The Playwrights Database
JOHN AUGUSTINE
Nationality: USA
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Literary Agent: ICM Partners
John Augustine. John Augustine's plays have been presented in New York City at the Zipper, HeRe, Naked angels, all Season's Theatre Group, expanded Arts, ensemble Studio Theatre, Miranda Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, and others. He is published in two short play anthologies: Take Ten andthe Best American Short Plays of 1993-94. For television, Mr. augustine wrote for the Fox TV show Titus and for encore! encore! with Nathan Lane and Joan Plowright. He has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. He is a Revson Fellow in Playwriting, and a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Dramatists Guild. He is also an actor, a classical pianist, and as of this printing, a purple belt in Shotokan Karate. He adopted his perfect dog from the SPCa, and encourages you to do the same.
Research: Member of the Dramatists Guild of America
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below is a list of John Augustine's plays - click on a Play Title for more information
Augustine's Confessions: Scenes From American Life Censorship Play, The Closing, The Death By Chocolate Father's Day Gen - X Ghost Innocent Victims Kent, Ct Kept Boy Maurice Megaphone Man Mrs. Smith Plays the Piano Nicole And Jane Opening, The Pamper Island: A Grocery Store Comedy Peoplespeak Promesa Sarabande Scab Writes A Song! Subway, The Temporary People, Part I: Siobhan Temporary People, Part Ii: Rebecca Ruth Three Roses, The Window Of OpportunityAugustine's Confessions: Scenes From American Life
Synopsis:
an exceptional and eclectic collection of twenty short plays that wends its way through various scenes of urban life. along the way there are unlikely weirdos accosting people on subways in the Subway, a militant store clerk pushing environmental reform inPamper Island, a man grappling with his own racism in the Three Roses, and a woman who wears a wedding dress to a wedding that isn't hers in Temporary People, Part Two: Rebecca Ruth. With wit and sensitivity, augustine's Confessions explores the terminally vague and toxically vogue members of society. To purchase this book of 20 plays, click "add to Shopping Cart" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
75-90 min Comedy/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 4 Other: 3 males, 4 females (6-48 actors possible: 3-23 males, 3-25 females)
Further Reference:
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Top of PageCensorship Play, The
Synopsis:
a writer is typing a play for a contest. Though it begins as a story about his dueling parents, with the help of his lover, it becomes a reflection of his current happiness. as he rewrites the play, the "characters" on the page "act out" on the stage. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
7-9 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 1 Other: 3 males, 1 female (4 actors possible: 0-3 males, 1-4 females)
Further Reference:
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Top of PageClosing, The
Synopsis:
an epilogue and goodbye to the audience recalling some of the key moments from the evening ofaugustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
2-5 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 4 Other: 3 males, 4 females (6-16 actors possible: 3-8 males, 3-8 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageDeath By Chocolate
Synopsis:
a woman copes with menopause, her birthday, and the death of her husband. Luckily, she has alcohol and candy to help her get through the day. Unluckily, she faces an unwanted visit from her sister-in-law.
- nytheatre.com
- nytheatre.com
Notes:
part of Summer Shorts 3
1st Produced:
Organisations:
J.J. Kandel and John McCormack
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
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Genre:
One act
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageFather's Day
Synopsis:
augustine takes a look at murder, justice, gun control, and whether or not it is wise for the privileged to volunteer -- knowing all the while they could be sued. With the help of the actual transcript from the confession of the man who murdered augustine's father. . . the author attempts to make some sense of murder. then and Now.
- nytheatre.com
- nytheatre.com
Notes:
part of Summer Shorts, A festival of nine new American short plays
1st Produced:
Organisations:
the Open Book
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
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Genre:
One act
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageGen - X
Synopsis:
Alex and Tammy are a bit lost in their lives, but energized about figuring it out and talking about it with their more focused, somewhat over-bearing friends, Lisa and Larry. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
12-15 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: 2 males, 2 females
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageGhost
Synopsis:
Jane mistakes a passerby on the street for her recently deceased friend, Michael. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Ensemble Studio Theatre (New York, Ny, United States) 1994
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
2-3 min Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: 1 male, 1 female (1-2 actors possible: 0-1 males, exactly 1 female)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageInnocent Victims
Synopsis:
a man and a woman reflect on how many have died from aIDS. Who is guilty? and who is simply an innocent victim? (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
2-4 min Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: 1 male, 1 female (2 actors possible: 0-2 males, 0-2 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageKent, Ct
Synopsis:
Evelyn Biddle Carver is a status-obsessed real estate agent giving a party for the Fourth of July. While her husband Graham drinks and makes pleasantries, and a British nanny deals with unruly twins offstage, Evelyn waits breathlessly for the arrival of her new neighbor, Oscar-winning actor Lance McCambridge. When it turns out that Lance is out of town, and "only" his wife can make it, Evelyn tries to make do with the celebrity of her other guest, the black author Jonathan alexander and his white lover Benjamin -- but his blackness and gayness are maybe not her favorite thing. and it is hard to face life, and a party, when you were expecting to be seen with a movie star.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
The Zipper Theatre (Workshop) (New York, Ny, United States) 2001
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
30-40 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 2 Other: 3 males, 2 females
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageKept Boy
Synopsis:
Michael speaks to us in the middle of the night about his lost youth, his missed opportunities and the importance of the right hairdo. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Ensemble Studio Theatre (New York, Ny, United States) 1994
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
4-6 min Comedy/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: - Other: 1 male, 1 either (1-4 actors possible: 1-3 males, 0-1 females)
Further Reference:
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Top of PageMaurice
Synopsis:
Maurice, an older gay man, reminisces about his younger days upon seeing an old photograph. Though his beauty has faded, he still lives without regrets. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
3-5 min Comedy/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: - Other: 1 male
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageMegaphone Man
Synopsis:
Kenny goes home to see his mother, trying to ignore the loud man with a megaphone who accompanies him everywhere screaming, "You are worthless!" His great aunt Cora is 102 years old and just wants to die, his mother just wants everyone to get along, and Kenny just wants to get out of there. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
12-15 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: 2 males, 2 females
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageMrs. Smith Plays the Piano
Synopsis:
Mrs. Smith is a funny yet scary alcoholic woman who teaches piano. But something is odd on this particular day. When adult piano student Donna arrives for her lesson she finds "Boy" in a giant bird cage and Mrs. Smith in rare form. Is there no escape? (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Ensemble Studio Theatre (New York, Ny, United States) 1988
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
35-40 min Dark comedy
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 2 Other: 1 male, 2 females
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageNicole And Jane
Synopsis:
To help herself grieve for the death of a friend, Jane goes to a cafe with her friend Nicole. However, she soon learns that although Nicole fancies herself "sensitive" and an artist, these are merely shallow labels to cover up her self-involved nature. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
7-10 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 2 Other: 1 male, 2 females (3 actors possible: 0-1 males, 2-3 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageOpening, The
Synopsis:
a snappy quick opening to introduce the style of the playaugustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life and its colorful characters to audience. To be used with other plays from collection in order to "bookend" the evening. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
4-6 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 4 Other: 3 males, 4 females (6-9 actors possible: 3-4 males, 3-5 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PagePamper Island: A Grocery Store Comedy
Synopsis:
an overbearing, ecologically correct check-out clerk bullies and harasses a young mother for buying Pampers plastic diapers on earth day. Luckily, the woman is rescued from the clerk by another customer standing behind her in line. It seems like her day of activist lectures is over, but is she in for more of the same? (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Naked Angels Earth Day Celebration (New York, Ny, United States) 1990
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
8-12 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 2 Other: 1 male, 2 females (3 actors possible: 0-3 males, 0-3 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PagePeoplespeak
Synopsis:
Siobhan. Jst got ur mssg U R hvng Crisis? So sorry Wanna meet @ cafe 1 w/ cute waiter u & me Talk n drnk LOL Dont feel sad :( C U soon. :) I m here 4 u. Cassie
- nytheatre.com
- nytheatre.com
Notes:
part of Summer Shorts 2
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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PagePromesa
Synopsis:
Jamie Rodriguez, a young man in his early 20s arrives late to his meeting with Frank, an older man concerned about Jamie's life choices. as he talks with Frank, Jamie "philosophizes" about life, death, loneliness, and being used. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length playaugustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
5-7 min Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: - Other: 2 males
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageSarabande
Synopsis:
On the anniversary of the death of a friend, a man recalls the time that they had together in a music conservatory. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
New Hope Performing Arts Festival (New Hope, Pa, United States) 1997
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
4-6 min Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: - Other: 1 male, 2 either (1-3 actors possible: 1-3 males, 0-2 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageScab Writes A Song!
Synopsis:
While being served TV dinners (still frozen) by his beer drinking mother and his potty mouth Father -- Scab plots his escape from his crazy parents with a pathetic dream of becoming a rock star, writing a hit song and leaving home. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home For Contemporary Theatre, The Dining Room Series (New York, Ny, United States) 1990
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
13-16 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: 2 males, 2 females
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageSubway, The
Synopsis:
Subway panhandling at its strangest, from murderous bums and broke college students to real estate agents and out of work clowns. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Manhattan Theatre Club (New York, Ny, United States) 1988
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
5-7 min Comedy
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 2 Other: 4 males, 2 females, 1 either (4-7 actors possible: 1-7 males, 1-7 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageTemporary People, Part I: Siobhan
Synopsis:
a temporary worker, Siobhan is tired of using self-help books and spirituality to "cure" herself. Though verbally explosive on the outside, deep down, she is a fragile soul who is frightened of being invisible. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length playaugustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home For Contemporary Theatre (New York, Ny, United States) 1990
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
6-8 min Comedy/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: 1 Other: 1 female
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageTemporary People, Part Ii: Rebecca Ruth
Synopsis:
entering in a wedding dress at the Pierre Hotel bathroom, putting on her lipstick and forgetting her pearls, an energetic and very verbal Rebecca Ruth shares every thought in her head and eventually asks us, "Do you think it was inappropriate of me to show up at me sister's wedding in a wedding dress?" (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home For Contemporary Theatre (New York, Ny, United States) 1990
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
8-10 min Comedy/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: 1 Other: 1 female
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageThree Roses, The
Synopsis:
In an attempt to justify and explain his own racism, a Caucasian or Asian man talks about his experience of feeling frightened upon entering an all black bar. Throughout the story, a woman of color plays a voice in his head, helping him figure it all out. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
3-5 min Comedy/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: 1 male, 1 female (2 actors possible: 1-2 males, 0-1 females)
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageWindow Of Opportunity
Synopsis:
While dressing for a fancy benefit dinner -- Sally examines her life. While confiding her secret thoughts to her good friend, Leslie -- she learns more about Leslie than she ever expected. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play augustine's Confessions: Scenes from American Life.)
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Home At Here (New York, Ny, United States) 1993
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York -
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:
8-12 min Comedy/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: 2 Other: 2 females
Further Reference:
-
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