Dead Shambles

By Chris Raven

Dead Shambles is a comedy horror stage play (with lyrics), and is about seven survivors of a zombie apocalypse who have retreated to their local police station in the hopes of finding safety. However, once behind firm safe walls they realise that there is more to fear in a post apocalyptic Britain then the hoards of ‘undead’ that are waiting for them outside. Who are the real monsters in this tale? And are they on the inside or out?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raven's Staff
• Release date: Jan 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310384219

Chris Raven

Chris Raven was born in South London some 50 or so years ago, maybe a little more. He originally started out in Local and Community Theatre in the 1980s, but became side-tracked by health and social care, where he has made his living for the past 30 years or so. More recently he has found his way back to the creative arts and enjoys writing in several forms and genres, including poetry, short storytelling and playwriting.He also performs and has contributed illustrations to other author's works. He has edited books for The Indie Collaboration and he joint coordinated the 'Tall Stories' shared writing project.

Book preview

Dead Shambles

(The Stage Play)

By Chris Raven

A two act stage musical comedy-horror about zombies, designed for a large cast amateur dramatic company

Copyright © 2014, 2015, 2016 Christopher Paul Raven

Third Edition

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved

ISBN: 9781310384219

First published in January 2014

Cover Art by book birdy designs

Copyright and Permissions

All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser's use only and may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed without prior written consent.

I will not be seeking royalties for any non-profit making amateur production of this play, such as those produced by amateur dramatic societies, drama schools, theatre courses, community theatre groups, youth groups, schools, colleges, and universities. All I would ask is that I am credited as the author/playwright and that each cast and crew member consider buying their own original copy of this script to work from.

I would also appreciate it if you could let me know about your production, as it would be really nice to know if it is being performed.

I do not give permission for anyone to produce or perform this play professionally, or to adapt it to any other medium, without my express written consent.

In either case, you can contact me via e-mail at [e-mail]

CONTENTS

Setting and Notes

Characters

Scenes

Act One

Act Two

About The Author

SETTING AND NOTES

This musical stage play is about seven survivors of a zombie apocalypse who have retreated to their local police station in the hopes of finding safety. However, once behind firm safe walls they realise that there is more to fear in a post-apocalyptic Britain then the hordes of ‘undead’ that are waiting for them outside. Who are the real monsters in this tale? And are they on the inside or out?

Who is the play for?

This play is written for a large non-professional cast and as such I will not be seeking royalties for non-profit making amateur productions. Please see the previous copyright section at the beginning of this book for more details. I have tried to create an adaptable cast of characters with a script that gives as much flexibility as possible for casting within existing drama groups.

Over all ‘Dead Shambles’ is designed to give actors, musicians, dancers, and technicians an opportunity to experiment, explore and above all have fun. It is also a great opportunity to play a zombie!

Music and Style:

I have provided song lyrics but it is up to your production to provide the music. Is your production a 'big number' style musical, a Rock Opera, a jazz fest, or a rap and street-dance bonanza. Maybe you would prefer to perform the lyrics as poetry instead or even omit the songs altogether. Either way, you may adapt the lyrics to reflect your production’s chosen style and the music you have chosen to accompany each number. If you choose to use pre-existing music then it is your responsibility to seek any appropriate permissions.

Language:

I have tried to pitch the use of ‘bad’ language in this play to be reasonably acceptable to audiences and players who are aged fourteen or older.

ACT I

Act One is mostly exposition and should be fast passed with snappy scene changes. The main set in Act One is the police cells, the other scenes can be created by small set pieces, close lighting and mime.

Each Scene in Act One is also interspaced by action that takes place in the auditorium, which ideally should have at