FULL-LENTH PLAYS Descriptions

Plays for GENERAL AUDIENCE

Sometimes a Light Surprises by Mark Bacus.

Former slave trading merchant sea captain-turned Anglican Minister John Newton and his neighbor, the Mad Poet of Orchardside, William Cowper collaborate to compose the ageless hymn "Amazing Grace" in the gardens between their homes in 1777 Olney, England while the town's Guy Fawkes Day revelry spirals out of control. Audience: general public. Cast: 4M, 3F (with an ensemble cast of approximately 8 to 10, including youth, to play multiple other incidental roles)

Our Cybertown by Bryan Coley

With a passing nod to Thornton Wilder’s "Our Town", journey via the information superhighway to the virtual community of Mindbrook. No, it’s not a Microsoft convention. You’ve stumbled upon "our cybertown" where the e-mail carrier delivers rain or shine, the man of your dreams could be a internet-savvy 10 year old, and God is a woman?! Yessir, it’s the turn-of-the-next-century and times have changed. For the cyber-impaired, don’t worry. Using a life-sized browser, our Stage Manager will navigate you through this on-line world’s web of relationships. It's quite a comic "site" to see, even for folks who think a "hard drive" is a long trip on the road. :) 12m, 9f (some roles could be double-cast), 2hrs and 20 mins

The Diseased Vignettes by Bryan Coley

Two vignettes, "Searchingly Patient" and "Impatiently Searching" are combined in this two-act comedy. Marissa is a hypochondriac who is sure that all the problems in her life can be explained medically. Jonathan is a chronophobiac (fear of time) and is sure that he only has a short amount of time left to do something with his life. With a colorful cast of charcters, including a "Crazy Man", "Time Manager", "Time Keeper", "Time Line", "Father Time" and, of course, a few "Jesus" cameos, the play doesn't disappoint with a cure for your mind, soul and sense of humor. NOTE: "Searchingly Patient" can stand on it's own as a 55 min One-Act. 8m, 6f (some roles could be double-cast), 2hrs and 25 mins

Rooftop by Stephen Dowell

An absurd tale about two men, Monty and Gil, who find themselves high on a rooftop without explanation. Their quest for a sense of purpose and a way of escape results in an encounter with a mysterious one-man band, Barney, whose help they ultimately reject. With shades of Waiting for Godot, this play touches on Christian themes without the use of scripture or overt sermonizing. (3M) (75 minutes) Audience: Adults

Steel/City by Gillette Elvgren

(Large ensemble of between 18 and 25 actors/singers) Co-authored with Attilio Favorini, this docu-drama catalogues the growth, flourishing, and demise of the steel industry in Pittsburgh, PA. Act I presents the story of frontier Pittsburgh and the beginnings of iron manufacture. Act II takes us through the rise of Carnegie and Frick and the steel moguls of the late 19th century ending in the creation of U.S. Steel Corporation. Act III presents a pensioners picnic with the actual stories of retired steel workers and their wives, and features flashbacks to the 1919 steel strike and song and dance enactments of the great immigrations of workers into Pittsburgh from Eastern Europe. Only primary source material was used in the creation of the docu-drama, and it serves as an excellent example of how to create a meaningful theatrical experience about the history, the people, or the industry of any city. STEEL/CITY was produced professionally at the Smithsonian Institute and by the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival. It is published by the University of Pittsburgh Press (1992) and royalty rights can be negotiated through the authors. Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes

A Season of Pain by Gillette Elvgren

Jason's father Podad has been an eccentric artist of tremendous vitality and imagination. Jason sells insurance. When Podad has a stroke and is taken to a nursing home Jason and his wife Daisy move into his house with its adjacent art studio. Jason quits his job and tries to become like his father, a mad plasterer, trying to make up for all the years of tired conformity and playing it safe. His ultimate search is to go beyond being like his father and to find his true self. Daisy fights to keep their marriage together and to emerge at the end with a whole man. "A Season of Pain" was the recipient of a playwriting award by the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild. (There is a $7.00 fee for the purchase of this script.) (1 man; 1 woman) Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes

For Better, For Worse by Gillette Elvgren

Joshua and Vicki are having trouble in their marriage but when they turn to their pastor for help a sequence of betrayals leads to their separation and a wrenching test of their beliefs and their marital relationship. All ends well but not before a hard look has been focused on the idea of divorce as a quick fix solution to the ailing American family. Despite the serious theme the play has many humorous moments and the stylized theatricality challenges the audience and keeps the action moving at a quick pace. This play was the winner of the C.I.T.A. Playwriting Contest, 1991. (There is a $7.00 fee for the purchase of this script.) (3 men; 3 women) Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Paper WingsBy Gillette Elvgren

Jamie and Stan are a young couple in their thirties. Stan is a university lecturer and unpublished poet. Jamie has yet to find her niche. They live in quiet desperation, wonderfully energetic but unable to effectively communicate. When Jamie gets it in her head to travel back to her girlhood haunts in Salina, Kansas, Stan reluctantly agrees to tag along. It was in Salina where Jamie used to visit her now deceased grandmother on a farm and listen to the great old stories from the Bible. It's a tumultuous trip and they never quite make it all the way, but while staying at a seedy motel on the outskirts of Salina, Jamie commits her life to God. Stan is nonplused. The Second Act of the play explores their relationship as Stan attacks Jamie with his acerbic wit, jealous and angry over her new "relationship." Jamie is growing in her faith and is desperate to share what she has found with her husband. The play ends with betrayal but also with the first seeds of reconciliation. (There is a $7.00 fee for the purchase of this script.) (1 man; 1 woman) Running time: 2 hours

Brendan's Journey by Gillette Elvgren

Brendan Finnloag was a sixth century monk from Ireland who followed in the footsteps of St. Patrick. He was known as a great evangelist, but perhaps is best known today as the monk who sailed from Ireland to Nova Scotia (and beyond). The myth stories that have been passed down to us attest to the possibility of his having been the first European voyager to discover the North American continent. In this picaresque two person show we journey with Brendan and his companion Birt as they prepare for and make this epic journey to the "promised land over the waves." In the tradition of "The Odyssey" they contend with a variety of beasts and men, but the real struggle is between the two travelers themselves, their disparate backgrounds and their shared secrets. (There is a $6.00 fee for the purchase of this script.) (2 men) Running time: 2 hours

Moreau by Sean Gaffney

Edward Prendick, shipwrecked on a nearly deserted island, finds himself in a fight not only for survival, but to hold onto his very humanity. In a mysterious laboratory, Dr. Moreau is experimenting with the nature of creation itself. But what will happen when Moreau’s creation spins out of his control? Inspired by the science fiction classic, The Island of Dr. Moreau, by HG Wells (9 Actors) "…literate, taut script…it’s riveting stuff, created not only to entertain but also to challenge…" -Lynne Heffley, Los Angeles Times

Sleepwalking by Sean Gaffney

In the dream state of a coma, Thomas visits his past and present, searching through the events that led to his accident. Before he can wake up, he must face guilt and forgiveness in his failures and successes as a father, husband, lover and friend. Honorable Mention, Christians in Theatre Arts National Playwriting Contest 1997 (3M; 3W)

Save Yourself by Christopher Greco

LUDWIG VOGELSTEIN FOUNDATION GRANT WINNER - 1993

A priest is sent away for spiritual guidance after a sexual encounter with one of his parishioners. An older priest, with a sordid history of his own, seeks to help the younger man face the shame of his identity struggles. The younger priest's mother makes an unwelcome but catalytic appearance to save her son and save herself. Audience: Mature Subject Matter (sexual abuse, homosexuality, strong language) (full length drama) (2 males, 1 female) Royalty: Negotiable

The Almighty Lottery by Christopher Greco

An Italian-American family in desperate straights wins the lottery and nearly loses its soul. The emotional center of the play is the relationship between the 16-year-old daughter and her grandfather, whose stroke stole his speech and propelled her rebellion. The mute grandfather is the play's narrator. (full length comedy (4 males, 2 females)Royalty: Negotiable

The Psalm of Edie Catz by Nancy Hanna

Cable Catz and his daughter Edie live in a run-down fishing shack on the edge of Kayto Lake on the border of Texas and Louisiana. Through mysterious circumstances, Edie’s mom (Cable’s wife) has died, leaving a disappointed Cable who has become Edie’s oppressor. Apocalyptic events begin to occur: the bayou is poisoned, the alligators are acting strangely, Duane, the Rainbow Vacuum salesman comes to visit, and no one else ever comes to visit. Edie’s Aunt June and her friend Arlie become a source of hope to her from the ‘outside’ world. When Cable is attacked and wounded while out fishing, his control over Edie begins to loosen. The balance of power shifts as Edie makes demands and Cable makes his final confession. 1998 CITA Finalist. (2W & 3M & 2 Alligators) Royalties Negotiable.

Song of the Bow by Wayne Harrel

A year after her son Alex took his life, still-grieving theater director Celia Quinn is considering the same until she finds a collection of her son’s sonnets. Written just before his death, the sonnets are a fictional conversation between the biblical characters David and Jonathan, and also a very real conversation between Alex and God. Hoping to commune once more with her lost son, Celia turns the sonnets into a play, casting a prominent, gay actor as David and an unknown, Christian actor as Jonathan. The ensuing rehearsal process changes all three lives forever. (full-length; 1 woman, 2 men; unit set) Royalties Negotiable

Lives by Michael Harris

Abortion. How do couples face the possibility of choosing this procedure? What preceeds the crisis moment when the final decision is made? And after that decision becomes past action, what are the ramifications of choosing abortion? Or choosing to have a baby? And how do these intimate conflicts explode into public discourse? These questions form the thematic thread which binds this episodic play together. Six central characters interact as children, parents, lovers, and ex-lovers. To forgive or not forgive ourselves and others, and how then to live is their question. The topics and language of this play make it unsuitable for younger audiences. (7 men 4 women, 1 either, doubling) Time: approx. 2 1/2-2 3/4 hours with one intermission.

The Law of Hell  by Michael Harris

This play follows a single day in the life of a man named DD. His actions and thoughts on this particular June 19th are enveloped by memories of his childhood in Dothan, Alabama, his family's history, and the separation of his parents on a June 19th fourteen years before. This is a play about football, charismatic Baptist mothers, Alabama's death row, AM radio, speaking Spanish, first drafts, last moments, and an eight year old Ford named Shakespeare. Inappropriate for younger audiences. (4 men, 5 women, doubling +) Time Between 2 and 2 1/2 hours with 0-2 intermissions.

The Treehouse by Jeremy D. Henry

Molly returns home for Christmas after being away for ten years. A haunting secret has kept her away, but her recent engagement has brought her home, despite her nervous reluctance. Her loving father, her obsessive mother, her cynical sister, and a high school sweetheart all bring back memories that seem to smother her. Molly must find the strength to rise above it all, and face her past. Molly must grow up. (3m/3w) Royalties: Negotiable

Faith by Fire, The Spiritual Journey of Joan of Arc by Sharon Daggett Johnsey

CITA's 1998 Full-length play competition winner. The night before her execution, every last minute of Joan of Arc’s life crash like swords in combat. This is the fight of her life: persistence versus abandonment, hope versus betrayal, faith versus rebellion. Her imprisonment can be solved so easily; waiting on God makes no sense-- and could end in tragedy. But there is a prison greater than stone walls, a captive more significant than the prisoner. Will dawn bring death or deliverance? Or somehow—both? Apx. 1 hr, 50 min. Live Actors: 3 women, 3 men; Filmed Scenes: 3 women, 8 men (a package of filmed sequences may be available for use from the premiere production by Jericho Productions)

The Discipline Committee by Paul Nicholas Mason

Set in a residential private school for boys, this award-winning play begins with two male teachers interviewing a senior student accused of a brutal act. The teachers' initial confidence in their ability to extract a confession dissipates in the face of the youth's cold hostility, and it becomes clear that something more sinister is going on than first appeared. Audience: Adult, prepared for mature themes. This is a Christian play, but the language is sometimes profane. (3M/1F) Available from DRAMATIC PUBLISHING in Woodstock, Illinois. Tel. (800) 448.7469

Circles of Grace by Paul Nicholas Mason

CIRCLE opens in a Christian household on an imaginary island nation, just moments before the unexpected arrival of an officer of an occupying army. He takes command of the house and begins to make some nominally "civilized" arrangements which are, at first, accepted. The situation becomes more and more disturbing, however, and the family is eventually moved to take drastic action. CIRCLE asks, "How should good people respond to evil?" -- and the play attempts to give an answer. (6 men, 2 women, 1 girl) Audience: Adult, prepared for mature themes. This is a Christian play, but the language is sometimes profane. Available from DRAMATIC PUBLISHING in Woodstock, Illinois. Tel. (800) 448.7469

Sister Camille's Kaleidoscopic Cabaret by Paul Nicholas Mason

Winner of CITA's 1996 prize for Best Full Length Play, KALEIDOSCOPIC CABARET was workshopped in Chicago, and subsequently premiered at Trinity House Theatre in Michigan. One of the reviews reads, "Playwright Paul Mason's fascinating character collection gives us many intimate glimpses of ordinary people at their best and worst. Yet amidst the random character fragments of the human kaleidoscope we catch glimpses of goodness -- when ordinary people respond in extraordinary ways -- and become, for brief moments, the angels among us." (10 - 32 players) Rights permission of the author.

Guy Palermo's Traveling Wonderment presents Die Ratzel by James Nolen

A Faustian tale of a German soldier in WWI who sells his soul for selfish reasons. He rises in rank with the Nazi party, destroying the lives of anyone around him. He was one chance to be free of his Satanic Bond, a riddle chosen by the Devil, and learns the true extent of evil in the world in the process. It is all told by an innefectual group of actors lead by the great Guy Palermo. (6 males, 4 females) Cost (contact me at (901)-664-8410)

Misteltoe by James Nolen

A retelling of the "Death of Balder/ Punishment of Loki" myth of Norse Mythology. A fantasy dealing with the murder of a God by peircing and the compulsion to do evil, even in the face of suffering. Projected date of completion: July '00. First Act is Available for reading. (6 males 5 females 2 inter.) Cost(contact me)

Refuge of Lies by Ron Reed

A seventy-two year old Mennonite man is accused of having been a Nazi collaborator in Holland during World War Two. Memory, dream, fear and reality intermingle in a highly theatrical examination of guilt and redemption. Cast: 4M 3W (or 4M 2W with doubling) Royalty: by arrangement

Tent Meeting by Ron Reed & Morris Ertman

In this full-length musical set on the prairies in the 1930s, the members of a gospel quartet are brought back together in an awkward reunion years after they've gone their separate ways. The play treats the faith of its characters with utter respect, culminating in an altar call, yet it has been produced at several professional theatres which do not espouse a Christian mandate. (4M 1W) Audience: general theatre or church audience. Royalty: by arrangement

You Still Can't by Ron Reed

A present-day sequel to Kaufman and Hart's classic comedy "You Can't Take It With You." Sixty years ago, Tony Kirby was grafted by marriage onto the wildly eccentric family tree of the Sycamore Vanderhofs. He now presides over that same house in New York city as the children and grandchildren of those original characters gather from all around the world for the funeral of... Well, nobody ever thought to ask his name. (Cast: 8M 8W + extras) Royalty: by arrangement

Porchlight by Jeff Richards

The plays span one day in April on the backporch and yard of a Southern woman's house. She has arranged a family reunion which brings the women of her family together for a time of sharing, fighting, eating, Elvis Gospel, Jimi Hendrix and dark family secrets.Themes of forgiveness, family debts, and dealing with the past. Christian spine, but no preachin'. Best for general, non-church audience. Two act comedic drama. 6W ages 11 through 70's, 1M small role, age 30's) Realistic exterior.

Trappists by Joseph Ritz

An abbot, a former physician turned priest; a feminist woman reporter in her late thirties who is anti-religious and anti-cleric; a famous writer monk, HOGAN in his mid-forties; and a nurse, SUSAN, early thirties. The plot: A reporter, MEREDITH MALLORY, arrives at a monastery looking for proof of an illicit love affair involving Hogan, who was martyred in a South American mission and many want declared a saint. The abbot plays with her, putting roadblocks in her way. They clash over beliefs. She succeeds in finding evidence of a brief love affair and taunts him that he inadvertently gave her the clue that she needed to find the nurse. The play ends with HOGAN and SUSAN reading a letter he sent her before he died. Winner of the 1994 CITA contest this is a drama in two acts set largely in a monastery.. Also a winner in national contests held by the New York Drama League, the University of Massachusetts’ Theater Dept. and the Stage and Screen Book Club.

Getting Real by Jeffrey Totey

Lois, a hard-working, sleep deprived librarian, lives by herself although one would never know it judging from all the activity that happens there. Lois' life consists of dealing with her nearsighted, nosey neighbor, Wilma, the gruff Earl Chutney and Aunt Violet (who makes horrendous lemon bars to die for...or of) among others. But all of this is about to change when her co-worker moves in and takes over. Witness someone's else's life in chaos for a change. Length: 1-1/2-2 hours with intermission (4M/5W)

Stories From The National Enquire by Jeanne Murray Walker

(Comedy) When Leonard Milgram is downsized by his advertising firm in New York, he is forced to take a job writing for The National Inquirer, which sends him back to Remurs, the small town in the Midwest where he grew up. There, gathering stories from people he always thought of as weird, he falls in love and learns the logic of the spiritual world, which has nothing to do with money or power. Cost: $15 per script. Cost of production negotiable with playwright's agent. (l5 Characters/may be played by 4M/3W

The Chosen Daughter by Jeanne Murray Walker.

(Drama) This play has been performed with great success by both general audience and university theaters. After her premier as a young violinist at Carnegie Hall, Dawn Seitz begins to question how she happened to play the instrument. When her clever older sister Marlene fills her in about her childhood, Dawn realizes that music was not really her choice. She was chosen by her devout mother to bear the family's gift of music. That is why, she realizes, she can see her ancestors, while Marlene cannot. Dawn decides to throw over her privileged role. But will she be sorry? (12 characters, 8 speaking - 6W/2M) Cost: $15 per script. Cost of production negotiable with playwright's agent.

Inventing Montana by Jeanne Murray Walker.

(Drama) Montana Winfield will try out tomorrow for a Chair in Dickens Studies at Harvard. When a strange graduate student knocks on his door, she brings what she claims is a lost Dickens manuscript and a secret about herself that changes Montana forever. Montana's anger subsides and he experiences forgiveness for the first time. The Montana story alternates with scenes from the Dickens novel (invented by the playwright) (l8 characters may be played by 3W/3M) Cost: $15 per script. Cost of production negotiable with playwright's agent.

Rowing Into Light On Lake Adley by Jeanne Murray Walker

(Comedy) It is l904, everyone is moving West, and Josephine Johnson--the State Senators daughter from Minnesota--is crazy to move East. She falls in love with a hobo who lives at the town dump. She suffers the wrath of her town. And in spite of her mothers' warnings, she moves to Pittsburgh to become an actress. It is not long before the feisty Josephine has to return in defeat. What she learns from the hobo, nearly too late, is the pattern of redemption: how to change and forgive. (9 characters may be played by 3W/3M) Cost: $15 per script. Cost of production negotiable with playwright's agent.

Jesse Lord by Sally Carpenter

Two act drama, 2+ hours. Unit set: saloon interior and street exterior
Synopsis: the gospel of Luke retold as a western.

Pilate by Mark Allen Eaton

Thirty years after the infamous trial, Pontius Pilate, now exiled to Gaul, recounts his experiences to Luke, who is researching Jesus’ biography. As Pilate recounts the brutal intrigues of Roman politics under Tiberius, and his own dangerous connections with would-be usurper, His wife, Claudia Procula, insists that Pilate remain faithful to the Truth, Who once stood before him in chains. (approx. 2 ½ hrs. with one intermission) 9M, 7W, + Extras (Doubling Required)

King Saul by Mark Allen Eaton

Saul, the first monarch of ancient Israel, looses touch with reality as he refuses to recognize any authority greater than his own. After alienating both the prophet, Samuel, and his fanatically loyal officer, David, Saul’s children and soldiers are forced to choose: when the King wanders away from God, Whom will they serve? (approx. 2 ½ hrs. with one intermission) 15M, 2W, +Extras (Doubling Required) Royalty: $50 for opening night/$40 for each successive performance. Photocopying rights for one production are granted upon purchase of the script ($10).

Singles by Gillette Elvgren

A collage of scenes and monologues loosely tied together as five Christian singles tell their stories about life outside the institution of marriage. Scenes include a comic rendition of Adam and Eve in the garden, a sadly moving story of a single mother coping with two young children, singles ladies at an aerobic session, two divorced Christians meeting at a singles bar, and a lot more. The production calls for minimal decor and is ideally designed to tour to churches, specifically to singles groups. It is a great vehicle to stimulate a "discussion" time after the performance. (2 men; 3 women) Running time: 80 minutes

The Furniture Of Heaven by Ron Reed

An ensemble cast presents an evening of story theatre adaptations of folk tales and parables by modern writers such as Mike Mason, William C. Davis, Edward Hays and Paul Flucke, with a few 19th Century folk tales and stories from the Desert Fathers thrown in. Concluding with the Flucke piece lends the production a Christmas feel, but rearranging or substituting another piece suits the play for other seasons. Audience: general theatre or church audience. 3M 3W (flexible ensemble cast, could be much larger) Royalty: by arrangement

Golgotha by Jeff Richards

O.K. you're tired of Easter cantatas and traditional musical based all-plot driven preachin plays. Try this one. It is set in period and is the passion story, but I tried to put a bit more emphasis on character development. Church audience. "hey, we got a bunch of actors who want to do something at easter, do you think....." ---Lots of men, a couple of women, unit set.

Down From Above by Jeff Richards

I always liked the structure of "Kennedy's Children", so I borrowed it and used it for this script. These people come down from Heaven for this evening only and get to "tell their stories" to us. I wrote this right after becoming a Christian and almost as a revolt against the "I'm -doin' -a -play,- but- really -tryin'- to -sneak- in -a -sermon-"scripts I encountered. Probably mostly for a church crowd, but only one that wants to listen to a hit-man, a hooker, and a bunch of other colorful characters tell their side of things. ---full-length, two acts, 13 men and women. 1 realistic interior.

The Other Son by Jeffrey Totey

Based on the prodigal son story, "The Other Son" takes place in a small, family-owned grocery store. Brian Thurston struggles with his father's preoccupation with his brother's recent disappearance. He also has to deal with a match-making co-worker, a busybody neighbor and another prodigal from off the street. (CITA Playwriting Contest Finalist) Length: 1-1/2 to 2 hours with intermission (4 men, 3 women, 2 either) Audience: church/general public

Little White Lies by Jeffrey Totey

A real-life comedy about Josh and how is life is changed forever when he receives a visit from an old girlfriend. At this meeting, she presents him with a gift...his son! Now Josh is left with a baby, alone, and his churchgoing parents are coming for a visit in a few days! It's not easy to keep a baby a secret, but with the help of his sister, and a woman across the hall, Josh manages...for awhile. Length: 1-1/2 to 2 hours with intermission. (4 men, 4 women) Audience: church/general public.