Claudia Haas

75-80 minutes if you do all 8 plays.
30-40 minutes - create your own one-act by choosing 3-4 vignettes.
Not all who wander are lost. Some are just looking for firewood. Or the ideal fishing spot. Or the Northern Lights. Grab your trail mix and start hiking. In this vignette play, characters experience the wonders of what is "up north" and what they can lose and find once they give in to the magic of northern exposure. Guaranteed star gazing. Trail mix not included. Easy to costume? Yep. Minimum set pieces. You betcha.

Ahh street harassment. Women are supposed to shut up and accept it. Elise says, "no more."
The three vignettes are taken from actual moments in time. Accurate and maybe kinder than they need to be.

Written for Playwrights Thriving 2026 Title Exchange

"I thought I was pretty good at bringing people together. America's a harder nut to crack than I thought. We are a mixture and sometimes it boils over."
"We are a work in progress. Who knows? Maybe you will help American fulfill its promise."
Are you looking for a play to celebrate American turning 150 in 2026? Consider Finding America - inspired by true stories from "Out of Hitler's Reach" by Dr. Michael Luick-Thrams and stories told to me by Holocaust survivors. In 1939, college-age Quakers opened a hostel (a working boarding house) for refugees fleeing the Nazi regime. Sixteen-year-old Lotte arrives with remembrances of Kristallnacht and her father being dragged away. She was determined to forget both her Jewish heritage and her German one. Hans is hiding an ark containing a children’s Torah from a burned-out synagogue while Miklos is waiting for news from his father in Amsterdam. In Iowa, a teen grapples with a secret that both upsets and intrigues her. While, the volunteers imagined a place where their “guests” could learn English, American laws, and obtain the most American symbol they could think of – a driver’s license – there was a steep learning curve for the idealistic Quakers. In “Americanizing” the refugees, were they unwittingly erasing their guests’ culture?

"Americans are proud of their history of welcoming people.
"I did not feel welcomed today."
"We're a work in progress. Who knows? Maybe you will help America fulfill its promise."
In 1939, on a wing and a prayer, young Quakers opened a hostel (a working boarding house) for refugees fleeing the Nazi regime. Sixteen-year-old Lotte arrives with remembrances of Kristallnacht and her father being dragged away. She was determined to forget both her Jewish heritage and her German one. Hans/Hannah is hiding an ark containing a children’s Torah from a burned-out synagogue which has much meaning for him/her. While, the volunteers imagined a place where their “guests” could learn English, American laws, and obtain the most American symbol they could think of – a driver’s license – there was a steep learning curve for the idealistic Quakers. In “Americanizing” the refugees, were they unwittingly erasing their guests’ culture?

The play was designed for high schools and colleges. As such, 9 of the characters’ ages range from 13-21. 3 characters are in their 30’s.

Mira buys her perfect getaway cabin in the north woods. She has no idea that Bear built it and has come to claim it. Can a bear and a human become amiable roommates?

65-75 minutes.
A memory play.
A friendship play.
A somewhat true story. Somewhat because memories are fragile.
"Maybe growing up means you have to accept that things can have a happy ending and a sad ending at the same time."
"I will never totally move on from the past. I carry my murdered family with me wherever I go."
"The past is never far away, is it?"
"Does friendship have an expiration date?"
Lina and Izzy are best friends - as in "Lina-and-Izzy-one-word" best friends. Izzy is Catholic which has little meaning to her. Lina is Jewish which is of upmost importance to her. But their major disagreements have centered around the debate of “who is the cuter Beatle: Paul or George?” They are always there for each other - during teen angst and for every important day in their lives - until one day - they aren't. Lina and Izzy must figure out what to take from the friendship and what to leave behind. The play spans forty years and is told through school notes, letters and later emails. A tale of an interfaith friendship, coming of age and personal growth. With thanks (and apologies) to A.R. Gurney for inspiration and structure. As in "Love Letters," the play does not need to be memorized, basically no set, no costumes, few props and flexible casting. (2-10 females).

60 minutes. "Once there was this blazing star. It grew brighter and brighter until one day – the lights went out and it collapsed into a small, white, dwarf star. Her outside was scorching hot but inside she was cold – colder than an arctic night." - That is Miranda.
Does grief have a science? Twenty-one year-old Miranda dwells in the past. Any past – as long as the world is prior to her father’s death a few months ago. After spreading her father's ashes, Miranda finds herself lost in the North Pole with an ancestor from her past - the great physicist/arctic explorer Otto Schmidt. Through Otto, Miranda gleans information about the nature of the universe, and loss and ever-lasting presence. Miranda tells Otto stories about the stars. Otto tells Miranda about the make-up of the stars. What gives remembrance? Stories or the laws of the universe? During her (sometimes) heated debates with Otto about the origins of the universe, Miranda inches her way back into the world.

75-85 minutes. Louisa May Alcott said her years at Hillside were some of the happiest of her life. Indeed, Much of Little Women was based on her years there with her sisters. The play chronicles the last two weeks at Hillside before the family moves to Boston. Louisa writes furiously determined to be a published author before her move. The sisters grapple with being separated in Boston. The play is based on anecdotes and diaries written by the sisters at that time.

35-40 minutes. Louisa May Alcott said her years at Hillside were some of the happiest of her life. Indeed, Much of Little Women was based on her years there with her sisters. The play chronicles the last two weeks at Hillside before the family moves to Boston. Louisa writes furiously determined to be a published author before her move. The sisters grapple with being separated in Boston. The play is based on anecdotes and diaries written by the sisters at that time. read less

85-90 minutes
The play was recently developed by Thinktank Theatre tya in Tampa, Florida. A new, more concise script has emerged from that and I am grateful for all the artists involved there for their collaboration. Maybe you’ve done The Diary of Anne Frank and you’d like to know more or delve deeper into the relationship between Anne and Margot. The Diary tells us so little about Margot. It’s well-documented that as soon as Margot laid eyes on Anne, she appointed herself “Protector of Her Sister.” What has recently come to light, is Margot was far from the mousey inhabitant in the Secret Annex. She was highly athletic, competitive and by all accounts – brilliant. She also had a boyfriend which thrilled Anne. Promises to Keep explores Anne’s and Margot’s complicated sisterhood and ends with a little-known fact: at Auschwitz, Margot was offered a choice – a choice that would have saved her life.

35-40 minutes
The play was recently developed by Thinktank Theatre tya in Tampa, Florida. A new, more concise script is coming soon. Meanwhile, check out the full-length above if you want to get a feel for the script. Maybe you’ve done The Diary of Anne Frank and you’d like to know more or delve deeper into the relationship between Anne and Margot. The Diary tells us so little about Margot. It’s well-documented that as soon as Margot laid eyes on Anne, she appointed herself “Protector of Her Sister.” What has recently come to light, is Margot was far from the mousey inhabitant in the Secret Annex. She was highly athletic, competitive and by all accounts – brilliant. She also had a boyfriend which thrilled Anne. Promises to Keep explores Anne’s and Margot’s complicated sisterhood and ends with a little-known fact: at Auschwitz, Margot was offered a choice – a choice that would have saved her life.

75-85 minutes. There is a story that Kafka found a young girl weeping in a park. He tried to console her, but she was bereft. She had lost her doll and would never get over it. Kafka announces that he has a letter that he found and he wonders if it could be from her doll. It was! And so began a three-week correspondence where Kafka wrote daily letters for the girl from her traveling doll. Her doll was not lost. She was merely traveling to see the world. The story might have gone something like this…

60 minutes. The State Fair opens after being closed for two years because of the polio epidemic. It's the last day of the fair and young people find dreams, grant wishes for each other and regain a renewed appreciation for the magic of the fair and everyday life. An early version of the script titled "Meet Me at the Fair" was produced by the Lakeshore Players Summer Youth Project.

75-80 minutes. Juliana, Emma and Nell see Nazis and terrorists around every corner. This is noted as the three sisters gather yet again for the anniversary of their mother’s tragic death on 9/11. What is the make-up of a life? Is it reduced to belongings and haphazard memories? They have basically been sitting Shiva every September 11th for fifteen years. Juliana’s grieving tradition has taken a toll on her marriage. Emma who is always quick to please anyone is ready for a change. Things are turned upside down when Nell returns home and no longer wishes to continue the grieving tradition. The full length version was an Eugene O'Neill Semi-Finalist.

25-30 minutes. Juliana, Emma and Nell see Nazis and terrorists around every corner. This is noted as the three sisters gather yet again for the anniversary of their mother’s death on 9/11. What is the make-up of a life? Is it reduced to belongings and haphazard memories? They have been sitting shiva every September 11th since the 2001 terror attacks. Things are turned upside down when Nell returns home and no longer wishes to continue the grieving tradition.

10 minutes. Inspired by the young Oversteegen sisters in the Netherlands and their friend Hannie Schaft who were active in the Resistance in World War Two, the play examines the one assignment they unanimously turned down.

5 minutes. Alex is sure 37 origami bees will save the farm. Written for Playwrights Thriving Shared Title Exchange.

10 minutes. Sandra’s aunt has moved into the apartment building where Lin-Manuel Miranda lives. Omigosh! Sandra desperately wants to have a chat with the successful playwright. It could be life-changing. But what can you say in a thirteen second elevator ride?

75-85 minutes. Giancarlo has died. Anna and Emilia run to Tess’s side to help her through this difficult time. But Tess is amazingly calm. Is the make-up of a family blood? Bones? Pasta and opera? If you’re Italian – it probably is.

The play was written to address the waste of “fine wine” actresses (over 40) that are too often absent on the stage these days.

SYNOPSIS: Rebecca wanders the museum where relics of the Salem witch trials are kept and comes across a surprise.

Costumes: Abigail is an apparition. There is no need to dig up some Puritan type outfit for her. Dress her as suits your fancy.

An anthology of seven Christmas comedies - six are 10-12 minutes and one is 4-5 minutes. There are Christmas cats, Christmas llamas, shrimp scampi, Christmas trees, a snowman, squid, angels, and some people, too.

Based on the remarkable true story of Heinz Geiringer - neighbor and friend of Anne Frank - we follow the story of a young artist and loving brother living in unconscionable circumstances. A trained musician at only 15 and now forced to live in hiding and silence, Heinz turns to painting and poetry to express his everyday terror combined with hope for the future. Through Heinz's inspired paintings, nostalgic love of life, and his sister Eva's remembrances, we are shown the power of art to offer hope and healing. Reproductions of Heinz's paintings are available for use. A one-act is also available.

10-12 minutes. Gary is sent to help Lucy plant a forest. But the forest is planted and Lucy needs art – fast-food art – to keep the deer from eating her fledgling-forest. This could be the last forest planted in Minnesota because the forest really wants to move into Canada. A tale of climate change and clinging to hope.

10 minutes. Beth and Letia are on Highway 50, dubbed "The Loneliest Road in America" on a mission to scatter their mother's ashes. And that's when the fun begins. Part of the United Plays of America anthology.

10 minutes. Eva blurts out that she would like Jake to kiss her and all goes topsy-turvy with recollections of childhood and a possible love found – and lost. A middle-age love story.

A self-help play especially for teens. Want to know how to survive a t-rex attack? Killer bees? The Titanic? An asteroid? It's all here. Who knows? More disasters may come.

10 minutes. What happens when a genie actually does pop out of a bottle but he's hard of hearing?

5 minutes. Casey lives in a state where there are 200 chickens for every person. That worries her. A brief, silly play - because - chickens.

5 minutes. Eloise writes her mother a letter on her seventeenth birthday hoping the mailbox transcends time, space, and dimensions. Two interspersed monologues.

8 minutes. The scene Shakespeare deleted from Romeo and Juliet. But he should have left it in.

10 minutes. The memorial service for Clara's and Laurel’s mother is done. The last guest has left and the sisters are now picking up the last pieces of comfort they can muster in their newly-orphaned world.

10 minutes. In spite of discovering some of the more extraordinary fossil finds of her time, Mary Anning finds herself dismissed by scholars and in such dire straits that she is selling all her worldly goods.

10 minutes. A frigid walk around White Bear Lake, MN reveals a hidden mission. Part of the "Walking Plays" collection that began during lockdown with twenty playwrights.

5 minutes. The artistry of moose lips. But do you really want to meet a moose in the wilderness?

5 minutes to 3 hours (depends on how many and which plays you use). An anthology of 51 short plays for high school classes and beginning drama students in college. Plays subject matter varies: in Nebraska, a young man is turning into an ear of corn (it happens). Crabs fall in love in Maryland, aliens invade Texas - or wait - maybe they're just tumbleweeds (true story). Buffalo and llamas discuss the human condition (Oregon and Montana) and the nature of art is on display in New York, North Dakota and Mississippi. Romance, history, farce, horror, family, and the secret recipe of Kentucky (complete with eye of newt) are all inside these pages. The plays have been used in numerous festivals worldwide and is fast becoming a high school staple in drama classes. Don't have time to read 51 plays? Go to the Table of Contents and pick your favorite states. Or message me for two-volume anthology arranged according to region.

10 minutes. Emma visits her friend after 7 weeks and 3 days apart. It's awkward. She's awkward. Everything is awkward. Easy to do via zoom or social distancing.

10 minutes. On their 300th anniversary, Adam has a surprise for Eve.

10 minutes. A duet about hiking, self-harm and friendship. Winner of the Playwrights for Change Competition administered by the American Alliance for Theatre Education in the adult writer category.

10 minutes. It's Ashley's last evening in Paris. It's Jean-Louis's first evening back in Paris. Anything can happen when the street lights come on. It was published in an anthology Of "Best Ten Minute Plays" where I kept the rights. It has been updated. It takes place outside and easy to do with social distancing. It's also easy to do via zoom.

5 minutes. Code Red Playwrights: the play celebrates the life of a police office killed in the Boulder supermarket shooting of 2021.

1 minute. A mother proudly shows her daughter all the "back-to-school" stuff she bought her. Very, very, very short play.

1 minute. Maybe 2. Ellie shares her texts with her best friend. Things are not always as they seem. A very, very short play.

1 minute. I had a silly attack and wrote a one-minute play about a cat stuck in quarantine with their human. The cat needs the human to go back to work. Super easy to do with zoom or social distancing.

1 minute. Karma on the street.

1 minute. Guns. Only in the USA.

2-3 minutes. The more Angela cooks, the more Italian she becomes. And it looks like she's turning into her mother.

65-75 minutes. Melisande dreams of catching a unicorn, Ana dreams of capturing the perfect sunrise, River dreams of finding the all-consuming love of his life while Kristi seeks to unlock her love. These are just a few of the stories of love - lost and found - in "A Day of Dreaming." We meet young people with powerful dreams which they write in a dream journal that is nestled in a covered bridge (which exists today in Winterset, Iowa). The stories run the gamut of forging new connections to tough good-byes. There is the silly (lovers who can only speak in song titles), the poignant (high school sweethearts speak of what might have been) and the whimsical (can a leprechaun catch a unicorn?). Tying the stories together is the love story of Charlie and Dancie whose love lasts to the great beyond. The play will take you on a magical mystery tour filled with sweetness sprinkled with spice. Published by Eldridge Plays. Excerpt provided.

45-40 minutes. When a brick was thrown through a young boy's window simply because he had a decal of a menorah, the people of Billings, Montana had to decide how to grapple with the violence. The play shows how the town bravely went on a course to combat the hatred. The people of Billings knew that, when faced with intolerance, if a community doesn't respond, then the community accepts. The citizens courageously raised their voices and proclaimed, "Not in our Town!" What they did was start a national "Not in our Town" movement to stop hate, racism, bullying and build safe communities for all. Though set during the holiday season, the play is perfect for anytime you wish to empower people to take a stand against hate and a step towards tolerance and acceptance. The play is published by Pioneer Drama. An excerpt is provided.

60-70 minutes. Mary Anning was the world's first female paleontologist. But before she made history, she was a young girl who hunted for fossils as though they were buried treasure. But all she wants is to shed the small-minded expectations of her small town to do what she loves most in this coming-of-age story about a teen who stamped her place in history by searching for the past. (Published by YouthPLAYS. Excerpt provided.) A one-act cutting is also available.

10 minutes. Part of the "Have Yourself a Twisty Little Christmas" anthology. Luigi is using the twelve days of Christmas to woo Luisa. Things do not go according to plan. It's pure Italian food silliness - partly from having an Italian food blog for a decade and partly because I have 100+ Italian cookbooks and have memorized all the recipes. Read it when you're hungry.

60 minutes. This is a "treatment" and an 8 page read. Looking for development. The pantomime/dance would run about an hour. Created by award-winning playwright Sandra Fenichel Asher and me, we sought to find new ways to tell a classic story that is for all populations. After rereading E.T.A. Hoffman's story, we think Hoffman would approve.
PLAYWRIGHTS' NOTE: In his original story, "Nutcracker and Mouse King," E.T.A. Hoffman speaks of "a land where you can still see . . . the most splendid and most wondrous things, if you only have the right eyes to see them with." It was his intention to inspire all children to develop and maintain those "right eyes" by using their imaginations as fully as possible. HIs emphasis was on "all children." All adults, too. Indeed, the fabulous utopia he creates includes "Greeks and Armenians, Jews and Tyroleans, officers and soldiers and preachers and shepherds and buffoons -- in short: every kind of person to be found in the entire world." (His world at the time.) He was a man way ahead of his time. (Written in 1816.)

This is not your grandmother's "The Nutcracker Ballet," generally performed by slender, classically-trained, young, white ballerinas and danseurs. The intention of this dance/theatre piece is to bring Hoffman's noble ideals into our own time by setting it in the twenty-first century (and imagined places) and offering opportunities for productions to be as all-inclusive as possible, leaving open to each company decisions about dance styles; music choices; performers of various abilities, ages, shapes, sizes, genders, and cultures; and the possible inclusion of audience members.

We see Hoffman's "thousands . . . raising the merry uproar" as diverse performers contributing to the beauty and joy of the dances while riding on shoulders, twirling in wheelchairs and in any other way they can, be it in the Party Scene, the Battle Scene, the Snowflake Ballet, the international scenes, and/or the Waltz of the Flowers. As a non-verbal piece, we also offer inclusion to audience members with hearing impairment and those for whom English is not a first language. There are also optional possibilities for full immersion of the audience. Inclusive pre-and-post show activities are encouraged.

10 minutes. A short play about a catcalling snowman and the woman who tames him.

6 minutes. Part of the "Have Yourself a Twisty Little Christmas anthology. Two ornaments on a Christmas tree are terrorized by a kitten. It happens. Merry Catmass!