Full-length play · Available for licensing

Sleepy Hollow:
The Lost Chapter

Freely adapted from Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" What really happened on that fateful night in Sleepy Hollow? A new schoolteacher must find the answers — or lose her head to the Headless Horseman.
Cast: 15 (5M / 10F) Run time: ~90 min All ages $75 per performance 2 productions
Request licensing Read on NPX Listen to podcast
The Headless Horseman raises an axe over Brom Bones in a dramatic scene from Sleepy Hollow: The Lost Chapter -- Curtain Players Theatre, 2019
15 Cast size
~90 min Run time
All ages Audience
$75 Per performance
Available Licensing status

About the play

We all know The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Or do we? After Ichabod Crane was chased down by the Headless Horseman and vanished into the night, a new schoolteacher, Abigail Seymour, moves to town. She's more concerned with teaching than listening to ghost stories, but soon discovers that the Headless Horseman is still out there. And worse? He's after her! Now, Abigail and her students must hurry to retrace Ichabod's final days in Sleepy Hollow and find a way to stop the Horseman once and for all, lest she meet the same fate. As they race to solve the mystery of what really happened, Abigail crosses paths with Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones, and all of Irving's original characters — uncovering secrets and revelations about that fateful night in Sleepy Hollow. This full-length stage play picks up in the final pages of Washington Irving's classic, revealing a previously untold piece of the legend. Sleepy Hollow: The Lost Chapter premiered in October 2013 at Street Theatre Company's ClassAct Dramatics in Nashville, Tennessee. Curtain Players Theatre in Galena, Ohio presented it as part of their Simply Staged series that same year, and produced it as a full mainstage production in 2019. Note: The play originally premiered as Ichabod: Missing in Sleepy Hollow, as referenced in the podcast linked under Media.
Licensing $75 per performance Request licensing → Read on New Play Exchange →
Good for High school theatre programs Youth theatre companies Community stages Family audiences Halloween-season programming
Media Listen to podcast interview (2013) →

What people are saying

“Sony continues Washington Irving’s classic story with genuine theatrical invention. The play reveals the chapter Irving left untold, and does so with wit, suspense, and characters worthy of the original legend.”

New Play Exchange · recommendation

Read the full script on New Play Exchange →

Frequently asked questions

What is the cast size for Sleepy Hollow: The Lost Chapter?

The play has a cast of 15: 5 male-identifying roles and 10 female-identifying roles. The cast size makes it well-suited for smaller youth theatre programs, high school companies, and community theaters. The play has been performed by an all-youth cast, as well as by a cast comprised of students and adults.

How long is the run time?

The play runs approximately 90 minutes, making it a strong choice for single-evening programming without an intermission, or for festival formats. There is a built-in act break for theaters that prefer to include an intermission.

What is the licensing fee?

The licensing fee is $75 per performance. Theaters will receive a PDF of the script. Contact Jeremy Sony via the licensing inquiry form to arrange terms and receive script materials.

Is this a retelling of the original Sleepy Hollow story?

The play picks up in the final pages of Washington Irving's original story — Ichabod Crane has vanished, and the play revisits what really happened that night through a new protagonist, schoolteacher Abigail Seymour. It features all of Irving's original characters, and some new ones, adding to the legend. Don't worry, the play retains a telling of the famous Headless Horseman's ride, sure to delight fans of the classic tale.

Is this appropriate for school-age audiences?

Yes. The play is suitable for all ages and has been produced by both youth theatre programs and community theatres. The gothic atmosphere is age-appropriate — suspenseful rather than graphic.

Where can I read the script before requesting licensing?

The full script is available on the New Play Exchange (NPX account required). A perusal copy is available upon request.

Production history & media

  • Curtain Players Theatre — Galena, Ohio 2019
  • Curtain Players Theatre — Galena, Ohio (staged reading) 2013
  • ClassAct Dramatics at Street Theatre Company — Nashville, Tennessee (World Premiere, as "Ichabod: Missing in Sleepy Hollow") 2013
Media
Listen to The Inexplicable Dumb Show podcast → Interview with playwright Jeremy Sony, 2013 — note: refers to the play by its original title
Read the full script on New Play Exchange → Requires an NPX account

Production photos

Curtain Players Theatre, Galena, Ohio 2019 · ClassAct Dramatics, Nashville 2013 · Photography by Kenn Stilger, Heavenly Perspective Photography
Curtain Players Theatre — Galena, Ohio, 2019 An actress in a colonial-era burnt orange dress and white apron gazes upward with a look of wonder, posed against a teal backdrop with bare branch shadows. A full cast in colonial costumes performs on a small stage, with bare tree branches and a white-paneled backdrop behind them. Three actors in colonial costumes perform a chaotic brawl -- a figure lying on a table at lower left shields himself as a man in a blue vest throws a punch, while a woman in a brown dress reaches up to restrain the attacker. A group of actors in period costumes sit and stand in a semicircle on stage beneath a moody blue sky backdrop with stylized clouds. A lone actor in a dark Colonial-era suit and loosened cravat gestures with an outstretched hand on a dimly lit stage. A full cast in colonial-era costumes is arranged across a darkened stage, with bare tree branches and simple wooden furniture visible in the warm amber light. Three actors in white, green, and coral colonial costumes stand together near a door frame on a darkened stage with a deep blue backdrop. Two actors in period costumes -- one in dark clothing, one in a burnt orange dress with a white apron -- stand close together in a teal-lit scene with arched shadows on the wall behind them. ClassAct Dramatics at Street Theatre Company — Nashville, Tennessee, 2013 · Photography by Kenn Stilger, Heavenly Perspective Photography An actor in a black cape and wide-brimmed straw hat stands alone on a darkened stage with a painted backdrop of bare trees and an orange twilight sky. Two actresses in colonial costumes -- one in white, one in dark clothing -- stand before a weathered blue door marked 'Ye Olde Tavern Inn.' A group of young actresses in colonial bonnets and aprons huddle together on stage, with carved jack-o'-lanterns glowing on the floor in front of them. A dreamlike, motion-blurred scene of actors in colonial costumes holding jack-o'-lanterns, moving across the stage, lit with fragmented, prismatic light. A small group of actors in colonial dress gathers around a central figure in white holding a broom, who gestures toward the others. Two actors in period costumes sit close together on stage, the woman in a red dress with a flower in her hair, both gazing tensely into the distance. A wide shot of the full cast on a warmly lit stage, with actors in colonial costumes arranged across the playing space. Two actresses in grey wigs and eccentric period hats lean together conspiratorially, sharing a laugh. Two actresses face each other and clasp hands in an intimate exchange, one in a silver-grey gown, the other in a red dress. A large ensemble of actors in colonial and period costumes crowds together on stage in an animated group scene. A group of actors in colonial costumes surrounds a central figure in a white dress on a dimly lit stage, surrounded by tombstones, arms raised in a dramatic moment. Two actors in period dress face each other in conversation, with children in colonial bonnets seated and watching in the background near a large cross prop. A full cast in colonial costumes performs a lively ensemble scene on a brightly lit stage with a latticed wall backdrop. A young man in a dark coat with ruffled cuffs stands beside a young woman in a red dress, both looking pensively forward. A close view of a headless man in a ragged coat and ruffled shirt, silhouetted against a vivid orange and blue backdrop of bare trees. A young actress in a white cap and apron stands in profile holding a long broom handle, gazing off into the darkness with a serious expression. A young actress in a colonial bonnet and blue dress crouches behind a large rounded gravestone prop, mouth open in an expression of fright. A group of actors in colonial costumes listen to a young woman in a maroon dress on a stage lit with shadows.

Ready to bring this play to your stage?

$75 per performance · Contact Jeremy Sony for licensing terms and script materials.

Request licensing →
Jeremy Sony — Playwright | Stage Plays for Licensing