Almost an Evening


Ethan Coen - 2009
    Now, one half of the duo, Ethan Coen, adds playwriting to his eclectic bio. In these three short plays that ran to sold-out audiences Off-Broadway in 2008, the theme is hell–both on earth and in the hereafter.In “Waiting,” a man faces an uncertain future in an uncertain location that seems to be some kind of waiting room. The anxiety and despair hark back to dramas of the fifties–Sartre, Beckett, Pinter.“Four Benches” depicts an unlikely meeting in a steam room between a straight-talking Texan and an uptight Brit. Both men learn from the encounter, though only one survives it.In “Debate,” the cantankerous god of the Old Testament roundly abuses the mealymouthed god of the New. His profanity and ill humor receive a startling comeuppance, and further reversals and changes of point of view lead to a denouement that is no more preposterous than anything else in the play.Clever, provocative, and as engaging as the best fiction, these plays showcase yet another talent of one of our most celebrated contemporary writers.

Big Lake Hoarder


Nick Russell - 2020
    An elderly woman who sat down in her recliner to take a nap and never woke up. But Sheriff Weber would soon learn there was nothing routine about this case at all.When an autopsy revealed that she had been murdered, things take a bizarre turn. The sheriff discovers that there were many people who had reason to want Edna Knowles dead, among them relatives she had cheated out of an inheritance, two adult stepchildren she had treated cruelly, and a high school sweetheart from long ago upon whom she had committed the ultimate betrayal.As the sheriff and his deputies investigate the case, they find that searching for the old woman’s killer is only one mystery awaiting them in a house filled with secrets. Who was Edna Knowles, and why did she do the bizarre things she did? There is no doubt that she was an oddball, a recluse, and a hoarder. Maybe even a monster?

The Coyote


James Roberts - 2009
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

The DI Kate Burrows Trilogy: The Ladykiller / Broken / Hard Girls


Martina Cole - 2017
    Perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell.'The Queen of Crime' - Woman & Home on Hard GirlsThe deadly DI Kate Burrows trilogy: the only time Martina's written from the Old Bill's perspective.Kate is the hard-but-fair copper whose investigations - and heart - become dangerously entwined with London's most infamous gangster, Patrick Kelly. But when there's a killer on the loose, Kate Burrows is the only woman for the job. THE LADYKILLER. BROKEN. HARD GIRLS.

Girls Like That


Evan Placey - 2013
    But while rumors run wild and everyone forms an opinion, Scarlett just stays silent.With roles for up to twenty-four young female actors (though it can also be performed by a smaller cast), the play is perfect for any schools, youth theatres or drama groups looking to tackle a contemporary subject in a theatrically exciting way.Specially commissioned by Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Theatre Royal Plymouth and West Yorkshire Playhouse, Girls Like That was developed through work with young people from the three theatres and first performed by their youth theatre companies in 2013."[Tackles] strong, relevant issues... a well-written, immaculately crafted and brave piece of energetic theatre." - A Younger Theatre"An urgent, powerful and haunting examination... I can see this play becoming a very popular resource for 16+ groups and that will be no bad thing." National Drama MagazineEvan Placey is a Canadian-British playwright. His other work includes Mother of Him, Holloway Jones, which won the Brian Way Award for Best Play for Young People, and Pronoun, commissioned as part of the 2014 National Theatre Connections Festival.

Lonely Planet - Acting Edition


Steven Dietz - 1994
    Jody is in his forties and runs a map store. Not one for the outside world, he stays in his store all the time. His friend, Carl is in his late thirties and has been bringing chairs of dead friends into Jody's store and leaving them there. When Jody needs to take an AIDS test, Carl tries to convince him it is not only okay to leave the store, but also that he must take responsibility for his life. If he doesn't, he will join the set of chairs that Carl has taken great pains to place in the right spots around the store. Jody finally leaves the map store to take his HIV test and return to find Carl sitting in a chair of his own. With this gesture, we know that Carl has joined the many of their friends who have died, but now Jody must take Carl's place as the caretaker.

It's Now or Never


June Francis - 2014
    Thirteen years later, Dorothy is offered her first major role in a feature film and it becomes clear that she and her boyfriend Sam have different ideas for their future together. Meanwhile, Lynne, having lost her childhood sweetheart in the war, is a struggling dressmaker bringing up her daughter on her own.Though their lives have taken different paths, Dorothy and Lynne are brought back together in ways that neither could have predicted, and the secrets both women are keeping from their loved ones threaten to burst into the open and change the two women’s lives forever.A gripping saga of heartbreak and family drama, perfect for fans of Lyn Andrews and Katie Flynn.

Bachelorette


Leslye Headland - 2011
    Fueled by jealousy and resentment, the girls embark on a night of debauchery that goes from playfully wasted to devastatingly destructive. Their old fears, unfulfilled desires and deep bonds with each other transform a prenuptial bender into a night they'll never forget. A wicked black comedy about female friendship and growing up in an age of excess.

All New People


Zach Braff - 2012
    Away from the rest of the world, this perfect escape is interrupted by a motley parade of misfits who show up and change his plans. A hired beauty, a fireman, and an eccentric British real estate agent desperately trying to stay in the country all suddenly find themselves tangled together in a beach house where the mood is anything but sunny.This pithy piece portrays a scenario of attempted suicide with mordant humour, where a basis of social alienation leads to unexpected connections. The richly-drawn characters are quick-witted and narcissistic yet self-aware and the dialogue is fluid and witty."All New People" is centred around a clever concept which works as a catalyst for both angst-fuelled scrutiny and morbid humour.

Honour


Joanna Murray-Smith - 1995
    She is a successful writer, he is a revered columnist. They have a perfect understanding of each other. Until a pushy young female journalist—on assignment to profile Gus—quite deliberately seeks to undermine that understanding. The fallout is dreadful—but beautifully and convincingly portrayed in all its painful consequences.

The Graduate


Terry Johnson - 2000
    It premiered in April 2000 at the Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, starring Kathleen Turner as Mrs RobinsonCalifornia in the 60s. Benjamin's got excellent grades, very proud parents and, since he helped Mrs Robinson with her zipper, a fine future behind him… A cult novel, a classic film, a quintessential hit of the 60s, now Benjamin's disastrous sexual odyssey is brought vividly to life in this world stage premiere production."Terry Johnson is that rare creature: a moralist with wit. He writes with responsible gaiety" (Guardian)

Dying City


Christopher Shinn - 2006
    . . Dying City is a political play and also a psychodrama about what Arthur Miller called the politics of the soul. It’s about public conscience and private grief, and real and symbolic catastrophes.”?The New York Observer “Anyone who doubts that Mr. Shinn is among the most provocative and probing of American playwrights today need only experience the . . . sophisticated welding of form and content that is Dying City.”?The New York Times In Christopher Shinn’s new play Dying City, a young therapist, Kelly, whose husband Craig was killed while on military duty in Iraq, is confronted a year later by his identical twin Peter, who suspects that Craig’s death was not accidental. Set in a spare downtown-Manhattan apartment after dark, scenes shift from the confrontation between Peter and Kelly, to Kelly’s complicated farewell with her husband Craig. Shinn’s creepy, sophisticated drama?infused with references to 9/11 and the war in Iraq?explores how contemporary politics and recent history have transformed the lives of these three characters. Christopher Shinn was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and lives in New York. His plays include Where Do We Live, Other People, What Didn’t Happen, and On the Mountain, which have been widely produced in New York, across the United States, and in London. He is the recipient of an OBIE Award in Playwriting, as well as the Robert S. Chesney Award. He teaches playwriting at The New School for Drama.

Reggie and Me


James Hendry - 2020
    But for a one small boy in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg ... his beloved housekeeper is serving fish fingers for lunch.This is the tale of Hamish Charles Sutherland Fraser – chorister, horse rider, schoolboy actor and, in his dreams, 1st XV rugby star and young ladies’ delight. A boy who climbs trees in the spring and who loves a girl named Reggie.An odd child growing up in a conflicted, scary, beautiful society.A young South African who hasn’t learnt the rules.

Madam President: "This is not a drill."


O.L. Gregory - 2014
    The only reason she agreed to take it was because the position hinged on her father winning a presidential election. She figured she could agree to take the job, he'd lose the election, and she'd be off the hook. James Cartwright won the election. He was a widower, and had no interest in living in the White House residence by himself. Not only did he lobby to have his daughter appointed as Vice President, on the grounds of bringing her in to help reform education, he also talked her into giving up the Vice Presidential home to live in the White House with him. Things were going along well. They're now six years into their jobs, making strides in their agendas, when life as they know it comes to a screeching halt. Molly is in the middle of making a speech when Secret Service agents surround her and carry her off the stage. Within the next few hours, she is given devastating news, sworn in as the next President, charged with trying to discover who the traitor is, needs to figure out which nation is responsible for this mess, and is put into the precarious position of fending off a war, all while trying to mourn a parent. Molly's challenges do not stop there. She's contending with two sets of senior staff; her own and her father's. Certain people doubt her ability to maintain focus when her personal life has just been through the spin cycle. A staff member disappears when the Secret Service is spread too thin. Everyone thinks there may be pertinent information on the President's phone, and Molly has a plan on trying to hack into it, if they could just get the thing to her. Her personal aide is afraid and refuses to even step foot into the residence for fear of Lincoln's ghost. The man who targeted her father reveals himself enough to torture Molly with images, threats, and a FedEx shipment. A little digging around reveals a surprising relationship, and a long-harbored dream Daddy was keeping secret. And, in her bid to get to the truth of all that is afoot, the rookie President turns suspicion onto herself, hoping to draw the enemy forward.

The Girl on the Train


Rachel Wagstaff - 2018
    Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day, happy and in love. Or so it appears. When Rachel learns that the woman she's been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated.Adapted from Paula Hawkins' novel - an international phenomenon selling over twenty million copies worldwide - this gripping new play will keep you guessing until the final moment.