Jacqueline Goldfinger

Jacqueline Goldfinger

Jacqueline Goldfinger (she/they) is a playwright-librettist who writes funny things into serious things and serious things into funny things. Her plays have been produced by The Kennedy Center, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Court Theatre (New Zealand), Redtwist Theatre, École nationale de théâtre (Canada), Capital Stage, Urbanite Theatre, Theatre Exile, Unicorn Theatre, Vortex Rep, Perseverance...
Jacqueline Goldfinger (she/they) is a playwright-librettist who writes funny things into serious things and serious things into funny things. Her plays have been produced by The Kennedy Center, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Court Theatre (New Zealand), Redtwist Theatre, École nationale de théâtre (Canada), Capital Stage, Urbanite Theatre, Theatre Exile, Unicorn Theatre, Vortex Rep, Perseverance Theatre, among others. Her opera, choral and art song libretti have been performed at Sydney Opera House (Australia), Opera Columbus, Resonance Works, BBC Radio 3 (UK), Voces8 (UK), Oberlin Opera, Chor Leoni (Canada), Choirs of Pembroke College/Anna Lapwood (UK), Chiesa di Ognissanti (Italy), San Diego Opera/Without Walls Festival, Decameron Opera Coalition, Mendelssohn Choruses around the U.S., and others. Learn more: www.jacquelinegoldfinger.com

Plays

  • Special Correspondent by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Cast: 
    10
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: comedy, Screwball Comedy + 3 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: comedy, Screwball Comedy, laugh, humor, large cast
    Inspired by the classic film comedy, "His Girl Friday," "Special Correspondent" is a sweeping romantic comedy set in present day NYC. Reporters at a trendy news site are more interested in laughing, loving, and playing poker than writing headlines. But when they stumble onto a scandalous story, their lives are upended as they try to save the world without leaving the comfort of their office...
    Inspired by the classic film comedy, "His Girl Friday," "Special Correspondent" is a sweeping romantic comedy set in present day NYC. Reporters at a trendy news site are more interested in laughing, loving, and playing poker than writing headlines. But when they stumble onto a scandalous story, their lives are upended as they try to save the world without leaving the comfort of their office. This new play celebrates love, friendship, and the eternal beauty of a Royal Flush. (Both "His Girl Friday" and the originating play "The Front Page" are now in the public domain.)
  • Backwards Forwards Back by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 8
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    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: war, PTSD + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: war, PTSD, soldier, technology, virtual reality, one-person, military, Veteran, vet
    When a soldier returns from war carrying the ghosts of his* tour, he’s faced with a sobering decision: address his alarming PTSD with Virtual Reality therapy, or risk losing his family forever. This electric, vivid drama explores the power of healing with heart, humor, and hope. *This play can be produced with a male, female, or nonbinary performer. Winner of the 2023 Susan Glaspell Prize. Five-minute video...
    When a soldier returns from war carrying the ghosts of his* tour, he’s faced with a sobering decision: address his alarming PTSD with Virtual Reality therapy, or risk losing his family forever. This electric, vivid drama explores the power of healing with heart, humor, and hope. *This play can be produced with a male, female, or nonbinary performer. Winner of the 2023 Susan Glaspell Prize. Five-minute video preview: https://youtu.be/zUNojoO7Y-0?si=tw0weswz_as1P9fi
  • Bottle Fly by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: southern gothic, Southern gay + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: southern gothic, Southern gay, American identity, class and gender, interracial relationships, History
    Winner of the 2017 Yale Drama Prize and a Finalist at the 2018 International Book Awards, Bottle Fly is a beautiful depiction of queer survival in the Everglades. The play captures the many layered dynamics of race, poverty, and bigotry that are sun-baked into life in South Florida. Bottle Fly explores love in many guises and all of its complexity.
  • Babel by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 54
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: Eugenics, futuristic + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller, political, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: Eugenics, futuristic, women, queer, LGBTQ, Lesbian, infertility, baby
    “Babel” is a dark comedy set in the near future. Two couples are having trouble getting pregnant and the lengths they go to in order to have a baby raises the specter of eugenics, explores the societal value of a baby, and asks us what we are willing to risk for love. If you like Booker’s “Black Mirror,” Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go,” or Haley’s “The Nether,” then this play is for you. It requires four...
    “Babel” is a dark comedy set in the near future. Two couples are having trouble getting pregnant and the lengths they go to in order to have a baby raises the specter of eugenics, explores the societal value of a baby, and asks us what we are willing to risk for love. If you like Booker’s “Black Mirror,” Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go,” or Haley’s “The Nether,” then this play is for you. It requires four characters (3F,1M) and a flexile set.
  • Click by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 14
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–12
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: class and gender, gender bending + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller, political, science fiction
    Keyword: class and gender, gender bending, Transgender, technology, rape, feminist, imprisonment, college
    A techno-thriller that begins when a young woman is raped at a fraternity and ends in a future where corporations promise a new body with the swipe of a screen, CLICK follows a hacktivist named Fresh who turns industrial espionage into high art. As this virtual Banksy takes over the global imagination, the man who stole her life develops a technology that sends the two of them on a collision course at the heart...
    A techno-thriller that begins when a young woman is raped at a fraternity and ends in a future where corporations promise a new body with the swipe of a screen, CLICK follows a hacktivist named Fresh who turns industrial espionage into high art. As this virtual Banksy takes over the global imagination, the man who stole her life develops a technology that sends the two of them on a collision course at the heart of the corporate empire, where innovation comes at any cost. A cyberpunk drama for the #MeToo era, a story of trauma, transformation and reclaiming who you are. (5-12 Characters, Diverse Casting, Flexible Set) This play is meant to be individualized for each community, so changes in pronouns and cultural references are permissible.
  • Arsonist by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 16
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Deep South, American South + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Deep South, American South, southern gothic, gothic, legacy, Fathers and Daughters, arson, magical realism
    A father-daughter arson team burns their relationship to the ground, and then rise from the ashes. ARSONIST is lyrical, heartbreaking, and darkly funny play with music about the eternal bond between parent and child.
  • The Terrible Girls by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: comedy, horror + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: comedy, horror, female, women, southern, south, horror comedy
    A Horror-Comedy.

    In this wicked dark comedy of friendship, obsession, and Southern sensibilities, Mr. Witherose leaves Birdie, Gretch, and Minnie to tend to his bar while he is away on business in Atlanta. Birdie and Gretch are battling for Mr. Witherose's affection in his absence, but neither knows that Minnie is guarding his terrible secret. When an innocent tryst goes awry, the ghosts of...
    A Horror-Comedy.

    In this wicked dark comedy of friendship, obsession, and Southern sensibilities, Mr. Witherose leaves Birdie, Gretch, and Minnie to tend to his bar while he is away on business in Atlanta. Birdie and Gretch are battling for Mr. Witherose's affection in his absence, but neither knows that Minnie is guarding his terrible secret. When an innocent tryst goes awry, the ghosts of sordid secrets come out into the open, providing a wild mix of fearless comedy and Southern Gothic horror.
  • Skin and Bone by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 13
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: southern gothic, humor + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: southern gothic, humor, funny, Sisters, elderly, love, love triangle, American South
    In Skin & Bone, Goldfinger returns to her roots as a Southern Gothic storyteller to spin a darkly comic tale of a set of twin cannibal grandmothers, Midge and Madge, and the love of their life. "Skin & Bone" explores the absurd adherence to the time honored traditions that destroy you.
  • The Little Mermaid (for ages 5+) by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 3 more
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    Keyword: The Little Mermaid, music + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, fable/folktale, young audiences
    Keyword: The Little Mermaid, music, love, body positivity, kids, young children, Classic
    A new adaptation of THE LITTLE MERMAID for ages 5+. A Classic Fable of Love, Music, and Adventure from the timeless tale by Hans Christian Anderson. This adaptation of MERMAID focuses on finding true friendship and the power of love. In order to make it fun for younger audiences, this adaptation is told by a present day family using multi-sensory and story theater techniques.
  • Edie and Mae by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 4 more
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    Keyword: Water Crisis, rural
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, political, tragedy
    Keyword: Water Crisis, rural
    The water’s gone. Mae can hear the future rushing back, maybe. Edie fell in love at first sight, definitely. A love story of two women at the edge of the world, reaching through the pipes for one last drop of salvation. (30 minute one-act for two female performers)
  • Love, Sometimes by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: screwball
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: screwball
    A romantic screwball comedy about a couple who meet on the one year anniversary of their divorce. (10 minute play, 1 male and 1 female performer)
  • A Wind in the Door by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Cast: 
    5–11
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 5 more
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    Keyword: l'engle, wrinkle in time + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, science fiction, young audiences
    Keyword: l'engle, wrinkle in time, youth, supernatural, Fantasy, sci-fi
    Adapted from the bestselling novel by Madeleine L'Engle, A WIND IN THE DOOR, it will be published by Stage Partners in 2022: https://www.yourstagepartners.com
  • Little Women by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 4 more
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    Keyword: Little Women, Louisa May Alcott + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, drama, musical, period
    Keyword: Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, adaptation
    In this affecting, delightful adaptation of Alcott's classic novel, the four spirited March sisters -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy -- endeavor to sustain their family in the absence of their father, who is away fighting the Civil War. Led by their devoted Marmee and accompanied by music from the period, each girl struggles to overcome her own limitations to become the best version of herself, even in the midst...
    In this affecting, delightful adaptation of Alcott's classic novel, the four spirited March sisters -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy -- endeavor to sustain their family in the absence of their father, who is away fighting the Civil War. Led by their devoted Marmee and accompanied by music from the period, each girl struggles to overcome her own limitations to become the best version of herself, even in the midst of disease, jealousy, and poverty. 40 productions and counting!!
  • A Christmas Carol by Jacqueline Goldfinger
    Cast: 
    10–44
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: A Christmas Carol, celebrating christmas + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, fable/folktale, musical, period
    Keyword: A Christmas Carol, celebrating christmas, Christmas Carol, Christmas carols, Christmas carols and music, Charles Dickens
    This swift adaptation of the Christmas classic remains true to the original story by incorporating portions of the Dickens' novella not usually seen on the stage or screen. Infused with a myriad of popular Christmas carols and a subtle twist of contemporary humor, the morality tale of Ebenezer Scrooge is once again alive with holiday spirit. 90 productions and counting!