George Sapio

FULL-LENGTH (68pp). Seven classical musicians are stranded in a 15th-century European castle which is surrounded by thousands of wolves. The world has been ravaged by disease and climate change and the population numbers have been reduced to a bare fraction of what they were at peak. Not knowing the state of the world--they've been incommunicado for six weeks--they hope that someone will notice and rescue them. In the meantime they need to learn to cooperate in order to survive.

"Masha's Monologue" published by Smith and Kraus "Best Men's Stage Monologues 2023" (link below)

SOLO ONE-ACT (70 min.) For three years during WWII, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Air Force, the first-ever female fighter pilots (in the history of war) flew nightly missions against the massive German war machine. They flew in all kinds of weather: rain, snow, sub-zero freezes, with no radar, lights, or parachutes. They flew over 300 sorties, often with ten or more missions per squad every night, dropping bombs on the Nazi front lines. The regiment was staffed entirely of women, including all support staff. They were one of the most highly decorated elite regiments in Soviet history. They flew biplanes. They dealt with misogyny and hardship. And they had the Nazis terrified of them.

FULL LENGTH COMEDY (65pp) - The Tortellinis are like any other long-term mob family: ruthless, conniving, and lovable. Vincent (Vinnie “Suitcases”) and wife Kate are at the end of their usefulness. When a mob hit goes wrong, they, daughter Maria, and son-in-law “Little Joey” Carpentieri need to think fast in order to make it to the end of this play. Throw in a couple of surprises on Vinnie's part and unexpected FBI interference, and the Tortellinis embark on a minute-by-minute journey no one expected.

(TYA DRAMA, 61pp) A Young Adult one-act which deals with the practice of casting white actors in roles meant for BIPOC.

FULL-LENGTH. Identity & humanity in the modern corporate workforce: can either of them survive within a dehumanizing system? After many years away, Martha, a middle-aged woman, re-enters the workforce in a global corporation. No matter how she tries to work her way up the ladder or improve her work life, she finds herself undervalued and all of her efforts frustrated. Her relationship with her sole co-worker and immediate supervisor evolves into a contentious battle of underhanded tactics and sabotage. Forced to change from a passive person into a pro-active individual, Martha begins to discover that she is more capable than she imagined.

FULL-LENGTH POLITICAL DRAMA (46pp) Lizzie Featherstone, in the interests of education and social awareness, publishes an essay from a distinguished alumna. Political forces immediately try to discredit her, but she will not back down. The issue becomes a legal battle that serves as an allegory for the record of SCOTUS free speech cases in the 20th century.
It's very likely that you may not know nearly enough about free speech in America.

FULL-LENGTH SATIRE / 89pp. At a posh urban private school, a Viking-themed teenage group suicide attempt sparks off a series of events leading to the formation of a women’s refuge society with dubious goals. Society observes and reacts, not always intelligently, and a well-meaning yet eminently clueless father must find a way to get back to his now-famous daughter by whatever means possible.

FULL-LENGTH COMEDY. A robbery leads to revelations for three sisters: fragile Stazi, a forensic pathologist who is chronically single; Ginger, whose "adventurous" past comes back to haunt her; and Theresa, a cigarette-smoking, foul-mouthed nun, who has always been the stalwart eldest sibling. Add in Ginger's husband, Shawn, whose bruised ego and desperate attempts to make it as a chef further complicate matters. Sibling rivalry, pornography, a dead mother who's still very much a potent presence, a fistful of condoms, secret ingredients, and family secrets threaten to tear the sisters apart.

*3 roles for women 40+.*

PARTIAL SCRIPT AVAILABLE. For full script, please contact Next Stage Press (see below).

ONE-ACT / 60 min. Billy, in his 30s, believes he is three. "Mommy" Claire, (who is actually Billy's older brother) has never let him out of the apartment, keeping him there with scary stories about the outside world. Babysitter Jane comes every day and behind Claire's back, hypnotizes and interviews Billy about his past. Billy, unable to contain his adult urges, makes advances to Jane. Jane puts him off, but encourages him to leave with her and put himself in the hands of her doctor associates. Things reach crisis when Billy, fed up with both Jane's stalling and Claire's dominance, finally refuses to cooperate with Jane and she is forced to either abandon the project or commit emotionally to him.

Critics' Pick - 2008 Cincinnati Fringe Festival

**PARTIAL SCRIPT AVAILABLE. For full script, contact Broadway Play Publishing (see below).

FULL-LENGTH COMEDIC DRAMA / 74pp. Heavily researched over three years, this is an as-close-to-factual story of the notorious King Richard III of England. 10 actors, 25 roles, runs a little over two hours, designed to be done on a simple set.

From his 18th birthday to his death at (what was believed to be) Market Bosworth, Kynges Games looks at the political forces that shaped and directed his life. Said by some to be a smart and dedicated king, by others a ruthless child murderer, Richard remains a controversial figure. Great opportunity for inventive casting, doubling, and sportscasted battle scenes!

FULL-LENGTH. Bobno, a documentary maker, and his assistant, Maddie, travel to New Orleans to film the right-to-die case of a woman who has been in a vegetative state since she was assaulted 20 years before. Complications arise as they are visited by the local Sheriff, who is also Bobno's stepfather. Maddie's investigation reveals that Bobno is more involved with the coma case than he has let on. The coma victim may be trying to communicate. All of this parallels Maddie's investigation into a hundred-year-old ghost story (a child's tragic death) that supposedly took place in the townhouse hotel room they are staying in.

FULL-LENGTH. Norman Miller is an unemployed writer of literature tainted with passages so explicitly sexual that no one wants to publish them. His wife Mixie has stopped believing in him. Her affair with Ted leads to murder. Murder leads to disposal problems just as Norman's agent shows up with earth-shaking news.

A 15-minute monologue about vegetarianism, The Greatest Burgers in the World, and of course, auditions.

15-minute play. Is an ambassador's decision to reject a political appointment based solely on ethical grounds or is it a chance to get back at a tyrannical bully?

15 pages. Lisa, pregnant (a rape victim), needs to get to the neighboring state for an abortion and Stan is her guide. Failing to make it past the border checkpoint could be calamitous for them both.

20 min. Sage, terminally ill, has a master plan to end her life on her own terms. However, she faces two difficulties: finding the worst play in the world and getting her magic potion back from a purse snatcher.

10 pages. Herbert and Gloria love adventure. And sex. And lists.

Carol tries to get her recalcitrant (and recent ex-con) father, Ranger, to show up at her son's 5th birthday party. But Ranger has a surprise of his own. (Part one of "Carol: A Triptych".)

**Published by Smith and Kraus; Best Short Plays of 2023**

35 minutes. Three glimpses into Carol's life and the men in it: her father, an ex-husband, and her son. Each scene can be performed independently.

7 pages. A package from a long-lost lover sparks a discussion of paternity, responsibility, and privacy.

10 pages. God needs to have a talk with Theresa. And she may not like what he has to say.

What do you do when you start to age out of casting possibilities?

10-minute play. Can one find love and punishment in the golden years?

10-MINUTE PLAY. A dangerously sexy client... a strange object people are willing to kill for... and a dangerous romance...all making for one really insipid evening.

Requests for help can come from the most dangerous of places. Fisher waits in a graveyard for his friend Terry to show, having been promised a remarkable surprise. But Terry is late, and Honey Simpson shows up, asking for assistance. And Fisher is immediately inclined to rescue the mysterious young woman.

Cassidy's Valentine's Day date may be standing her up. The waiter turns out to be her ex-husband. And it gets worse. Sometimes the only way to salvage a disastrous evening is to remember one's own self-worth.

10-minutes. A widow attempts to hock her late husband after she has his ashes turned into a diamond ring.

7-8 minutes. A cast-as-you-wish pas-de-deux for actors ready to explore tempo and connection. A is appalled at B's horrific behavior and B, caught off guard, tries to make amends.

10-minute play. Based on the iconic Alfred Eisenstadt VE-Day photo from 1945; a sailor, glad to be home safe from the war, kisses a young woman he does not know. The woman does not respond the way he hoped she might.

15 minutes. Maria's on the run from Daddy. Little Joey needs to find her fast. Can they find a way out of this mess before the goons show up?

Elizabeth Marlowe can't remember how she ended up dazed in the middle of the street. And her house has a history no one wants to speak of.

10 minutes. The world's only extensive collection of messages in bottles. What's not as interesting is that it's kept in the world's third largest beachfront refuse landfall--which is the size of a small metropolitan city.

15-minute play. Identity is everything, especially if you're a dildo. (Or a vibrator.) Buzz, new to the group, seeks an answer to a troubling question, and is brought into the light concerning his own identity.

When the state of one's soul is borderline, who better than Monty Hall to help you choose which door to open?

10-minute play. Jeff's new company investment brainstorm is Bible-themed minigolf. What he doesn't know is that the idea strikes a little too close to home amongst his officemates.

Jack is well-known for his deep preps in acting. But where does craftsmanship end and mania begin?

What started out as a long-overdue apology has turned into a mission of spite. Theo Bennet shows up at his 40th high school reunion after being ostracized for deserting his date at the senior prom. So who's the first person he runs into when he arrives?

One person's therapy is another's torture. Woody attempts to dump angst in the Existential Void...but finds that it's occupied. And not receptive at all.

10-minute play. Grandma has her hands full getting her exhausted granddaughter out of bed. If she doesn't, will nature ever recover?

Overexuberance coupled with a lack of oversight wreaks havoc on an annual play festival.

Getting into character might carry far more serious consequences than the actors
dreamed of. What if a play about getting married may have gone a bit too far?