Books published by publisher Samuel French Ltd

The pupils of St Campion's Comprehensive, ultra-disciplined exam machines, are devoted to their headmaster. But something strange is going on and the worst class in the world - 6Z - are going to get to the bottom of this mystery and expose the DEMON HEADMASTER! Based on the very popular children's book, The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross, this musical is fun, exciting and a little bit scary. An early version of the musical was 'workshopped' at the Royal National Theatre's studio in 1997 and premiered at The Pleasance Theatre, London. In 1999 it enjoyed a very successful national tour.|Large flexible cast

Melodrama / 5m, 3f / Int. The author comes forth with another hit about a group of strangers stranded in a boarding house during a snow storm, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the newly married couple who run the house, and the suspicions that are in their minds nearly wreck their perfect marriage. Others are a spinster with a curious background, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a retired Army major, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. Into their midst comes a policeman, traveling on skis. He no sooner arrives, than the jurist is killed. Two down, and one to go. To get to the rationale of the murderer's pattern, the policeman probes the background of everyone present, and rattles a lot of skeletons. Another famous Agatha Christie switch finish! Chalk up another superb intrigue for the foremost mystery writer of her time.

A Slave Ship emerges out of the Hudson River in front of the Statue of Liberty sending NYC into a frenzy. Emergency is an intricately woven, urgent, witty and moving exploration of our shared humanity and what it means to be free. An explosive play where rhythm, rhyme and remembrance rise."Daniel Beaty is a name to remember, as is this vivid portrait of the African- American experience in present day New York." -TheaterMania.com"Daniel Beaty's explosive, affecting solo play Emergency may be the most important new American drama since Angels in America." -NYTheatre.com"A funny, passionate show." -Variety THROUGH THE NIGHTThrough the Night is a timely and inspiring story of possibility and hope, weaving together a unique blend of humor, poetry, music, and drama. It portrays a community of people who experience an unexpected epiphany on the same evening that changes their lives forever."May be one of the most uplifting and inspiring pieces of theater you'll see this year." -TheaterMania.com"Daniel Beaty's poetic solo show is a thing of beauty, wit, grit and piercing lyricism." -The New York Times

Thriller / Characters: 8 male, 5 female Scenery: 2 InteriorsOnly Agatha Christie could have conceived such a suspenseful thriller and then capped it with an uncanny triple flip ending. A young married man spends many evenings with a rich old woman. When she is found murdered, the naive young man is the chief suspect. The testimony of his wife is expected to result in an acquittal, but she is a shrew who damages his case and all but hangs him before a vindictive mystery woman appears with letters against the wife. After the man is freed, it is revealed that mystery woman is actually the wife. She discredited and perjured herself because she felt that direct testimony on her husband's behalf would not have been sufficient to free him. When he turns his back on his wife and goes off with another woman, we realize that he was the murderer. He does not get away it, for there is one turn of plot remaining. "A walloping success."-Herald Tribune "Packs plenty of surprise in its cargo of suspense."-Daily Mirror Winner of the New York Critics Circle Award

Three actors. One desk. Three chairs. Theatre at its most elemental. Seven Interviews offers up seven different short plays, each with an interview format, and each of which illuminates some aspect of the human condition. The seven pieces range from the broadly comic to the achingly tragic. Among the situations set up in the seven pieces are a job interview to replace a secretary who is giving her employer nightmares, a biographer's horrible realization that she doesn't know her subject at all, the matter of a baseball team mascot who is frightening children at the ballpark, a dialogue between psychiatrist and patient with an unexpected outcome, a conference between parent and school principal over the expulsion of the woman's son; along with pieces about a very unlikely customer for a professional hit-man, and an office cleaning lady caught red-handed on Christmas Eve.

Drama / Characters: 17 Male, 3 Female Scenery: 5 interior SpacesIncriminating letters written by a young European prince to the English girl he betrayed are in the hands of the dead girl's sister. She is in the clutches of a nefarious man. All this and Moriarty and Dr. Watson too. "A prime evening of entertainment." N.Y. Daily News."Constant stage magic to delight the audience." Women's Wear Daily. "A theatrical triumph ... one of the jolliest treats of the season." Christian Science Monitor. "The most enjoyable show in town ... a great evening in the theater. I ... might find it difficult to like someone who did not love it." N.Y. Times.

This biographical play is adapted from the book by Lorraine Hansbury by Robert Nemiroff, her husband and literary executor. It features a cast of 2 males, 4 females, and can feature anywhere from 7 to 20 interracial performers. Set on a bare stage with only a ramp, a company of actors assemble to tell the story of Lorraine Hansbury, her life, her work, and her inner life. With only lighting changes and hints of props or costumes, the actors move freely in and out of character before the audience. Music and lyrics from the play are included in the script, and a sound tape can be rented from Samuel French for a nominal fee. Contemporary in form, the play was woven together from letters, diaries, notebooks, poems, and portions of her plays. The form is free-form, but chronological, with scenes and memories merging into each other, in depicting the experiences which shaped Miss Handberry's life and spirit. Detailed production notes and a set diagram are included.