The Myrtle: a funny fairy tale one act play

Looking for a large cast comedy play script with plenty of female roles for your next festival or drama competition? You'll find a winning combo of slapstick and sentimentality in The Myrtle!

When a trio of sneaky suitors steal a beautiful myrtle tree and gift it to the prince, they don't know it transformers into a fairy maiden at sundown. But now the prince must right the wrong and reunite myrtle and mother at the risk of losing the woman he loves. A weird and wacky romantic comedy about family and flaws inspired by the Italian fairy tale.

Love blooms in this modern adaptation of The Myrtle from Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales (Il Pentamerone, Lo cunto de li cunti).

• Comedy / Fantasy
• 5 m 8 w (5-20+ performers possible)
• 30-40 minutes

Demographics

Ideal for middle school to high school teen performers through adults

Features

• Simple, flexible staging.
• Large cast with majority female roles.
• Opportunities for physical comedy, masked commedia dell'arte and improvisation.
• Great length for drama competitions and classroom study.

Fairly Obscure Fairy Tale Plays

Looking for some crowd-pleasing, funny fairy tale plays that aren't the same old standards? Playwright Hillary DePiano presents the weirdest and wackiest lesser-known folk and fairy tales as family friendly stage adaptations perfect for schools and community theatre. From large cast, one-act comedies to commedia dell'arte scripts with a modern twist for classroom use, there are plenty of options to help your group live happily ever after!

Want to combine any of the plays together to make an evening's entertainment? Interstitials and connecting scenes are available upon request.