Nighthawks**
Drama, two parts (90 minutes)
Winner: 2008 Texas Nonprofit Theatres Competition; 2007 Saints and Sinners Competition; 1992 Tennessee Williams One Act Competition (Part II: The Night Cafe). Runner-up: 2008 William Saroyan Centennial Prize for Drama (Part I: Nighthawks); 2007 Pillars Playwriting Prize; 1998 Shipping Dock Theatre (NY) Competition;
1992 Dayton (OH) Playhouse National Future Fest
scheduled for publication by neoNuma Arts Press (www.neonuma.com/)
This two part evening is suggested by the renowned Edward Hopper painting "Nighthawks."
The first (1943), a cinematic mood piece, deals with issues of race and loneliness during World War II. The second (1983), a naturalistic work, confronts racial and relationship stereotypes, and the meanings of trust and friendship.
"An outstanding piece of writing." Gay Chicago Magazine
"The stories ... converge nicely and come to an intense and racially charged climax." High Plains Reader, Fargo, ND
"The playwright has a gift for the natural ebb and flow of dialogue and
how to gradually heighten it dramatically." The Times Picayune, New Orleans
Single set (Restaurant Interior), 3m (White: 50, 33; Black: 28); 1w (White: 20)


New for 2008

An Uncommon Language*
Drama, two acts (95 minutes) (limited availability)
Winner: 2008 Eamon Keane Full Length Play Competition
Inspired by the controversy surrounding Camille Claudel's contributions to the work of Rodin,
An Uncommon Language is a play about the repression of women and the nature of madness.
Unit set, 5w (33, 20s, 30s, 30-50, 25-40); 3m (24, 40-50, 20s)


New for 2008

Other People's Dreams*
Drama, three acts (100 minutes)
Winner: 2007 Southern Playwright's Competition
A play about the dissolution of an African-American family. A patriarchal but well meaning father cannot understand why his elder son has left the family business, and his wife and child, to become a writer. The son returns home for the high school graduation of his younger brother, who announces he intends to leave home to become an actor. Caught in between are the man's wife and teenage daughter, and the elder son's girlfriend.
Single set (Four Room Interior), 3m (48, 27, 18); 3w (46, 25, 16).


Mid-Century Blues**
Drama, paired one acts (105 minutes)
Winner: 2008 Arts Club of Washington (DC) One-Act Competition (Tio's Blues); 2004 Ronald Williams Playwriting Competition (American Blues); 2003 Georgia Theatre One-Act Competition (Tio's Blues)
Two highly theatrical, thematically related award-winning plays dealing with the problems and dreams of America in the middle of the twentieth century. Both use music extensively.
Tio's Blues, a stark and impressionistic story set in 1957, deals with the loneliness of two social misfits, a savant and an emotionally disturbed young woman, and the violence that results from their trust and needs, especially for love. In American Blues, set in 1962, a young woman is the apex of two triangular relationships, one between her mother and her mother's manipulative, young would be lover; the other between an aging trumpet player (and drug addict) and his lover, a dominant and disturbed blues singer.
Simple settings (bare stage; suggested interior/exterior), Both: 3w (41, 30, 20); 2m (35, 23


New for 2008

Women at War*
Drama, paired one-acts (80 minutes)
Winner: 2006 Georgia Theatre Conference One-Act Competition (Part I: The Invasion)
Two thematically complementary one-act plays that deal with the nature of war, women's various roles in it -- as soldiers, spouses and lovers, mothers, sisters and victims -- and the effects of it on them.
Bare stage, 4w (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s)


True Magic: A Christmas Farce with Unoriginal Music for the Entire Family

a cappella musical, 70 minutes (published by Playscripts, Inc. - review at http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1220)
A Christmas Carol meets The Comedy of Errors in this most unusual musical intended
to be sung a cappella (all the songs are based on popular Christmas carols).
A miserly old man is shown the spirit of Christmas, with the help of an assortment of unusual Christmas Eve visitors (all of whom are more than whom they seem to be), among them a young magician, an extraordinary stringless puppet, Tinkerbell and Ms. Santa Claus herself!
"Pure fun... one of the most entertaining holiday scripts you'll ever see." Brattleboro (VT) Reformer
"A rollicking good time." Ashland (OR) Revels
Minimal set, 3m, 3w (any ages, any voices). Sheet music included


Telling William Tell**
two acts (75 minutes) for ages 8-13
Winner: 2006 Jackie White Memorial Playwriting Competition, 2006 Aurand Harris/NETC Competition
The story of the mythical Swiss hero -- famed for shooting an apple off his son's head -- framed
by a fictionalized story of Rossini writing his famed opera. The work combines the two stories,
with an emphasis on the role of children in each, drawing attention to the parallels between the
societies and political situations of 14th century Switzerland, 19th century France and 21st century America. Excerpts from various Rossini works are used, including his very funny "Cats" duet.
Two cast members must sing, one must be an accomplished pianist.
Flexible set. 3w (28, 30, 45), 5m (30, 32, 37, 40, 45) 3 children (m: 10, 12; f: 12)


Ceremonies of Prayer*
Drama, two acts
Winner: 1996 Utah Playfest Competition
Suggested by incidents from the life of Vincent van Gogh; winner of the 1996 Utah Playfest.
A volatile artist is torn between painting and trying to maintain his relationship
with his equally volatile lover, a now-pregnant ex-prostitute. His brother
and his brother's wife attempt to keep the peace between them.
"Four fascinating characters... [a] powerful... and challenging script." Logan (UT) Herald Journal
"[A] strikingly powerful play." Utah State University Statesman
Single set (Three Room Interior), 2m (37, 32); 2w (37, 32).


Some Unfinished Chaos
A sad comedy, three acts
A play about the ways people create -- and sometimes destroy -- in order to survive,
physically and spiritually. A talented and energetic young woman tries to persuade a
cynical, once-successful, writer to help her with her writing. He agrees and, in the process,
begins to rediscover his own ability to write, but then discovers he has cancer.
"A well-written and insightful look into the mystical world of writers." Chicago Inside Lincoln Park
"An exceptional script ... an engaging story told through ... superior dialogue" Kalamazoo (MI) Gazette
Single set (Two Room Interior), 1m (39, British); 1w (23).


Journeys,: a true and comic love story

Comedy, two acts
A comedy -- in both the theatrical and philosophical senses -- about life's little issues:
Love, death, intimacy; and surviving them, based on the true story of Karen Skinner,
a Chicago theatrician, and Wayne Buidens, her best friend, who died in 1993.
"[H]umorous, thought-provoking and intimate theater." Chicago Sun-Times.
"Sweet, charming and honest ... a primer for anyone trying to move on with life after the loss of a loved one." Chicago New City.
"[The] well-crafted script is absorbing and intelligent." River Forest (IL) Journal.
Unit set, 2w (40, 20), 2m (40, 40).


Eighty-Two
Dramedy (75 minutes)
A story about age, love of family and independence. An eighty-two year old ex-baseball player lives in New York, unwilling to leave his memories and his best friend. His daughter, discovering he has a heart condition, tries to convince him to move to Los Angeles, to live with her and her family.
Unit set (Apartment interior), 4m (82, 78, 45, 41), 1w (44


Caliban, Dancing
Drama, two acts
What makes a monster?
Caliban, Dancing, which uses both The Tempest
and the ballet Giselle as framing devices,
explores the beast within, and the ways we confront -- and sometimes avoid -- it.
Alternating between its characters' presents and their pasts, the piece asks the questions: What is moral
responsibility, and how does someone deal with the consequences of accepting or denying it.
Single set (two room interior), 3w: (60, 33, 31); 1m: (40); 1 child (non-speaking)


The Enigma Variations
Comic Romance, two acts (105 minutes)
An ensemble work, suggested by and loosely modeled on Sir Edward Elgar's suite of the same title.
Set in England in 1920, the play explores the wonder and mystery of life and the elements
that comprise it -- people, joy, dreams, love, sadness; change and constancy. Portions of
the Elgar suite are incorporated, as are other, short, excerpts of light classical and music
hall works of the era, and brief excerpts of poetry from then-contemporary poets.
Unit set, 5m (50, 49, 49, 35, 18; all British); 4w (46, 46, 32, 16; all British).


Friends & Relations
Three one-act plays (two comic, one human interest) (80 minutes)
Three short plays dealing with budding and well-established relationships. In Old Friends,
an elderly man and woman, both single, meet in a park and strike up a conversation. To
their surprise, they find each other's company "pleasant," and that they have several
mutual interests. Each talks about his/her life, how they have responded to being alone;
and eventually establish the beginning of a friendship. The Baby, a modified story-theatre-
format piece about hope and love, deals with how a young woman's pregnancy leads her
mother to recall her own past and refreshes her hopes for the future. In Strangers in the
Night, a dramedy, an itinerant and disaffected actor, working as an escort on a cruise ship,
encounters on-board a staid matron, whom he offends deeply when he mistakes her for
a fellow employee. In an effort to save his job he attempts to play up, but then discovers
a genuine interest in her, as she finds in him.
(Each play is also available separately. See below.)
Simple sets (a park; a multiple-use setting; a ship's deck). 3m (70, 30, 25); 2w (late 50s; 20).


'Tis the Seasons
Holiday "anthology" with music - two acts (100 minutes)
A compilation of tales from around the holiday world, including Chanukah, Chinese New Year, Tet and Kwanzaa as well as Christmas. Familiar works like Gifts of the Magi, The Tailor of Gloucester and Yes, Virginia alternate with original stories, folk tales and songs.
Flexible set, 3m (flexible ages), 2w (flexible ages), 1 either (40-60), 1 boy (10-14), 1 girl (8-12), chorus (4 or more)


The Invasion*
Drama (35 minutes)
Winner: 2006 Georgia Theatre Conference One Act Competition
Part I of Women at War (see full-lengths). A two-character play about the nature of war. Two soldiers -- one from the invading country, the other from the country invaded -- describe their experience and the meaning of being a part of an age-old war, the consequences to themselves, their families and their nations.
Bare stage, 2f or 2m


New for 2008

What is Gained is Loss*: a muse on consequence

Drama, Available in 30 minute (2w, 1m, flexible ages) and 55 minute (3w, 2m, flexible ages) versions
Winner: 2007 ?ervená Barva Press Competition
Part I of What is Gained (see full-lengths). Suggested by Albee's line from The Zoo Story -- what is gained, is loss -- What is Gained is Loss uses a variety of performance forms, including music and extensive movement in addition to text, to the view the range of human experience: how even the smallest events reflect both gain and loss, and enables, or inhibits, our interaction with our peers and the world around us.
Bare stage


A Simple Love Song*
Musical comedy (30 minutes), music by Deborah Abramson
Winner: 2004 Henrico Theatre One Act Competition
Winner of the Henrico Theatre Competition. A whimsical combination of hommage to and spoof of the stage and movie boy-meets-girl 1930s musicals.
Minimal set, 4m; 4w (all open ages). Piano score included



Comedy (12 minutes)
Winner: 2007 Panoply Festival Competition, BCCT (Australia) 2007 Festival Selection
Julia and her best friend Lynn venture into a wooded area late on a summer night to meet Julia's rather unusual friend -- of whose existence Lynn is highly doubtful.
Bare stage with a tree, 2w (31, 31); 1m (any age)


Nighthawks
Drama (40 minutes)
See Full-Lengths: Nighthawks/The Night Cafe
"Very powerful." Michael's Thing , New York City
"A very accomplished play." Nantucket (MA) Beacon
Single set (Restaurant Interior), 3m (White: 50, 33; Black: 28); 1w (White: 20)


The Night Cafe
Drama (50 minutes)
Winner, 1992 Tennessee Williams Competition. See Full-Lengths: Nighthawks/The Night Cafe
"Reaches a remarkably powerful emotional peak." Chicago Reader
Single set (Restaurant Interior), 3m (White: 50, 33; Black: 28); 1w (White: 20)


sea:shore
Movement piece, Short short (2 minutes)
How the sea and the shore became one, described through text and movement.
Bare stage, 1w, 1m, 1 either gender (any ages)


A Cup of Coffee
Drama (15 minutes)
Winner of the STAGES 96 Competition. A naturalistic story of a loving but uneasy father and his bright and seriously ill daughter who come to terms with their love for each other.
"A tender, subtle piece." Dallas Morning News
Single set (Office Interior), 2w (24, 35-55); 1m (45)


American Blues
Drama (65 minutes)
See Full-Lengths: Mid-Century Blues
Single set (Suggested interior/exterior), 3w (41, 30, 20); 2m (40, 30)


Tio's Blues
Drama (40 minutes)
Winner, 2003 Georgia Theatre Conference One-Act Competition
See Full-Lengths: Mid-Century Blues
Bare stage with platforms, 3w (41, 25, 20); 2m (28, 23)



The Investigation
Mystery (10 minutes)
A man and a recently widowed woman seek out the help of a psychic to discover why -- suddenly -- there are strange noises in her home.
Single set (Parlor), 1m (30-50), 2w (30-50, 30-70), 1 either gender (35-60)


Stars
Drama (12 minutes)
A naturalistic work about understanding and trust. A bright young suburbanite
hesitantly reveals affection for a recently-transplanted inner city child who is
both streetwise and emotionally mature, with surprising and moving results.
Bare stage, 2m or 2f (Black/Hispanic: 16; White/Asian: 16)


The Sound Called Music
Drama (12 minutes)
A story theatre work about the enigmas of loneliness. A classical chorus,
sound and light are used extensively to create mood and effect.
Minimal set, 3 or more men (45, open); 3 or more women (20, open)


God's Visit
Comedy (9 minutes)
A bookish young man inadvertently calls upon God, and She appears!
Single set (Variable Interior), 1m (20-40); 1w (Any age)


New for 2008

Cowboy Nocturn*
Winner: 2007 Tennessee Williams Festival Competition (New Provincetown Theater)
Drama/movement (5 minutes)
A "ghost" story of memory, in which a man recalls his lover, and the music that was integral to their love.
"a standout" Banner Daily, Provincetown
Bare stage, 2m (45-55, 35-50), 1 w (25-45


Strangers in the Night
Dramedy (27 minutes)
See Full-Lengths: Friends & Relations
"Glows ... like a small coal." Chicago Reader
"Marvelous magic." Gay Chicago Magazine
Single set (Ship's deck), 2m (30, 25); 1w (55)


Old Friends
Dramedy (28 minutes)
See Full-Lengths: Friends & Relations
Single set (Park exterior), 1m (71); 1w (65)


The Baby
Human interest (25 minutes)
See Full-Lengths: Friends & Relations
Single set (Suggested interior/exterior), 2w (60, 20); 1m (22), 2 either gender (any ages)


Prelude to a Walk Through the Snow
Drama (16 minutes)
A woman, given up for adoption as an infant, meets her birth mother
for the first time, with unexpected results.
Single set (Simple Interior), 3w (54, 38, 25-55)


Dreamland
Drama (15 minutes)
An aged carny and his young assistant mull the mysteries of
life and God on the last day in the life of a decrepit amusement park.
Single set (Carnival game booth), 2m (70, 20)


What is Lost is - Loss
Comedy (3 minutes)
A slender man and a slender woman, online acquaintances, meet for the first time
-- and their surprise is an unusual one.
Bare stage, 1m (25-45), 1f (25-45) (also available: 2m or 2w)


Cross Socks and Underwear
Satire (5 minutes)
An advertising agency comes up with a most unusual promotional idea for its client.
Simple interior (office), 2w (30-60)


The Firebird
Comedy, one act (55 minutes), for ages 8-12 and adults
Suggested by the classic Russian folk tales, the play deals (in a non-didactic manner) with the
various ways and means people use to communicate with each other, and the problems they
face in trying to do so. It is intended to be performed by a mixed cast of deaf and hearing
actors, with both ASL and speech employed. The show incorporates music, dance, song
and simple magic. Appropriate for deaf as well as hearing audiences.
ASL required for two roles, recommended for three others.
"a unique and complex blend of sign language, music and speech [that]
children and families will especially enjoy." Bloomington (IN) Sunday Herald-Times
"an entertaining fairy tale; it emphasizes that theatre is about communication ... [T]he story is strong.
... [T]he play cleverly presents signing as a close relation of the various forms of stage mime
that children find so enthralling." Bloomington (IN) Voice
Minimal set. 2m, 2w, 3 either gender: any ages.


Tales from Beatrix Potter
One-act (38 minutes), for ages 4-10
Done in a story-theatre format, the play consists of adaptations of three stories, and three poems, written
by Beatrix Potter, including two of her most famous tales, Peter Rabbit and The Tailor of Gloucester.
In addition, both short original songs, as well as songs with which the audience will be familiar
(some with original lyrics), and extensive movement are incorporated. Audience participation is
used throughout, and the children are involved in solving the "problems" of the play.
"Evan Guilford-Blake's story will delight the family" Newnan (GA) Times-Herald
Minimal set. 1w, 4 either gender: any ages.


The Stories 'n' Stuff Plays
Nine short "story telling" plays for youth and family audiences
These scripts, ranging from 5-15 minutes in length, include original stories and adaptations of classics. All are available in two versions: For the stage, each employs from two to eight actors. As storytelling scripts, they are intended to be presented by a cast of two. The original titles include Dreidel†; The Nian†; SnapDragon; Silver, from the Wind†; Yes, Virginia†; First Christmas†; and O, Tannenbaum†. The adapted pieces are Gifts of the Magi†; Sweet Porridge; and The Spirit in the Bottle. († indicates a holiday-themed work.)