Tag Archives: plays by author playwright David Schmidt

play based on a story by Edgar Allen Poe

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE ALBATROSS – PLAY BASED ON A STORY BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

In this play based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe, the Voyage of the Albatross follows the fateful voyage of a ship hit by a storm so severe that it almost seems supernatural. When only three people survive the storm, they believe that their troubles are over. But the ship was never destined to have any survivors…

Desperate for someone to hear what happened to them, Sara, one of the survivors writes a message and places it in a bottle, casting it overboard before she meets her destiny. She can only hope that it will be found by someone and her story told.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

DoMaur Productions Incorporated, Tasmania, Australia – 2023

Read other ghost (horror) stories by David Schmidt – The Henderson Hall Horror.

Author: David Schmidt

Type: One act play

Genre: Horror, Ghost story

Cast: 3M, 2F

Ages of the actors: Teen up

Suitable for: All ages to watch. Some scenes may be scary fr younger children

Length: Thirty minutes

Set: The beach and then on board a ship

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – a lot of the things that happen have to be described by the actors in a realistic and convincing manner

Read a Sample of the Script

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

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about The Last Voyage of the Albatross

Copyright © August 2019 David Schmidt and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Others like it:

Beside the kitchen table – the ghost of a murdered young girl seeks revenge
Victims of the forest – medieval scary plays
The release of Theodore Marlow – a ghost tries to get her love to join her in the afterlife

One act plays, Thrillers/Horrors

The Henderson hall horror – one act horror script

March 23, 2019 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

THE HENDERSON HALL HORROR – ONE ACT HORROR SCRIPT ABOUT A DEADLY GHOST THAT HAUNTS A FAMILY HOME

Henderson Hall has been cursed. An angry ghost haunts its empty rooms, looking for revenge for the death of his young son from Smallpox many years ago. But it has been too long and people have forgotten. What was once a horrifying reality, has become the stuff of myth and legend. Now Dr Henderson and his young son have moved back into their old family home and the ghost has arisen once more in this one act horror script. On December 21st each year, one Henderson child will die. No one bearing that name will escape the curse….

Desperate to save his young son from the terrifying visions that haunt him nightly, Dr Henderson consults Silas Grey, a paranormal investigator. Together Silas and his assistant, Abigail Frost, one who can communicate with the dead, must rid the family home of this curse once and for all.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Las Cruces High School,NM,USA – 2022
Magic Circle Players, CO, USA – 2021
Stelazzio Virtual Theatre, MN, USA – 2021

Have a look at the Youtube promo for the play which was used in an online gaming context: The Henderson Hall Horror Promo and its online production on: Stellazio Virtual Theatre

Read about American playwright David Schmidt.

Read other plays by David Schmidt – Tales of Dark Imagination – The Many Ghosts of Dr Lazarus

Author: David Schmidt

Type: One act play

Genre: One act horror script

Cast: 3M, 2-3F

Ages of the actors: 4 adult, 2 teen F

Suitable for: All ages to watch (PG 8) and teens up to perform

Length: 25-30 minutes

Set: The setting for this play is simplicity itself. Everything is done with set pieces and lighting. DC is a bistro table with two chairs set at it. R is a sofa and a chair. L is a bed and dresser if you want to add a little more furniture to the setting.

Level of difficulty: 6/10 – dialogue simple and the story is striking.

A good play for one act play festivals especially for high schools.

Read a Sample of the Script

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

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about The Henderson Hall Horror

Copyright © March 2019 David Schmidt and Off the Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other ghostly stories for you to enjoy:

Beside the kitchen table – the ghost of a murdered girl is just waiting for her revenge
White Widow – teen ghost story script
The Price of a Ghost – a dead son’s revenge on his father

Plays in 2 acts, Sci-Fi, Teens

Sir Lyonel and the Legion of Unlikely Heroes – funny fantasy script

August 29, 2018 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

funny fantasy script

SIR LYONEL AND THE LEGION OF UNLIKELY HEROES – FUNNY FANTASY SCRIPT

There’s nothing like serving a reigning queen a good dose of her own justice. Sir Lyonel the Just has seen the limits of Queen Agrivaine’s mercy (very limited) and has an unyielding desire to get back what is rightfully his. A knight can only do so much with his swordsmanship but by a stroke of good fortune Sir Lyonel happens upon a minstrel because well, everyone needs one. Sir Lyonel also stumbles upon the strongest man within quite a radius, one who if they shoot you, it will be your last breath, one with dominion over the winds, a lady with crazy fast feet and a woman who puts the cold in ‘’ice cold’’. They all join forces with the knight to get rich from the Queen’s treasury and bruise her ego too. It’s not an easy feat, for the Queen is cunning but at least there is quite a bit of fun to be had with the Princess’s betrothal on the cards in this funny fantasy script.

It’s a league distinct from any other.

Read other fantasy scripts – The Robber Baron and the Baker Thief by horror and fantasy author David Schmidt

Author: David Schmidt

Type: Two-act play

Genre: Funny fantasy script

Cast: Main Characters: 2M, 2F. Total cast: 5M, 7F

Ages of the actors: Teens up

Suitable for: All ages to watch, teens up to perform

Length: 60-75 minutes

Set: Roads, various. Throne room of the queen, outside the palace gates, a banquet hall.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – some special effects may be needed.

Read a Sample of the Script

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

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any Queries about Sir Lyonel and the League of Unlikely Heroes

Copyright © August 2018 David Schmidt and Off the Wall Play Publishers

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

Enchanted – two boy scouts. lost in the forest come across a magical kingdom
Regicide – fantasy about revolution. And murder.
Teru ‘ah – alternate history fantasy about a very different outcome from world war two.

Dramas, Plays in 2 acts, Thrillers/Horrors

Tales of Dark Imagination: The Many Ghosts of Doctor Lazarus

August 25, 2017 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

TALES OF DARK IMAGINATION: THE MANY GHOSTS OF DOCTOR LAZARUS

If it’s ghostly services you require Lucinda Lazarus is your woman. Lucinda and her occasional shamanic partner, Victor Valiant, have gained some notoriety for their night work: getting rid of the wicked supernatural forces that torment unsuspecting folk.

In Tales of Dark Imagination, Lucinda recounts some standout cases that both she and Victor have been called on to investigate. In act one, Abigail Prescott, director of Foxmoor School for girls, enlists the help of Lucinda and Victor after a ghost she has become accustomed to, starts behaving violently towards the inhabitants of Foxmoor.

Act two sees Lucinda and Victor learning that in some instances, life truly does imitate art and act three puts Lucinda in the middle of a ghastly love triangle that ends as ghostly tales tend to. All in a day’s work for the minders of the mysterious metaphysical and The Many Ghosts of Lucinda Lazarus.

If you sit on their graves, they will not sleep. An adaptation of a story by Edgar Allen Poe – “The Oval Portrait.”

Read about playwright David Schmidt. Read chapter one of Tales of Dark Imagination: The Golden Raven Society.

Author: David Schmidt

Type: Two-act play

Genre: Ghost story, horror

Cast: Mains: 1F 1M. (6F, 2M)

Ages of the actors: Adult

Suitable for: Older teens and adults to watch and perform

Length: 60 minutes

Set: The description of the set can be found in the opening of each play. It is one stationary set each show using different set pieces to make it look different. This makes for an easy production to put on. It can, of course, be as simple or as elaborate as you like.
Act 1: The walls of the chamber are made of polished wood. UC is an archway with a staircase leading up. DR is a writing table. C is a sofa and an overstuffed chair. Entrances and exits are made from the archway.
Act 2: The walls of the chamber here are made of polished wood. UC is an archway leading on and off stage. R of the archway is a cold fireplace. Hanging above the fireplace is an oval portrait of a beautiful young woman. C is a sofa. DR of the sofa is a writing desk.

Level of difficulty: 8/10 – building a climax

Read a Sample of the Script

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

Contact Off The Wall plays with any queries about The Many Ghosts of Doctor Lazarus

Copyright © August 2017 David Schmidt and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this scary play? Other ghost stories for you to shiver through:

The Release of Theodore Marlow – when your love beckons from beyond the grave
Victims of the Forest – medieval ghostly scary plays
the witch’s cackle – scary ghost play for Halloween

Crime, Plays in 2 acts, Sci-Fi

The Lady of the Lake Murder – a murder mystery script

March 12, 2017 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

murder mystery script

THE LADY OF THE LAKE MURDER – A MURDER MYSTERY SCRIPT

It is the annual meeting of the Shadow Council, a group of powerful immortals headed by Merlin. Among the chartered members of the Council are Morgan le Fay, Queen Guinevere, Sir Lancelot and Niniane, the infamous Lady of the Lake. Also in attendance are three young Wardens assigned to protect an immortal charge. Unfortunately, The Lady of the Lake had been murdered in this Arthurian murder mystery script.

It was (almost) a perfect murder. The tracks were (mostly) covered up. The Lady of the Lake, Nianine had not been seen a while(ish) and the council of Immortals; his serene magicness Merlin, her royal, dark highness Queen Guinevere, her royal lover Sir Lancelot and a beautiful Morgan Le Fay; would (most likely) be certainly happy to hear of Nianine’s death. The happiness amongst the Immortals would (probably) be ten-fold as they are forbidden from killing one another and so none could be charged with the crime. So who did it then? The Inquisitor is about to find out and he’s happy to have us in on the inquisition as the investigation unfolds and a certain Warden may become a ward of the fates.

As the time for the meeting draws near and the immortals begin to gather it comes to light that each of the immortals has a grudge against Niniane, including her own Warden. When it is learned Niniane has been murdered, beheaded with Excalibur, an artifact entrusted to her Warden accusations begin to fly and it becomes the responsibility of the Councils Chief Inquisitor, a stereotypical police investigator, to learn the truth and bring the murderer to justice. The penalty for this crime is death.

The Lady of the Lake Murder is a mystery steeped in Arthurian Lore drawn from the works of Mallory and the Vulgate Cycle.

Read about playwright David Schmidt. Other scripts – The Dark Chronicles of the Golden Raven Society: A horror script by David

Author: David Schmidt

Genre: Murder mystery script, whodunit

Type: Two act play

Cast: 4M, 4F but the inquisitor can also be played by a F instead of a M.

Ages of the actors: Adult – young adults to older

Suitable for: All ages

Length: 45 – 60 minutes

Set: The secret chamber of the Shadow Council. UP LEFT CENTER is a large stone fireplace. Heavy wooden doors on each side of the fireplace lead into and out of the chamber. CENTER is a small, round table draped with a purple and black table cloth that goes to the ground. In the center of the table is a clawed plinth with a crystal ball on top of it. Behind the table, set in a semi-circle, are four throne-like chairs. The center two chairs are larger than the two that flank them. A fire appears to be glowing in the fireplace.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – a lovely mix of a typical hard-boiled whodunit detective story and mythical characters

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 The Lady of the Lake Murder

Copyright © March 2017 David Schmidt and Off the Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other whodunits for you to enjoy:

Parlor City Noir – a Film Noir classic whodunit script
Mascot Masquerade – a whodunit play set at a masked ball
Murder and other fun things

Dramas, Plays in three acts

The Dark Chronicles of the Golden Raven society – Horror play scripts

October 15, 2015 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

horror play scripts

THE DARK CHRONICLES OF THE GOLDEN RAVEN SOCIETY – HORROR PLAY SCRIPTS

Chronicles is a collection of one act plays based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. These works include “Ligiea'” “Morella,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Each is told through the eyes of a member of the Golden Raven Society. The Golden Raven Society is an organization established for persons with a fascination for the occult and the supernatural to come together and share in their passions on the subject . We are told, by the Baroness Ritzner Von Jung, Grand Master of the society, that it was Poe himself who created the Golden Raven Society.

“Chronicles” was performed by The Endless Mountains Theatre Company (EMTC) in October 2012 and it also won two awards given out by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Theatre Alliance (NEPTA) at their Annual NEPTA Awards Banquet held every spring. The first award was for best original play and the second for best child actress under 12.

Further Production History

Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, Florida, USA – 2016
Limelight Theatrics, Trim Co Meath, Republic of Ireland – 2017
Theatre Bacchus, Ontario, Canada – 2020

Chronicles is the second of the Tales of Dark Imagination plays, the first being Tales of Dark Imagination: Lost Souls.

Read David Schmidt’s Film Noir drama, Parlor City Noir. Read more about playwright David Schmidt.

Author: David Schmidt

Genre: Ghost, horror play scripts

Type: Three act plays

Cast: Cast of nine to thirteen actors. 8F parts and 5M parts. One older child part needed.

Ages of the actors: Cast One girl round twelve years old, rest adult actors

Suitable for: PG 10 – scary

Length: The play is a three act play comprised of three one act plays. In total the three plays run between 75 and 90 minutes.

Set: Sets can be simple to elabourate. A bedroom, and a church can be represented by simple props or furnishings.

Level of difficulty: 6/10 – easy memorable lines and an intriguing story line.

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $10 for this award winning digital horror script

Contact Off The Wall plays with any queries about Chronicles of the dark raven society

Like this play? Other thrilling and chilling plays for your senses to enjoy:

Carmilla – classic tale of vampires retold
The promise – drama thriller script
Victims of the forest – medieval scary plays

Action, Comedies, Plays in 2 acts, Teens

The Robber Baron and the Baker Thief – Teen adventure play

September 28, 2014 Demmer Dewan Leave a comment

THE ROBBER BARON AND THE BAKER THIEF – TEEN ADVENTURE PLAY

The Robber Baron and the Baker Thief follows the story of young Hans, the son of a Baker and Maria, the daughter of a miller. Hans and Maria are in love with each other but are afraid to tell the other how they feel. Hans also has a secret; he travels the countryside as the notorious highwayman known as Black Jack. A chance encounter in the forest where Hans as Black Jack rescues Maria from a band of robbers exposes his secret to the black-hearted villain Baron Blackheart who falls for Maria’s beauty and decides to make her his bride. At this point the play follows a series of events as the Baron plots to win the hand of Maria and rid himself of Black Jack once and for all…

Production History:

SPAG BOL Productions – Ferny Grove State School, Queensland, Australia – 2016

See the promo video of the 2016 production by Ferny Grove school, Australia.

Author: David Schmidt

Genre: Teen adventure romance

Type: Two act play

Cast: 19 5F, 8F and the rest either gender.

Ages of the actors: Suitable for teens

Suitable for: The whole family

Length: 90 minutes

Set: The sets for this show can also be as simple or as elaborate as you want. Descriptions for each set can be found in the script. When first performed trees for the forest were made out of cardboard and a single banquet table was used for the baker shop, the bar at Joe’s Forest hideaway and the barons castle. Smaller tables were used for Joe’s forest hideaway and the kitchen table in Maria’s home. This made for easy scene changes

Level of Difficulty: 6/10 a fun and easy teen play ideal for drama camp