In this adaptation of the famous English folk tale we see Jack, an energetic young man who is about to ask the girl he loves to marry him. But when he meets her family, he is flabbergasted. They are faced with a problem that's so simple a little child could solve it—but they can't. "How silly can people be?" Jack wonders. Can he marry into this family? He decides to make a search. If he can find three other people as silly as his sweetheart's family, he will return and marry her. This lively play portrays his search for three sillies. He finds them, and their stories make a hilarious play for audiences of all ages. While it is entertaining your audiences, it just may teach them an important lesson. "Judge not, lest ye be judged," the Bible admonishes us. Yet most of us find pleasure in our feeling of superiority when we encounter others who impress us as being somewhat less wonderful than we are.

In Search of Three Sillies was produced several times and taken on a tour of elementary schools prior to publication. The author, a native Texan, has been fascinated by folklore since childhood. The story of the Three Sillies is one of her favorites. Her five published books include Ghost Stories of Old Texas, folklore of her home state.

One act; extremely easy to stage; time, any time at all; place, all around us.

See also: Fairytales, Folktales and Fables