Plays
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THE FIRST SUPPER
Full-length | 4 M, 3 W Excerpt A modern day "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?", "The First Supper" takes a timely look at the bevy of strange bedfellows that make up today's Republican Party. Amanda Worthington, daughter of wealth and privilege, returns home from college one day to tell her parents that: a) she's pregnant; b) she's getting married tomorrow; and c) her boyfriend, Brian Grace, is the son of social conservatives who, by the way, should be arriving any minute now. None of the above is music to the ears of Chuck and Libby Worthington, moderate Republicans who are keen on tax cuts but not so keen on fellow Party members to their right. Tempers and temptation flare when the Grace's arrive and the soon-to-be in-laws vie for the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of the young couple. With a light touch and even hand, "The First Supper" makes it clear that civil war in the Republican Party is sure to be anything but civil. THE SAND GAME
Full-length | 4 M, 3 W Review | Excerpt "The Sand Game" explores sexual allure and romantic fantasy through the eyes of super-achieving siblings. Michael and Laine Gerson have always been joyous competitors and intellectual soulmates. Then why is it that Laine would love to end up with a guy like her brother but the last thing Michael wants is someone like his sister? At least not in bed. Guided by her wit and verve, not to mention astrophysics and salsa, Laine feuds and flirts with folks familiar and not-so-familiar to find her answer. To her great surprise, it's the unfamiliar which has her look in new directions and put a lifelong sibling rivalry to rest. |
Production
Altarena Playhouse, Alameda, CA Public Readings Drama for Obama, Oakland, CA & New York City Fundraising Events Prop Thtr, Chicago New Play Festival Public Readings Ross Valley Players, Ross, CA Venue 9, San Francisco A special presentation for members of Match.com Playwrights Circle, Palm Springs Abingdon Theatre Company, New York City Directed by Tom Rowan - Literary Manager, Ensemble Studio Theatre Second City Training Center, Chicago |
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RECOIL
10 min. | 1 M, 1 W Reviews | Excerpt What do a grieving widow and a hapless mattress salesman have in common? Not a whole lot—until, that is, they rendezvous on a firm bed at the Mattress City store. "Recoil" shows how a sympathetic ear, not to mention body, can go a long way in clinching a sale. |
Productions Samuel French Play Publisher, New York City 32nd Annual Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival Actors’ Theatre of Santa Cruz Eight Tens at Eight Festival Emerging Artists Theatre, New York City EATFest Riverside (CA) Arts Council 10-Minute Play Festival Public Readings Magnolia Arts Center (NC) 10 Minute Play Competition Chicago Dramatists Theatre Ten Minute Workshop Plays selected by Tanya Palmer, Literary Manager - Goodman Theatre Publisher United Stages: The Best of Emerging Artists Theater's One-Act Play Festival, Volume 4 |
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BREAKFAST WITH WILLY
One Act | 1 M, 1 W Review | Excerpt Is too much choice just as detrimental to the human psyche as too little? "Breakfast with Willy" explores this timely question through the random collision of two worlds—youth versus maturity, privilege versus privation. Willy is an elderly stock clerk in a Chicago grocery store. A one-time victim of Nazi efforts to "Germanize" Polish children, he has had few choices in life. When Suzy, a young woman with ample opportunity, collapses after trying to pick a box of cereal from the vast array of choices, Willy comes to her rescue. Their chance encounter exposes the stark contrast of riches and injustices in their lives–leaving each enraged, engrossed, and ultimately enriched. |
Productions Pittsburgh New Works Festival Nominated for Festival’s Outstanding Playwright Award Produced by numerous community theaters and schools in the U.S. and internationally. Publisher The Dramatic Publishing Company (buy) |
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BLAU
Full-length | 3 M, 3 W Excerpt Set in pre-World War I Germany, "Blau" brings to life the artistic triumphs, personal trials, and stormy affairs of four Expressionist artists. When a young German art student named Gabriele Münter begins a relationship with her married teacher, the charismatic Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, she could never have imagined the extraordinary decade-long journey they would undertake, both creatively and personally. Joined by fellow artists Marianne Werefkin and Alexej Jawlensky, Russian aristocrats entwined in their own turbulent liaison, Münter and Kandinsky wrestle with unyielding artistic and societal norms as Europe marches toward modernity. Weaving in excerpts from the artists' actual letters and diaries, "Blau" paints an epic yet intimate portrait of discovery, delight, and discord—a story as fresh today as it was a century ago. |
Public Readings Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, Berkeley, CA |