Kathryn Funkhouser

ONE-ACT, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS - full script available to read online for free at https://www.yourstagepartners.com/feed-the-machine

In this creative adaptation of Sophie Treadwell's Machinal, a merciless rhythm pursues a Young Woman from the moment she accepts her role in this play. It follows her through every aspect of her life, from the thundering footsteps of the crowds on the subway, to the clacking of typewriters at the office, to the clinking of glasses at the café. It seems like the more she tries to connect with others to find a way out, the deeper she falls into the trap. That is, until an unexpected connection with a stranger gives her a taste of freedom. She's willing to do terrible things to taste it again...but is this truly the way out? A shape-shifting ensemble creates a highly theatrical version of 1920s New York City and the gears of a machine that still runs today in this exciting drama.

Pre-approved cuts: Productions have permission to make cuts to this script for time, in order to perform within the time limits of competition. For other changes, please contact Stage Partners.

FULL-LENGTH, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS - full script cowritten with Matthew Byrd available to read online for free at https://yourstagepartners.com/beware-the-house-on-haunted-hill

Come to the party…stay if you dare. An eccentric millionaire promises six guests a mysterious prize if they can survive the night at the only truly haunted house in the world. Everyone invited has a few skeletons in their closets though, and screwball scares lurk around every corner. The classic 50s horror movie HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL becomes a campy whodunnit in this low-tech stage adaptation. Join us at the House on Haunted Hill - it’ll be a SCREAM.

Adapted by Matthew Byrd & Kathryn Funkhouser from the 1959 film HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, written by Robb White, directed by William Castle, starring Vincent Price

FULL-LENGTH, PUBLISHED BY PLAYSCRIPTS- https://www.playscripts.com/play/5221
An ensemble-activated, flexible adaptation of The Great Gatsby with minimal production elements and staging that makes memory into movement.
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Gatsby's party is over, but Nick Carraway is the one who has to clean up. It's not easy to gather the empty glasses and abandoned shoes when each evokes a memory, and the memories aren't easy to sweep away either - especially not when Jordan Baker remembers them differently. Can't repeat the past? Why, of course you can. Armed only with a few enchanted objects and the glittering words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, a shape-shifting ensemble creates the world of The Great Gatsby in this fiercely theatrical adaptation.

FULL-LENGTH. The reality show Bootstraps was cancelled weeks ago, and nobody told the cast. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be gained - and after all, chaos is easier to edit. “Everyone is equal. No one is safe.” How many lies are in that tagline? A wickedly fun dark comedy about perception, power, and the stories we tell about ourselves.

ONE-ACT, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS - full script available to read online for free at https://www.yourstagepartners.com/yellow-wallpaper
When Eleanor stumbles upon a hidden diary, she unlocks a family secret - and finds that danger lives closer to home than she possibly could have imagined. An ensemble of trapped spirits crack open the door between generations in a theatrical adaptation that wraps the classic psychological horror story The Yellow Wallpaper in a Hitchcockian thriller.

ONE-ACT, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS - full script cowritten with Jason Pizzarello available to read online for free at https://yourstagepartners.com/knock-knock

When you deliver packages, anyone might be behind your next door, from your elementary school teacher to a burglar on the job. Jaded veteran Logan thinks she's seen it all, while newbie Sam is convinced attitude is everything. The only sure thing in this job? They're both going to be surprised. Knock Knock is a rapid-fire comedy that delivers.

ONE ACT, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS - full script available to read online for free at https://yourstagepartners.com/will-you-be-my-nemesis.

It's hard to find your perfect match, someone you really connect with; someone who will dedicate their life to destroying you at all costs. Yes, sometimes it feels like you'll NEVER meet your nemesis. But Captain Battle and Dr. Nightmare are willing to try out every hero and villain in town to find the enemy of their dreams. Of course, you're going to meet a few weirdos along the way... An ultra-flexible, quickfire comedy sure to capture your heart and lower it slowly into a volcano.

ONE-ACT, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS Full script cowritten with Jason Pizzarello and Patrick Greene available to read online for free at
https://yourstagepartners.com/how-not-to-be-a-wizard
It's a (magical) disaster! A school of wizardry needs a new professor...and classes start tomorrow. Everyone's coming through the portal for an interview, from a suspiciously fake-looking centaur to this one guy from Oz who can't even DO anything. Can anybody save the day? A spellbinding comedy that has created the completely new concept of a school for wizards and is definitely not making fun of anything in particular.

No stage magic required.

One final note– 10% of all performance royalties for this play will be donated by the authors to The Trevor Project (thetrevorproject.org) which works to end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, & questioning young people.

ONE ACT, PUBLISHED BY PLAYSCRIPTS. https://www.playscripts.com/play/3070
It's no wonder Emily can't sleep. She obsesses about awkward interactions in the past, she tries to predict the disasters of the future - and then, of course, there's three immortal witches sabotaging her drama club production of Macbeth so they can escape the mortal realm. You know, life stuff. But when the witches send strange visions to turn Emily and her new classmates against each other, no one can predict what happens next. Before the charm's wound up, all will face their fears in this tale of loyalty, anxiety, Skittles, and doom. Published by Playscripts.

ONE-ACT, PUBLISHED BY PLAYSCRIPTS. https://www.playscripts.com/play/3913
Everyone at NASA thinks that Dr. Weaver's Mars colony is a joke, because it's full of average joes instead of astronauts. Their mission? To grow the first eggplant on Mars. As Dr. Weaver takes reports from the self-appointed experts, disappointed sci-fi fans, and customer service nightmares that inhabit the colony under the leadership of the arrogant Commander, the mission starts to seem impossible. But could there be more to the story than they're letting on? Written especially for actors to perform on video chat, DO YOU READ ME? is a space comedy about community.
Part of the Playscripts Livescreen Theatre Collection

ONE ACT, PUBLISHED BY PLAYSCRIPTS. https://www.playscripts.com/play/3091
Cowritten with Tyler Dwiggins. There are people who are excited about Christmas, and then there's Tiny Tim Cratchit - he's never met a seasonal sweater he didn't love. When he discovers his overworked parents could use some extra cheer this year, the oddball optimist drafts his skeptical sister Belinda into a last-minute quest to make enough money to buy the perfect gifts. The entitled customers, pushy elves, and ruthless carolers shopping on Christmas Eve are enough to test the most festive soul, but generosity comes from unlikely places in this galloping, joyful reversal of A Christmas Carol.

10-MINUTE PLAY, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS. Part of the collection TEN(ISH): COMEDIES. Available to read in full online at https://yourstagepartners.com/the-bargain
When you sell your soul, Dan is the demon who comes to collect. But things aren't as simple as that - especially if evil coworkers object to working overtime, people don't respect a cool trench coat, and worst of all, the doomed mortal has a cat. This play is part of the short play collection Ten(ish):Comedies, published by Stage Partners.

10-MINUTE, PUBLISHED BY STAGE PARTNERS. Part of the short play collection ROGUES' GALLERY.
When a young artist’s meeting with a rich collector is interrupted by a delivery, they might end up making a different deal altogether. This play is part of the short play collection Rogues' Gallery and can be licensed separately or as part of the collection.

10-MINUTE PLAY. When a cycle repeats, there are conversations we expect. Would it be the same if we gave the words away - or stole them? An unexpected story of transaction, connection, politics, and empathy.

As we all know, when a politician's alarming statements hit the cable news chyrons, his spokeswoman goes on TV to set the story straight. Somebody's got to ask the tough questions, after all. Should it really count as murder if it happens to a woman on a boat? Can we know for certain that polar bears even exist outside of Coca-Cola commercials? But just as the beleaguered host is about to surrender her sanity, another scandal breaks - and this one may be harder to sweep under the rug without somebody getting devoured.

It's Halloween night and the production team of a horror b-movie only has to get one more shot before they go celebrate. Unfortunately, the floundering lead actress is determined to prove her acting chops and really channel fear. Looks like the director and her shady production assistant will have to think up some ways to scare their perfectionistic star.

When Joe Wright's coworkers learn that he's been fired, speculation runs rampant - especially about why his assistant Minnie is sequestered by HR. The two young women assigned to pack up her desk know enough to keep quiet... at least until they're alone. A sharp take on Trifles for the #MeToo era.

Evelyn's life is going smoothly. Maybe TOO smoothly. She's decided she needs someone to help keep her on her toes, but not just any old enemy will do - she wants a Personal Nemesis. Today she's interviewing everyone from evil billionaires to supervillains, but only one candidate will truly be a worthy foe, and it's someone she never thought she'd see again.

Apocalypse Rising: Armies Of The Undead is advertised to be the most realistic depiction of zombie warfare ever to hit video game consoles - so of course teenage siblings Pete and Lisa can’t wait to play it. But as their avatars, Crazy George and Svetlana, set out to fight the zombie hordes, things start to get a little bit too real. Will Pete and Lisa be brought together by their strange new game or will a little honesty prove a dangerous thing?

Things have gone downhill for Lily since she saved the universe. Reduced to working with a jaded studio executive on a screenplay based on her adventures, she's flabbergasted to hear that the truth won't be quite magical enough for certain demographics. Looks like the battle between good and evil's not quite over yet . . .

Anne is unemployed, discouraged, and drifting apart from her friends, but she's determined to change her life story - and who has more control than the narrator? But when Anne won't part with the third person even though Julie needs help, they'll have to get creative in order to start speaking the same language.

ONE-ACT. Charlie wants to play it safe. She works at the same dilapidated boardwalk haunted house every summer without ever looking inside, she hangs out with her friend Neal without ever acting on her feelings for him, and she writes elaborate, uncanny stories that she refuses to show to anyone. But when a new girl joins the staff who's determined to change everything, Charlie's fear and yearning threaten to fade her into one of the ghosts she chronicles. At the end of the day, who ends up haunted?