Play Script

The Fourth Orange

by Hillary DePiano

Looking for a large cast comedy play script with plenty of female roles for your next festival or drama competition? The Fourth Orange is a zany fairy tale mash-up with a modern citrus twist!

Both prequel and sequel to Hillary DePiano’s adaptations of The Love of Three Oranges and The Green Bird, it’s the story of how Franny and Truffaldino first met… with a citrus twist!

There were only supposed to be three oranges.

All Franceschina had to do was deliver one measly basket of sausages to the witch and go on her way. But, no, she had to play the hero and ended up cursed and forgotten, caught in the crossfire of someone else’s fairy tale. Well, from now on, she’s minding her own business and leaving the action to the real heroes. But when a dragon is destroying the kingdom and nobody will do anything about it, it’ll be up to Franceschina to decide what part she really wants to play.

A mash-up of the Italian fairy tale, The Merchant, from Giambattista Basile’s The Tale of Tales (Il Pentamerone, Lo cunto de li cunti) with characters from Carlo Gozzi’s The Love of Three Oranges, The Fourth Orange is a wacky commedia-style fairy tale adaptation for all ages.

  • Comedy / Fantasy
  • 25-35 minutes
  • 4 m, 6 f, 5 any (7-20+ actors possible)

Features

  • Flexible staging.
  • Large cast with majority female roles.
  • Ensemble with plenty to do that can expand based on your casting needs.
  • Opportunities for physical comedy, masked commedia dell’arte, improvisation and puppets.
  • Great length for drama competitions and classroom study.

Both prequel and sequel to Hillary DePiano’s adaptations of Carlo Gozzi’s The Love of Three Oranges and The Green Bird. Perform all three one-acts back to back for an evening’s entertainment!

Availability

This play is available in paperback or eBook wherever books are sold.

This play is part of the Tale of Tales project.

It can also be performed as part of the full length play The Fourth Orange and Other Fairy Tales You’ve Never Even Heard Of

The Fourth Orange and Other Fairy Tales You’ve Never Even Heard Of cover image

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hillary@hillarydepiano.com