doollee banner
The Playwrights Database
contact doollee


James Still

JAMES STILL

  
Nationality:    USA
twitter     email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Judy Boals, Inc  

James Still. James Still's award-winning plays have been produced throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. they includeHe Held Me Grand, Looking Over the President's Shoulder, Amber Waves, the Velocity of Gary, and And then they Came For Me. He is the recent winner of the William Inge Theatre Festival's New Voices in American Theatre Award and is a two-time recipient of the TCG/Pew National Artist Residency Artist grant with the Indiana Repertory Theatre, where he is the Playwright in Residence. New Theater projects include commissioned plays with Indiana Repertory, Cornerstone Theatre Company in Los Angeles, and People's Light & Theatre Company in PhiladelphiA. Mr. Still is also a two-time Emmy nominee, HumAnitas Prize Finalist and Television Critics Association Award nominee for his work in television. He grew up in a small town in Kansas and lives in Venice, California.

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 James Still's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Amber Waves         And then they Came For Me: Remembering the World Of Anne Frank         Appoggiatura         Gentlemen From Indiana         He Held Me Grand         Heavens Are Hung in Black, The         House That Jack built, The         Hush: An Interview With America         I Love To Eat         Illegal Use Of Hands         Iron Kisses         Jack Frost         Just Before Sleep         King of Golden River, The         Long Bridge Over Deep Water         Looking Over the President's Shoulder         Miranda         Octophobia         Searching For Eden         Secret History Of the Future, The         Trepidation Nation         Ugly Duck         Velocity Of Gary, The (Not His Real Name)         Velvet Rut         Velveteen Rabbit, The         Village Fable, A         Widow Lincoln, The
Amber Waves

Synopsis:
A year in the life of a contemporary farm family

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French,    

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:
1 or 2 Act Versions One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

And then they Came For Me: Remembering the World Of Anne Frank

And then they Came For Me: Remembering the World Of Anne Frank
Multi-media play based on oral histories with two Holocaust survivors who were friends with Anne Frank in Amsterdam.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Indiana Rep     1996

Organisations:
Classworks Theatre

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:
play

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  minimum of 4. Often performed with 6 or more

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Appoggiatura

Appoggiatura
Three members of an American family get lost in Venice

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ricketson Theatre, Denver, Co     16 Jan 2015

Organisations:
Denver Center Theater Company

1st Published:
Contained in: "The Jack Plays" published by 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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Gentlemen From Indiana

Gentlemen From Indiana
When John Harkless, a decent optimist and the new owner and editor of the local newspaper, arrives in Plattville, Indiana, in 1889, he discovers that the tiny, dying town has long been represented in Congress by a corrupt political machine. In spite of threats to his life, Harkless - who bears a resemblance to Jimmy Stewart in Mr Smith Goes to Washington - is determined to take on the bad guys and restore justice and pride to a community long in need of both. In the process he also discovers the true meaning of home in the unlikeliest of places. the Gentleman From Indiana is an ensemble play with a Thornton Wilder-like cast of eccentric characters who populate the town of fictional Plattville, including a brass band consisting of one lone tuba player. there is also a thoroughly modern young woman with a secret who not only gets the guy but saves his newspaper by becoming its editor in a most surprising way. Booth Tarkington's hugely successful novel was a celebration of compassion, decency, love, courage and integrity. More than a century later, James Still's fresh, vibrant, and lovingly crafted stage adaptation now makes it a compelling and relevant tale for contemporary theater audiences. Unit set - runs about 2 hours, 30 minutes

Notes:
from Booth Tarkington

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing, 2008   

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:  11            Female:  4            Other:  2 children

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

He Held Me Grand

He Held Me Grand
This focuses on one American family and 100 years of its history - music, secrets, humor, tragedy, reunions, death, war, racism, and ghosts all play a part in the rich fabric that helps create a universal identity for the family. It begins with a young man driving cross-country to meet a grandmother he never knew, arriving in the middle of the night with an address in his hand and questions in his heart. Suddenly he's pulled into a tangle of relationships and family dynamics he's never known. Three elderly sisters - April, May and June - are reunited for the occasion of news from the oldest sister. At the age of 88 she's decided to get married to a man she's met in a chatroom on the Internet! This surprising announcement sets off unexpected fireworks that ultimately brings the family closer together, though hardly in ways they could have ever imagined. He Held Me Grand is a celebration of growing older in a culture that pretends to grow younger. As one character in the play says - "Ninety-three years sounds like a long time, I bet. It isn't. It goes by surprisingly fast"

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The People's Light And Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa     2002

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:
Three-Acts

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  20+

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Heavens Are Hung in Black, The

Heavens Are Hung in Black, The
bio of Abraham lincoln

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ford's Theatre, 514 Tenth Street, Washington, D.C     2009

Organisations:
Ford's Theatre

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:  11            Female:  2            Other:  2 boys; extras

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

House That Jack built, The

House That Jack built, The
A group of friends meet for a Thanksgiving meal shortly after the death of Jack

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Indiana Repertory Theatre, Indianapolis     01 Nov 2012

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "The Jack Plays" published by 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:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Hush: An Interview With America

Hush: An Interview With America
Story of how the media turns a young girl's life inside out when it's rumored that she sees angels.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The People's Light And Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa     1996

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:
65 min 1 Act One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  11 (minimum of 5; has been performed with 20+)

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

I Love To Eat

I Love To Eat
James Beard was the first television chef way back in 1946 and he was open about his sexuality. In this play he talks about his life, gossips, cooks and even sings

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Roundhouse Theatre, Bethesda, Md     17 Oct 2012

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:
Gay historical character monologue play

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Illegal Use Of Hands

Synopsis:
Small town America. Roy looses his job and ends up working in a hamburger joint where the rest of the staff are the same age as his teenage son. Malcontent Roy is racist, sexist, homophobic etc. etc. With his friend Cody they decide to exact revenge on the referee who they blame for loosing their homecoming game all those years ago

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
American Blues Theater, Chicago     31 Aug 2012

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:
Black comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Iron Kisses

Iron Kisses
the story of an American family . . . of a son who made up for being gay by being perfect, a daughter who treats her daughter the way her mother treated her, a mother who struggles to love her two children equally, and a Father who started missing his son while he was still a little boy. In a revealing theatrical twist, two actors portray the siblings as well as their Midwestern mother and Father as the complex nature of love, family and marriage in the 21st century is explored. Alternately heartbreaking and funny, this story is about the mysteries of family and about how the roles we play are as inescapable as they are comfortable. It's about people doing the best they can, how families evolve, how they grow up, and how they can surprise us - if we let them. Unit set, runs about 90 minutes

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
People Light And Theatre, Malvern, Pa     2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing, 2007   

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, theme/character full length

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Jack Frost

Jack Frost
Loose adaptation of Russian folk tale

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:
Childrens 1 Act Youth Audience

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Just Before Sleep

Just Before Sleep
Story of homeless family and how they survive as a family.

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:
65 min 1 Act One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  11 (doubling possible to 5 actors)

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

King of Golden River, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Based on the novel "King Of Golden River" by John Ruskin

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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  6 either sex

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Long Bridge Over Deep Water

Long Bridge Over Deep Water
A journalist interviews the parents of a soldier killed in Iraq. A man meets the recipient of his mother's heart

Notes:
-

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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Looking Over the President's Shoulder

Looking Over the President's Shoulder
Based on real-life of Alonzo Fields, Chief Butler at the White House from 1931-1953

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Wells Theatre, Norfolk, Va     25 Feb 2003

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:
Two Act Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  African-American

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Miranda

Miranda
The lives of members of the CIA

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "The Jack Plays" published by 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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Octophobia

Synopsis:
Just before her big moment before the judges, a young ice skater contemplates her complex fear of figure-eights. This piece is part ofTrepidation Nation, an anthology of short plays. To perform this piece independently, click "Add to Shopping Cart" above. To perform this piece as part of the full-length collection, go to Trepidation Nation.)

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

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:
5-10 min Comedy/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  1 female

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Searching For Eden

Searching For Eden
Adam and Eve realise that they are not the only humans around

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Little Theatre, Mursfreeboro, Tn     09 Jan 2009

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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Secret History Of the Future, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1992   

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

Trepidation Nation

Synopsis:
We all have instinctive fears -- but what if a fear becomes inexplicable, illogical, and just plain weird? then you're dealing with a phobia, one of those most extreme and fascinating of terrors. Actors theatre of Louisville asked 16 frighteningly creative playwrights to find inspiration in real phobias, and the resulting collection of pieces might prove that not only is fear humankind's oldest emotion, but it's also one of our silliest, most serious, and stage-worthy. To perform the entire collection, click "Add to Shopping Cart" above. To perform an individual piece independently, click on its title below:

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

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:
80-100 min Drama/Comedy

Parts:
Male:  11            Female:  12            Other:  11 males, 12 females (4-23 actors possible)

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Ugly Duck

Ugly Duck
Max is sent for the summer to stay with his duck loving great aunt in Kansas

Notes:
Music by Christopher McGovern; lyrics and book by James Still. Based on the story "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen

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

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Velocity Of Gary, The (Not His Real Name)

Velocity Of Gary, The (Not His Real Name)
Solo play about male hustler in NYC and the people he loves

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Studio Theatre, Washington Dc     1999

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:
90 min Play/Drama. - - Gay, full length

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Velvet Rut

Velvet Rut
A high school teacher is taken on a camping trip by a beautiful and mysterious teenage boy - Virgil. the trip through the wilderness reveals what they both need to survive

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Unicorn Theatre, Kansas City     29 Jan 2009

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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Velveteen Rabbit, The

Synopsis:
Musical adaptation of beloved classic book by Margerie Williams

Notes:
Music by Jimmy Roberts

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Music Theatre International
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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  minimum of 5

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Village Fable, A

Village Fable, A
Adaptation of John Gardner's novElla "In the Suicide Mountains"

Notes:
Music by Michael Keck

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:
60 min or 90 min One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  minimum of 7; has been produced with 20+

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Widow Lincoln, The

Synopsis:
Ridiculed and disdained for her perceived sense of entitlement, Mary Lincoln sparked more controversy than any First Lady before or since. Set during the weeks following Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre, The Widow Lincoln portrays a very human Mary in the aftermath of her husband's death as she mourns the post-war life they will never share.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ford's Theatre, Washington Dc     23 Jan 2015

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:  1            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page