Mike Solomonson

Mike Solomonson

BIG PEARLS AND SMALL HIPS won first prize in the inaugural Clive Awards in 2024, presented by Fellowship for Performing Arts, a New York City-based production company that produces theatre and film from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. The play previously was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights conference competition and, subsequently in...
BIG PEARLS AND SMALL HIPS won first prize in the inaugural Clive Awards in 2024, presented by Fellowship for Performing Arts, a New York City-based production company that produces theatre and film from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. The play previously was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights conference competition and, subsequently in 2017, was named a finalist in the New Works Festival competition conducted by the Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas.

Another full-length play THE GOODBYE LEVEE debuted in January 2022 in Memphis after being one of the winners of the NewWorks@TheWorks competition at the Playhouse on the Square. The play was a finalist for the 2019 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference, the 2019 ScreenCraft Stage Play competition, and the 2020 Ashland New Plays Festival. It also was a finalist for Michigan's Jewish Ensemble Theatre JETFest, where it had a virtual reading in August 2020, and, in November 2020, it had an online reading at the Wordsmyth Theater Company in Houston. THE BOOTH TOLL was a finalist for the 2023 Local Theater Company's Local Lab 12, and EXHIBITIONISTS IN HIDING was a semi-finalist for the 2024 Local Theater Company's Local Lab 13.

NORTH POLE JUSTiCE was published in "THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2022" (Smith & Kraus), which joins THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE that was included in "THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2021." That play also was produced at the New American Theatre One-Act Play Festival in Hollywood and in Colorado at Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts and at the Durango Arts Center. JUST DESSERTS was the Judges' Grand Prize winner for the 9th Annual Durango 10-Minute Play Festival. THE EDUCATION OF JENNA was produced online in 2020 by the Winding Road Theater Ensemble in Tucson. It debuted in the Playbytes by Playwrights: Lost or Found Festival by the LowellArts Players in Michigan in 2019. THE FATHER-DAUGHTER BANQUET was performed in New York at the Northport One-Act Play Festival, and in Connecticut at the East/West PlayFest.

His full-length play INVASIONS AND PENETRATIONS was named a finalist at San Francisco's Z Space for their Problematic Play Festival in 2018, and had a virtual reading at Kane Repertory Theatre in 2020. It also was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference (2018) and for the ScreenCraft Stage Play contest (2018). Mike is an Arizona-based playwright and a Dramatists Guild Member.

Plays

  • The Goodbye Levee by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 4
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: dark comedy
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    Keyword: dementia, sexual ethics + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: dementia, sexual ethics, audience engagement
    FULL-LENGTH: A devastating diagnosis compels Celeste Banks to invite the audience into her confidence as she hosts a “Goodbye Party,” where the audience assists Celeste as she strives to make order out of confusion. Due to her erratic memory and hallucinatory interruptions, her party turns into a chaotic, often comic careening through events that threaten to upend her family and the control she so desperately...
    FULL-LENGTH: A devastating diagnosis compels Celeste Banks to invite the audience into her confidence as she hosts a “Goodbye Party,” where the audience assists Celeste as she strives to make order out of confusion. Due to her erratic memory and hallucinatory interruptions, her party turns into a chaotic, often comic careening through events that threaten to upend her family and the control she so desperately desires to retain as she prepares for the inevitable.
  • Big Pearls and Small Hips by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    6–16
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    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 4 more
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    Keyword: History, Catholic + 4 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, faith-based, period, political
    Keyword: History, Catholic, death, loss, World War II, Religion and Spirituality
    FULL-LENGTH: Clare Boothe Luce seeks an answer to her spiritual pain by meeting with Monsignor Fulton Sheen who is on the cusp of achieving the fame and status he has coveted. Their uneasy bond ultimately demands they confront the deceit they have kept hidden as the only means forward to healing. (Written for 4 women and 2 men, can be expanded).
  • Hail Mary and Other Miracles by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys + 6 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, football, gambling, family conflict, Debt, religion
    FULL-LENGTH: Can you overcome one bad decision that has marked you for life? Rudy Carlson is about to find out in this farcical comedy. It won’t be easy as he confronts family tensions, aggressive debt collectors and obsessive Minnesota Vikings fans as he prepares to take his one shot at redemption.
  • The Booth Toll by Mike Solomonson
    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: drama, fantasy + 1 more
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    Keyword: lincoln assassination, cross-dressing performance + 2 more
    Genre: drama, fantasy, period
    Keyword: lincoln assassination, cross-dressing performance, Politics, biography
    FULL-LENGTH: A highly imaginative woman, entrusted with a notorious biography of a Presidential assassin, attempts to safeguard the book from the assassin's heirs, her mother, and the assassin himself, in this reality-jumping escapade.
  • Exhibitionists In Hiding by Mike Solomonson
    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama, period
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    Keyword: nude photography, 20th-Century art and politics + 2 more
    Genre: drama, period
    Keyword: nude photography, 20th-Century art and politics, racial passing, systemic racism
    FULL-LENGTH: In a country reeling from social unrest sparked by the Great Depression, Alfred Cheney Johnston and Norman Rockwell prepare career-defining exhibitions while being forced to confront the moral choices that may ruin the futures of their colleagues and crater their own artistic fortunes.
  • Invasions and Penetrations by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: dark comedy
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    Keyword: Future of Technology and Humanity, gender relations + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: Future of Technology and Humanity, gender relations, Sexual Fantasies, artificial intelligence
    FULL-LENGTH: In the not-so-distant future, technological advances leads to the sales of life-like, functional, sexual fantasy robots. When Paul brings a sex-bot “Denise” into his life there are explosive ramifications that develop between Paul, his wife Alyson, and their daughter Leisa. The play reflects on questions like: What are the new rules for exploring one’s sexual fantasies? And what might be the...
    FULL-LENGTH: In the not-so-distant future, technological advances leads to the sales of life-like, functional, sexual fantasy robots. When Paul brings a sex-bot “Denise” into his life there are explosive ramifications that develop between Paul, his wife Alyson, and their daughter Leisa. The play reflects on questions like: What are the new rules for exploring one’s sexual fantasies? And what might be the consequences for gender relations when sex-bots inhabit society and add another layer of pressure on the sexual and physical objectification of the human body?
  • Callings From the Heartland by Mike Solomonson
    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: farm, religion + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, faith-based, political
    Keyword: farm, religion, rural America
    FULL-LENGTH: Two farm families struggle to embrace the ‘callings’ they are being led to follow in their individual lives, as the growing farm crisis threatens to overwhelm and destroy their rural culture and their personal bonds to each other.
  • North Pole Justice by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: murder, Santa Claus + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: murder, Santa Claus, cold case
    10-MINUTE PLAY: Could the key to solving a cold case crime be . . . Santa Claus? That unlikely possibility emerges during a seemingly routine police interrogation, which leads to a chilling revelation.

    *Published in the Smith & Kraus publication THE BEST 10-MINUTE PLAYS 2022*
  • Thank You For Your Service by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 10
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: combat veterans, PTSD + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: combat veterans, PTSD, adoption
    10-MINUTE PLAY: A military veteran shows up on the doorstep of a woman and makes an unsettling request as he looks to reconnect with another discharged veteran.

    *Published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2021, a Smith & Kraus book*
  • A.I. Versus Al by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    3–4
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: artificial intelligence, grief + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: artificial intelligence, grief, romantic relationships
    10-MINUTE PLAY: Jennifer feels her life is careening out of control—she's stressed about her youngest daughter's impending wedding, her oldest daughter is preoccupied with her mental health, she just broke up with her lover and, oh, her dead husband is on speed dial. Buckle up, buttercup!
  • Stubbed Hearts and Toes by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: dating, family + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: dating, family, Sex, pandemic
    10-MINUTE PLAY: An "Atlantic" article explored the pandemic challenges single people face in managing their dating and sex lives. This script is a creative response to that article, exploring what happens when a couple's dating expectations clash with family connections.
  • When the Wheels Came Off the Meal by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: disconnection, Post-pandemic + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: disconnection, Post-pandemic, female relationships, aging, literacy
    10-MINUTE PLAY: Separated by more than a generation gap, two women battle to make a connection in the post-pandemic world, where both their lives are adrift.
  • Just Desserts by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: bullying, revenge
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: bullying, revenge
    10-MINUTE PLAY: Turning her oppressor's prejudice against her, Dani takes extreme steps to reach an understanding with Monique--who has a strangle-hold on Dani’s future in the jungle known as high school.
  • Prelude to the Music Dying by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: gender roles, flying + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gender roles, flying, sibling rivalry, rock-and-roll, 1950s, historical fiction
    10-MINUTE PLAY: Dreams, misconceptions, and sibling rivalry collide one wintry evening in 1959, resulting in two lives being forever altered.
  • The Father-Daughter Banquet by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: parent-child relationships, paternity
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: parent-child relationships, paternity
    10-MINUTE PLAY: Loie must grapple with the true nature of her parental relationships when unexpected clarity is forced upon her at a Father-Daughter banquet.
  • The Education of Jenna by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: parenthood, Step-parents + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: parenthood, Step-parents, sex education
    10-MINUTE PLAY: Assumptions are both embraced and punctured when an explicit pamphlet leads to a conflict between a mother and step-mother over the correct course of action in educating Jenna on intimacy issues.
  • Special Delivery by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
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    Keyword: grief, fear + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: grief, fear, healing, bittersweet love story
    10-MINUTE PLAY: An emotionally vulnerable woman struggles to make sense of a never-ending supply of flowers delivered to her door by a stranger.
  • Boy Meets Hyphen by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: hyphenation, married names + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: hyphenation, married names, sexual innuendo
    10-MINUTE PLAY: What's in a name? Apparently plenty, when an impending marriage brings to the fore the perils of name-changing.
  • Another Cassandra? by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: sexual harassment, backstage + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: sexual harassment, backstage, Greek mythology
    10-MINUTE PLAY: A makeup room incident prior to a performance of "Agamemnon" becomes the catalyst for confronting sexual misdeeds.
  • Not By the Hair of My Shinnie, Shin, Shin by Mike Solomonson
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: female body hair, patriarchy + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: female body hair, patriarchy, personal choices, dating
    10-MINUTE PLAY: This comedy examines an attitude shift occurring in American Life over “pro-growth” choices for women's body hair, when a conflict develops between two friends preparing for a double-date outing to the beach.
  • Down the Stretch They Come! by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: Kentucky Derby, competition + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Kentucky Derby, competition, Screwball Comedy
    10-MINUTE PLAY: In the aftermath of the controversial 2019 Kentucky Derby, Candace and Perry engage in their own form of competition and one-upmanship as the chaos of the day spills over into the Derby grandstand.
  • The Pics by Mike Solomonson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
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    Keyword: sexting, parent-child relationships
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: sexting, parent-child relationships
    10-MINUTE PLAY: In an escalating battle of retribution for social sins that have been committed, the conflict between the Michaels and the Baxters begins with a compromising photo that becomes both a bargaining chip and a weapon in the advance of personal goals.
  • The Education of Jenna (Zoom Version) by Mike Solomonson
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: intimacy, Step-parenting
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: intimacy, Step-parenting
    Assumptions are both embraced and punctured when an explicit pamphlet leads to a conflict between a mother and step-mother over the correct course of action in educating Jenna on intimacy issues.