Second edition, Upstage Left Press, 2026
When Churchyards Yawn and Other Plays
Four plays in which the past is not past, the dead are not silent, and familiar stories open to reveal the lives concealed inside them.
The Four Plays
Grief, power, memory, faith, survival
01
The edition
The revised second edition features a foreword by Chuck Fager and includes contextual materials for actors, directors, and educators.
About the author
Jeanmarie Simpson creates work exploring people whose lives exceed the stories told about them, focusing on historically marginalized figures across many contexts.
Book details
For libraries and course adoptionAuthor
Jeanmarie Simpson
Foreword
Chuck Fager
Published
25 May 2026Upstage Left Press, second edition, 317 pages
Paperback
979-8998900860
Hardcover
979-8998900877
The past is not past, the dead are not silent, and familiar stories open to reveal the lives concealed inside them.
Where to buy
Paperback, hardcover, Kindle
For courses
Review copies and classroom material
The collection was assembled with teaching in mind: four plays that can be studied separately or read against one another, with scene packets, monologues and discussion guides available on request.
Buying the book does not include performance rights
Rights for staging any of the four plays are granted separately, for each production. Write with your venue, dates and the shape of the production.
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.