Klae Bainter

Klae Bainter is the resident playwright and literary manager of convergence-continuum in Cleveland, Ohio. His plays use poetic language in a socio-holic attempt to examine the grotesque nature of people, class, their values, and the spaces they hold sacred. His work interrogates the dehumanizing effects of capitalism on marginalized communities and within the working class, showing how systemic inequities drive people to betray their own communities in pursuit of survival, and how greed and ambition overshadow core values.

Klae’s plays have been produced in Cleveland, Spokane, Seattle, and Houston. Most recently, his work was featured in the international Arts & Climate project, Climate Change Theatre Action. He received his MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University and his BA in English...

Klae Bainter is the resident playwright and literary manager of convergence-continuum in Cleveland, Ohio. His plays use poetic language in a socio-holic attempt to examine the grotesque nature of people, class, their values, and the spaces they hold sacred. His work interrogates the dehumanizing effects of capitalism on marginalized communities and within the working class, showing how systemic inequities drive people to betray their own communities in pursuit of survival, and how greed and ambition overshadow core values.

Klae’s plays have been produced in Cleveland, Spokane, Seattle, and Houston. Most recently, his work was featured in the international Arts & Climate project, Climate Change Theatre Action. He received his MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University and his BA in English Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Washington. He lives with an obnoxious orange cat named Cormac.

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Scripts

Fly-By-- a 10-minute Monologue

by Klae Bainter

Cast Size
1
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
tragedy

When the surgeon who botched his partner’s operation pulls into his auto repair shop, Terrence is shocked... but he’s a professional. He may get a little something off his chest, but he’s gonna take real good care of things. Fly-By is a dark & comedic monologue about expertise & accountability.

When the surgeon who botched his partner’s operation pulls into his auto repair shop, Terrence is shocked... but he’s a professional. He may get a little something off his chest, but he’s gonna take real good care of things. Fly-By is a dark & comedic monologue about expertise & accountability.

A Perfect Day Away-- a full length play

by Klae Bainter

1
Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama,
experimental,
tragedy,
zoom

Things to do on a perfect day…
1. Make a list
2. Talk about hot dog ends.
3. Deal with the ever-present shame of a serious regret that keeps me homebound.
4. Go outside.
5. Find my cat.

Things to do on a perfect day…
1. Make a list
2. Talk about hot dog ends.
3. Deal with the ever-present shame of a serious regret that keeps me homebound.
4. Go outside.
5. Find my cat.

The Brutal Fucking Death of the Immigrant, the Drunkard, the Durable, the Juggernaut; "Iron" Mike Malloy

by Klae Bainter

2
Cast Size
8
Genre
commedia dell'arte,
dark comedy,
fable/folktale,
movement/physical,
political,
satire

A Proprietor, an Undertaker, a Cabby, and a Chemist walk into a bar…
…carrying a lot of debt. They hatch a murderous plot against local drunkard, Mike Malloy, for the insurance
payout. Oh, you thought this was a joke? Well, according to Ragamuffin & Ragabiscuit, two shantytown kids trying to convince the Copper to allow them to fetch a pail of water from the only clean pump left in the neighborhood, this...

A Proprietor, an Undertaker, a Cabby, and a Chemist walk into a bar…
…carrying a lot of debt. They hatch a murderous plot against local drunkard, Mike Malloy, for the insurance
payout. Oh, you thought this was a joke? Well, according to Ragamuffin & Ragabiscuit, two shantytown kids trying to convince the Copper to allow them to fetch a pail of water from the only clean pump left in the neighborhood, this bumbling murder trust underestimated who they were messing with—and none of it is a laughing matter.

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YOLO, Rolos! -- a long monologue

by Klae Bainter

2
Cast Size
1
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama

Nate leaves his father's funeral procession to make a pit stop for fuel & candy, and unwraps a little more than he intended.

Nate leaves his father's funeral procession to make a pit stop for fuel & candy, and unwraps a little more than he intended.

Out of the Frying Pan-- a short play

by Klae Bainter

1
Cast Size
2
Genre
drama,
fable/folktale,
political

When roommates, Octavia & Athena, tell the stories and history of their respective family heirlooms, it becomes clear that something terrible has happened.

When roommates, Octavia & Athena, tell the stories and history of their respective family heirlooms, it becomes clear that something terrible has happened.

Til Death Blooms True-- a full length play

by Klae Bainter

1
Cast Size
3
Genre
docudrama/historic,
drama,
tragedy

In the wake of her mother’s death, Wren struggles to keep her family’s farm alive while also caring for her father, Jubal, whose grief has curdled into paranoia & delusion. Ten years removed from a plague of locusts and the debts are mounting. Jubal rejects help from Mr. Floyd Moxley (his former friend & foreman) and spirals deeper into suspicion, control, and apocalyptic fear. After an act of brutal violence...

In the wake of her mother’s death, Wren struggles to keep her family’s farm alive while also caring for her father, Jubal, whose grief has curdled into paranoia & delusion. Ten years removed from a plague of locusts and the debts are mounting. Jubal rejects help from Mr. Floyd Moxley (his former friend & foreman) and spirals deeper into suspicion, control, and apocalyptic fear. After an act of brutal violence, Wren realizes she can’t save or survive her father. In a final act of desperation, she chooses her future and takes the only exit the farm’s rotted bones allow.

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For a Sunbeam -- a monologue

by Klae Bainter

2
Cast Size
1
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama,
period,
zoom

Nate, a ninties kid, will be the talk of the neighborhood with his new Super Soaker 100... now if he could only get his father's attention.

Nate, a ninties kid, will be the talk of the neighborhood with his new Super Soaker 100... now if he could only get his father's attention.

Oh, No! Let's Go!-- a short play

by Klae Bainter

Cast Size
2
Genre
adventure,
comedy,
dark comedy,
romantic comedy,
zoom

Quarantine is over. Adam & Molly, two residents of a Seattle high-rise, have survived and it's time to party. All they have to do is make it through this elevator ride.

(Lightly inspired by "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince.)

Quarantine is over. Adam & Molly, two residents of a Seattle high-rise, have survived and it's time to party. All they have to do is make it through this elevator ride.

(Lightly inspired by "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince.)

All The Silver Cars (or Virgos Do it Best) -- a monologue

by Klae Bainter

2
Cast Size
1
Genre
dark comedy,
drama,
experimental,
horror,
satire,
zoom

Unsure of where he is, but proud of every choice he's made and the skills he's used along the way, Gerald just wants a glass of water so he can continue pleading his case.

Unsure of where he is, but proud of every choice he's made and the skills he's used along the way, Gerald just wants a glass of water so he can continue pleading his case.