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Rob Cardazone

ROB CARDAZONE

  (1965 - )
Nationality:    USA
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a

Rob Cardazone has been acting, directing and writing plays in NYC, and regionally for over twenty-five years. He has a BFA in acting from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has recently received his MFA in playwriting with Tina Howe and Mark Bly at CUNY Hunter, where he presented his thesis production, Ren Rats. His acting career took a turn when his play The Birth And Death Of Stars was awarded 1st prize in The George R. Kernolde New Play Competition, 2002. The Birth And Death Of Stars and Henry Descending were both New Century Writers' Award semi-finalists, 2002. A Dark Wood was a finalist in the Nantucket Short Play Festival, 2007, and was accepted into the Samuel French Short Play Festival, 2008. With Two Cups and a String Theatre he wrote and produced The Shrew Sketch, FringeNYC, 2001, which received a grant sized donation from the Charles O'Neil estate; he wrote, directed and produced What Sprang Off A Gypsy Rooster, Access Theater, 2004, which was awarded future co-productions at Access; and The Present's Tiny Point of which Joe Franklin said, "Great writing. Great cast. You kids are gonna go far!" In the summer of 2008 he was awarded the Tennessee Williams Scholarship to attend the Sewanee Writers' Conference under the mentorship of Romulus Linney and Arlene Hutton, where he work-shopped Go Gently Forward. Since grad school he has devoted a year to developmental readings of three plays: Go Gently Forward, Dreamers Often Lie and House on the Hudson. The latter was finalist in the Trustus Theatre Competition.

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

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

         Birth And Death Of Stars, The         Death Without Shedding Blood In the Field Of Flowers         Dreamers Often Lie         Go Gently Forward         Henry Descending         House on the Hudson         Lana On Redemption Lane         Not So Clean         Once Upon A Cottage         One More Time with Malice         Outsider         Present's Tiny Point, The         Shrew Sketch, The         Terribly and in Private         What Sprang Off A Gypsy Rooster         What They See

Birth And Death Of Stars, The

Synopsis:
the Birth and Death of Stars takes you on a journey of life's moments within a Brooklyn neighborhood, before and after 9/11. Interweaving personal events in a non-chronological order, show a common thread that binds these passionate characters. Joe deals with his wife's infidelity, and almost has a one-night stand with. . . Ginger, a conflicted artist that moves on with a bisexual. . . Lester, who suffers from writers block, moves into a new apartment and meets. . . Pretty, who when angered by her husband Joe, wants to set-up a mob hit while. . . Ma tries to get Lester to date her daughter Pretty, and her brother. . . Louie, attempts to put things into a big-picture-perspective by talking of stars. 9/11, merely a backdrop to this play, seems to affect these characters in subtle and not so subtle ways. Is it the times or people that effect how we behave? Is it decisions that we make or tragic events that dictate change? the "mob hit" asks: Were the attacks on 9/11 completely irrational; purely motivated by evil or are there questions that our society doesn't ask? the style is minimal, the questions are many. "the Birth and Death of Stars" gets people talking.

Notes:
1st Prize winner of the George Kernolde New Play Competition

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Genre:
Dark Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Death Without Shedding Blood In the Field Of Flowers

Synopsis:
(Subtitle: the Life and Martyrdom of Brother Giordano Bruno the Nolan, and the Story of What Happens to Two American Gay Boys When they Try to Tackle Too Much While on Vacation in Rome) Bruno and Dan on vacation in Rome, stop to look at a statue of the 16th century philosopher Giordano Bruno. the American Bruno finally decides to tell Dan that he is HIV positive. This doesn't go well. they debate about honesty and safety. But, this isn't a two-person play. Rome is riddled with ghosts. the story of the 16th century Giordano Bruno (little known in America) is weaved through the story of the young lovers. Today, many of his philosophies are considered givens. the Catholic Church considered his philosophies to be blasphemous. On February 17th 1600, he was burned at the stake. Much like the 16th century Giordano Bruno, the American Bruno dares to fight for what he believes in. People who are HIV positive are being pressured to disclose their status. Why are "negative" people not being encouraged to ask? the aIDS epidemic belongs to the community, not just the people who are infected. Why are we not encouraged to share this responsibility?

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Genre:
Drama/Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  6 male (or more depending on doubling)

Further Reference:
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Dreamers Often Lie

Synopsis:
A perfect day: a grassy plain, green leaves, boys in gray and navy-blue school uniforms. Dreamers Often Lie is set in an all boys' school in New England in 1944. The play was originally intended to be an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, asking the question: What if Tybalt were the main character, and what if he was in love with Mercutio? From there, Dreamers Often Lie takes on its own life. Tommy and Marcus (Tybalt and Mercutio) bottle up their feelings for each other, due to their age, the time period, the pending war and their need to prove their masculinity. The results are emotional, explosive and life changing for the two boys and their group of friends.

Notes:
Developed with Tina Howe in the CUNY Hunter College MFA playwriting program.

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Genre:
Full Length Drama, Gay, Period Piece

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  -            Other:  One 12 year old male

Further Reference:
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Go Gently Forward

Synopsis:
Gus drives a bus. All day long he rides around with a sign over his head that says, "Limited". Rain falls; his loneliness deepens. A beautiful woman named Veronica comes on board, covering her bruised eye with makeup. Gus gets it in his head that he can save her from her abusive husband. Gus' forcefully trying to save her doesn't bode well for Veronica. Gus meets Pop, a bartender/confidante, who turns out is Veronica's father. Gus learns that running off with Veronica may not be what he truly wants. Veronica learns that she needs to save herself and not run into the arms of another man; one she met on a bus. Sonny, Veronica's husband, a handsome, successful man, suspects that Gus is after his wife. He finds Gus' Achilles' heal, and teases him with a dream job at the zoo. Although Sonny intends to merely taunt Gus with this opportunity, Gus begins to understand what it is he really wants from life. Veronica is inevitably the one to save Gus, proving that she can take care of herself after all. In the end Gus is a new man, who knows where he's going and confident enough to get there.

Notes:
3 simple playing areas. Contemporary Realism. Developed with the help or Romulus Linney, Arlene Hutton, Mark Bly and Tina Howe.

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Genre:
Full Length, Fabulist, Comedy/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Henry Descending

Synopsis:
Henry, a New York artist, who has yet to see any success, meets Marius, a beautiful, young boy from Poland, and they quickly become boyfriends. their age difference, along with Henry's insecurity, and Marius's friend Peter create the basic conflicts in this dark (romantic) comedy. the title, plus the title of one of Henry's paintings, "Orifice Descending" are inspired by the myth of Orpheus and eurydice. Henry, in a sense like Orpheus, destroys his love because of his insecurity.

Notes:
Developed At the Barrow Group

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Genre:
Dark Romantic Comedy/Gay One act. - - Gay, one act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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House on the Hudson

Synopsis:
Clay has invited Freddie to stay the weekend at his partner's house-a modest home in the woods, near a river-a House on the Hudson. Freddie's mother has tried to commit suicide and is recovering in the hospital. Freddie is hoping for a respite from family stress and dysfunction. He even starts to consider moving in, so he can focus on his writing. However, he is in denial about what he's walking into. Clay is a recovering heroin addict. Clay's boyfriend, Matt, has an angry demeanor that Freddie is convinced he can handle. Matt has a problem with Freddie being there as soon as he arrives. Is it possible that Freddie's friendship with Clay threatens Matt? As Clay gets closer to breaking his run without drugs, can Freddie come to terms with how little control he may have over his friend's problem?

Notes:
Developed with Tina Howe. 3 males, one unit set, contemporary realism.

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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:
Full Length, Drama, Gay, Addiction.

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Lana On Redemption Lane

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Reading: Loewe Theatre At Cuny Hunter, On 68th And Lexington, NY     19 May 2012

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Not So Clean

Synopsis:
Members of a very dysfunctional family reunite for the first time since childhood. Grey memories, long over due apologies, and the absurd ramifications of alcoholism, physical, and sexual abuse are the themes of this dark, one act, comedy.

Notes:
Developed At Access theater

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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:
Dark Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Once Upon A Cottage

Synopsis:
1553: Prince Philip (based on Philip II of Spain who marries Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII.) is a sensitive dreamer and wants to get away from his responsibilities at court. Mary (later, Queen Mary I of england, nicknamed Bloody Mary for burning Protestants at the stake) longs to bring her people back to Catholicism. To achieve this end, she is determined to marry Prince Philip. Before their wedding, Philip travels to Brussels and falls in love with Princess Margarete Von Waldeck (the inspiration for the fairytale, Snow White). Queen Ota, Snow's Stepmother has been trying to kill her so she that can be the fairest. . . Mary sets out disguised as a peddler to poison Snow. Herman, a rather flamboyant miner (basically all seven dwarves), comes home from work, finding Snow and Philip together. Philip becomes more interested in Herman. Mary arrives and a door slamming farce ensues. Finally, Philip saves Snow and with a couple more twists the play ends in a double wedding! the play's style is a bawdy spoof on the innocent Disney version of Snow White, with each scene progressively accented with more and more anachronisms, leading to a commentary on gay marriage.

Notes:
Once Upon A Cottage is A one Act comedy based on european history And the Princess that was the inspiration for the Snow White fairytale.

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To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Farce

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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One More Time with Malice

Synopsis:
In One More Time with Malice a family is forced into a reunion because their mother has tried to commit suicide. Set in a hospital in New Jersey in the 1990s, we see the story through the eyes of Freddie, an anxious, sharp witted, gay New Yorker. Freddie had a plan to tell his sister, Vinne, about his HIV status, but because of his mother's "narcissistic stunt" he finds the perfect excuse to put it off. When a relationship between Freddie and hot Nurse Donny develops, Freddie may have found his ultimate escape and savior all in one. Freddie has a fear of death and a big problem with religion. When he himself ends up in the hospital the play's Expressionism builds and shifts the setting into a dream-purgatory, where Freddie begins to realize that before he dies he better figure out how to live.

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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:
Drama / Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Outsider

Synopsis:
Eddie, a graffiti artist and Sean, a recent art School graduate have a way of running into each other. their two different worlds collide and clash, and it seems that there isn't room enough in the city for both artists. Two friends from "another world" help them come together.

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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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Present's Tiny Point, The

Synopsis:
a collection of scenes and short plays by Rob Cardazone. the following description is from the show's press release: "In the Present's Tiny Point, 21 lonely characters, haunted by their pasts and fearful of their futures, scramble to connect and live in the present. From a former drug addict aggressively trying to say sorry, to an ominous gay gentleman in the rambles of Central Park; from an eager journalist pushing for an answer, to a fragile mother whose son has drowned her in disappointment and despair."
nytheatre.com

Notes:
audience favorite "Go Gently Forward" has been developed into A full length play

1st Produced:
The Turtle Shell Theatre, NY     2007

Organisations:
Two Cups and a String Theatre, Inc

1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
a collection of short plays, scenes and songs Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Shrew Sketch, The

Synopsis:
a team of 1950's live television comedy writers, need material for their next installment of the Billy Shakes Comedy Program. In their office, improvising and typing away at their desks, they come up with "the Taming of the Shrew" (as if Shakespeare never wrote it), or "the Shrew Sketch" as they call it. the text for this play is more than 50% Shakespeare's words and performed in a mix of Elizabethan costume and the fashions of the1950's. the small team of writers play all of the roles, occasionally swapping genders. they include an adamantly reluctant secretary to play Kate. the over all production focuses on sexism from 1590 to 1950.

Notes:
awarded A grant sized donation from the Charles O'Neill estate.

1st Produced:
The Mazur Theater, FringeNYC     2001

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To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Contemporary Comedy/Shakespeare Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Terribly and in Private

Synopsis:
In Terribly and in Private, Gaby's brother Gordon was killed by a speeding taxi. She sets a manipulative plan into action that will get Gordon's boyfriend Jimmy and her eccentric brother, Brandon, to the funeral. Their mother worries that the Catholic Church will discover that Gordon was gay and turn the family away- casket and all.

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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:
Comedy / Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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What Sprang Off A Gypsy Rooster

Synopsis:
Dale Vincent Bogle, alias Rooster, is the son of a gypsy, and this play is about his off "sprang." a large ensemble cast of three generations of criminals living in rural alabama. excerpt: ROOSTeR, "My mother was a Gypsy from Germany. and she brung the gypsy way here to the big, beautiful US of a. She taught me everything she know'd. and I did the same for my youngin's. By the time the boys were 10 years old they were breaking into liquor stores, the little rascals, or stealing tractor trailer trucks. they did right good. they got away with hundreds of 'em. the girls did a little stealin' too. Never nothin' major. Just enough to keep them in makeup and cigarettes. . ." MS. FaY GeNTLe (a social worker), "an analysis by my office found that the cost of incarcerating just five of the 28 people in your family, who were convicted, was almost 3 million dollars. That is not counting the expense of their trials, or of probation or parole after their release, or the costs if they are arrested again."

Notes:
This play is A fiction based on A true story. Awarded the playwright/producer future co-productions At Access theater.

1st Produced:
Access Theatre, 380 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10013     2004

Organisations:
Two Cups and a String Theatre

1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
absurdist Dramedy Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  9            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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What They See

Synopsis:
Sixteen year old Alexandra Blackmore and her father Thomas have just rented an Amish farmhouse in Lancaster PA. Alex's mother, who has been absent, makes an appearance. She has alcohol, drug and sexual boundary issues, and seems to bring out the worst in Thomas who is not exactly the best single dad. Alex befriends two neighbor children. Jeremy, 18, has been rescued from the city and prostitution by his religious zealot aunt and uncle. Omer is an innocent Amish boy of 8, full of wonder and hope, even though someone in his family has been hitting him. The play is essentially about these children, what they see, how they process and cope, and potentially how they grow.

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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:
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Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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