The Sting
Adapted by David Rogers from the screenplay by David Ward.
Product Code: S69000
Full-length Play
Comedy | Drama
Cast size: large, flexible.
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
The excitement, maneuvers and comedy of the Paul Newman/Robert Redford screen triumph have been brilliantly adapted for stage production by one of the finest professional playwrights writing today. This show takes place in Chicago many years ago in a world of small-time hustlers and their girls—their money nonexistent but their ingenuity abundant. Johnny Hooker (a small-time grifter played by Redford in the film) joins a friend in a successful con of a "runner." Unfortunately for them, the runner works for a powerful, vindictive rackets boss, Doyle Lonnegan, who is infuriated and arranges the killing of Johnny's friend. Hoping to avenge this senseless murder, Johnny enlists the aid of the master con man Henry Gondorf (originally played by Newman). Together they decide to try the big con called "The Wire." Structured in classic style, their first move is "The Set Up." From there they proceed to "The Tale." The tension mounts as they succeed and, with the powerful Lonnegan half-hooked, go on to "The Shut Out." The excitement becomes explosive and a final scene, with switch upon switch upon switch, has your audience guessing and gasping as it builds to the final con movement, "The Sting!" This is a wonderfully theatrical and yet authentic exploration of a very special world.
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code S69000
- Minimum Cast Size 30
- Pages of Dialogue 105
- Min. Royalty Rate $110.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 140 min
- Staging Area staging. Designed for a fast pace, the set and the props are minimal.
Categories
- Target Audience Middle School | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages) | Senior Adults
- Performing Group Middle School | High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre
- Genre Comedy | Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871292803
Customer Reviews
Excellent -- fun for students -- great for movements and stage craft.
The Sting captures the snappy dialogue well. Good adaptation of a movie. Great choice for a high school play because of name recognition.
Great fun to produce! Colorful characters, intriguing plot twists, fast-paced action, and an explosive final scene make this play exciting to direct. Love the area staging. One of the best plays I've ever doneÑeveryone loved it.
The script is very faithful to the original movie and really captures the spirit of the story in a theatrical, yet easy-to-produce manner.
The Sting is a great show to teach students the joy of taking the audience by surprise. The adaptation is great, especially the addition of more female characters to balance the cast. Lots of small roles for new actors with fun roles for veteran performers. Bravo, Dramatic Publishing!
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
Keep the set simple and creative to help with the flow of action.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley Little Theatre | Bromley | 07/04/2025 | 07/12/2025 |
Gallery
The Sting - Ballard High School, Huxley, IA
The Sting - Finneytown High School, Cincinnati, OH
Also By These Authors
Karla Cornish, Grinnell High School, Grinnell, IA