Kim E. Ruyle

[Full-Length]
When a lottery ticket given as a wedding gift unexpectedly pays out, four lives and relationships are fractured. Charles, a principled associate professor of neurobiology, and Blanca, his brilliant post-doctoral colleague, are collaborators on an NSF-funded study exploring the limits of human free will. Charles is married to Denise, a ferociously competitive corporate attorney, while Blanca has just wed Terrence, an ambitious pharmaceutical executive whose values don’t align with hers. Blanca insists the winning lottery ticket be returned to Charles, but he refuses – after all, a gift is a gift. Since Denise and Terrence are both avid anglers, it’s suggested that a fishing competition settles who gets to keep the ticket. At an upscale resort on a lake famous for trophy muskies, they find themselves isolated in a crucible that surfaces private desires. Accusations of betrayal – professional, marital, and ethical – collide with arguments about choice, responsibility, and whether fidelity is an act of free will or a neurological illusion.

[Full-Length]
A group of mystery writers gather at a remote location where they’ve been led to believe their publisher has arranged an exclusive retreat for them to socialize with each other and to hobnob with S. P. Poser, a famous but enigmatic mystery author. On their arrival, Poser is absent, but they find instructions to look for clues and write a short story that explores an unsolved murder that occurred in their retreat location, a lighthouse on an island in Lake Superior. When the stranded participants are faced with a murder in their midst, disillusionment turns to terror.

[Full-Length]
NOTE: A short soundtrack featured in the play is available for download on this page.
After being forced out of his job, Loren, a resident of Mourning Woods Village, is deeply depressed. Shar, his next-door neighbor, is determined to reanimate and romance Loren. She invites him to partner in a dance contest with the support of Paloma, the earthy, vivacious activities coordinator who ludicrously supports the matchmaking. Adult children jump in and complicate things with their own problems and interference. In the end, will anyone find romance? Will anyone even dance?

[Full-Length]
A dysfunctional condo association wrestles with a dictatorial board president, her cowboy and rodeo queen accomplices, the commotion caused by draconian restrictions on holiday decorations, a wacky maintenance worker, an insurrection led by a resident, and burgeoning romances.

[Full-Length]
Claire, a young schoolteacher in frontier Wyoming, seeks revenge after the notorious outlaws, George “Big Nose” Parrot and “Dutch Charlie” Burris, murder her fiancé. Her decisions are shaped by three suitors who have very different world views. Lillian, a precocious teenager, helps Claire consider the propriety of the suitors and guides her through the turbulent political climate in Rawlins. Fannie, a local barmaid, provides a means for Claire to exact revenge. The western frontier is a dangerous place, and the way Claire chooses to deal with violence, revenge, and romance has profound consequences.

[Full-Length]
It all starts innocently enough when on the afternoon of November 19th, 2021, four coworkers are thrown together in a hunting cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods on this, the very day that Kyle Rittenhouse has been found not guilty of fatally shooting two people during the Kenosha unrest of 2020. One of the four is an interloper, a fish out of water who has no business being there. As they discover unnerving truths about each other, including how they are each uniquely connected to the events in Kenosha, hostilities are sparked, alliances form and break, and everyone is put in jeopardy. How destructive can polarizing values become on a personal level? These four coworkers are about to find out.

[Full-Length]
The first date between Maeve, a PhD psychologist, and Rob, a blue-collar welder, turns into a weekend whirlwind of sensuality, conflict, and surprises as this unlikely couple explores attraction, compatibility, and love later in life. Their verbal swordplay slices away layers to reveal the inner lives of these vibrant mature characters. At times amusing, other times painful, their banter takes them to a place they could not have predicted and leads to a stunning conclusion.
NOTE: OVER ITS DEVELOPMENT, THIS PLAY HAS GONE THROUGH TWO TITLE CHANGES: SENIOR SWORDPLAY and LOVE LATELY.

[One-Act]
When Julie and Mike arrive very late one winter evening at the cabin reserved for their anniversary weekend, they encounter Amber, an unexpected interloper. Mike and Julie’s relationship is already in trouble, but will the intrusion of Amber, a truck stop massage therapist, salvage or doom the anniversary weekend?

[One-Act].
Inspired by the works of William Shakespeare with a nod to The Taming of the Shrew.
Competition on the pickleball court spills over for Kate and Bebe when they place a bet on who will be most successful in reforming their partners to play differently. Can a dinker become a banger? Even more interesting perhaps, can a banger become a dinker?

[One-Act]
Frank, a math teacher distraught over the ignorance of his students, encounters and unloads on Joni, a substitute teacher, in the teachers’ lounge. In conversation with Joni and other teachers, Frank discovers that his ignorance, in some ways, surpasses that of his students.

[Full-Length] Licensing and scripts available from Next Stage Press: https://www.nextstagepress.com/
The insane dynamics and dysfunction of a western Montana logging family are laid bare over a Thanksgiving holiday. A volatile redneck patriarch, a doting matriarch, and five grown children are forced to confront their biases, and broken relationships with a series of crises that careen between tragic and hilarious.

[Full-Length] Licensing and scripts available from Next Stage Press: https://www.nextstagepress.com/sliding-into-seniorhood/
The paths of six intriguing characters intersect as they navigate the unpredictable and challenging twists and turns of aging. On the slide into seniorhood, they encounter relationships and experiences, some painful, some sensual, and some just downright silly. When all is said and done, will they find that life has left them with anything more than simple memories?

[Full-Length] Licensing and scripts available from Next Stage Press:
https://www.nextstagepress.com/a-crooked-french-affair
An aspiring playwright-director has penned his very first masterpiece: A Crooked French Affair — a steamy, scandal-laced romance set in the lavish court of Louis XV. Or so he thinks. When he presents his “vision” to the hilariously chaotic Board of Directors at the Pity Falls Community Playhouse, all hell breaks loose. Yet somehow — whether by fate, folly, or sheer confusion — the play gets the green light. Now comes the real drama: wrangling a hopelessly unskilled cast of local amateurs into something resembling a performance. Let the misadventures begin. Written by Wisconsin playwright Kim E. Ruyle, A Crooked French Affair is hilarious, irreverent, and a whole lot of fun!

[Full-Length] Licensing and scripts available from Next Stage Press: https://www.nextstagepress.com/five-frickin-winters/
Roger, a struggling writer, finds his life in a tailspin. He’s dead broke. His best friend’s wife has an out-of-control libido and keeps attempting to seduce him. His friend, oblivious to his wife’s flirting, tries to set Roger up with an inconceivable companion. And worst of all, he’s got no inspiration to write. Will Roger stave off his love-starved neighbor? Will he fall head-over-heels for un unlikely paramour? Will he leave his beloved Florida to endure five frickin winters in Minnesota? Or maybe, just maybe, this wild and wacky scenario will provide Roger with the very inspiration he craves.

[Full-Length] Licensing and scripts available from Dramatic Publishing: https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/browse/tennessee-wet-rub
It’s January 30, 1951, and perhaps what is the worst winter storm in Tennessee’s history is burying the state under snow and ice. Roads have been shut down, and people are without power. As the storm rages, Bertha and Hank, an older white couple, huddle in their shuttered barbecue restaurant around a kerosene lantern when two young people, a white girl and a black male enter seeking refuge. The values and compassion of Bertha and Hank are put to the test when a deputy sheriff arrives hunting for something or someone.

[10-Minute]
Rebecca accompanies her injured dad to the ER. While waiting for medical attention, they engage in a wide-ranging discussion which leads Rebecca to a surprising insight.

[10-Minute]
After their first act of intimacy, two seniors try to decide if it’s possible to have a future that involves a committed, long-term relationship. Is it time for them to live together? Is that even possible when both carry personal baggage that includes exes, kids, grandkids, and a cat?

[10-15 Minutes]
During an early rehearsal of a play, a dark mystery-horror mashup, an actor struggles with the shitty script she’s been given. She confronts her director which leads to surprising insights for both.

[10-Minute]
A pair of mismatched writers on a layover happen to meet in an airport frequent flyer lounge. As they discuss their approaches to living, loving, and writing, they reach a surprising conclusion.

[10-Minute]
Jimmy and Danny consider the past, the future, and their obligation to the family legacy as they prepare for their younger brother’s funeral.

[10-Minute]
An emerging playwright and his wife explore the source of inspiration with the proprietors of a B&B.

[7-Minute Monologue]
A playwright writes a monologue to, ironically, disparage monologues. Perhaps, in its delivery, the message is negated, and the monologue succeeds in a way the playwright could not have anticipated.

Claire’s Invisibility Monologue is one of a series of ~2-minute monologues inspired by Kalispell, a full-length play by Kim E. Ruyle that follows the insane dynamics of a dysfunctional logging family from Montana.