Plays

Image: Sergi Dolcet, Unsplash

4M, 2F                           115 minutes, 1 intermission

►  Retained for future consideration, WordsCubed, Utah Shakespeare Festival, 2023
►  Public reading, Make it Write Productions, Liverpool UK, 2024

A troupe of young actors is touring northern Ontario high schools in an old school bus, performing an abridged version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. While they set up for a performance in the school auditorium, tensions emerge as they struggle with feelings of love and loneliness, expectations and dreams of success and the doubts and insecurity of their chosen profession. When the live performance in the school auditorium takes an unexpected turn, the future of the tour is suddenly at risk. And the young people must make hard choices about the roles they will play in their personal and professional lives.

A light and fun play that will entertain an audience but that raises serious issues about what is truly important in life [and] that will leave them thinking about choices in their own lives. – Sky Blue Theatre, UK

4M, 3F                   110 minutes, 1 intermission

Image: Luis Tosta, Unsplash

►  Public staged reading, Fourplay series, South Simcoe Theatre, June 3, 2022

In 1966 in a small Ontario town Kate and David (a young lawyer at Kate’s father’s firm) are about to be married. Kate struggles to find an outlet for her ambitions in a world where new attitudes to sex, work, equality, drugs and fashion are redefining social roles and relationships. Though soon to be made a partner in the law firm as well as a husband, David is haunted by the memory of a woman with whom he had a one-night stand while on a business trip to Toronto. The day before the wedding, plans are upset when, after years away, Kate’s sister arrives home to serve as the maid of honour. Inspired by the New Comedies of third century BC Athens, and written in the style of sixties’ comedies, “The Out of Town Girl” explores what love and commitment mean in a society where manners and mores are in flux.

I felt as though I had been taken on such a satisfying and entertaining journey! I like the way everything comes together at the end and everything feels nicely tied up – but not too nicely. There is a real sense the couples are at the beginning of their journey together, there is no suggestion that the road ahead will be easy or even work out, but they’ve all taken a chance. This feeling of hopefulness is a great thing to leave the audience with. – Kimberley Andrews, UK playwright and dramaturg

Simply said, I think [the play] is a winner!…The structure, the arc of the play – the anxiety and stress of the imminent wedding, the slow revelations of the truth – even though the audience will suspect – and the sensitive, congenial wrap-up, as unlikely as it might be – make for a lovely, touching and comical story. I think all the characters are well defined and recognizable, the pacing is fluid and pushes the story well and they will have good audience appeal. – Geoff Gruson, President, Ottawa Little Theatre

2M, 2F                     80 minutes, no intermission

Image: Pablo Heimplatz, Unsplash

► Winner, 79th Annual National One-Act Playwriting Competition (one-act version)

Two actors rehearse a two-handed stage play in which they portray lovers. An intimacy coordinator, hired to assist the production’s director, helps choreograph the intimate moments onstage. But as the two performers get to know each other better, they realize that lovers can be complicated roles for strangers to play.

What’s so impactful with this piece is its ability to pack together small, subtle moments to create big impact by the end of the play. The shifts are so minute that I couldn’t pinpoint any one moment in particular that articulates where and when things change past the point of no return. It’s a tremendous skill that not all writers have. ….A magnificent job creating a really fine and smart piece of theatre… that’s as profound as it is effortless. – Anita Majumdar, playwright and performer

2F                         40 minutes

Image: Zoe, Unsplash

►  Winner, 81st Annual National One-Act Playwriting Competition, 2022
►  First place, Theatre in the Raw 13th Biennial One-Act Playwriting Contest, 2024
►  Shortlisted, Noosa Arts (Australia) One-Act Plays Competition, 2023

Following the death of their father, two middle-aged sisters meet for the first time in more than twenty years. Despite one woman’s hopes for reconciliation, will her sister’s painful memories and the long shadow cast by their shared past keep them apart?

A powerful play which raises important issues of sexual abuse and how families collude in covering it up… [A] very timely issue that theatres would be interested in staging now. The dialogue and characterisation are extremely strong and believable. – Sky Blue Theatre, UK

I could not stop reading… [The play] packed in so much complexity, accuracy and feeling into under 50 pages that I cannot wait for it to be published and produced! – Amy Bowen, sensitivity reader

Powerful tour de force between two afflicted characters. Truly lives up to its title. – National One-Act Playwriting adjudicator.

This play [is] well-crafted, very poignant, very moving, and also very realistic and believable…This one-act touches on many universal themes about memory, history, psychology, abuse [and] reconciliation… Intense drama through its very well written dialogue – Theatre in the Raw adjudicators

1F                               30 minutes

Image: Sergiu Valena, Unsplash

►  Third place, 12th Biennial Playwriting Contest, Theatre in the Raw (Vancouver)

A middle-aged woman who never expected to have a child struggles as a single parent to cope with the demands of caring for her handicapped daughter. When no one understands her little girl the way she does, what must she do in order to show a mother’s love?

A very powerful and moving monologue which fully stands up as a substantial piece of theatre; the story it tells is both shocking and heartbreaking and the complexities of the situation are presented with a nuance and sensitivity which provoke compassion and questioning of perceptions. – Kimberley Andrews, UK playwright and dramaturg

Compounds layers and layers of sadness into an effective (and affective) narrative… The sort of monologue that an actor would love to dig into. – Theatre in the Raw 

 2M, 1F                         60 minutes

Image: Andrew Alexander

► Production, Arts Court Theatre, Ottawa Fringe Festival, June 2023
► Winner, 2023 Hamilton Fringe New Play Contest
► Week-long professional workshop, TACTICS Development Series, Sept. 6-11, 2022
► Runner-up, 2020 Canadian Playwriting Competition (Theatre BC)
► Selected to be workshopped at the Theatre BC Mainstage Festival (cancelled because of Covid)
► Finalist, 80th Annual National One-Act Playwriting Competition
► Honorable mention, 2020 New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest (New York)
► Semi-finalist, 15th Annual Panndora’s Box New Works Festival (Long Beach, California)

A middle-aged woman, her elderly father and her transgender son are confronted with difficult decisions as they grow older, move house and embark on new phases of their lives. However their support for each other strengthens as they recognize similarities in the challenging transitions that they face.

Part of the magic of this script is that there are three generations facing critical life decisions and issues and …their issues cross over to the other generations. An important play… with a great deal of sensitivity to the issues… Beautifully written. – Sandra Nordgren, New Works of Merit (New York)

An incredibly important piece that focuses on the only never-ending thing in life: change. Change of environment, change of circumstances, or even changes within yourself. “Transitions” deals with all of these themes and more in a deeply-relatable piece. – Jordan M. Burns, juror, Hamilton Fringe New Play Contest

This is Fringe at its most classic: simple, touching, and universal. It’s not often that you get to witness such genuine and honest connections and relationships explored in this important new work by [a] powerhouse emerging playwright...”Transitions” is a story that demands telling. I would recommend this to anyone.  – Apt613.ca

2M, 1F                               45 minutes

Image: Sanni Sahil, Unsplash

►  Gladys Cameron Watt Award (3^rd place), 82^nd National One-Act Playwriting Competition
►  Produced as Ottawa Little Theatre entry, Eastern Ontario Drama Festival, 2023
►  EODL award nominations: Best actor, Best actress (2 nominations including winner), Best coordinated production, Best director (winner) and For multiple roles (2 nominations including winner).

In this modern reimagining of a medieval morality play, Adam is summoned to appear at the end of the day before the head of the worldwide agency where he works. Like Job, he talks to his colleagues to discover what grave error he must have committed, revealing the stratagems and guises they have adopted to survive office life.

A terrific absurdist play… full of humour and anxiety, all signifying our worst fears or our greatest accomplishments.– Adjudicator

1M, 2F                           45 minutes

Image: Martin Lostok, Unsplash

A divorced couple wait in the reception room of a police station where their son has been arrested after a night out on the town. Regrets and recriminations make for a tense situation until the boy’s girlfriend arrives to cast light on why their apparently model son has gone off the rails.

A very accomplished play, with a great launch, in medias res. The playwright trusts both the tools of playwriting and the audience, beginning the story in a heightened moment and allowing us to do our part of the work, to discover who these characters are and what situation they have found themselves in without clunky exposition….A nice exploration of class, youth, parenthood and intergenerational relations. What makes this play stand out is the authenticity of the characters.” – Yvette Nolan, director and playwright

Image: V. Larracuente, Unsplash

1M, 1F                         10 minutes

► 10×10 Short Play Festival, Magnus Theatre (Thunder Bay), 2023
► Longlisted, Pint-sized Plays (UK), 2023

A woman meets a former boyfriend to ask him to delete the indiscreet photos she sent him. But he finds that photos can be as hard as memories to erase.

Good drama, great high stakes. – 10×10 Short Play Festival juror

Great take on this complicated modern issue. – 10×10 Festival playwright

Image: Stanislav Ivanitskiy, Unsplash

2M                             10 minutes

► Audio podcast, Theatrical Shenanigans, UK 

A young man consults his best friend about his girlfriend’s alarming sleep problem. Is he ready to accept the consequences of her apparent affliction?

Available for listening HERE.

1M, 1F                        10 minutes

Image: David Hinkle, Unsplash

► Co-winner, inspiraTO 10-minute Audio Drama Contest
► Audio production, Theatre inspiraTO, 2021
► Stage production, Lake Shore Center for the Arts (N.Y. ), Juice Box Play Competition, May 2023

In this audio play, written in response to the theme “In touch”, a older man who has received grim medical news reaches out to his daughter.  But the complicated history he has with her makes for a difficult conversation.

One of six winning plays (and the only one by a Canadian) out of 343 entries. The six  winning dramas have been produce by Toronto’s Theatre inspiraTO in an audio showcase at http://www.theatreinspirato.ca. (If you click on “Listen here”, refresh the following page to see the controls to play each drama.)

Heart-wrenching. – Theatre inspiraTO.

A difficult subject, tackled from an incredibly brave perspective, but not for a moment does it feel exploitative. The writing is stark but sleek and always thoughtful. – Lake Shore Center for the Arts (N.Y.)

1M, 1F                         20 minutes

“Doris Shoes”, detail

► Award winner, Port Perry Snapshots Festival, 2021
► Public staged reading, Theatre on the Ridge, 2021

Since her husband’s death, Doris has made a life around her daughter, her house and the shoes she sells which provide material for women’s romantic dreams. But now that her daughter is growing up and going off to university, her friend Michael has other ideas of what the future could hold for them both.

This short play was based on a painting by local artist Carol Matsuyama called “Doris Shoes.” You can find more information about Carol and her works at  http://www.carolmatsuyama.com or you can follow Carol Matsuyama, Artist at Red Trillium Studio, on Facebook.

[This play] creates a deep authentic relationship between two people and the community they share. – Theatre on the Ridge