alphabetical author index

Sarah, Plain and Tall

This play brings to life the charming, heartwarming story of a Kansas farmer, Jacob Witting, a widower with two children, Anna and Caleb, who places an ad in the newspapers seeking a wife.

  • Full Length Play
  • Comedy, Drama
  • 90 minutes

  • Time Period: 1900-1910
  • Target Audience: Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18), Appropriate for all audiences, Young Audiences
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings

  • Performance Group:
  • Community Theatre, College Theatre / Student, High School/Secondary

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! 2004 AATE Distinguished Play Award (Adaptation)
Set in the early 1900s, this play brings to life the charming, heartwarming story of a Kansas farmer, Jacob Witting, a widower with two children, Anna and Caleb, who places an ad in the newspapers seeking a wife. He receives a letter from a Sarah Wheaton of Maine who says she will visit the family for a month to see how things work out: "I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall."

Narrated by Anna reminiscing on the eve of her wedding, the story unfolds in a fascinating flashback on that often exciting, sometimes tumultuous month when Sarah and the Wittings came to know one another and learned a few things about themselves as well. The joys and challenges of everyday life are richly depicted in this classic which the New York Times called "an exquisite, sometimes painfully touching tale." The School Library Journal said the book "is filled with wisdom and gentle humor... a tender story about the fragile beginnings of a family relationship on its way to permanence."

  • Casting: 5M, 7F, 6M or F
  • Casting Attributes: Reduced casting (Doubling Possible)
  • Casting Notes: May be performed by a cast of 10 with doubling.

Name Price
Sarah, Plain and Tall Script Order Now

Set in the early 1900s, this play brings to life the charming, heartwarming story of a Kansas farmer, Jacob Witting, a widower with two children'Anna and Caleb, who places an ad in the newspapers seeking a wife. He receives a letter from a Sarah Wheaton of Maine who says she will visit the family for a month to see how things work out: I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall. Narrated by Anna reminiscing on the eve of her wedding, the story unfolds in a fascinating flashback on that often exciting, sometimes tumultuous month when Sarah and the Wittings came to know one another and learned a few things about themselves as well. The joys and challenges of everyday life are richly depicted in this classic which the New York Times called an exquisite, sometimes painfully touching tale. The School Library Journal said the book is filled with wisdom and gentle humor'a tender story about the fragile beginnings of a family relationship on its way to permanence. Unit set. Approximate running time: 90 minutes.

$19.95