Michael Walker

Michael Walker

Playwright writing full-length dramas and mysteries for the stage.

Plays

  • Mariel - Full Script by Michael Walker
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    Genre: drama, political
    MARIEL (2M, 5W) is a new, 2-act drama centering on government-sponsored discovery, arrest, detaining and deporting all undocumented immigrants in the United States. It takes place in the (near?) future when Congress has put in place the Evacuation Act which is in the ratification process to make it a new Amendment to the Constitution. The script is unproduced and is undeveloped other than an informal table...
    MARIEL (2M, 5W) is a new, 2-act drama centering on government-sponsored discovery, arrest, detaining and deporting all undocumented immigrants in the United States. It takes place in the (near?) future when Congress has put in place the Evacuation Act which is in the ratification process to make it a new Amendment to the Constitution. The script is unproduced and is undeveloped other than an informal table read in October 2023.

    “The Evacuation Act of 2026 declares the residency of undocumented immigrants (Illegal Aliens, “IA’s”) a federal crime. IA’s are subject to immediate relocation and forfeiture of assets prior to deportation. Additionally, accomplices who harbor IA’s or fail to report them are guilty of federal and state felonies and subject to fines, imprisonment and/or forfeiture. For these reasons, when IA’s and accomplices are discovered, the Commonwealth must move swiftly to arrest and relocate them for deportation before they can transfer assets or escape.”

    Eva and Miguel Martinez—both born in the United States—are of Cuban descent; Eva’s mother (Havana Perez) was born on the beach of Marathon, FL after Eva’s grandmother escaped Cuba. Daughter, Mariel Martinez (21) and Eva have been charged with validating the citizenship/naturalization papers of everyone in their small town in Massachusetts. Police Collection Teams visit each residence and upload citizenship document photos to Boston; Eva, Mariel, and Mariel’s friend, Rini Lata, compare Boston photos over the internet with photos of the original government-issued ones (from city records). Their work is dangerous and done in secret in the Martinez home; the Act and Validation are violently opposed by much of the population. Their work is almost complete when Rini discovers Eva’s friend and high school coach, Ricardo Valdez, has forged naturalization papers; he and his family have to be arrested.

  • Bare Stage by Michael Walker
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: artistic freedom, censorship + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: artistic freedom, censorship, brief nudity
    BARE STAGE centers on the difficulties and arguments surrounding the writing, production, and performance of plays with nudity. Censorship, artistic freedom, objectification, exploitation, and simple morality are called into question in this full-length drama (with humor) presented without intermission.

    Two young actresses are cast by a ‘rising star’ playwright/director in the premier, out-of-...
    BARE STAGE centers on the difficulties and arguments surrounding the writing, production, and performance of plays with nudity. Censorship, artistic freedom, objectification, exploitation, and simple morality are called into question in this full-length drama (with humor) presented without intermission.

    Two young actresses are cast by a ‘rising star’ playwright/director in the premier, out-of-town production of a neoclassical drama headed to New York. They are cast in a chorus of men and women who must appear naked throughout the performance. The actresses are polar opposites in professional experience, financial security, family support, and body type. They bring individual passions and needs to the production and both women clash with the demands of the playwright/director. Their friendship and integrity hang in the balance as rehearsals proceed. Brief, single-actor, nudity is employed to support one position of the argument.

    BARE STAGE was developed at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Kate Snodgrass, Artistic Director. It was first produced on February 8, 2019 by the Festival Theatre Company in association with Paul Gregory and Alex Kenton; and ran for a month at the Plaza Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts.
  • Absolutely Dead by Michael Walker
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: mystery/thriller
    ·
    Keyword: Murder-mystery, not a spoof
    Genre: mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Murder-mystery, not a spoof
    2 – act murder mystery
    It’s the rocky coast of Maine and there’s a Nor’easter blowing like stink outside. The causeway’s flooded and (of course) the local sheriff is stranded on the mainland. Naturally on a turbulent night like this, the phones are down and who would ever expect cell phones to work in this remote part of the state? Does it sound like a good night for a roaring fire and a dinner...
    2 – act murder mystery
    It’s the rocky coast of Maine and there’s a Nor’easter blowing like stink outside. The causeway’s flooded and (of course) the local sheriff is stranded on the mainland. Naturally on a turbulent night like this, the phones are down and who would ever expect cell phones to work in this remote part of the state? Does it sound like a good night for a roaring fire and a dinner party with a boisterous, tipsy actress? Does it sound like a good night for a murder – or two? People are dying and the party really isn’t funny anymore.
    ABSOLUTELY DEAD is a classic murder mystery in the spirit of Agatha Christie; the play is a modern product of the “dark and stormy night” genre. The second act is a rolling series of surprises building to a remarkable conclusion in the last ten minutes – no one guesses the end, and everyone is surprised. While there is ample humor supplied by actress Susan, who drinks just a little too much; and Nate, who’s a little slow even by down-east Maine standards – party time is over. This is a family-appropriate script suitable for children old enough to piece together a mystery.
  • Dancing In The Garden by Michael Walker
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Lesbian, Italian + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Lesbian, Italian, Catholic, Iranian, Muslim
    2-act drama
    What do you do when you refuse to walk away from your religion because you love it with all your heart but it doesn’t love you back? Maria Tanglia grew up on the East Side of town in the 1950s, where everybody spoke Italian; everybody knew everybody, and everybody knew everybody else’s business. Maria deeply loved her parents and Father Mike, and her priest.

    Her...
    2-act drama
    What do you do when you refuse to walk away from your religion because you love it with all your heart but it doesn’t love you back? Maria Tanglia grew up on the East Side of town in the 1950s, where everybody spoke Italian; everybody knew everybody, and everybody knew everybody else’s business. Maria deeply loved her parents and Father Mike, and her priest.

    Her strongest passion, however, was reserved for her church and faith. Maria thrived in the Catholic schools and found comfort in the wisdom of her father and the love of her mother. And even though she kissed Billy Videcci in the eighth grade, it wasn’t until she was a sophomore at St. Patrick’s High and kissed Susan Blakeman behind the curtains in the music room, that her life began to unravel. By the time Maria was in college it had become impossible to face Fr. Mike or take communion. She believed she was in a state of mortal sin - and she couldn’t stop sinning. Maria Tanglia was in a crisis of faith.
    The trap is to believe we’ve heard this story before: the Catholic Church versus homosexuality. This is not that story. This is Maria’s story and she would have the same painful crisis today if she had been born a Southern Baptist in Texas, a Muslim in Iraq, or a Hassidic Jew in Brooklyn. The impossibility of Maria’s conflict is as true today as it has always been and, while some secular walls are crumbling, the major religions are standing strong and it is likely Maria’s story will be played out for decades to come.