Books in the Acting Edition S. series

The eve-of-performance dress rehearsal of a costume show is in progress and things are running anything but smoothly for thelocal drama group. The whole cast is panicking as Britannia cannot climb on to her rostrum, Queen Victoria is far too tall forher part and Henry VIII wants to swap costumes with William Shakespeare because his is many sizes too big for him. To makethings worse the authoress keeps storming on and o the stage putting everybody in a urry . However, when all seems lost, Mrs Grandway, the producer, pulls the show together and with a tinge of professionalism in her voice reassures the troupe thattomorrow everything will go all right.

Complications abound when Charles and Margery entertain Robert and his new wife, Jane, whom they have never met. Robert arrives without Jane and Charles con des that he hada brief a air with Jane. He has covered his tracks by not giving her his address. Minutes later Jane arrives on the doorstep! Charles passes her o as Robert's missing wife, while tellingJane that Margery is married to Robert. This wild deception is compounded by the arrival of another attractive girl. As the men struggle to keep the women from revealing their true identities, Margery herself is keeping a secret.

For his ninth labor, Heracles is required to wrest from the queen of the Amazons her belt. Zeus and Hera comment wittily on the events."The characters are witty and ... the story is frothy and politely risque" New York Journal American

Seaside Postcard is a comedy for four men and four women, originally presented by the Young Vic Company, London. The group assembled on the beach could almost be regarded as characters from typical seaside postcards brought to life. During their brief sojourn much happens. Terry, heir to three fish and chip shops, becomes engaged to Sharon but anticipates marriage with her; the meek worm Martin suddenly turns; an unfortunate explosion shatters the sunbathing calm, a wife-swapping seems imminent and a rising tide threatens the lot of them.

This ingenious play opens on two once successful crime-writing playwrights endeavouring to complete a block-buster to pay off their mounting debts - or are they? As the plot develops they realise their full potential - who better to accomplish the perfect murder than themselves? Forbes' nagging wife, Ann, is the perfect victim, especially as she is insured for £200,000. It all seems plausible enough until Forbes' partner mistakenly kills their secretary and a stage-struck detective appears on the scene. From here the play twists and turns so much that it is difficult to know who has been murdered and by whom. Eventually we learn the truth, but can Goodman convince the buffoon Inspector?

The Middle East.  In an attic room a group of terrorists hold a young girl, Naomi, and wait while the Government decides whether or not to pay the ransom.  The building is surrounded by troops and there can be no escape for the kidnappers – but still they hold their prisoner.  The tension between the two terrorists heightens and Brother Luis tries to intervene: inevitably, tragedy overtakes them.|2 women, 2 men

Harry is a zealous traffic warden, whose eccentric hobbies of collecting stuffed birds and folk dancing cause great friction between him and his wife. Bad-tempered Gran''s constant criticism of Harry does not improve matters. Also Harry''s daughter, Ruby, is engaged to weedy Gerald who finds he has an allergy to the birds. However, Harry''s hobby seemingly pays off when he returns home with an owl which is stuffed with hundreds of pounds.But when Inspector Travis of the C.I.D. arrives, Harry discovers he has been freely spending stolen money...|3 women, 3 men

Set '60s, this psychological thriller moves from a room in a vicarage to the living room of Dark Lucy's cottage. Set over three acts the suspense andtension will have the audience gripped with a horrid fascination of the reveal.

The Tinsley family's package holiday in Spain proves to be an even greater change from Blackpool than expected. To start with, it seems young Ron had persuaded his father to book the same hotel as Gloria, the girl Ron loves despite the disapproval of her mother, who also turns up. Everyone becomes involved in general misunderstandings, and a final surprise shatters everyone.

Rodion is medical head of a sanatorium where Lydia is a patient, suffering from arteriosclerosis. She is clearly no ordinary patient and the play follows with warmth and gentle humour the mutual growth of interest and liking to lasting affection between two lonely people.|1 woman, 1 man

Complete with double-dyed villain and a radiantly pure hero and heroine, this melodrama takes the spellbound audiencefrom Lucre Hall, across the Atlantic to where there is gold in them thar hills, and back to Lucre Hall again. Sir Jasper, of theblack heart, is out to win Lady Lucre's fortune via the hand of the lovelly Ara be Ila; and Clarence, of the pure heart, is out tothwart him and also win Arabella. Through valleys of iniquity they all travel, the journey being enlivened by the wiles of thevoluptuous Fanny, who of course aids and abets Sir Jasper. Virtue is triumphant at the last and Clarence and Arabella areunited over the dead bodies of their enemies.

NODDY AND THE NOAH¿S ARK involves most of the familiar book characters, including Big Ears, Whiskers the Cat (a puppet), Bumpy Dog, Tessie Bear, Mr. Plod, Sam and Sally Skittle and the goblins, Sly and Goblin. Mr. Noah needs financial support to keep his animals fed. Tessie Bear and Noddy collect sixpences for the cause. But the collecting box is stolen by the goblins. In NODDY AND THE TOOTLE, Noddy and the other familiar characters meet the Great Tootle, a travelling magician, who is able to make people dance by playing his penny whistle.|Large flexible cast

Specially written for those who want to build their own show. The traditional story is told in modern prose dialogue and provision is made for the inclusion of local and topical material, songs and musical numbers. At the same time the pantomime is complete as published, and can be performed, if desired, without any alteration.|Large flexible cast

Max is an Austrian officer in the army and son of a highly placed general. His father wants him to marry a Countess but he has fallen in love with Vicki. Attending a party given in his honour, they are informed that war has broken out. Max writes a note to Vicki and goes off to war. Unfortunately the note is lost. Some time after the war, Max is just a shoe shop assistant while Vicki is now a famous singer. They meet and at first she snubs him but then falls in love with him again.

The apples gather for a ceremonious party, Rosie is ready to be picked from the tree and united with her loving parents, Mr and Mrs Russet. But amongst the guests are Bad Apples who send the party into disarray, then the dastardly Pieman arrives looking for fresh apples and the hunt is on.

Returning home after a disastrous and abandoned visit to the theatre, hi-jacked by Gerry's lively mother, Mary, Gerry and Kate attempt to salvage the evening at a local restaurant - but it just makes a bad evening out into a worse one. Daughter Louise and her boyfriend Julian are key players in this comedy of marital mishap and mid-life crisis, as are Mary and her beau, Roy. However, the end of this amusing and highly perceptive play finds Gerry and Kate caught on the sofa for all the world themselves like mischievous teenagers.|3 women, 3 men

Maurice plans to eliminate his half-brother Colin, but Colin's unhappy wife is also prompted to murder him. When the body is found the question arises: who is responsible? Meanwhile, Maurice regards his neurotic wife, Janet, as an impediment to his plans and uses his hypnotic influence to compel her to kill herself. Fortunately for Janet, Colin's shady business activities had already attracted official attention as the play races towards a thrilling and unusual climax.| 5 women, 4 men

Henry Fielding's novel (which started out as a skit on Richardson's Pamela), recounting the adventures and misadventures of the handsome footman and the simple, loveable parson, is dramatized for a simple-to-stage production, requiring a minimum of props and settings. Robbers, grasping innkeepers, love, jealousy, female rivalry, personal misunderstandings, surprise revelations of unexpected relationships - all find their places in the exuberant story. Period - about 1740.|11 women, 7 men

Set on Guy Fawkes night, this thriller has all the ingredients for a spectacular e~ening, full of surprises for everyone - including the guy! The plot centres on Rod, a master at an exclusive girls' boarding school, and his wife Marian. Immersed in preparations for the firework display they are visited by a man who accuses Rod of seducing his daughter. Intent on revenge he attempts to kill Rod, but gets shot himself. In the ensuing panic Marian substitutes the body for the guy and it is now that the twists and turns begin. The body disappears and it is only much later, in flashback, that we learn the full events of the evening. Two prefects perceive more than they reveal and there are several more shocks in store. The arrival of the dead man's brother with his niece's diary seems to provide the motive the Inspector needs - but does it?

Three middle-aged couples are trapped in the suburban way of life bored with themselves, their spouses and their daily routine of job or family or household chores. They are six very ordinary people, but they are portrayed with sensitivity and sympathy. There's excitement and revelations, yet in the end they must return to their routine. What the author has achieved is a wry comment on present day society and presents his audiences with a mirror of themselves to delight and entertain. Middle Age Spread was produced in London's West End to great acclaim.

This celebrated English drama by the author of Butley and Otherwise Engaged is based on a famous murder case involving a lonely divorced woman who has married a man thirty years her senior. However, his age and increasing deafness make her lonelier than before, and in desperation she takes up with a young man who has been hired as a gardener. He falls for her and, in a moment of passion, kills her husband with a pair of garden shears.|2 women, 4 men

Alex Conrad, an avid collector of detective novels, has devised a brilliant plan to cheat his ex-wife, Dinah, out of her share of the proceeds from his partner Tony's new invention: to stage Dinah's "accidental" murder of Tony. With his girlfriend Cathy there as a witness and a gun full of blanks, what could go wrong? Many twists and shocks follow before we come to the denouement of this ingenious thriller.

As David¿s Italian penpal, Mario, is coming to stay, his wife Kate goes to her mother¿s so that they can practise their languages in peace. When the penpal turns out to be a shapely brunette named Maria David is in big trouble, not least because Maria has smuggled in a packet of diamonds. The flat is soon besieged with assorted gangsters, a lady plumber, a curate, the police and an angry Kate!|5 women, 6 men

In this compelling, thought provoking play about the continuing effects of the Second World War, Dr. Kirshner, head of a sanatorium in Germany, has to make a decision on whether or not Bauermann can be released into society after spending a year in her care.|3 women, 3 men

It is 1930 and in a roadside inn outside Berlin Pavel Alexandrovich sits reading - keeping very much to himself. A salesman, Liszt, arrives in search of lodgings. He engages Pavel in conversation about the war period. Reluctant at first, Pavel eventually recounts how he assisted in the execution of Tsar Nicholas. It has haunted him ever since. His story leads to the perennial mystery of Anastasia's fate. Surprisingly, Pavel suspects that a prostitute at the inn could be the Russian princess. The denouement is even more surprising - but by then Pavel is too sunk in alcoholic oblivion to realise it.|3 women, 3 men

Conflicting emotions of love, hate, jealousy and guilt are unleashed as the party progresses. The sisters recall their childhood and reflect on the impact David has had on their lives.  As the party draws to a close, the relationships between everyone present will never be the same.|2 women, 3 men

Escaping torrential rain, six friends flee to a high-rise apartment and hear a terrifying announcement: one of them may be a serial killer possessed by the Devil. Then one meets a hideous death. The survivors embark on a desperate quest to find and destroy the fiend in their midst before more blood is spilled.|4 women, 3 men

Nigel Sheridan's suburban life is, on the surface, idyllic. He has an attractive wife; bright, well-behaved teenage children; a pleasant house; peace and stability ... But for several years Nigel has harboured a secret, and today his wife Eve has discovered it.

A remote cottage in the woods for a weekend of peace and quiet is just what Geoffrey and his vivacious wife need to get away from London's hectic life. But a chain of eerie events soon turns the long awaited holiday into a nightmare!|5 women, 4 men