William Triplett

William Triplett

Bill Triplett is an award-winning playwright and journalist and is author of two nonfiction books. His plays have been read, developed, and/or produced by Nylon Fusion Theatre (New York City); Gi60 International One-Minute Theatre Festival (Houston); Spooky Action Theater (Washington, D.C.); Midwest Dramatists Conference (Kansas City, MO); Colgate University (Hamilton, NY); Bay City Players (Bay City, MI);...
Bill Triplett is an award-winning playwright and journalist and is author of two nonfiction books. His plays have been read, developed, and/or produced by Nylon Fusion Theatre (New York City); Gi60 International One-Minute Theatre Festival (Houston); Spooky Action Theater (Washington, D.C.); Midwest Dramatists Conference (Kansas City, MO); Colgate University (Hamilton, NY); Bay City Players (Bay City, MI); Panndora Productions (Long Beach, CA); Baltimore Playwrights Festival; Source Theatre (Washington, D.C.); and the Arts Institute of Washington. His published plays include, "Something Very Real," Fresh Words Literary Magazine's special anthology, "Hello Godot," Vol. 4; "Human/Divine," Literature Today, July 2023. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, District Dramatists, and the (DC) Playwrights Collaborative.

He is also a widely published journalist, critic, and essayist. Credits include: DailyBeast.com, Salon.com, Variety.com, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Playboy, Smithsonian, Nature, Washingtonian, American Journalism Review, Air & Space/Smithsonian, among others.

His books: "Flowering of the Bamboo: A Bizarre International Mystery, A True Story"; "Drug Wars: An Oral History from the Trenches".

Playwriting Awards and Honors:

Published: "Human/Divine," Literature Today, July 2023

Published: "Something Very Real" in Fresh Words Literary Magazine's special anthology, "Hello Godot," Vol. 4. January 2023

Presenting Playwright, 2023, 2019 and 2018 Midwest Dramatists Conference

Participant, 2021, 2019 and 2018 Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive

Winner, 2016 New Works Festival, Panndora Productions;

Finalist, 2013 Charles Getchell Award, Southeastern Theatre Conference;

Semi-Finalist, 2012 National Playwrights Conference, O’Neill Theater Center;

Roger L. Stevens Award, Fund for New American Plays (J.F. Kennedy Center/American
Express, sponsors);

Larry Neal Writers’ Award, D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities
Winner, Source Theatre National Play Competition.

Plays

  • A Trial in Nuremberg (Originally: Paperweight) by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    7
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    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: Nuremberg, war crimes + 7 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, period, political
    Keyword: Nuremberg, war crimes, World War II, Heydrich, intelligence, lawyers, JAG, prosecution, fathers and sons
    UNDER REVISION - FEEDBACK WELCOME VIA DM

    Full-length: Driven equally by a need to avenge his dead father as well as prove himself, a young defense attorney takes on a difficult case in the final round of war crimes trials in Nuremberg in 1948. But his client resists his help, and the Army Judge Advocate General may be withholding vital evidence. As he struggles to build a case, scenes from the...
    UNDER REVISION - FEEDBACK WELCOME VIA DM

    Full-length: Driven equally by a need to avenge his dead father as well as prove himself, a young defense attorney takes on a difficult case in the final round of war crimes trials in Nuremberg in 1948. But his client resists his help, and the Army Judge Advocate General may be withholding vital evidence. As he struggles to build a case, scenes from the past come alive and his father's ghost pushes him deeper into ethically questionable territory, until he must make a character-defining decision. A play about the crippling hold even dead fathers can have on sons.
  • An Image of Love by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 7
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: affair, divorce + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: affair, divorce, infidelity, marriage, love, Relationships, guilt, Sex
    10-Minute play. Helen and Peter cross paths at an exhibition opening, seeing each other for the first time since their illicit affair ended almost three years ago. She has recently separated from her husband; he is thinking of leaving his wife, but seems to want to discuss it with Helen, asking her to have lunch with him. Emotions, pain and guilt she thought were gone resurface for Helen, who needs to determine...
    10-Minute play. Helen and Peter cross paths at an exhibition opening, seeing each other for the first time since their illicit affair ended almost three years ago. She has recently separated from her husband; he is thinking of leaving his wife, but seems to want to discuss it with Helen, asking her to have lunch with him. Emotions, pain and guilt she thought were gone resurface for Helen, who needs to determine whether agreeing to that lunch would mean her life is moving forward or backward.
  • An Unquiet Past (Original title: Scar Tissues) by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 9
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama, melodrama
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    Keyword: adult survivor, child sexual abuse + 6 more
    Genre: drama, melodrama
    Keyword: adult survivor, child sexual abuse, shame, sexual assault, marriage, Legal issues, Investigation, family
    IN DEVELOPMENT

    10-Minute: Flora, an adult survivor of child sexual abuse, finally has both a chance and the inner strength to bring the man who molested her to justice and possibly save a little girl from the same fate. But the price might be her marriage.
  • Ariadne's Revenge: A Killer App by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 6 more
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    Keyword: Inspired by Greek myth, minotaur + 3 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Inspired by Greek myth, minotaur, Ariadne, Toxic Masculinity, horror
    10-minute play: Theo descends into an abandoned mine in hopes of finding and killing in its lair some horrible beast that has been mutilating men in a small Colorado town. Instead he finds Mina, who claims to live in the mine with her sister. An alpha male with a logical mind if there ever was, Theo all but dismisses Mina. But the more he presses her about the beast, the more she offends his expectations of...
    10-minute play: Theo descends into an abandoned mine in hopes of finding and killing in its lair some horrible beast that has been mutilating men in a small Colorado town. Instead he finds Mina, who claims to live in the mine with her sister. An alpha male with a logical mind if there ever was, Theo all but dismisses Mina. But the more he presses her about the beast, the more she offends his expectations of what a woman should be. Not good for him.
  • Cemetery of Dreams by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: Toxic Masculinity, self-deception + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Toxic Masculinity, self-deception, myth, desire, needing redemption, escaping fate, eternal life, nightmare
    10-minute play. On the run for his life, Sam is trying to reach the mythic land where no one ever dies. But Dez, the land's mysterious guardian, tells Sam he must first get to the Cemetery of Dreams, taking him on a journey that will reveal to him the true meaning of eternal life. Kind of.
  • Coyote Latitudes by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
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    Keyword: female empowerment, minority empowerment + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, farce, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: female empowerment, minority empowerment, toons, road runner, self-liberation, self-fulfillment, sense, nonsense
    10-minute play. Camille finds the afterlife is a lot like a Saturday morning cartoon that constantly seems to be in production and starring her as a coyote. Just when she thinks eternity is an endless animated farce that makes no sense, she discovers something in herself she never thought existed. And she wins.
  • Days of Wrath (Original title: States of Grace) by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: marriage, divorce + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: marriage, divorce, forgiveness, breast cancer, alternate timelines, anger
    IN DEVELOPMENT

    Full-length: After ten years of marriage scarred by hurt and anger, Jillian and Cole are separated but, despite everything, unhappy about a divorce they know is inevitable. When a Stage IV breast cancer diagnosis forces them back together to face the debilitating treatment Jillian must undergo, each privately hopes to be able to find some kind of peaceful resolution before it may...
    IN DEVELOPMENT

    Full-length: After ten years of marriage scarred by hurt and anger, Jillian and Cole are separated but, despite everything, unhappy about a divorce they know is inevitable. When a Stage IV breast cancer diagnosis forces them back together to face the debilitating treatment Jillian must undergo, each privately hopes to be able to find some kind of peaceful resolution before it may be too late. But their past keeps getting in the way. Literally. A story about the struggle for love and forgiveness in the circles of time.
  • The Drumhellers of Bloody Dick Creek by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: dysfunctional family, abuse + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror
    Keyword: dysfunctional family, abuse, fathers and sons, small town, Alcohol, trauma
    10-minute play. Arvin Drumheller is dead, and nobody is happier than his son, Boyd. Arvin’s widow, Inez, is equal parts grieved and relieved. How the hell did it come to this? The action moves backward in time to reveal how (1) abuse comes in different forms, (2) love can make some serious mistakes, and (3) partial deafness can be an unbreakable tie that binds.
  • Human/Divine by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: female empowerment or revenge, Toxic Masculinity
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: female empowerment or revenge, Toxic Masculinity
    One-minute play. What are the odds a revolver with one bullet in the chamber will not fire even after the trigger is pulled more than 300 times? Would they be greater than, less than, or the same as the odds of a man not recognizing the woman he assaulted years ago -- and who now holds him prisoner? What are the odds he survives?
  • Inside & Out by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: new parents, male insecurity + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, horror, mystery/thriller, parody/spoof
    Keyword: new parents, male insecurity, re-marriage, dry humor, absurd comedy
    10-minute play. It's 1931, and a formerly divorced English couple now trying marriage to each other a second time are living in a cozy French cottage with their brand new baby. But the father’s suspicions about the child’s true lineage lead to dubious experiments that may require an ambulance and the police. A family comedy.

    (Inspired by Noel Coward's "Private Lives" and...
    10-minute play. It's 1931, and a formerly divorced English couple now trying marriage to each other a second time are living in a cozy French cottage with their brand new baby. But the father’s suspicions about the child’s true lineage lead to dubious experiments that may require an ambulance and the police. A family comedy.

    (Inspired by Noel Coward's "Private Lives" and Thomas Middleton's "The Changeling")
  • Medea Part Deux: That Woman! by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: Medea, Greek mythology + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, farce, tragedy
    Keyword: Medea, Greek mythology, sexism, racism, gender identity, gender politics, gender fluid, Toxic Masculinity
    Full-length: In Athens of Greek Antiquity, fifteen or so years after all that bloody business with Jason and their kids, Medea is on the verge of redemption. In a few days King Aegeus of Athens will marry her, as he promised he would. Originally from Colchis, a minor land of dark-skinned people, Medea is poised not only to become Queen of the greatest and possibly whitest city-state in existence, but also...
    Full-length: In Athens of Greek Antiquity, fifteen or so years after all that bloody business with Jason and their kids, Medea is on the verge of redemption. In a few days King Aegeus of Athens will marry her, as he promised he would. Originally from Colchis, a minor land of dark-skinned people, Medea is poised not only to become Queen of the greatest and possibly whitest city-state in existence, but also mother of the future king – her illegitimate, gender-fluid son with Aegeus becomes legitimized by the marriage. But then the mighty cis-warrior and schemer Theseus – a bastard son Aegeus never knew he had – appears, posing a direct threat to her hopes and dreams. Medea must struggle against her own worst impulses – not to mention the everyday sexism and racism of the time – to make sure Aegeus keeps his promise to her, while also proving she’s not that homicidal woman everyone thinks she is, but instead a really nice person and a great mom.
  • Something Very Real by William Triplett
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: forgiveness, love + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, farce
    Keyword: forgiveness, love, dependency, Theater of the Absurd, experimental narrative structure
    5-minute play. Two people try to come to terms with a painful history that neither remembers in great detail, but each still feels the hurt as if it happened yesterday. In fact, maybe it did. The present seems to be all that matters; anything else is too frightening to contemplate. (Inspired by the works of, well... it's probably obvious.)
  • Take the K Train by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: Surreal, kafka + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, farce, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Surreal, kafka, trains, nightmare, George Orwell, existential fear
    10-minute play. As usual, Winston boards his crowded commuter train in broad daylight and shuts his eyes for his brief ride home from work. Twenty minutes later he opens them and finds it's pitch dark out, only two other passengers are aboard, and the train is going recklessly fast. Everything otherwise looks and seems normal -- but it isn't. Especially those two other passengers. Is he suddenly in a nightmare? If so, whose?
  • Too Much Future by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: fate, self-fulfilling prophecy + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, farce, tragedy
    Keyword: fate, self-fulfilling prophecy, Inspired by Greek myth, Inspired by American folklore, dark comedy
    IN DEVELOPMENT

    10-minute play: In some time-warped place where people apparently never age, the father-killing/mother-marrying Oedipus Rex has been living for a while with the infamous axe-murderess Lizzie Borden. Then he starts receiving a dire prophecy making him desperately want to leave… and Lizzie very unhappy.
  • True Will by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic + 4 more
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    Keyword: Aleister Crowley, magic + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic, fantasy, farce, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: Aleister Crowley, magic, Noel Coward, Ian Fleming, jealousy, patriotism, occult, Bond, World War II, intelligence
    Full-length: It's spring of 1941, and the Nazi blitz that has overrun mainland Europe is on the verge of destroying Britain. Why then does Rudolf Hess suddenly drop in – literally – wanting to talk peace? Is it a trick, or is he merely, as he appears to be, insane?

    And why does Winston Churchill allow the raging occultist/mystic Aleister Crowley to interrogate Hess?

    Worse, why...
    Full-length: It's spring of 1941, and the Nazi blitz that has overrun mainland Europe is on the verge of destroying Britain. Why then does Rudolf Hess suddenly drop in – literally – wanting to talk peace? Is it a trick, or is he merely, as he appears to be, insane?

    And why does Winston Churchill allow the raging occultist/mystic Aleister Crowley to interrogate Hess?

    Worse, why are an unknown officer named Ian Fleming (still a great disappointment to his mother) and a famous actor-playwright – Noel Coward, of all people – supervising this dubious venture?

    Add in the sudden appearance of the ghost of Fleming's former fiancée, a blithe spirit if there ever was, and suddenly the fate of the entire United Kingdom – not to mention the new play Coward is trying to come up with and Fleming’s impending wedding – are all on the line.

    A historical spoof of alliances, patriotism, egos, magic, artistic inspiration, the origins of James Bond, and the sexual aspects of yoga, all of which lead Fleming to make a life-changing discovery and decision.
  • Under the Rainbow by William Triplett
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: high school, teens + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, young audiences
    Keyword: high school, teens, siblings, brother and sister, leaving home, being different, need to be authentic self, wanting more
    10-minute play. On the eve of her 18th birthday, Hunter is trying to leave home before anyone can find out -- when her younger brother walks in and pleads to know why she’s going. Unwilling and maybe even afraid to reveal the real reason, she will only say she has to leave their small town; that just makes him more desperate for her to stay. And both come to realize a bond they didn’t know they have is breaking...
    10-minute play. On the eve of her 18th birthday, Hunter is trying to leave home before anyone can find out -- when her younger brother walks in and pleads to know why she’s going. Unwilling and maybe even afraid to reveal the real reason, she will only say she has to leave their small town; that just makes him more desperate for her to stay. And both come to realize a bond they didn’t know they have is breaking. A story about first pains and hurts of growing up.