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Brian C Petti

BRIAN C PETTI

  (1969 - )
Nationality:    USA
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

Brian C. Petti has been produced Off-Off Broadway (Masquerade, Before the Parade Passes By, Hindenburg-the Musical) and regionally (Next Year in Jerusalem, the Measure of a Man, On the Expectation of White Christmases) by such companies as Ten Grand and a Burger Productions, the American Theater of Actors, Inc. and the Duplex Cabaret. Masquerade was staged at Cherry Lane Theater in NYC and Next Year in Jerusalem was the winner of the Humboldt State University National Play Contest in California, where it received a student production. the Measure of a Man is published by JAC Publishing and Promotions

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below is a list of Brian C Petti's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Art of Negotiation         Banshee         Bert Williams Is Nobody         Echoes Of Ireland         Hindenburg - the Musical         Like Drowning         Love Song Of Sidney J Stein         Masquerade         Measure of a Man, The         Next Year in Jerusalem         On the Expectation of White Christmases

Art of Negotiation

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
part of the Imperial Garden of Disillusion A program of four short plays

1st Produced:
Turtle Shell Theater, 300 West 43rd Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036     06 Jan 2010

Organisations:
thespian Production

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:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Banshee

Synopsis:
Banshee follows Jerry Sullivan (Junior) as he tries to reestablish himself after time spent in a psychiatric hospital. Despite his domineering Irish-born mother Kit, Junior's policeman brother Neil sets him up with a new job and eventually with a new girlfriend. Kit, however, is convinced the newcomer is a "banshee", the mystical wailing Irish creature that foretells imminent death. Junior tries desperately to cling to his sanity while he questions his mother's motives, his new relationship and the possibility of truth behind the myth. Banshee is part psychological thriller, part family Drama/comedy and part ghost story. With humor and pathos, the play explores the nature of familial relationships and the struggle to overcome one's personal demons. Reviews say: "Banshee (is) a fascinating experience. . .an intriguing work that has much to offer, including two particularly fantastic, creepy moments and a handful of touching scenes. It's a curious mix of American angst and melancholic Irish fantasy-think Arthur Miller and Conor McPherson collaborating on a rewrite of the Beauty Queen of Leenane. . ."

Notes:
pettiplays.wikispaces.com

1st Produced:
New York International Fringe Festival     01 Aug 2011

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Next Stage Press: http://www.shop.nextstagepress.net/product.sc?productId=79&categoryId=7    

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:
1h 30m Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bert Williams Is Nobody

Synopsis:
In the 1890s two black entertainers team up to do a cork face show but billing themselves as "a couple of real coons". Brash George Walker and conservative Bert Williams. They are a success and start moving across America. Bert experiences racism for the first time in the South. They both get married but George is not faithful at all. He dies of syphilis in 1900. Burt lands a job with the Ziegfeld Follies. He is isolated by the rest of the cast but befriended by W C Fields. The actors strike of 1919 hits him - he knew nothing of it as he was not allowed to attend meetings. David Belasco offers him a job acting but he fails to take it. He died in 1922. His most famous recording is "Nobody"

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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Echoes Of Ireland

Synopsis:
The Cunyngham family from the end of the Potato Famine, crossing the Atlantic and becoming fully assimilated American family

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Eldridge Plays   

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

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hindenburg - the Musical

Synopsis:
A group of actors rehearsing a new musical "Hidden burg" realise that it is crap.

Notes:
Music by Joel Flowers; lyrics by Brian C Petti; book by Brian C Petti

1st Produced:
American Theatre Of Actors, 314 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019     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:
Musical. - - Gay/Lesbian, musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Like Drowning

Synopsis:
Two time zones 1990 and the present. Richard an irresponsible 40 something actor and slightly older Rodney a member of the theatre board. They have an on again off again relationship. Twenty five years later Rodney brings back the dying Richard. He has pancreatic cancer. They have not spoken in many years and Richard is confused and sometimes angry about what is going on

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
Hatmakers Attic

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:
Gay full length

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Love Song Of Sidney J Stein

Synopsis:
A New York City halfway house for troubled teenagers. Sidney is 45 is one of the workers there - a former rent boy. Dennis comes into the centre. He is 17 and a rent boy too. They begin a tenuous friendship and move in together - platonically. They end up bringing out something in each other that is revealing and unexpected

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:
Gay full length

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Masquerade

Synopsis:
In Masquerade, different generations' attitudes toward AIDS collide when long-time companions Mario and Hersh decide to thrown a surprise "positive party" for their much younger friend Doug, who has just tested positive for HIV. With the message "I'm positive and proud" written on the cake, the guests arrive dressed as their favorite literary characters, from Tennessee Williams to Cervantes and Dante. However the party goes off the rails when Doug appears with his mother, who has no idea of his condition. What results is a near farcical effort by those present to hide the truth (not to mention the fact that one of the ladies present is actually a guy). Eventually, things take a sharp and sobering turn as unspoken thoughts and emotions come to the surface. Through a mix of comedy and Drama, Masquerade examines AIDS through the prism of differing generations, attitudes and understandings. Reviews say: ". . .(Petti's) script touches emotions and his characters have veracity." ". . .a well-rounded, fast paced play with witty one-liners, moving speeches, and real-life dialogue."

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Cherry Lane Theater, New York, NY     2005

Organisations:
Ten Grand and a Burger 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/Drama. - - AIDS, full length

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Measure of a Man, The

Synopsis:
the Measure of a Man traces moments in the life of German boxer Max Schmeling, whose epic fights with Joe Louis underscored the pre-war tensions between Germany and the United States. Long portrayed as a Nazi "show horse," Schmeling's actions and motivations are examined in the play, from his cooperation with, but refUSAl to join the Nazi party, to his insistence on keeping his Jewish-American manager, to an act of heroism during Kristallnact that saves two Jewish boys' lives. Schmeling's life after his boxing career is also explored, including his stint in the German Army as punishment from the Nazis and his reconciliation with Louis as an old man. Reviews say of the play: "Petti's Drama. . .draws us into the wake of the man's humanity. We are ennobled in the witnessing. A play whose hour has come."

Notes:
Some parts can be combined. One male role can be played by A female.

1st Produced:
The Center At Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, NY     2007

Organisations:
Rhinebeck Theater Society

1st Published:
JAC Publishing and Promotion (2008): http://www.jacpub.com/Full-Length/Petti_Measure.php    

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:  8            Female:  1            Other:  2 male youth

Further Reference:
-

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Next Year in Jerusalem

Synopsis:
Next Year in Jerusalem traces the memories and insights of an 81-year-old Holocaust survivor who is preparing a speech he must give about his experiences. He is led through moments of his life through ghosts of his past, moving from incidents in the Warsaw Ghetto to a family Seder in Lublin to a chance encounter in 1970s Brooklyn. Cumulatively, Next Year in Jerusalem is one man's search for meaning, understanding and spiritual truth in the aftermath of a life broken by uncontrollable forces. Critics call it, ". . .(a) poignant and deeply moving Drama." "An eloquent and moving tribute to the millions who died and the victims who survived."

Notes:
Some parts may be doubled.

1st Produced:
Cunneen Hackett Cultural Center, Poughkeepsie, NY     1999

Organisations:
the Play's the Thing Productions

1st Published:
Hollow Hills Publishing (defunct) (1999)
Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Next-Year-in-Jerusalem-ebook/dp/B0032JTW4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1265035136&sr=1-1    

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:  5            Female:  4            Other:  2-4

Further Reference:
-

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On the Expectation of White Christmases

Synopsis:
On the Expectation of White Christmases takes place in 1975 suburban New York from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. It tells the story of Mary, an 11-year old girl who is waiting for her long estranged Father to show up for a Christmas dinner reconciliation. Mary lives (quite uncomfortably) in her Irish grandparents' house with her mother Katherine. Her Nana, the unquestioned authority in her home, is decidedly against the prospect of hosting a dinner for the man who abandoned her daughter and pulls no punches in letting Mary know exactly what she thinks of him. As the family waits for the missing Father to appear, an unforgettable Christmas night ensues. Reviews call it: "the first play to focus on the life of the Irish in New York, (their) sad dysfunction and piercing humanity. . .a riveting theatrical experience."

Notes:
One female part is for An 11-year-old girl.

1st Produced:
Columbia Greene Community College, Hudson, NY     2007

Organisations:
the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural Centre

1st Published:
JAC Publishing and Promotion   

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:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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