R. N. Sandberg

Spain. 1492. The lives of three young people - one Muslim, one Jewish, one Christian - are turned upside down as Ferdinand and Isabella's army re-conquers Granada from the Muslims. Music, dance, and poetry heighten the dramatic struggle of these three trying to find a way to live together through war and persecution.

Christopher Creed, a teen-aged outcast, has disappeared. Torey, unlike all the others in his popular crowd, is troubled by the disappearance of a kid they have known their whole lives. Creed’s mom believes her son was killed by one of the rough kids from the wrong side of town. But Ali, one of Torey’s old friends who has distanced herself from the popular group, thinks Mrs. Creed herself may have killed her son. Torey, Ali, and an unlikely accomplice try to unravel the mystery, becoming the objects of police suspicion and seemingly supernatural circumstances connected with the local Indian burial ground.

The true story of Elizabeth Freeman, whose case challenging Massachusetts’ slavery laws helped change the course of history, the play examines what family, equality, independence, and courage truly mean. Commissioned by the American Repertory Theatre, developed at the Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices and published by Dramatic Publishing

In the States, Tony is conducting an on line relationship with a woman. He longs to meet her - though he doesn’t know her name or even in what country she lives. His buddy Fen discourages Tony from pursuing the relationship.

In India, Priya feels trapped by her life and impending arranged marriage to Gupta. Her brother Rajiv encourages her to escape through the internet.

In Kenya, Surayya has returned after years away to show her new wife her home.

Fen, inspired by Tony, tries to discuss marriage with his long time girlfriend Lydia. Things fall apart.

Tony, undeterred by Fen, has computer whiz Francisco try to track down his mysterious internet lover.

Journeys to India, Kenya and the Caribbean ensue as the characters attempt to find partners, peace and connections that fulfill their images of romance.

Mad Dreams is a musical re-imagining of A Midsummer Nights Dream set in Athens, Georgia in 1961 as the first Black student (the Lysander character) is entering the University of Georgia. Robin (Puck), the piano player at The Woods, an R&B club in the Athens Black community, frames the story. He knows the audience wants a fairy tale romance, but the musical story he presents ultimately asks if love can create fairy tale endings in a world with prejudices about race, class, and sexual orientation. At the center of the piece are Tania (Titania), lead singer at The Woods, and her lover Thaddeus (Theseus), musician and Dean of Students at the University, who has just bought the club so he can be close to her.

The piece is still in development. The ending of the attached draft needs to move in a more positive direction.

Variety said this “intriguing” adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel “operates on several levels” and “transcends the monster-story foundation to become a complex psychological drama.” Seattle critics called it “ingenious” and “a macabre dance” that merges “fever dreams with actual memory.” Set in the icy polar regions where scientist Victor Frankenstein has chased the creature he brought to life, this highly theatrical, thought provoking play traces Frankenstein’s path to the final confrontation with his intelligent, articulate, sensitive and powerfully violent child.

It has been produced all over the U.S. and throughout the English speaking world.

Full length and one act versions are available from Playscripts.

Fran, a molecular biologist, and Talia, her 16 year old artistic daughter, have just lost the man they love most in the world. How they cope with his death is explored in this sometimes comic, sometimes dream-like drama. Close friends, potential lovers, and an array of eccentric strangers flow in and out as Fran and Talia try to maintain their equilibrium, vent their grief, and understand what lies beyond the surface of their lives. Developed in workshops at the Provincetown Playhouse and Passage Theatre.

Zabel Yessayan, acclaimed writer, feminist, and peace activist, imprisoned by Soviet authorities, struggles to hold on to her courage and beliefs as she faces a death sentence. Theatrically imagined from Yessayan's writings.