Vince Gatton

***Winner, Ashland New Plays Festival 2025***

[FULL-LENGTH] In a high-security meat-processing plant in the Ozarks, middle-aged line workers Ruth and Donna have long ago settled into a routine based on decades of shared resentments. But when a new figure shows up in town, cracks start to break wide open - between Ruth and Donna, and in the world high above their workstation. And what’s up with all these Security alerts lately? BETTER is a darkly comic drama about the personal and systemic forces that conspire to resist change — often and especially change for the better.

Based on the OOB Festival-winning short play BETTER, published by Samuel French, a Concord Theatricals Company

[FULL LENGTH] A pair of infants inexplicably survive a deadly plane crash without a scratch. Forty years later, the now-estranged twins meet up for lunch – and the secrets buried in their origin and upbringing may end up redefining the universe as we know it. Double Helix is a sibling drama about the commitments that connect and divide us, and the spiraling strands that make up the American DNA.

***Semifinalist, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
***Finalist, Dayton Playhouse FutureFest

[FULL-LENGTH] Four Americans each make a solitary pilgrimage to a remote, unpopulated island off the Alaskan coast, hoping to witness an obscure and mysterious atmospheric phenomenon known as the Chagutok Lights, which occurs only once every seventeen years. They each expect to be camping alone out there, but find themselves stuck in each others' company - an unwelcome situation for these people-skills-challenged individuals, but they manage...until a dead body appears. And it's just the first. Alone on this barren island, these four loners must work together to solve the mysteries of the dead, the Lights...and each other.

[FULL LENGTH] Danielle has survived a shocking act of workplace violence; her quiet older co-worker Jimmy has not. A small act in his final moments becomes a clue that sets Danielle off on a quest on his behalf, sending her down a rabbit hole of secrets, lies, and questions about her own place in the moral universe – and the state of the moral universe itself.

You Have Earned Bonus Stars is a comedy about tragedy, an exploration of the judgement we all face – from the great beyond, from each other, and from ourselves.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, they can be read as a unified larger work as well by reading this and its companion anthology, The Thing That Happened. That play includes:

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

[FULL LENGTH] In a small town library in the Deep South, two librarians share an unlikely close friendship, despite being on opposite sides of the culture war. But when a young queer runaway, ominous global events, and the Sweep of Human History come crashing through their front door, what will it take for that friendship to survive?

Alexandria is a play about relationships that cross deep divides of belief and conviction: what those relationships are worth, and what they cost.

*** Winner - Sanguine Theatre Company's Project Playwright Festival
** Semi-finalist, Princess Grace Award

[FULL LENGTH] Dan and Eric have a new marriage license, a new baby, and a new house in the country. As they settle into this new life, Dan is having what seem to be sleepwalking episodes. A ghost story told by a young visitor leads Eric to suspect that Dan's sleepwalking incidents are actually something far more sinister -- but are they what he thinks they are? Or are there other forces at work?

WAKE is a ghost story for the post-AIDS generation, a play about marriage, expectations, and the power of narrative to both heal and harm.

[ANTHOLOGY] A seemingly normal day at the office gets a shocking twist. The Thing That Happened takes a sideways look at the event by exploring the stories along its margins – moments that touch directly or indirectly on the events of that one terrible day. Hopping around in time, place, and genre, these six funny, scary, sweet and sad short stories look at the ripple effects of violence and the unseen threads that connect us all.

A companion piece to the full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

*****The chapters can also be read as standalone pieces, found separately here on NPX. They are:

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

[SHORT] As a Gilded Age ocean liner sinks into the North Atlantic, one young telegraph officer stays resolutely at his post. A play about waiting, and not.

[SHORT] The former Elf King stands in Queen Úrrél's throne room, bearing a gift. How well is that going to go, exactly?

Written for the Playwrights Thriving Playwright's Delight Title Challenge.

[SHORT] In a small church in Imperial Russia, Father Kirill is approached by the scion of a prominent local family for a favor: the young man is convinced it's his divine calling to be an oktavist, one of the legendary ultra-deep-voiced singers in Russian liturgical music. That calling, and much else, will now be put to the test.

WINNER, The Gary Garrison Playwriting Award for 10-Minute Plays

[SHORT] Two siblings on a video call attempt to manage a crisis.

A Zoom-friendly play.

[SHORT] Two roommates at boarding school are picking monologues for an upcoming audition for their school's production of Romeo and Juliet. The choice proves more momentous than expected.

[SHORT] A boy's quest for a safe harbor leads him unexpectedly into the most terrifying danger of his young life. A comedy (sort of?) about shopping for underwear.

[SHORT} It’s late at night, and Katie is at the end of her rope: a historical footnote from World War II has led her to some hard conclusions about the role luck plays – or doesn’t – in our proximity to disasters. But the woman in her bed still has some questions.

[SHORT] The déjà vu Bri is experiencing while working a jigsaw puzzle with her dad is unpleasant in more ways than one.

[ONE ACT] Having to set up the dumb office "surprise" birthday party is tedious enough, but now Nathan also has to contend with the weirdly skittish janitor and a mysterious stranger occupying the conference room. Janmadin is a (dark?) comedy about our complicated American relationship to work, and to the people we work with. Also: cupcakes.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]

[SHORT] An eager high school boy enlists his friends' help in coming up with the perfect "big gesture" to win the heart of the girl he loves. The help he gets, though, isn't the help he wants -- and for reasons he can't seem to understand. A play about romance, boundaries, control, and consequences.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]

[SHORT] Three nurses on a run to 7-11 encounter a stroke of good luck -- and other surprises. A play about cynicism, compassion, and sudden reversals of fortune.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]

[SHORT] Bed-bound Clay calls a friend for help.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]

[SHORT] In a sunny suburban kitchen on a Saturday afternoon, a mother's last nerve is getting trampled on by her teenage son's loud music. But underneath their argument over iTunes, a sudden loss and an unspoken fear are waiting to be revealed.

Status Update is a play about youth, middle age, the relentless passing of time, and the small acts of love that make up our days.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]

[ONE ACT] A malfunctioning piece of office equipment brings out the worst in a diverse group of co-workers. A dark comedy about perspective.

*** Winner, LIC Short Play Festival

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]

[SHORT] Two women working along the line of a poultry-processing plant in Arkansas share many things, including their views about personal improvement; but when those views unexpectedly diverge, old cracks break wide open.

**Winner - Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival
*Finalist - City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting

[ONE ACT] On the eve of the millennium, a teenage girl attends her first rave and envisions a potential future that rejects the rules and restrictions of her parents' middle class values. But she soon finds that the freedom the rave promises is not just for her, in ways she finds deeply threatening.

[SHORT] One the eve of the last tournament of the year, three high school trivia nerds must confront the real reasons for their losing streak.

[SHORT] A series of nested dreams, exploring how our celebrity obsessions both flatter and condemn us.

Might as well be titled: What We Dream About When We Dream About Katie Holmes