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The Bully Plays

The Bully Plays

Written by Sandra Fenichel Asher, Cherie Bennett, Max Bush, José Casas, Gloria Bond Clunie, Eric Coble, Doug Cooney, Linda Daugherty, Lisa Dillman, Richard Dresser, José Cruz González, Stephen Gregg, D.W. Gregory, Brian Guehring, Dwayne Hartford, Barry Kornhauser, Trish Lindberg, Brett Neveu, Ernie Nolan, R.N. Sandberg, Geraldine Ann Snyder, Werner Trieschmann, Elizabeth Wong and Y York. Compiled and edited by Linda Habjan.

Product Code: BG4000

  • Collection
  • Comedy | Drama

Rights and availability
Please note: The titles in this collection must be licensed through the collection book itself. None of the titles within have a separate playbook.

* 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.

$12.95 /book

Min. Royalty Rate: $15/perf

In stock

Synopsis

This anthology was commissioned in response to the growing epidemic of bullying and the all-too-often tragic results. The anthology includes 24 10-minute plays that may be performed in any combination or length and in a variety of venues. The plays are touching, imaginative, powerful, uplifting and funny. This collection of short plays will challenge, inspire and enlighten your audiences and help you confront the issue of bullying in a constructive and creative way.

Notes

Digital Script Available

Click here to visit the digital script product page.

Details

  • Status

    In stock

  • Type of Show Collection
  • Product Code BG4000
  • Cast Size 4
  • Pages 264
  • Min. Royalty Rate $15/perf
  • Cost $12.95

Categories

  • Target Audience Young Audiences | Middle School | High School
  • Performing Group Elementary School | Middle School | High School
  • Genre Comedy | Drama
  • ISBN(13) 9781583427231
* 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.

Included Titles

Alex (a conversation about nothing) By José Casas.

A teenager poignantly tells his dad how a bullied classmate resorted to physical violence. In the process, we discover this boy's insight on the issue of bullying and how it affects the innocent victims.

  • Product Code: AF5000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 1m.

    Livestream Rights Available

    Contact our customer service department to order or for more information.
  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Beasts By Ernie Nolan.

In ancient Greece, young Theseus enters a labyrinth to destroy a rumored beast. But when human and creature come face to face, the lines between beast and boy become blurred.

  • Product Code: BG6000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 6m., 2w., gender flexible.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Blu By Gloria Bond Clunie.

As they search for a missing journal, a brother and his friends discover how Blu, a fantastic eighth-grade artist, battles the bullying that threatens to turn his 'technicolor world' gray.

  • Product Code: BH2000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 2m., 3w., 1 either gender.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Bully-Bully By Cherie Bennett.

With the help of her goodie-two-shoes alter-ego and her hilarious Master Thespian dog, Teddie, a teen girl who just wants to be popular and fit in learns that if you aren't part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.

  • Product Code: BK3000
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Cast Size: 3w., 1 either

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

The Bully Pulpit By Dwayne Hartford.

Barbara wants to be class president so that she can stamp out bullying.

  • Product Code: BG9000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 2m., 3w., or 1m., 4w.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

A Bully There Be By Lisa Dillman.

In a royal palace in the long-ago land of Once Upon a Time, a lowly serving wench schools an arrogant prince as to the causes and consequences of his insistent bullying of the court jester.

  • Product Code: BH4000
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Cast Size: 2m., 1w.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

A Bunch of Clowns By Sandra Fenichel Asher.

When New Kid arrives at school

  • Product Code: BK4000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 5 to 8, or many more, either gender

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Bystander Blues By Trish Lindberg.

The inner thoughts of a group of bystanders watching a bullying incident, along with the feelings of the target, are highlighted in this short play which seeks to understand the power of the bystander in any bullying situation.

  • Product Code: BG8000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 3m., 7w., (5 actors with doubling )

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

The Conundrum By Brett Neveu.

Ken and Tony reflect back to a time where Tony's attitude and Ken's sarcastic opinion were hiding deeper feelings of fear and humiliation. After analyzing what they did wrong, they play the scenario out again, with much different results.

  • Product Code: CJ6000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 2m.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Downhill By Eric Coble.

How does a distant corporate executive having a bad day threaten to ruin the coloring plans of a little girl in elementary school? Downhill comically explores the inevitable flow of fear and impatience, and what, if anything, can be done to halt it.

  • Product Code: DC6000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 5 either gender

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

The Final Testimony of Henry Samson By Y York.

The ultimate court judges a teenager accused of sexual misconduct and worse. Alice is happy, Peter is concerned, Henry is in denial, and the Kid in the Expensive Suit is tired of waiting.

  • Product Code: FC5000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 3m., 1w.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Flash Mob By Elizabeth Wong.

When her tennis racket is stolen again, Izzie is fed up and finally tells her tennis coach. But instead of being protected, now she's vilified at school as a snitch, and her relentless tormentors follow her home via the World Wide Web.

  • Product Code: FC4000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 5m., 5w., 25 extras.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Gasp, Farrah & Monster By José Cruz González.

Gasp, Farrah & Monster follow three adult characters who were bullied as young people. They all share their experiences and the outcomes that would change their lives forever.

  • Product Code: GA8000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 2m., 1w.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Glorious Gail By Max Bush.

Gail is awakened on the beach by her boyfriend at 9 o'clock in the morning. But she can't remember how she got there, or who wrote those words on her, or what happened last night. Then photos of her begin to appear on the web.

  • Product Code: GA9000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 2m., 3w.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Happy Birthday, Heather Higby By Stephen Gregg.

Mercy Nightingale has devised a plan to destroy her classmate and arch-nemesis, Heather Higby. Her plan involves the audience. Charlene wants to stop Mercy, and her plan involves the audience too, but in a surprising way.

  • Product Code: HC3000
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Cast Size: 4w., 8 either, extras.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Her By Geraldine Ann Snyder.

A clique of high-school bullies target "Her" at school. The result of the constant abuse is tragic.

  • Product Code: HB9000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 2m., 3w.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Here Be Dragons By Doug Cooney.

Can a victim be a bully? Can a bully be a victim? Students on a field trip to a natural history museum debate the nature of bullying and self-protection with three unlikely dinosaurs.

  • Product Code: HB8000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 2m., 1w., 3 either gender.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Mindless, Drooling, Teenage Zombie Bullies By Brian Guehring.

Colleen faces increasing homophobic name calling and rumors in her high school. A freak chemical accident in chem lab causes the homophobia to quickly become contagious, and soon Colleen is surrounded by mindless, drooling teenage zombie bullies!

  • Product Code: MK8000
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Cast Size: 2m., 5w., 3 either gender, plus a chorus of teen zombies

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

The New Kid By Richard Dresser.

Adults portray middle-school students, one of whom gets bullied. Students portray the parents, who manage through love, good intentions, and a firm sense of right and wrong to make the situation infinitely worse.

  • Product Code: N70000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 4m., 3w., 3 adults (2m., 1w.) and 4 students (2m., 2w.)

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Nobody Nose (The Trouble I've Seen) By Barry Kornhauser.

In this wordless play, two characters with red noses confront a third with a blue nose, only to learn that a nose that is different is nothing to pick on.

  • Product Code: N83000
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Cast Size: 3 either gender.

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

"Send" By Linda Daugherty.

Alyssa sends an inappropriate picture of herself to her boyfriend. After their breakup, he texts the picture on to his new girlfriend. Alyssa's photo goes viral and she sinks into depression while those responsible face unexpected consequences.

  • Product Code: SW9000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 3m., 4w.

    Limited Livestream Rights Available

    Contact our customer service department to order or for more information.
  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

The Shirt By R.N. Sandberg.

Hardy is the top dog, the leader of the pack, the one most other students look up to, or fear. When conflict over a new shirt develops, however, Hardy and three classmates discover something about themselves and their relationships.

  • Product Code: SW8000
  • Genre: Drama
  • Cast Size: 4 either

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

We're Your Friends By Werner Trieschmann.

For Cindy, friendship with Stacy and Amy doesn't mean what it means to everybody else in high school. The friendship is bullying in disguise, and Cindy has to figure out how to survive her two best friends.

  • Product Code: WE1000
  • Genre: Comedy|Drama
  • Cast Size: 3w.

    Livestream Rights Available

    Contact our customer service department to order or for more information.
  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

What Goes Around By D.W. Gregory.

A bullying boss sets off an emotional chain reaction that comes back to him in ways he never imagined.

  • Product Code: WE2000
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Cast Size: 3m., 3w., 3-5 either (2m., 2w. with doubling)

    Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available

  • Approx. Run Time: 10 minutes

License Available:
Through Collection

Customer Reviews

"The plays are really well written and are perfect for high school and middle school kids to perform. They were a great choice during the pandemic because we were able to rehearse each play as a separate cast."
Review by Kevin Welsh, Columbus East High School, Columbus, Ind.
"Here Be Dragons had a unique effect of building a small ensemble with my middle school class. Snappy dialogue and strong characterizations made for good classroom fodder."
Review by Charles Wax, Atlee High School, Mechanicsville, Va.
"These are all excellent scripts and easy to perform with minimal staging."
Review by Marklynn Bazzy, Ozark Adventist Academy, Gentry, Ark.
"We chose three sketches from The Bully Plays: Alex, Bystander Blues, and Nobody Nose (The Trouble I've Seen). I have received so many comments from the students and faculty about how much they liked the sketches. Most were really impressed with Bystander Blues. I was also pleasantly surprised that my high school students liked Nobody Nose."
Review by Marklynn Bazzy, Ozark Adventist Academy, Gentry, Ark.
"This is a timely collection of short plays. They work great for a variety of different audiences. We performed some as a mainstage performance and others for state and national thespian festivals. Great for junior high through high school."
Review by David Tate Hastings, Olathe South High School, Olathe, Kan.
"The Bully Plays are an accessible yet thought-provoking collection of one-acts. The titles included provide something for everyone looking to approach the topic of bullying."
Review by Blair Cromwell, Dallas High School, Dallas, Ore.

Hints, Tips, and Tricks

"Be transparent! Let everyone know what you are doing. Give the scripts to the administration. I had each parent sign off that they had read the script and knew what part their child had. I wrote letters to the School Board and the PTO letting them know the subject matter. I did not have a single complaint. EVERYONE, from the students to teachers, parents, and the Superintendent, say that it was a great show and timely. "
Tip by Cynthia Bringer, Westfield Middle School, Bloomingdale, Ill.

Media Reviews

Audio/Video

Productions

Location City State Opens Closes
Hardin County Schools Performing Arts Center Elizabethtown Kentucky 3/7/2025 3/8/2025
Kent Denver School Englewood Colorado 2/12/2025 2/13/2025

Downloads

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  • Your local copy shop should be able to create prints from a file saved to disk. They might even be able to increase the size of the poster for you (although some loss of resolution will occur).
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