Alex Dremann

Alex Dremann

Alex Dremann is a Philadelphia based playwright who studied playwriting at the University of Southern California and has had over 500 productions of his short plays. Full lengths include: “Split Pea Pod” (The Brick Playhouse), “Postcoital Variations” (Philadelphia Theatre Workshop), “The :nv:s:ble Play” (PTW, Madlab Theatre, Theatre of NOTE & Cone Man Running) and “The Pear-Shaped Man Fights Crime” (...
Alex Dremann is a Philadelphia based playwright who studied playwriting at the University of Southern California and has had over 500 productions of his short plays. Full lengths include: “Split Pea Pod” (The Brick Playhouse), “Postcoital Variations” (Philadelphia Theatre Workshop), “The :nv:s:ble Play” (PTW, Madlab Theatre, Theatre of NOTE & Cone Man Running) and “The Pear-Shaped Man Fights Crime” (PlayPenn workshop reading). Evenings of his collected short plays include: “Slap Happy” (Madlab Theatre), “B-Sides, Rarities and Unreleased Tracks” (Wilmington City Theatre), “Bipolar by Thursday” (Theatre Neo) and “13 Lemonade Ave.” (Secret Room Theatre). Published short plays include “On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning” in “The Humana Festival 2009: The Complete Plays”. www.alexdremann.com

Plays

  • The :nv:s:ble Play by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: invisibility, office + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: invisibility, office, cubicles, publishing, editing, editorial, magical realism
    FULL LENGTH - Colin has been fading away for years in the cubicle next to Fran and has made the mistake of falling in love with her even though she as no idea he exists. When his lunch partner gets laid off, Colin finds himself alone and completely invisible to his coworkers at the existential publishing house. But now a whole new invisible world is visible to him. He meets Ramona and Lawrence who have been...
    FULL LENGTH - Colin has been fading away for years in the cubicle next to Fran and has made the mistake of falling in love with her even though she as no idea he exists. When his lunch partner gets laid off, Colin finds himself alone and completely invisible to his coworkers at the existential publishing house. But now a whole new invisible world is visible to him. He meets Ramona and Lawrence who have been invisible and working beside him for years. They teach him the rules of being invisible including an unsubstantiated myth that the only way to become visible again is if someone falls in love with you. With the help of his new invisible friends, Colin works to win the heart of Fran-- who can’t see or hear him. But all she has to do is turn her head.
  • The Cure by Alex Dremann
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: organ donation, mother/son relationships + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: organ donation, mother/son relationships, nurse, Hospital
    FULL LENGTH - When her twenty-four year old son wills himself to death to donate all his organs, Joan goes on a quest to understand why. Along the way, she meets five of the recipients who all seem to remind her of different parts of her son’s personality, but it’s not until she meets her son’s heart that she finally learns the truth.
  • omniHappy by Alex Dremann
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: artificial intelligence, Dystopia + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, mystery/thriller, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: artificial intelligence, Dystopia, commerce, alzheimers, neuro science
    FULL LENGTH - Helen and Phil are living in a pristine near-future dystopian Philadelphia where mega tech company Omni controls everything about their lives and their data. Omni’s only goal is to keep its customers happy and spending money. If a customer becomes unhappy, Omni tasks the person causing the unhappiness with killing (or “churning") the unhappy customer. Today’s the day Omni detects Phil has...
    FULL LENGTH - Helen and Phil are living in a pristine near-future dystopian Philadelphia where mega tech company Omni controls everything about their lives and their data. Omni’s only goal is to keep its customers happy and spending money. If a customer becomes unhappy, Omni tasks the person causing the unhappiness with killing (or “churning") the unhappy customer. Today’s the day Omni detects Phil has become unhappy, so Helen is tasked with churning her husband... which makes her unhappy. But Helen is a neuro-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania and has been working on a research project that might save both their lives-- and doom all of humanity to omniHappiness.
  • The Pear-Shaped Man Fights Crime by Alex Dremann
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Art and Artists, crime + 3 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, satire
    Keyword: Art and Artists, crime, muffins, pears, gentrification
    FULL LENGTH - The artists in the trendy neighborhood of LOLA are losing their post-gentrification turf war to a corporation called The Farm and Magda’s artisan bakery is on the verge of going under. But when Magda finally creates a near-perfect spelt muffin, something is not quite right with the customers who flock in for the muffins— and they may really be on the hunt for the last two artists in LOLA, Betty...
    FULL LENGTH - The artists in the trendy neighborhood of LOLA are losing their post-gentrification turf war to a corporation called The Farm and Magda’s artisan bakery is on the verge of going under. But when Magda finally creates a near-perfect spelt muffin, something is not quite right with the customers who flock in for the muffins— and they may really be on the hunt for the last two artists in LOLA, Betty and Zeke, who have taken refuge in the bakery. Meanwhile, Magda’s mysterious pear-shaped nephew Paul is just hoping for a little crime to fight.
  • Split Pea Pod by Alex Dremann
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: indecision, split personality + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: indecision, split personality, twins, commitment
    FULL LENGTH - Dan is a man so unsure about committing to his relationship with his girlfriend, Gert, that he splits in half-- the half that loves her unconditionally and the half that's terminally afraid of commitment. The two halves (played by two different actors) must reconcile their indecision and work together to win back Gert before she is lost forever.  The plight of the two Dans is complicated by...
    FULL LENGTH - Dan is a man so unsure about committing to his relationship with his girlfriend, Gert, that he splits in half-- the half that loves her unconditionally and the half that's terminally afraid of commitment. The two halves (played by two different actors) must reconcile their indecision and work together to win back Gert before she is lost forever.  The plight of the two Dans is complicated by his roommate, Steve-- who is secretly in love with both Gert and Dan-- and Steve's therapist, Dr. Benning, who seems to be doing more harm than good.
  • Henchpeople (or The Moons of Montserrat) by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller, romantic comedy
    FULL LENGTH - It’s 1996 and Gonz and his wife Tammy are unemployed followers in search of a leader. Tammy finds her groove as a backup singer to Montserrat, a washed-up opera diva reinventing her career as a pop diva, but when Gonz tries his hand at being a henchman for Schnitzel, he can’t even break a guy's knee-caps with a crow-bar. When Schnitzel, the ultimate collector of all Montserrat memorabilia...
    FULL LENGTH - It’s 1996 and Gonz and his wife Tammy are unemployed followers in search of a leader. Tammy finds her groove as a backup singer to Montserrat, a washed-up opera diva reinventing her career as a pop diva, but when Gonz tries his hand at being a henchman for Schnitzel, he can’t even break a guy's knee-caps with a crow-bar. When Schnitzel, the ultimate collector of all Montserrat memorabilia, finds out Gonz's wife is in possession of the long-lost holy-grail test pressing of Montserrat’s first 7" single, Gonz must think for himself for once and choose between his undying loyalty to his new boss and his ever-distant wife.
  • Postcoital Variations by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: polyamory, pregnancy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: polyamory, pregnancy, infertility
    FULL LENGTH - Maryanne is in a poly amorous relationship with two men, Todd and Sven, and is forced to reevaluate her situation when she gets pregnant. Her search for answers is paralleled by her best friend Helen who is struggling to conceive a child with her husband. Each scene of the play begins postcoitally with each character's life just altered as a consequence of sex.
  • Dirt by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller
    ·
    Keyword: dirt, psychic + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: dirt, psychic, detective, police, gardening
    FULL LENGTH - Clair is a psychic who solves crimes for the police department and her current case is a corpse found planted up to her fingertips in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. Prevented by the authorities from touching the dead body for a psychic read, she uses the psychic traces left in the dirt of the shallow grave to track down the killer. When she realizes he is a more powerful psychic who...
    FULL LENGTH - Clair is a psychic who solves crimes for the police department and her current case is a corpse found planted up to her fingertips in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. Prevented by the authorities from touching the dead body for a psychic read, she uses the psychic traces left in the dirt of the shallow grave to track down the killer. When she realizes he is a more powerful psychic who is planting false psychic clues in the dirt, Clair must learn to use old-fashioned detective work instead of her now-unreliable psychic power to solve the crime.
  • A Clean Dislike by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: office, Co-workers + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: office, Co-workers, coffee, Relationships, female friendships
    Corporate coworkers Marjorie and Annie don't like each other so they schedule an early meeting to hash out why.
  • A Statement of Fact by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: LGBTQ, Relationships
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: LGBTQ, Relationships
    With just a few minutes before Hutton's cab arrives to take him to the airport, his boyfriend states a simple fact that may or may not end their relationship.
  • Abigail Has an Elaborate Quarter-Life Crisis by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental
    ·
    Keyword: reality, road-trip + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental
    Keyword: reality, road-trip, experimental
    Abigail, on a search for real meaning in her life, goes on an existential quest with her friend Jenny to settle a score with an ex in Prague.
  • Cannibals Gone Bad by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: Cannibals, sewers + 2 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, fantasy, horror, melodrama, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: Cannibals, sewers, post-apocalypse, Rebellion
    A post-apocalyptic comedic thriller in the sewers after the remaining population is driven underground. Food is scarce and the scriptures say it's the ultimate honor to be eaten by the queen, but when one cannibal finally gets picked to be eaten, he goes rogue.
  • Conception by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Relationships, writing + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Relationships, writing, babies, children, philosophy, Sex, Bed
    In bed late one night, Jackie solicits her husband's help with an existential writing crisis she's trying to solve by climbing on top of him.
  • Date #3: The Long Hug Goodnight by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: hug, Relationships + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: hug, Relationships, Sex, dating
    At the end of their third date, Lynne and Ethan are trapped in a ten-minute hug goodnight that could decide their future.
  • Emma of Sandusky by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Relationships, matchmaking + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, holiday, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Relationships, matchmaking, Jane Austen, christmas, retirement, eggnog
    An adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" that takes place in a retirement village and, even after all these years, Emma is still trying to match-make her singleton friends only to accidentally find love herself.
  • Escape the Cube by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Escape Room, detective + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, mystery/thriller, tragedy
    Keyword: Escape Room, detective, locked door mystery, office, guns
    A detective is investigating a murder in a classic locked escape room situation where none of the facts make even metaphysical sense, least of all to the prime suspect holding the gun.
  • Fang by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: vampire, halloween + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fantasy, horror
    Keyword: vampire, halloween, dentist, romance, teeth, fangs
    A vampire pays an unannounced visit to Loretta, a dentist who must diagnose if his dental problem is indeed fang-rot or something much, much worse.
  • Four Dry Tongues by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: gay, Lesbian + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, romantic comedy
    Keyword: gay, Lesbian, bisexual, Relationships, slapstick, Apartment, wine
    Tristan invites his adorable friend Matt over for a party in his tiny Manhattan closet apartment, hoping to lure him into bed, but Tristan's best friend Ginny has the exact same plan.
  • Hypothermia (or "Fits") by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Alaska, pipeline + 4 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Alaska, pipeline, winter, cold, gloves, infertility
    Two men. A bitterly cold winter's night working on the Alaskan pipeline. One pair of gloves.
  • Meta Meta by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    4–7
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: meta, actors + 5 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental
    Keyword: meta, actors, writers, theater, playwright, cameraman, Movies
    Alex wants to make a "Dogma 95" short film about staging a ten minute play about making a short film about staging a play, but his actor friends have real lives and are skeptical about taking part in this meta experiment.
  • Not-Lucinda Doesn't Not Get It Eventually by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Existential angst, cocoon + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, mystery/thriller, tragedy
    Keyword: Existential angst, cocoon, life crisis
    She's in the midst of an epic existential crisis and and doesn't get it or how to make it stop, but she will eventually and likely cathart, but probably not till after the play ends-- and her name is most definitely not "Lucinda".
  • On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller
    ·
    Keyword: CIA, spies + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: CIA, spies, murder, poison, mother/daughter
    Mother and daughter sip coffee on the porch one gloriously crisp spring morning. And then try to kill each other. The end.
  • Pemberton by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: time-travel, Staten Island + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: time-travel, Staten Island, ferry, Commute, New York
    Anna in 2017 meets her twenty-six year-old self in 1991 on the Staten Island Ferry and has the last few minutes of the commute to figure out if the choices she made the last twenty-six years were the right ones.
  • Precipice by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: office, ledge + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, romantic comedy, tragedy
    Keyword: office, ledge, fonts, marketing, Relationships, meet cute
    Angela and Ron find themselves on the ninth floor ledge outside their office in the middle of a work day for completely different reasons.
  • Sally Sock by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    6–10
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: sock puppet, Relationships + 1 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, experimental, fantasy, movement/physical, romantic comedy, young audiences
    Keyword: sock puppet, Relationships, lgbtqia
    When her Foot loses her at the Laundromat, single sock Sally One tries to find Sally Two and her way back to her Foot, but fate and the other socks in the single sock bin have other plans.
  • Shelly by Alex Dremann
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: experimental, mystery/thriller
    ·
    Keyword: doppelganger, twins + 3 more
    Genre: experimental, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: doppelganger, twins, video, split-screen, murder
    Waiting on a commuter train platform on the way to work, Benjamin meets his other personality Ben who admits to killing their wife.
  • Speed Play by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: meet cute, games + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: meet cute, games, romantic comedy, storytelling
    As they eat lunch on a bench in the park, Jackie and Henry play a game where they tell the stories of the strangers walking past before deciding to tell each other’s story.
  • Spit For Tat by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: foreplay, fighting as foreplay + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: foreplay, fighting as foreplay, Sex, romance
    Greg and Bernadette fight about whether or not they need to fight as foreplay.
  • The Cheever Tapes by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: medical examiners, autopsies + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror, mystery/thriller, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: medical examiners, autopsies, security camera, romance, corpses, reanimation
    A Media Studies professor analyzes frame-by-frame the famous 1999 security camera footage of morgue technician Jeff Cheever miraculously reanimating two corpses with his tongue and pieces together the events that must have lead up to the taping.
  • The Hard Woo by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: romance, wild-oats + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: romance, wild-oats, contest, engagement
    Jenn decides her fiancé Spencer needs to sow his wild oats before their wedding, but under her strict supervision.
  • The Harsh by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Groomsmen, Anti-smoking + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Groomsmen, Anti-smoking, Relationships, best friends, bride
    Best friends Nick and Henry make the painful transition to life after Nick marrying Henry's ex.
  • The Narcoleptic Pillow Fight by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, movement/physical + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: marriage, narcolepsy + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, movement/physical, romantic comedy
    Keyword: marriage, narcolepsy, insomnia, infidelity, romance
    A narcoleptic couple in the middle of an argument tries desperately and rather unsuccessfully to stay awake long enough to save their marriage.
  • The Peach by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: contract killers, hitmen + 4 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller, tragedy
    Keyword: contract killers, hitmen, friendship, loyalty, diner, Pie
    Jake is a simple man who likes to kill things for his boss, but today his boss wants him dead.
  • The Physics of Now by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: time travel, physics + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller, romantic comedy
    Keyword: time travel, physics, physicists, science, Relationships, love, Sex
    On the cusp of discovering the key to time travel, physicist grad students Jake and Dagney are confronted with their future selves.
  • Third-First Person by Alex Dremann
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: monologues, meet-cute + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: monologues, meet-cute, writers, coffee shop, romance
    Internal monologues of two writers in a coffee shop who nearly meet and nearly fall in lo.ve