Our most popular plays for amateur performance, based on the number of licences issued in 2024.
The 40 titles listed below were our most popular titles licensed for performance by amateur groups worldwide.
Read more about the Top Ten most performed plays of 2024, over on our Blog>>
Blue Stockings
A moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage.
The Ballad of Maria Marten
10f 2m (can be performed by 6f doubling)A thrilling play based on the nineteenth-century Red Barn Murder in Suffolk, rediscovering the lost story of the murder victim, Maria Marten.
Ladies' Day
4f 1m (doubling, or up to 6m)Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. But their fortunes are set to change when Linda finds tickets to Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot the year it relocated to York.
It's a Wonderful Life (stage version)
Adapted by Mary Elliott Nelson4 actors, doubling (either 1f 3m or 2f 2m); larger cast possible (13 characters plus extras)A joyful stage adaptation of Frank Capra's movie about a down-on-his-luck banker who feels like he's at the end of his rope, until his guardian angel pays him a visit.
Nell Gwynn
5-7f 7mJessica Swale's play Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the king.
Things I Know To Be True
3f 3m (wide age range)A complex and intense portrait of the mechanics of a family – and a marriage – through the eyes of four siblings struggling to define themselves beyond their parents' love and expectations.
Bleak Expectations
By Mark Evans3-5f 6-9m plus optional extrasA hilarious, chaotic, Dickensian caper for the stage, based on the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series.
The Railway Children (stage version)
By E. Nesbit Adapted by Mike Kenny5f 6m, doubling (6f 9m possible)An imaginative stage adaptation of E. Nesbit's much-loved children's classic.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (stage version - new edition)
3 performers (playing multiple roles)A revised, definitive version of this riotously funny take on the celebrated Sherlock Holmes story, a firm favourite with theatre companies, both professional and amateur.
Wendy & Peter Pan
By Ella Hickson Original author J.M. Barrie4f 17m doubling (up to 6f 22m); version for smaller cast also availableA refreshingly modern version of J.M. Barrie's much-loved story that puts the character of Wendy firmly centre stage.
The Welkin
13-16f 2-4mLucy Kirkwood's play about a woman sentenced to hang for murder in 18th-century rural Suffolk.
The Good Life
3-6f 3-6m plus 1 goat (real or otherwise)A witty reimagining of a television classic for the stage, with a wellyful of laughs that's sure to delight audiences everywhere.
Ladies Unleashed
6-8f plus optional extrasA moving comedy for the stage, about friendship, growing older and living for today, reuniting the characters from the smash-hit plays Ladies' Day and Ladies Down Under.
The Thrill of Love
4-5f 1mA gripping drama about Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.
Notes from a Small Island (stage version)
By Bill Bryson Adapted by Tim Whitnall3f 4m doubling (playing more than 80 characters; large cast is possible)A stage adaptation of Bill Bryson's smash-hit memoir, one of the nation's most beloved books, and a brilliant dissection of the enduring quirks of our small island.
Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales (stage version)
Adapted by Philip Wilson Original author Philip Pullmanfirst set: 4f 4m, doubling; second set 8f 8m doubling (entire script offers roles for 42f and 100m)A deliciously dark version of the Grimm Tales, from master storyteller Philip Pullman.
The Ferryman
8f 13mPreparations for the annual harvest on a farm in County Armagh in the 1980s are interrupted by a visitor. Winner of the Evening Standard Theatre Award and Tony Award for Best Play, and the Critics' Circle, Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards for Best New Play.
Around the World in 80 Days (stage version)
By Laura Eason Original author Jules Verne3f 5m, doubling (very large cast possible)Laura Eason's celebrated adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, a dazzling escapade that packs in more than fifty unforgettable characters.
Nora : A Doll's House
By Stef Smith Original author Henrik Ibsen3-6f 3mA bold new version of Ibsen's brutal portrayal of womanhood.
Dracula: The Bloody Truth
By John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete4m (playing various roles)A comic retelling of the story of Dracula, from John Nicholson and Exeter-based theatre company Le Navet Bete.
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Amateur Productions
On Now & Coming SoonBill Bryson, Adapted by Tim WhitnallFin KennedyAmanda WhittingtonAlexandra Wood, Adapted from Kate SummerscaleAmanda WhittingtonHenrik Ibson, Adapted by Richard EyreTom WellsJeremy Sams, Original authors John Esmonde and Bob Larbey