doollee banner
The Playwrights Database
contact doollee


Todd McGinnis

TODD MCGINNIS  

 Nationality:    Canadian
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a


Todd McGinnis is an award-winning professional playwright and actor. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada sometime before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and definitely after the end of World War II. He makes no claims or assertions that he had any significant part in the success of either venture. Mr. McGinnis is the prolific author of more than 20 full length and one-act play scripts that have been repeatedly produced by various companies. He thinks people "laughing a lot" or "gasping in terror in all the right places" or "applauding wildly" or "not demanding their money back" are signs that he knows what he's doing. His plays include farces Knave of Hearts and Thunderbolts and Dunderheads, contemporary comedies Gone Fishin' and Point of Viewing, and two of the comedies he co-authored with T. Gregory Argall: Self-Help by Dummiez and IN-SECURITY: An Alarmingly Romantic Comedy. His play Stage Fright, Or... "LAUGH? I Thought I'd DIE! is published by Samuel French. Many of his other plays are available in book from from Playing After Dark's online and on-demand publication service at: www.lulu.com/playingafterdark.

Buy Plays with Doollee

Each page of doollee.com has links to play/book outlets, either directly to the Publisher, through Stageplays.com and Amazon to the second hand and 1st editions of AbeBooks. These links will automatically take you to the relevant area obviating the need for further search.
AbeBooks.co.uk   AbeBooks.com   Stageplays.com   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.ca
whether you are a Playwright who wishes to make their entry definitive, an unlisted Playwright or a User with a tale to tell - we want to hear from you.
download WORD submission template

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

 Everybody Dies         Gone Fishin'         In-Security: An Alarmingly Romantic Comedy         Knave of Hearts         Point of Viewing         Self-Help For Dummies         Stage Fright (aka "Laugh? I thought I'd DIE!")         Thunderbolts and Dunderheads         Trammel the Cull: A Single Act of Pure Evil

Everybody Dies

Synopsis:
A group of sitcom writers pulling an all-nighter find themselves living out one of their co-workers nightmares - A nightmare in which everybody dies!

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Brampton, Ontario    2003

Organisations:
Playing After Dark Ltd

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:
Black Comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Gone Fishin'

Synopsis:
In this hilarious and heart-warming comedy, three brothers learn more about each other than any of them wanted to know when they are forced to spend the day fishing together as a condition of their late father's will.

Notes:
After the success of its initial production, Gone Fishin' was selected to open the first Annual NewWorks Playwrights Festival in July 2004

1st Produced:
Brampton, Ontario    2002

Organisations:
Playing After Dark Ltd

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:
Two Act Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

In-Security: An Alarmingly Romantic Comedy

Synopsis:
Nothing goes as planned for Linda, a small-town girl who moves to the big city. She arrives for her first day of work at a Security Response Company only to learn that her new job might have been cut thanks to a corporate takeover by a policy-obsessed conglomerate! Fortunately, Linda finds an unlikely knight in shining armour in Ted, a charmingly wise-cracking and mischievous co-worker. But when life with her dreamy musician-boyfriend turns out to be not quite so dreamy after all, Ted offers Linda a place to stay. . . and both of their lives become suddenly more complicated.

Notes:
written by Todd McGinnis And T Gregory Argall

1st Produced:
Queen Elizabeth Dinner Theatre, Aurora Ontario    2008

Organisations:
Stellar 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:
Romantic Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  Chad, Male boss may be gender-flipped

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Knave of Hearts

Synopsis:
Jack Hawkins is a swashbuckling rogue who gets more than he bargains for when he tries to swindle Lord Henry Bannigan - a frustrated father who is trying to marry off two daughters without paying any dowry. When both ladies decide they want to marry Jack, the silver-tongued Hawkins fears an end to his carefree bachelor ways is near.With only his wits and the help of a lunatic serving girl to rely on, Jack must play matchmaker for the Lord's reluctant daughters and their two hopelessly inept and mismatched suitors - who, for reasons of their own, would very much like to see Jack DEAD!

Notes:
This is A New "Renaissance" Farce - think Moliere by way of Black Adder. Or, As the Guardian review called it: "The Bard by way of Mel Brooks."

1st Produced:
Brampton, Ontario    2001

Organisations:
Playing After Dark Ltd

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:
Two Act Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Point of Viewing

Synopsis:
When a technical mishap destroys their pre-taped prime-time, 10th Anniversary special, the 3 female hosts of TV's most popular daytime talk show are forced to go live-to-air to replace it. But behind-the-scenes politics, tell-all tabloid stories and rumours about the show's fate have lit the fuse on an emotional powder-keg. Now, with no chance for edits or retakes, 10 years of off-camera differences are about to explode - on the air!

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Brampton, Ontario    2003

Organisations:
Playing After Dark Ltd

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:
Two Act Comedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Self-Help For Dummies

Synopsis:
When a psychologist is late for work, the growing collection of mixed nuts in his waiting room are left to fend for themselves - with hilariously unexpected results.

Notes:
written by T Gregory Argall And Todd McGinnis

1st Produced:
Brampton, Ontario    2003

Organisations:
Playing After Dark Ltd

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:
Two Act Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Stage Fright (aka "Laugh? I thought I'd DIE!")

Todd McGinnis
A tale told in four vignettes, the theatre-venue itself becomes a character itself in this alternately terrifying, hilarious and always intriguing journey across the decades that allows the audience to experience the history of a haunted playhouse. . . from the inside. For almost a century an evil presence has haunted the Orpheus Theatre, awaiting the fulfillment of a chilling prophecy. A blood-stained Ouija board and a cryptic rhyme are the only keys that will unlock a terrifying truth. As generation after generation encounters the legend of the Orpheus and the dark power that lurks within it, piece after piece of the sinister puzzle falls into place and the dark prophecy draws nearer to fulfillment. Can anyone stop it? Written with two endings - one scary, one comedic - giving producers and directors complete control over the kind of experience they want to give their audience.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Heritage Theatre, Brampton, Ontario    Oct 2001

Organisations:
S.L.V.S. Productions

1st Published:
Bakers Plays, CA (2012) >>>    978-0874407952

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:
Horror/Comedy Drama - 2 Acts

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  2            Other:  doubling (16m, 6f, 1girl(s), 1m or f)

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Thunderbolts and Dunderheads

Synopsis:
This is the Ultimate Bad-Day-At-The-Office Comedy - Iris, the Goddess of Rainbows goes to Mount Olympus looking for a promotion and ends up getting "downsized". If she wants to survive, she's going to have to help Zeus make a "love connection" with a visiting Nordic Goddess. Unfortunately for Iris, Zeus's wife, Hera, Queen of the Gods has other ideas. Can Iris find a way to survive by somehow keeping everyone happy? Find out as this hilarious comedy breathes new life into the ancient myths.

Notes:
Won the inaugural City of Brampton's Bloom Award for Best Original Script 2001/2002 Season

1st Produced:
Brampton, Ontario    2001

Organisations:
Playing After Dark Ltd

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:
Two Act Comedy/Farce

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Trammel the Cull: A Single Act of Pure Evil

Synopsis:
A deadly game of cat and mouse is about to begin. But in this dance of sexual predator and prey - Who is the cat? And who is the mouse? Find out in this play full of wicked twists and shocking turns, where nothing is what it seems and the ending - is a killer.

Notes:
Commissioned by Hope Hanson for entry in the BBDF One Act Play Festival. The debut production took multiple Awards including Best Overall Production, Best Show, Best Director, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actor.

1st Produced:
Brampton, Ontario    2001

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:
Pschological/Suspense Thriller One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page