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David Rush

DAVID RUSH

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

Literary Agent:    Robert A Freedman Dramatic Agency  

Rush's plays have been produced by such Theaters as Stage Left, Chicago Dramatists, Mark Taper Forum, GeVa, Manhatten Theater Club, and others. His awards include Chicago Jeff Awards, a Los Angeles DramaLogue Award, Emmies, and others. His plays have been read and/or workshopped at Utah Shakespeare, Orlando Shakespeare, Odyssey Theater, Inge Center, Abindgon Theater, etc. He has won and/or was a finalist in several national contests. He has published two textbooks: A STUDENT GUIDE TO PLAY ANALYSIS and BUILDING YOUR PLAY (the latter coming in July 2010). He has been awarded several playwriting grants and has been a writer in residence at the Inge Center.

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

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

         Antigone         Beethoven/Karl         Billy Budd         Cotillion         Cuttings         Dapples And Grays         Dorian         Ellen Universe Joins The Band         Estelle Singerman         Feathers in the Wind         Fools, The         Germinous Seeds         Graduation         Happy Hour         Last Night on Earth of Joahua Harker         Leander Stillwell         Life is Only 7 Points         Love and Betrayal         Maestro         Miller and the Jabberwock         Nureyev's Eyes         One Fine Day         Oregon Fever         Police Deaf Near Far         Prairie Lights         Prophet of Bishop Hill, The         Ten Best Loved Hymns, The         Tying the Knot         Whirlybirds         Women of Choice         Your Web-Footed Friends

Antigone

Synopsis:
Antigone disobeys an order not to bury her brother and is condemned to death

Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  chorus

Further Reference:
-

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Beethoven/Karl

Synopsis:
The stormy relationship of Beethoven and his nephew

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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Billy Budd

Synopsis:
Billy Budd is forcibly impressed on board a British warship. Captain Vere is satisfied with Billy's work Master at Arms Claggart does not like Billy and tells the Captain that Billy is organising a mutiny. They Captain questions Billy. Billy has a stammer and when he gets frustrated or upset has difficulty speaking - he is unable to answer. In frustration Billy hits Claggart. Claggart falls and hits his head which kills him. Billy is hung for striking an officer

Notes:
Based on the book "Billy Budd" by Herman Melville

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cotillion

Synopsis:
A girl's journey to maturity in the First World War

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cuttings

Synopsis:
A former psychologist/ registered sex-offender is on the run with a teenaged boy. Hoping to redeem himself through the boy, he only succeeds in destroying the lives of both of them.

Notes:
A darkly disturbing And somewhat controversial play

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
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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. - - Gay, full length

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dapples And Grays

Synopsis:
A priest comes to the bedside of a man who has swallowed acid as a suicide. As the priest prepares the young man for his death, they fall in love with each other and learn to find strength in this impossible situation.

Notes:
Won two Awards in its Chicago production.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
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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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Dorian

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Music by Errol Perlman; lyrics and book by David Rush. Based on the novel "Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ellen Universe Joins The Band

Synopsis:
As Ellen prepares to cast out the ashes of her dead husband, she is visited by a magical/realistic mariahchi band and reviews her life to find its meaning. It all comes down to being ready to play a bugle.

Notes:
A mystical bittersweet comedy which calls for magical realism And two Actors who can play childhood twins.

1st Produced:
Geva Theater     1996

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Estelle Singerman

Synopsis:
A surrealistic, Chagall-like journey through one magical summer night in Chicago, as Estelle and Henry try to find answers. they meet a mystical bag lady, a talking giraffe, Henry's ex-wife's ghost, a lost and wandering rabbi and a killer unicorn on the loose. As dawn approaches, all is made clear, as the unicorn claims one more victim.

Notes:
Winner of Dayton Playhouse FutureFest.

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:  3            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Feathers in the Wind

Feathers in the Wind
A weaving together of a series classic Jewish folks tales about the "wise fools of Chelm," the village of lovable lunatics and idiiots. the weave is held together by the story told by the Rabbi of how the town rose, fell, and is about to redeemed again.

Notes:
Cited for A Jeff Award, the play is perfect for community groups or theaters with A mixed-faith Audience. Music by Errol Perlman; lyrics and book by David Rush

1st Produced:
Chicago Jewish Theater     2006

Organisations:
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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 (book & lyrics)

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  5            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Fools, The

Synopsis:
A commedia delle'art troupe are at war with each other

Notes:
Music by Errol Perlman; lyrics and book by David Rush

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Germinous Seeds

Synopsis:
Three interconnected stories told in indifferent styles: Letters are exchanged between Hawthorne and Melville; a Melville scholar is destroyed by a conniving student, and a story-theater version of "Bartleby." A tour de forced for two great actors.

Notes:
Readings And Workshops At Utah Shakes, Orlando Shakes, Odyssey, Chicago Dramatists , Inge Center, Etc. Winner Of Three National Contests.

1st Produced:
New American Playwrights Project     2008

Organisations:
Utah Shakespeare 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:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Graduation

Synopsis:
A divorced father turns up at his son's graduation

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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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Happy Hour

Synopsis:
A local bar at happy hour

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Last Night on Earth of Joahua Harker

Synopsis:
A Confederate soldier and an Unionist soldier are to be executed at dawn. They spend the night telling each other stories

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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:  7            Female:  5            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Leander Stillwell

Synopsis:
Before Leander goes off to join the union army in the civil war, his Father asks him to bring back home the name of one confederate soldier. Leander's journey through the darkness of war teaches him what this is all about.

Notes:
the piece calls for A versatile ensemble to shift roles, genders, characters All the time in story-theater fashion It uses several major civil war songs to help comment on And enhance the story. It has been produced by community, college, And non-eq theaters, And has received major Awards.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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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:  10            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Life is Only 7 Points

Synopsis:
Every Sunday 38 year old Jerry dines with his parents and then they play Scrabble. His mother is lively but his father is descending into dementia. On this evening Jerry tries to get his mother to talk about why his father did not like him

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing   -

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:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Love and Betrayal

Synopsis:
Harley still has a thing for his ex-girlfriend and looses it when an invitation comes for her wedding to a friend of his. His current girlfriend almost walks out on him and his friends do not know whether they should go to the wedding or not - wanting to show loyalty to Harley

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kraine Theatre, New York     1998

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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Maestro

Synopsis:
about Leonard Bernstein

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Readers Forum, Nashville, Tennessee     21 Jul 2014

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:
Solo Play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Miller and the Jabberwock

Synopsis:
When a controversial political science professor poses as Hitler to illustrate Nietzsche's concept of the superman a student accuses him of being ant-Semitic

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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:  5            Female:  -            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Nureyev's Eyes

Synopsis:
In the 1970s artist Jamie Wyeth painted a series of portraits of ballet star Rudolf Nureyev. First of all Nureyev had to be convinced to sit for a portrait. As time went on they became intimate

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
American Stage Theater Company, St. Petersburg, Fl     2014

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
A scene published in Spring Issue of "Blackbird," online Arts journal published by Virginia Commonwealth University   -

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/Lesbian historical character full length

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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One Fine Day

Synopsis:
Professor Miller is facing a judicial review board at his college today, to answer charges of anti-semitism in his classroom, brought about by charges made by a jewish student who's a holocaust survivor. As Miller goes through this one key day, he reviews the choices he's made in his life and becomes resigned to his inevitable fate. At the end, he and the student become reconciled, but his career is over.

Notes:
This play has won And/or placed in several national contests And had A New York reading. Was optioned for Broadway for A time.

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Oregon Fever

Synopsis:
As a family prepares to leave their homes for the journey to the golden west (ca 1880) each member has to face his/her own past and the choices they made as they embark on a new life.

Notes:
Good for communities And high schools

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
HaveScripts (online)   -

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 One act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Police Deaf Near Far

Synopsis:
the play follows the events in the lives of a militant deaf-rights advocate and a Chicago cop, as they ultimately meet when the cop stops the man on a traffic charge and inadvertently shoots him. Based on a true event in Chicago.

Notes:
Won A Chicago Jeff. the play requires shadow-voicing And shadow-signing, And the casting of two deaf Actors.

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  5            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Prairie Lights

Synopsis:
1905. A train full of Jewish orphans arrives in Wellspring, Nebraska. Benjamin and Rose are adopted by the Birnbaums who have kept the fact that they are Jewish from the rest of the town

Notes:
Music by Rosalie Gerut; lyrics by David Rush; book by Susan Lieberman

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing Company   -

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: lyrics

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  5 teenage boys; 5 teenage girls

Further Reference:
-

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Prophet of Bishop Hill, The

Synopsis:
Based on history, the play follows the rise and fall of Erik Jansson who founded a utopian community in Illinois, which survived several years, only to be destroyed by Erik's own madness and assassination.

Notes:
Was nominated for Best Play in its Chicago production.

1st Produced:
Chicago Dramatists     1999

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  4            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Ten Best Loved Hymns, The

Synopsis:
Elder abuse

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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Tying the Knot

Synopsis:
Three stories woven into a monologue Drama, about three separate same-sex couples whose lives are destroyed by the inequities in marriage laws.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-     2006

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Has been given performed readings at various rallies and conferences; is ideally suited for a staged reading format, like "Love Letters."   -

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. - - Gay, full length

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Whirlybirds

Synopsis:
The Iraq war tears a family apart

Notes:
Music by Jeffrey Bouthiette; lyrics by David Rush; book by Susan Lieberman

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:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Women of Choice

Synopsis:
Various women talk about their lives from the tragic to the silly

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Lulu, Inc, 2014   -

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:
Collection of Monologues

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Your Web-Footed Friends

Synopsis:
A photo journalist looking for the photograph that will define a generation. A folk singer who can only play chord on his guitar. They must reach the Buckingham Fountain in Chicago to be cleansed and be reborn

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

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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