John Walch

“YESTERDAY, I SAW A SQUIRREL CARRYING A BAGEL IN ITS MOUTH."

An inner-tube, a bagel, a donut, a lifesaver, a holiday wreath, a tire-swing, a cycle of abuse: circles—both real and figurative—whirl out-of-control in this one-man show. And, at the center of them all, sits a tiny squirrel. Orbiting that squirrel is Chester, a self- described “rondentophobe” who spins the outlandish, funny, and bruising tale of growing up with a father who developed a rabid hatred for squirrels—a hatred that eventually infected every aspect of his and his son’s life. Pursued by memories of his intolerant father and the legacy of bigotry, Chester is pulled into the black-hole that is at the center of his own life where he encounters the mistakes, the fears, the guilt and the humanity that make him whole again.

The disappearance of ancient dinosaur footprints in the Australian outback triggers a series of mysterious events bringing together a forgotten movie star, an Aboriginal Australian elder and a haunted newsman on an epic journey of transformation. From the subway tunnels beneath Hollywood Boulevard to the vastness of the Australian desert, time bends, continents shift, and the fragile bonds between parents and children undergo a miraculous evolution. Dreamtime meets the dream factory when worlds collide in this play that ponders the depth of human loss, the mysteries of family, and the possibility of redemption in hearts willing to grow.

"WE’LL FOLLOW THE STARS. LOOK WHERE THE ROPE WENT UP."

A post-apocalyptic romantic comedy that tells the tale of two wanderers, Gilroy and Delroy, as they journey through a wasteland of meaning. Their search for sustenance, however, yields something far more magical than the four food groups as they discover hope and divinity in each other.

On a call between a chipper customer service agent of a private company and a disgruntled customer who believes they have been cursed by their past and doomed by Zoom, this short drama/comedy flirts with Orwell’s classic 1984 as it contemplates a world where we are constantly surveilled. This play can be performed virtually or live.

“WHERE YOU GO, I WILL GO…” RUTH 1:16

This contemporary reimagining of The Book of Ruth explores the ongoing debate on Immigration. In the play, two women—Naomi, an Army lieutenant and Anisah, her Afghan translator—lose their husbands in the war. Upon discharge, the young officer sees the danger her translator is in, and brings Anisah with her to her home in Mississippi. When they arrive, this act of kindness is met with open hostility by Naomi’s sister-in-law, Gail, who is running for mayor on an immigration platform (similar to those being enacted in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and other states) and makes the immigrant’s deportment the focus of her campaign. But things get complicated when Gail's own son stands up for what he thinks is right. By turns funny and moving, this timeless story adapted from the Old Testament challenges notions of what it means to be an American as it contemplates the redemptive power of welcoming the stranger.

When a private foundation offers a large grant to a financially troubled prep school, it gives the ailing school a chance at survival. The catch is that the school must alter its science curriculum to teach Intelligent Design along side evolution. The offer ignites a 150-year-old grudge match that reawakens the spirit of Thomas Henry Huxley—the Victorian scientist known as “Darwin’s Bulldog”—and polarizes the community as it forces individuals to take sides. From the first public debate over evolution in 1869 to the current debate over how it is taught in our schools, The Nature of Mutation whimsically explores what happens when opposing viewpoints collide, and traces the inner leaps of trust and faith one needs to make to find common ground.

What's the difference between the Turkey & Giblets Dinner and Fisherman's Catch Banquet? This seemingly benign question arises in the pet food aisle of a grocery store as privileged college grads Michael and Conrad argue over the ethics of caring for an abandoned cat in their apartment complex. But as their debate heats up, Michael has a surprising and unsettling encounter that reveals the complexity and proximity of the world hunger crisis.

A musical comedy that whirls together the Harlem Renaissance with “post-race” contemporary America, connecting two mismatched artists who, together, rewrite one’s past and write the other’s future.

A MUSICAL WITH COMPOSER NILE RODGERS, WINNER OF THE FREDERICK LOEWE AWARD

A short, Cyrano-inspired musical comedy, about an App that puts the “APP” back in HAPPy. Composed by Jeff Tang.

“FOUR STORIES INSPIRED BY RESEARCH, PATIENTS, AND TREATMENT. PRESENTED LIVE, ON STAGE."

This program explores the wonders of the human brain by dramatizing real-life neurological cases to reveal the science behind brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, brain tumors, and stroke.

This fascinating production is a collaboration between Washington University neurosurgeons Eric C. Leuthardt, M.D., and Albert H. Kim, M.D., Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Nine Network of Public Media, and four playwrights, Barbara Hammond, Deb Margolin, Rogelio Martinez, and John Walch. John wrote one of the four episodes (Double Windsor) and served as story editor the entire series.

Theatrical rights are available for the individual one-acts.

Art is hard, showing it to friends is harder.

“DOES THE DECA-SIZE OF MY KILO-SUFFIXES GIVE YOU A JOLTISM OF SUPER-SURPRISE?”

Based on the terse style manual by Strunk and White and drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll, this play explores the fantasy world of language in all its grotesque mutations. When Alice, a first-year college student, is pulled into the hallucinatory world of her composition paper, she has to navigate through a wonderland of style to find her own voice.