Libby Heily

Libby is a playwright and author based in New York. Her work has been shortlisted for the 2022 Yale Drama Series Prize, the 2023 Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship, and the 2025 Theater 503 International Playwriting Award. She is a 2023 MacDowell Fellow. Her work has been supported by The Bechdel Group, Valdez Theater Conference, New Circle Theater, The Tank, Speranza Theater, Eden Theater Company, and The Women's Theater Festival. Libby has written and performed in several one-person shows and has been performing improv for over a decade.

Her fiction has been published in Daily Science Fiction, The Baltimore Review, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, and Theaker’s Quarterly among others. Her short story, Grow Your Own Dad, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Libby is a playwright and author based in New York. Her work has been shortlisted for the 2022 Yale Drama Series Prize, the 2023 Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship, and the 2025 Theater 503 International Playwriting Award. She is a 2023 MacDowell Fellow. Her work has been supported by The Bechdel Group, Valdez Theater Conference, New Circle Theater, The Tank, Speranza Theater, Eden Theater Company, and The Women's Theater Festival. Libby has written and performed in several one-person shows and has been performing improv for over a decade.

Her fiction has been published in Daily Science Fiction, The Baltimore Review, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, and Theaker’s Quarterly among others. Her short story, Grow Your Own Dad, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Scripts

Together We Are Safe

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

Paul struggles as the lone survivor of a death cult. He lives on their former compound with the ghosts of his past as his only companions. Tabitha, the child of a former member, wants to restart the cult. Paul has one chance to convince Tabitha to leave the past alone, but his own ghosts try to stop him.

Paul struggles as the lone survivor of a death cult. He lives on their former compound with the ghosts of his past as his only companions. Tabitha, the child of a former member, wants to restart the cult. Paul has one chance to convince Tabitha to leave the past alone, but his own ghosts try to stop him.

DOT DOT DOT

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

Dorothy, Dottie, and Dot are three women and one person. Dorothy had postpartum depression and was sent to an institute for treatment. Instead of help, she was used as an unwilling test subject for MK Ultra. She went into the institute as a loving wife and mother with hopes of becoming an author. She came out Dottie, a shattered woman struggling with PTSD and memory loss.

Dot is 87. She's come a long way but...

Dorothy, Dottie, and Dot are three women and one person. Dorothy had postpartum depression and was sent to an institute for treatment. Instead of help, she was used as an unwilling test subject for MK Ultra. She went into the institute as a loving wife and mother with hopes of becoming an author. She came out Dottie, a shattered woman struggling with PTSD and memory loss.

Dot is 87. She's come a long way but carries guilt and shame over the things she did as Dottie.

The women explore and create together as they try to find their way to a place of peace and forgiveness. The play takes place in the 1960s and 2025. Time is permeable, so are the walls of the set.

A fictional account based on things that actually happened.

Hot Damn

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

In near future America, climate collapse is on the horizon and the rich plan to live the good life no matter what. A new company has constructed the first-ever deep sea bunker with all the luxuries of land-life without all the pesky risks. But the super rich think their future is on the new colony being built on Mars. In order to convince their potential clients that life in the ocean is the best bug-out...

In near future America, climate collapse is on the horizon and the rich plan to live the good life no matter what. A new company has constructed the first-ever deep sea bunker with all the luxuries of land-life without all the pesky risks. But the super rich think their future is on the new colony being built on Mars. In order to convince their potential clients that life in the ocean is the best bug-out strategy, the company hires fives down-on-their-luck strangers to live in the bunker as guinea pigs.

This group will be watched by the company as well as potential clients.

The play deals with economic inequality and the unfairness of climate change, but it is mostly a deep-dive into what it means to be a human under pressure (my apologies for the pun).

Dog Days (working title)

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

Kelly is a recent retiree searching for community. Deirdre has a book club in need of a place to meet. She and the other members of the club have grown complacent and disconnected. Kelly offers to host the club, but cutting insights are on offer as well as scrumptious hors d'oeuvres.

Kelly's not the only new guest. Betty, Kelly's right hand gal, is on hand to offer her opinions between stories about her...

Kelly is a recent retiree searching for community. Deirdre has a book club in need of a place to meet. She and the other members of the club have grown complacent and disconnected. Kelly offers to host the club, but cutting insights are on offer as well as scrumptious hors d'oeuvres.

Kelly's not the only new guest. Betty, Kelly's right hand gal, is on hand to offer her opinions between stories about her fabulous career as a C list actress. Even Kelly's new rescue dog has things to say.

37 Incidents Between Victoria and Her Brain

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

37 Incidents Between Victoria and Her Brain explores the complex relationship between our minds and ourselves. Like most of us, Victoria often feels disconnected from her brain. As she matures, Victoria develops both good and bad coping mechanisms. Through familiar and a few not-so-familiar rites of passage, Victoria deals with love, life, death, and trauma. Her brain supports and undermines her along the way.

37 Incidents Between Victoria and Her Brain explores the complex relationship between our minds and ourselves. Like most of us, Victoria often feels disconnected from her brain. As she matures, Victoria develops both good and bad coping mechanisms. Through familiar and a few not-so-familiar rites of passage, Victoria deals with love, life, death, and trauma. Her brain supports and undermines her along the way.

Start Then Next

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

The play begins with Girl's small act of rebellion – refusing to speak or move. Her action/inaction sparks a need for change in each character. Over three acts, their home becomes a living nightmare as they try to make their dreams come true.

The play begins with Girl's small act of rebellion – refusing to speak or move. Her action/inaction sparks a need for change in each character. Over three acts, their home becomes a living nightmare as they try to make their dreams come true.

Midnight Showing

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

After years of making John Waters inspired films in her parents' basement, Diana is catapulted into fame with her exploitation film, "Clown Fucker." Diana is bold, blunt, and willing to offend. She does not suffer fools nor does she allow anyone to question her asexuality or her extremely close relationship with her parents.

Diana directs a cast of clowns as she explores her career and personal growth. Her...

After years of making John Waters inspired films in her parents' basement, Diana is catapulted into fame with her exploitation film, "Clown Fucker." Diana is bold, blunt, and willing to offend. She does not suffer fools nor does she allow anyone to question her asexuality or her extremely close relationship with her parents.

Diana directs a cast of clowns as she explores her career and personal growth. Her strong outer shell hides a fearful soul plagued by troubling thoughts. Once the safety her parents provided is stripped away, Diana has a breakdown and must learn to negotiate the world again by herself.

Atomic Town

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

In the race to create nuclear weapons, multiple nations overlooked the safety and health of individual workers. They didn’t enforce safety procedures, didn’t purchase safety equipment and often times kept the dangers of working with radioactive materials secret from their employees. “Atomic Town” is a surrealistic look at the atomic accidents that ensued.

The play follows Carl, a nuclear plant worker, and...

In the race to create nuclear weapons, multiple nations overlooked the safety and health of individual workers. They didn’t enforce safety procedures, didn’t purchase safety equipment and often times kept the dangers of working with radioactive materials secret from their employees. “Atomic Town” is a surrealistic look at the atomic accidents that ensued.

The play follows Carl, a nuclear plant worker, and Tessa, a spokesperson for Radium Water, as they gain their portion of the American Dream and the American Nightmare. Carl is given one huge dose of radiation in an industrial accident while Tessa is slowly poisoned by drinking Radium Water, a 1940s health product (based on real products available at the time). Carl’s body breaks down completely while Tessa’s reaches a new kind of normal. Carl becomes an experiment. Tessa is destined to live a life of pain and destitution. The subject matter of “Atomic Town” is dark, but there are moments of levity. The style is absurdist/surrealist using puppetry, dance, and humor.

This play was developed in a classroom setting at The Barrow Group and HB Studio. It was given a reading by Hot Metal Arts Collective.

Meant To Be

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

An eccentric man and a unique woman fall in love over lunch.

An eccentric man and a unique woman fall in love over lunch.

Inference and Deduction

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

Three bar regulars argue over a painting done by the bartender's son. They see themselves, their true selves, in his work.

Three bar regulars argue over a painting done by the bartender's son. They see themselves, their true selves, in his work.

Thirty Years War, Kind Of

by Libby Heily

Synopsis

Two actors/frenemies spend their careers helping and hurting one another.

Two actors/frenemies spend their careers helping and hurting one another.