Jacqueline Goldfinger

SEEKING DEVELOPMENT. A contemporary Feminist reimagining of the classic screwball comedy "His Girl Friday," "Special Correspondent" is a sweeping romantic comedy set-in present-day Chicago. 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 witty new play celebrates love, friendship, and the eternal beauty of a Royal Flush. If you like GILMORE GIRLS and SPORTS NIGHT then you'll love SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. (All original material is now in the public domain.)

“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.

A father-daughter arson team burns their relationship to the ground, and then rise from the ashes. THE ARSONISTS is a Queer Southern Gothic play - a lyrical, heartbreaking, and darkly funny play with music about the eternal bond between parent and child.

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 TWO VERSIONS: There are two versions of this script. The one posted here is stripped down with few production elements. Message me to receive the version that indicates projections and additional production elements.

World Premiere at Redtwist Theatre in Chicago, October-November 2024. CONTACT REDTWIST ABOUT A ROLLING WORLD PREMIERE.

Winner of the Yale Drama Prize, "Bottle Fly" is a beautiful depiction of queer survival in the Everglades. The play with music captures the many layered dynamics of race, poverty, and bigotry sun-baked into life in South Florida with heart, humor, and hope.

"'Bottle Fly' is an ambitious work….[It] illuminates love in many guises: love for those who have mattered to one in the past, love that was born as pity, love tinged with guilt, love for those who need your protection and love for someone who, without even knowing that she was doing it, holds out the promise of a more beautiful life."—Nicholas Wright, Broadway/West End playwright, "Vincent in Brixton" and "The Reporter" (UK)

“Jacqueline Goldfinger is that rarity in American theatre--a poet-playwright. 'Bottle Fly' is a gorgeous play, roaring with the sacred and the profane and--for all its passion--delicately conveyed.”—Dan O’Brien, playwright, "The Body of an American" and "The House in Scarsdale," Guggenheim Fellow in Drama & Performance Art (USA)

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.

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.

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.

Awakened by a thunderstorm in the middle of the night, a family passes the time by weaving their own wonderous and joyful mermaid tale, using comedy, music, and dance to bring the timeless story of love and adventure to life. Hans Christian Andersen’s once cautionary tale about a disobedient girl is transformed into a magical journey that encourages young people to listen to their hearts and choose the right path even when it’s a difficult one.

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)

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)

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

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!!

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!