This site has limited support for your browser. We recommend switching to Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.

Not sure where to start? Discover all our scripts

Talk to one of our experts here

Thank you for purchasing with Stagescripts

Shopping basket 0

Sorry, looks like we don't have enough of this product.

Products

Need help? Contact our team here

Pair with
Subtotal Free
Shipping, taxes, and discount codes are calculated at checkout
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • Google Pay
  • Maestro
  • Mastercard
  • Shop Pay
  • Union Pay
  • Visa

Jesse And The Bookkeepers

Emma Spires

Genre: Comedic Drama

Cast size: 20+

Duration: 55 mins approx

Emma Spires | Young Cast | Comedic Drama | One Act | 1m, 2f, 2m/f plus large supporting cast

Short synopsis

Jesse is a young, shy child who spends a lot of their time on their own in the Lunar Library. But they find themselves in a situation where the fate of the world and the library is in their hands. With the help of Tioni Moon, and the Bookkeepers, they make their way through the pages of books trying to defeat Tioni's younger brother, Tiernan, and his sidekick, Smudge. Will they manage to save the library in time, will the world be safe...and who is going to double cross who?

This One Act Play is the prequel to 'Kaleidoscopic Kingdoms' and the sequel to 'Fight For the Moon' but will work as a stand alone play too.

It follows the story of a young, shy child named Jesse who spends a lot of their time on their own in the Lunar Library. But they find themselves in a situation where the fate of the world and the library is in their hands. With the help of the librarian, Tioni Moon, who turns out to be a real live princess, and the magical Bookkeepers, they make their way through the pages of books, solving problems and trying to defeat Tioni's younger brother, Tiernan, and his sidekick, Smudge. 

Along the way they visit books about Commedia, Romeo and Juliet, Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories, The Olympics, King Arthur and finally The Battle of Hastings, with the Scribes telling the stories along the way. Tiernan is doing his best to muddle up the books so he can get to Hastings first to become King of all realms. But with the help of Tioni and the Bookkeepers we see Jesse become more confident in their abilities, and solving all the problems Tiernan and Smudge cause.

The end battle sees Smudge finally get his redemption by saving Jesse, but it means that Tiernan escapes. With all the books safe, Jesse believes that along with the others they will now return to the library, but Tioni explains that Jesse doesn’t need them anymore. The play begins as it starts, but instead of Jesse staying on their own reading, they go off with their friends showing that they now have the confidence to live in the real world and not in books.

‘Jesse and the Bookkeepers' is designed so that it can be a cast of many or few with the use of multi-rolling. The lead can be male or female, and other characters can be cast to suit the setting and genders. It is written so that it can also be rehearsed in isolated sections should you have a large cast, and the set can be large scale or small scale. It is a mixed genre so as to appeal to a varied audience. Being a mixture of comedy, tragedy, T.I.E and physical theatre, there is something for everyone.

1m, 2f, 2m/f plus large supporting cast

Principals

  • Tioni Moon -The Librarian, A Princess, 26 years old (f)
  • Jesse, a bookish 13 year old (m/f)
  • Tiernan Moon, Tioni’s mischievous brother, A Prince 25 years old (m)
  • Smudge, Tiernan’s sidekick, Any age and gender (m/f)
  • Stella, 23 years old (f)

Supporting Characters

Bookkeepers: Creasy-Bookkeeper for Comedy; Doom & Gloom-Bookkeepers for Tragedy; PW-Bookkeeper for Plays, Ludo-Bookkeeper for Games; Geomundo-Bookkeeper for World Books; Razzie-Bookkeeper for Entertainment; Sprightly-Bookkeeper for Fairy Tales; Acu-Bookkeeper for History; Scribes 1to5

Commedia Dell‘Arte Characters: Pantalone, Il Dottre, Il Capitano, Arlecchino, Zanni

Shakespeare Characters: Romeo, Mercutio, Juliet, Nancy/Nurse

Other Supporting Characters: Photographer, Runners 1to10, Rainbow Serpent, Frog1&2, Kangas1&2, Koalas 1&2, Birds1&2, Fish 1&2, Brothers1&2, Director, Actor, Knights 1to4, King Arthur, Snow White, Merlin, Morgana, Evil Queen, William The Conqueror, Harold, Soldiers

This One Act Play is the prequel to 'Kaleidoscopic Kingdoms' and the sequel to 'Fight For the Moon'

Free

Applying for and paying royalties

To apply for royalties, please complete the form on our apply for royalties page.

To pay for fixed fee royalties having received your Quotation from us, please go to this payment form.

[{"variant_id":"55522426847618" , "metafield_value":""},{"variant_id":"55522426913154" , "metafield_value":""},{"variant_id":"55522426945922" , "metafield_value":""},{"variant_id":"55522427011458" , "metafield_value":""}]

Jesse And The Bookkeepers

Free
More information

This play has been written so that the majority of the characters are non-gender specific, including the role of Jesse and Smudge. Pronouns may be changed to suit your casting. It is also designed to be a flexible cast, so you can either choose to multirole characters or you could add in more animals, soldiers,
knights, runners and cast members to suit your size of cast.

If you require any additional information regarding this script, please don’t hesitate to contact us here.

Frequently asked questions

Can we try before we buy?

Of course! All our plays and pantomimes have a free Preview Script available for download as an A4 pdf file that contains 60-75% of the full script. If you like what you read then you can buy an inexpensive e-script of the entire play (typically less than half the cost of a traditional printed script) which is licensed to you for your personal use. Purchasing a script copying licence allows you to make just enough copies to support rehearsals and performances.

All our musicals are included in our perusal service. Through this, representatives of producing organisations can request a USB Stick of perusal material  which comprise the script/libretto and piano/vocal score as PDF files; a Cast (or Studio) Recording as MP3 files and (where available) an MP4 file video of either the premiere production or of a subsequent production.

Some titles have the facility to read the entire script online on our website.

Do we need a Licence To Perform?

The simple answer is, yes.

Under the international laws of copyright, you must be in possession of a valid, unexpired licence before performing any piece of theatre unless the owner or managers of the copyright has waived their rights.

Why do you insist on providing a formal royalties quotation?

When you request a quotation, it is logged in our system, it forms part of an orderly queue and protects your place in that queue should multiple licensing requests occur for the same show.

Need help?

Contact us

If you need help with our scripts, please contact our customer service team, we would be more than happy to help.

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)

Established for over 25 years

Unearthing future talent


Stagescripts is a trusted licensing company run by theatre professionals with decades of experience on and off stage. Our curated catalogue includes over 1,000 carefully selected plays, musicals, and pantomimes — from fresh, undiscovered writing to well-loved classics.

We’re passionate about helping theatre-makers at every level discover scripts that inspire, challenge, and connect with audiences. Whether you're staging a village hall production or leading a professional company, our team offers expert advice, flexible support, and a responsive, personal service to help your next performance shine.