Personal Histories

A scientist on the lam meets a disgraced journalist to ghost write his memoirs in a claustrophobic motel room outside Washington. And a priceless statue. Pinter meets the Maltese Falcon. Two characters, no intermission, no break. 2m, but easily gender-neutral with a few minor tweaks.
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Personal Histories

Recommended by

  • Aleks Merilo:
    23 Jan. 2019
    This is a solid, old fashioned crime of intrigue. One scene, one, setting, and one story. The dialogue is tight, succinct, and reveals just enough information at a time to keep the audiences focused. The reminded me of old fashioned crime noirs I have seen (“Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, “The Maltese Falcon") but it seemed like a fond tribute to those structures, not a cheap rip off. This is an admirably formed thriller.
  • Larry Rinkel:
    31 Oct. 2018
    From the start of "Personal Histories" I felt I was in the hands of a master craftsman who knew exactly what he was doing, and who shaped a tidy little noir with overtones of "The Maltese Falcon," hitting many of the key expectations of the genre in such a way that revelation after revelation unfolds in increasingly tense and exciting fashion. The play is well-paced, features snappy dialogue, seems well-researched in science and art, and I hope gets picked up by any theatre Jerry Slaff cares to submit it to.
  • TOTL, Theatre on the Lake:
    28 Jul. 2018
    We were thrilled to select Personal Histories by Jerry Slaff as the Maryland Winner for our 2018 Old Red Barn New Play Reading Series. Jerry's play wonderfully spins nuanced details around an exciting, unexpected plot that kept our reading audience guessing. Highly recommend!

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Theater on the Lake, Old Barn Reading Series, Deep Creek Lake, Md.
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    Baltimore Playwrights Festival (excerpt)
    ,
    2018

Awards

Finalist
,
Playwrights-First
,
2019
Semi-Finalist
,
Garry Marshall Theater
,
2018
Honorable Mention
,
Script (Stage Play,Television/Movie Script)
,
87th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition
,
2018
Second tier
,
Austin Film Festival
,
2018
Semi-Finalist
,
Second round
,
Phoenix Theatre Festival of New Works
,
2018