Stone Soup by Paul Thain

Children’s play/ Multiple Characters, Large mixed cast/ One Act

A portion of “Stone Soup” may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button above. To buy the complete text in its Samuel French print version, click here.

Synopsis: The wise Sophia enters a starving Village and declares she will feed everyone with her magical stone soup.

But first Makomo must follow the Star and persuade Mr & Mrs North to give up their monopoly of the giant cooking pot. He succeeds and when the pot begins to boil & bubble, the hungry Villagers gather round to listen to the strange woman.

As if by magic, the soup acquires a delicious taste & smell and the mood lightens as everyone anticipates the promised feast. But when Sophia speaks of peace & justice, the fearsome General Mayhem orders Major Hazard to kill her and place the soup under military control. Nevertheless, the spirit of sharing finally prevails & the play welcomes a new era with song & dance.

Derived from an ancient folktale, Stone Soup has proved popular with schools & youth theatres throughout the world.

Read it Now
Performance rights must be secured before production
Contact information:
Amateur rights:
Samuel French UK, Ltd.
Professional rights:
Casarotto-Ramsay Ltd.
National House
60-66 Wardour Street
London W1V 3HP
Tel : +44 20 7287-4450
Fax : +44 20 7287-9128
agents@casarotto.co.uk
Playwright’s website: www.stageplays.com/today.htm

About the Playwrights: Paul Thain was born in South Shields, UK. Inspired by his acting experience with the National Youth Theatre, he gave up life as a bus conductor, studied A-levels, and then read Drama & Theatre Arts at Birmingham University. When his first child was born he left teaching to become primary parent and playwright. His second radio play, The Biggest Sandcastle in the World, won a BBC Giles Cooper Award as one of the Best Radio Plays of 1981, and he has subsequently written many more including The Paradise Machine, for which the BBC’s production won the 1995 European Broadcasting Union Award for Best European Radio Drama.

Other work includes four commissioned screenplays, as yet unproduced, and five stage plays. His plays have been published and performed throughout the world, particularly the UK, Germany, Italy, Russia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Stone Soup has received over 100 productions worldwide.