Peter B. Sonenstein

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. The End of Empire was a semifinalist for the 2024 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, the winner of the 2023 Artists Award for Drama at the Guilford Performing Arts Festival and received a multimedia staged reading at the festival in September, 2023.

"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" by Peter B. Sonenstein is a drama about two families coping with grief, displacement, and uncertain futures. Set over 24 hours in the Talbot family's New England home, they prepare to move following the death of their oldest son, James, three years earlier. Frank, the father, focuses on the logistics, while David, their surviving son, clings to memories.
Mary, the mother, unexpectedly brings Carmen and Esperanza Rios, Venezuelan refugees, to shelter with them for the night, stirring tension. The Rios family's separation from loved ones mirrors the Talbots' grief. As events unfold, Carmen, in a fragile state, goes missing but is eventually found. The night brings moments of emotional confrontation: Mary struggles with letting go, David reveals plans to move to California, and Frank avoids facing his family’s deeper issues.
After a night of bonding between the two families, the Rios family learns their missing relative has been located. They leave for a reunion, and Mary, overwhelmed, has an emotional breakdown. In the morning, Esperanza returns to say thank you and plays their piano, a poignant symbol of hope. The Talbots agree to store items for the Rios family and prepare for the next chapter of their lives as the moving truck arrives.

In this fast-moving drama/comedy, a young investment banker arrives in Côte D'Ivoire to negotiate mining rights for minerals the United States needs to secure to achieve their electric vehicle future, only to discover that the other competing countries are WAY ahead of him. As he navigates his way through rough international waters, he learns first-hand what kind of economic and political power the USA can still bring to bear in Africa and the Global South.

In this ten-minute family comedy with an absurd number of characters, the main course is secrets.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?'

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.

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?

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.

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.