argument between Horner and Pole, where Horner threatens Pole, Wells sees his chance.

Disguised as his cousin, he pays Alex Pole a visit and kills him; he arranges beforehand that Frank Horner is away at this time, delivering goods to a fictitious customer.

At the enquiry in this courtroom drama script, Bernard disguises himself as his cousin Arthur. He bears false witness saying he saw Frank Horner leave the scene of the crime carrying the murder weapon. As Bernard Wells, he tells the court of enquiry that he saw Pole and Horner arguing inside Pole’s shop shortly before Pole was killed, therefore giving himself an alibi.

When Horner is arrested for the murder, he protests his innocence. To all intents and purposes, the case against him seems watertight, until a surprise witness appears…

Author: T. J. Edison

Genre: Drama

Type: One act play

Length: 1 hour

Number of actors: 17 actors, 12 M, 5 F

Ages of actors: Adult – twenties to fifties

Suitable for: All ages

Set: Simple – two rooms – the main play takes place in the courtroom where there is a typical courtroom laid out with a judge at a table as well as tables for the defendants and prosecutors and chairs for the witnesses and spectators. The second room is an ante room that can be anything from a simple passage to a room with a table and 2 chairs.

Level of difficulty: 6/10 – the play has a fairly steady pace throughout so maintaining audience focus is the main challenge.

This courtoom drama script is written as a full length one act play, but can easily be converted into a short two act play with an interval.