Michael Baroto

Michael Baroto

MICHAEL BAROTO (Playwright and Designer) made his writing debut at the Davidson Valentini Theatre in Los Angeles with the first public reading of his play: The Waiting Room in July 2010. He subsequently completed his second play Gross Misconduct, that same year and his third play Parlour Games, in June 2011. Parlour Games was awarded a Quarterfinalist position in the ScreenCraft 2019 Stage Play competition. His...
MICHAEL BAROTO (Playwright and Designer) made his writing debut at the Davidson Valentini Theatre in Los Angeles with the first public reading of his play: The Waiting Room in July 2010. He subsequently completed his second play Gross Misconduct, that same year and his third play Parlour Games, in June 2011. Parlour Games was awarded a Quarterfinalist position in the ScreenCraft 2019 Stage Play competition. His psychological stage drama, Stream of Consciousness, was completed in December 2013. In 2023, he achieved a Lifetime Membership status in The Dramatists Guild of America. Michael has taken courses on Writing for Animation, Screenplay and Introduction to the Art, Writing for the Stage, and Playwriting 101. 2023 marks his tenth year participating in the My Life is Poetry workshops. His poem ‘The Voice’ was published in the NJ Bards Poetry Review in 2002. And his children’s fantasy 1984/1990, The First Little Girl on the Moon, achieved a Quarterfinalist position in ScreenCraft’s Animation Competition in 2021.

Plays

  • Parlour Games by Michael Baroto
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: melodrama
    ·
    Keyword: deception, rumors + 3 more
    Genre: melodrama
    Keyword: deception, rumors, Transgender, LGBTQ, family
    Amanda Sheercroft, a forty-four-year-old society woman, seemingly has it all… a devoted husband, a young teenage daughter, and a sprawling estate known for its lavish parties and decadence. For Amanda, giving parties is her lifeblood, and this year is no exception as her second husband, Jarrett, is poised to be elected to the city council. But in a small town, there is only so much you can hide, especially when...
    Amanda Sheercroft, a forty-four-year-old society woman, seemingly has it all… a devoted husband, a young teenage daughter, and a sprawling estate known for its lavish parties and decadence. For Amanda, giving parties is her lifeblood, and this year is no exception as her second husband, Jarrett, is poised to be elected to the city council. But in a small town, there is only so much you can hide, especially when those secrets, if they came to light, might shock an otherwise tranquil community and crumble the facade she so preciously loves. In an early confrontation, her daughter Lyndsay admits to seeing Bryan Miller, an older college boy, but swears the rumor she is pregnant is false. Amanda tries to dissuade Bryan from continuing the affair, but when he challenges her authority, the mother has the boyfriend arrested. However, Amanda is hiding secrets, too. One is that Paul, Lindsay’s father, left her for another man. When Paul arrives with his partner, Steven, for the evening's festivities, Lindsay confronts her father who reveals he did leave her mother but not for another man. On the night of the Gala, Amanda makes an emotional plea to her daughter for understanding. Lyndsay, suitcases in hand, begs her mother to drop the deception. When the last card is played, the secret is revealed.
  • Gross Misconduct by Michael Baroto
    Cast: 
    8–11
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: jealousy, greed + 2 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: jealousy, greed, corruption, Controversial
    When an out-of-control Department Manager falsely accuses a young and upcoming Supervisor, Robert McCullen, of ‘Gross Misconduct,’ he gets caught in his own embezzlement investigation that ultimately uncovers a shocking secret about his private life, which leads to his own destruction. Forced to confront these allegations head-on, Robert is black-listed and unemployed when he accidentally stumbles upon the...
    When an out-of-control Department Manager falsely accuses a young and upcoming Supervisor, Robert McCullen, of ‘Gross Misconduct,’ he gets caught in his own embezzlement investigation that ultimately uncovers a shocking secret about his private life, which leads to his own destruction. Forced to confront these allegations head-on, Robert is black-listed and unemployed when he accidentally stumbles upon the truth. Hidden among his personal belongings, he finds an inter-office memo that holds the key. As the puzzle pieces fall into place, the stress of defending himself begins to take its toll on his personal relationships. Unwilling to file a wrongful termination suit, he is devastated to learn he has been denied his unemployment claim. He files an appeal with the courts and wins in a victory. But it’s not until an unplanned meeting with an ex-co-worker that the lascivious nature of this Department Manager’s life is revealed to him. Collette, the 20-something intern that his manager is having an affair with, is rumored to be his daughter. Armed with this explosive secret, Robert has to decide whether to reveal what he knows to the world or hold on to it. …And if he does, at what cost?



  • The Waiting Room by Michael Baroto
    Cast: 
    9–12
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: psychological
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: psychological
    A middle-aged man finds himself in a cold and sterile hospital waiting room confronted by the fact that someone he love’s is dying. On duty that night is the vigilant Nurse Porter, who does her best to protect him from the onslaught of visitors and apparitions, while this internal struggle is taking everything he has to cope. As he wanders in an out of time searching for answers he recalls a pivotal moment in...
    A middle-aged man finds himself in a cold and sterile hospital waiting room confronted by the fact that someone he love’s is dying. On duty that night is the vigilant Nurse Porter, who does her best to protect him from the onslaught of visitors and apparitions, while this internal struggle is taking everything he has to cope. As he wanders in an out of time searching for answers he recalls a pivotal moment in his life ‘a winter’s night long ago’ when he met the Star Lady. In reliving this tale, the lines of reality and fantasy blur beyond recognition. Now his snow-covered world is colored by tragic life and death situations that affect his ability to reason. Can he give up on hope and go on living or has the very foundation of his belief system turned to sand?
  • Stream of Consciousness by Michael Baroto
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: HIV/AIDS, love + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: HIV/AIDS, love, family, miracles, supernatural
    A young man stricken with a terminal illness runs away to a weekend retreat and returns miraculously cured of all signs of his disease. For all intents and purposes, he is healed, yet no one believes him. The friends and family that gather around him for support look on and stare, trying to make sense of it all. For some, this is a farce; for others a journey, and for the zealots among us, a sign that damnation...
    A young man stricken with a terminal illness runs away to a weekend retreat and returns miraculously cured of all signs of his disease. For all intents and purposes, he is healed, yet no one believes him. The friends and family that gather around him for support look on and stare, trying to make sense of it all. For some, this is a farce; for others a journey, and for the zealots among us, a sign that damnation is upon us. How could a remote trip to a weekend resort rejuvenate the body to such a vibrant and healthy state? And is it possible?

    One takes pride in knowing the ways of the world, but what do we really know about the unknown or the powers of the human mind?
    In the summer of 1985, our cast of characters, Ana, her son Jonathan; her sister Beatrice; Father Flanagan; and Joshua, the departed lover, are about to find out: Between Love, and Death, and Miracles, there’s a Stream of Consciousness – that may just set us free.