FULL-LENGTH PLAYS and COLLECTIONS:

CHOOSING SIDES
A collection of Short Plays and Monologues,
Comedies and Dramas
Published by Dramatists Play Service

Synopsis: This collection includes: ON THE WINGS OF A BUTTERFLY. A playwright tries to come to terms with the scope of the disaster in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (1 man or woman) FREE. A panicked man on a subway car tries to conquer his anxiety by taking off his clothes. Much to the chagrin of a couple in the same car. (2 men, 1 woman), WHAT PRICE? A woman finds herself interrogated by a nameless official, who threatens her and her children unless she gives him a name. (1 man, 1 woman.) NO CHILD LEFT. Mrs. O’Reilly instructs her first grade school class on the four Rs – reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic and Republicanism. (1 woman.) GUERILLA GORILLA. It’s sometime in the future and the theater has been declared illegal, but won’t stop Alana and Sandy from trying to see an underground theater group perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (2 men, 2 women.) TRAIN OF THOUGHT. Wade is obsessed with Nina, a woman he sees on the train, while she imagines her boyfriend Frank thinks of nothing but her, and Wade’s girlfriend Marcy can’t make sense of her own thoughts. (2 men, 2 women.) QUANDARY IN QUANDO. The President of the United States will do anything to stop a crisis in a foreign land he’s never heard of from ruining his weekend at Camp David. (2 men.) GUNS DON’T KILL. Mrs. O’Reilly is back, and this time she’s come to class armed. (1 woman.) IN A WORD. Char explains why she’s avoiding people and the things they have to say. (1 woman.) PERCHANCE. It’s hazy, but what Robbie remembers is that he and Cass are in love. Unfortunately, she’s decided to move to San Diego to be with Antonio. (2 men, 2 women.) A QUIET, EMPTY LIFE. As Stephanie quietly tries to get dressed for a function she has to attend, a Narrator reveals the secrets of the life she didn’t know she had. (1 man, 1 woman.) MANHATTAN DRUM-TAPS. A young Irish immigrant and an African-American dockworker are caught up in the politics and racism of the 1863 New York Draft Riots. (2 men, 2 women.)

THE DUNES
Soon to be published by Dramatists Play Service
Full-Length Drama
Cast: 3M, 3W
Synopsis: THE DUNES follows the downward spiral of fading actress Laura Robertson and her family; step-daughter Vanessa, daughter Anne and brother Garret. Laura, who has become better known for her turbulent relationships than her acting, returns to her family home to East Hampton, New York to lick her wounds, after her current marriage has fallen apart. The others, particularly the practical Vanessa and her fiance Jeremy try to get her life and career back on track, but Laura's debts and inability to face reality and make painful decisions mean they may lose things that are far more valuable than a beach house. Inspired by The Cherry Orchard.

LIFE IS SHORT
Published by Dramatists Play Service

Eight Short Comedies
Cast: 2M, 4W
Synopsis: This collection is a comical look at relationships from childhood to old age. The plays are: CLASS CONFLICT. Billy is a shy, sweet six year-old, nervous about his first day of school. His classmate Megan Devenaux is a pint-sized lawyer, who talks like an adult, and is ready to take her case to the Supreme Court.  Then cash in. (1M, 1W) DOUBLE WEDDING. Deborah is more than a little nervous on her wedding day. Her parents' constant chatter isn't helping. And neither is Deborah's reflection in the mirror, which keeps shouting out her darkest thoughts and worries. Can Deborah calm her fears before her alter ego literally steps through the looking glass and ruins things? (1M, 3W) INFANT MORALITY. Trish is at the front desk at the hospital when Stephanie comes in with a shopping bag, saying she has something to return. Trish is shocked when she learns StephAnie wants to return the baby in the bag, but Stephanie doesn't see what the problem is. Things get even stranger in this black comedy. (1M, 3W) A MOTHER'S LOVE. In a darkly comic monologue, Melissa calmly explains her reasons for taking a parent's natural desire to protect her child a little too far. (1W) THE LAST DECEMBER. An elderly couple sit at home on a cold winter's night. The old man watches a football game, but his wife is trying to get him ready to go out on some errand. The man is angry, bitter and clearly doesn't want to go. His patient wife listens, but gently prods. But there's more to the old man than meets the eye, and the play ends with surprising sweetness and love. (1M, 1W)  Other plays include THE AMERICAN DREAM REVISITED, ON THE EDGE and WHATEVER, which can be found below.

MONTHS ON END
Published by Dramatists Play Service

Full-Length Comedy
Cast: 5M, 5W
Synopsis: In a series of comic scenes we follow the intertwined lives of a circle of friends and family, whose lives are poised between happiness and heartbreak. Phoebe and Ben are engaged to be married, but have some lingering doubts. Even so, Elaine is jealous of their relationship, especially since none of hers last more than five dates. She's ready to give up on love until she meets Walter, whose only flaw may be that he's married. Walter's brother Nick is single, but when he proposes to his girlfriend Paige on a beach her answer is to scream and drop the engagement ring. Heidi, Phoebe's sister, delivers a comic gem of a commencement address in May that starts as a tribute to the graduates' parents, but degenerates into a hysterical tirade against them. Phoebe's wedding day meltdown isn't helped by her father, who, trying to calm her fears, tells her to "Pretend you're in a plane that's crashing ... " Walter and Nick battle hilariously in July over what they find sexy about women. As the year draws to a close, a fight over the Beatles threatens to break-up Ben and Phoebe, but a death bonds them more strongly together. The funny and touching December scene finds Walter and Nick still as different as siblings can be, but finally united by their failed relationships.

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN
Published by Dramatists Play Service

Full-Length Comedy
Cast: 3M, 3W
Synopsis: The play begins in the dark, as Jasper confesses his feeling of isolation to the audience. But he becomes unnerved by the dark and calls for lights. In the first scene, Jasper is stuck between floors on an elevator with a claustrophobic man, who goes hilariously over the edge. At work a sleazy co-worker gives him farcical advice on how to pick up women, and that night Jasper goes to a bookstore and tires to pick-up a pretty clerk, Holly. He strikes out, but gets picked up by another woman, who takes him home ... where she lives with her boyfriend. A ride on the subway turns into a comic free-for-all as he and other riders enthusiastically give advice to a lost tourist. Crossing paths with Holly at a party, Jasper gamely starts a conversation, hoping she won't recognize him, but she does and teases him flirtatiously. On their first date they go to a cozy restaurant, but the couple seated on one side erupts in a battle of the sexes, while the couple on the other side engages passionate verbal foreplay. Later, Jasper walks Holly home and their conversation seems mundane, but their fantasies are anything but. A chance encounter with a homeless man forces Jasper to gain a little perspective on his life. Back at work, Jasper snaps when a friend tells him Holly is dating someone else. He kicks a chair, breaks his foot and gets fired. Feeling suddenly liberated, he hobbles to the bookstore to ask Holly if she's seeing someone. She isn't. They kiss - and leave for the hospital. In the end, Jasper briefly talks to the audience again, understanding he must accept life's uncertainties, which aren't all bad, and make the best of what comes his way.

IT'S NOT YOU
Published by Playscripts, Inc.

One-Act Comedy
Cast: 1M, 3W
Synopsis: Friends can drift apart, but they generally don't announce they're "breaking up" with you. Especially not when you're riding downtown on the A train. Natalie's friends, on the other hand, think it's the perfect place to make a clean break.

ON THE EDGE
Published in LIFE IS SHORT and in UNDER 30, from Vintage Books
One-Act Comedy

Cast: 1M, 1W
Synopsis: Gene, a young man of seventeen, is so distraught that Amanda, the girl of his dreams, is kissing someone else at a party that he decides to jump off the ledge of a New York apartment building. In front of her. While he's waiting for Amanda to leave, Sammy, another schoolmate at the party, comes to the window to have a smoke. She discovers Gene there, and, far being worried or trying to talk him out of it, Sammy teases him for being melodramatic and for being so in love with a girl who's "not that great."

PERCHANCE
Published in CHOOSING SIDES.

One-Act Comedy
Cast: 2M, 2W
Synopsis: Robbie is stunned when Cass, his girlfriend of four years, announces she's moving out because she's fallen in love with someone named Antonio and is moving to San Diego to be with him.  Robbie is heartbroken, but his sister convinces him to follow Cass to airport and try to win her back.

PUT ASUNDER
Read a sample here.
One-Act Drama
Cast: 1M, 1W
Synopsis: Julia is reading when Paul enters and announces that he's leaving her.  She takes the news very calmly, asking a few probing questions, while Paul becomes more and more unnerved by her lack of emotional response. Is Julia really so unconcerned, or is there more to this than meets the eye?

QUANDARY IN QUANDO
Published in CHOOSING SIDES.
One-Act Comedy
Cast: 2M
Synopsis: There's nothing like a revolution in a far off land to spoil the President's weekend. But the President doesn't really care. After all, Quando is a small country, not even an ally.  But this bloodless coup has the Joint Chiefs are worried about a domino effect, with this revolution spilling over into other countries. Who are these revolutionaries? Women.

THERE'S NO HERE HERE
Published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

One-Act Comedy
Cast: 2M, 2W
Synopsis: Lance moves to Paris to follow his dream of becoming a writer, but his work goes badly. As does his relationship with Juliette, a beautiful Parisian. But a strangely familiar woman at their local bistro forces Lance to dig deeper into himself.

TOURIST ATTRACTION
Published by Playscripts, Inc.

One-Act Comedy
Cast: 1M, 1W
Synopsis: Nancy, an over-enthusiastic tourist, waxes ecstatic about New York's subway while Jason, an unemployed actor, desperately tries to prepare for an audition. Sure that she recognizes him, Nancy pesters Jason for his autograph despite his protests that he's no one. Or is he?

WHATEVER
Published in LIFE IS SHORT.
One-Act Comedy
Cast: 2W
Synopsis: A sly riff on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," WHATEVER finds Jessica hallucinating that a talking pigeon has flown into her apartment. Her friend Liz tries to talk her down, but eventually realizes that Jessica is not suffering from a combination of wine and Benedryl, but from her inability to let go of a relationship that has ended.