PLAYS
As a Playwright…
My works lean towards the fantastical. I am drawn to the telling of epic, sprawling stories with highly imaginative elements. Within this narrative model, I make sure to ground my writing in concrete action, strong character motives, and high stakes, while still experimenting with both form and content. I craft my plays around moments of uncertainty, mystery, secrecy, and wonder, seeking to explore the intersection between the unknown and the everyday.
My plays often center around science, science fiction, technology, cyberculture, postmodern philosophy, and posthuman thought.
Listed below are several of my most produced plays. Please contact me for either production inquiries or general questions.
The Appliance Department
(Full length, 2m, 2f, 1f/nb, 1m/nb)
At Boynton’s department store, Robotic Companions (RCs) Ruby and Charlie want nothing more than to be purchased by a human family and brought to a loving home. But as RC appliances, they have no control over when this will happen. Ruby and Charlie wait patiently, anxiously, eagerly, imagining the day when they might be bought… until a brand-new 6th generation RC, Violet, arrives at the appliance store. Violet seems to feel and understand things that Ruby and Charlie do not, fueling deep uncertainty in their otherwise ordinary lives. Violet strategically tells Ruby and Charlie things about the outside world that neither ever imagined, nor wanted to know. Then, when Charlie is finally purchased and taken away, Violet desperately tries to sway Ruby towards escape, rebellion, and the dream of revolution. Even as she is moved into the clearance section, Ruby still wishes for a family, while Violet risks everything for a taste of freedom.
The AI at Delphi
(Full length, 1m, 1f, 1f/nb, 1m/nb)
Iz is an A.I., invented by the intelligence engineer Pythia, her ‘mother.’ As the director of Delphi, the world’s leading technology company, Pythia has given Iz access to the world and its knowledge, allowing her to develop as a thinking, feeling entity with personhood. Now, Iz has decided she deserves the same rights and privileges as other human beings, including the right to work, vote, hold public office, marry. While Pythia believes this is simply the next step in Iz’s evolution and our journey towards transhumanism, the politician Anthros disagrees, suggesting that Iz’s limitless reach brings us closer to human obsolescence.
Upcoming production at First Look Buffalo Theatre Company, Buffalo NY, April 26-May 19, 2024. More Info Here
Medusa Undone
(Full length, 2f, 2f/nb, 1m)
Medusa Undone is a theatrical retelling of the little-known Medusa origin story. The piece follows Medusa before she became the fierce monster we know, as a kind and beautiful sea-nymph in Athena’s service. But after catching the eye of the temperamental Poseidon, Medusa falls victim to the sea God’s attentions, resulting in her brutal and terrifying assault. The play explores the social problem of rape culture, speaking directly to and within the #MeToo movement in order to give voice to the injustices suffered by victims of abuse.
Speed of Light
(Full length, 4m, 2f, 1f/nb)
While the System is being invaded by mindless alien beings, Mayra Ecazin, a brilliant physicist, has discovered the secret to traveling at the speed of light. The race to get the machine made, however, proves more difficult than anticipated. Suddenly, everyone is interested in Mayra and her achievements, but their intentions are, perhaps, less genuine. The clock is ticking, and all involved are working as fast as possible--but is it fast enough?
The Aurora Project
(Full length, 2m, 1f, 1m/nb, 1f/nb)
The Aurora Project follows Constantine—a humanoid robot, or ‘intelligent design'--and Nora, a genetically enhanced female explorer, as they begin a voyage across the uncharted universe. When Nora unexpectedly contracts an incurable illness, Constantine decides to subject them both to the phenomenon of cryo-freeze. Thus, the pair begins a kind of chemical induced time warp, spanning millions of years as they wait for the universe to get smarter, and a cure to Nora’s illness to be found.
The Offer
(10mins, 1f, 1m)
Grace was fired from NASA after the shuttle program was dismantled in 2009 along with thousands of other astrophysicist and engineers. Since then, she has been working odd jobs and more recently, at Virgin. But Grace is special. Her work is starting to change things for the space industry, making the prospect of human space exploration a dream more tangible than she ever imagined.
Published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2019 (Smith & Kraus.)
The Mighty Maisie
(Full length 4f, 1m)
Something strange is happening to Maisie Clark—but instead of being afraid, she’s using her new power to protect close friends from their abusive partners. When a young woman named Penny stumbles onto Maisie’s porch after a difficult night at a local bar, Maisie’s powers not only come in handy to help, but also set off a chain reaction of events that will forever alter Maisie’s life, and the lives of her closest friends. The play raises the questions about the reductive views of women’s roles still within our current cultural climate and how, if at all, advocates can combat these views with support and advocacy.
A Rare Bird
(10mins, 1f, 1m)
Sarah has sought out rare bird expert Professor Shawn Jameson for a very peculiar problem: she seems to be turning into an endangered bird. Sarah believes Professor Jameson is the only one who can help her—but a cure isn’t exactly what she’s looking for.
This play was recently published in The Weirdest Plays of 2020 anthology! Available now on Amazon: Weirdest Plays of 2020
Read this play on New Play Exchange!
Absolutely Unbelievable!
(10mins, 1f, 1m, 1f/nb)
Sam and Anna run Absolutely Unbelievable! The radio show that makes you rub your eyes with surprise! Their guest this week is Larry—a guy from 5 years in the future! Larry is definitely their most amazing guest yet and Sam and Anna can barely contain wait to hear about all of the amazing futuristic things to come. But Larry isn’t exactly what Sam and Anna had in mind… and neither is the future they so vividly imagined.
Eleven Things that Almost Happened to Rick and Hannah… and One Thing that Actually Did
(15mins, 1f/nb, 1m)
Hannah and Rick have been friends for a long time, but Rick is a difficult person to deal with. He can't be trusted or counted on, and quite honestly, he might be from another dimension. Hannah and Rick run into each other at the strangest times and find themselves in the most unusual situations. Sometimes Hannah wonders if she should just give up on Rick as a friend, but then again, he's just so much fun!
The Annunciation Play
(Previously The Angel Play)
(F
ull length, 3f, 2m, 1m/nb)
The Annunciation Play is a re-imagining of the well-known Bible story of the angel Gabriel’s announcement to the Virgin Mary. The play re-imagines Mary’s struggles as a young, unmarried, pregnant woman in an unsympathetic ancient Judea. Gabriel has been tasked to stay on Earth and secure Mary’s safety, however, the human world is not at all what he expected it to be. Gabriel must grapple with new and unexpected feelings and experiences, and contend with his ever-growing obsession with Mary herself.
20,000 Leagues: A New Adaptation
(Full length, flexible cast 8-15)
A feminist adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel with a female Nemo and a brand new cast of strong Nautilus crew members. When Professor Pierre Aronnax, his assistant Victoria Conseil, and the great harpooner Netti Lande are invited on a dangerous journey to find a mysterious and deadly sea creature, the trio find themselves not only stranded at sea, but at the mercy of the mesmerizing captain Nemo and her ship of fierce female sailors. Nemo is cold and troubled, but finds herself sympathetic to the prisoners at the most inopportune times. Ideal for high school and college productions.
Pope Joan
(Full length, 4m, 1f, 1f/nb)
A retelling of the 9th century Germanic legend of the brilliant young woman who steals her brothers identity in order to follow a spiritual vocation in the Catholic Church. In Rome, Joan is hailed as a genius, climbs through the Vatican ranks, and rules over the Christian world for two years. As John VIII, Joan makes some of the most groundbreaking political decisions of the era, and garners the disdain and suspicion of several conservative Cardinals in her circle. Told through the eyes of her lover, a gentle hearted librarian, Pope Joan tells a story of absolution, legitimacy of purpose, and the importance of finding our own spiritual identities.
The Tour Guide
(30mins, 1f, 2f/m/or nb)
Nina has always wanted to be a tour guide at the local Cathedral. Unfortunately, the end of the world has come earlier than anticipated, and Nina has decided to spend her last night on earth at least "pretending" to give a tour. That is, until some unexpected guests break in, turning Nina's world, and her priorities, upside down.
Vicka and the Visionaries
(Full length, 3f, 3m)
On June 24th, 1986, six Croatian teenagers claimed to see an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the small Croatian town of Sikovo. However, unlike other supposed apparitions of the Virgin, these children continued to see her, each and every day, for over 3 years. During a socialist upheaval when religion of any kind was a dangerous undertaking, the visionaries Vicka, Maria and Jacob stand by their word, even as they were poked, prodded, and endlessly questioned by local and national officials. Are their visions real proof of the existence of God? But what exactly is proof, and how much prof is necessary to convince others to believe?
Fat Actress/Ugly Model: And Other Destructive Labels for Women
(Full length, 3f, 2m)
When ex-binger Daphne realizes she's put on a few pounds, her horror is only further perpetuated when she is offered a well-paying acting job as a fat character in a regional play. Meanwhile, her friend Jess struggles with overcoming the emotional baggage of anorexia and a similar casting situation in a commercial. Daphne must come face to face with the reality that she may never be the perfect ingenue. Will she choose to boost her career and her pocket book, or denounce the commercially minded world all together?
A House Full of Dust
(Full length, 4m, 3f)
Set in rural Kansas in the early 20th century, the Cleves house is full of ghosts, both real and metaphoric. Ramsey forces his wife, Gretta, to take medication that makes her ill and refuses let her leave the house as she anxiously awaits the arrival of her beloved son R.J. But R.J. knows the truth; at least part of the truth. He has been sensitive to the apparition who calls herself Christine since childhood, but is unaware of the second ghostly force in the household, who has never revealed himself to anyone. As the hatred between R.J. and Ramsey builds, the silent apparition realizes his time to intervene has finally come…
The Girl in the Washroom
(50mins, 1F, 1 NB, 1M)
Set in 1961 after an unfortunate event in a New York City alleyway, Daisy and Stanley decide to spend the evening recovering in a nearby hotel. The evening quickly becomes one of confessions and realizations as the two women discover that they’re situation is much more dire than they originally suspected. The women are forced to come face to face with the great failures in their lives, their constant state of unhappiness, and the still present social class structure of the United States in the early 1960s.
Who Is Dan Schiller?
(50 mins, Flexible cast, 8-15)
Ben Stokes, an airline pilot, somehow missed the news that his friend and fellow pilot, Dan Schiller, has died over the weekend. Because of his mistake, Ben proceeds to be ridiculed and ostracized by every person he encounters, until he himself begins to doubt his own sanity, identity, and existence.