Kid-Simple: a radio play in the flesh

Kid-Simple: a radio play in the flesh by Jordan Harrison

(0)
Productions (65)
Comedy
|
90 - 100 minutes
3 W, 3 M, 1 Any (6-11 actors possible: 3-5 W, 3-6 M)
Content Notes: Adult language and content
Set: One large table with Foley props. Free-standing microphones.

Moll, a girl who invents things, wins the science fair with a machine for hearing sounds that can't be heard. But when a shapeshifting Mercenary steals the invention (and her heart), she must embark on a quest to save noise as we know it. Accompanied by the last boy-virgin in the eleventh grade, Moll crosses chasms and rafts rivers into a world where sound is always more than what meets the ear. A quirky fable of innocence and experience, featuring live sound effects, mutinous onomatopoeia, and a host of woodsy temptations.

Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $85
Standard Edition $13.99
Stage Manager Edition $24.99
Archival Video License $150

*The per performance fee begins at $85. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.


Playscripts is pleased to offer an Archival Video License for an additional $150 for full-length plays and $75 for one-act plays.

Play Details

Moll, a girl who invents things, wins the science fair with a machine for hearing sounds that can't be heard. But when a shapeshifting Mercenary steals the invention (and her heart), she must embark on a quest to save noise as we know it. Accompanied by the last boy-virgin in the eleventh grade, Moll crosses chasms and rafts rivers into a world where sound is always more than what meets the ear. A quirky fable of innocence and experience, featuring live sound effects, mutinous onomatopoeia, and a host of woodsy temptations.

  • Comedy
  • |
  • 90 - 100 minutes
  • 3 W, 3 M, 1 Any (6-11 actors possible: 3-5 W, 3-6 M)
  • Content Notes: Adult language and content
  • Set: One large table with Foley props. Free-standing microphones.
  • Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-62384-074-7

Published Reviews

"Stuffed with whizbang sight and sonic gags, sci-fi tropes, fanciful language and self-referential pokes at its own loopiness, Kid-Simple is the work of a fertile, rambunctious imagination...Harrison is an exhilarating wordsmith."

Misha Berson, Seattle Times

"Jordan Harrison subtitled his Kid-Simple 'a radio play in the flesh,' and, like the best radio dramas, it seizes and shapes the imaginations that are open to its brilliant virtues... Kid-Simple is a stunning collision of Firesign Theatre, John Cage, The Stinky Cheese Man and Sondheim's Into the Woods, a tribute to both the bangs and the whimpers with which the world ends."

Jay Weitz, Columbus Alive

"High double-crossing adventure, comic-book fantasy, and kaleidoscopic imagery...they're all found in Brown-grad Jordan Harrison's dizzying theatrical romp, now enjoying a must-see run at Perishable Theatre... Clearly, he is a playwright worth watching."

Channing Gray, The Providence Journal

"Jordan Harrison delivered the most inventive and satisfying piece [in the 2004 Humana Festival]...a thrilling abandonment of old-school literalism."

John Moore, The Denver Post

"In this story about Moll, a teenage girl who invents a device called the Third Ear, Harrison and [director Darron] West dare to make sound visible and visual elements auditory. It's a play that interlaces science and fantasy while delivering a cacophony of sounds until a world of discordant noise culminates in glorious silence."

Judith Egerton, Louisville Courier-Journal

"Jordan Harrison has written a rangy, complex and intellectually titillating play infused with the sheer joy of creation."

Dominic Papatola, The St. Paul Pioneer Press

Production History

OCT 18, 2024 - OCT 26, 2024
Towson University Department of Theatre Arts
Towson, MD United States
Towson University Department of Theatre ArtsTowson, MD United States
OCT 09, 2024 - OCT 13, 2024
Texas Woman's University
DENTON, TX United States
Texas Woman's UniversityDENTON, TX United States
NOV 19, 2022 - NOV 20, 2022
Grindstone Theatre
Edmonton, AB Canada
Grindstone TheatreEdmonton, AB Canada
MAY 10, 2021 - MAY 10, 2021
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, VA United States
Bridgewater CollegeBridgewater, VA United States
APR 15, 2021 - APR 17, 2021
Texas Lutheran University
Seguin, TX United States
Texas Lutheran UniversitySeguin, TX United States
DEC 04, 2020 - DEC 05, 2020
Columbia Basin College
Pasco, WA United States
Columbia Basin CollegePasco, WA United States
OCT 23, 2020 - OCT 25, 2020
University Of Houston
Houston, TX United States
University Of HoustonHouston, TX United States
FEB 20, 2020 - FEB 24, 2020
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore, MD United States
Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD United States
DEC 13, 2019 - DEC 13, 2019
Mitchell High School
Denver, CO United States
Mitchell High SchoolDenver, CO United States
NOV 07, 2019 - NOV 09, 2019
Mitchell High School
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO United States
Mitchell High SchoolCOLORADO SPRINGS, CO United States
1 of 7
No upcoming productions.
APR 29, 2016 - MAY 22, 2016
Swandive Theatre
Minneapolis, MN United States
Swandive TheatreMinneapolis, MN United States
OCT 05, 2012 - OCT 27, 2012
Convergence-Continuum
Cleveland, OH United States
Convergence-ContinuumCleveland, OH United States
FEB 18, 2011 - MAR 26, 2011
CoHo Theater
Portland, OR United States
CoHo TheaterPortland, OR United States
MAY 04, 2009 - MAY 05, 2009
Boise Contemporary Theater
Boise, ID United States
Boise Contemporary TheaterBoise, ID United States
AUG 31, 2008 - SEP 13, 2008
Azuka Theatre
Philadelphia, PA United States
Azuka TheatrePhiladelphia, PA United States
MAR 02, 2007 - MAR 25, 2007
Forum Theatre & Dance
Washington, DC United States
Forum Theatre & DanceWashington, DC United States
SEP 02, 2006 - SEP 16, 2006
Emigrant Theater
Minneapolis, MN United States
Emigrant TheaterMinneapolis, MN United States
JUN 01, 2006 - JUN 25, 2006
Mad Cow Theatre
Orlando, FL United States
Mad Cow TheatreOrlando, FL United States
JAN 12, 2005 - JAN 29, 2005
PCPA Theaterfest
Santa Maria, CA United States
PCPA TheaterfestSanta Maria, CA United States
FEB 16, 2005 - MAR 10, 2005
American Theater Company
Chicago, IL United States
American Theater CompanyChicago, IL United States
1 of 2

Awards (3)

Weston Prize

Jerome Fellowship

Princess Grace Award finalist