HOW TO CATCH GHOSTS AND MAKE FRIENDS DOING IT
A SPOOKY MOCKUMENTARY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
BY VINCENT S. HANNAM
Orphans explore the local haunted house to prove ghosts exist and become famous enough for someone to give them a home. Along the way, they meet all manner of ghosts – friendly and otherwise!
15-17 actors; flexible casting; one act
Theatre for Young Audiences, Comedy, Spooky, Mockumentary
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
”
| HELEN WOODBURN: | A newscaster. Ambitious, savvy. Female. Adult. |
| BILL, THE CAMERA PERSON: | Any gender*. Adult. |
| ORPHAN WITH A CAMERA: | Any gender. Kid. |
| J.J. WINKILSON: | An aspiring ghost hunter. Any gender. Kid. |
| CAMERON: | A techno-wizard. Any gender. Kid. |
| BROOKE: | A level-headed runaway from California. Any gender. Kid. |
| CHLOE: | An opinionated runaway from California. Any gender. Kid. |
| GABI: | The chaperone. Works at DQ. Any gender. Kid. |
| ANNIE FRYE: | Bratty, but lovable. Any gender. Kid. |
| JAKE WILLIAMS, THE GHOST HUNTER: | A loud-mouthed braggart from Texas. Any gender. Adult. |
| GRANDMA OTIS: | An evil, interdimensional cosmic being. Any gender. |
| STANLEY: | A sad clown known as Bobo. Any gender. Ghost. Adult. |
| BABY JIGSAW VODKA III: | A Russian spy trying to get to Heaven. Ghost. Russian. Adult. |
| PRINCESS ELIZABETH: | A princess easily embarrassed, but a fighter. Any gender. Ghost. Adult. |
| KING JAMES: | A wrathful king. Any gender. Ghost. Adult. |
| ATHENA PETRA: | A pop singer killed by her haters. Any gender. Ghost. Adult. |
| BRIAR: | A medieval maiden curious about today’s youth. Any gender. Ghost. Kid. |
Notes:
You may cast this with as few actors as possible. I’ll trust you to get creative with doubling/tripling/quadrupling/etc.
*Please change written pronouns to accommodate the gender identity of the actor cast.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
- Community, Lakeshore Players Theatre, 2024
