Shows for Senior Groups

It’s time to bring our elders back to center stage! Whether you’re a seasoned performer or an experienced theatre enthusiast, you can be the storyteller of your favorite laughter-inducing, tear-jerking and heartwarming stories through readers’ theatre. In this format, actors present a dramatic reading of a script without costumes, props, sets or lighting; the story is all you need! Peruse the article below for our picks for retirement homes, senior communities, and senior readers’ theatre programs to bring to life with performers in their later years.

Full-Length Plays

Better Late by Larry Gelbart (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 1w, 3m)
This biting December-December-December romance is a not-to-be-missed romantic comedy. Composer Lee Baer is forced by his wife, Nora, to take in her ex-husband, Julian, after a recent stroke. Tension builds between the two as Julian makes it more and more difficult for Lee to get any songs written. Meanwhile, Julian and Nora’s son, Billy, reveals that he is going through a divorce of his own. How long will Julian stay, and how long will it take until Lee cracks?

Flamingo Court by Luigi Creatore (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 2w, 3m)
This three part slice-of-life takes place in three different condos and has audiences laughing at the truth they see in what might be their own neighbors – only zanier. With three short plays all set in the same apartment building, your slate of actors can have a fun role and enjoy the rest as an audience member!

Four Old Broads by Leslie Kimbell (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 6w, 1m)
For retired burlesque queen Beatrice Shelton and her best friend, prayerful Eaddy Mae Clayton, things have not been very pleasant at Magnolia Place Assisted Living since Nurse Pat Jones began working there. The newest resident, Imogene Fletcher, is suddenly losing her memory. Maude Jenkins is obsessed with her favorite soap opera and planning her own funeral. Sam Smith, retired Elvis impersonator, keeps trying to bed every woman in the building. A mystery unfolds with laughter as the gals try to outsmart the evil Nurse Jones, figure out why so many residents have been moved to “the dark side,” what exactly is that mysterious pill, and what happened to Doctor Head? The sequels Four Old Broads on the High Seas (US/UK) and The Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Beauty Pageant (US/UK) are also available for licensing.

Four Old Broads on the High Seas by Leslie Kimbell (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 5w, 6m)
Get ready to set sail with your favorite Old Broads. Yes… they’re back again and ready for a Sassy Senior’s cruise to the Bahamas. Beatrice is determined to have her pick of ALL the eligible men on the ship… but Maude, fresh from her win at the Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Pageant, plans on being her biggest competition. Wedding bells are ringing for Sam and Imogene… maybe. And Eaddy… well… she just wants to know what all the fuss is about up on the topless sun deck. Throw in a murder mystery, a fabulous drag queen and a crazy costume party, and you’re in for a laugh-a-minute, side-splitting laugh-out-loud night of fun.

Love, Sex, and the I.R.S. by Jane Milmore and Billy Van Zandt (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 5m)
This outrageous comedy – a cross between I Love Lucy and Some Like It Hot – is a classic farce involving mistaken identity, secret affairs, surprise guests… and the Internal Revenue Service. With 8 robust roles, it’s perfect for a small ensemble of actors to delight in!

The Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Beauty Pageant by Leslie Kimbell (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 7w, 2m)
The Four Old Broads are back, with some wacky new friends, in an all-new comedy. Against her better judgement, Lurleen Dupree is throwing the seventh annual Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Beauty Pageant. Martha Parcell is certain that it is finally her year to win. But Beatrice, Imogene and Eaddy have other plans. Throw in a tambourine-playing squirrel, dueling Elvises, and an unfortunate spray-tanning incident… and you’re in for a knee-slapping, side-splitting night of live theatre. Four Old Broads (US/UK) and Four Old Broads on the High Seas (US/UK) are also available for licensing.

The Roommate by Jen Silverman (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 2w)
Sharon, in her mid-fifties, is recently divorced and needs a roommate to share her Iowa home. Robyn, also in her mid-fifties, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. But as Sharon begins to uncover Robyn’s secrets, they encourage her own deep-seated desire to transform her life completely. A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life – and what happens when the wheels come off.

Touch by Lori Goodman (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 3m)
A retired widow dips her toe into online dating with help from her son. A widower unexpectedly reconnects with his divorced daughter. A wife and curmudgeonly husband navigate living on a fixed income. Touch is a story about the enduring need for love and companionship at any age.

Short Plays

Four Movements by Sean David DeMers (US/UK)
(10-Minute Play, Dramatic Comedy / 3w)
In this bittersweet short play, niece Grace contemplates the mysteries of death, symphonies, senses and chocolate eclairs at her aunt’s wake. A great choice to confront themes of death and end of life in a thoughtful manner.

Husbandry by Don Nigro (US/UK)
(10-Minute Play, Comedy / 1w, 1m)
In this very funny short play, Lester, fourth husband to Becky, comes home to their trailer from bowling one evening and discovers a mule and two goats in their yard. All this might not be so much about mules and goats and the difference between mules and donkeys as it is about how lonely you get when you’re old while your husband is out bowling. A great choice for two actors with comedic chops!

Lucky Man by Henry Meyerson (US)
(10-Minute Play, Dark Comedy / 1w, 2m)
In this darkly funny short play, Mr. Smith might have been cured, had he survived the autopsy. Confront death in a end-of-life-affirming yet comedic theatrical exploration in this piece for three actors.

Sailing by Michael Shurtleff (US)
(10-Minute Play, Drama / 1w, 1m)
This OOB Festival winner is a stirring, honest play about the disappointments that come at the end of life, with two strong roles for senior actors. Married couple Hari and Walt, now at the stage where their children have left, watch boats on the water capsize while having the first truly honest conversation with each other in years, wondering if they’d do it all again.

The Fifteen Minute Hamlet by Tom Stoppard (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 2w, 4m)
Following his success with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard continues his association with Hamlet by taking the most famous and best loved lines from Shakespeare’s play and condensing them into a hilarious 13-minute version. The multitude of characters is played by six actors with hectic doubling, and the action takes place at an abridged Elsinore Castle. A great choice to encounter the work of two great playwrights with a dose of chaotic fun.

The Swine of Avon by Thomas Hischak (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 12 any gender)
Here is the story of Shakespeare and his plays as told by pigs! Blasphemy? More like a delightful farce with a large, flexible cast. This action-packed comedy that sheds a light on the Swan of Avon is filled with puns, satire, silliness and even brief scenes from Shakespeare with a new porcine twist.

For more great plays for senior groups, visit Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.