A Haunted Coming-of-Age Comedy!

When Stevie transfers to St. Philomena’s Academy, a former insane asylum with a sinister past, she just wants to fit in and fly under the radar. But after a ghostly encounter on her first day, Stevie and a crew of misfit outcast classmates are pulled into a chilling mystery. As the haunting intensifies, the students uncover a century-old injustice and must confront not only the ghost but the buried trauma that still echoes in the hallowed halls. Told with equal parts horror, humor, and heart, The Ghost of St. Philomena’s is a coming-of-age story about claiming your future in the long shadow of what came before, and the courage it takes to face what haunts us, both literally and figuratively.

Stevie         (15) female
Frankie        (16) female
Eleanor        (15) female
Tiffany        (15) female
Alexa          (16) female
Girl#1         (15) female
Girl#2         (15) female
Marcus        (17) male
Tae            (15) male
Boy#1         (15) male
Boy#2         (15) male
Gardner       Doubled by anyone in the cast

THE SHADOW ACTORS (at least 4-5 actors, MORE is better):

The SHADOW ACTORS are dressed in all-black (black face masks/gloves); they are the forgotten souls of past inmates that haunt the building. They shouldn’t be highlighted, but crawl from under, over, behind, and around things. I have notated places where they could be used. Please add places they can be used for added dramatic and spooky effects. When the SHADOW ACTORS are not being mischievous, they may double as other students who attend the school.

Copyright © NICOLETTE VAJTAY, 2025
Published by Gitelman & Good Publishers, LLC, 2025
Script use and distribution is limited by the terms of the license agreement provided by the publisher. All other rights reserved.  

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• Juliet: 59, Caucasian, Bob’s best friend
• Bob: 70, Caucasian, actor, and ballet dancer. Diagnosed with dementia 10 years earlier
• Dirk: 60’s, Black, Bob’s neighbor, ex-military, spends his time at a strip club
  • Dr. Oskar, Ricky: Played by the actor playing DIRK
• Nakita: 19, Asian-American, 7 months pregnant, a stripper and pre-law
  • Deillza, Mary, Andrea: Played by the actress playing NAKITA
• Renata: 20’s, Latina, a hardworking immigrant, has an accent, Bob’s caregiver
  • Magda, Karen, Mrs. Kabinski: Played by the actress playing RENATA

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Under the watchful presence of an emotionally withholding Hungarian immigrant mother—shaped by survival, silence, and sacrifice—old wounds resurface as fear presses in. One sister turns to metaphysics, the other to born-again Christianity, each convinced she’s speaking the truth. What follows are sharp, funny, and painfully familiar attempts to connect, where prayer, energy healing, silence, and love collide—and the family must confront whether it’s ever possible to truly hear one another.

• Natalia:  45, the middle sister, first-generation Hungarian/American, bohemian, spiritual, escaped New Jersey 15 years ago
• Danielle: 47, the eldest sister, first-generation Hungarian/American, a Born-Again-Christian, lives in New Jersey
• Zsofia: 44, the youngest sister, first-generation Hungarian/American, diagnosed with a brain tumor, lives in New Jersey
• Karolina: 67, the girls’ estranged mother, an immigrant from Hungary, in excellent health and is stylishly dressed
• Zoltan: 51, the ICU nurse, a Christian.

Production History: Athena Project Festival, Plays in Progress Staged Reading at the Aurora Fox, Denver, CO. Image: Gina Wencel as Zsofia and Emily Paton Davies as Natalia.

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A Magical Midnight

A Full-Length Dramedy for Kids ages 8-80

When ten-year-old Maggie Conner’s wild red curls are “discovered” by a Hollywood talent scout, she’s swept into the glow of sudden fame—and a new attitude that begins to frustrate even her patient parents.

Next door lives her best friend, Olivia Michaels, Maggie’s age but older in spirit: bald from cancer, radiant with curiosity, and fiercely in love with life. As illness and ambition pull the girls in different directions, a glimmer of fate opens the door to a magical adventure, blending realism and fantasy through humor, poetic language, and simple theatrical magic. In navigating jealousy, fear, and devotion, the girls discover that true brilliance lives not in the spotlight, but in love, loyalty, and the quiet magic of being seen.

• Maggie: 10, a precocious young girl with a gorgeous head of hair
• Olivia: 10, Maggie’s best, and passionate friend; she has cancer\
• Kelly, 40’s, Maggie’s “perfect” mom
  • also plays, The Lovely Assistant, a beauty with a fake smile
• Jack: 40’s, Maggie’s absent-minded dad
  • also plays, The Game Show Host, a slick and sneaky enemy
• Grandma: 70’s, feisty, witty, and wise
• Robert: 40’s, Olivia’s workaholic dad, a pilot
  • also plays, The Pirate, a rhyming menace

Production History

• Staged Reading, Playwrights Showcase of the Western Region, 2009
• Staged Reading, Colorado Theatre Guild New Venture Series, 2009
• Staged Reading, Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy, Denver, 2009
• Staged Reading, Theatre District, Los Angeles, 2006

Awards

• Finalist, Ronald Rube Festival, Caryl Crane Children’s Theatre, 2012
• Honorable Mention, New Works of Merit, NYC, 2011
• Honorable Mention, Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Youth Theatre, 2009
• Semi Finalist, Princess Grace Award, 2007
• Prize Winner, Writer’s Digest Stage Play Competition, 2006

Cast & Crew 2009: