SHERLOCK’S BEST by Jon Jory

Playwright  Jon Jory is a master adaptor, so you can count on this pair of Holmes and Watson adventures being faithful to the classics, even while boasting ultra-flexible casting and simple production requirements. First, in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, they must catch a murderer who may be a lunatic, a thief… or really just hates Napoleon. Then, in Sherlock is Dead, Holmes himself is at the center of a poisonous crime and must rely on a trusted doctor… as long as it’s not Watson.

• Available as both a full-length and two separate one acts

• 10-18 actors possible, gender flexible

The game’s afoot! Read Sherlock’s Best by Jon Jory for free!

Want some more Jon Jory Sherlock adaptations to explore?

• Read The Hound of the Baskervilles (one-act) for a swift one-act take on one of Doyle's eeriest Holmes mysteries.

• For a cheeky, modernized take on the Holmes stories set in a school, check out The Great, Great Granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes, which includes adaptations of The Blue Diamond and The Specckled Band.

MORIARTY'S DAUGHTERS  by Claire Wittman

Looking for a fresh take on Sherlock lore, featuring plenty of fascinating female characters and historical intrigue? Playwright Claire Wittman has the perfect mystery for you. In Moriarty's Daughters, the daughters of the real-life art thief who inspired Holmes' nemesis find themselves drawn into a mystery when their aunt is accused of a crime - and they must form an unlikely alliance with a Sherlock Holmes Appreciation Society to win the day.

• Both one-act and full-length versions are available.

• 11-30+ actors possible (suggested casting: 11F, 5+ any)

Ready for an exhilirating historical adventure? Read Moriarty's Daughters by Claire Wittman for free!

IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT by Del Martin
 

Do you prefer mysteries that go bump in the night? So does playwright Del Martin - but casting and production won't be scary with his flexible ensemble one-acts that are perfectly calibrated for middle schools and high school theater. Start exploring Martin's world with In The Forests of The Night, a thriller about thirteen students compelled by their dreams to play a game in the woods to keep a mysterious monster at bay.

• One-act drama (25-30 mins)

• 13 actors, gender flexible

You’ll learn who gets to play again when you read In the Forests of the Night by Del Martin (for free!).

Looking for more Del Martin one-act mysteries?

• The Hauntings at Cedar Park shifts between multiple time periods as two groups search for a legendary ghost.

• The Visitors follows a girl who embarks on a chilling journey as her body lies in a coma, surrounded by family and frinds who reflect on how she affected her lives.

WHO PUT BELLA IN THE WYCH ELM? by Katherine Vondy

For more mature groups ready for a rich text, complex characters, and truly chilling moments of horror, Katherine Vondy's full-length drama Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? takes a real historical case of a skeleton of an unidentified woman discovered in 1940s England, and uses it to explore the ways in which society imposes identities on women - and ultimately, how much it's possible to truly know another person.

• Full-length drama (89-90 minutes)

• 9-25 actors possible

What truth will Bella reveal? To find out, read Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? for free.

ROGUES' GALLERY

Includes plays written by Elissa C. Huang, Ian McWethy, Jason Pizzarello, Kathryn Funkhouser, Maria Pretzl, Patrick Greene, Rachel Bublitz and Tyler Dwiggins.

It doesn't get much more fun, flexible, or easy to produce than this. This hilarious build-your-own mystery play can be performed with any combination of components and optional interludes. Otherwise, all you need are a bunch of cardboard boxes! Two hapless security guards must investigate who destroyed the art gallery's prize sculpture - but every suspect caused mayhem that day, from would-be art thieves and confused tourists, to fumbling custodians and fiendish pranksters. Whodunnit? The better question is, who didn't? 

• Full-length collection of short plays, 120-130 minutes/flexible (each play is 10 minutes)

• These plays can be licensed together or separately. If you license the whole collection, you have permission to pick and choose which plays  to perform.

• 6-35+ actors, flexible

Ready to visit the Gallery? Read Rogues' Gallery right now for free!

THE SINGLE MAN - A MURDER MYSTERY by Don Zolidis

You know you’re in for a laugh riot when playwright Don Zolidis is working his magic, and this hilarious new full-length murder mystery spoof is no exception! After a death threat is found on the set of the hit TV show, The Single Man, the producers strike upon a brilliant idea: Have the suave, mustachioed investigator Henri Poisson fill in for the terrified bachelor–– but with eight single ladies vying for his attention on the show, will Poisson be able to discover the killer in time?

• Full-Length Comedy (80-85 mins)

• 10-30 actors, gender flexible

Join Detective Poisson on the case: Read The Single Man by Don Zolidis for free!

BEWARE THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL! by Matthew Byrd and Kathryn Funkhouser

Remember the campy old Vincent Price movie House on Haunted Hill? Playwrights Kathryn Funkhouser and Matthew Byrd make the low-tech horror movie into an even lower-tech whodunnit farce sure to be a scream  for any school group. An eccentric millionaire promises six guests a mysterious prize if they can survive the night at the only truly haunted house in the world (or is it?). Everyone invited has a few skeletons in their closets though...

• Full-length comedy (85-90 minutes)

• 9 actors

Are you brave enough to come to the party? Read Beware the House on Haunted Hill! by Matthew Byrd and Kathryn Funkhouser for free!