Are you sick of doing the same old plays that every theater’s been doing for decades? 🙄
Are you looking for something unique, original, and smart? 💡
Is your community ready for challenging themes and topics like race, reproductive rights, gender identity, and more? 🌈
Are you looking to save money that you spend overpaying for rights from the big licensing companies? 💸
Do you care about diversity and inclusion in the arts and supporting marginalized voices?
Then SheNYC Arts Licensing is made for you!
License the shows that have been huge hits at our Theater Festivals in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta for your local production!
You’ll be jump-starting the careers emerging women, trans, & non-binary writers, supporting SheNYC Arts, and finally getting some incredible fresh material for you and your artists to dig into.
Discover your new favorite play below!
FEATURED PLAYS
HOW IT WORKS:
1.
🔎 Browse the available shows below and pick a few you’re interested in!
2.
🖊 Submit the Licensing Request Form below indicating which scripts you’re interested in.
Or, you can ask us for recommendations!
3.
📖 We’ll send you back a perusal script of the shows you’ve selected so you can make your final choice, with a quote on how much it will cost to license the script for your specific production.
4.
Pick the show you want to license, and we’ll give you your script package!
She NYC Scripts are found through a unique open, blind submissions process.
We’re one of the only companies in the country that cultivates new work in this radically equitable manner 💪. But it’s not just about doing the right thing — this process also means we find the best up-and-coming writing talent in America.
Now, for the first time, we’re making those scripts available to your local community theater, school drama club, or regional theater company!
Browse all available plays
Want suggestions? Email licensing@shenycarts.org to consult with a SheNYC team member!
A KID by erika hakmiller | play | 1f 1m | dramedy
PG-13: Themes of grooming and sexual assault.
Synopsis
Agnes has just turned 29 and is ready to take on the world: she’s pitching her one woman show based on her life to disinterested producers. She kicks off the pitch with her character excitedly packing for a trip to see her former theater director, Ben Meyer, who is speaking at a theater convention in Virginia. The last time she saw him was 10 years ago, when she was a teenage actress in his community theatre production of Romeo and Juliet.
As she makes her way to Virginia, she is bombarded with flashbacks, and the trip takes a dark turn as these flashbacks become more and more damning of Agnes’ history with men and Ben’s shocking behavior as her director. Through her memories we learn that this is not an ordinary trip — this is a chance at redemption and revenge.
Type: Play, one act
Cast:
- AGNES – Femme-identifying. Various Ages (11-29)
- EVERYONE ELSE – Male. Various Ages (29-41).
Running Time: 75 minutes
You’ll love this show if:
- You have a strong young, femme-identifying actor to showcase
- Your audience is interested in feminist themes and shining a light on sexual abuse
ARABESQUE NO 1 by cambria denim | play | 1f 1m | drama
PG-13
arabesque no 1 follows Bonnie and Chris in their small town as they grow up and enter adulthood. Two actors, seventeen characters.
Type: Play.
Cast:
- Bonnie/Chris: female
- Chris/Bonnie: male
Running Time: 120 Minutes.
You’ll love this show if:
- You have 2 strong actors whose talents you can’t wait to show off
- You’re looking for something easy & cheap to produce
BEAUTIFUL PASADENA by jen rudin | play | 2f 3m | drama
PG-13: Adult language & topics.
Beautiful Pasadena tells the story of a marriage in crisis at the start of the economic collapse in 2008. As Will begins an extensive remodel on their apartment at The Castle Green, a historic building in Pasadena, he and his wife, Rachel, up for a promotion at her law firm, clash over politics, family and world values. As they wait for an expensive bathtub to arrive from overseas, their marriage, the economy, and their bathroom begin to crumble around them.
Type: Play
Cast: 1 female (30s), 1 female (50-60), 1 male (50s-60s), 2 male (30s)
Running Time: 75 Minutes.
You’ll love this show if:
- You want a family drama from the perspective of a female writer
CHILDREN OF CAMELOT by nakisa aschtiani | play | 3f 5m | drama
PG-13: Adult themes, descriptions of murder.
On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy is assassinated. Two days later, his alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald is killed. What if one of these men survived? Children of Camelot introduces us to the Oswald and Kennedy families in an alternate universe and gives us a peek into their lives and how their stories are connected forever.
Type: Play, 2 acts
Cast:
- Lee Harvey Oswald: Defendant, 20s, Male
- Mark Lane: Defense Counsel, 40s, Male
- Nichole Andrews Assistant U.S. Attorney General: 30s, Female
- Marina Prusakova Oswald: Wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, 20s, Female
- Jackie Kennedy: Former First Lady & wife of JFK, 30s, Female
- JFK (John F. Kennedy): Deceased President of U.S., 40s, Male
- Calvin: Jackie’s Bodyguard, 30s, Male
- RFK (Robert F. Kennedy): JFK’s brother, Jackie’s brother-in-law, 30s, Male
Running Time: 90 minutes
You’ll love this show if:
- A story about the Kennedys will pique your audience’s interest
- Your actors love delivering a meaty monologue
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME by kay kemp | play | 2f 1m | drama
PG-13
Dream a Little Dream of Me follows a young Black woman, Colleen, and her ailing mother, Priscilla, as they deal with the consequences of an unspecified diagnosis; however, when Priscilla begins seeing the spirit of a strange man known only as Angel-Boy, Colleen must decide whether her mother’s sanity is worth her own.
Through a series of incidents, the play investigates the Black family and the commitment required of children to parents, and questions the role reversal of parent and child and its consequences on the mental health of all parties involved.
Type: Play, 1 act
Cast: 2 female, 1 male. All characters are Black.
Running Time: 60 Minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- Your audience loves a heartbreaking story about family bonds
- You have older Black actors who will shine in intense roles
TO EACH HIS OWN by nakisa aschtiani | play | 1f 2m | drama
PG
A few months after 9/11, at-home caregiver Sharzahd Jensen arrives for her newest assignment: as a live-in aid for an older, blind Iranian man named Baback Hassani. New to town, she befriends David, a seemingly kind lawyer whose car broke down outside. Soon, she notices harassing letters and graffiti targeting her new patient, but who is the real victim and who can she trust?
Type: Play, 2 acts.
Cast:
Baback: Iranian and visually impaired (blind)
Sharzahd: half-Iranian half any ethnicity
The above genders are a suggestion and can be modified based on the identity of the actor(s).
David: any ethnicity/race as long as he is not Middle Eastern
Running Time: 90 minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- You have a Middle Eastern community in your audience
- You want to highlight actors with disabilities
TO SERVE THE HIVE by julia byrne | play | 6f | climate change drama
PG-13
The world is no longer plentiful, and the hive is growing restless. This colony of honey bees is on the brink of environmental collapse, but the Togethermind of the workers only knows what the Queen allows them to know. A close advisor to the Queen is getting a little too close, and we follow her agonizing emergence into a new stage of evolution: individual selfhood. Tooth-and-nail power struggles, political misinformation, and animal group-intelligence. This play is a meditation on grind culture, climate change, and the trust we put in leaders. How much will you do to serve the hive?
Type: Play, 1 act
Cast: 6 cast members. Nonbinary actors are encouraged regardless of assigned sex at birth, providing they are comfortable playing femme-presenting characters.The Queen is preferably played a plus-size actress.
Running Time: 90 Minutes
TOO MUCH SKIN by carolene joy cabrera king | play | 1f 4m | comedy
PG-13
When Christian loses his job, his Ate Darna takes him in. Two months later, he is still unemployed, hiding in his video games. Meanwhile, Darna continues to date white dudes obsessed with her “exotic” appearance, all the while hiding her Filipino identity behind anime cosplays and a love of Japanese culture. Through a series of video game fever dreams, bad dates, and lots of late night snacking, the two of them must confront their fears about their Filipinx identity, their hobbies, and ultimately, their place in the world.
Type: Play, 1 act.
Cast:
Christian: Filipino, 24, Darna’s brother
Bill/Gamer: non-Asian, 33
Phil/Gamer: non-Asian, 25
Darna: Filipino, 29, Christian’s sister
Jun: Filipino, 27
Running Time: 75 Minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- You have Filipino actors who will shine onstage
- You love a heartfelt comedy about love and family
WE'RE NOT FRIENDS by caroline ullman | play | 3f | comedy
PG
Alex and Julia return to their childhood home after their youngest sister, Eva, has a particularly bad panic attack that sends her to the hospital. Together for the first time in over a year, the sisters are forced to come to the realization that despite being related, they don’t really know anything about each other. Through reminiscing, the comforts of home, and a few secrets they can’t believe they’ve never told each other, they begin to unpack their own mental health, and discover what it truly means to be there for one another.
Type: Play, 1 act
Cast: 3 F (all ages 18-25)
Running Time: 60 Minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- You have younger actors to highlight
- You love a heartfelt comedy about sisterhood
More plays will be released in early 2024!
The Firefly Web by Erika Jenko
FORT HUACHUCA by Ailema Sousa
FORT HUACHUCA by ailema sousa | play | 2m 6f | historical drama
PG-13 (descriptions of war, violence).
Straight off our critically-acclaimed off-Broadway run!
In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Mayvee, Georgia, Elinor, Marjorie, and Thelma enlist to serve their country and are sent to Fort Huachuca, an army base camp in Arizona. As Black nurses, they’re in charge of treating enemy prisoners of war. They quickly learn the rules of the camp: stay segregated from the white soldiers, always treat the white soldiers first, and remember: we’re all on the same team, fighting for the same country. Universal and real, this story tackles issues that are still relevant today: racism and sexism. Inspired by the true story of a group of incredible women, an inside look at survival in the army in the 1940s for those who were treated as less-than even when they were fighting for our country.
Type: Play
Cast: 6 female (5 age 20s/1 age 30+, all Black), 2 male (1 Japanese American, 1 Black)
Running time: 90 minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- You love historical dramas that are still relevant today
- A heartwrenching drama with a hopeful love story will resonate with your audience
DANCING GIRL by elinor t & drew vanderburg | play with american sign language | 4f 8 m | drama
Dancing Girl is a gritty refresh of Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris, told through spoken language, sign language, and dance.
Esmeralda refuses to continue living in hiding in the underbelly of Paris, as her people have been forced to live for generations. She’s willing to stand up for not only their rights, but the rights of all who have been shunned by their society: including a deaf man who lives in the bell tower. She befriends him after he is ridiculed at a public fair, and they learn that they have more in common than they thought. Through their friendship they’re encouraged to stand up to their oppressors: but how large will the cost be?
Type: Play, 2 acts
Cast: 4 F, 2M, several d/Deaf and ASL-fluent actors required
Running Time: 2 hours
You’ll love this script if:
- You have d/Deaf actors to highlight
- You love a period piece and an adaptation of a popular novel
OVER EASY by abaigeal o’donnell | play | 4f | comedy
PG-13: Disucusses abortion and miscarriage.
Donating eggs is not always what it’s cracked up to be. Sperm donation can happen with a magazine and a cup, but for people attempting to donate their eggs, things are not so easy. Through awkward moments, hormonal daydreams, dance parties, and the not-fun-kind-of-shots, over easy follows four egg donors from recruitment to extraction.
Type: Play, 1 act
Cast: 4 Women, 20s-30s
Running Time: 80 minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- You love feminist themes, but want them packaged in a hilarious comedy
- You have 4 young women actors to showcase
POT ODDS by gabrielle wagner mann | play | 2f 1m | drama
R: homophobic/racist language, pot smoking, domestic abuse/violence, gun use
When ultra-conservative, Southern-belle Natalie arrives in NYC to collect the belongings of her recently deceased twin sister, she meets liberal-AF Kendra, and learns that her estranged sister’s “roommate” is not only black, but also more than just a roommate. Natalie comes face to face with her late sister’s life and wife, and is forced to confront her own. As she peels back the layers of her twin’s life, her own begins to unravel – being held tenuously together by near empty bottles of Xanax and Klonopin.
Kendra and Natalie find their mutual love of Jasmine begins to outweigh their resentment of each other. But when Natalie’s dangerous past shows up on Kendra’s doorstep, a terrifying moment unites them, finding more solace in building each other up than tearing each other down.
Panic attacks, pot brownies and pocket aces help them deal with grief, guilt and unexpected guests. ‘All-in’ with one card to come, will they stay at odds or make the right read on each other?
Type: Play, 1 act
Cast: 2 women in their mid-to-late 20s (1 white, 1 black), 1 male (white) in his 30s
Running Time: 100 minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- You’re into building bridges, rather than walls in your community
- You have talented actors in their 20s/30s to showcase
SHEEPWELL by margaret rose caterisano | play | 2f 1m | dark comedy
PG-13: Adult language and themes; violence.
Wattle and her daughter Sarah, who live off of rural Highway 29 in Alabama, are awakened in the wee hours of the morning by the sounds of a naked man stumbling around in her back yard.
Supposedly his name is Thomas, and supposedly he was robbed while on a pilgrimage down the highway. But bit by bit, the holes in his story emerge. Through the night, Wattle, Sarah, and Thomas discuss the pros and cons of leaping to assumptions and jumping into relationships, until Thomas decides it is time to leave. But there’s not enough room in this town for the three of them, and it turns out they all have the capacity to be more brutal than the others expect.
Type: Play, 2 acts
Cast: 1 F (70), 1 F (27), 1 M (30)
Running Time: 75 Minutes
You’ll love this script if:
- You live for a surprise twist ending
- You’ve got an audience of Southerners who’ll appreciate a local story
THE FIREFLY WEB by erika jenko | play | 3f 3m | drama
PG-13: Discusses Suicide and Mental Health.
Twins Lane & Jasper return home for their yearly summer visit, which coincides with a 10-year family anniversary. While there, their childhood lake house transports the twins to memories 10 years prior. 10 years prior when their sensitivities to death were just developing. When life was simply about forts and buried treasure, or was it? As the memories become tangled in the present, Lane & Jasper must face their darkest fears that took shape all those years ago. The firefly jars have been sitting on the dock for a decade. Waiting to glow.
Type: Play, 1 act.
Cast:
Lane (age 22, Jasper’s Twin, Female)
Jasper (age 22, Lane’s twin, Male)
Small Lane (age 12, Child version of Lane, Female)
Small Jasper (age 12, child version of Jasper, Male)
Mom (age 35, Female)
Dad (age 35-45, Male)
Running Time: 90 Minutes.
You’ll love this script if:
- You have young actors to showcase
- You love a heartbreaking family story of resilience
DANCING GIRL by Elinor T and Drew Vanderburg
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HOW PRICING WORKS
We know theater companies spend tons of $$ on licensing fees, so we’re here to offer transparent pricing that saves you money.
We calculate your Potential Revenue by multiplying the number of seats in your theater by the # of performances and your average ticket price.
Your Licensing Fee = 7% of your Potential Revenue
Compare to traditional licensing companies, where the fee is 10-20%!
Get 20% off your Licensing Fee if you’re a school, non-professional production, or a company with a mission of promoting gender equity!