Drama Scripts - Plays for Kids, Teenagers & Youth

The Devil's Banker

Previously called The Gothic Tale (or the Rat). 

Dramatic and scary play in the best traditions of a gothic tale

Halloween play script for high schools

We recommend for high school productions and university/college drama clubs and festivals. Also suitable for theatres and production groups staging horror shows.

The play was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and The Black Cat, but it is entirely original in content. This modern script involves the themes of evil and punishment for crimes, violence and bad behaviour.

Author:           Robert Reed
Characters:  25 (9 speaking - 7 male, 2 female,
                              16 non-speaking)
Run time:      50 minutes
Set:                 1920's New York

Age group:    15 -26 years or older

The play features two dance scenes, several scary dramatic scenes and some enlightening moments. 

Scroll down to read the script excerpts. 

Lukas Leonards is the brash arrogant banker to the gangsters of 1920s New York.  He’s sure he’s going places; he’s successful and invincible.  He uses and discards people without remorse.  But, Lukas has dark fears and, as the Devil conjures up a demon rat to haunt him, Lukas becomes frantic with fear and is driven to the depths of insanity and despair. The Devil offers Lukas a deal and Lukas accepts the price: his soul.  The Devil keeps his word...

The play will leave the audience with an uneasy night’s sleep...

High schools, community, amateur and professional theatre play script.

Perfect for Halloween or for any time of the year.

The play script "The Devil's Banker"

Play Excerpts

Copyright Robert Reed All rights are strictly reserved.

LEONARDS: Hi, Honey... What’s eating you? Okay, so I forgot Jimmy’s birthday. I’ll take him to the Red Sox game. He’ll forgive me. Listen I can’t make it home this weekend: I’m just going to have to work all weekend. I need to meet with some important clients. You understand, Honey... Honey? (Slowly lowers the phone.) It’ll cost me a diamond ring this time.

NARRATOR: I cared about money and power. I didn’t care about my family. I certainly didn’t care about the 42% Americans below the poverty line. I was invincible...  Until Hell came scurrying for me.

(KNOCKING on the door...)  
...

LEONARDS: Sure, Janette. (Leonards starts to prepare a sandwich.)

NARRATOR: ‘Sure, Janette’. Lukas Leonards doesn’t fix sandwiches. My emotions were a violent maelstrom: from blind panic to anger in 30 seconds. I was going to call Madden: Flint had some more work on his capable hands. My conscience had now evaporated. I don’t make sandwiches.

...

NARRATOR: The spell was broken. I attacked with my book: the complete works of Shakespeare.

...

Copyright Robert Reed All rights are strictly reserved.

The play script "The Devil's Banker"