Peter B. Sonenstein

Peter B. Sonenstein

For samples of my writing, please visit my website: www.petersonenstein.com or click on the published script link for each play.

Peter B. Sonenstein's plays have been seen in New York City at The New York Theatre Workshop, The Westbeth Theatre Center, The John Montgomery Theatre, Expanded Arts, and the Circle in the Square Downtown. Peter's work has been performed in California at the...
For samples of my writing, please visit my website: www.petersonenstein.com or click on the published script link for each play.

Peter B. Sonenstein's plays have been seen in New York City at The New York Theatre Workshop, The Westbeth Theatre Center, The John Montgomery Theatre, Expanded Arts, and the Circle in the Square Downtown. Peter's work has been performed in California at the Santa Cruz Chautauqua Festival and the Riverside Arts Festival, and regionally at The Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, NY, as well as The Source Theatre in Washington, DC. His work has also been seen extensively in Australia.

He holds an MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School at The New School in NYC where he studied with Romulus Linnney, Janusz Glowacki, and Jack Gelber. Peter was a Walter E. Dakin Fellow in playwriting at the Sewanee Writers' Conference, he has been a Usual Suspect at the New York Theatre Workshop, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Plays

  • The End of Empire by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: AI technology, computer technology + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: AI technology, computer technology, Future of Technology and Humanity, History of Technology
    The End of Empire follows the CEO of the world's largest social media platform as he and his executives, over the course of a single week, navigate ethical challenges posed by competitors, politicians, and each other. The play is an ambitious tale that takes the audience from the dawn of mathematical numbers to the contemporary challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence.
  • A Show of Hands by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: LGBTQ, Thanksgiving dinner
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: LGBTQ, Thanksgiving dinner
    In this ten-minute family comedy with an absurd number of characters, the main course is secrets.
  • Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: english/spanish, death and grief + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: english/spanish, death and grief, Latinx
    In an effort to escape the memories of their dead son and save their fragile marriage, Frank and Mary are moving out of their long-time family home tomorrow. Their youngest son, David, has come home from college to help out only to find that things have grown more strange in his absence. Their move is further complicated when Mary provides refuge for Carmen and Esperanza, a mother and daughter who lost their...
    In an effort to escape the memories of their dead son and save their fragile marriage, Frank and Mary are moving out of their long-time family home tomorrow. Their youngest son, David, has come home from college to help out only to find that things have grown more strange in his absence. Their move is further complicated when Mary provides refuge for Carmen and Esperanza, a mother and daughter who lost their home in a fire last night. Carmen is still looking for her son, Juan, who has gone missing in the fire. After a rough start, the two families bond in their grief and loss until Juan is found. Mary is, again, forced to confront her own loss and, with Frank and David, to find a way to move forward with her life.
  • La Luz Roja by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: pandemic, english/spanish
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: pandemic, english/spanish
    Written in June, 2020, as part of the first Quarantine Bake-Off sponsored by the University of Maryland Pandemic Players, this short play (15 min) takes place in the back room of a supermarket many months in the future of the pandemic. In this naturalistic portrait of their 'new normal', the three characters confront the immense loss and tragedy in their lives and community. Available also as a 10-minute play.
  • A Small Issue by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: office comedy, architect + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, tragedy
    Keyword: office comedy, architect, business
    In this 10-minute play, when a package doesn't arrive at a client's office on time, two young architects learn how important details can be.
  • Central Processing by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
    ·
    Keyword: Advanced computer technology, computer technology + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: Advanced computer technology, computer technology, data privacy
    In this one-act comedy, Maya has been summoned to a government office, but because her letter was mangled by the post office, no one can tell her why she is there - and they can't let her leave. Exploring the anxiety caused by technology & privacy, while satirizing government bureaucracy, the play asks how much of our humanity can truly be automated.
  • The Swingset by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: pushy salesperson, coping with death and grief
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: pushy salesperson, coping with death and grief
    When Betsy walks into Ali's lot full of used children's playsets, he quickly goes about trying to sell her one. But her real reason for being there is far more serious. This short piece, written as part of a series to be performed in a rooftop playground in Greenwich Village, brings out both the humor and humanity in the character's confrontation.
  • Patient 23 by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: cosmetic surgery
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, science fiction
    Keyword: cosmetic surgery
    Dr. Kroft is the best plastic surgeon in Manhattan. But his skills are put to the test when his new patient, Wendy, asks for something so different that it will require all his skill and talent to achieve. The effort to complete her surgery sends them both on a transcendent journey through fantasy, joy, love, and ultimately asks the question 'Can changing our appearance literally change who and what we are?'
  • For Season Ticket Holders Only by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: baseball, opening day + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: baseball, opening day, divorce, sports
    Al, a loyal season ticket holder, has been looking forward to opening day at Yankee Stadium all winter. But when a woman tries to takes the seat next to him, one that should belong to his friend Dave, he learns that she is Dave's ex-wife who took the season tickets in their bitter divorce. Over the course of the game, these two struggle to find common ground and realize that they both didn't know Dave as well as they thought.
  • Captivity by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Zoo animals, animal characters + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Zoo animals, animal characters, captivity, cost of freedom
    Joey, a young bengal tiger, is trying to convince Fred, the older tiger, that they should try to escape from the zoo. But these two get more than they bargained for once they leave their enclosure and begin wandering through the zoo. Is captivity so bad?
  • The Machine by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, science fiction
    ·
    Keyword: computer technology, redundancy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: computer technology, redundancy, job loss
    0 is helping 1 on his first day operating the machine. But it soon becomes apparent that 1 is not content to accept 0's simple explanations. Shouldn't they understand things better? Or should they maintain the status quo? In this one-act play, these two cogs in the greater machine must decide of they should break a few eggs to make a better omelette.
  • The Glee Club by Peter B. Sonenstein
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: S&M, B&D + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: S&M, B&D, lonely hearts
    When she brings Henry home from the bar, she thinks this shy guy will be fun to play with. But she when she invited him to dip his toe into the world of S&M, he does a cannonball into the deep end.