If All the Sky Were Paper by Andrew Carroll

(4)
Productions (7)
Drama
|
80 - 90 minutes
3 W, 4 M,  (7-20 actors possible)
Set: Flexible

After bestselling author Andrew Carroll found a riveting, heartfelt letter written by a distant cousin deployed as a pilot in World War II, he embarked on a trip to all fifty states and to more than thirty countries across the globe, including two active war zones, in search of more wartime correspondences. The letters and emails he found—by combat troops, medics, nurses, and chaplains, as well as family members on the home front and civilians caught in the crossfire of battle—came to represent to Carroll the “world’s great undiscovered literature.” They weren’t just about warfare, he realized, they were about the human condition itself—love and longing, courage and resilience, grief and hope, compassion and mercy, and, ultimately, reconciliation. Carroll’s journey, which is at times harrowing but also humorous, creates the narrative arc of the show. Already performed in high schools and colleges, community theatres, and major venues, including the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., across the country, If All the Sky Were Paper is a play that is both timely and timeless. Read More

Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $90
Standard Edition $13.99
eScript Digital Edition $17.5
Stage Manager Edition $24.99

*The per performance fee begins at $90. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.

eScript Digital editions when purchased as a retail item cannot be printed or downloaded. They are for reading on personal computer, or tablet devices (phones, iPads, Kobo, Sony, etc.). It can viewed on up to 5 individual devices. When an escript is purchased as part of a license, please email [email protected] to receive your printable PDF.

Play Details

After bestselling author Andrew Carroll found a riveting, heartfelt letter written by a distant cousin deployed as a pilot in World War II, he embarked on a trip to all fifty states and to more than thirty countries across the globe, including two active war zones, in search of more wartime correspondences. The letters and emails he found—by combat troops, medics, nurses, and chaplains, as well as family members on the home front and civilians caught in the crossfire of battle—came to represent to Carroll the “world’s great undiscovered literature.” They weren’t just about warfare, he realized, they were about the human condition itself—love and longing, courage and resilience, grief and hope, compassion and mercy, and, ultimately, reconciliation. Carroll’s journey, which is at times harrowing but also humorous, creates the narrative arc of the show. Already performed in high schools and colleges, community theatres, and major venues, including the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., across the country, If All the Sky Were Paper is a play that is both timely and timeless.

More information on the initiative behind the play can be found here and here.

  • Drama
  • |
  • 80 - 90 minutes
  • 3 W, 4 M,  (7-20 actors possible)
  • Set: Flexible
  • Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-68069-954-8

Published Reviews

"...a theatrical piece [that] proves to be a most satisfying theatrical experience for audiences...quietly powerful."

BroadwayWorld

"IF ALL THE SKY WERE PAPER says loudly what needs to be said. It explodes with humanity – humor, dread, pride, wisdom…. If war is hell, this show is a little slice of heaven."

DC Theater Arts

Production History

NOV 07, 2025 - NOV 16, 2025
Twin City Theatre Company
Urbana, IL United States
Twin City Theatre Company Urbana, IL United States
NOV 13, 2024 - NOV 16, 2024
Central Minnesota Christian School
Prinsburg, MN United States
Central Minnesota Christian School Prinsburg, MN United States
JUN 21, 2024 - JUL 07, 2024
Porticos Art Space
Pasadena, CA United States
Porticos Art Space Pasadena, CA United States
MAY 21, 2015 - MAY 22, 2015
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C., United States
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington, D.C., United States
JUN 09, 2014 - JUN 09, 2014
Kirk Douglas Theatre
Los Angeles, CA United States
Kirk Douglas Theatre Los Angeles, CA United States
NOV 11, 2010 - NOV 11, 2010
Chapman University
Orange, CA United States
Chapman University Orange, CA United States
MAY 26, 2009 - MAY 26, 2009
Odyssey Theatre
Los Angeles, CA United States
Odyssey Theatre Los Angeles, CA United States
NOV 07, 2025 - NOV 16, 2025
Twin City Theatre Company
Urbana, IL United States
Twin City Theatre Company Urbana, IL United States
JUN 09, 2014 - JUN 09, 2014
Kirk Douglas Theatre
Los Angeles, CA United States
Kirk Douglas Theatre Los Angeles, CA United States
MAY 26, 2009 - MAY 26, 2009
Odyssey Theatre
Los Angeles, CA United States
Odyssey Theatre Los Angeles, CA United States

eScript Details

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