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Michael McGrinder

MICHAEL MCGRINDER

  (1937 - )
Nationality:    USA
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Literary Agent:    n/a

Born New York, NY, to Irish parents Michael (b Tyrone, N.I., and Mary Hickey (b. Cork, Ireland). First production: the Foreigners (director: Phoebe Wray) and the Biggest Information Booth In the World (director: Ted Mornel). Subsequently worked at most of the important early Off-Off-Broadway Theaters-e.g. La MaMa, the Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, the Playbox. Directed many plays. Editor/Publisher: Proscenium, the Theatre Newsletter. Host: Proscenium (Cable TV), later Michael McGrinder Presents. Also writes stories, novels, novellas, poetry, essays. Now publishing the Old Reliable Press, whose primary focus is to preserve and publish plays from early Off-Off. Lives New York City.

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

         Biggest Information Booth In The World, The         Boxcars         Confessions of Isobel Gowdie, The         Foreigners, The         Heathen Piper         Nantucket Sleighride         No Sale         Share, The         Singles and Doubles         We Hate To See You Go

Biggest Information Booth In The World, The

Synopsis:
A young man tries to get the US Embassy in London to repatriate him. He is stymied by a buffoonish Consul and his cold-shouldered secretary, and is surprised when he witnesses a notorious fellow American being rushed through the process.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Playwrights Workshop Club, W. 23rd St, New York City, NY     1967

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:
Political comedy

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boxcars

Synopsis:
A pretentious poet, working for low-level book distributors, pens a risqué version of Thee Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and breaks the heart of a typist whose best friend is another typist, loose of morals and foul-mouthed. An over-the-top slightly raunchy romp. The play exists strictly for laughs.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Playbox Studio, St. Marks Place, New York, NY 10009     1968

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Confessions of Isobel Gowdie, The

Synopsis:
Isobel Gowdie has been unfairly labelled "The Witch Queen of Scotland," largely due to her confessions to witchcraft being a matter of historical record. Michael McGrinder tells Isobel's story on a grand canvas spanning a period of seventeen years. This full-length play is not for the prudish nor is it for the faint-hearted, but neither is it for those without a sense of humor or deep compassion. It is for those who like a good story well-told and for those especially who enjoy a love story. It is definitely for all who appreciate great theatre!

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (27 Aug. 2016)   

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:  21            Female:  13            Other:  4

Further Reference:
-

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Foreigners, The

Synopsis:
A man and a woman meet at a bus stop in a country where they are both foreigners. Unable to speak each other's language, or the language of their new country, they fall in love, and live an entire life cycle. Or do they?

Notes:
While it is ideally performed in 19 minutes, the Foreigners is such A powerful Dramatic statement, it is frequently the featured piece of A program.

1st Produced:
The Playwrights Workshop Club, W 23rd St, New York City, NY     1967

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
the Old Reliable Press, 400 W 43rd St. 13O, New York, NY10036-6306   

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 One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Heathen Piper

Synopsis:
the author writes himself into the "troubles" in 1920s Ireland and is at odds with his own characters, willing to live and even to die, just not on his terms.

Notes:
Winner of the prestigious Scene Award. the Village Voice gave this one A full-page rave review. Originally published by the Smith/New Horizon. Distributed now by the Old Reliable Press. Limited copies Available.

1st Produced:
The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, E 3rd St, New York, NY     1969

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
the Old Reliable Press, 400 W 43rd St. 13O, New York, NY10036-6307
Smith (September 1995)   

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:
full-length historical Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Nantucket Sleighride

Nantucket Sleighride
The Betty Turner sets sail with its young crew from New Bedford, Massachusetts in search of sperm whales. The women are left behind. There is blood on the water and on the ground.

Notes:
Knife-fight, whale-killing, coarse language, adult situations. All props are mimed.

1st Produced:
Boston Conservatory, Boston, Massachusetts    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009   

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:
One-Act/Historical Drama

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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No Sale

Synopsis:
A young man, down on his luck, decides to rob a jewelry shop managed by an elderly eccentric. The two form a bizarre bond of friendship culminating with an odd offer from the jeweler and culminating with a startling turn of events.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, E 3rd St, New York, NY     Jun 1969

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:
Dark Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Share, The

Synopsis:
When your life's in the toilet, seems like a good idea to stop flushing. In the guise of an AA share, performed as an audition piece. Humorous and heart-wrenching by a playwright whose hallmark is compassion.

Notes:
A monologue that may be performed by a man or a woman or a transgender person.

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Old Reliable Books, An imprint of The Old Reliable Press, Feb 2016   

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:
Monologue

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Singles and Doubles

Synopsis:
In the late 60s/early 70s urban pubs became the open "meet markets" of young men and women looking for someone , some for a one-night stand, some for something more meaningful. Singles and Doubles vividly chronicles that colorful era. Action takes place in several short scenes, each set in a different bar. All props are mimed.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-     Dec 1969

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009   

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:
One act/ Romantic Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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We Hate To See You Go

Synopsis:
An Irish wake, a reluctant corpse.

Notes:
Played A return engagement by popular demand At London's Little theatre. Originally Anthologized in the Scene 2, published by the Smith.

1st Produced:
The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, E 3rd St, New York, NY     1969

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
the Old Reliable Press, 400 W 43rd St. 13O, New York, NY10036-6308   

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:
-

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