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Pat Montley

PAT MONTLEY

  
Nationality:    USA
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

Pat Montley's plays include Dramas, satires, adaptations of Greek classics, epic Theatre, musicals, story Theatre versions of Japanese and Native American folk tales, and ten-minute pieces. A member of the Dramatists Guild, Montley has had twelve plays published, either separately or in anthologies or textbooks. She has had over 150 productions and won or placed in some two dozen playwriting contests. Her work has been supported by residencies at the Millay Artists' Colony in New York and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in California, and by grants from the Maryland and Pennsylvania Arts Councils, the Shubert Foundation, the Mary Roberts Rinehart Foundation, and Warner Brothers. Montley has taught playwriting at colleges and universities in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, most recently at Goucher College and Johns Hopkins University. She has also published poetry in the Lyric, the Classical Outlook, America, the English Journal, and Boston Review of the Arts and a non-fiction book, In Nature's Honor: Myths and Rituals Celebrating the Earth (Skinner House Books).

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

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

         Acts of Contrition         Alice in Collegeland         Bible Herstory         Brigid of Ireland: a Tragedy         Competent Heart, The         Corner Couch, The         Crossing Borders: an Evolutionary Tail         Cutting, The         Dancing the God         Enough!         Euripides Trojan Women         Finding the Flame         Four Scores for the Founding Mothers         Juice         Kali Dances         Let All Mortal Flesh         Madrigal in Black and White         Mother Jones         Not So Grim Fairy Tales         O My Goddess!         Perfect for You         Persephone's Journey: a Rite of Spring         Pope Joan II         Prickly Parables         Rachel Carson Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea         Rosvitha's Review         Sisters         Suckled by Wolves         Tales From Japan         Unveiling, The         Valley Forgery         Working It Out

Acts of Contrition

Synopsis:
What exactly constitutes an apology, whether voiced in public arenas or by regular folk in the privacy of our homes and offices? Is it enough to say "I'm sorry that. . ." (the offense happened)? Or "I'm sorry you. . ." (were offended)? Or must an apology begin "I'm sorry I. . ." (committed the offense)? Must responsibility be taken? Or can the event be dismissed as an accident, an unintentional slip of the tongue due to ignorance or diminished faculties, or simply a misunderstanding? What are the possible effects of a sincere apology? An insincere one? And what of the flip side? What does it mean to forgive? Who benefits? How do we get on with our lives and our relationships after they're disrupted by a serious betrayal? Are there some offenses that are unforgivable? Does forgiveness require more than an apology? This play explores the theme of forgiveness in a series of discrete scenes. It raises questions about the nature, purpose, and dynamics of apology, repentance, and regret, as well as the need for and cost of giving, getting, delaying, withholding, and negotiating forgiveness. Bare stage

Notes:
there Are multiple characters, identified only by letters of the Alphabet. For most, sex, Age, And race Are not specified. Most of the scenes require only two characters. If Actors play multiple roles, the play could be staged with As few As four performers.

1st Produced:
Thespace @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe     01 Aug 2012

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Serio-comic vignettes;

Parts:
Male:  2 or more            Female:  2 or more            Other:  1 child-can be played by adult

Further Reference:
-

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Alice in Collegeland

Synopsis:
After fleeing the aggressive Admissions-Reps/Rabbits, Alice eats the philosophy professor's mushrooms and encounters Mademoiselle Dee and Senorita Dum who fight over how she will fulfill her language requirement. the Queen of (Phys Ed) Charts makes her try out for a croquet scholarship. And after high-pressured wooing by the math Department's Mad Adder and the English Department's Metaphor Mouse, Alice is compelled by the Arts Chair to dance and play the kazoo and make posing-statues. the terrifying Duchess of Early Childhood Education roughly quizzes Alice on her babysitting practices as she transforms her own baby into a pig. the Psychology Department's Pressure Cat recommends Alice deal with her stress by taking a course in teenage-behavior modification. the Turtles/Students (Jock, Rock, and Run-Amok) insist Alice join teams and clubs, and all the Collegeland crew gang up on her in a reprise of their bullying until Alice retreats into a ball. . .and wakes up at the College Fair! Bare Stage

Notes:
the Meriwether version of this script is out of print. For scripts And/or performance rights, contact Author.

1st Produced:
Chatham University, Pittsburgh    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Meriwether Publishing: Contemporary Drama Service   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Satire of college recruiting; 25 min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  6 players of any sex, age, race

Further Reference:
-

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Bible Herstory

Synopsis:
A comedy in 6 scenes. In "Paradise Abandoned," Eve convinces God not to stifle Her creativity just because she made a mistake in creating Adam. In "Noah's Ark-itect," Noah's wife and daughter prepare for the flood and "inspire" Noah to build a boat. "the Sacrifice of Sarah" shows Abraham's wife working on a theatrical project to save a lazy Isaac's life. In "Miriam in Labor," Moses' sister bargains with Pharaoh's daughter for better working conditions. In "Queen Solomon and the Paternity Suit," Her Majesty proposes to cut in half a philandering charioteer claimed by both wife and mistress. In "the Renunciation," Mary rejects the Angel Gabriella's offer of the saviorship of the world, but agrees to have a son. Bare stage with black boxes.

Notes:
This Samuel French version of this script is out of print. For scripts And/or performance rights, contact Author.

1st Produced:
Goucher College, Baltimore    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Feminist satire; 60 min One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  18            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
-

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Brigid of Ireland: a Tragedy

Synopsis:
What is history? Who gets to tell it? How does folklore intersect with faith? with politics? Why did Ireland accept a new religion so at odds with its culture? This play-inspired by the mythology and folklore of Brigid, once the Celtic Goddess of Fire and Fertility, co-opted by the Christian church and reduced to saint-is her unauthorized biography. After vying for the right to tell their respective versions of Brigid's life, the Christian monk Cogitosus and the old pagan Nana reenact her story. Brigid's soul-mate Darlughdacha, urges her to join with her and the Leinstermen in fighting the Ui Neill's, but Brigid refuses-as she does Patrick's efforts to convert her to Christianity. When Ui Neill takes Darlughdacha hostage, Brigid's other soul-mate Kieran, proposes marriage, but she resists this comfortable life. Patrick urges her to find safety in the Church. But when he rejects her Mother Goddess, she rejects his Father God. Ui Neill offers to free Darludacha if Brigid will become his queen. When rejected, he orders Darludacha killed. Brigid takes up Darlu's knife to avenge her death on Ui Neill, but when Kieran and Nana intervene, Brigid accidentally kills Nana and is reduced to howling despair.

Notes:
One of the Actors plays 6 roles, one of which is female. One of the Actresses plays 2 roles, one of which is male.

1st Produced:
Reading: Mobtown Players, Baltimore    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Tragedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Competent Heart, The

Synopsis:
A customer enters a bookstore and-in the hope of pleasing her/his less-than-satisfied Significant Other-asks the proprietor for advice on becoming a competent person. the proprietor (clearly a Trivial Pursuits champion) offers advice and self-help books on medicine, home repairs, and plant care. the customer is awed, but questions the definition of competency with an Emily Dickinson poem. the proprietor's response reveals that he/she is the Significant Other.

Notes:
Final-finalist, Actors theatre of Louisville National Ten-Minute Play Contest

1st Produced:
Love Creek Short Play Festival, Harold Clurman Theatre, NYC    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
In anthology: 25 in Ten: Twenty-Five Ten-Minute Plays, ed. Kent R. Brown. Dramatic Publishing, Feb 2002   978-1583420997

Music:
-

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Genre:
comedy ten Min. - - Lesbian, one act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  2 players of any sex, age, race

Further Reference:
-

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Corner Couch, The

Synopsis:
When Marty tries to convince Alex (partner of ten years) to buy the brown corduroy corner-couch, but Alex holds out for a brocade sofa, it becomes clear that what is being negotiated is more than taste in furniture.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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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:
dramedy Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  2 persons of any race or sex

Further Reference:
-

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Crossing Borders: an Evolutionary Tail

Crossing Borders: an Evolutionary Tail
A very hopeful bookstore mouse tries to persuade his girlfriend, a parsonage mouse, to move into his Borders Bookstore home, but she resists leaving the parson and embracing a high-risk lifestyle.

Notes:
Contest Finalist: Estrogenius Festival, Manhattan theatre Source, NYC; Contest Finalist: Summer Shorties, Turtle Shell Productions, NYC

1st Produced:
Manhattan Theatre Source (Estrogenius Festival)    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
the Book of Estrogenius, 2010, PlaySource    978-1467949361

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:
comedy Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cutting, The

Synopsis:
A terminally ill man tries to persuade his daughter-caretaker to help him die. the request is complicated by the ambivalent nature of their past and present relationship.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Lebanon Community Theatre, Pa    

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

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Genre:
Drama Ten min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dancing the God

Synopsis:
A lawyer returns to her college to investigate the alleged seduction of a student by her dance teacher. the student's accusation is vehement; the teacher refuses to defend herself. Prompted by the lawyer's questions, the pair re enact, through flashbacks, the stages of their playful, passionate relationship, reporting different versions of the culminating episode. In uncovering the truth about them, the lawyer is challenged to come to terms with her own experience in the face of what seem to her disarming ideas of education and intimacy. the script calls for six modern dance sequences, four of them choreographed to Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise." All three performers must be dancers as well as actors. Running time: 85 minutes

Notes:
Set: dance studio (bare stage)

1st Produced:
Nebraska Repertory Theatre    

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

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3 actor-dancers            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Enough!

Synopsis:
Using various methods of persuasion and intimidation, a destitute shaman from a poor country (possibly Siberian or African or Native/Pre-Columbian American. . .or a New Yorker?) requests/insists that the well-off businessman share his wealth and power.

Notes:
won Market House theatre Original Play Contest. the setting is A surrealistic crossroads in A distant place of metaphor/nightmare. Or. . .a street corner in the U.S. Time out of time. . .or the Present. (or Past. . .or Future.)

1st Produced:
Goshen College Peace Playwriting Contest    

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 min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  2 m/f

Further Reference:
-

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Euripides Trojan Women

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Reading: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Baltimore

1st Produced:
Chatham University    

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

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Genre:
tragedy Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  8+            Other:  1 young boy (non-speaking)

Further Reference:
-

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Finding the Flame

Synopsis:
Micaela Kelly, determined to thwart her Father and step mother by flunking out of yet another convent boarding school, resists the friendly help offered by Brigid Kildare, the mysterious Irish girl whom Micaela takes to be a schoolmate. Although Micaela is dumbstruck at Brigid's magical ability to repair things, she is angry when Brigid foils her attempt to fail her classes. Finally, when Brigid discovers Micaela's secret guilt, the girl experiences a mystical healing ritual and, realizing the power/identity of Brigid, finds the flame within herself.

Notes:
Semi finalist: Actors theatre of Louisville National Ten-minute Play Contest

1st Produced:
Nat Horne Theatre, NYC (Love Creek Mini Festival)    

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:
dramedy Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Four Scores for the Founding Mothers

Synopsis:
In "Columbus' First Mate" Rosa Columbo tries to dissuade Queen IsabElla from letting her bumbling-dreamer son Christophero sail off the edge of the earth, but MErica--a clever lady-in-waiting, convinces the Queen to let her disguise herself as first mate and take the fleet to the New World. In "Pilgrim's Regress," Priscilla Mullens insists on marrying the mooning John Alden in spite of her mother's preference for the rich but oafish Miles Standish. On the wedding eve, Priscilla is challenged by her Indian friend to go to Salem for the regional convention of WITCHES (Women Inspired to Transform Colonial History). In "the Secret of the Boston Tea Party," Abigail Adams, Mrs. Frankie Franklin, and Paula Revere, upset by supermarket inflation, are fired up by Patsy Henry, a transvestite Harvard law student. they form the Daughters of Liberty and plot to dump the tea shipment into the harbor. In "Valley Forgery," Martha Washington, taking George thermal undies for Christmas, meets Fanny Howe trying to catch up with her philandering husband in Philadelphia, and Marie Antoinette seeking her lover, Lafayette. the Three decide to end the war by forging a peace treaty and include an Equal Rights Act in the treaty.

Notes:
This Eldridge version of this script is out of print. For scripts And/or performance rights, contact Author.

1st Produced:
Goucher College, Baltimore    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Published under title Founding Mothers by Eldridge Publishing Co.   -

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:
Feminist satire. Running time: 1 hour

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  4 or more women of any race, various ages, for 15 roles

Further Reference:
-

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Juice

Juice
A menopausal woman and newly-menstruating girl (mother and daughter?) face the challenges of changes in their bodies and psyches.

Notes:
Bare-stage set

1st Produced:
Love Creek Short Play Festival, Harold Clurman Theatre, NYC    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
In anthology: More Monologues For Women By Women, ed. Tori Haring-Smith. Heinemann, 1996   978-0435070229

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
2 interwoven Dramatic monologues

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Kali Dances

Synopsis:
When a music teacher is found at the church organ with her throat slit, her lesbian lover, the pastor, and his young daughter confront one another with their grief and anger. the investigating detective interrogates each of them as a suspect, though the homicide may be a hate crime. the terrifying Indian Goddess Kali, challenges them all to come to terms with her. Although at its most superficial level, the play is a detective story, at its heart it is a mystery play-exploring the intersection of Hindu and Christian beliefs regarding death. Single, simple unit set.

Notes:
Finalist, New Harmony Project; finalist, Bay Area Playwrights Festival; semi-finalist, National Arts Club (NYC) Playwrights First Award. Honorable Mention, Jane Chambers Award

1st Produced:
Professional Reading, Abingdon Theatre, NYC    

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:
90 min Drama in 23 scenes

Parts:
Male:  3 (one African-American; 1 Indian)            Female:  3 + 1 dancer (non-speaking).            Other:  the actress playing a teenager must be a singer; all three must have some dancing skill. ) 1 man or woman (may be wheel-chair-bound)

Further Reference:
-

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Let All Mortal Flesh

Synopsis:
It's 1955 and Christina Gallagher isn't ready for puberty. Her parochial-school education, stern confessor, pious grandmother and run-away adulterous mother have made her distrust her body and pursue spiritual perfection. But her understanding of morality is challenged when her best friend gets pregnant and when she realizes the next door neighbors-her adored music teacher and her trusted family doctor-are lesbians. Meanwhile, the couple battle their own demons at the close of the McCarthy era, struggling to accept their feelings for each other in the face of fear and guilt and an unscrupulous priest.

Notes:
Finalist, Y.E.S. Festival of New Plays, Northern Kentucky University; Semi-finalist (1 of 10), Stanley Drama Award; Semi-finalist, Siena College International Playwrights Competition

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

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Genre:
Drama in two acts

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Madrigal in Black and White

Madrigal in Black and White
A chance encounter between two young women-one black, one white-escalates into the beginning of a relationship, despite their own awkwardness and the warnings of their uncensored alter-egos. Single, simple set.

Notes:
Other productions: Estrogenius Festival, Manhattan theatre Source, NYC; Adelphi University, NY. Reading: Page-to-Stage Festival, John F. Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

1st Produced:
Festival Of Ten, Suny Brockport    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
In Estrogenius 2008: a celebration of female voices. CreateSpace (November 20, 2009)   978-1449530174

Music:
-

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Genre:
dramedy Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  4            Other:  (2 African American; 2 Caucasian)

Further Reference:
-

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Mother Jones

Synopsis:
Mother Jones is a historical Drama, not a documentary. It highlights the struggle of the legendary labor leader for child labor laws and the right of coal miners to unionize. Many of the events, places, and characters depicted in the play are actual. Some of the dialogue is taken directly from the subject's autobiography, as well as from interviews and speeches. However, certain events have been transposed in time or place, kaleidoscoped, enlarged upon, or simply invented. And many of the characters are fictional or are composites of actual persons. While the play respects historical fact and chronology, its primary purpose is the recreation of the spirit of Mother Jones and the significance of her conflicts and contribution.

Notes:
Other production: Catholic University Drama Dept.

1st Produced:
Fells Point Corner Theatre, Baltimore    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Booksellers:

Genre:
Epic Drama in two acts

Parts:
Male:  7 actors (including 1 juvenile) play 26 roles.            Female:  7 actresses (including 1 juvenile) play 15 roles.            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Not So Grim Fairy Tales

Synopsis:
In "Snow White and the Anti-Freeze," Snow White's Mother tries to persuade her daughter to abandon keeping house for the seven dwarfs and join her in a witches' commune. In "Little Red and the Big Bad She-Wolf," Little Red, a business major at Harvard, is invited by Mae Wolf to quit school and get a start in the service-selling business-in spite of opposition from Granny, who turns out to be Mae's senior partner. In "Bumble Stiltskin and the Baby Business," Rumple Stiltskin's practical and put-upon wife implores the Queen to keep her royal baby and offers to set up a Day Care Center if she can be assured of government support. In "Jack and the Marijuana Stalk," the Giant's Wife and Daughter pay a visit to Jack's Mother in the hope of recouping the hen and the singing harp. In "CinderElla and the Ever-After Life," Cinderella, a Ph.D. candidate, is pressured by her Godmother and Stepsisters to give up the life of an academic bum, but holds out against the Prince-a dynamite band leader-because she wants to live happily ever after.

Notes:
Bare stage with black boxes.

1st Produced:
Goucher College, Baltimore    

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:
60 min Feminist satire;

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  15            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
-

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O My Goddess!

Synopsis:
In "Pandora's Pox," Pandora, an independent woman who wants to be self-supporting, has no interest in the "dowry" Zeus has given her. In "Atalanta and the Apple-Pie Man," Atalanta is struck by Eros' arrow and, determined to combine marriage and an athletic career, recognizes the perfect mate in Hippomenes who manages a day-care center. In "Arachne the Spiderwoman," a mortal woman challenges Athena to a weaving contest and pays for her pride. In "Pygmidas and the Old Fashioned Gal," a male chauvinist is tricked by Aphrodite, and his creation backfires. In "Hera the Replaced Homemaker," the philandering Zeus loses a wife and gains a cow, as the goddess becomes a liberated woman.

Notes:
5 musical numbers. Bare-stage setting. Running time: 50 minutes.

1st Produced:
Towson University, Baltimore    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Aran Press   -

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:
Story-theatre musical feminist satire.

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  6 or more women of any race, various ages, for 37 roles            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Perfect for You

Synopsis:
In the not-too-distant future, when human-looking robots provide the assistance in "Assisted Living," the pleasantly out-of-touch Viola makes a play for her Robbie without realizing his true nature. He, of course, resists. . .until his programmed need to please her proves his undoing. Set: Table, 2 chairs.

Notes:
Reading: Page-to-Stage Festival, John F. Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

1st Produced:
Lebanon Community Theatre    

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

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Genre:
comedy Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  1 senior citizen, any race            Female:  1 senior citizen, any race            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Persephone's Journey: a Rite of Spring

Synopsis:
the play is based in part on Homer's "Hymn to Demeter." the Maiden Kore descends with Hades to the Deep. Grieving, Mother Demeter, Goddess of Grain, abandons the natural world, threatening famine if Zeus will not restore her lost daughter. In the underworld Kore confronts her demons: her desire to remain a child, the dark, shadow-side of her own nature, and her paralyzing fear of growth and change. She tames these terrors and returns to the light, but only after Hades persuades her to eat a pomegranate, thus assuring her recurring journeys to the deep. Mother and Daughter are reunited--spring returns. Setting: the Earth, the Heavens, the Underworld in the mythic past and the ritual present. A bare stage with lighting.

Notes:
Some performers should be dancers.

1st Produced:
Reading: National Women's Studies Association Conference    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
ritual Drama 30-40 min One Act

Parts:
Male:  2, any race             Female:  7, any race            Other:  1 or 2 of either sex, any race

Further Reference:
-

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Pope Joan II

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
[Reading] Monteabaro Recital Hall, Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center, Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md 21044-3197     09 Mar 2015

Organisations:
Greater Cultural Baltimore Alliance, Rep Stage, and the Dramatists Guild

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Prickly Parables

Synopsis:
the Prodigal Daughter wastes her trust fund on Education and Loose Living. the Wise Viragos capture the Brigand. Activist Lazaretta gets her reward on the bosom of God the Mother. And the good Samaritan offers a middle-aged divorced woman rescue in the form of a college education.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Chatham College    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Story-theatre feminist satire of gospel parables

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  5 or more women of any race for 34 roles            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Rachel Carson Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Synopsis:
Rachel Carson, a respected writer of books about the sea, is dying of cancer and not quite finished the work that will become the harbinger of the ecological movement: Silent Spring. She is living in her cottage on the Maine coast with her aged mother and fractious young nephew whom she has adopted. One day, as she revels in her discoveries of microscopic life at the edge of the sea, a visitor emerges from it to tempt her with fame, power, pleasure. She demands more. . .and almost strikes a bargain, but the price proves too high.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
National Environmental Conference, Pittsburgh    

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

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Genre:
15-minute Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1 + 1 dancer (non-speaking); may be video            Other:  1 young boy

Further Reference:
-

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Rosvitha's Review

Synopsis:
Rosvitha's Review is based on the life of Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim, the 10th century nun who was the first woman playwright. It is both a playwriting lesson provided by Rosvitha and a farcical, tongue-in-cheek speculation on how she came to write her plays, specifically one about the conversion of a prostitute. When the nuns' production of a bawdy Terence comedy provokes Bishop Diehard's censure, Rosvitha determines to write her own play. With the help of Sophia (an uppity princess consigned to the convent by her Emperor-father), Rosvitha does "research" at a nearby tavern/brothel. their plan backfires when the proprietor, ex-Empress theophano, Sophia's long-runaway grandmother, sees through their ploy and their peasant costumes and sets them up for a rendezvous with a "customer"-her own paramour who is the bishop, disguised on weekends as a blacksmith. the mutually terrified trio manage to escape one another's clutches, but not before the girls get the goods on the bishop. Back at the monastery, grandmother and granddaughter are happily reunited. When the nuns present Rosvitha's new play, Diehard, recognizing the plot and even a few of his own lines, is both outraged and compromised, and thus blackmailed into giving his blessing on Rosvitha's playwriting career.

Notes:
12 musical numbers. Running time: 2 hours. Winner: Jane Chambers Playwriting Award

1st Produced:
Chatham University    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Musical satire

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  9            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sisters

Sisters
Facing the disapproval of her religious community for her controversial work in gay and lesbian ministry, Sister Joanna invites five of her former convent classmates--now ex-nuns--to a twenty-year reunion in the hope of eliciting their support. When Mother Naomi threatens her with dismissal, Joanna proposes a plan to the others to make the Superior back down. the weekend's events force the women to confront their own sexuality and life choices, as well as their relationships--past and present--to one another. One unit set. Running time: about 2 hours.

Notes:
Winner: Colonial Players Playwriting Contest, Annapolis, MD. Winner: Woman's Showcase New Play Contest, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Winner: American theatre Association Women's Program Playwriting Contest. Finalist: Towngate theatre Playwriting Contest, Wheeling, WV. Finalist: Robert Forest-Shiras Institute Award. Semi-finalist: New Plays Program, Alley theatre, Houston, TX.

1st Produced:
Reading: Center Stage, Baltimore    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
In anthology: Amazon All Stars: Thirteen Lesbian Plays, ed. Rosemary Keefe Curb. Applause. 2000   978-1557832207

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Full-length Dramady. - - Lesbian, full length

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Suckled by Wolves

Synopsis:
Two men who were once best friends prepare-with varying motivations and degrees of resolve-to confront their former abuser, now a bishop, with an ultimatum. Minimal set.

Notes:
Reading: Page-to-Stage Festival, John F. Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

1st Produced:
Vagabonds Theatre    

Organisations:
Baltimore Playwrights 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

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Genre:
Drama Ten min

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tales From Japan

Synopsis:
In these traditional Japanese tales, a princess assigns her suitors impossible tasks; an Emperor's son, disguised as a woman, defeats the rebels; an old woman saves her village from tyranny; a farmer's beautiful bride turns out to be a crane; a girl bent on rescuing her parents does battle with a sea-dragon; a fisher-boy marries a princess under the sea and suffers for his curiosity; two foolish, fighting cats lose their dinner to a wise monkey; a princess persecuted by her stepmother saves the Emperor and the kingdom from destruction; and a baby discovered in a peach grows up to save his village from monsters. Tales From Japan is story-theatre intended for both adults and children. the play incorporates some of the techniques of classical Japanese theatre. If talent and budget permit, these may be capitalized on. Because the play is episodic and composed of discrete scenes, the 80-minute running time can be shortened, if needed, by performing only selected scenes.

Notes:
Winner, Central Missouri State University National Children's theatre Playwriting Contest. Finalist (1 of 3), Beverly Hills theatre Guild Children's theatre Competition. Honorable Mention: Jackie White Memorial National Children's Playwriting Contest.

1st Produced:
Chatham University    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc.   -

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:
Story-theatre adaptation of Japanese folk tales

Parts:
Male:  6 or more, any race            Female:  6 or more, any race             Other:  OR12 or more players of the same sex playing 66 roles plus 2 koken

Further Reference:
-

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Unveiling, The

Synopsis:
In an attempt to get his attention, SHE threatens to enter the convent. HE doesn't take her seriously and ridicules her admiration for the nuns who live across the street and their caring and affection for one another. Seductively, SHE reminds him how physically affectionate he used to be. HE is swept up in their reliving of early romantic moments-until his fear of not being able to deliver "what comes after" the affectionate part gets the better of him. SHE reassures him that that doesn't matter. Simple set.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Theatre Project, Baltimore    

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

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Genre:
comedy Ten min

Parts:
Male:  1 senior citizen, any race            Female:  1 senior citizen, any race            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Valley Forgery

Valley Forgery
Martha Washington, taking George thermal undies for Christmas, meets Fanny Howe trying to catch up with her philandering husband in Philadelphia, and Marie Antoinette seeking her lover, Lafayette. the Three decide to end the Revolutionary War by forging a peace treaty and include an Equal Rights Act in the treaty.

Notes:
Good scene for dialect exercise: British, Irish, French

1st Produced:
Goucher College    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
In anthology: One-Act Plays for Acting Students, ed. Norman Bert. Meriwether, 1990   978-0916260477

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:
Comedy - 15 minutes

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Working It Out

Synopsis:
It's HIS turn at the lateral pull-down machine, but SHE doesn't want to give it up, so flirts her way into additional time. He resists, but then flirts back, until he realizes he's been "suckered". . .or not. Set: the gym; machines are mimed.

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:
comedy Ten min

Parts:
Male:  1, any race            Female:  1, any race            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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