The Playwrights Database
KEN URBAN
(1974 - )
Nationality:
USA
email:
Click here to contact
Website:
Click here
Literary Agent:
Abrams Artists Agency represented by
Max Grossman UK representation The Agency (London) Ltd by
Nick Quinn
Ken Urban's plays have been produced and developed by Moving Arts, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, Soho Rep, Rude Guerrilla, Target Margin, the Chocolate Factory, Annex Theatre, Luna Stage, Son of Semele Ensemble, and others. His plays include I (HEART) Kant, Nibbler, Halo, the Absence of Weather, the Female Terrorist Project and 2 Husbands. His plays can be found in New York Theatre Review (Ed. Book Stowe, with an introduction by Aleks Sierz), Plays and Playwrights 2002 (Ed. Martin Denton), the Best Women's Stage Monologues 2001 (Ed. D.L. Lepidus), and the Best Women's Stage Monologues of the Millennium (Ed. Joyce Henry). He teaches at Harvard University; he makes music as Occurrence.
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below is a list of Ken Urban's plays - click on a Play Title for more information
2 Husbands
Absence of Weather, The
Awake, The
Burners
Correspondent, The
Custodians
Edgar And Patrick
Female Terrorist Project, The
Future Perfect, A
Guide For The Homesick
Halo
Happy Sad
I (Heart) Kant
I Am A Great Big Ball Of Sadness And I Wanna Hurl Myself From Your Roof
Inappropriate Sexual Relations
Jesus Side, The
Mushroom
Nibbler
Or Polaroids (Version 2x)
Private Lives of Eskimos, The
Pseudoephedrine
Sense Of An Ending
Sticky Memento, A
Tale Of Two Emmas, A
Tecmessa
Termination Of Species, The
Too Much Too Soon
White People
2 Husbands
Synopsis:
In a Florida hospital room, a husband - who shall remain nameless for legal reasons - keeps vigil at the bedside of his ex- wife, now forced to live in a vegetative state. In an expensive apartment in New York, the grieving Philip hires a woman to deliver a message to his recently deceased wife. then the letters start arriving. For both men, their beloveds won't die, and something has to give. Things end badly, and songs are sung in this meditation on wives and death.
Notes:
conceived by Ken Urban; directed by Brian Rodgers
1st Produced:
The Chocolate Factory, New York City (Work In Progress)
2006
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:
multimedia theatre piece Piece
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 4 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Absence of Weather, The
Synopsis:
James Forrestal, President Truman's Secretary of Defense, is committed to an institution after he attempts suicide. the architect of cold-war hysteria now fears that Russians have not only infiltrated the highest ranks of the U.S. government, but are hiding in the bushes outside his home. A young man joins Forrestal in his hospital room, but this mysterious figure may bring about an untimely end for the first Secretary of Defense
Notes:
Developed As part of the Annex theatre's (Seattle, WA) Hothouse Development Program (May 2001). Readings in NYC, Seattle, WA And New Jersey. Named the winner of the 2004 Moving Arts One-Act Playwriting Award
1st Produced:
Moving Arts, Los Angeles, Ca
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:
One Act
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Awake, The
Synopsis:
Three strangersa devoted son, an Eastern European actress and a Canadian man on the runawaken to discover they are connected by a mysterious corporation. Faced with lives they no longer recognize, they take shelter in dreams. But a series of chance encounters forces these strangers to face the truth.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
kef theatrical productions
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2014) 978-0822230885
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
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 3 Other: 1 child (doubling)
Further Reference:
-
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Burners
Synopsis:
A young painter named Edgar answers a personal ad placed by Kathy, an older business woman. But Kathy hasn't placed a typical personal, and at her urging, Kathy and Edgar exchange stories about why they are contemplating the impossible. A dark comedy about sex, success and suicide.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Kraine Theatre, NYC
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:
Full-length (2 Acts) Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Correspondent, The
Synopsis:
A grieving husband hires a dying woman to deliver a message to his recently deceased wife in the afterlife. When he receives letters describing events that only his wife could know, he must determine if the correspondence is from a con artist or if his wife has returned from the grave.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2014) 978-0822231677
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: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Custodians
Synopsis:
After a rowdy night, Brian finds a woman covered in goo in his parents' kitchen. She claims she is from the future. That's when things get weird.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Edgar And Patrick
Synopsis:
On a field, a bully and his victim meet and discover they share more than they think.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Female Terrorist Project, The
In an America where bombings and kidnappings are daily occurrences and civil liberties a thing of the past, Amelia documents the lives of famous female terrorists, from a homegrown anti-abortion assassin to a Palestinian hijacker. After a visit by Agent from the Office of Homeland Security, Amelia finds herself drawn into a world more frightening than she could possibly have imagined.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
The Chocolate Factory, New York City
2004
Organisations:
the Committee
1st Published:
in the anthology New York theater Review (Ed. Brook Stowe), 2005
http://www.indietheaternow.com/Plays 978-1934962329
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: 1 Female: 6 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Future Perfect, A
Synopsis:
Another couple of advertising high flyer Claire and puppeteer husband Max announce they are going to have a baby. Max and Claire start wondering if hating everything their parents stood for is really what they should be doing
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Speakeasy Stage, Boston
Jan 2015
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatist Play Service 978-0822235668
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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Guide For The Homesick
Synopsis:
An aid worker returning to the States meets a fellow American in the bar of a seedy Amsterdam hotel
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
The Adrienne, Philadelphia, Pa
Organisations:
InterAct 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:
One act
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Halo
A pageant in 29 scenes. A mother talks to herself at four different moments in her life. A young man and woman in a working-class suburb play a violent game of senseless murder. And in an update of the medieval morality play, Death visits a corporate Everyman and forces her on a journey throughout the Garden State to make amends for a life of only material gains.
Notes:
Recently produced At Rude Guerrilla theatre, August 2003; the third play of the New Jersey Trilogy. A monlogue from Halo is featured in the Best Women's Stage Monologues 2001 Ed. D.L. Lepidus)
1st Produced:
Present Company Theatorium, NYC
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:
-
Parts:
Male: 6 Female: 4 Other: More actors can be cast, 10 actors is the smallest ensemble
Further Reference:
-
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Happy Sad
Synopsis:
Armed with art and flowers, Stan brunches with his girlfriend Annie only to discover that she wants to take a break. Aaron suggests to his boyfriend Marcus that they make a change in their long-term relationship. In a city with too many options, the lives of these two couples become intertwined when Stan and Marcus meet online and hook up. THE HAPPY SAD is a comedy with songs that tackles open relationships, sexual confusion and figuring out what you really want from life.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY 978-0822230922
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:
One Act
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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I (Heart) Kant
Four women who call the Garden State home are lost, stifled by sex, drugs, dead-end jobs and unfinished dissertations. In a play that weaves together four stories, and features a talking stuffed cat and the ideas of philosopher Immanuel Kant, the women search for happiness and instead stumble upon the sublime.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Moving Arts, Los Angeles, Ca
2001
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Original Works, Los Angeles (2006)
http://www.indietheaternow.com/Plays owkant
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 One Act
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 4 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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I Am A Great Big Ball Of Sadness And I Wanna Hurl Myself From Your Roof
Synopsis:
At a swanky, rooftop party in New York City, three guests try to get past their cocktail smiles
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Inappropriate Sexual Relations
Synopsis:
A teenage boy and girl consummate their love only to find they both like boys. An actress brings home a man old enough to be her father. A young also brings home a man old enough to be his father
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: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Jesus Side, The
Synopsis:
Haunted by memories of molestation, Alexander is encouraged by his therapist Mary to seek out the perpetrator. More than a bad touch bubbles to the surface when son confronts would-be Father Frank. A twisted comedy about love and mass murder.
Notes:
Also produced by Singularity And the committee At the Manhattan theatre Source, NYC, May 2003
1st Produced:
Nautilus Milkshake, La, Ca
2003
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:
One Act
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Mushroom
Synopsis:
Andrew and Laura sit in a waiting room, thinking the worst has happened. But things get much worse. What has happened to Mark? And what's behind that door, the door that begs to be opened?
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Kraine Theatre, NY, Usa
2006
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: 2 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Nibbler
Synopsis:
Five teenagers spend the summer before college dabbling with sex, drugs, space aliens and Republican politics. A comedy about those awkward days when verything and nothing seems possible.
Notes:
the second play of the New Jersey Trilogy. Readings in Seattle, WA And NYC.
1st Produced:
Rude Guerrilla, Ca
2003
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: 4 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Or Polaroids (Version 2x)
Synopsis:
Haunted by political executions, performance art and porno, a group of insomniacs discover that justice and sleep come only at a price. A meditation on violence for five or more speakers inspired by first-hand accounts of the Rwandan genocide as well as cases of insomnia following the World Trade Center disaster.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Here Arts Center, NYC
2002
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:
Hour-long Drama for voices One Act
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: Variable, can be done with an ensemble of 5 to 15
Further Reference:
-
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Private Lives of Eskimos, The
Marvin's life is thrown into chaos when he receives the news that his sister has been killed in a tragic train bombing. His only remaining connection to her is the voice mail she left on his cell phone, which he has just lost. His hunt to find it leads Marvin down a cyber rabbit-hole, filled with mysterious SPAM- speaking Eskimos, black black snow, a violent Detective, and a strange woman in a distant land who claims to have acquired his phone through 'dishonorable means.' Fans of the surreal are sure to love this funny and poignant story of loss and life after anti-depressants.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
440 Studios, NY
2007
Organisations:
the Committee Theatre
1st Published:
Original Works, Los Angeles (2009)
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY 978-1934962367
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:
dark comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 3 Other: with doubling
Further Reference:
-
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Pseudoephedrine
Synopsis:
Ted calls his college friend Annemarie as he falls through the sky, ready to reminiscence about college and his love of pseudoephedrine. A chorus of Indigo Girls fans help them out.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Sense Of An Ending
Charles, an African-American journalist, travels to Rwanda, five years after the genocide, to interview two nuns about to stand trial for crimes against humanity for their presumed role in the murder of thousands of Tutsis at a church. Charles arrives, thinking he knows who is guilty and who is innocent, but his two guides help Charles understand that things are never that simple. An Easter play for non-believers.
Notes:
Developed As part of the 2002-2003 Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, NYC. Readings in NYC At Soho Rep And the Epiphany theater Company.
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:
Full-length (2 Acts) Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Sticky Memento, A
Synopsis:
Nerd rage and Midwestern values collide when a tourist comes to Harvard University, only to realize she has little tolerance for rich kid drama.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Tale Of Two Emmas, A
Synopsis:
Emma has to write an essay about the Statue of Liberty and gets help from an unlikely source
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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Tecmessa
Synopsis:
Ajax's concubine, his son and his half-brother wonder what remains now that the great warrior has died.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Termination Of Species, The
Synopsis:
When Henry finds a VHS tape in his basement, little does he suspect that it contains a message from Steve, an extraterrestrial who must end the world tonight.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/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:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Too Much Too Soon
Synopsis:
Too Much Too Soon is a collection of short plays commissioned by Red Elevator Productions and Lesser America. the production is a sequel to Red Elevator's Too Little Too Late, that ran at HERE Arts Center in 2010 and that earned three New York Innovative theater Award nominations, including Best Short Play, Best Actress in a Featured Role, and Best Ensemble. It included work by Lucy Alibar (Sundance Screenwriting Award), Bekah Brunstetter (Be A Good Little Widow), Sam Forman (the Moscows of Nantucket), Amy Herzog (4000 Miles - Lincoln Center, After the Revolution - Playwrights Horizons), Elizabeth Meriwether (No Strings Attached, New Girl) and Daniel Talbott (Yosemite - Rattlestick, theater Hall of Fame Fellowship Award). Following Too Little Too Late's example, Too Much Too Soon will spotlight the work of promising and fiercely adventurous playwrights with distinct and diverse voices.
- nytheatre.com
Notes:
An evening of short plays by Nikole Beckwith, Dean Imperial, Nick Jones, Melissa Ross, Emily Schwend And Ken Urban
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Lesser America and Red Elevator 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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White People
Billy and Pam share a moment of unexpected New England intimacy on the Boston T, leaving these two strangers to ask: is happiness possible when you're a Masshole?
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Boston theater Marathon XI - 2009 Anthology - 50 Ten Minute Plays Boston theater Marathon XI - 2009 Anthology - 50 Ten Minute Plays ~ By Kate Snodgrass (ed) - Smith and Kraus, 2010
in "Ken Urban: Short Plays", http://www.indietheaternow.com/Plays 978-15752577164
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:
Ten Min
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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