The Playwrights Database
SHEL SILVERSTEIN (1930 - 1999)
Nationality:
USA
email:
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Abandon All Hope
Synopsis:
Al and Benny stand before a giant portal. A sign above the portal reads, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Benny is more than a little frightened, but Al has no intention of abandoning his hope, as the two debate the precise meaning of the sign.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Adult Evening of Silverstein , An
Synopsis:
Welcome to the darkly comic world of Shel Silverstein, a world where nothing is as it seems and where the most innocent conversation can turn menacing in an instant. the ten imaginative plays in this collection range widely in content, but the style is unmistakable. ONE TENNIS SHOE. Harvey needs to broach a delicate subject with his wife. He claims Sylvia is becoming a bag lady, but she protests that her Bloomingdales' shopping bag doesn't make her a bag lady. No, says Harvey, but the picture frame, couch cushion and single tennis shoe retrieved from the garbage do. Not to mention the cold cooked oatmeal in her purse. (1 man, 1 woman.) BUS STOP. Irwin stands on a street corner with a sign reading "bust stop." When Celia passes, he stops her and proceeds to run through the entire list of slang for her breasts, but Celia turns the tables on him with a lengthy and demeaning list of her own. (1 man, 1 woman.) GOING ONCE. In a simultaneously comic and chilling monologue an auctioneer shows off a woman, who is putting herself up for auction to the highest bidder. (1 man, 1 woman.) the BEST DADDY. Lisa's got the best daddy in the world. After all, he bought her a pony for her birthday. Too bad he shot it dead. Or did he? Maybe it was Lisa's older sister. (1 man, 1 woman.) the LIFEBOAT IS SINKING. Jen and Sherwin sit safely on their bed, but Jen forces her husband to imagine they are on a sinking boat in the middle of a terrible storm. Waves fill the boat with water; there are no life jackets; and Sherwin must decide whether he should throw his mother overboard or condemn them all to die. (1 man, 1 woman.) SMILE. Bender and his henchmen drag Gibby into a room and throw him to the ground. Gibby protests that he hasn't done anything wrong, but Bender and the others know better. they have found the man responsible for the '70s smiley face and the phrase "Have a nice day," and they're going to make him pay. (4 men.) WASH AND DRY. Marianne stops by the laundromat, but she's horrified to discover that her laundry hasn't been cleaned. George counters he never agreed to wash it. "George's Watch and Dry," he says. "You gotta pay attention." (2 men, 1 woman.) THINKING UP A NEW NAME FOR the ACT. Pete hits on the phrase "Meat and Potatoes" as the perfect name for their vaudeville act, but Lucy doesn't like it. they get into a terrible fight, and Lucy kills Pete. A police investigation, trial and execution quickly follow. And the only words in this farcical sketch are "Meat and Potatoes." (1 man, 1 woman, 9 men or women.) BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. Merrilee and Sherilee are offering the deal of the century. "Buy one, get one free," the hookers sing to a tempted Lee. It's a golden opportunity. And it all rhymes. (1 man, 2 women.) BLIND WILLIE AND the TALKING DOG. Blind Willie sings the blues and asks passersby if they can spare a nickel or dime to help him and his hungry dog. But his dog can't understand why Willie refuses to use the fact that he owns a talking dog to make some real money. (2 men.)
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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:
Short play collection One Act
Parts:
Male: -  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
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All Cotton
Synopsis:
Jill is furious because the guaranteed not-to-shrink blouse she bought shrunk six sizes in the wash, and Rachel, the store clerk, won't give her a cash refund. But Jill, it seems, is a witch, and when she does not get satisfaction, she casts a spell on the store and everything in it.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
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Best Daddy , The
Synopsis:
Lisa's got the best daddy in the world. After all, he bought her a pony for her birthday. Too bad he shot it dead. Or did he? Maybe it was Lisa's older sister
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Blind Willie and the Talking Dog
Synopsis:
Blind Willie sings the blues and asks passersby if they can spare a nickel or dime to help him and his hungry dog. But his dog can't understand why Willie refuses to use the fact that he owns a talking dog to make some real money.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Bus Stop
Synopsis:
Irwin stands on a street corner with a sign reading "bust stop." When Celia passes, he stops her and proceeds to run through the entire list of slang for her breasts, but Celia turns the tables on him with a lengthy and demeaning list of her own
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Buy One Get One Free
Synopsis:
Merrilee and Sherilee are offering the deal of the century. "Buy one, get one free," the hookers sing to a tempted Lee. It's a golden opportunity. And it all rhymes
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 2  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Click
Synopsis:
Valerie tries to relax by reading a magazine in the bathtub as Leonard irritatingly sits on the toilet seat playing Russian roulette. He tells her the bullet he put in the gun might be a blank. She tells him she switched his bullet with another that may be real. She insists that he finish his game.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
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Devil and Billy Markham
Synopsis:
A down on his luck blues singer doubles down with the Devil, singing you on a raunchy comedic ride from Hades to Heaven and back again. This fiendishly epic poem will have you asking: "Can you really out-trick the Devil?"
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Contained in: "the Players - an anthology of plays for student production in the classroom" published by McLelland and Stewart -
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 Solo Show Comedy
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Do Not Feed the Animal
Synopsis:
Ann sits next to Vern on a park bench and notices his tiny box with a sign that reads "Do not feed the animal." She suddenly becomes irate while wondering what is so special about this mystery animal to deny her permission to feed it. As she stuffs a croissant in the box, she painfully finds out.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
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Dreamers
Synopsis:
Nick and Ritchie are plumbers trying to unclog a drain, but Ritchie's worried about a dream he had where he slept with another man. Nick tries to calm his fears. "It's symbolic," he tells Ritchie, just like the dreams Nick had of sleeping with his wife and daughter.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Duck
Synopsis:
Burt warns Morgan before entering a low doorway to "duck"-as the sign says. Little does Morgan know that there are actual ducks waiting to bite him on the other side
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Garbage Bags
Synopsis:
In this monologue, Sarah sits between monstrous stacks of garbage bags, grocery bags and cardboard boxes. As she recites her poem of refusing to take out the garbage, the bags move closer and closer, until she disappears
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: -  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Going Once
Synopsis:
In a simultaneously comic and chilling monologue an auctioneer shows off a woman, who is putting herself up for auction to the highest bidder
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Gone to Take a
Synopsis:
B.J. is enraged when her employee, Arthur, leaves an explicit sign informing patrons that he has gone to take a. . .Well, B.J. can't even say the word-until Arthur pushes his boss to the limit.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Hangnail
Synopsis:
In a long monologue, a woman tries to remove a hangnail on one of her fingers. She has a variety of manicuring options, but each one has its benefits and perils. It's affecting her whole day, and she doesn't know what to do
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: -  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Hard Hat Area
Synopsis:
Pauley and Ed sit on a girder in a construction site. Pauley wears a hard hat, but Ed doesn't. While Ed eats his lunch, Pauley tries to convince him that he should take his destiny in his own hands and wear a hard hat so as not to be killed accidentally or he should kill himself but not just leave it to chance.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Have a Nice Day
Synopsis:
Ben, Al and Cyrus try to take the symbols for "peace" and "Have a nice day" and combine them-believing that both of these ideas can coexist in one symbol. Trying to accomplish this leads to conflict and a lousy day
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 3  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Lady or Tiger Show, The
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- 1981
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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Lifeboat Is Sinking , The
Synopsis:
Jen and Sherwin sit safely on their bed, but Jen forces her husband to imagine they are on a sinking boat in the middle of a terrible storm. Waves fill the boat with water; there are no life jackets; and Sherwin must decide whether he should throw his mother overboard or condemn them all to die
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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No Dogs Allowed
Synopsis:
Mr. and Mrs. Q are relaxing on a beach at an exclusive club, where a sign clearly states "No dogs allowed." Mr. Wills, the manager of the club, confronts Mrs. Q, asserting that Mr. Q is really a dog. Mrs. Q counters with various fantastical reasons to explain his hairy face, big black nose and habit of barking.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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No Skronking
Synopsis:
After reading a sign at the lunch counter that prohibits "skronking," Arnold becomes obsessed and relentlessly interrogates Bertha, a waitress, for its definition. the conversation goes in circles until Bertha suspects Arnold of having the dangerous potential of being a "skronker"-whatever that is.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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No Soliciting
Synopsis:
Ed, a sign salesman, with a sign for every occasion tries to convince Nellie to purchase one. He suggests that Nellie and her husband select a sign for any number of occasions. Ed discovers that Nellie has a lot of issues regarding her husband, and he may not have all the signs she's looking for
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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One Tennis Shoe
Synopsis:
Harvey needs to broach a delicate subject with his wife. He claims Sylvia is becoming a bag lady, but she protests that her Bloomingdales' shopping bag doesn't make her a bag lady. No, says Harvey, but the picture frame, couch cushion and single tennis shoe retrieved from the garbage do. Not to mention the cold cooked oatmeal in her purse.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Smile
Synopsis:
Bender and his henchmen drag Gibby into a room and throw him to the ground. Gibby protests that he hasn't done anything wrong, but Bender and the others know better. they have found the man responsible for the '70s smiley face and the phrase "Have a nice day," and they're going to make him pay
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 4  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Thinking Up a New Name for the Act
Synopsis:
Pete hits on the phrase "Meat and Potatoes" as the perfect name for their vaudeville act, but Lucy doesn't like it. they get into a terrible fight, and Lucy kills Pete. A police investigation, trial and execution quickly follow. And the only words in this farcical sketch are "Meat and Potatoes."
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1  Female: 1  Other: 9 m/f
Further Reference:
-
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Trio
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Contained in: "the Best American Short Plays 1997 - 1998" published by Applause Publishers -
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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Two Hookers and A Dead Pony
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
A Chick & Wing 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:
-
Parts:
Male: -  Female: -  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Wash and Dry
Synopsis:
Marianne stops by the laundromat, but she's horrified to discover that her laundry hasn't been cleaned. George counters he never agreed to wash it. "George's Watch and Dry," he says. "You gotta pay attention."
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, -
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 2  Female: 1  Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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What Are You Doing In there?
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
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1st Produced:
- -
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Contained in: "the Best American Short Plays 1999 - 2000" published by Applause Publishers 2001 -
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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