doollee banner
The Playwrights Database
contact doollee


Eric Simonson

ERIC SIMONSON

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

Literary Agent:    Creative Artists Agency NY  

Eric Simonson is a member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, and has been writing and directing for Theatre, film and television since 1988. His plays and adaptations, which include Bang the Drum Slowly and Work Song (with Jeff Hatcher), have been performed all over the U.S. and in Japan. Mr. Simonson received a Tony nomination for his direction of the play the Song of Jacob Zulu; and an Academy Award for his short documentary A Note of Triumph in 2006. In 2005 he received the Princess Grace Statue Award for sustained achievement. He currently resides in L.A. with his son Henry.

Buy Plays with Doollee

Each page of doollee.com has links to play/book outlets, either directly to the Publisher, through Stageplays.com and Amazon to the second hand and 1st editions of AbeBooks. These links will automatically take you to the relevant area obviating the need for further search.
AbeBooks.co.uk   AbeBooks.com   Stageplays.com   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.ca
whether you are a Playwright who wishes to make their entry definitive, an unlisted Playwright or a User with a tale to tell - we want to hear from you.
download WORD submission template

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

         Bang the Drum Slowly         Bronx Bombers         Carter's Way         Fake         Honest         Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five         Lombardi         Louder Faster         Magic/Bird         Moby Dick         Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's CrUSAde         Speak American         Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright

Bang the Drum Slowly

Bang the Drum Slowly
From what may be the greatest novel about baseball ever written comes a profoundly moving play. Set in 1956, the play concerns the New York Mammoths, a fictional baseball team. As with any season, the goal is to reach the World Series, but this year, there's more at stake than usual. Star pitcher, Henry "Author" Wiggens learns that his roommate, Bruce Pearson, the team's third string catcher, is coping with a fatal disease. A simple farmboy from Georgia with no true friends other than Author, Bruce convinces Author to cover for him lest he get kicked off the team. Coming nose to nose against the team's manager and his teammates' prejudice against the quiet dignity of Bruce, Author can only forestall the inevitable disclosure of what's happening. By the time the team actually nears wining the pennant, and the play reaches its heartbreaking conclusion, Author and Bruce will have formed a friendship that allows Bruce the dignity he deserves, forever changing Author, and the audience is in tears yet exalted by the beauty of the human spirit.

Notes:
from the novel by Mark Harris

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    978-1580810340

Music:
Unabridged play on: L A theatreworks cd 1992

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:  15            Female:  2            Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Bronx Bombers

Synopsis:
Bronx Bombers follows beloved baseball icon Yogi Berra and his wife Carmen through a century of the team's trials and triumphs. The third installment of Eric Simonson's sports trilogy (following Lombardi and Magic/Bird) spans the team's history from Babe Ruth to the last game at Yankee Stadium in 2008, bringing generations of Yankees MVPs together on one stage. As it celebrates and explores the timeless legacy of baseball's most iconic team, Bronx Bombers takes a fascinating look at how and why the Yankees have remained so undeniably great, and so powerfully inspirational.

Notes:
by Eric Simonson, conceived by Fran Kirmser

1st Produced:
Primary Stages, NY, Usa     29/2013

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2014)   978-0822232308

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:  12            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Carter's Way

Synopsis:
Kansas City 1936 the height of the Jazz Era. Oriole Carter a brilliant saxophonist on his way up - but will he sell out?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kansas City Rep     2005

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:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Fake

Fake
Set in 1914 and in 1953. the discovery of the skull of the "Piltdown Man" and the exposing of it as a fake

Notes:
part of the Ernst C. Stiefel 7@7 Reading Series

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   978-1580817554

Music:
Unabridged play on: L A theatreworks cd 2010

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Honest

Synopsis:
Guy has written a memoir about his spiral down into drugs and homelessness. A reporter comes snooping trying to find scandal

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:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

Synopsis:
Based on Kurt Vonnegut's classic novel, Slaughterhouse-Fiveintroduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes "unstuck in time" after he is abducted by aliens. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all the phases of his life. Concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden, this satirical and horrifying anti-war story carries a unique poignancy -- and humor.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago, Il, United States)     1996

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   -

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:
85-95 min Comedy/Drama

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  3            Other:  12 males, 3 females (12-23 actors possible: 10-20 males, 2-3 females)

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Lombardi

Synopsis:
Sport produces great human Drama and there is no greater sports icon to bring to theatrical life than Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi, unquestionably one of the most inspirational and quotable personalities of all time. Though football's Super Bowl trophy is named for him, few know the real story of Lombardi the man - his inspirations, his passions and ability to drive people to achieve what they never thought possible.

Notes:
Eric Simonson, based on the book When Pride Still Mattered  A Life of Vince Lombardi written by David Maraniss

1st Produced:
Circle In The Square, 235 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10019     21 Oct 2010

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Smith and Kraus, 12/01/2010
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2011)   978-157525799

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:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Louder Faster

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Eric Simonson

1st Produced:
City Theatre     2011

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:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Magic/Bird

Synopsis:
At the heart of one of the fiercest rivalries in sports, two of the greatest athletes of all-time battled for multiple championships and the future of their sport. Hall of Famers Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird could not have been more different; one black, one white; one an urbanite with a big smile and Hollywood appeal, and the other a quiet small town guy. Johnson and Bird, went head to head, electrified the nation, reinvigorated the NBA, and turned their rivalry into the greatest and most famous friendships in professional sports. With classic NBA footage prominently designed throughout, Magic/Bird transports the audience into the heart of their matchup.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Longacre theatre
220 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036     21 Mar 2012

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    978-0822228011

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 90 min

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Moby Dick

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Based on the book by Herman Melville

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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's CrUSAde

Synopsis:
Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes 'unstuck in time' after he is abducted by aliens. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden. With this significant event as the climax of this satirical and horrifying anti-war story, Slaughterhouse-Five carries a unique poignancy-and humor. A best-seller when released in 1969, the novel brought Vonnegut to prominence as a major voice in American fiction.
- press release

Notes:
Adapted Erom "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  9            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Speak American

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
City Theatre In Pittsburgh     2009

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:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright

Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright
In this thrilling and imaginative new play about the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, audiences get an in-depth look at the master builder at three distinct phases of his life and career: in Act One, as a young man in a hurry to change the way people live and finding inspiration in Mamah Cheney, a unconventional (married) woman who becomes the great love of his life and leads to his greatest tragedy; in Act Two, as a doubting genius at the crossroads, fending off creditors and reeling in clients before he salvages himself by coming up with one of his greatest creations, the house called Fallingwater; and in Act Three, as an old showman at twilight, visiting a house from his past and taking stock of his sacrifices and successes in his quest to build the perfect dwelling. Each part of the play has its own style: a multi-scene epic style covering three decades for part one; a compressed country weekend comedy a la Chekhov for part two; and a single setting for part three's final encounter between Wright and a young couple living in one of his earliest houses built half a century before, played out in real time. the play also allows for a development in the play's design that mirrors the architectural ideas of Wright himself. WORK SONG is about Wright's ideas, his passions, his love affairs and his tragedies. It's a play about a man who wanted to create the perfect home for the American family but could never build one for himself.

Notes:
written by Jeffrey Hatcher And Eric Simonson

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    978-1880813617

Music:
Unabridged play on: L A theatreworks cd 2007

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  2            Other:  4 extras

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page