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ArtAge
Senior Theatre
Resource Center
ArtAge helps older adults fulfill
their theatrical dreams.
2012
Catalog
SHOW
TONIGHT
starring
YOU!
45 new
plays
21 new
Authors
SUPERIOR
SERVICE
ArtAge
Senior Theatre
Resource Center
Well, here it is, our latest catalog! Discover over 350 plays, books, and TipSheets
in our expanded collection. Whatever you need, whatever your level of experience,
we have something for you.
Our customers enjoy performing short plays so we added
many more to the collection. Several of them have been
translated and are now available in Spanish or French.
Most of the shows, from skits to longer plays, are
comedies with a majority of wonderful roles for older
women. You’ll have a great time performing the new
musicals and interactive plays. If your goal is to improve
your skills, you’ll appreciate our many instructional books and TipSheets
Look for our newest format, Readers Theatre KaraokeTM. It brings a whole new
dimension to readers theatre!
There’s a lot here. If you need help making selections, visit our website for
more information and where you can read FreeViews of the plays. For personal
assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us by phone or email.
We appreciate our loyal customers who make our work such a pleasure. Around
the world, the Senior Theatre Resource Center helps thousands of older adults, just
like you, fulfill their theatrical dreams!
Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Founder/ President
We have several ways to
help you connect to the
Senior Theatre movement:
• Our website at www.seniortheatre.com
is filled with news, trends, and events.
You’ll also find expanded play descriptions,
photos, and more details about our books,
plays, and materials. Ordering online is
easy with convenient e-commerce.
• Our monthly e-newsletter, “Senior
Theatre Online,” is packed with timely
information and updates. See past issues
and sign up at www.seniortheatre.com.
2
That’s not all we do. We also can help
you with:
• Becoming a member
• Marketing campaigns
• Talent and casting of films & commercials
• Speaking engagements
• Consultations to help you with
any of your Senior Theatre concerns
More information about
the books and plays plus script
excerpts are online at
www.seniortheatre.com
Play Collections................................ 2
Plays........................................................ 6
Men’s Plays.......................................... 8
Improvisation..................................13
Interactive Plays.............................14
Issue Plays..........................................15
Readers Theatre.............................16
Skits & Sketches.............................18
Holiday Plays . ................................21
Musicals.............................................22
How-to................................................24
Funding..............................................27
Theatre from Memories and
Intergenerational Theatre ......28
Bringing the Arts to
less Active.........................................30
Movement........................................31
Order Form......................................31
Monologues.................. Back cover
www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
“Senior Moments” was in the Region 7
finals of the American Association of
Community Theater competition in Fort
Collins, Colorado. The play was given
a special award for Playwriting, and the
lead actor won the Best Actor award
for the entire festival.
NEW!
Senior Moments
5 funny, touching short plays
By Donald Fried | 9-14 minute comedies;
Total 75 minutes
1 man, 1 woman to 5 men, 5 women
Senior Moments is made up of five short plays which
can be presented singly or in groups. The play is
extremely portable, requiring only one small table
and four chairs. In the 13 months
A hit
after its premier, Senior Moments
every time it’s
been staged! was performed 22 times to rave
reviews at six venues in the U.S. and
Canada – at theaters, retirement homes, and senior
centers. It includes:
• The Code. Two seniors, Rose and Charlie, meet at
a café on a blind date set up over the Internet. 13
minutes.
• The Gamblers. Colonel William and Mother
Angie have a chance encounter at a casino. Colonel
William is forced to change the habits of a lifetime.
14 minutes.
• First Love. Rose and Oscar, both in their 80’s, meet
to renew their interrupted romance. 14 minutes.
• On the RAC(K). The members of the Resident’s
Advisory Committee have huge troubles trying to
accomplish anything at all. 13 minutes.
• Growing – Old. The sequel to The Code, Rose
and Charlie meet again. Charlie is once more on
the prowl for older women, but Rose has had an
“unexpected dose of reality.” 9 minutes.
Senior Moments won first prize at the Front Range
Playwrights Showcase and third place at the
Colorado Community Theater Coalition Festival in
the Best Production category.
E-SCRIPT
$20.00 HARD COPY $24.95
Performances | Play Collections
NEW!
Chatterton Country Club
By Annette Tringham | Three 15 minute
comedies; 45 minute show
2 men, 7 women
Chatterton Country Club, a 55+
retirement community, is the setting for
these three 15-minute comedies. The
intertwining stories explore the crazy cast
of characters and themes that make senior
communal living so…“Entertaining!”
The plays can be performed individually
or together. If performed together, they
should be done sequentially, as each piece
builds upon characters and references
from the previous.
• It’s Your Move – Bob and Joe, friends
and next-door neighbors for 23 years,
share more than a game of checkers. It’s all
guy talk until Bob reveals a secret about
Joe’s wife.
• With Friends Like You – At their weekly
Annette Tringham “Stretch-ercize”
class, Margaret
nailed the over
and Arlene show
55 humor we all us what happens
when adults
love to discuss.
play post office
— Audrey Nathan, Sun Lakes in a close-knit
Life newspaper
community.
• If You Can’t Beat ‘Em – Kicked out of
her book club, Judy Crayton has decided
to form her own group called Civilian
Rules Administration Police (C.R.A.P.)
because she is tired of people who get
away with breaking the association
covenants. She has invited three of
her misfit neighbors to join her in an
anonymous letter writing campaign to
bust the villains. Their boozy potluck
luncheon is filled with twists, turns, and
revelations, ultimately changing the course
of their mission.
Chatterton Country Club has received both
audience and critical acclaim. It’s a sure-fire
hit for you!
E-SCRIPT
$20.00 HARD COPY $24.95
Play collections work well because they bring several plays together,
all under one cover. They’re cost effective, useful, and a must have on your
bookshelf for that un-anticipated emergency. Take a look at the
new collections we’ve created. We think you’ll really enjoy them!
The cast had such fun
performing both of these
plays. The audiences
were in stitches. I highly
recommend them…
with The Pie Ladies, you
never know what will
happen next!”
— Melody Welty, Senior Recreation
Coordinator, Oregon Park District/Rock
River Center
NEW!
The Pie Ladies
NEW!
The Pie Ladies Make Bail
By Sherry Piros | 25 minute comedy
6 women, 3 either
The Pie Ladies pick up their rolling pins to
make dozens of pies for the church supper.
But as they busily bake pies, they decide to
create their own country! Unfortunately this
happens in front of the pastor, a potential
choir director, and a newspaper reporter. It’s
treason, isn’t it? And who’ll make the pies?
Humor abounds as the situation unfolds.
The Pie Ladies has been a hit with church,
civic, and senior groups. Each time audiences
chuckled, laughed, and asked for more.
By Sherry Piros | 35 minute comedy
1 man, 9 women
The Pie Ladies have landed in jail because
they didn’t take kindly to their neighbors
trying to take down the flag of their
new country. They are bailed out but
now they owe a lot of money. They
decide to sell a cookbook to pay back
the funds. Their good intentions don’t
save them from a disastrous turn of
events. Lots of action, practical jokes, and
misunderstandings keep audiences on
their toes, laughing all the way!
E-SCRIPT
E-SCRIPT
$15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
$15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
Some theatre basics:
• You can’t edit scripts without permission. If you need to adjust the show to meet
community sensibilities for language use, sensuality, or gender roles, contact us.
•W
hen you perform music in a show, you must get permission to use it.
Contact us for help.
•B
uying a script does not give you permission to perform it, unless it’s a non-royalty piece.
Royalties are due when you perform for any audience, paying or non-paying. You may be
liable for a penalty of over $300. Use the Performance Checklist, page 30 as your guide.
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 3
Performances | play collections
Seniors
Acting Up
Edited by Ted Fuller
Includes ten
amusing one act
plays, six skits
and additional
information such
as how to cope
with stage fright. Plots range from the
bittersweet final chapter of a caring
waitress’ life to the zany carryings-on
of a mountain clan obviously affected
by excessive inbreeding! Most of the
playwrights and characters are seniors.
All are funny. $19.95
Consider the
Possibilities:
Ten Minute
Plays for
Mature Actors
By Ann
McDonough and
Douglas Hill
This compilation
of seven frequently staged short plays
offers a smorgasbord of challenging
and enticing theatre that features
dynamic, humorous, and touching
older characters. $13.95
Summer
Dreams/
Winter Wishes
Edited by Ann
McDonough and
Douglas Hill
You’ll want to
perform every single
play in this book! All
ten scripts feature older characters who
are dynamic and romantic! Compiled by
the folks at UNLV, the collection includes
monologues, ten-minute scripts, and
one act plays. You’ll find 130 pages of
stimulating theatre that’s sure to please
your audiences. $18.95
Short Stuff:
Ten to Twenty
Minute Plays for
Mature Actors
By Ann McDonough
These short plays
are popular in class,
in performance, or
as readers theatre
and can be performed for many different
kinds of audiences. A delightful collection
of comedies and dramas filled with
roles that today’s older performers and
audiences enjoy. $19.95
“It is such a pleasure to have an unique theatre experience with
humor and fun that beckons back to the days of radio, the
audience filling in the spaces with their imaginations.”
— Wynne Weiss, Vista, California Public Library
The Quibbles
Radio Shows
NEW!
By Karen Riehl | 5 minutes per sketch
Casts from 4 to 40
The Quibbles is a collection of comedy
sketches, reminiscent of radio shows
of the ‘40s and ‘50’s, featuring a
delightfully quarrelsome couple, Carol
and Quentin Quibble, in the hilarious
skirmishes of everyday life. Carol is a well-meaning helpmate, eager to improve
herself and her husband. Quentin is mostly interested in golf. Their next door
neighbor, Madge, is the town busybody. Sketches from The Quibbles Radio Shows
are easy to perform with well-drawn characters. Can be fully mounted plays, used
in classes, or included in variety shows. Such fun!
E-SCRIPT
4
$20.00 HARD COPY $24.95
www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
New Plays for
Mature Actors
Edited by Bonnie L. Vorenberg
This prized collection
features 10 plays and
sketches selected from 300
in two nationwide searches.
Their plots and characters
present modern, positive
See updated
images of maturity with
“The Day They
primarily female roles.
kidnapped
Can be used for readers
Blanche,” on p. 6 theatre or staged for any
audience. “Useful and
entertaining…”—Booklist, American Library
Association. $24.95
Women Are Funny
By May Kramer
This collection features
monologues, skits, one-act
plays for auditions, women’s
clubs, community theatre,
and solo performance. It
has 14 scripts, mainly for
women. They are easy to
do, with very clear characters, and all of them are
funny. They were a hit every time they have been
performed. Includes the popular play, How to
Marry the Minister. $17.50
Great for drama
ministry!
“Blanton’s well-written
[sketches] are filled
with humor and
will be useful in any
senior acting group.”
— Stage Directions
Seniors Centerstage:
Sketches Designed for Seniors
By Gail Blanton | 5-10 minutes each
Bring seniors onstage with these humorous
and thought-provoking
Features the
sketches for use in drama
crowd-pleasing
War of the Roses! ministry. They work well in
performance, as an activity at
weekly meetings, or for eye-opening presentations
on issues of aging. All promote empathy,
understanding, and unity. $18.99
Performances | Play Collections
ArtAge
The Age On Stage®
Series
Age on Stage®: Comedies for
Readers Theatre, Volume 1
VOLUME I
Age on
Stage
®
By Drena Heizer
Ten 10-minute comedies
BEST From chuckles to
SELLER! guffaws, this is a
laugh fest all the way. Sparked with
Comedies
funny characters and humorous
For
Readers
situations, lively dialogue, sudden
Theatre
surprises, and just the right touch
of charming goofiness, these plays
are great fun for audiences and
Large Print
performers alike. This collection is
an invitation to laughter! Written for and performed by a Senior
Theatre company. $24.95
Drena Heizer
Age
on Stage:
Table of Contents
10
Minute
lays
Terri Ryburn
Age on Table of Contents
Stage
on
Stage:
®
The Age on Stage® series has been a huge hit
with shows all over the US and around the world.
Take a look and you’ll see why they are so popular!
Age on Stage®:
Comedies for Readers
Theatre, Volume 2
NEW!
volume II
Age on
Stage
®
By Drena Heizer
Ten 10-minute comedies
Here it is—Book Two from
the author of the #1 bestComedies
selling Age on Stage®: Comedies
For
Readers
for Readers Theatre, Volume
Theatre
1. Open to any page in this
book and you will find quirky
characters in humorous
Large Print
situations, and that’s why
these short comedies are so much fun for both actors
and audiences.
Drena Heizer
Age on Stage®:
Ten Minute Plays
By Terri Ryburn
BEST This collection of six
SELLER! 10 -15 minute plays is
an affectionate and frequently funny
look at every day relationships with
10 Minute
family, friends, and strangers.
Plays
It includes:
10
• Ten Years Younger, a hilarious
Minute
makeup makeover.
Plays
• Cross Words, a clever look at those
idiosyncrasies we all love in our
Terri Ryburn
spouses.
• Let’s Go to the Movies, a humorous
take on the memory tricks seniors
use to recapture a ‘lost’ fact.
• The Edge of Forever, a touching play
that explores the depth of affection
that develops after 50 years of
marriage.
• They Also Serve, a poignant story about true love and the
sacrifices that war brings to those left behind.
• High Heels, where two friends “strut their stuff” during a shoe
shopping trip.
Written for and produced by a Senior Theatre Company. $16.95
Terri Ryburn
1
1
Read detailed descriptions about the plays
online at www.seniortheatre.com.
For example, we’ve all
“What’s on TV was
had annoying restaurant
experiences but none quite
the greatest hit!
like the one Marge encounters
in Lunch With Eddie. TV
The audience laughed
judges are lampooned in the
and laughed!”
ludicrous Courtroom Capers,
and Mother Goose characters
— Lynn Arizzi
turn up in ridiculous roles in
Law And Disorder. An amateur theatre group stumbles
through a mystery play, airline passengers experience a
strangely unusual journey, and a department store Santa
Claus gets an unwelcome surprise. These funny
adventures and many others are included in this
intriguing collection. $24.95
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 5
Performances | Plays
What is an
E-SCRIPT?
Plays with E-SCRIPT are available electronically, as
a PDF, Microsoft Word format, or in hard copy for $5
extra. The plays will be emailed to you promptly. Call
us if it’s a rush order and we’ll send it immediately.
Copying privilege
With e-scripts, you don’t have to buy individual
scripts from us, unlike so many other sources.
Purchase of an e-script allows you to make
copies of the play for your cast.
The Last Day at W.O.R.K.
By Brandon Daughtry Slocum and JP Schuffman
40 minute comedy radio play
Gender flexible roles for 12-16 actors
BEST A radio station in a
SELLER! small southern town,
W.O.R.K., is signing off the air after
50 years. The station owners, a
couple in their 70’s, have invited
back their old favorite acts for one
last nostalgic show. Actors can
read their lines, no memorization
needed. Premiered at a Senior
Theatre to rave reviews. Easy
to insert additional acts. This is
comedy at its best!
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
So flexible!
The Day They Kidnapped Blanche: The Revival
By Ann Barham Pugh and Katy Dacus | 30 minute comedy
2 men, 3 women, 1 either
After a recent professional cast production, this classic Senior
Theatre play has been updated. Blanche, an energetic and
youngish seventy year-old retired teacher, is
Very
having a blast starring in a community theatre
Popular!
comedy. Both she and Mel, her protective pal,
and the theatre director are unaware of a stalker attending
every performance. He is, in fact Devon, an FBI Agent,
who recruits her to tackle an offstage role. Blanche goes
undercover. How can she and her buddies, without weapons,
try to outsmart a tough criminal and her money-hungry but
dim-witted assistant? Longer version in New Plays for Mature
Actors on page 4. E-SCRIPT $15.00
6
HIT!
Under a Magical Moon
By Patrick Gaffney | 20-25 minute romance
1 man, 1 woman; can be staged with 3 men, 3 women
Since Ancient Times, the magic of the night sky has held sway over
Love and Lovers. Whether in Verona, Italy between the young Romeo
and Juliet; or in Muncie, Indiana between the...not so young...Gavin
and Kathleen. In three short scenes over a minimalist set of a backyard
table and chairs in the height of midsummer, we visit the past and
present of two old friends who have not seen each other for 30 years...
who just may have some sort of future together. A charming play
that will blow a breath of a fresh summer breeze across the stage, and
maybe even bring a tear to the corner of the eye at the end. The play
has now won five national awards. Works well as Readers Theatre.
E-SCRIPT
NEW!
$15.00
Stolen Flowers
By Lora Lee Ecobelli | 20 minute drama
“Hats off to Ms.
2 women
Ecobelli for creating a
Two middle-aged sisters find the
strength to leave their troubled
powerfully moving piece
pasts behind with the help of some
about both sisterhood
flower seeds and a fertile plan. Azalea
Jackson lives on a rural dairy farm in
and the choices we
upstate New York. Her greatest joy is
make as women.”
to someday plant a flower garden, but
— Gayle Hudson
her controlling husband Chuck thinks
flowers are decadent and a waste of
time. For many years Azalea has been the victim of his alcoholism
and lives in constant fear of his violent outbursts. When her older
sister Cora Tompkins, a hard working free spirit, brings an
innocent gift of potted flowers, it sparks a chain of events that
alters both of their lives forever.
Together, the sisters face the repressed tragedies of their past. By
confronting their fears, the sisters find a creative way to end the cycle of
abuse and find the courage to begin a new life.
Touching on themes of domestic violence, poverty and the plight of
older women who are forced to become the primary caretakers of their
grandchildren, Stolen Flowers is a powerful and inspirational drama.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Performances | Plays
Volunteering Has its Moments
By Ann Barham Pugh | 20 minute comedy
5 women or 4 women/1 man
The play is set on the
A special
play for volunteer “Opal” show, a nationally
televised tribute to
recognition!
volunteers moderated
by the popular TV personality. Her guests
are stellar volunteers who present funny and
quirky adventures, “moments,” that have been
submitted to the TV show. The well defined
characters clash during the production but
in the end, are brought together by the warm
spirit of volunteerism. The show can be easily
performed as readers theatre or staged as a
fully mounted production. The fast paced
comedy is a fitting tribute to volunteers.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Bowling with Dixie
By Ann Barham Pugh | 20 minute comedy
4 women
Four middle-aged women, former high school
classmates, are avid bowling enthusiasts who
meet in vacant store to plan converting it into
a bowling alley. To have their ‘Queenpin Alley’
they must outsmart a cagey county Sheriff
who wants the store for a men-only pool hall.
During the ladies’ meeting, Sandy triggers their
action plan. You’ll love the surprise ending!
Written by prize-winning playwright, Ann
Barham Pugh, who knows how to use simple
staging and strong characters to make fun
theatre. Check out Pugh’s other plays, The Day
They Kidnapped Blanche,The Christmas Coffee
and Volunteering has its Moments.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Short plays are the mainstay of Senior Theatre. Use one at a time or combine
them to create a thematic program. With short plays, it’s easy to cast your
unique number of men and women. Plus, short pieces are great for touring
to performances—if someone is unable to appear, just use a different play.
Flexible, easy, and fun, customers love our short plays!
NEW! Love and Other
Investments
John Hayes | 25 minute comedy
2 men, 2 women
Wry-witted, with rapid fire screwball
comedy dialogue, Love and Other
Investments centers on Agnes as
she tries to finish her taxes. Her
meddlesome neighbor, demanding
mother, and ex-husband all interfere
with a peaceful night to remind Agnes
that there’s more to life than doubleblind investments and paperwork.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Sunny Room in Charming House
By Marcia Savin | 25 minute comedy
2 women
Life becomes challenging, comic, and
life changing for Lydia, a widow, when
she rents a room to Connie, a divorcee
free spirit. Lydia’s quiet evenings with
a book and wine get unhinged with
Connie’s sprawl, spontaneity, and frank
wit. They learn to laugh and connect.
Great characters, quick script, easy
costuming & staging.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
The Perfect Groom
by May Kramer | 25 minute comedy
5 men, 7 women
This play is the perfect little comedy. It is
very easy to stage, with lots of action as the
characters enter and exit frequently, airing
their views and participating in what ought
to be Jane’s perfect wedding. The players
interact in small groups until the climax.
Will Jane tie the knot at last? Will the best
man learn the answer to a puzzle? Which, if
any, of the bridesmaids will find romance?
When you see the script excerpt, you’ll
know why we added this play! Great fun!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Bitsy and Her Friends
By Ludmilla Bollow | 30 minute comedy
6 women
Bitsy and her friends recycle trash for their
‘art faire’ to be held in the Wyndham
Mansion Gardens only to meet opposition
from the neighbors. The offbeat characters
thwart their detractors with a surprise
ending. Semi-finalist Winner in the Eileen
Heckart Drama for Seniors Competition.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
All is Fair in Show Business
By Barry M. Putt, Jr. | 20 minute comedy
4 women, 2 either men and/or women
A fun-loving retiree is elated when she lands her first acting job,
a juicy role as a TV commercial spokeswoman for a popular,
fast food restaurant. All goes awry though when the director
decides to recast the part with the retiree’s adversary. Demoted
to an extra in the commercial, the retiree must struggle to be
recognized by the director as the best spokeswoman for the
job. This delightful, fast-paced comedy is loads of fun and can
easily be adapted to any theatre setting.
“A terrific show—All is Fair in Show Business was a great success!”
— Harry (Sonny) Lerner, director Theater Guild
E-SCRIPT $15.00
RADIO PLAY E-SCRIPT
$15.00
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 7
Performances | Plays
NEW!
New Car Shopping
By Arthur S. Keyser | 20 minute comedy
2 women
Honey, a middle-aged married woman is shopping
for a new car. The salesmen send her to Cardelia, the
agency’s only saleswoman. The story is a humorous
and exaggerated tale of what
Men’s
happens when Cardelia uses the
version is also
hard sell to get Honey into a new
available
auto. Over the last fifty years, and
probably before that, scriptwriters and stand-up
comedians have poked fun at salespeople. In this
satirical piece, the script takes aim at the auto sales
industry. Buying a car has never been this funny!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
(indicate women’s or men’s version)
The Men’s Club
NEW!
Plays just for men!
Grown-Up Games
By Arthur S. Keyser | 10 minute comedy
2 men
Anthony, a ninety-two year old white man, and Charles, a black man in his late
eighties, wait on a bench in the passenger area of a train station. Anthony is
wearing a backpack and Charles has a piece of luggage, next to him. We think
they’re taking the next train but… The dialogue is humorous but, at the same
time, poignant. The two men use their capacity for imagination to do more
than just survive. Lovely play! E-SCRIPT $15.00
The Gold Standard
By George Freek | 20 minute comedy
2 men
“Cantankerous, caring, funny…”—that’s how
readers describe the relationship between
Max and Leonard, a retired real estate agent
and retired teacher, who meet over a game
of checkers to discuss, grouse, and enjoy life.
When it comes to meaty older men’s roles
in short plays, there are few that are as deep
and charming as these two well drawn,
complete characters in a well written play
with plenty of life. E-SCRIPT $15.00
Combover
By Micheal Bettencourt | 15 minute comedy
2 men
Men fret about the state of their hair. So do Dual McKenzie and his barber. Dual
is worried that his wife will not like the “thinning thatch” on his head, especially
since she seems to be pursuing life with an unnerving gusto. This is a solid play
with characters that really talk to each other. You’ll like performing this one!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
See also: It’s Your Move in Chatterton Country Club, page 3.
It’s Hell Getting Old, page 20
New Car Shopping, this page.
8
www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
NEW!
A Profusion of Roses
By Marcus Steinour | 10-15 minute mystery
2 women
Vivian takes care of Anna, who she refers to as
“Sister.” When Vivian asks if Anna remembers Patricia,
Anna berates her for mentioning the daughter
who ran away to get married and broke her heart.
Outside, the flower garden Patricia planted is a
constant reminder. Sound confusing? That’s the
point of this mysterious, alluring play. Well drawn
characters in a tight show, this will be a favorite that
your audience will remember. E-SCRIPT $15.00
NEW!
Stanley’s Choice
By Millie Ackley | 30 minute comedy
2 men, 3 women
Sally’s birthday is a month away. Her husband Stanley
has planned a surprise birthday trip that includes
an annual vacation they always take with their very
conservative, best friends, Peter and Penelope Page.
Everyone is excited about the trip. Sally learns by
accident that they are going to Plain & Simple, a
nudist colony where she and her husband were
members fifteen years ago! It’s a trip--the audience
will anticipate the ending, but the actors will surprise
them. A funny, well written show that flows well
and…there’s no nudity! E-SCRIPT $15.00
NEW!
Maisie and Grover Go to the Theatre
By Tony Vellela | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman
Maisie and Grover have come to the theatre using
anniversary-present tickets from their children. She
loves the idea; he hates it. As the colorful couple
enters from the rear of the theatre, they bicker and
jostle, break up, and make up. This quick, fun, easy
show is designed to stand alone or be combined in a
program with other plays. Such fun!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Performances | Plays
NEW!
Special Screening Today
By Marcia Savin | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 4 women, 2 either, plus extras
Who knows what will happen when you’re waiting in line for a
movie? Janice and several others are looking forward to seeing an
advance movie screening. Everyone is friendly and cordial until
someone cuts in line. They are outraged! Janice discovers that
waiting in line can be more exciting than watching a movie! There
are plenty of characters and lots of action in this short show. You’re
going to love it!
E-SCRIPT
NEW!
$15.00
Sylvia and Myrna
By Bob Rinfret | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 2 women
Myrna Howard is a retired starlet. Sylvia Goldstein is a retired
housewife. What they share in common is that they both live at a
retirement village in Florida. Sylvia, however, thinks they are sharing
something else. Is it a case of jumping to conclusions or does
Myrna’s confession reveal ulterior motives? The surprise ending will
tickle your funny bone and open your eyes.
E-SCRIPT
The Vagabond Players in “Ladies of the Mop.”
Ladies of the Mop
$15.00
Shoes
By Judd Lear Silverman | 15 minute comedy
1 man, 2 women
When someone offers you a lightly-used pair of black wingtip
shoes, you’d better check out the previous owner! This is a comedy
about family obligations, unresolved relationships, and possessions,
in all forms. Voted Best Play and Audience Favorite in NYC’s famed
15-Minute Play Festival, this award-winning comedy has received
acclaimed productions from California to Connecticut and recently
was made into a short independent film.
E-SCRIPT
NEW!
All I Want Is the Recipe
By Georgia Tuxbury | 10 minute comedy
2 women
In this humorous phone conversation, the
Also
caller only wants to find out how to make a
available in
casserole. Instead she finds herself embroiled in
Spanish and
a conversation that takes off in all directions…
French!
everywhere, except in the direction of the recipe!
This delightful comedy is simple to produce, with a format that
allows you to hide scripts, if necessary. The play is easy, light, fun
and sure to be a hit with your audiences!
E-SCRIPT
NEW!
No
royalty fees!
$15.00
$15.00
Starting Over
By Arthur S. Keyser | 15 minute comedy
1 man, 2 women
Solly, a ninety-one year old widower, sits in a shady spot in an urban
park near May who reads a newspaper. Their chat reveals secrets
known only to each other. The conversation and relationship is
both funny and touching. Easy to perform and sure to make you
laugh, theirs is a feel-good story!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
NEW!
By Aurand Harris | 20 minute comedy
4 women; extras if needed
Annie is a faded woman who has
not lost her dream of the stage;
Mattie, an unimaginative soul; Hallie,
loud, energetic; and Bessie, tall and
dignified. Annie proposes they
entertain themselves while they eat
and rest from their scrubbing on
the stage. Bessie sings, Hallie dances,
Mattie plays a piano number, and
Annie gives a melodramatic reading.
When, after a disagreement, all
four perform simultaneously…it’s
hilarious. Non-royalty. $10.00
Clyde, is that You?
Jerry Bailey | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 3 women
Clyde is a hard-core womanizer and three-time loser in the
marital sweepstakes. His journey takes him to Las Vegas for
some R & R and perhaps a new conquest because he is still
on the prowl. He is delighted to discover that the Red Hatters
are holding their annual convention in the hotel where he’s
staying and the pickings look prime. What Clyde doesn’t
know is that all of his three ex-wives are in town for the
convention. None of them know or have even heard of each
other, just one of several details of his life that Clyde neglected
to mention. It changes during the course of a few hectic
moments and Clyde is suddenly up to his ogling eye-balls in
angry ex-spouses. This unexpected “family reunion” is a lot
of laughs as Clyde uses all of his charms to try to explain the
unexplainable. Very funny!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 9
Performances | PLAYS
At Half Time
Winner
One Act Play
Contest at
Canada’s BC
Senior
Games!
By Art Shulman
20 minute
very popular comedy
1 man, 5 women,
The team in the Over 60
Women’s Park Basketball league has had a terrible first half.
They’re losing to Little Sisters of Mercy, a silent order of
nuns who play in long skirts. It’s half time and the Coach
is beside himself because his team of slow moving, slow
reacting ladies is losing 59-6. His efforts to motivate his
team don’t seem to work. Then he thinks of a way to
neutralize the competition. This fast moving play has
plenty of action from the well drawn characters. Lots of
standing ovations! E-SCRIPT $15.00
Making a Move
By Carl Williams | 20 minute comedy
1 man, 2 women
Harvey wants to enjoy his retirement sitting
in front of the TV, eating potato chips. His
athletic wife, Vera, wants to move into a
bungalow at Silverwood Estates. Even their
daughter can’t convince Harvey to
Award
move. Vera conspires to make him
winner!
jealous of their neighbor, Teddy,
an energetic senior who accompanies Vera
when she runs. They flirt in front of Harvey. He
gets worried and is forced to take action. First
place winner in the Stormy Weathers Players’
New Play Festival and winner of the Spotlight
Award in the New Voice Play Festival at The
Old Opera House Theatre. Williams’ plays
have won numerous national competitions,
with productions from California to off-offBroadway. E-SCRIPT $15.00
Dinner Plans
By Vicki Bartholomew
20 minute comedy
5 women
Retired sisters, Maryln
and Betty, get together
with their three friends,
Cora, Peggy, and Alice
for coffee and a recipe
exchange. They discover, to their amazement
and chagrin, that they have all been cooking
for the same lovely man! The resolution to the
dilemma is clever and charming. $10.00
A HUGE HIT!
The Committee
By Charles Alverson | 20 minute comedy
3 men, 4 women
When Keith enters Sunset Villas
retirement home, he has yet another
hurdle to clear. He finds himself facing
a self-appointed Committee of four
who have some pertinent—and
impertinent—questions for him. One
by one, The Committee quizzes Keith
on his cooking skills, dancing ability,
attitude toward romance, his golf game
and poker skills, at the same time
damning Oscar, a former resident, with
not-so-faint criticism. To everyone’s
surprise, Oscar rises from the audience,
comes on stage, and vigorously defends
himself, proving to everyone what
we all have come to know about The
Committee. The show is funny, easy to
stage, and moves quickly.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Roses to Plan
By Robin Rice Lichtig | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman
An older married couple gives us a sweet
and funny look at love in a long-standing
marriage. They need each other to keep
their lives under control. The limits of
their love are tested. They pass with
flying colors and more than a few laughs.
Winner of many awards.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
10 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Hi Tech
By Wes Wetzel | 17 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman (who plays 7 different
voices) plus an off stage woman
An action driven comedy about modem
life and the frustrations associated with
it. A man trying to get his television to
work calls Tomorrow’s Electronics and
receives the usual, but
Very
unusual, telephone merryPopular!
go-round from the female
operator. The man is on
one side of the stage in an overstuffed
chair. The telephone operator is on the
other side with a table and rolling chair.
She changes props and costumes for each
voice, making a hilarious scurry between
phone calling and frantically changes
clothes, with wigs and clothes flying in all
directions. Great fun! E-SCRIPT $15.00
How to Marry the Minister
By May Kramer | 20 minute comedy
4 women
Included in the Women are Funny book
on page 5, this short play shows the many
ways these women connive to get the
minister to marry them. It’s easy, fun and
can be pulled off with a minimum of
rehearsal. E-SCRIPT $15.00
More information about
the books and plays plus script
excerpts are online at
www.seniortheatre.com
Performances | Plays
Truth in Advertising
By Judd Lear Silverman
15 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman
“You learn so much about a
person when you vacation
with them.” Sid and Marsha
have learned much about
the world and each other
in their long marriage, but
were they prepared for this
disastrous trip to Bermuda?
A funny cautionary tale,
based on a real situation,
about the things people
buy into and the surprises
and discoveries that may
result! With short lines
of dialogue, this script
moves along at a clip,
great as readers theatre. A
real winner!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Boy Toy
By Kim Kelly
15 minute comedy
1 man, 2 women
Aunt Boo can’t resist a
charming telemarketer and
she orders a robot to help her
with housework. But when
“Boy Toy” is brought into
her home, all kinds of chaos
breaks out and she and her
niece, Faye, soon learn that he
was more than they bargained
for. This short play is lots of
fun. With minimal scenery
and props, it is easy for the
actors to perform and a hit
with audiences!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Visit our website to see
a complete listing of
programs.
Waiting for Dr. Hamlett
By Doug Stewart
15 minute comedy
6 men, 3 women
This delightful romp takes
you through the medical
morass of Dr. Hamlett’s
Padua City waiting room,
as ten zany characters
collect and distribute
Shakespearian quotes as
though picking daffodils
on a bright Spring
morning. This imaginative
short comedy is fun for
casts and audiences of
all ages, giving everyone
involved a wonderful
opportunity to “Brush
up your Shakespeare,
start quoting him now!”
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
Plays by
John Clifford
A CLASSIC, BEST OF THE BEST!
Gin and Tonic
By John Clifford | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman
This laugh-out-loud comedy offers
a fresh look at the
Also
Available in problems of senior
Spanish & dating. Olive is having
a bad day when she is
French!
interrupted by Stanley,
a brash fellow who seems to have
mistaken her office for the nearby
Senior Dating Service. The verbal
duel becomes increasingly hilarious.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
The Wild Sister
Laura Pfizenmayer is
my favorite playwright!
I love directing Laura’s
work because her plays
are so much fun, for
actors and audiences
alike.
— Annie Laurie Wheat,
Professor of Theatre,
Winthrop University
NEW!
Forget Me Not
New
Southern
comedy!
By Laura Pfizenmayer | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 2 women
Edearl is a good husband but sometimes his wife Merle could just wring his neck
especially when uptight church lady Maevelyn comes to call. Can love triumph over
a broken toilet flapper, a lost cell phone, and a bloody nose or is Merle really just
an “enabler” of her sweet husband’s incompetence? This fun, physical comedy is a
southern fried delight. Easy to stage and a pleasure to perform, this play won the
Down Home Play Festival in Rock Hill, SC and was performed as part of the 9 X 9
series at Theatre Charlotte in Charlotte, SC. It was voted “Audience Favorite” and was
performed to sold out audiences. E-SCRIPT $15.00
By John Clifford | 10 minute comedy
3 women
Kate and Joanie arrive
Great in
Competitions! at their sister Marilyn’s
house after her
husband’s betrayal and abandonment.
They are not prepared to find that
Marilyn is coping just fine on her own.
This funny and touching play explores
how sibling rivalries can last far into
adulthood. E-SCRIPT $15.00
HIT!
Coconut Crème Pie
By John Clifford | 10 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman
John Clifford is one of our most
popular playwrights. Here’s another
easy, delightful script for his many
fans. As the play opens,
Very
Popular! the main character,
‘him,’ is at his first day of
work delivering pies for his ungrateful
son-in-law’s business. Everything goes
wrong. He has the wrong address, he
drops the pie, and tries to clean up
the mess with a sock. But as a result,
he finds a sympathetic woman who
understands him. Humorous. Good
characters. Another winner!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 11
Performances | plays
“A great ensemble play with
many comic moments!”
Eureka Times Standard.
Make Mine Metamucil
By Dave Silverbrand | Two act, 90 minute comedy
4 men, 5 women, 1 either
We read this play and immediately knew it would be a hit in our collection.
It’s the story about Gladys who dreams of celebrity in Hollywood and on
Broadway. To fulfill her fantasy, she decides to write a play and enter it in a
national contest. She is encouraged by an old actor friend who dreams of a
comeback and her exercise instructor who sees this as a chance to fulfill his
own show business fantasies. The competition turns out to be a scam. This
play captures the heart and humor of growing older. It combines laughter,
sentiment, and intrigue to make a great theatre experience. It’s been called,
“A great ensemble play with many comic moments” by the Eureka Times
Standard. The play was written for and produced by a Senior Theatre
Company and enjoyed a successful run at a Community Theatre.
E-SCRIPT $15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
For longer plays, contact us for reduced-cost cast copies.
Reunion at Mt. Sanguine:
Class of 1950 — Go Warriors!
In The Rest Room at Rosenblooms
By Ludmilla Bollow | 90 minute comedy
4 women, plus many non-speaking
roles
This contemporary two-act comedy
reveals the hopes, dreams, and fears of
three older ladies who spark their lonely
lives by meeting daily in the rest room
lounge of an outdated department store
and the crazy and touching events that happen when one of
them is supposedly threatened. Written by an internationally
recognized playwright, it has received raves everywhere it’s been
produced. $11.95
At the Border
By Bob Wilkins |35 minute comedy
3 men, 3 women, 3 either
The Pettiburg Town Hall spans the Canadian-US border and has
two mayors in an ongoing feud. Things get worse with the news
of pending changes to the border crossing’s administration. The
US mayor sees this as an opportunity to assure his re-election; the
Canadian mayor is sure that his American counterpart is plotting
to take full control of the crossing. The situation is intensified by a
meddling janitor, a persistent reporter, and a couple of over-the-hill
hippies. International relations are rarely this hilarious.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00
By Doug Stewart | 90 minutes
4 men, 6 women
This is a warm and humorous
script of a 50th high school
reunion. The colorful group
returns to a small Midwestern
farm town along with their pasts and their futures.
The play comes in large print. It makes for quite an
evening!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
Grand Moves
3rd Place
Oklahoma
Community
Theatre
Association
New Play
Contest
By Wes Wetzel | 40 minute comedy
2 men, 6 women
Our realtor heroine, who is hosting an open house, is visited by a
succession of zany house hunters. First is a group of three women
who while they are “just looking,” we learn far too much about
them! The next prospective customer is an Eskimo from the far
north whose wives told him to find a place in the sun after he
received money from Exxon for oil rights. Next comes Cash-Only
Katie, a recently retired madam. Finally, we meet the Walters and
you won’t believe their surprise! Simple staging, the show was a hit
at the Senior Theatre where it’s been staged. E-SCRIPT $15.00
12 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Performances | plays And Improvisation
Improvisation
“A Few Good Years”…combines a modern show
with mimes that begin and end the acts, it was just like
done in classic theatre. Excellent, don’t miss it”
— Clyde Morrison, Pinewood News, AZ
NEW!
A Few Good Years
By Penny Petersen | 95 minute romantic comedy
4 men, 4 women, 4-6 non-speaking gender flexible roles
A Few Good Years is a romantic comedy in the style of The
Fantasticks. Two middle-aged daughters fix
Also available as
up their reluctant, widowed parents. To give
a musical!
Libbi and Larry happiness, the daughters
See page 22.
make a terrible mess of everything. A fake
robbery, an actress in a clown suit, a guy’s night out bowling, and a
fantasy nightmare add to the hilarity. Mimes, who represent ‘Fate,’
intervene to clear the confusion. The play combines charm and
wit with a warm understanding of human nature. Best of all, love
triumphs in the end. A hit every time it’s been staged! Simple scenic
needs. 2 Acts.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
Contact us for reduced-cost cast copies.
NEW!
Old Hams
By Robert Rinfret | 2 hour comedy
4 men, 6 women plus extras
The Ophelia L. Davis Home for Actors, Musicians and Singers is a
1920’s manor in 21st century Burbank California. Its residents, who
have called it home for over 40 years, all worked in film, radio,
or TV. They include two sisters, a leading man who could never
remember his lines, a man of 999 faces, and a mystic who hasn’t
had a correct vision in years!
Their friend and former owner of the home, Ophelia Davis, died
leaving the older performers in a terrible predicament. The taxes
are due and if they can’t be raised, the son of Ophelia’s attorney,
Ben, will sell the house so he can make millions when the land is
used for a shopping mall.
At wit’s end, the performers turn to Ophelia’s Granddaughter
and a nephew for help. Using all their acting skills, some clever
disguises, and a missing lottery ticket, they manage to turn a
garage sale into a hilarious showdown. It makes for a fun filled and
unexpected ending. The strong characters and plot makes this
show memorable for both actors and audiences!
E-SCRIPT
$15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
The Improv Game
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
BEST This game has been so popular
in classes and workshops that we
now offer it to you. It makes improvisation
quick, easy and fun. The deck of sixty plus who,
what, when, where, and why cards provide
jumping off points to stimulate creativity,
imagination, and spontaneity. There are
unlimited combinations for hours of enjoyment in drama class,
at parties, or wherever you want to have some fun! Successful
with people of all ages and abilities. $15.00
SELLER!
Creative Dramatics
for Senior Adults
By Ann McDonough
McDonough teaches you how creative
drama can be fun while promoting
creativity and imagination. This basic
manual helps you structure workshops
and classes into a progression, develop and
dramatize stories, and guide your program
with a 12-week lesson plan. $18.75
NEW!
Improv Starters
Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Now you can liven up your
Improv
improvisations with these Improv
Starters Starters. The deck of 35 expression cards,
8½ X 11” on bright cover stock, can be
used as starters for storytelling, in drama
class to work on vocal expression, or as
a way to stimulate improvisations. The flash card deck will
become a treasured tool, especially when you run low on
ideas! $15.00
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
A Treasured Teaching
Tool for Drama
Class, Storytelling,
Improvisation…
whenever your
imagination runs low!
See more improvisation on p. 24,
“Drama Activities with Older Adults.”
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 13
Performances | Interactive PLAYS
Gen. Bingo: A Comedy about Life,
Patriotism, Bingo and a Chance to win
a Frozen Turkey
MR. E’s RADIO SPIRITZ SHOW
By Jonathan M. Zaley | 75 plus minutes.
11 roles plus 3 commercial announcers
An old-fashioned radio murder mystery
suspense comedy, where the audience
takes control of the sound effects. A
5-episode cliffhanger. It’s an old-time
radio murder mystery variation of a spoof of the murder of
Julius Caesar. The station manager of WMOO assigns members
of the audience to handle the sound effects for the upcoming
live radio performance which turns into one hilarious laugh
fest as the audience tries to keep up with their sound effects
duties. From horses galloping to creepy footsteps, gunshots,
and a whole host of other spooky sounds which were part of
what made mystery radio so special. It is fantastically funny and
mysteriously murderous...basically, JUST PLAIN FUN!
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
Memories of
a Wonderful Life
By Jonathan M. Zaley
80 plus minute comedy
3 men, 1 woman, offstage voice
You may be familiar with the
annual television classic, It’s
A Wonderful Life, but this LIVE theatrical version has a little
twist! Red-hatted Clarence and George lead the audience on
a journey where the audience gets to play the characters of
Bedford Falls, New York. Narrated by an older woman and with
the help of the cast, they guide the audience through the story
using props and feeding them lines. It turns into one hilarious
show.
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
By Jonathan M. Zaley & Mary A. Zaley
90 plus minutes
1 man, 2 women,
plus audience participants
A comedy about life, patriotism, bingo...and
a chance to win a frozen turkey. Set in the
local VFW hall for Wednesday Night Bingo, audience members
are made to feel like one of the regulars out to win some extra
money or the grand prize...a frozen turkey! Greeted by Major
Payne, a Vietnam veteran and lodge president, the audience is put
through their paces to keep Bingo Night in line. They’ll laugh and
sing and play some wild and wacky audience games. It has a great
comic bit with three male veterans chosen from the audience, so
it makes for a fantastic patriotic show, whether for Memorial Day,
Flag Day, 4th of July or Veterans’ Day.
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
When Irish Cows are Smiling: The
Hilarious MOO-morial Tribute
to O’Leary’s Cow
By Jonathan M. Zaley | 80 plus minutes
2 men, 1 woman, plus audience participants
“A wacky Irish comedy built around Mrs.
O’Leary and her famous cow, the zany show
returns with all of its wit, charm and laughter,”
says The Daily Herald. “A knee-slapping
performance filled with friendly jabs at the Irish and cheap cow jokes,
“ says The Courier News. Set in March 1872, five months since the
Great Chicago Fire, this MOO-morial service, held at the Diggum,
Deepe & Dye Funeral Parlour, pays tribute to Mrs. O’Leary’s cow,
Daniella Joy, the infamous firebug.
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
The Glass Slipper still Fits:
A Senior Cinderella Story
By Natalina DePhillips | 70 plus minute
comedy
1 man, 4 women, plus audience
participants
This wonderful and touching story is sure
to tug at every audience member’s heartstrings, no matter how old. A widow
lives in the attic of her own house because she is mistreated
and ignored by her own family. Cynthia Rella ventures out to
find that her later years are more fulfilling and exciting than
she could have ever expected. This story will most definitely fill
your audience’s souls with laughter, adventure, love, and lastbut-not-least...a happy ending!
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
Spare Nothing:
A Comedy That Will
Bowl You Over!
By Jonathan M. Zaley | 90 plus
minutes
2 men, 2 women, plus audience
participants
As they say in bowling centers around the globe, “Split Happens,”
and this audience-interactive comedy will have you rolling in the
alleys with laughter while you watch one of the league semi-finalists,
St. Mary’s of the Alley’s Mixed Nuts bowling team, as they prepare
for their big championship game.This show is sure to “strike” a nerve
for anyone who has ever bowled or had to live with someone that
did! Audience plays some of the characters of the bowling center.
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
14 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Performances | Interactive & ISSUE ORIENTED plays
NEW!
You’re The Jury: The State vs Max Cooper
By Steve and Susan Shear | 1 ½ to 2 hour courtroom drama
3 men, 2 women, 16 gender flexible roles
Peter Lambert moved into a tranquil community and soon began
terrorizing the neighbors including Max, an upstanding member of the
town. Soon, they were in a feud that escalated on one fateful night when
Max shot Peter in the shoulder, causing Dean Palan to veer off the road
and die.
Get the audience involved with the action.
These tested winners have all been hits!
Arrested for the attempted murder of Peter Lambert, and the death of
poor Dean Palan, Max contends that he “didn’t know the gun was loaded
with real bullets” and that his wife, Savannah, switched the blanks for the
real thing. Savannah was outraged by the accusation even though she had
a flirtatious reputation and was rumored to have been ‘involved’ with Peter.
The State argues that rage and revenge were involved in this exciting
courtroom drama, laced with humor, in which the audience, as the Jury,
must deliver the verdict. Three different endings are provided depending
on the jury’s outcome. Unique, interactive and engaging.
Comes with the jury ballot, reporter’s questions and more--everything to
make this a suspenseful, fun, theatrical event!
E-SCRIPT $15.00
HARD COPY $20.00
The audience is the jury!
We voted to acquit the defendant, but my wife held her ground and so did three others at our table who found
him guilty. The defendant’s wife, with her long legs and big red hat, swayed the rest of us!
Issue Oriented Plays
NEW!
Silence
By Brandon Daughtry Slocum | 20 minute comedy
2 women
This surprisingly funny short play features roles for two strong
senior actresses. The recently widowed Jennie is taken under the
wing of her somewhat eccentric and opinionated neighbor, Bettie,
a veteran widow who explains the tangled maze of learning to live
without your spouse. Filled with sound advice about what to do
and what not to do when your loved one dies, this play affects
audiences strongly, most often leaving them laughing through
tears.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
Standing Ovation
See Also:
Stolen Flowers, page 6.
By Ross Gray and Christina Standing
A Senior Theatre company shows you
how to create plays based on issues. Their
phenomenon, Handle With Care had over
200 performances across Canada and in the
U.S., and was the subject of a documentary
film. Trace the project from the first
meeting to the touring of a hit. Includes
book and video. $34.95
Some Senior Theatres use plays to educate their
audiences about issues on a wide range of topics like
avoiding falls, nutrition, death and dying, dementia, etc.
Issue Oriented Plays spark questions. Host an expert to
follow with answers. Very fundable!
NEW!
ElderSpeak
By Jeanette Mathewes Stevens | 20-25 minutes
3 men, 7 women
The lead character, after experiencing age discrimination in her
work place and seeing how her mother is affected by ‘ElderSpeak’
at the health care facility, comes up with a plan. With the help of
her Mom and other residents of Shadyview Meadows, they create a
hilarious change of attitude for staff members.
The play refers to ‘ElderSpeak,’ belittling forms of speech directed
towards older people. Without thinking, many of us talk down
to seniors, using and accepting ‘ElderSpeak.’ Here the topic is
addressed with sensitivity and humor without finger pointing or
judgment. Performances have been well received at retirement
homes, senior centers, and conferences for health care professionals.
E-SCRIPT
$15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 15
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Performances | READERS THEATRE KaraokeTM
Readers
Theatre Like
You’ve Never
Seen...
Or HEARD...
It Before!
Introducing Readers Theatre KaraokeTM
Readers Theatre Has Just Taken A Giant Step Forward!
Imagine Readers Theatre performed in a dimly lit room
with just the right background music creating a mood
for the story. Imagine having sound effects like thunder
or pounding hooves to bring realism to the reading.
Imagine turning your Readers Theatre performance into
mesmerizing “Theatre of the Mind” like those magic old
time dramas back in the Golden Age of Radio.
That’s Exactly What Readers Theatre KaraokeTM does...
And It’s All On A DVD. Your Readers Theatre KaraokeTM
DVD has the stage, orchestra, and all the sound effects
to make your Readers Theatre performance something
really special.
Visit our website to see
a complete listing of
programs.
NEW!
Roxie McCoy...Private Eye
By Jim Gustafson | 15 minute mystery comedy
4 men, 9-12 women
Roxie McCoy kicks off ArtAge’s new Readers Theatre KaraokeTM.
Roxie is a street-smart, no-nonsense private eye. In this comic
sketch, Roxie comes to the aid of an English Baroness with a secret.
When a sleazy con artist threatens to expose her highness, she calls
on Roxie to save the day. With some unexpected twists and a few
surprise revelations, Roxie turns the tables on the blackmailer. Once
the dust settles the Baroness’ reputation remains intact and the
weasel winds up behind bars. Features several fun commercials to
accommodate additional actors, if needed.
The Roxie MeCoy... Private Eye Readers Theatre KaraokeTM DVD has
the script, background music, and sound effects built in, cued, and
ready to perform. $24.95
Comes with the script, music
and sound effects on a DVD.
Just insert the disc and in a
standard DVD player and
you’re ready to perform.
Here’s How It Works
The text of the script appears on a TV screen so
your actors can watch the screen and read along.
Background music and sound effects are on the disc
and timed to the script so they come in right on cue
as the actors deliver their lines. The result is a total
theatrical experience.
No Special Equipment Required
Readers Theatre Karaoke uses a standard home
DVD player and TV. Just insert the disc and “Raise The
Curtain!” DVD’s also include a script to print out and
use for rehearsals or in performance.
TM
A Growing List of Programs
Our expanding collection of Readers Theatre KaraokeTM
plays include Comedy, Drama, Action, and Mystery.
These are all original scripts especially written to take
advantage of the new format. The programs feature
plenty of roles so everyone in your troupe gets a chance
to step into the spotlight.
NEW!
Love Conquers the Wild West
By Jim Gustafson | 15 minute melodrama
3 men, 6 women, double casting possible
The melodrama is set in the 1870’s when Daisy Fountaine, a young
and beautiful New York socialite is engaged to marry the man of her
dreams. However, as the wedding approaches she gets news that
her brother, an early settler in the Wild West, has lost his wife to the
fever. Faced with raising his three small children alone, Daisy leaves
New York, her wealth, and the man she loves to help the family. As
the years go by Daisy never loves again and settles in to the hard life
of a frontier woman. Eventually an unusual turn of events reunites
Daisy with the man she left behind and discovers that true love can
tame the Wild West. Features the normal good guys and bad guys
that make a melodrama fun! $24.95
16 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Performances | READERS THEATRE
Return Engagement Plays for
Seniors, Volume I
By Jules Abrams
This popular anthology includes
ten short upbeat plays for readers
theatre. All have been successfully
produced at senior residences, senior
centers, and drama clubs. It features dynamic senior
characters in relevant plots sure to interest many
older performers. Easy to use and in large print.
$23.95
Many Senior Theatres use readers theatre or script-in-hand
performance styles. Characterization is easy, the pace is fast, and
actors don’t have to memorize lines. Only a few readers theatre
materials are listed here, but you’ll find that most of the plays in
collections and single shows can be performed in readers theatre or
script-in-hand format.
By Jules Abrams
Jules returns with another collection
of ten short, upbeat plays for readers
theatre in large print. Volume I has
been so popular that we’re sure your actors and
audiences will love these also. $23.95
Readers Theatre Anthology
By Melvin R. White
Melvin R. White, a nationally
recognized authority, brings you 28
stories from the pens of classical and
contemporary writers, journalists and
playwrights, formatted for Readers
Theatre performance. Includes The
Taming of the Shrew, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Wind in
the Willows, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, and
much more! $19.95
Introduction to
Readers Theatre
By Gerald Lee Ratliff
The basic guide that makes Readers
Theatre come alive! Learn how to can
produce Readers Theatre in class or
on stage by easily adapting poetry,
stories, and plays with simple theatrical staging.
$19.95
Plays for
Readers Theatre
By Albert & Bertha Johnson
So many senior theatre directors
recommended this book that we
knew you’d want it in the collection.
It includes Macbeth, Tartuffe, Hedda
Gabler, The Cherry Orchard, Importance of Being
Ernest and Lysistrata. One director told us, “it’s an
excellent collection of plays specifically adapted
for readers theatre. They vary in length and our
audiences love them.” $10.25
Roger Bargainnier
Return Engagement Plays for
Seniors, Volume II
volume II
Age on
Stage
®
Comedies
For
Readers
Theatre
Drena Heizer
Large Print
NEW!
Age on Stage®: Comedies for
Readers Theatre, Volume 2
By Drena Heizer | Ten 10-minute comedies
Here it is—Book Two from the author of the first bestselling Age on Stage®: Comedies for Readers Theatre, Volume
1. Open to any page in this book and you will find quirky
characters in humorous situations, and that’s why these
short comedies are so much fun for both actors and
audiences.
“What’s on TV” was
For example, we’ve all had annoying restaurant experiences the greatest hit! The
but none quite like the one Marge encounters in Lunch With audience laughed
Eddie. TV judges are lampooned in the ludicrous Courtroom
and laughed!
Capers, and Mother Goose characters turn up in ridiculous
Lynn Arizzi
roles in Law And Disorder. An amateur theatre group stumbles
through a mystery play, airline passengers experience a strangely unusual journey,
and a department store Santa Claus gets an unwelcome surprise. These funny
adventures and many others are included in this intriguing collection of ten
10-minute comedies. $24.95
Age on Stage®: Comedies for Readers Theatre, Volume 1
By Drena Heizer
VOLUME I
Age on
Stage
®
Comedies
For
Readers
Theatre
Drena Heizer
Large Print
BEST From chuckles to guffaws, this collection of ten
SELLER!
10-minute comedies is a laugh fest all the way.
Sparked with funny characters and humorous situations,
lively dialogue, sudden surprises, and just the right touch of
charming goofiness, these plays are great fun for audiences
and performers alike. This collection is an invitation to
laughter! Written for and performed by a Senior Theatre
company. Read detailed descriptions about the plays online
at www.seniortheatre.com. $24.95
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 17
Performances | SKITS & SKETCHES
Lust ‘n Digestion
A Laugh and a Half
By Marcia Savin | 10 minute sketch
2 men, 4 women or 1 man, 5 women
Great play with strong characters and a fun story. It seems like
everybody is calling Agnes at the same time—a friend, neighbor, sister,
and a repairman. She has only one choice—put people on hold! The
show is lively, fresh, and can be used with beginning to advanced actors.
By William J. Doody | 7 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman,
a brief appearance by a waiter
An older gentleman is all dressed up
for dinner and excitedly telling his best
friend on the phone about the “blind
date” he’s taking out to dinner that
night. The doorbell rings. The gentleman’s friend reminds him
to bring a package of Alka Seltzer. He opens the door as he
is tucking the Alka Seltzer packet into his wallet. But his date
only sees the last corner of the blue foil packet disappear into
his wallet, and she naturally assumes it is a condom. Sheepish
about his indigestion, he simply pockets his wallet and smiles,
“Just in case.” Their misunderstanding comically sustains
itself to the end of their date in this “romantic comedy of
manners.” It’s been a hit at many Senior Theatres.
E-SCRIPT
E-SCRIPT
By Lynne Martin Erickson
Have fun with these 45 short skits in large-print,
all designed to prompt memories, discussion and
fun. You’ll find production notes for the scenery,
props, and presentation techniques. They are
short, humorous and perfect for those who really
will do almost anything for a laugh! Easy-to-use in
a three-ring binder. Non-royalty. $29.95
NEW!
Can I Put You on Hold?
$10.00
Dory’s skits are funny
show-stoppers!
NEW!
$10.00
“No Frills Airline”
...A wild ride!
No Frills Airline
By Dory Kaiser | 5 minute skit
1 man, 5 women
Flying isn’t what it used to be. Take it from these
passengers, their flight attendants, and captain. What a
flight! Dory Kaiser is back with another one of her short
and easy skits that are so very popular. Add 4 chairs and
get ready for the laughs to take off!
E-SCRIPT
$10.00
Now Hear This
By Dory Kaiser | 5 minute comedy
2 men, 3 wommen, 1 either
BEST This is a fast-paced comedy in which 6
SELLER! characters on a cruise ship continuously
misinterpret passed messages, similar to the old
telephone game. There’s a ship captain, a brash,
aggressive cigar-smoking Senator who always gets his
way, a cowering senator’s aide, an attractive lady, and two
waitresses. Each hears something differently and passes it
on. The results are disastrous as they become increasingly
involved in the exchange of messages filled with mistaken
information. The play always gets lots of laughs. “Now
Hear This is funny, funny, funny. We loved every minute of
it.” says one audience member. E-SCRIPT $10.00
“What a delightful
By Dory Kaiser | 10 minute comedy
time! Your opening
2 women
jogging number is
BEST Joggin’ Along is a series of five
SELLER! comedy sketches involving two
always great -it never
single, older women. Dressed in exercise
fails to bring down
gear, they jog to center stage, where they
stop long enough to talk
the house.”
Also
Joggin’ Along
about what’s going on in their
— Audience member.
Available in
Spanish & lives. Nothing is sacred as they
discuss exercise, weight problems, boyfriends, other women,
French!
and much more. These often outlandish skits produce
enthusiastic and prolonged laughter from audiences, and have an upbeat
message that seniors can relate to and enjoy. In fact, audiences often
applaud as soon as they see the joggers enter. E-SCRIPT $10.00
18 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Performances | skits & SKETCHES
21
New, Humorous
Short Plays & Scripts
for Performing Grandparents
By Robert O. Redd
National
Mature Media
Awards™
Winner
• Easy to Stage
• No Royalty Charge
• Performance Tested
21 Humorous, New, Short
Plays and Skits for Performing
Grandparents
By Robert O. Redd
Winner of a National Mature Media
Award, this collection of skits has been
used successfully with senior actors in
retirement homes and senior centers.
Non-royalty and easy to perform.
No royalty
fees for
anything on
this page!
Use these very short plays in class or on stage in
variety shows or revues. Their humor is quick,
bright, and lively; the characters are easy to
exaggerate; the result is audience applause!
$24.95
23
New, Humorous
Skit & Play Scripts
for Performing Grandparents
By Robert O. Redd
national
Mature Media
awards™
winner
• 17 Play Scripts
• 6 Improv Scripts
• No Royalty Charge
• Performance Tested
• Senior Theatre Themes
25
New, Humorous
Skits & Comedy Scenes
for Performing Grandparents
By Robert O. Redd
National
Mature Media
Awards™
Winner
• Easy to Stage
• No Royalty Charge
• Performance Tested
23 New, Humorous, Short
Play Scripts for Performing
Grandparents
By Robert O. Redd
National
Contains fun scripts Mature Media
with relevant senior
Awards™
themes. Winner of
Winner
a National Mature
Media Award,
it is being used in senior centers,
retirement residences, and therapy
centers with great success. Nonroyalty. $24.95
Skits for Get all three for
Seniors only $40!
Skits for Seniors: Reminiscing Plays
By Jean Vetter
1-7 actors
BEST Give everyone in your group a
SELLER! moment in the spotlight and a
chance to be a star! This volume gives you short,
light-hearted plays written specially for older
adults. Each skit requires no props or costumes.
Printed in large-print type, with alternating bold
print for ease of reading. Reminiscing Plays contains
14 witty skits with dialogue that will evoke
memories of the past – wash day, World War II
letters, fashions, fire flies, ice cream, television, Elvis,
favorite foods, and much more! $12.95
25 Humorous New Skits
and Comedy Scenes for
Performing Grandparents
By Robert O. Redd
Robert is back with another volume
of skits and scenes useful for anyone
who wants to have fun with drama.
Also includes how to perform his
“Wall of Wisdom” concept and several
quick blackout sketches. Non-royalty.
BEST Skits for Seniors:
SELLER! Humorous Plays
$24.95
31
New, Humorous
Skits & Comedy Scenes
for Performing Grandparents
By Robert O. Redd
• Easy to Stage
• No Royalty Charge
• Performance Tested
More
information about
the books and
plays plus script
excerpts are
online
31 Humorous, New Skits
and Comedy Scenes
By Robert O. Redd
Here is Bob Redd’s latest book of easy
scripts for older actors. He’s written 31
short 1 man, 1 woman plays that bring
to life a middle class couple, Jack and
Irma. They’ll tickle your funny bone
as they struggle with the ups, downs
and transitions of retirement living.
The dialogue is based on the format
used by performers like George Burns
and Gracie Allen, a married couple
who grew up on the vaudeville stage
and then graduated into radio. You’re
going to enjoy their unique look at
retirement life! Like all of Bob’s other
plays, the plays are easy to stage and
non-royalty. $24.95
5
Buy both
Holiday and
Humorous for
$29.95
6
By Jean Vetter
Contains 20 short plays, each with 1-4 characters.
Requires no props or costumes and is written in
large print. Includes spoof of Dragnet, a cowboy
adventure, a zany game show, a visit to an
unhelpful doctor, and more. Easy to perform,
excellent for retirement communities and in
activity programs. They are easy to stage and lots
of fun! Includes the very popular short sketch,
Oh Doctor! Non-royalty. $13.95
Skits for Seniors:
Holiday Plays
By Jean Vetter
Contains 34 skits for 27 different special days and
seasons throughout the year. Written in large print,
great for holiday celebrations of any kind. Excellent
addition to activity programs. Very popular
collection! Non-royalty. $16.95
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 19
Performances | SKITS & SKETCHES
NEW!
Navy Bean Soup
By Wes Wetzel
15 minute comedy
1 man, 1 woman,
1 offstage voice
In this hilarious comedy, inspired
by a PBS show, we watch the
broadcast of the sophisticated
Madame DuJour Men’s Gourmet
Cooking Show. The program
is seriously sidetracked when
she inadvertently gets Cooky
Boatwright, a sloppy and
overweight retired Navy cook, as
her guest chef. There are many
belly laughs when the audience
learns what’s cooking in the Navy
Bean Soup!
E-SCRIPT
GET ALL OF OLGA’S SKITS
for less than $25!
Olga Sanderson fills her sketches with
unique characters in funny situations.
The shows are quick and easy to
produce. Like many other directors
and audiences, you’re going to love
Olga’s sense of humor!
tuff
Funny Sits
10 Sk
by Olga
$10.00
• Large Print
• Easy to Perform
ance
• Great for reading or perform
By Olga Sanderson
It’s Hell Gettin’ Old
Carol Burnett Show Sketches: The
Old Folks
By Carol Burnett
2 characters: 1 man,
1 woman in 8 sketches
BEST Here are the original
SELLER!
sketches just like you saw
them on the revered CBS “Carol Burnett
Show.” We compiled the “Old Folks”
sketches into one collection. They’re the
same scripts that Carol and her crew
used. Now you can stage them and
get the same great laughs! Use them
to produce your own comedy show,
feature them in a variety show or radio
play, or pull out the sketches to practice
comedy techniques in your drama
class. A donation is made to the Navajo
Indian Children’s Scholarship Trust with
each purchase. Each is 3-5 minutes long.
Comes with 8 cast copies $27.95
By Harry Stutt | 7-8 minutes
3 men
Three old codgers sit in the park and
soak up the sun while
An
they reminiscence about
audience
the past and their youth.
favorite!
Hilarious sketch! It’s been
very popular in variety
shows. E-SCRIPT $10.00
NEW!
The Further Adventures of
Super Hero and Doris Drive
By Eddie Ed O’Brien
7 minute comedy skit
1 man, 1 woman
Everyone gets older, even the one
everybody has depended upon for years
to save them! Yes, “Super Hero” is getting
older, but he can always depend upon his
loyal mate, “Doris Drive,” to see through
his problems and get him up and “flying”
right!
The staging is minimal: She’s upset
because he’s not picking up after himself
or taking out the trash. He’s got other
things on his mind. How they resolve
their problems is revealed in a manner
that will amuse and delight.
E-SCRIPT
$10.00
20 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
• Lot of fun!
Plays are also available
individually by e-script
NEW! Funny Stuff:
10 Skits by Olga
By Olga Sanderson
Now you can get all ten of Olga’s funny
skits in one volume. Each skit is 10
minutes long. Comes in large print so the
plays are easy to read. Includes:
• Th
e Wrong Captive
2 men, 3 women
• NEW! Those Dog Gone Wrinkles
2 men, 3 women
• NEW! Substitute Sitters
3 men, 3 women
• Prejudice Meets its Waterloo
1 man, 4 women
• Strange UFO
1 man, 4 women
• NEW! Mother is Losing It
2 men , 3 women
• NEW! Skunked by a Dog
1 man, 2 women
• NEW! Singing Drips
2 men, 2 women
• The Bug Hunters
2 men, 3 women
• NEW! Close Call
2 men, 2 women
HARD COPY $24.95 for all 10
SINGLE E-SCRIPTS: $5.00 each
Performances | Holiday Plays
“We staged “Santa Flunks Retirement” at a reception for
residents, prospective residents, and visitors. It was a rousing
success! We had as much laughter from the costumes as we
did from the dialogue. We got laughs and praise for days!”
— Herbert Stevens
Some are short, some are longer, all have the spirit of
the holidays for you and your audience’s pleasure!
Frank’s 75th Christmas
See Age on Stage: Comedies for
Readers Theatre, Volume 1” page 5
Scrooge with a Twist
By Martha McMillen | 40 minute musical plus carols
1 man, 6 women, 12 either in flexible size cast
Scrooge with a Twist is a delightful retelling
of the beloved Christmas story. The funny,
unexpected turns in the story make it
a fresh and entertaining piece for any
audience. The play revolves around an
actor who comes to auditions to play the
part of a really “bad guy.” He finds out
that he isn’t that type at all and though
the narrator prods him to be “bad,”
it’s just not possible. What makes this
show unique is that it is performed in
readers theatre style with some audience
participation. The format combines familiar Christmas carols, a
Greek chorus, and the usual “Scrooge” characters.
E-SCRIPT $15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
The Christmas Coffee
By Ann Pugh | 20 minute comedy
3 women, 1 special walk-on role
The social committee of a senior center prepares
for their annual Christmas Coffee. As bossy
Customer
chairwoman Ruby fusses, Sandra, an easily
Favorite!
intimidated worker and Lucy, a fashionable snob,
hastily prepare for a special performance by a madrigal choir. To
everyone’s surprise, a hip-hop rapper appears onstage, secretly hired
by a vindictive employee. A light, lively, fun holiday script that’s easy
to produce. E-SCRIPT $15.00
We have many more Holiday plays.
Visit www.seniortheatre.com for a complete list.
By Brandon Doughtry Slocum | 15-20 minute comedy
Gender-flexible cast of eleven seniors
BEST Your audience will laugh their way through this
SELLER! short holiday play about a Scrooge-type character
that gets a special visit on Christmas Eve that changes his bad
attitude and his listless life. Set in a Florida retirement community,
the play features great small character parts
We
that require little memorization and present
performed “Frank’s seniors as vital members of society making
75 Christmas”
a difference in their community. Simple
eleven times and
staging, modern costuming, and easy-toI can tell you, this
follow stage directions make this a low-cost
show is a WINNER!”
and stress-free production for your holiday
Marjorie Black
celebration. E-SCRIPT $15.00
“The show, “Frank’s 75th Christmas,” premiered to a standingroom only crowd. Brandon writes in a voice seniors recognize
and relate to...the play gets across an important message
without being preachy...and those Swann sisters are the
funniest thing I have seen in a long time.”
Bettie Wilkie, Executive Director, The John. T. O’Connor Senior Center
Dance of the Sugar Plump Fairies
By Ludmilla Bollow | 15 minute comedy
1 man’s voice, 2 women
Two cleaning women arrive on stage to tidy up after a Nutcracker
performance and end up discovering a vision of their future.
Their mops and brooms transform, a spotlight shines, and they
celebrate with singing, dancing, and castoff costumes. This is a
fun, upbeat show that’s easy to stage and a perfect way to create
holiday magic! E-SCRIPT $15.00
Merry Christmas Caper
By D.K. Oklahoma | 60 minute mystery comedy
4 men, 5 women
Someone has broken into the senior center and stolen all the
food for the holiday Meals on Wheels, including 23 canned
hams. Two homeless runaways are discovered hiding in the
Center’s attic and the Sewing Circle ladies are drawn into a
potentially dangerous plan to shelter them over the holiday. Can
they do all this and still finish their teddy bear project on time?
What if the Center’s nasty director discovers the fugitives? This
is a holiday play that’s filled with typical characters. Some are
caring and loving while others are pretentious and snippy. They
all come together making the holiday season good for everyone.
It’s a perfect holiday show.
E-SCRIPT $15.00 HARD COPY $20.00
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 21
Performances | musicals
NEW!
Sometimes A Rainbow
Story, Lyrics, and Music by Tom Northam
1:45 hour musical comedy including intermissions
Music Arranged and Orchestrated by Dick Wooley
10 to whoever wants to be in the show!
A 3-act musical comedy centering on the life of Cordy Shelburne, an
abused elderly widow, who discovers the meaning of life and the joys
of living while surviving on the streets of Washington, DC. By applying
the wise and sage advice of a bag lady named Duchess, she enriches her
own life and that of others who she meets along the way.
Sometimes a
rainbow
Tom Northam
Some people are fortunate; others are not. Some plan
Tom Northam is known for his very popular musical comedy, A Bag
Full of Miracles. Like all of Tom’s shows, Sometimes a Rainbow is full of
toe-tapping tunes sung by dynamic characters in an action-filled plot.
When you bring together Tom’s great sense of theatre and combine it
with his heartfelt themes, you get award-winning shows that bring in
the crowds. When they leave the theatre, they’ve been both entertained
and inspired!
Contact us for a free perusal of the script and music.
ahead; others do not. However, not all gold glitters, for
there are people, regardless of their station in life, who
can somehow find love, happiness, and peace of mind.
There is…Sometimes A Rainbow.
— Tom Northam
“The musical was an absolute delight.
It was charming, witty, and captured so many
senior moments, all to great tunes.
What a wonderful night of theatre!”
— Chuck Miller, Sun Lakes AZ
Also available as a non-musical play, see page 13.
NEW!
NEW!
A Few Good Years
By Penny Petersen | 95 minute romantic comedy
4 men, 4 women, 4-6 non-speaking gender flexible roles
Using the same plot as the longer play on page 13, the musical
version of A Few Good Years is a delight. The 12 original songs
are uncomplicated melodies which are easily sung, reflecting
the feelings of older people. You’ll find soulful tunes, charming
waltzes, and hysterical comedic romps. You’ll especially enjoy
She Makes Me Feel So Young, I Never Thought I’d Feel This Way
Again, and Is It All Right with You? Listen to the music, read the
script, and you’ll discover that this is the perfect show for both
your cast and your audience!
HARD COPY OF THE SCRIPT AND MUSIC
…a fun theatrical revue that perfect for senior actors and
entertaining for audiences of all ages!
$19.95
Contact us for reduced-cost cast copies.
SS Shipenshore
By Marian Ellis & John Gutberlet | 75 minute variety show/musical
9 men, 15 women in cast from 25 to 40
Just what you’ve been waiting for…a structure for a variety show.
You just add the acts!
SS Shipenshore is a fun-filled, colorful and happy play about a
six-day cruise to Havana in 1955. The ship has a stalwart captain
and his excellent crew who serve many passengers, some
ordinary, some not so ordinary. There are shipboard romances,
a mysterious jewelry theft, singing pirates, dancing girls, and
comedians. Costuming the well-defined characters is fun to do
and a treat to watch. The revue is an audience-pleaser, even for
the grandkids!
HARD COPY
22 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
$19.95
Performances | musicals
Musicals bring out a wide variety of skills from
talented older performers. You’ll like all of these!
A Bag Full of Miracles
Stories, lyrics, and music by Tom Northam
Musical arrangement by Ron Pronk
Flexible size cast | Full-length musical
Roger Bargainnier
production kit
“This musical was just perfect
for us, with great roles,
toe tapping tunes,
and a gutsy spirit.”
— Mary Sawyer
This River is Gold
Script, Music and Lyrics by
Alvin H. Reiss | 90 minute Musical Comedy
5 men, 4 women, 1 either, plus chorus
When residents of the Twin Hills Retirement
Community think that gold has been
discovered on their property, all hell breaks
out. The conflict divides those who live on
the North Hill from those who live on the
South Hill. Greed and power threaten the
peaceful lifestyle that makes the location so
popular. The seniors’ spirit and love of life rises
above the conflict.
What emerges is a new, rambunctious
two act musical. Twelve characters take
you through the adventure using fourteen
songs…some are romantic and wistful, others
are humorous and boisterous.
The musical is skillfully crafted by Alvin H.
‘Skip’ Reiss, a well-known arts writer, educator,
consultant, and lecturer. His humor has
appeared in Esquire, New York Times, Family
Health, Playbill, and Diversion.
Reiss has written other musicals including
Tall Paul, A Tall Tale: The Legend of Paul
Bunyan. $19.95
National
Mature Media
Awards™
Winner
BEST
SELLER!
You are going to love this contemporary musical
comedy for Senior Theatre. Three song-filled,
action-packed acts with mostly senior performers.
The story centers on Maggie Hill, an unmarried,
newly retired school teacher with a meager pension,
and Lady Anne Windesmeer, a recent widow who
has been swindled out of most of her funds by an
unscrupulous lawyer. Brought together by their
common financial straits, the two seniors convert
Lady Anne’s home into a bed and breakfast, which
becomes the setting for a cast of characters that
bring with them hilarity, intrigue, romance, warmth
and a twisting chain of events that will shake up your audience in more ways than
one. They’re also sure to leave the theatre humming the memorable songs woven
throughout this funny yet sensitive look at senior life.
Comes in a “Production-in-a-Packet,” so it’s easier than ever to produce a fulllength musical at a fraction of the usual cost. Contact us for a free perusal script
and performance rates. Also available with traditional royalties. Call for more
information, 800.858.4998.
THE KIT INCLUDES
• Fully orchestrated recordings of all
songs, segues, and underscore music
on CD’s
• Reproducible script
• Sound effects
• Set design
• Marketing and promotional materials
• And much more!
“A Bag Full of Miracles is witty
and filled with great roles for
mature actors. Many of the
performers said that this was
the best character they had
ever played!”
— Lisa Manos, Director
Produced throughout the US and Canada to full
houses, standing ovations, and production companies
that made money every time it’s been staged!
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 23
Instructional | how to
Senior Theatre Connections:
The First Directory of Senior Theatre Performing
Groups, Professionals, and Resources
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
National
A top seller! The winner of a National
Mature Media
Mature Media Award for Excellence in
Awards™
Educational Materials for Older Adults,
Winner
this comprehensive and well illustrated
source book brings all aspects of Senior Theatre together
NEW! Makeup for Older Actors—
in one volume. Discover funding sources, scripts, books,
articles, videos and ideas to create theatre magic with older Defining Your Character
By Patti Schulte
performers. A must-have! $19.95
This TipSheet shows Senior Theatre
performers how to use makeup to
NEW! Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone
bring their characters to life! Learn
in Theatre Arts — in Schools, Recreation, and Arts
new techniques, products, and tools
Programs — Regardless of (Dis)Ability
for a flawless application. Discover
By Sally Bailey
how to adapt your makeup to
Barrier-Free Theatre is a nuts-and-bolts, hands-on,
accommodate older skin, wrinkles,
comprehensive guide for making drama accessible
balding heads, and other ‘joys’ of
to people of all ages. Written for drama teachers and
aging! You’ll discover how makeup, if applied well, can
directors, recreation leaders, therapists, and other group
give your acting a whole new sense of strength and
leaders, this book explains in simple, non-technical
clarity. It makes a huge difference!
language how to make accommodations for successful
E-DOCUMENT $10.00
participation in creative drama, improvisation, puppetry,
traditional plays, and new plays. Sally shows you tips and
NEW! Directing Older Actors
tricks that help actors gain self-confidence, find new ways
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
to express themselves, and work effectively and creatively
Directing older actors can be an
with others. Easy to read and full of great ideas! $36.00
extremely rewarding experience,
especially if you learn some basic
techniques and adaptations.
Drama Activities with Older Adults:
Using the Directing Survey
A Handbook for Leaders
and the author’s experience as
BEST By Anne H. Thurman & Carol Ann Piggins
SELLER!
a guide, this TipSheet covers
Drama comes alive with this practical
tips and tricks to help you be
handbook. Directing creative drama, improvisation
more successful. It includes organization, staging,
and basic acting becomes easy with step-by-step
memorization, choosing scripts, casting, and more.
instructions. Includes 50 activities to stimulate senses,
It will help you leap over the barriers so your
awaken imagination, encourage interaction, and improve
directing experience is exhilarating!
verbal communication. Great for use in the classroom
E-DOCUMENT $15.00
or for actor training. A wonderful tool for directors.
Roger Bargainnier
Great,
useful book!
Learn from the experts! Whether you are
a beginner or seasoned professional, these
books will help you improve your skills.
Our favorite
“How to” Book
$45.95
Notes On Directing
By Frank Hauser and Russell Reich
More than a how-to book, this is a tool of immense
value to actors, writers, students, and teachers. Here is
what all directors need to know, and what every actor
and audience member wants them to know. Winner
Book of the Year in Foreward Magazine, Winner IPPY
for Best Performing Arts Book in Independent Publisher.
$19.95
“Notes on Directing” was the best directing book
I ever read. I love it and use it frequently.”
—Prosper Egan
24 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
The Golden Stage:
Dramatic Activities for
Older Adults
By Ann McDonough
Make an entrance on stage!
This book introduces you to
the art and craft of acting.
Includes theatre games and
exercises in concentration,
relaxation, memorization,
and managing stage fright. Learn how to prepare
for auditions, analyze characters, and perform
scenes. Includes practical suggestions for crafting
both musical and oral history reviews, plus six
popular scripts. $19.95
Instructional | How To
How to Start
a Senior Theatre
All in One Package,
Including Support!
Getting Started in
Senior Theatre Package
This package has the basics to help you start a successful
Senior Theatre program. It features the books, TipSheets,
and materials that will help you down the path of success.
In addition, you get 3 hours of phone consultation with
Bonnie L. Vorenberg, ArtAge President with 30+ years of
experience in the field. She’ll help you leap over your Senior
Theatre concerns.
SPECIAL VALUE • Save over 90! • $200
Enrichi
ng an O
lder Per
throug
son’s L
h Seni
ife or The
at
re Bo nnie
Book T
L. Vor
enberg
itle Author
T
IP
SHEET
Contains:
• Senior Theatre Connections
• Seasoned Theatre
• Drama Activities with Older Adults
• Enriching an Older Person’s Life Through Senior Theatre
• TipSheet: How to Start a Senior Theatre
• TipSheet: How to Name a Senior Theatre
• TipSheet: Senior Theatre Course Outline
• 3 hours of consulting regularly priced at $50 per hour.
Must be used in one year.
Seasoned Theatre: A Guide to Creating
and Maintaining a Senior Theatre
By Martha Haarbauer
After many years of work with senior actors,
Haarbauer has written a road map for how to
establish and maintain a Senior Theatre. Discover
information on how to organize, recruit, and
direct older actors, choose appropriate materials,
make technical decisions, locate a space, attract
audiences, generate funds, and more. $13.95
Enriching an Older Person’s Life through Senior Theatre Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Book Title Author Enriching an Older Person’s Life
Through Senior Theatre
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
A basic handbook and practical guide to creating
a Senior Theatre program. Using a step-by-step
approach, the book teaches you how to create a
program, select materials, and present performances.
Includes helpful hints and a valuable appendix to
make your efforts successful. $18.95
Aging Artfully
By Amy Gorman
Amy profiles 12 visual and performing artists from
age 85-105. This rich collection of photos and
recollections demonstrate the value of creativity
during any age of our lives. Includes 7 Songs of
Women’s Lives, a CD by Frances Kandl, based on the
womens’ stories. A lovely book, inspiring...a joy to read
and share. $20.00
Creativity Matters:
The Arts and Aging Toolkit
By Johanna Misey Boyer
Success assured for every arts and aging project
you create! From the leaders in the arts and aging
movement, this book provides detailed information,
examples, and suggestions about how to create an arts
and aging program. The 10 chapters, 235 pages cover
everything: how the arts benefit older adults, the arts
and aging services, program design and implementation,
evaluation, public awareness, and more. With an
appendix rich with resources, you’ll have plenty of advice
and examples to enhance your own successful arts and
aging program. $35.00
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 25
Instructional | TIP SHEETS
Course Plan for Senior Theatre Classes
These e-documents will answer your most specific
questions. Their up-to-date information will help you
find success in Senior Theatre.
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Do you teach Senior Theatre in the community? Are you guiding
the next generation of college students studying how to do Senior
Theatre? This TipSheet is for you. Part One is for classes taught for
older performers in adult education, lifelong learning, senior center,
retirement living, learning-in-retirement, or related settings. Learn how
to take actors from simple theatrical skills to performing on stage.
Part Two is a sample syllabus to be used for teaching Senior Theatre
in a college or university. Part three is a 6-week plan for sessions in
retirement housing. The syllabus has been approved by Senior Theatre
experts who work in the field. “Very helpful! It taught me how to teach
the class, and saved me a lot of time and effort.” — Alicia Penn
E-DOCUMENT
$15.00
Writing Plays for Senior Theatre
NEW!
Acting in Television Commercials
By Buddy Powell
Across the country, seniors and baby boomer performers are
discovering that local advertising companies are looking for
bright, charming, and friendly actors to appear in TV, radio,
and print media promotions. Learn the skills necessary to
pursue this fun (& profitable!) hobby.
E-DOCUMENT
$15.00
How to Start a Senior Theatre
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
When you begin a Senior Theatre, you might feel like you’re
out on a limb, working to create a magical company with no
road map. Don’t fret. Use this step-by-step guide to help you
get started. It includes ideas about how to find a sponsor,
how to locate a director and how to select the form of Senior
Theatre that fits your mission. Feel secure with advice on how
start a company and have fun!
E-DOCUMENT
$10.00
How to Name a Senior Theatre
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
The name you choose for your Senior Theatre company is
very important. It shows what kind of work you do and can
tie you to a sponsor or a geographic region. Whatever you
choose, make it YOU! The TipSheet was developed from an
analysis of the 700+ companies in the ArtAge Publications
database, the largest in the field. Use this TipSheet to
explore the many names being used for Senior Theatres.
Then evaluate which ones work for you. Use the handy
combination chart to help you select a name that reflects
your company. Read about over-used names, favorites, and
advice about how the name you choose can affect fund
raising. E-DOCUMENT $10.00
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Playwrights need to understand that Senior Theatre is a unique art
form with special requirements. You can’t just set a play in a retirement
center! This TipSheet teaches how to craft dialogue, build characters,
and develop plots in scripts that are challenging yet fun for seasoned
performers. This is an essential tool for playwrights wanting to create
works for this burgeoning form of the performing arts.
E-DOCUMENT
$10.00
Connecting Baby Boomers to Your Community Theatre
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Learn how to attract baby boomers to your theatre. Give them a voice
on your stage and you will be richly rewarded. The new generation
of older performers is a unique breed. Plan your program right and
some of the 77 million Baby Boomers will become active participants
in your company. Learn how to meet their needs. Discover directing
and programming hints. Start planning now for Senior Theatre!
E-DOCUMENT
$10.00
Bibliography for Senior Theatre
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
As Senior Theatre expands, the number of sources for information
grows quickly. Use this complete listing to find the books, dissertations,
magazine, journal, and newspaper articles in the field. You will be
amazed at the many resources available to help you find success
in Senior Theatre. This bibliography will help you save time when
searching for information in Senior Theatre, arts, aging, gerontology,
and related areas. It’s indispensable!
E-DOCUMENT
$15.00
New Trends in Senior Theatre
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
As Senior Theatre grows, new programs give it vitality while on-going
companies demonstrate the strength of the many different kinds
of theatre that are successful with older adults. Use this TipSheet to
understand the breadth and depth of the field. Discover what’s in it
for you. The TipSheet includes the latest research along with statistics,
fundable ideas, and facts that give you an up-to-date snapshot of
Senior Theatre. E-DOCUMENT $10.00
26 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Instructional | Funding
All around the country, Senior Theatres are hearing “Yes!”
Use these up-to-the-minute resources for the best information to guide
your fundraising efforts and to help you write winning proposals.
Contact us at 800.858.4998 if you need additional help.
Make Money Producing
Weekday Luncheon
Theatre
By Jonathan M. Zaley
This easy-to-read manual
guides you through every
step of establishing your own
weekday luncheon theatre
business. Learn how to use
banquet halls and restaurants
to entertain senior clubs, tour
operators, red-hat clubs, park
districts, church organizations,
bank clubs and others. Rely
on Jon Zaley’s 20+ years of
experience to help you:
• Find the perfect facility, dates
and themes
• Offer a variety of performance
types
• Discover the most successful
show ideas
• Select mouth-watering
menus
• Price for maximum profit
• Find your audience, market
and promote
• Make reservations and ticket
systems easy
• Use minimal staging, lighting,
and sound for maximum
effect
• How to keep ‘em coming
back for more!
Use the interactive shows
on page 14 & 15 for scripts
designed for Weekday
Luncheon Theatre. $74.95
Storytelling for Grantseekers:
The Guide to Creative Nonprofit
Fundraising
Don’t Just Applaud—Send Money!
The Most Successful Strategies for
Funding and Marketing the Arts
By Cheryl A. Clarke
By Alvin H. Reiss
This fresh and creative guide contains the
Noted arts management consultant, Alvin H.
resources needed to help you craft a persuasive Reiss, brings his best 100 money raising ideas
synopsis, package a compelling narrative, and into a book that’s sure to inspire. His marketing
create a short story approach for proposals.
and fund raising challenges, plans, and results
Using these suggestions, new and seasoned
combine humor with examples of flyers,
grantseekers will discover how to channel their brochures, posters, and letters. Learn how to use
passion to tell their organization’s tale and
creativity, persistence, and resourcefulness to
create winning proposals. $29.95
make your program more financially stable and
successful. $15.95
IP
TSHEET
Fundraising for Senior Theatre
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Use this TipSheet to write grants that are
funded! It will help validate your project. It
features statistics that prove the value of arts
and aging, an analysis of the field of Senior
Theatre, benefits of participation, and more.
Learn how to put a ‘face’ on your proposal.
Also includes how to do other fundraising
appeals plus pages of resources—online,
books, directories, writing guides, and more.
Indispensable! E-DOCUMENT $15.00
How to Write Successful Fundraising
Letters 2nd Edition
By Mal Warwick
Transform your grant writing
by learning how to make
your letters more successful.
Warwick’s step-by-step
model, with an extensive collection of sample
letters, style tips, useful hints and real world
examples, has helped thousands of fundraisers
win grants. $36.95
Our
favorite fund
raising book
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 27
Instructional | Create Theatre from memories
This excellent book helped me find
the dialogue and narrative in the
participants’ memories. It made my
Life Story class into a great experience!
— Wrenn Goodrum
Scripting Our Lives:
Oral History Theatre
A collection of practical methods
and script shell foundations
By Mark Steven Jensen and Ann McDonough
This book will help you create an oral history
theatre revue. Here’s all the information to help you start. This groundbreaking
work provides a wonderful range of basic script outlines or ‘shells’ for you and
your group to insert personal stories, creative works, and reminiscences. With
themes like “Dancing Through Life,” “High School Daze” and “Military Memories,”
you will be both inspired and delighted. Create wonderful theatre based on
memories! $24.95
The Theatre of Memories:
Creating Oral History Revues
Also includes several
very popular scripts
By Ann McDonough
This practical guide will lead you and your group stepby-step through the process of developing and creating
an oral history theatre revue. From selecting a theme,
to inspiring stories, to editing your script, this exciting
book helps you capture and preserve special memories,
stories, and insights from a variety of age groups!
$24.95
A Stage for Memory: A Guide to the Living
History Theatre Program of Elders Share the Arts
By Renya T. H. Larson
Share your life stories on the stage! This practical guide
combines reminiscence and theatre to help you start
and sustain a Living History Theatre program. Learn
from this step-by-step guide and create powerful, fun
performances. $18.95
Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided
Autobiography Groups
A customer
favorite!
By James E. Birren and Kathryn N. Cochran
A great guide for creating theatre based on life stories.
Learn from expert, James Birren, who has conducted
autobiography groups for 25 years. Helps you organize,
record, and share life experiences through a proven
and effective technique. Perfect for developing scripts
from life stories. $20.95
For more plays based on memories, see
“A Laugh and a Half” on page 18 and “Skits for
Seniors: Reminiscing Plays” on page 19.
28 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
The life story adventures that older adults
carry with them make excellent theatre!
Use these materials to help you transform
their stories into dramatic pieces. This very
popular format is successful with both
beginning to advanced performers—and
audiences love it!
Legacy Works:
Transforming Memory
into Visual Art
By Susan Golden with Susan Perlstein
Use reminiscence and storytelling to
learn how to transform recollections
into visual art. Great ideas for oral
history interviews in a step-by-step program that
excites and inspires! $18.00
Reminiscence Theatre:
Making Theatre from Memories
By Pam Schweitzer
Written by a renowned leader
in theatre created from oral
history, Pam Schweitzer’s book is a
comprehensive guide to the nature,
practice, and therapeutic effects of
theatre created from memories. Drawing on examples
from a range of real-life case studies, Pam Schweitzer
provides practical advice on how to draw out oral
histories, create a script, and develop the material
into a dramatic production from your life experience.
Excellent, thorough book! $36.95
Age on Stage:
Lifewriting Your Monologue
By Joy Reilly
Learn how to transform your life
experience into theatre. Joy Reilly
takes you through the writing
process as you create monologues
that reflect your own story. Use her
A very
company, Howling at the Moon, as
popular book!
your model. Their monologues, from
funny to deeply personal, will inspire you. They can be
used in class or in readings. The second part includes
38 monologues arranged so that they are ready to be
performed…making a show that’s easy to put together,
with strong impact. $19.95
Theatre with all ages | intergenerational
Pass It On!
A Guide to Starting Your Own Senior Storytelling
in the Schools Program
By Nina Serrano
The popular intergenerational Stagebridge
program is the basis for this practical guide that
teaches you how to recruit, train and place older
adults as storytellers in schools. $20.00
When you bring youth and seniors together,
magic happens! Use these excellent materials to
help you learn the secrets to creating successful
intergenerational theatre.
Roots&Branches: Creating
intergenerational Theater
NEW!
By Arthur Strimling
Internationally recognized for its
rare combination of community
outreach and artistic excellence,
Roots&Branches inspires
participants and audiences,
mining the wisdom, experience,
and passion of elder and younger
actors to create shows that speak to all generations.
Beyond the extraordinary story of the theater, this
book is filled with practical advice, including exercises,
warm-ups, storytelling techniques, plus insights into
physical, cultural, and other differences between young
and old and how to bridge the generations. $18.95
Crash
By Brian Farish | 1 hour
Flexible cast with any number of men,
women, adults, young people
Created by the well-known intergenerational
company, Roots&Branches, this show turns
economic crisis into an unprecedented
opportunity to bring the generations
together. The wisdom, stories and
strength of the elders, the ‘roots,’ have
never been so relevant, as the young
‘branches’ try to cope with the sudden
changes in their economic prospects.
How do we live with fear? What gives
us security? Can I actually give up
bottled water? With its singular brand
of theatrical humor, poignancy, drama
and style, Roots&Branches uniquely
provides audiences with hope,
insight, and joy in hardening times.
The play fosters spirited dialogue
with the audience in a post-show
discussion as it opens new avenues of
intergenerational understanding.
E-SCRIPT $15.00 or HARD COPY $20.00
Mimi and Me
“Crash”
brings the
Roots&Branches
together in
the best of
intergenerational
theatre!
By Kitty Dubin | 15 minutes
2 women: Mimi (age 90) & Tindy (age 20)
We read a lot of plays that are easy to forget, but
this one is a show that stays with you! It’s the story
of a perky young volunteer who tries to cheer up
an outspoken ninety-year old woman who has lost
her courage. What begins as a test of wills, ends up
as a loving relationship between the two of them.
The show was performed in the national tour of “Six
Women at Sixty.” The Miami Herald writes, “Mimi and
Me celebrates! It’s clever, filled with mystery, revelation,
and a surprise ending.” E-SCRIPT $15.00
Generating Community:
Intergenerational Partnerships
through the Expressive Arts
By Susan Perlstein and Jeff Bliss
Learn how to create low budget
living history plays with kids and
seniors. Place storytelling on
center stage as you discover the
rich and powerful process. Start
one of your own and pull it off with success. $15.00
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 29
Instructional | bringing the arts to less active Adults
NEW!
Less active adults respond well to music,
movement, and drama. Use these
materials to help you stimulate
and inspire creativity.
NEW!
These
three ideas
work well
together!
Connecting Through Music
with People with Dementia:
A Guide for Caregivers
By Robin Rio
This user-friendly book demonstrates how to
use simple music and movements to engage
people with dementia, promoting relaxation and
enjoyment. Take the authors’ practical advice,
add a love of music and you’ll be able to develop a program that
prompts more communication for meaningful interactions. The
practical advice and list of useful songs will help you stimulate and
entertain less active adults. $22.95
122 Best Loved Songs
for Older Singers
Edited by Bonnie L. Vorenberg
These 122 tunes are the most
memorable, fun and easy songs used
in classes at senior centers, retirement
housing and other sites. They are
favorites that many older adults will
easily recall. Use the large print lyrics in sing-alongs, in
Stimu-Drama, or in any music and drama program. Spiral
bound. Tried and true successful pieces! $14.99
Stimu-Drama Tip Sheet: Using Music,
Movement and Drama with Less Active Adults
By Bonnie L. Vorenberg
Stimu-Drama combines music, movement, and drama in
a mixture that promotes communication and broadens
expression. Learn how to move smoothly between
the art forms in each and every session, how to lead
the program, and how to use props and other tools to
stimulate older adults. Just add the joy of the arts and
you’ll have a fun, creative program that they’ll ask for
time and time again! E-DOCUMENT $10
Customer Service | “I haven’t had such excellent service in I don’t know when!” Carla S., Activities Coordinator
We’re thrilled you’re going to perform our shows! Here’s your checklist:
Become a member
1.Set show dates,
2.Contact us for royalty rates and to see if royalty is required,
3.We’ll send an invoice, payable two weeks prior to performance,
4.Insert the permission statement in the programs & send us a copy.
Be advised that royalty is due any time that you perform for a group,
even if there is no admission charge, you don’t receive performance
fees, a donation, or if the group is in-house. A penalty of over $300 is
assessed if royalties aren’t paid.
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Contact ArtAge
Mail: B onnie L. Vorenberg
ArtAge Publications
P.O. Box 19955
Portland, OR 97280
Phone: 503.246.3000 or
800.858.4998
30 www.seniortheatre.com ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
Fax: 503.246.3006
E-mail:
[email protected]
Web:
www.seniortheatre.com
Instructional | Movement
Inhale, Exhale, Stretch & Move
Relax and regenerate as you move to stimulating
music. Easy stretch and strengthening
movements help with flexibility, balance, and
well-being as it lessens disease and improves
health. 30 minutes. DVD $14.95
NEW!
Music, Movement & Longevity
Ann’s classic exercise builds ageless bodies.
Specially chosen sections from all of the Ann
Smith exercise videos, making it easy to vary
your daily routine. 107 minutes. DVD $14.95
Stretching for Seniors with Ann Smith
Ann Smith’s exercise wisdom is
what’s next for the baby boomers.”
Transform your body and create graceful flexibility
with smooth, taut muscles. It’s painless, easy,
energizing and works for any body type. Easy to
follow, fun and rewarding movement to the music
of Beethoven. 30 minutes DVD $14.95
— Christiane Northrup, MD., Author,
Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause
Moving to Mozart
Rise and Shine
Ann brings you “Everything you need from an
exercise program including beautiful music.”
Stretch, strengthen, relax, and align your body
creating more flexibility and muscle strength. 60
minutes. DVD $14.95
Named #l on the Amazon.com best-selling
exercise video list! Wake up every day
of the week with energizing movement
choreographed to spirited classical music. A
practical way to develop a healthy and fun daily
habit. 30 minutes. DVD $14.95
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ArtAge Publications
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Portland, OR 97280
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ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center 800.858.4998 31
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center
PO Box 19955
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Portland OR 97280
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ArtAge helps older adults fulfill their theatrical dreams — 800.858.4998
Performances | Monologues
Age on Stage: Lifewriting Your Monologue
A very
popular book!
By Joy Reilly
Learn how to transform your life experience into
theatre. Joy Reilly takes you through the writing
process as you create monologues that reflect
your own story. Use her company, Howling at
the Moon, as your model. Their monologues,
from funny to deeply personal, will inspire you.
They can be used in class or in readings. Part 2
includes 38 monologues that are ready to be
performed…making a show that’s easy to put
together, with strong impact. $19.95
Describing Life: Monologs for Women
By Jolene Goldenthal
The 50 monologues were created to give the
actor a way to tell tales, confide secrets, and share
laughter with the audience. The age-appropriate
pieces can be used for audition, for performance,
or in class. Several of the monologues have won
awards. $13.99
A Grand Entrance
By Ann McDonough & Kent R. Brown
You’ll enjoy the 100 comic and serious roles for
mature actors in this anthology of monologues
plus duet and trio scenes. For advanced and
beginning actors, it also includes tips on how
to interpret scenes and monologues, discover
motivation, portray characters, and more.
$18.95
New Monologues for Mature Actors
Edited by Ann McDonough
This anthology of comic and serious monologues
has characters who are a fresh reflection on
mature adults. It’s a convenient source book
for auditions or acting classes. Also features
suggestions and exercises, plus lists of previously
published classical, comic, and serious
monologues. $19.95
Monologues can be used in class or in performance. As
a training tool, they build acting skills. In performance,
use monologues to fill that unique spot in your show or
to give roles to more actors. They are a real treat!
Housecleaning
By Arthur Strimling, author of Roots&Branches
This delightful, comedic monologue is a hit
Great
wherever it’s performed! Follow the frustrated
monologue!
homemaker, Ida, as she swears off housework
for more enlightening tasks. It’s short, easy to perform, and a real
audience-pleaser! E-SCRIPT $5.00
NEW!
The Oldest Living Graduation Speaker
By Sandra Fenichel Asher | 4 minute comedy
1 woman
Sandra Fenichel
High School seniors have invited a senior adult
Asher’s awardto speak at their graduation. Sarah Goldfarb
winning plays have doesn’t present a long, boring speech. Instead
been produced
it’s a wise and witty one, filled with stories of
across the U.S. and two neighbors who see life quite differently. Of
abroad.
course, there’s plenty of advice for the young
adults but the comedy gives punch to her insights. Such a lovely
piece! E-SCRIPT $5.00
NEW!
I’m Stayin’ Alive
By Sandra Weintraub | 7 minute comedy
1 woman – can also be played by 1 man
An older woman finds her life so boring that she voraciously
consumes cigarettes and alcohol and ingests as many transfats
as possible. When she discovers the pleasures of surfing the
web, especially spam, it gives her life a whole new meaning. Now
she looks forward to a life of adventure, excitement and sex, all
provided courtesy of spam. E-SCRIPT $7.50
NEW!
Coming of Age
By Nikki Harmon | 7 minute comedy
1 woman, 1 voice over
Edna’s gone native! After 51 years of marriage to Max, she took a
vacation all by herself – to Indonesia, no less! Back now, sitting on
her luggage at LAX, and swamped in layers of batik, the question is,
does she really want to go home? E-SCRIPT $7.50