Shorter Plays - Synopses and Press
For full scripts, please write to stephenludwig26@hotmail.com
The Last Night Club
Fantasy, 10 pages
2 characters
Juliet Capulet and Janis Joplin together in a menacing afterlife.
Twice Told Tales
Drama, 10 pages
2 characters & a ghost
A married couple attend the funeral of the wife’s twin sister. The sister isn’t quite gone, yet. She has some secrets to reveal.
Joy.com
Comic monologue, 10 pages
A lonely man pursues happiness on the Internet.
Jack’s Christmas
Drama, 10 pages
4 characters
Jack’s parents disowned him when he came out to them. Years later, he’s still waiting for them to come visit him and his partner for Christmas. Will they come this year?
Duet
Poetic drama, 10 pages
2 characters
An experiment. Written imitating sonata form – theme, repetition, development, recapitulation. Two people fall in and out of love.
“…solid writing, but more poem than play” T.H. McCulloh, Los Angeles Times
Vacation Escape
Comedy, 17 pages
2 characters
A vacationing businessman has his identity stolen by a hotel clerk who isn’t what he seems.
“..like a moment out of a Marx Brothers flick” T.H. McCulloh, Los Angeles Times
No More Angels
Drama, 15 pages
2 characters
On Christmas Eve, aging George picks up the hunky young bartender at the local gay bar. Next morning, they discover it might be more than a one-night stand. If they can handle it.
“.. a telling point about human nature…strong writing” -- Eric Marchese, Orange County Register
“ …an example. . .of what a play is all about – passion, decision, coping, and most theatrical of all – surprise. ..moments of magic” -- T.H. McCulloh, Los Angeles Times
Reverie of Friends
Drama, 10 pages
4 characters
A dancing kaleidoscope of shifting relationships performed around a bed.
Gift of the Beast
Drama, 12 pages
4 characters
An experiment 4 brief monologues repeat as dialogue.
Something momentous and frigthening is happening. But what? Yeat’s “The Second Coming” might hold the answer.
“…Apocalyptic, weird and occasionally stunning” -- Joel Beers, OC Weekly
Big Al at the Beach
Comedy, 12 pages
3 characters
Big Al likes to hear himself talk, but it’s his monosyllabic friend who gets the girl. It’s all about communication.
Bearing Witness
Dramatic monologue, 10 pages
A murderer on death row puts his crime in a social and historical context that makes him look innocent.
“…blasts the hypocrisy of executions, the implicit guilt of the media…..a scorching rant.” -- Eric Marchese, Orange County Register
Mother of Memory
Drama, 12 pages
4 characters
A brother and sister must decide if they’ll pull the plug on their terminally ill mother. The mother, meanwhile, is finding her own peace with the help of Mnemosyne.
“…assured writing….the…mixture of love and physical suffering is acute….haunting poetry…a climax that’s honest, real and heartbreaking.” -- Eric Marchese, Orange County Register