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Home > Browse > Full Length Plays > The Ash Girl

The Ash Girl

By Timberlake Wertenbaker.

Product Code: AA2000

Full-length Play

Comedy | Drama

Cast size: 4m., 8w., 9 either gender, doubling possible.

Limited Streaming Rights Available

Rights and availability

This title can be licensed and sold in the following countries:
Canada, United States

* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.

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Print Script

$11.95

In Stock

Digital Script

$10.95

(Unprintable)

Min. Royalty Rate: $110.00/perf

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Synopsis

In a big old house, Ashgirl lives huddled deep in the protection of an ashy hearth. With her mother dead and her father away, she lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters. When the invitation to the ball arrives from the prince, Ashgirl finds the strength to go with the help of her friends, some of whom come from unexpected places. When she gets home, Ashgirl realizes that in order to regain the fleeting happiness she found in the arms of the prince, she must fight the monsters who have slithered and insinuated their way into her heart and mind. She must believe in herself for others to do so. "An ambitious play with hints of the Brothers Grim, medieval allegory and anthropomorphism…it has a quirky originality… [Ash Girl] is prey to self-doubt and is under the thumb of her stepmother, while her prince is an exiled Asian isolated and unhappy in his new country. Wertenbaker's biggest innovation is to suggest that the forest en route to the palace is populated by an animalized version of the Seven Deadly Sins, which are out to destroy humanity. She even adds a further allegorical figure, Sadness, who tries to tempt Ashgirl towards death, and battles with the Fairy in the Mirror for her soul. The result is like a mix of C.S. Lewis and Sondheim's Into the Woods: an eclectic fairy-tale anthology. Where Wertenbaker scores is in her eye for detail." (The Guardian, London)

Notes

Limited Streaming Rights Available

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Details

Status In stock
Type of Show Full-length Play
Product Code AA2000
Minimum Cast Size 21
Pages of Dialogue 74
Min. Royalty Rate $110.00/perf
Approx. Run Time 120 min
Staging Area staging.

Customer Reviews

We used The Ash Girl as an ensemble acting piece for our high school winter speech forensics competition. Judges said they enjoyed this unique spin on a familiar tale.

Elizabeth Bos, Pella Christian Schools, Pella, Iowa

This is a beautiful show about the power of courage and how to find it. I would advise other directors to not shy away from the darker aspects of the show, but to allow Ashgirl to get as low as she can, so that her victory is a high as possible.

Kati Tibbits, Keene Wanda R. Smith High School, Keene, Texas

A wonderful approach to a classic storyÑprovides interesting and challenging roles for entire ensemble. Juicy roles for six women. Provides a wonderful opportunity for physically able character types to shine as the sins. Appealed to our audiencesÑgreat response and standing ovations.

Karen Stitely, Catoctin High School, Thurmont, Md.

Ash Girl was a great success. Having the Seven Deadly Sins be unseen and unheard by the other characters in the play was a very effective device. Initially, I was afraid the audience wouldn't "get it," especially the younger kids, but they did and they loved it.

David Ely, Lincoln School, Providence, R.I.

I love how it takes a familiar story and adds new light and creativity! It is so much more than a fairy tale! I produced The Love of the Nightingale a few years ago and was thrilled to do another Timberlake Wertenbaker play!

Drama Director, Ocean Lakes High School, Virginia Beach, Va.

My high-school students readily identified with the characters and conflicts. Audiences raved about this new take on a familiar tale. Easy to produce; simple set pieces were all that was required.

Karie Sedman, Henry Wise Wood High School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

One of the most well received, successful shows we have ever done. There was lots of opportunity for character development, and our rehearsal discussions were very thought provoking.

Kathleen Tissot, Oregon High School, Oregon, Wis.

Audiences were intrigued by this unusual retelling of the Cinderella story and felt it was our best spring show in years. The message for adolescentsÑthat one must not be defeated by self-doubt or sadness, which leads to a negative cycle of self-imposed isolation, but must find the courage to reach out for supportive relationshipsÑis very important.

Debra Dion Faust, Ipswich High School, Ipswich, Mass.

Hints, Tips, and Tricks

We decided to utilize a Greek convention in our design and created periaktoi for our set changes. It was an easy solution.

Steve Olson, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Projecting the image of the carriage using lights is an easy way to create the illusion of turning the walnut into a carriage.

Katrina Lacey, St. Mary's High School, Phoenix, Ariz.

Don't be too literal. This play calls for lots of imagination, especially with costumes and set.

Gail Howard, Poolesville High School, Poolesville, Md.

This was a good show for a large drama group with more women than men, as a number of the roles were gender neutral. Students enjoyed creating the characterizations of the seven deadly sins morphed into insects and animals.

Debra Dion Faust, Ipswich High School, Ipswich, Mass.

Downloads

File Description	File Format
Performance Poster	pdf	Download

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