Shakespeare’s dead are not finished with one another. In Purgatory, Hamlet, Ophelia, Gertrude, Claudius, Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the old king must climb…
In the collection Read the play
The catalogue
The Plays
Thirteen plays exploring memory, political history, ritual, mythology, survival, gender, and the aftermath of power. Written for actors, educators, directors, universities, and community theatres, combining literary language with flexible theatrical production.
13
Plays available to licence
5
Solo pieces for one performer
20
Minutes for the shortest piece
12
Roles in the largest ensemble
Every play
Filter by cast size, or search
Solo adaptation
Lear: A Solo Adaptation
1 performer. 60 minutes.
In the final moments of Lear’s life, memory, delusion, fury, and grief collapse into one another as he relives the choices that destroyed his…
In the collection Read the play
Solo drama
Ghosts of the Gilded Stage
1 performer. 50 minutes.
An aging theatrical veteran, Alban Matthews, facing mortality within roughly six months, examines the contents of an old theatrical trunk. Each object opens another…
In the collection Read the play
Historical ensemble
Even Unto Death
6 performers. Approximately 65 minutes.
In the aftermath of Joan of Arc’s execution, her family and the women around them live with what the public legend leaves out: grief,…
In the collection Read the play
Solo historical drama
Heretic: The Mary Dyer Story
1 performer. 80 minutes.
In a Boston jail cell on the day before her execution, the Quaker martyr Mary Dyer relives loss, motherhood, religious persecution, and the choices…
Toured 2011 to 2019 Read the play
Comedy
Mackers
12 performers. 2 hours including one intermission.
During a disaster-prone preview of Macbeth, a veteran stage manager, her assistant, and a company of actors fight through superstition, accidents, egos, and escalating…
Read the play
Historical drama
Bambino Mio: Bright Little Flame
3 performers. 90 minutes.
On her seventieth birthday in wartime India, Maria Montessori, held under British restrictions as an enemy alien, works with her young assistant Githa on…
Living History Foundation grant Read the play
Contemporary drama
The Jewish Question
3 performers. 90 minutes.
After a massive peace march, two Jewish journalists spend the evening in Grace’s Venice kitchen for Shabbat. Over dinner, vodka, family history, politics, Israel…
Jewish Plays Project, Honorable Mention Read the play
Contemporary drama
Pineapple and Other Options
3 to 4 performers. 2 hours including one intermission.
On a stormy day, a woman recovering from breast cancer calls a crisis hotline. As a new volunteer tries to keep her talking, Helen…
Pandora New Works Festival Read the playClara Barton looks back across the wounds that shaped her life, from a brother’s childhood accident and Civil War battlefields to the Missing Soldiers…
Read the play
Historical drama
Flight of the Dove
3 performers. 90 minutes.
Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the United States Congress, reflects on her life and her activism. Memory, public history, and a contemporary…
Read the play
Solo monologue
Lifeboat Six
1 performer. 20 minutes.
At a fundraiser after the Titanic disaster, Margaret Tobin Brown tells the story of Lifeboat Six without the legend that later swallowed her. Fear,…
Read the play
Solo drama
On Track
1 performer. Running time to be confirmed.
Brian, whose life has always run on the rhythms and systems of railways, traces the tracks through childhood, work, family, isolation, and connection. A…
In development Read the playUse the star on any play to build a shortlist, then request them all in one message.
Not sure which one?
Four questions, three suggestionsTell the finder the size of your company, the slot you are filling, and the room you are working in. It reads all thirteen plays and returns the three that fit best, with the reason for each.
How many performers can you cast?
How long is the slot?
What is it for?
What should it be about?
Three plays for you
SoloOne performer
1Lear: A Solo AdaptationIn the final moments of Lear’s life, memory, delusion, fury, and grief…60 minutes1Ghosts of the Gilded StageAn aging theatrical veteran, Alban Matthews, facing mortality within roughly six months,…50 minutes1Heretic: The Mary Dyer StoryIn a Boston jail cell on the day before her execution, the…80 minutes1Lifeboat SixAt a fundraiser after the Titanic disaster, Margaret Tobin Brown tells the…20 minutes1On TrackBrian, whose life has always run on the rhythms and systems of…Running time to be confirmed
Two to fourChamber casts
3Bambino Mio: Bright Little FlameOn her seventieth birthday in wartime India, Maria Montessori, held under British…90 minutes3The Jewish QuestionAfter a massive peace march, two Jewish journalists spend the evening in…90 minutes4Pineapple and Other OptionsOn a stormy day, a woman recovering from breast cancer calls a…2 hours including one intermission2Great Divide: A Clara Barton StoryClara Barton looks back across the wounds that shaped her life, from…60 minutes3Flight of the DoveJeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the United States Congress, reflects…90 minutes
EnsembleSix or more
10When Churchyards YawnShakespeare’s dead are not finished with one another. In Purgatory, Hamlet, Ophelia,…90 minutes, optional intermission6Even Unto DeathIn the aftermath of Joan of Arc’s execution, her family and the…Approximately 65 minutes12MackersDuring a disaster-prone preview of Macbeth, a veteran stage manager, her assistant,…2 hours including one intermission
In print
Four of them are in one book
When Churchyards Yawn and Other Plays gathers four plays about memory, ritual, collapse, and survival, with a foreword by Chuck Fager and contextual material for actors, directors and educators.
Excerpts and educational use
By requestSelected excerpts, study materials, and production resources are available by request for educators, actors, directors, theatres, and university programs.
Performance rights
Stage it
Rights are available for universities, schools, community theatres, festivals, workshops, staged readings, and independent productions.
Keep in touch
New plays, new productions, twice a year
A short letter when a play is finished, when a production opens, or when new classroom material becomes available. Nothing else.