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Tammy Ryan

TAMMY RYAN

  
Nationality:    USA
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Literary Agent:    The Susan Gurman Agency, LLC  

Tammy Ryan's plays have been commissioned, produced and/or developed across the United Stages at such Theaters as the Alliance Theater Company, Florida Stage, the Marin Theater Company, the People's Light and Theater Company, 29th Street Rep, Primary Stages, City Theater and the Pittsburgh Playhouse. A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon Univeristy's MFA Dramatic Writing program, she has received the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Playwriting Fellowship, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Creative Achievement Award, the Heinz Endowment's Creative Heights Residency Grant along with support from the Pittsburgh foundation. She has twice won the National Playwriting for Youth Bonderman Award and her play the MUSIC LESSON received the American Association of Theater in Education Distinguished new Play Award. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Research:    Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)

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below is a list of Tammy Ryan's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Baby's Blues         Boundary, The         Confluence of Dreaming, A         Dark Part of the Forest         FBI Girl: How I Learned To Crack My Father's Code         Gift of the Pirate Queen, The         In the Shape Of A Woman         Lindsey's Oyster         Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods         Molly Rush and the Plowshares 8         Molly's Hammer         Music Lesson, The         New Kind of Fallout, The         Pig         Soldier's Heart         Tar Beach         Vegetable Love

Baby's Blues

Synopsis:
tells the story of Susan, a career woman, with a seemingly perfect life, complete with sensitive husband and now, a brand new bundle of joy on the way. Beginning at the moment a very pregnant Susan goes into labor, the play follows Susan as she discovers herself in a hospital bed with a frighteningly inexplicable newborn to care for. the play employs both realistic and surrealistic elements as it explores one woman's descent into postpartum depression, but also brings into focus the difficult challenge of becoming a mother for the first time and the fine line that exists between health and madness

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the REP at the Pittsburgh Playhouse

1st Published:
Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NY, 2006   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boundary, The

Synopsis:
a timely and powerful portrait of America's homefront. Terrorists, angels and incessant television coverage disturb the boundaries of identity as the reality of the first Gulf War is brought painfully home to a dysfunctional family and its haunted patriarch, when the youngest daughter, a marine helicopter pilot is killed.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
University Of Pittsburgh Repertory Company     2004

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Confluence of Dreaming, A

Synopsis:
A Confluence of Dreaming tells the story of Carol, an underappreciated and seemingly invisible suburban homemaker who finds herself wondering what the hell happened to her life. She rediscovers stifled thrill and passion in the secret, sexy world of cyberspace. As her husband obsesses over their local property tax assessment and the cost of their current kitchen renovation, the state of their marriage (along with their roof) is about to collapse under the weight of what they haven't addressed. their seventeen year old "activist" daughter, who is about to leave the nest and save the world, is torn between going to college or Tibet. Taking place in Pittsburgh during the summer of 2001, Carol solicits a face to face meeting with her online lover in New York City. When fantasy collides with reality in his studio aparmtnet, Carol confronts the choices she's made against the desires she has suppressed in the quest for self-fulfillment.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Pittsburgh Playhouse     2010

Organisations:
the REP at the Pittsburgh Playhouse

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dark Part of the Forest

Synopsis:
the play tells the story of Joan who moves from the city to the country with her air traffic controller husband and their twelve year old daughter in search of peace and safety. Instead, the move creates a growing sense of anxiety in Joan. When young girls begin to disappear, her anxieties are confirmed and the growing tension begins to tear apart the family. Interweaving fairytales with Joan's memories of her own sexual coming of age in 1977, the play follows Joan from her day to day reality back through her fears before she can emerge transformed.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Premiere Stages, Union, Nj     2006

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Broadway Play Publishing, Inc., New York, 2011   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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FBI Girl: How I Learned To Crack My Father's Code

Synopsis:
Adapted from the memoir by Maura Conlon-McIvor. This poignant, coming of age story follows young Maura Conlon through her childhood journey in the 1960s and 70s. Growing up in an Irish-Catholic family mostly held together by commitment to her youngest brother, Joey, born with Down Syndrome, Maura struggles to find her place in the world. She is fascinated by mysteries, a fascination fed by the elusive world of her FBI agent father. Her dream was to follow his path and crack "the code" that made his world so lusciously impenetrable. At her Catholic school, Maura is known as the shy girl, but her beloved uncle, Father Jack, a priest in Queens, NYU relates to Maura, always assuring her of her potential, helping her to find her "voice." This enchanting story, told through Maura's inquisitive eyes and reflective and imaginative mind, is a highly moving account of personal growth and family trials and triumphs.

Notes:
8 Actors can double All roles, but if your budget Allows, you could Add two more Actors to handle Additional roles, Although this is not necessary. the 8 main characters can play the 14 Additional parts.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the REP at the Pittsburgh Playhouse

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gift of the Pirate Queen, The

Synopsis:
the story of a young girl with big responsibilities. After the tragic death of her mother, it became Grace's job to take care of her Father and diabetic sister, in addition to her difficulties with her teacher at school. But when her Father asks his Irish cousin Fiona to stay with them and help out for the holidays, Grace has a hard time adjusting to the new woman in the house. It's not until Fiona tells Grace about her resemblance to her ancestor, the great pirate queen Grania O'Malley, that they begin to bond. Through Fiona's stories and songs of Grania's bravery and noble heart, Grace finds the courage to not only become a hero to her sister but to face her greatest fears as well. This charming story of ancestral strength, honesty, family ties and learning to move on in life is sure to touch the hearts of audiences of all ages.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Pittsburgh Playhouse     2008

Organisations:
Playhouse Jr. at the Pittsburgh Playhouse

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation - young audiences

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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In the Shape Of A Woman

Synopsis:
examines the story of Joan of Arc as told by the people who witnessed her life during her trial of Rehabilitation twenty-four years after her death. Based on the trial transcripts

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the REP at the Pittsburgh Playhouse

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Historical Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  5            Other:  doubling over 30 roles

Further Reference:
-

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Lindsey's Oyster

Synopsis:
Sixteen year old Lindsey is "texting" Dylan, captain of the Lacrosse team. When he invites her to the cemetery for a party with his friends she goes, but the date quickly spirals out of her control. When her parents discover she is pregnant, they pressure her to have an abortion, but Lindsey resists. Instead she decides to get a tattoo and must convince Rooster, the Tattoo Artist of Saints and Sinners Tattoo Shop that she is "ready to get inked". Through texting and memory, in her relationship with her BFF Melinda and the Tattoo Artist, Lindsey begins to gain a more complex understanding of what happened that night, reclaiming the narrative of her life and her ability to reshape her own destiny.

Notes:
Received Second Place For the David Mark Cohen Award From the Kennedy Center American College theater Festival.

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
Commissioned by International Culture Lab 2011

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1-3            Female:  1-3            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
-

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Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods

Synopsis:
In the early 90's in Sudan after civil war destroyed their villages, an exodus of boys trekked eight hundred miles across Africa until making it to refugee camps in Kenya where they lived on a bowl of grain a day for ten years. In 2001, the U.S. resettled 3,600 of these "Lost Boys" in cities across America where they struggled to understand and adapt to an alien culture, find jobs and get an education so they could someday return to Sudan to rebuild their country. LOST BOY FOUND IN WHOLE FOODS tells the story of Christine, a recently divorced, middle-aged, middle class white woman who meets Gabriel, a former "Lost Boy" working in the produce section of Whole Foods in Pittsburgh in 2004. Moved by the story of the trauma he survived as a child, she invites him to live with her and her teenage daughter in order to help him finish his education and get the jumpstart he needs to make it in America. the play explores what can happen when we open up ourselves to help another human being, and how we might be transformed in the process.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Zella Frye Theater, Union, New Jersey     2010

Organisations:
Premiere Stages and Playwrights Theater of New Jersey

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Molly Rush and the Plowshares 8

Synopsis:
Civil disobedience

Notes:
Based on the book "Hammer of Justice - Molly Rush and the Plowshares Eight" by Liane Ellison Norman

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Molly's Hammer

Synopsis:
based on the book Hammer of Justice by Liane Norman about peace and social justice activist Molly Rush and the Plowshares 8.

Notes:
Molly's Hammer developed as part of the Ignite Festival at Repertory Theater of St. Louis, directed by Seth Gordon.

1st Produced:
Repertory Theater of St. Louis. St. Louis, NY     09 Mar 2016

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Music Lesson, The

Synopsis:
weaves together the music of Bach, with memories of the Bosnian War and the universal conflicts between teacher and student to tell the story of Irena and her husband Ivan, two musicians who escaped the war in Sarajevo to start a new life in Pittsburgh. Shifting elegantly from past to present and resonating with powerful music, this is the tale of two countries, two families, two generations and the ways they teach and heal each other.

Notes:
winner, American Alliance of theater in Education, Distinguished New Play Award 2004

1st Produced:
Florida Stage     2000

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing Company,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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New Kind of Fallout, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
libretto by Tammy L Ryan, music by Gilda Lyons

1st Produced:
Opera Theater Of Pittsburgh, Summerfest. Pittsburgh     15 Jul 2014

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
operetta

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Pig

Synopsis:
takes place the day before Labor Day, 1990, four months before the Gulf War and the Robinsons are having a barbecue. Jason, the prodigal son is returning from the navy, after a violent confrontation with his father. When he returns, he brings presents from around the world, as well as a freshly killed pig in a garbage bag to roast. Tension builds as emotions rise and the past in unburied. After Jason takes the family hostage, he forces them at gun point to play a life and death game of charades.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, 1998   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Black Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Soldier's Heart

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Premiere Stages, Union, Nj     10 Jul 2014

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tar Beach

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Luna Stage. West Orange, NJ     09 Apr 2015

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Vegetable Love

Synopsis:
examines the relationship between three sisters and their mother in the aftermath of their father's death. After they bury his ashes in the basement, a strange garden grows, invading the house with tomato-laden vines, as the women discover themselves in various states of pregnancy. A realistic kitchen sink comedy descends into the mythic, as the nature of mother love is explored.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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