Big news, guys. We’re releasing a new script this week, The Return of Ben Morgenstern, which was premiered just last December. But this is different from any play we’ve published before.

I’m offering customization services for this script!

More specifically, I can to tailor the script to your cast size—from 11 characters minimum to 25 maximum. My hope is that this range of possible characters provides the opportunity for lots of different drama groups to perform The Return of Ben Morgenstern, regardless of cast size. It’s definitely my favorite drama I’ve ever written, and I’m so excited to be able to share it with a broader audience this way.

Here are the two ends of the spectrum, when it comes to the possibilities for how many characters are involved in this play. You can see the smallest possible cast on the left, with just 5 male roles and 6 female. On the other end of the spectrum, the list on the right side shows the maximum cast size of all 25 possible characters, with 9 male roles and 16 female. And here’s the key: this drama will work for any cast size, with any ratio of male to female roles, within these parameters.

As you might guess, pricing for the script will vary based on how much customization is required. However, on the whole this script will run cheaper than our other scripts of comparable length. How does that work? Since The Return of Ben Morgenstern is customizable, we won’t be selling pre-printed copies, unlike our other full-length plays that we deliver as packages of printed scripts. Instead, we’ll make your requested customizations, then simply email you the full script as a PDF file for you to print your own copies. So while it means you have to do your own printing, it also means we can offer the script at a lower price than our other full-length plays.

So what’s this drama about anyway? If you’ve been following my posts about the premiere of The Return of Ben Morgenstern this past December, than you may already have a pretty good idea. You might even have watched the live performances we streamed on Facebook (which you can still view here). But if not, here’s a quick plot summary:

It’s December 1872, and there’s a stir onboard the Arabian when the crew rescues a castaway with a mysterious history. Ben Morgenstern is his name, and he’s on his way home to Charleston, South Carolina. But where has he come from, and why? Meanwhile, in Charleston, young Christopher Morgenstern receives exciting news in the post, while his cousin Clara faces challenges as governess to the spoiled Lula Ann. Between struggling to manage her frivolous pupil and trying to befriend the peculiar Miss Hazel, Clara begins to doubt there’s any future for her in Charleston.

The questions pile up as Christmas approaches. Will Christopher’s dreams ever be realized, or Clara’s doubts resolved? What secrets are hidden onboard the Arabian? And will Ben Morgenstern ever make it back to the home he hardly knows?

You can also read the play’s opening pages here in this Script Sample!

As far as the logistics go, The Return of Ben Morgenstern runs between 100 and 120 minutes in performance (depending in part on your cast size). Although it portrays the time of year leading up to Christmas, its emphasis on Christmas themes is minimal, making it suitable for performance at other times of the year.

Any questions about this new script—about the story and characters, or the technical details of pricing and customization? Just comment below, contact us here, or email us at kittywham@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to answer your questions!