Kate Danley

Kate Danley is a USA TODAY Bestselling author and thirty-year veteran of stage and screen with a B.S. in theatre from Towson University. She was one of four students to be named a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts. She sits on the board of Rain City Projects supporting local PNW playwrights.

She sold over a million books globally. Her debut novel, The Woodcutter (published by 47North) hit #6 on all of Amazon, was honored with the Garcia Award for the Best Fiction Book of the Year, 1st Place Fantasy Book in the Reader Views Literary Awards, and was the winner of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy category in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It was aboard the Peregrine One on its mission to the moon as part of the Writers on the Moon lunar time capsule. Her book Maggie for Hire spent...

Kate Danley is a USA TODAY Bestselling author and thirty-year veteran of stage and screen with a B.S. in theatre from Towson University. She was one of four students to be named a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts. She sits on the board of Rain City Projects supporting local PNW playwrights.

She sold over a million books globally. Her debut novel, The Woodcutter (published by 47North) hit #6 on all of Amazon, was honored with the Garcia Award for the Best Fiction Book of the Year, 1st Place Fantasy Book in the Reader Views Literary Awards, and was the winner of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy category in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It was aboard the Peregrine One on its mission to the moon as part of the Writers on the Moon lunar time capsule. Her book Maggie for Hire spent five weeks on the USA Today Bestselling list and is optioned for film and TV. Queen Mab was honored with the McDougall Previews Award for Best Fantasy Book of the Year and was named the 1st Place Fantasy Book in the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Awards. It was recently adapted for the stage.

Her plays have been produced nationally and internationally. Her first full-length play, BUILDING MADNESS, won the prestigious 2016 Panowski Playwriting Competition and was nominated for thirteen Broadway World regional awards. Her second full-length play, WORKING FOR CRUMBS (formerly BUREAUCRAZY), was a semi-finalist in the O'Neill National Playwriting Conference and a semi-finalist in the Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle New Play Initiative. It received two OFFIE (Off West End) award nominations and two Broadway World UK/West End nominations for its Off-West End debut in London. POWER won Best of the Renegade Theatre Festival. KINGS OF THE WORLD won 3rd place in the 10x10x10 Festival. Her adaptation of Agatha Christie's MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES had its world premiere at Theatre in the Round, the oldest theatre in Minneapolis, and received sixteen Broadway World nominations.

Her screenplay Fairy Blood won 1st Place in the Breckenridge Festival of Film Screenwriting Competition in the Action/Adventure Category and her screenplay American Privateer was a 2nd Round Choice in the Carl Sautter Memorial Screenwriting Competition. Her scripts The Playhouse, Dog Days, Sock Zombie, SuperPout, and Sports Scents can be seen in festivals and on the internet. She trained in on-camera puppetry with Mr. Snuffleupagus and played the head of a 20-foot dinosaur on an NBC pilot. She has over 300+ film, theatre, and television credits to her name. She lost on Hollywood Squares. www.katedanley.com

Scripts

Building Madness! a 1930s Screwball Comedy

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH Screwball Comedy

- WINNER - PANOWSKI PLAYWRITING AWARD
- NOMINATED FOR THIRTEEN BROADWAY WORLD REGIONAL AWARDS

The year is 1930. The stock market has just crashed. Max and Paul are just trying to keep their architecture company afloat, but they accidentally hired the mob to build a police retirement home. With the "help" of their dizzy secretary, Trixie, they may never get the project done, but...

FULL LENGTH Screwball Comedy

- WINNER - PANOWSKI PLAYWRITING AWARD
- NOMINATED FOR THIRTEEN BROADWAY WORLD REGIONAL AWARDS

The year is 1930. The stock market has just crashed. Max and Paul are just trying to keep their architecture company afloat, but they accidentally hired the mob to build a police retirement home. With the "help" of their dizzy secretary, Trixie, they may never get the project done, but they are most definitely building madness.

Madam(e) Lou

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

IN DEVELOPMENT

FULL LENGTH - History is told by the victors and Seattle honors many of its founding fathers with roads, statues, and historical sites. But there was a founding mother who has been written out of the history books because of her trade - Madam Lou Graham. MADAM(E) LOU is a meticulously researched play that draws from primary and secondary sources to tell the history of this fascinating and...

IN DEVELOPMENT

FULL LENGTH - History is told by the victors and Seattle honors many of its founding fathers with roads, statues, and historical sites. But there was a founding mother who has been written out of the history books because of her trade - Madam Lou Graham. MADAM(E) LOU is a meticulously researched play that draws from primary and secondary sources to tell the history of this fascinating and forgotten woman, a prostitute that shaped Seattle forever.

Monster Manor - A Monstrously Fun Mystery for Middle School Actors and Performers

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

Regina Mortilor is a vampire and she has to throw the best monster party ever or she'll be turned into a bat and lose Monster Manor. But when the bones of her skeleton pal are discovered, she and her friends will have to discover who was wicked enough to do it.

A monstrously fun, large-cast comedy for middle school performers by USA Today bestselling fantasy author, Kate Danley, where everyone gets to chew...

Regina Mortilor is a vampire and she has to throw the best monster party ever or she'll be turned into a bat and lose Monster Manor. But when the bones of her skeleton pal are discovered, she and her friends will have to discover who was wicked enough to do it.

A monstrously fun, large-cast comedy for middle school performers by USA Today bestselling fantasy author, Kate Danley, where everyone gets to chew the scenery as their favorite Halloween creature!

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH - murder mystery adaptation

-Nominated for Sixteen Broadway World Regional Awards
-Highlight of 2022 - Play Off the Page
-Critics' Pick - Star Tribune

This faithful, new adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES introduces audiences to the first mystery of Hercule Poirot.

The year is 1916 and, injured in WWI, Hastings finds himself convalescing at the manor of his old...

FULL LENGTH - murder mystery adaptation

-Nominated for Sixteen Broadway World Regional Awards
-Highlight of 2022 - Play Off the Page
-Critics' Pick - Star Tribune

This faithful, new adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES introduces audiences to the first mystery of Hercule Poirot.

The year is 1916 and, injured in WWI, Hastings finds himself convalescing at the manor of his old friend, John Cavendish. But when John's mother is poisoned in the middle of the night, everyone becomes a suspect. The only person who can solve the crime is none other than the famed Belgium detective, Hercule Poirot.

Agatha Christie's gifts of misdirection are on full display as red herrings, twists, and turns lead the audience on a dizzying journey to find out whodunnit.

Power

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

WINNER - RENEGADE N.O.W.

FULL LENGTH

On the surface, "Power" appears to be a simple locked-room drama. Tucker and Alice are throwing a dinner party. Tucker works for Dean and believes someone at the company is embezzling money. Tucker falls for Dean's wife, Betty. Dean and Tucker's wife, Alice, are having an affair. Everyone is caught. Relationships fall apart. Dinner is a disaster.

But this play is...

WINNER - RENEGADE N.O.W.

FULL LENGTH

On the surface, "Power" appears to be a simple locked-room drama. Tucker and Alice are throwing a dinner party. Tucker works for Dean and believes someone at the company is embezzling money. Tucker falls for Dean's wife, Betty. Dean and Tucker's wife, Alice, are having an affair. Everyone is caught. Relationships fall apart. Dinner is a disaster.

But this play is not about the words.

This play is an exploration of status. "Power" is an ambiguous dialogue. Each night in front of the audience, the cast pulls their status relationships from a hat and must then leap immediately into the play. The entire show exists in the subtext and discoveries happening in real time based upon the luck of the draw. One night, an actor will be the most powerful person on stage, the next night, they will be the outcast. Every show is completely different from performance to performance. Dynamics are fluid, moments are discovered, and the result is a show which is immensely alive.

Power isn't about what is being said… it is about everything else.

Queen Mab - A Fantasy Retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH FANTASY
IN DEVELOPMENT

When Faunus, the god of daydreams, breaks the heart of the fairy Queen Mab, revenge can be the only answer. Using the most powerful families in Verona, they wage their war against one another.

But when Queen Mab falls in love with a man named Mercutio, she will do anything, even if it means destroying the world, to save him. Will it be enough to stop the tragedy? Or only...

FULL LENGTH FANTASY
IN DEVELOPMENT

When Faunus, the god of daydreams, breaks the heart of the fairy Queen Mab, revenge can be the only answer. Using the most powerful families in Verona, they wage their war against one another.

But when Queen Mab falls in love with a man named Mercutio, she will do anything, even if it means destroying the world, to save him. Will it be enough to stop the tragedy? Or only spur it forward to its terrible end?

Weaving Shakespeare's original text and Kate’s award-winning fantasy book into a new stage play, experience the romance and passion of Romeo & Juliet from a different point of view - through the bringer of dreams... Queen Mab.

A Spirited Manor - A Victorian Penny Dreadful

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH - Victorian supernatural

A grieving widow. A house with secrets. And an invitation to a seance...

When Clara O'Hare's husband passed away, she felt her life was over. But when she moves into a new home to escape the memories, she discovers that she may not be alone...

Desperate to find answers, she attends a séance in a remote country home surrounded by a colorful cast of strangers. But something...

FULL LENGTH - Victorian supernatural

A grieving widow. A house with secrets. And an invitation to a seance...

When Clara O'Hare's husband passed away, she felt her life was over. But when she moves into a new home to escape the memories, she discovers that she may not be alone...

Desperate to find answers, she attends a séance in a remote country home surrounded by a colorful cast of strangers. But something sinister has decided to make itself known. It will be up to her and medium, Wesley Lowenherz, to find out what the spirits of the manor are dying to tell them.

Laced with gothic romance and paranormal mystery, A Spirited Manor is a fast-paced adventure that examines the journey from grief to purpose, and the return to life after loss.

Working for Crumbs - A Dead Body Farce

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH Workplace Farce

"9-to-5 Meets Weekend at Bernie's"

-Nominated for two OFFIES (Off West End Awards)
-Nominated for two BroadwayWorld UK / West End Awards
-Semifinalist Hart NPI
-Semifinalist Eugene O'Neill National Playwriting Competition
-Semifinalist 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival

Grace and Amy, two outrageous admins, are living for the crumbs of their soul-sucking jobs. But when calamity...

FULL LENGTH Workplace Farce

"9-to-5 Meets Weekend at Bernie's"

-Nominated for two OFFIES (Off West End Awards)
-Nominated for two BroadwayWorld UK / West End Awards
-Semifinalist Hart NPI
-Semifinalist Eugene O'Neill National Playwriting Competition
-Semifinalist 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival

Grace and Amy, two outrageous admins, are living for the crumbs of their soul-sucking jobs. But when calamity strikes and their boss chokes on an oatmeal raisin cookie, it sets off a domino-effect of destruction that brings down the corporate house.

(Working for Crumbs was formerly titled BureauCRAZY)

The Grand Delusion - A Modern Tragedy of Reality

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

ONE ACT - Society tells us to cast off our fear and follow our dreams. It tells us that the ability to change our fate lies in our own hands. But what if you're really bad at the thing you love? A wry tragedy of one man who should never have quit his day job.

ONE ACT - Society tells us to cast off our fear and follow our dreams. It tells us that the ability to change our fate lies in our own hands. But what if you're really bad at the thing you love? A wry tragedy of one man who should never have quit his day job.

The Camera, The Gerbil, and the Big, Wide World

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

20-MINUTE SHORT

A nostalgic journey through a childhood friendship, and how a camera and a gerbil made the world huge and wonderful.

20-MINUTE SHORT

A nostalgic journey through a childhood friendship, and how a camera and a gerbil made the world huge and wonderful.

Dating's A Beast Cycle

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

20-MINUTES

Three short pieces - Meet the Family, Mystery Date, and Dating Sucks - combined in one cycle to be interspersed throughout an evening of short plays.

Sue likes the bad boys, but what happens when she starts bringing real monsters home to meet the family?

20-MINUTES

Three short pieces - Meet the Family, Mystery Date, and Dating Sucks - combined in one cycle to be interspersed throughout an evening of short plays.

Sue likes the bad boys, but what happens when she starts bringing real monsters home to meet the family?

Baked with Love

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

10-MIN SHORT

This criminal might be one tough cookie, but once Mrs. Maple is done with him, he'll crumble like yesterday's biscuits.

10-MIN SHORT

This criminal might be one tough cookie, but once Mrs. Maple is done with him, he'll crumble like yesterday's biscuits.

Cue

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT

John and Mary are in the middle of a romantic scene, but have to scramble when their scene partner keeps missing his cue. Yes! Let's figure out how the show will go on!

SHORT

John and Mary are in the middle of a romantic scene, but have to scramble when their scene partner keeps missing his cue. Yes! Let's figure out how the show will go on!

Divine Intervention

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT

An artist struggles to follow her dreams, but finds herself up against the "divine plan." Divine Intervention is a comedic examination of the messages society gives to women and the struggle to not just succeed, but succeed when up against the idea of a crippling cosmic power forcing one into an unwanted, predetermined fate.

SHORT

An artist struggles to follow her dreams, but finds herself up against the "divine plan." Divine Intervention is a comedic examination of the messages society gives to women and the struggle to not just succeed, but succeed when up against the idea of a crippling cosmic power forcing one into an unwanted, predetermined fate.

Hitchers

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

"Very funny, very original and horridly amusing. " - Alvina Ruprecht, Capitol Critics' Circle

SHORT - What happens when two serial killers pick each other up on a lonely road? Sometimes the best friendships are forged in the most unusual circumstances...

co-written by Kate Danley and Joe Purcell

"Very funny, very original and horridly amusing. " - Alvina Ruprecht, Capitol Critics' Circle

SHORT - What happens when two serial killers pick each other up on a lonely road? Sometimes the best friendships are forged in the most unusual circumstances...

co-written by Kate Danley and Joe Purcell

The Interview

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - We all know job interviews are an exercise in white lies, but what if people spoke the truth? Mary and John are about to get honest about what's really going on.

SHORT - We all know job interviews are an exercise in white lies, but what if people spoke the truth? Mary and John are about to get honest about what's really going on.

Kill Them With Kindness

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - They say laughter is the best medicine. Sometimes it's not.

SHORT - They say laughter is the best medicine. Sometimes it's not.

Kings of the World

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

3rd Place in the 10x10x10 Festival at Fells Point Corner Theater

SHORT - Jeff and Bud have all the solutions to the world's problems... if only they could get off their bar stools.

3rd Place in the 10x10x10 Festival at Fells Point Corner Theater

SHORT - Jeff and Bud have all the solutions to the world's problems... if only they could get off their bar stools.

Lovey Dovey

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

Short Comedy

John and Mary love each other. They love everything about each other. But perhaps you can take lovey dovey talk too far.

Short Comedy

John and Mary love each other. They love everything about each other. But perhaps you can take lovey dovey talk too far.

Margie's Interview

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - The local elementary school needs a new arts and crafts teacher. A local lumberjack needs a new job.

SHORT - The local elementary school needs a new arts and crafts teacher. A local lumberjack needs a new job.

Meet the Family

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - Sue has a habit of dating monsters, but what happens when she brings a REAL monster home to meet the family?

SHORT - Sue has a habit of dating monsters, but what happens when she brings a REAL monster home to meet the family?

Mystery Date

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - Sue is the worst about dating men who are absolute monsters. Who will she bring home to meet her family this time?

NOTE: This piece stands alone, but is also a companion piece to Meet The Family.

SHORT - Sue is the worst about dating men who are absolute monsters. Who will she bring home to meet her family this time?

NOTE: This piece stands alone, but is also a companion piece to Meet The Family.

Socks

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - John just needs to buy a pair of socks before an important meeting, but if shopgirl Mary has her way, he will end up in quite a pair.

SHORT - John just needs to buy a pair of socks before an important meeting, but if shopgirl Mary has her way, he will end up in quite a pair.

Staging

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - A family is trying to sell their house, but they don't quite understand the concept of staging.

SHORT - A family is trying to sell their house, but they don't quite understand the concept of staging.

Stiff Upper Lip

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT - The year is 1890. Amelia's house has been hit by a tornado. Or was it a freight train? As Amelia and her butler, George, spar, this short, dark comedy grapples with the blinders of society, the lies we tell, and the lies we accept.

SHORT - The year is 1890. Amelia's house has been hit by a tornado. Or was it a freight train? As Amelia and her butler, George, spar, this short, dark comedy grapples with the blinders of society, the lies we tell, and the lies we accept.

True Love

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT

"If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?" Well, Sue has decided to do just that.

SHORT

"If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?" Well, Sue has decided to do just that.

The True Meaning of Christmas

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

HOLIDAY SHORT - Four mall employees try to plan the theme for the Santa's Corner picture area. But in this world of crass commercialism, will they be able to figure out the true meaning of Christmas? Probably not.

HOLIDAY SHORT - Four mall employees try to plan the theme for the Santa's Corner picture area. But in this world of crass commercialism, will they be able to figure out the true meaning of Christmas? Probably not.

War on Christmas

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

HOLIDAY SHORT

In a world where the Easter Bunny is trying to declare war on Christmas, only one man can save us! A snow man. Get ready this December for THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS!

HOLIDAY SHORT

In a world where the Easter Bunny is trying to declare war on Christmas, only one man can save us! A snow man. Get ready this December for THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS!

My Zombie Valentine

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

SHORT HOLIDAY COMEDY

The only defense against the mindless horde is the most mindless of holidays

SHORT HOLIDAY COMEDY

The only defense against the mindless horde is the most mindless of holidays

The Enigma

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE

Some philosophies tout that we have the power to reshape the universe with our thoughts. But what if it goes wrong?

MONOLOGUE

Some philosophies tout that we have the power to reshape the universe with our thoughts. But what if it goes wrong?

Nature's Gift

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE

Luna, a crunchy granola narcissist who missed the whole point of self awareness, goes into the forest with her boyfriend to explain matters of life and death.

MONOLOGUE

Luna, a crunchy granola narcissist who missed the whole point of self awareness, goes into the forest with her boyfriend to explain matters of life and death.

Old Fashioned Girl

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE

Penny Dryer is out on a blind date. Will this old-fashioned bookworm find love?

MONOLOGUE

Penny Dryer is out on a blind date. Will this old-fashioned bookworm find love?

Real Boy

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE - A man breaks up with a marble statue in this dark comedic monologue about finding real love.

NOTE: This monologue was inspired by a friend kissing a statue

MONOLOGUE - A man breaks up with a marble statue in this dark comedic monologue about finding real love.

NOTE: This monologue was inspired by a friend kissing a statue

Do You Have the Time?

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

ONE MINUTE

Two people stand on a train platform. One person asks for the time. And thus begins their spiral into hilarious madness.

ONE MINUTE

Two people stand on a train platform. One person asks for the time. And thus begins their spiral into hilarious madness.

Women's History Month PSA

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

ONE MINUTE

A PSA about how to honor the women in your life this Women's History Month

ONE MINUTE

A PSA about how to honor the women in your life this Women's History Month

Groupon-for-Two

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

ZOOM SHORT

Mary thought she was signing up for a romantic "cooking for two" experience when she bought the Groupon. But she should have read the description closer.

ZOOM SHORT

Mary thought she was signing up for a romantic "cooking for two" experience when she bought the Groupon. But she should have read the description closer.

Mute

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

ZOOM SHORT

Two friends meet up for a Zoom call, if only they can figure out how to unmute themselves.

This short comedic piece for Zoom provides opportunity for movement and leaving the screen to use the space beyond.

ZOOM SHORT

Two friends meet up for a Zoom call, if only they can figure out how to unmute themselves.

This short comedic piece for Zoom provides opportunity for movement and leaving the screen to use the space beyond.

Telebomb

by Kate Danley

Synopsis

ZOOM SHORT

A Zoom coordinator is in charge of a telecom conference on Zoom. But the trolls are always waiting...

Written for Zoom, this quick, funny monologue provides opportunities for movement and use of space beyond the computer screen.

ZOOM SHORT

A Zoom coordinator is in charge of a telecom conference on Zoom. But the trolls are always waiting...

Written for Zoom, this quick, funny monologue provides opportunities for movement and use of space beyond the computer screen.