Dramatists Play Service
Lungs by
Photo by Helen Maybanks, 2019 Off West End Production
The world is getting hotter, there’s unrest overseas—the seas themselves aren’t very calm—and one couple is thinking about having a child. LUNGS is a smart and funny drama that follows a couple through the surprising lifecycle of their relationship, as they grapple with questions of family and change, hope, betrayal, happenstance, and the terrible pain that you can only cause the people you love.
Tooth and Claw by
Reptile specialist Schuyler Baines—”the Savior of Giant Tortoises” and the first female director of the Charles Darwin Research Station—arrives in Galápagos full of ideas and idealism. But when she becomes aware of an exploding black market that threatens to destroy the islands’ fragile ecosystem, Schuyler shuts the industry down, sparking a deadly, survival-of-the-fittest conflict with native fishermen. A bold, theatrical exploration of evolution, extinction, and the ever-present nature of Darwin’s “struggle for life.”
Brown Pelican by
Having organized “Project Noah” to protect endangered species, Jeff Tanager (curator of the local zoo) is appalled when several rare birds are mysteriously murdered in their cages—and doubly shocked when he is accused of the crime. As he fights to defend himself and his family against increasingly scurrilous attack, Jeff receives support from a disembodied “Voice,” and as the action moves on to a bizarre courtroom scene the “Voice” gives Jeff the absolute power to control the forces of nature. In the resulting chaos, machines stop, animals talk, the heads of state confer desperately on ways for a man to regain domination of his environment. But, as the exciting denouement makes chillingly clear, it may already be too late—unless mankind reverses its present ecological destructiveness and seeks out its true and proper place within the overall balance of nature.
Betty the Yeti by
Deep in the forests of northern Oregon, environmentalists clash with loggers in a furious battle to determine the future of the land. Which is more important: the preservation of the natural landscape or the lives of the men and women who depend on the harvesting of lumber? Russ T. Sawyer is one logger who thought he knew where he stood. Having recently lost his wife to the zealous leader of an environmentalist group, he’s been sitting in the treetops, mourning both his state of unemployment and his new-found bachelorhood. Suddenly, a female sasquatch emerges from the forest. Russ is torn: should he go against his politics and protect the trusting animal, whom he has named Betty, or cash in on a deal that will destroy the poor creature’s habitat? Then when he and Betty become, well…involved…
If There is I Haven’t Found It Yet by
Fifteen-year-old Anna’s weight makes her a target for bullies. When her mom transfers Anna to the school where she teaches in order to protect her daughter, it only makes things worse. George, Anna’s environmentalist dad, is no help at all—he’s determined to finish his new book and save the planet. Just as Anna gets suspended for retaliating with a head-butt, her estranged uncle, Terry, arrives unannounced. A heartbroken drifter with the mouth of a sailor, Terry reaches out to Anna in a way that no one ever has. Their unexpected friendship sends her parents’ rocky marriage into a tailspin as the whole family wonders: what—or who—really needs saving?
When the Rain Stops Falling by
Photo courtesy to City Garage Theatre, 2014 City Garage Theatre Production
It’s raining. Gabriel York is awaiting the arrival of his grown son whom he hasn’t seen since he was seven. “I know what he wants. He wants what all young men want from their fathers. He wants to know who he is. Where he comes from. Where he belongs. And for the life of me I don’t know what to tell him.” That’s the beginning of this compelling family saga that takes us back and forth in time from one generation to another, from 1959 to 2039, from London to Australia. With four generations of fathers and sons, their mothers, lovers and wives, the play is epic in its scope, yet at the same time extraordinarily intimate.
The Children by
Two retired nuclear scientists reside in an isolated cottage by the sea as the world around them crumbles. Together they are going to live forever on yogurt and yoga, until an old friend arrives with a frightening request.
After the Blast by
Generations ago, humans retreated deep underground after an environmental disaster ruined the world above. Nature is now simulated through brain-implanted chips, and fertility is regulated to keep the surviving population in balance. Anna and Oliver want to have a baby, and their options are running out.
Under Duress by
Chris and his friend Stephanie debate global warming. Stephanie’s pretentiousness irritates Chris, but they make up, and Chris composes a letter to the President about the subject. Realizing he has to go to post office to buy a stamp, Chris is overwhelmed, but he gathers his courage and goes.
Treefall by
Beyond the end of the word, where trees are dying and sunlight must not be allowed to touch human skin, three teenaged boys survive by reinventing a culture they never really knew. They cling to the shreds of civility by playing Daddy, Mommy and Junior, but the game has worn quite thin. And just when it seems that things can’t get any worse, a stranger arrives with a terrible secret that changes everything. Named one of the ten best plays of 2009 by LA Weekly, Treefall is a tragicomic exploration of gender identity and the meaning of family.
Playscripts
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
When a young Vietnamese girl plants beans in a vacant lot to connect with the memory of her father, the diverse group of locals who take notice find a connection of their own in a spirited effort to re-imagine their run-down neighborhood. The first year in the life of a community garden unfolds in this “spoken musical,” adapted from the award-winning children’s novel of the same name, as the voices of characters from far-flung backgrounds converge in a rhythmic hymn to community.
Community Garden by Justin Borak
Uptown, Chicago, newbie Ralph doesn’t quite know what to expect during his first volunteer shift at Uptown City Gardens. It’s certainly not the vibrant, bustling community that passes through the green space, checking on their plants, composting their food scraps, meeting up with friends, and—surprisingly often—falling in love. After a few hours, Ralph begins to understand seasoned volunteer Donald’s claim that the garden is magic. In a series of heartfelt and humorous vignettes, Community Garden digs into the ways taking care of the environment helps people take care of each other.
The Walk Across America for Mother Earth by Taylor Mac, music by Ellen Maddow
Political activism meets bedazzled drag show in this story about two young friends who flee their suburban upbringing in “Real America” to join a ragtag group of activists on a protest march from D.C. to Nevada. On the road, the group attempts to establish a nomadic utopia, but the marchers continually find themselves divided by cancer, unrequited affections, indecision, and a secret hunger for power. Whimsically blending commedia dell’arte influences with song and dance, The Walk Across America for Mother Earth explores how the idea of community sometimes fails to unite us, and sometimes brings us together in the most unexpected ways.
Bethel Park Falls by Bethel Park Falls
The residents of the small town of Bethel are facing a crisis: Their beloved park has been sold out from under them and it’s sending their lives into a tailspin. In nine interconnected vignettes, sixteen locals grapple with the loss of jobs, homes, and spouses, but find love, courage, and forgiveness as the park magically transforms through four seasons of the year in a single day. From a tired security guard trying get home to her kids, to a young mayor in over his head, to a nostalgic fisherman who can’t seem to catch anything, everyone takes a fall… and picks themselves up again. Bethel Park Falls draws a group of complex, fascinating, funny people together into one poignant story about the spaces where communities connect.
Rumors of Polar Bears by Jonathan Dorf
Facing the catastrophic consequences of global warming, Deme and her brother Romulus are barely surviving as they scavenge for food and water in the near future. Forced to flee their makeshift home because of an outbreak of sickness, the teenagers land in “New San Francisco,” a relative paradise with a running stream and spa. Romulus and some of their group insist that they’ve found utopia, but Deme still dreams of finding the rumored polar bears in the north that she believes are the key to their long-term survival. Will they risk everything to chase this dream?
The Sequence by Vincent Delaney
One hundred years from now humans are living in sealed domes, where everything from the climate to the clothes they wear is genetically engineered. Along with other youths in this society, a girl named Kim faces a fateful day: the reading of her genome. The results will decide her career, friendship, and even who she will marry. Those who show flaws are kicked out of the system, and on Kim’s big day, the unthinkable happens. Are her “flaws” a curse, or a blessing?
