Sarah, Plain and Tall
By Joseph Robinette. From the Newbery Award-winning book by Patricia MacLachlan.
Product Code: SG8000
Full-length Play
Comedy | Drama
Cast size: 5m., 7w., up to 6 either gender if desired. May be performed by a cast of 10 with doubling.
Limited Streaming Rights Available
Awards: The Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award | AATE Distinguished Play Award
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
Set in the early 1900s, this play brings to life the charming, heartwarming story of a Kansas farmer, Jacob Witting, a widower with two children—Anna and Caleb, who places an ad in the newspapers seeking a wife. He receives a letter from a Sarah Wheaton of Maine who says she will visit the family for a month to see how things work out: "I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall." Narrated by Anna reminiscing on the eve of her wedding, the story unfolds in a fascinating flashback on that often exciting, sometimes tumultuous month when Sarah and the Wittings came to know one another and learned a few things about themselves as well. The joys and challenges of everyday life are richly depicted in this classic which the New York Times called "an exquisite, sometimes painfully touching tale." The School Library Journal said the book "is filled with wisdom and gentle humor…a tender story about the fragile beginnings of a family relationship on its way to permanence."
Notes
Limited Streaming Rights Available
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code SG8000
- Minimum Cast Size 10
- Pages of Dialogue 84
- Min. Royalty Rate $110.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 90 min
- Staging Unit set.
Categories
- Target Audience Young Audiences | Middle School | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages)
- Performing Group Middle School | High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre
- Genre Comedy | Drama
- ISBN(13) 9781583421611
Customer Reviews
Beautifully written, this poignant play resounded to our cast and audiences in a time when kindness and connection are needed more then ever. The songs add poignancy to the piece and are not meant to be performed as musical theatre. Humor, drama and strong characters throughout. Joseph Robinette at his finest.
Our audience loved it; very family friendly; fun for high school students to perform.
WonderfulÑgreat pacingÑgood dramatic tension and blend of humor.
A delightful experience for me as a director and our school audiences were thrilled by it. One weekend adult audiences were captivated by it.
Sarah, Plain and Tall was a great show that engaged audiences of all ages. It was easy to stage and yet allowed for a great amount of creative flexibility. In a high-school setting, the casting is great for a wide variety of talent levels.
This was a sweet, wholesome story. The characters were well developed, but open to the actors' interpretation. The situations were easy to relate to for a modern audience. It was humorous in a lot of places, but poignant in others. My young actors enjoyed performing this show.
This is a superbly written play. Even the stage directions were usable without any changes. Our audiences were enthusiastic about the performances and responded throughout the show.
Sarah, Plain and Tall is a delightful, heartwarming play laced with universal themes and traditional family values. Well written; easy to cast. The set was also easy to adapt.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
Trust the script and don't shy away from changing characters, i. e. Howie, Eben, to younger actors.
We made the sea bass out of foam and had the art class paint it. We saved corn from the season and used a red maple leaf to give the red color.
Downloads
| File Description | File Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Poster | Download |
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Gallery
Sarah, Plain and Tall - Granbury Opera House, Granbury, TX
Sarah, Plain and Tall - Debut Theatre Company, Fort Collins, CO
Sarah, Plain and Tall - Austin Classical School, Austin, TX
Also By These Authors
Jason Richards, St. Croix Festival Theatre, St. Croix Falls, Wis.