Book picks similar to
Greater Clements by Samuel D. Hunter


plays
anti-racism-plays
drama
plays-plays-plays

Polaroid Stories: An Adaptation of Ovid's Metamorphoses


Naomi Iizuka - 1999
    Not all the stories these characters tell are true; some are lies, wild yams, clever deceits, baroque fabrications. But whether or not a homeless kid invents an incredible history for himself isn't the point, explains diarist-of-the-street Jim Grimsley. "All these stories and lies add up to something like the truth."Inspired in part by Ovid's Metamorphoses, Iizuka's Polaroid Stories takes place on an abandoned pier on the outermost edge of a city, a way stop for dreamers, dealers and desperadoes, a no-man's land where runaways seek camaraderie, refuge and escape. Serpentine routes from the street to the heart characterize the interactions in this spellbinding tale of young people pushed to society's fringe. Informed, as well, by interviews with young prostitutes and street kids, Polaroid Stories conveys a whirlwind of psychic disturbance, confusion and longing. Like their mythic counterparts, these modem-day mortals are engulfed by needs that burn and consume. Their language mixes poetry and profanity, imbuing the play with lyricism and great theatrical force.

Mindgame


Anthony Horowitz - 2001
    A thriller that actually manages to thrill, and a very dark comedy that twists and spirals towards a completely unexpected ending. This is one play where seeing isn't quite believing and reading the text is the only way to uncover all the clues.

Talking With...


Jane Martin - 1983
    is a series of women's monologues tackling many different aspects of the complex female psyche.

The JS Boys: Like Father Like Son


Shaytrece - 2017
    They were the eldest of the James/Santos offspring who were all either siblings or cousins and ranged in age from infants to early teens. But, now that the three boys were older, they had to face real life issues and responsibility. Lil Q’s name had already been run through the system due to the parents of his first puppy love, Jyla. Now the majority of his summer vacation was spent going back and forth to the courthouse trying to clear his name. Cons’ vacation was spent on his new career, but he later finds himself walking the footsteps of his father. Cons was a go-getter and had been that way since he could comprehend that people catered to children. Once Cons’ career blew up, he also figured out how much it brought attention from his peers, be it good or bad. Now that Cee saw how much drama had come into his family from his little brother and cousin, he chose to keep his feelings for his best friend at bay, not knowing that she liked him too. Cee, Cons, and Lil Q all knew the rules of the James and Santos family. Now that they were older, their parents felt they needed a little more freedom, but would it all be taken away after their parents learned just how much chaos surrounded their children?

Luvin' A Real Jersey Savage


Shonda Lanae - 2019
    School is her get away, and her safe haven, because at home, she suffers through an abusive relationship with her boyfriend William.Due to the stress of life and school, Amelia loses her job, but quickly bounces back and finds a better opportunity, and with a new job on the horizon, she falls into the arms of the owner of the business, Ceedric.Ceedric is a savage street king who goes legit and leaves his past behind, opening a construction company.The chemistry between these two is real and raw, but what will she do about William? With the fear of leaving William, and falling into something new with Ceedric, hearts and lives are on the line and in the way.Can Ceedric use his tru savage ways to hold on to his woman, or will she slip through his fingers, and stick to what she knows, abandoning her chance at happiness?

He Captured My Heart: A Miami Love Story


Cherice Harris - 2018
    As she helps women plan and execute their special day, Reese is secretly waiting for the day it is her walking down the aisle. However, it seems that with Cordell, a well-known Miami DJ, that will never happen. Though she thought she had a fairy tale, after finding out a secret, Reese has to do her best to move on. It may be easier said than done, though. Anthony is a rapper, and to the outside eye, he has everything. The money, the cars, and the picture perfect trophy girlfriend, Elysia. However, with her continuously pressuring Anthony to get married, he strongly doubts their relationship and where it's meant to head. When he meets Reese, the inevitable happens. With her outgoing and vibrant smile, he finds himself easily attracted to her. However, all is not fair in love and war. Will their hearts be the casualty?

A Mama for Aimee (Mail Order Brides of Shadow Gulch)


Susannah Calloway - 2021
    

Betty's Summer Vacation - Acting Edition


Christopher Durang - 2000
    But Betty's luck turns to delicious lunacy when this sensible Everywoman gets drawn into the chaotic world of some very unsavory housemates - her friend Trudy, who talks too much; the lewd, seminaked Buck, who tries to have sex with everyone; and Keith, a serial killer who hides in his room with a mysterious hatbox. With sand between her toes, walking a thin line between sanity and survival, poor Betty will leave her summer vacation more terrorized than tan.

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.

A Demon Lord's Virtual [Magic Life]: First War


Nathan Valerio - 2019
    From building his village into a town, producing food and protection and more, the real troubles have only begun for him in his [Magic Life]. Not only will he have to face animals, monsters and other demon tribes that appear like grass, to advance he will even have to go against other gods, angering them to carve out his path as a Lord player but his troubles aren't only in the game. The real world is slowly changing along with the game and he will have to start adapting as he slowly unfurls his wings.

Father of the Bride: A Comedy in Three Acts


Caroline Francke - 1948
    Banks learns that one of the young men he has seen occasionally about the house is about to become his son-in-law. Daughter Kay announces the engagement out of nowhere. Mrs. Banks and her sons are happy, but Mr. Banks is in a dither. The groom-to-be, Buckley Dunstan, appears on the scene and Mr. Banks realizes that the engagement is serious. Buckley and Kay don't want a "big" wedding just a simple affair with a few friends! We soon learn, however, that the "few" friends idea is out. Then trouble really begins. The guest list grows larger each day, a caterer is called in, florists, furniture movers and dressmakers take over, and the Banks household is soon caught in turmoil.

Brilliant Traces


Cindy Lou Johnson - 1989
    As a blizzard rages outside, a lonely figure, Henry Harry, lies sleeping under a heap of blankets. Suddenly, he is awakened by the insistent knocking of an unexpected visitor who turns out to be Rosannah DeLuce, a distraught young woman who has fled all the way from Arizona to escape her impending marriage, and who bursts into the cabin dressed in full bridal regalia. Exhausted, she throws herself on Henry's mercy, but after sleeping for two days straight, her vigor and combativeness return. Both characters, it develops, have been wounded and embittered by life, and both are refugees from so-called civilization. Thrown together in the confines of the snowbound cabin, they alternately repel and attract each other as, in theatrically vivid exchanges, they explore the pain of the past and, in time, consider the possibilities of the present. In the end their very isolation proves to be the catalyst that allows them to break through the web of old griefs and bitter feelings that beset them both and to reach out for the solace and sanctuary that only hard-won understanding, self-awareness and compassion for the plight of others can bestow.

Orphans


Lyle Kessler - 1985
    Two brothers live in a house in North Philly. Although adults, there is something child-like about these orphans. The eldest supports himself and his slightly retarded brother by petty thievery. One night he brings home a rich older man to get him drunk and rob him. It turns out that the man-Harold is very rich and on the lam from a hitman. Harold establishes the house as a base of operations and, in a strange, hilarious and moving way, becomes the father figure the boys have always yearned for. "A weird, wonderful thriller filled with suspense, pathos and packing an emotional wallop."-WMCA Radio "Keeps you transfixed."-New York Daily News

The Welkin


Lucy Kirkwood - 2020
    

Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World


Louis de Bernières - 2001
    Taking his inspiration from Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, Louis de Bernières chose to celebrate his ten years of life in the south London suburb, living above a small shop that had been by turns an outlet for oversized naughty clothes for transvestites, a West Indian hairdressers and a junk shop, by writing of the people that he had known and come to love in his time there.Brilliantly capturing the myriad voices of modern Britain, with their different rhythms of speech and accents, their humour and their tragedy, jokes and gossip, de Bernières' tour de force takes us to the heart of a community and its spirit - the lives and loves, the tears and the laughter of its people.