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Greg Machlin

GREG MACHLIN  (1980 - )

 Nationality:    USA
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Literary Agent:    n/a

Greg Machlin received his MFA from the University of Iowa's MFA Playwrights' Workshop. He was a 2008 Heideman Finalist for "Family Portrait." His monologues have been published by Smith & Kraus ("Sixty Seconds to Shine Volume IV,") and his radio play "Who Killed Harry Park?" was broadcast on selected NPR stations (also in 2008.) BroadwayWorld.com called Bloody Lies "irresistibly fun and entertaining;" that show was a finalist for "Best New Script" at the 2007 Midtown International Theatre Festival. He wrote scenes for the world premiere of Versailles, conceived by Obie-award-winning director David Schweitzer. a History of Bad Ideas premiered at the 2008 Iowa New Play Festival, where Mead Hunter called it "sweetly sad and affecting. . . clearly a fave with the audience." His most recent play, "7 Days: a Fantasia on the Life of Miles Davis," had a sold-out run when it premiered this past January in Iowa City.

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

         2034: Basket Full Of Books         7 Days: A Fantasia On the Life Of Miles Davis         Absurdities         Bloody Lies         Collaborative Process, The         Diplomat's Dilema, The         Family Portrait         Film Noir Anthology 1: the Sleep Demon         History Of Bad Ideas, A         Sushi         This Is Your Life         Who Killed Harry Park?

2034: Basket Full Of Books

Synopsis:
the year is 2034: ten years after the U.S. surrendered to China in the Great War after Chicago and Los Angeles were destroyed by nuclear blasts, eleven years after the technology was perfected to allow people to instantly download books into their brains, and twelve years after this technology was banned. the second American resistance fights a hopeless battle against the occupying Chinese army. Basket, a young Canadian, isn't involved with the occupation or the resistance. She just wants to save her guardian George's life. But the only medicine to be found lies in Chinese-occupied New York City. and the only way she can get the money she needs for the medicine is if she agrees to smuggle in a shipment of highly lucrative, very illegal downloadable books. Basket will be tested at every turn as she makes the perilous cross-country journey, aided only by Moo-Cow, a talking cow, and Mabel, a professional dominatrix. She will team up with the resistance, do battle with the villainous Mr. Briefcase and Mr. Totebag, and help Americans like Bill Sanderson, caught in the crossfire of the occupation and his own ruined life. In 2034, a damaged nation tries to find hope.

Notes:
awards: 2006 IRaM. Festival staged reading directed by Alex Suha. Doubling is possible.

1st Produced:
University of Iowa 2006 New Play Festival (staged reading)    May 2006

Organisations:
University of Iowa

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/sci-fi

Parts:
Male:  10            Female:  8            Other:  3

Further Reference:
-

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7 Days: A Fantasia On the Life Of Miles Davis

Synopsis:
January, 1954. Miles Davis, caught in the throes of heroin addiction, with his career flatlining and his health failing, returns home to his father's farm to lock himself in a guest apartment and go cold turkey-or lose his career and his life. Over the course of a week, he will ache, suffer, hallucinate and rage against his demons, but one demon in particular has come calling to duel with Davis. Her name is the Bluesman, and she claims to have killed jazz musicians before. the stakes of the duel: Miles' career, soul, and life. She plays mean. and she plays to win. aided by the ghost of Charlie Parker and the spirit of John Coltrane (still alive), scenes from Davis' past and future play out as he battles back against the Bluesman's siren song of despair. We see all sides of the complicated Davis: the consummate professional musician, the prodigal son, the angry loner; and we meet his friends, collaborators, and lovers. But at the end of the week, Miles Davis must face the dark truth of the Bluesman alone.

Notes:
Commissioned by MFA Iowa graduate Ethan Henry (film: Smitty.) Dir: Joe Luis Cedillo. Lighting Design: Chastity O'Bradovich.

1st Produced:
University of Iowa Gallery/Workshop series    Jan 2009

Organisations:
University of Iowa

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/biography

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Absurdities

Synopsis:
Four comic one-acts ("Mnemonic Device," "the Diplomat's Dilemma," "the Briefcase," and "the Collaborative Process") about perfectly normal people who find themselves in utterly bizarre and difficult situations.

Notes:
the one-act "the Diplomat's Dilemma" (director: Mike Burdick) was selected for the Samuel French festival in 2004 And was A semi-finalist. the full "absurdities" now contains eight short plays totalling 1:40 in length.

1st Produced:
Theatre Studio, Inc.,NYC    2004

Organisations:
Love Creek Productions

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:
Four 1 act Comedies

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  variable

Further Reference:
-

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Bloody Lies

Synopsis:
Clem travels to the mysterious eastern european country of Rachvorgia to save his family's house from the clutches of the evil Landlady Doris. While there, Clem and his best friend Barney (who only ever says the word "Barney,") meet the menacing Count Von Richtenstein and his beautiful daughter Nina. Nina and Clem are smitten with one another. But Nina is strangely pale, and she doesn't like the sun, and she certainly seems to enjoy biting Clem's neck. . .Complications abound, among them the Count's plans to take over America (starting with Clem's hometown) and turn everyone into blood slaves. Barney runs into serious trouble of his own with the Count's minion Simparticus, and the demented Drusilla the Vampire Hunter is running around. In the spirit of Charles Ludlam and Joss Whedon comes: Bloody Lies. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll bleed from the neck.

Notes:
aka Myths Legends, Outright Lies. Awards: 2007 Midtown International theatre Festival, finalist: Best New Script. World premiere (Iowa 2006) directed by Danielle Santangelo; set design: Cassie Reardon. Lighting design: Chris Haug. Sound design: Patrick Ashcraft. Costume design: Drew Munao.

1st Produced:
University of Iowa    Oct 2006

Organisations:
University of Iowa Gallery/Workshop series

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:  5            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Collaborative Process, The

Synopsis:
Leslie and anna are writing a play together. Leslie wants it to be about her failed romantic life and therapy. anna wants it to be about aliens. then the aliens ("Frank" and "Jim") show up. and there's something even stranger going on. . . Will anna and Leslie resolve their differences? Can anyone actually tell Frank and Jim apart? Can our dynamic duo figure out what's going on before it's too late? the joy, and insanity, of working together on art. Particularly when the art comes to life.

Notes:
World premiere directed by Glenn Schudel. Original cast: Leslie: Lori Ramsey. Anna: leah Sparkes. Dr. Detraht: Leslie Ross. Alien 1: Damon Matthews. Alien 2: Isaac Cheng. "absurdities: An evening of One-acts" produced by Synge Maher And Tony White.

1st Produced:
Love Creek Productions    38018

Organisations:
Love Creek Productions

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Diplomat's Dilema, The

Synopsis:
a middle aged diplomat invites a sexy French diplomat to dine with him and his wife

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Family Portrait

Synopsis:
a family makes a videotape record of five years in their life, even when tragedy intervenes.

Notes:
Named A Heideman finalist from the 2008 Humana Festival (Actors theatre of Louisville.) expanded casting details: 1 male Adult, 1 female Adult, 2 male child Actors; 1 female child Actor.

1st Produced:
Iowa City, Ia    2007

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 Ten minute play

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Film Noir Anthology 1: the Sleep Demon

Synopsis:
ace Detective Marlow Phillips tries to solve the case of mysterious psychic amanda the German eggplant while dodging Big Boss and his notorious band of thugs.

Notes:
This play (Director: Rebecca Nyahay) was A finalist in the 2005 Samuel French festival.

1st Produced:
-    2005

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/film noir parody Comedy

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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History Of Bad Ideas, A

Synopsis:
Jason and Georgia test their relationship as his writing takes them from New York City to Iowa. What follows is a series of passionate and turbulent months where the dangers and insights of love are played out by Jason and Georgia and on the fringes by G and J. Will art bring them together or is it the ultimate betrayal?

Notes:
Directed by Joe Luis Cedillo. Lighting design by Sean Maxwell. Sound design by Andrew Stewart. Set Design by Maylan Thomas. Costume design by Alyssa Russell.

1st Produced:
University of Iowa    May 2008

Organisations:
University of Iowa New Play Festival

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:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sushi

Synopsis:
Six characters with names like California Roll, Wasabi, and Pickle come to a startling realization about their existence and attempt to escape their disturbing fate before it's too late.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
NewGate Theatre Company,Providence, Rhode Island    2005

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/existential Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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This Is Your Life

Synopsis:
This Is Your Life" is a comedy-Drama with a dash of magical realism about four people in Berkley, Ca, in the late 1960s: Tony (a writer), Patrick (a conductor), Natalie (an english grad student), and Jenny (a musician). the movements of these four are overseen and narrated by Garrett, a present-day writer in a "quarterlife crisis," and abigail, his more grounded sister; they watch as all try to make their way and forge relationships as the roaring sixties become the troubled seventies. But mixing the present and the past proves dangerous when one character discovers what the future holds-and Garrett and abigail's present may never be the same.

Notes:
World premiere directed by Joe Luis Cedillo, former literary manager of Houston's Alley theatre. Original lighting by eli Wilkinson; sound: Alex Ruhlin. Costumes: erin Duffy.

1st Produced:
University of Iowa    39479

Organisations:
University of Iowa Gallery/Workshop series

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:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Who Killed Harry Park?

Synopsis:
Jackson is a graduate student and an amateur detective. Harry Park, a brilliant but troubled young physicist, has gone missing. a woman claiming to be Harry's girlfriend asks Jackson to find him. as Jackson tries to unravel the case, he realizes its threads have entangled not just Harry's jealous rival and his thesis advisor, but also the United States military. and a young inventor 75 years in the past. . .In the style of David Mamet's "the Water engine" comes a thrilling new radio play for the stage.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
University of Iowa KURI (89.7 FM)    Jul 2007

Organisations:
Shoestring Radio Theatre (San Francisco, KUSF)

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/radio

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  4            Other:  2

Further Reference:
-

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