The Witching Hour • Four Short Plays for Halloween (or any time)

by Kīra Shaffer and Cory Larsen

This collection of short plays about the supernatural and macabre is perfect for the popular Halloween season, but can be done any time of year.

A man mourning his mistress stays overnight in the cemetery where she’s buried (Was It a Dream? [about 21 minutes]); a vampire and human are stranded together in the desert (Deserted [about 21 mins]); a couple’s private Halloween at home is disrupted by a surprise visitor (The Ghostly Chaperone [about 19 minutes]); and a newlywed young woman meets a stranger with grim purpose at a ball (A Long Waltz Too Short [about 17 minutes]). Each of these plays may be performed separately, without the other three. (see below)

Cover Art courtesy of Doug Jeppson

PLAY DETAILS

6f, 7m (doubling possible to 2f 2m)
- Was It a Dream? 1f, 2m
  
  MAN: devastated by the death of his lover, 20s to 50s
  
  WOMAN: the Man’s dead lover, 20s or 30s
  
  JACQUES OLIVANT: skeleton of a dead man
- Deserted (1f, 2m)
  
  ARTHUR WOODROW: male vampire, 20s or 30s in appearance
  
  MAUDE ANDERSON: female human, 25
  
  BRANDON: male vampire, Arthur’s friend, 20s or 30s in appearance
- The Ghostly Chaperone (2f, 1m)
  
  HANK: an amiable young man, 20s or 30s
  
  ARIA: Hank’s girlfriend who can see ghosts, 20s or 30s
  
  GWENDOLYN: a well-dressed ghost, Hank’s dead mother
- A Long Waltz Too Short (2f, 2m)
  
  DMITRI PETROV: an official in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 20s to 30s
  
  ELENA PETROVNA: Dmitri’s new wife, 21 a pretty but indecorous
  
  SVETLANA KARATAEVA: single woman, 20s to 30s
  
  GIBEL SMERTOV: a mysterious man, 20s to 50s
60-70 minutes
Period costumes
Simple Setting and props
ORDER # 3335

PERUSAL MATERIALS

The Individual Plays in the Collection are available for separate performance (with separate royalty payments):

REHEARSAL MATERIALS AVAILABLE

Script in PDF format — Order #3335a : $30.00 (will be sent to you by email, from which you will be authorized to make copies for your production)
First Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3335d : $50 (for the first or only performance)
Second Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3335e : $45 (For each successive performance)
Professional Royalties will be quoted upon licensing application

EMAIL us for rights and information. Be sure to give us anticipated performance dates and the address of your group and, if different, your theatre. Please also include a contact name and phone number.

BILLING CREDITS:

The following is how the credits should read in all programs, posters, fliers, handbills and other promotional advertising for the show:

THE WITCHING HOUR

by
Kīra Shaffer and Cory Larsen

NOTE: The names of the Playwright(s), Composer, Lyricist, and Bookwriter shall be equal in size, type, coloring, boldness, and prominence. No billing shall appear in type larger or more prominent than the billing to the Authors except for the title of the play. (In a press release all type, will of course, be the same size.)

ALSO:

THIS NOTICE MUST APPEAR IN ALL PROGRAMS, ON ALL POSTERS AND PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND INTERNET ADVERTISING/WEBPAGES FOR THE PLAY:
“The Witching Hour is presented through special arrangement with Premiére Theatrical Licensing on behalf of Leicester Bay Theatricals. All authorized materials are also supplied by LBT, www.leicesterbaytheatricals.com”

PRODUCTIONS:

PREMIERED 2021 at The Hive Collective, Provo, Utah

from the catalog of