Maine
Playwrights

Catalogue of
original plays

a public service of   
 
Maine Association of
Community Theaters.  

Synopsis: Steven arrives at his Jewish parent's home after they asked him to leave his job in Chicago to take over his father's business. The father claims to have had a heart attack and must take it easy. Steven's younger brother Robert also joins him in the business. Soon Steven is outraged to discover that his father didn't have a heart attack after all and that his pretending to have one was a ruse to break up his relationship with Caroline, his Catholic girlfriend in Chicago.

Meanwhile, the father, who has given controlling shares of company stock to his sons, refuses to step aside or invest additional necessary funds in the business. Steven seeks to oust his father from the business, against his brother's wishes, and persuades Caroline to marry him, much to the consternation of his mother. Finally, through the good offices of Robert's wife Deborah, Caroline and the mother reach an understanding. As a result of Steven's expert management the business begins to boom. Seeing this, the father recognizes the need to let the next generation take over, and he and Steven make up.

Comment: FAMILY Agendas is scheduled for a full production by The Asheville (NC) Community Theatre in May 2008.

3 M, 3 W

Terms: Contact playwright

Contact: Hugh Aaron   Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.StonesPoint.com

Synopsis: In 1947, Pete, a newly enrolled student at the University of Chicago restores the neglected garden of two old lady research scientists, one of whom, Dr. Banner, is ill
and depressed. He and his college friends lead the women, who had withdrawn from society, to reveal their illustrious history and, in a final burst of energy, re-enter a world of music, politics and science before ending their declining lives.

Comment: DOCTOR BANNER'S GARDEN is about the interaction between the young and the old. It is a tale of discovery between different generations. The young learn of the amazing lives the elderly have led, and the elderly learn of the problems besetting the young. The play offers two older women actors a special opportunity to display their talent. A rehearsed reading in Cushing in October 2006 received a standing ovation.

2 M, 3 W

Terms: Contact playwright

Contact: Hugh Aaron   Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.StonesPoint.com

Synopsis: WRITERS BLOCK explores the deep connections that form when six writers, ages 24 to 79, tilt at the maddening marketplace. The play's repressed heroine blooms while chasing her grandmother's shady roots. The play's randy, foul-mouthed hero finds true love and resurgent creativity (if not that elusive book deal.)

Comment: WRITERS BLOCK appears in AT PLAY: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MAINE DRAMA published in 2004. The acting students at USM love the script, which succeeds as a mystery, a love story, and a rollicking good time. They can't understand why it has not yet been produced.

M 3, W 5

Terms: Contact playwright

Contact: Laura Emack Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: THE PIAZZA, based on a short story by Herman Melville, posits a striking duality. Rex, a one-time adventurer, relaxes on his piazza and imagines a fairy queen behind the sparkling window he glimpses atop Mt. Greylock. Meanwhile, destitute Marianna works at her sewing in a mountain shack and dreams of the "happy one" who inhabits the farmhouse below. Will their coming together save two lonely beings? As the two meld into soulmates, a fairy-tale ending beckons. Then Melville's flawed hero mysteriously flees. But rather than escaping accountability, he becomes haunted by regret.

Comment:

M 4, W 1

Terms: Contact playwright

Contact: Laura Emack Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: Tom Jones sends up hypocrisy among British socialites, clerics, and pedants. Tom, a lusty ingénue of elevated practical morality, is an honest young rapscallion, abandoned at birth to the care of the good Squire Allworthy. When he s caught shooting a duck on his neighbor's land he lies rather than give up his co-transgressor, and although he lands in the lap of many a desirous woman, these pleasures are all innocently inadvertent. Tom has long been in love with the virtuous Sophia, the daughter of his boozy bear of a neighbor Squire Western. Sophia returns the sentiments, but there's plenty to thwart them: As a foundling, Tom is not Allworthy's first heir, and he' s also known as something of a cad. He's thus unacceptable to Western and his busybody sister, and Sophia runs away in protest of an arranged marriage with Tom's awful step-brother Blifil. The scheming of Allworthy's moral thinkers gets Tom unjustly banished from the shire.

Comment: "An excellent, exuberant repertory production." Portland Phoenix
"Tom Jones serves up one delectable treat after another." The Sun Journal

M 10, W 10

Terms: Per performance rate can be negotiated based on house size and ticket proces.

Contact: David Greenham Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: Full length (2Hr) award winning musical based on the life of Grace O'Malley, 16th century Irish Pirate Queen. This fast moving and beautifully composed score by Larry 'Flash' Allen and USM theater professor Thomas Power, won national recognition with the Moss Hart award in 1990 and went on to a first Equity performance at the Theater at Monmouth in 1994. The story begins with the births of Elizabeth Tudor (Queen Elizabeth I) and Grannia U'Maille (Grace O'Malley and traces the sixty years of shared conflict between these two incredible women.

Comment: This musical has been performed in major cities in the US and is comes with book and score. The playwright is a member of the Dramatist Guild. Some roles can be doubled.

M 8, W 6

Terms: Contact playwright

Contact: Thomas Power Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: A small coastal Maine island suffers the pressure of unwanted land development symbolized by the construction of a new bridge to their previously protected village. A burglary occurs which bares the ethics of builders, land-owners and legal eagles. The action all takes place in a small cafe adjacent to the marina and the new bridge. Romance flourishes in spite of greed and anti development battles.

Comment: First read at Theatre Project, Brunswick.

M 4, W 3

Terms: Contact playwright

Contact: Thomas Power Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: An elderly man is questioned by his grand daughter on issues of great and small importance. He must prepare her for the death of a family member but we don't know who it will be. The grandmother guides her husband through this process of explorations and explanations. In the end there is sadness and acceptance of our complex journey through the phases of life.

Comment: This script was completed in August 07 and is now being distributed for production. Easily staged with a cast of three, the show could be produced on a bare stage with minimal props and furniture. Present submissions may limit the immediate availability of the script but the universal nature of the theme and size of cast make it a good script to consider for next year.

M 1, W 1, J 1

Terms: Contact Playwright

Contact: Thomas PowerPlease incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: When the Bon Voyage party proves fatal for one guest, merrymakers on a Mediterranean cruise become suspects. As foul weather prevents authorities from reaching the ship, amateur detectives abound. Everyone seems to be keeping secrets. A number of troublesome characters especially a famous singer, her celebrity hairdresser and a sharp-tongued gossip columnist add to the confusion. Intrigue escalates when priceless jewels are stolen and a second passenger disappears. Suddenly its up to Ivana, the pet psychologist's dog, to sniff out the solution. Its a lighthearted romp through a web of suspense with loads of laughs along the way.

Comment: This 3-act mystery has been produced as a successful fundraiser by The Grand Auditorium, Ellsworth, and the Belfast Maskers Theater.

M 4, W 5

Terms: Contact playwright

Contact: Wendy Wincote Schweikert Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: I have more than 55 plays, most of which feature all-women casts, and many of which deal with lesbian themes. These are described at my website. There is also information about ordering them.

Comment: Let me know that you found me via the MEACT website, and I will be happy to email you any of my scripts free!

Terms: I use the Dramatists Guild standard licensing agreement, which is 6% of gross box office, with a negotiable guaranteed minimum.

Contact: Carolyn Gage Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.carolyngage.com

Synopsis: To inherit their family ocean house, three adult siblings and two spouses, estranged remnants of a once aristocratic New England family, must spend one week for each of ten years living together in the Victorian mansion or else the house will be torn down and its land donated to charity. This is their final year, their final week. But the newest family member, a flighty, fragile young bride named Darlene, harbors a dark, mysterious past as does the quiet old house and when they come to gether, ghosts begin awakening. A haunting psychological drama.

Comment: Michael Kimball is the author of three suspense thrillers that have been published worldwide. His 1995 novel "Undone" won the U.K.'s Fresh Talent Award in 1995 and remained on the London Times bestseller list for two months and was subsequently translated into 12 languages.

"Ghosts of Ocean House," produced at The Players' Ring in Portsmouth, NH, in May-June 2006, won the F. Gary Newton Playwriting Award and was nominated for the 2007 Edgar Award, given annually by the Mystery Writers of America.

"The best suspense stories are the ones that creep up on you, breathe on your neck and jump back into the shadows whe n you turn around. Michael Kimball plays that game with unnerving skill." The New York Times

M 2, W 3  

Terms: Contact Playwright

Contact: Michael Kimball Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.michaelkimball.com

Synopsis: A dark, odd couple comedy about two cowboys, lone survivors of a sabotaged rodeo cruise, who have been marooned together for years on a tiny desert island. To preserve their sanity, they've invented imaginary geography and instituted a system of laws, but ultimately they go to war over their shared cowboy hat. As they rob each other of food and sleep, their carefully constructed universe begins to unravel. Rex, true to traditions of the American western, is a grim loner haunted by his past. Cody is a rodeo clown with a lust for conversation and a gnawing curiosity about his secretive island mate.

In addition to the two cowboys, three night visitors make appearances during the play s final 25 minutes (one of the roles can appropriately be doubled). For the most part, it s a two-man play on a bare stage with only two props: a stick and a rock.

"A sly, haunting, and remarkably fun existential comedy. . . Nimble, irreverent, and immensely entertaining." The Portland Phoenix

Comment: "Best" Enemies was originally staged at the Players' Ring, in Portsmouth, NH, in Oct 2006. It is scheduled for staged readings by the Freeport Community Players in May 2008 and the Two Chairs Theatre Company, of Grand Junction, CO, in March 2009.

Michael Kimball is the author of the Maine based novels UNDONE, MOUTH TO MOUTH, GREEN GIRLS, and FIREWATER POND.

M 3, W 1

Terms: Contact Playwright

Contact: Michael Kimball Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.michaelkimball.com

Synopsis: "The Secret of Comedy" is about Emily Petrocelli, a 49-year-old humorist who is diagnosed with a terminal illness on the same day that husband Dave, an airline pilot, wins the MegaMillions lottery. Their 30-year-old daughter Carey, herself an irreverent comic, moves back home to help them through the ordeal.

These are intelligent people, but each has mastered the art of avoiding emotion, Emily and Carey through their opposing senses of humor, and Dave from his years of flight training, which sets him duty-bound on a course to find a cure where none exists. But Emily has her own mission: to lead her family through the five stages of grief, from denial to acceptance, before she dies. In her attempts, she succeeds only in alienating them. Or perhaps she’s deliberately pushing them away.

Acting against Emily’s wishes, Dave hires eminent oncologist Milton Jennison, who takes an uncommon interest in Emily–until she asks him to help her die. Also joining the family-in-crisis is Emily’s best friend Katie, an overworked single mom, and her morbid 16-year-old adopted daughter Stafford-Chenille, whom Emily hires as her Rainbow Girl after discovering the girl’s secret: She recently reneged on a suicide pact that claimed the life of her best friend. As Emily’s illness blurs the line between dream and reality, she begins receiving nocturnal visits from her late mother Bernice, a bitter woman from whom Emily has been estranged for decades.

"A fierce breed of comedy. An emotional wringer of a new play. an intricate and wrenching study of four evolving griefs." Portland Phoenix

"Complex lives beautifully woven about one another. And there are laughs. Lots of them: innovative and provocative ones and a few simply fun. A must-see play. Theater at its best." Portsmouth Herald

Comment: Michael Kimball teaches playwriting, screenwriting, and writing popular fiction at the University of Maine s Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing program.

M 2, W 5

Terms: Contact Playwright

Contact: Michael Kimball Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.michaelkimball.com

Synopsis: Helen's family arrives at her house to celebrate her 70th birthday and to address a problem: she's suffering from Alzheimer's and will soon need supervision (if she doesn't already). From Helen's perspective, there is no problem, beyond the fact that her divorced son Ben has arrived for the party with his new girlfriend, who seems to think that the Red Sox are a football team. Ben and his sister Cathy can't seem to agree on the best course of action for Helen. As for Helen, she just wants to watch the Red Sox.
When Cathy finds months' worth of unpaid bills and Helen wanders outside in her bathrobe looking for her ex-husband, who left years before, Ben has to face the truth. This is a comedy, but with plenty of poignant and very real moments.

Comment: "Bottom of the Ninth", a full-length comedy, received a staged reading with Freeport Community Players in 2006, and was scheduled for a staged reading at King's Bridge Theatre in 2007. It uses a unit set.

M 2, W 3, J 1

Terms: Contact Playwright

Contact: Linda Britt Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: This one-act play, which is a sequel to the one-act play "Tradition", deals with an elderly Franco-American woman's determination to escape a nursing home and regain her independence.

Comment: This play was named "Best Play of the Year" at the Ararat One-Act Play Festival in Victoria, Australia in 2005. The Ararat festival is recognized as the best one-act festival in Australia. [Note: "Tradition" was also produced in Australia and entered into the Ararat festival in 2001. That production also garnered several awards.]

W: 3

Length: 35 mins.

Terms: Contact playwright.

Contact: Suzanne Roy Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: The value of a tradition that calls for young women to sacrifice their personal dreams for the good of society is called into question by an ailing Franco-American woman as she and her elderly mother prepare for her daughter's wedding.

Comment: This play was showcased for three nights at the Harold Clurman Theatre on 42nd Street in NYC in 1996.

W: 3

Length: 35 mins.

Terms: Contact playwright.

Contact: Suzanne Roy Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

Synopsis: This one-act interview between an old Franco-American woman and a high-school girl explores both the generational differences that have arisen as a result of the modern-day loss of the French language and of religious zeal among Franco-American youth, as well as the similarities that yet remain.

Comment: This play has never been produced.

W: 3

Length: 50 mins.

Terms: Contact playwright.:

Contact: Suzanne Roy Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site:

meact018
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI
by Mark Bedell
Saco, Maine

Synopsis: Join Jim and Della as they each sacrifice their most prized possession to buy the other a gift. Probably O. Henry’s best-known and most beloved story, THE GIFT OF THE MAGI contains timeless messages of caring, generosity, sacrifice and love—that are not limited to a particular faith. (NOTE: Yes, this play mentions Christmas, but it is not a "religious" play!!!)

Comment: Best as touring show for elementary schools.

M: 1
W: 1

Length: 45 - 50 mins.

Terms: Just script: $50.00 per show Royalties
Script + Props + set, etc... $100.00 Royalties

Contact: Mark Bedell Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.TravelingChildrensTheatre.com

Synopsis: What happens when a humble Fisherman catches a fish who can talk--and grant wishes? Let's just say that life will never be the same for him or his wife again! Adapted from several versions of this wonderful folktale, our play THE FISHERMAN'S WIFE is a perfect modern metaphor.

Laugh with the antics of Isabel, Clarence and the Enchanted Flounder. Gasp as the scenery "magically" transforms three times. Before you know it, this ancient allegorical tale will provide something very timely to think--and talk--about.
Using humor, metaphor, vivid characterizations and dazzling visual effects, this play conveys subtle messages about addiction, peer pressure, self-esteem, standing up for what you believe…and working for what you want--all without departing from the story's literary integrity.

Comment: Best as touring show for elementary schools.

M: 1
W: 1

Length:45 - 50 mins.

Terms: Just script: $50.00 per show Royalties
Script + Props + set, etc... $100.00 Royalties

Contact: Mark Bedell Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.TravelingChildrensTheatre.com

Synopsis: Five fables incuded:
THE SUN & THE WIND
THE FOX & THE CROW
THE ANT & THE GRASSHOPPER
THE LION & THE MOUSE
THE TORTOISE & THE HARE

An outstanding production adapted from Aesop's Fables. UpROARiously funny, along with timeless messages. The production has plenty of action, humor and scenery. So creative and so much fun!

Comment: This can be done with a cast of two or a cast of 12. Directoral possibilities are wide open. It's been done with masks, without masks and both with and without an elaborate setting.

M: 1
W: 1

Length: 45 mins

Terms: $50 pershow royalties

Contact: Mark Bedell Please incude playright's name in Subject line

Web Site: www.TravelingChildrensTheatre.com