Susan Middaugh

Susan Middaugh

A member of the Dramatists Guild and the Playwrights Group of Baltimore, Susan has had 22 of her short plays produced or read by community theaters in the U.S., Canada and England. They include Source Theatre, Shelterbelt Theatre, Stone Soup Theatre, Wasatch Theatre Company and the Renaissance Guild among others. Theatrical Mining Company produced two of her full length plays, A Modern Pas de Deux, and Black...
A member of the Dramatists Guild and the Playwrights Group of Baltimore, Susan has had 22 of her short plays produced or read by community theaters in the U.S., Canada and England. They include Source Theatre, Shelterbelt Theatre, Stone Soup Theatre, Wasatch Theatre Company and the Renaissance Guild among others. Theatrical Mining Company produced two of her full length plays, A Modern Pas de Deux, and Black Widows as part of the Baltimore Playwrights festivals. Lazy Bee Scripts in England has published her short play, A Table for Two, and One Act Play Depot has published her two play, Such Good Neighbors. She has studied with playwright Jeffrey Sweet, director Paul Berman, Daisy Foote (Sewanee Writers Conference) and with Ernie Joselovitz of the Playwrights Forum. Susan has also participated in the Iowa Summer Writing Festival for playwriting in a class led by Kate Aspengren.

Plays

  • Feeble-Minded White Trash a full length by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–21
    ·
    Genre: drama, period + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: forced sterilization, History + 8 more
    Genre: drama, period, political, tragedy
    Keyword: forced sterilization, History, Eugenics, black lives matter, U.S. Supreme Court, Buck v Bell, racism, classism, the south, 20th century women's history
    During the 1920s in rural Virginia, Hattie Clawson, an illiterate laundress with two illegitimate children , one of them black, hasn't heard of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes or his majority opinion in Buck vs. Bell. But she will feel the impact of the court's decision when the Commonwealth forces her to undergo an involuntary sterilization, severs her parental rights and takes her...
    During the 1920s in rural Virginia, Hattie Clawson, an illiterate laundress with two illegitimate children , one of them black, hasn't heard of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes or his majority opinion in Buck vs. Bell. But she will feel the impact of the court's decision when the Commonwealth forces her to undergo an involuntary sterilization, severs her parental rights and takes her son and daughter away. What will she and her children do to survive in a society preoccupied with race and class? Will the stigma every go away? All told, 33 states had laws that authorized forced sterilization; 65,000 Americans were affected, 85% of them women.
  • The Next Dance by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    6–7
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    ·
    Keyword: physical disability, Sex + 5 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    Keyword: physical disability, Sex, romance, cerebral palsy, surrogate, independence, interdependence
    When you're a young man in his early 20s who has cerebral palsy, is subject to spasms and still lives at home, what does it take to find sex besides money? Ask Jack Durso. But a real match? Then it helps to have a personal care attendant named Max who's an amateur boxer and who challenges Jack's MO.
  • Black Widows, a full length play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–12
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: homelessness, hit and run + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: homelessness, hit and run, Vietnam Vets, greed, murder, insurance, Los Angeles
    Small time crooks Gwen and Vera, both in their 70s, pretend to befriend a couple of homeless men they meet through a church soup kitchen. They give the men a place to live, take out multiple life insurance policies on them, and wait for the men to die -- until one night Vera gets impatient. First one hit and run, then another. Will these women get caught? Published by Next Stage Press.
  • A Modern Pas de Deux, a full length play by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Art and Artists, dancing + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, political, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Art and Artists, dancing, middle aged love, terrorism, Intifada
    Pickles Amalfitano and Paul Quinn's romance reflects man and woman's yearning to find the right partner in life -- even in middle age. Are they too different and too set in their ways to acknowledge their need for one another? Will an irascible bartender who considers himself a love coach have an impact on their decision?
  • A Senior Moment by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: online dating, mature actors + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: online dating, mature actors, imperfect match, first date, blooming romance
    A man and woman in their 50s, who have met online, discuss their upcoming blind date. Each has flaws but they are excited.
  • Not in Service, a full length play of about 60 minutes by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: public bus, accident + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, radio drama
    Keyword: public bus, accident, African American, filipino, Immigrants, adult friendship
    This play tells the story of three people of different races, ages and backgrounds who are thrown together during a bus accident. Will they become friends?
  • When I Fall in Love, It Will Be..., a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: dementia, senior sex + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: dementia, senior sex, marriage infidelity, memory care
    Two devoted spouses of dementia patients strike up an unlikely friendship when they discover what's going on at their partners' assisted living facility.
  • The Jackson, a 10-minute political play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: Donald Trump, Harriet Tubman + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, parody/spoof, political, satire
    Keyword: Donald Trump, Harriet Tubman, racism, Politics, social justice, hasya yoga
    While President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin argue over whether to put Harriet Tubman's face on the twenty-dollar bill, Bernice, an African American member of the White House maintenance staff, reacts to their shenanigans.
  • Taking the A Train, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: New York City, subway + 4 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: New York City, subway, guns, homelessness, accident, escape
    Three passengers get trapped in the New York City subway following a derailment. A homeless man doesn't want to escape, but he's the only one to know the way out. Will the other two persuade him to lead them out of the train?
  • Skeletons in the Cellar, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, faith-based + 1 more
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    Keyword: lies, bribery + 4 more
    Genre: drama, faith-based, political
    Keyword: lies, bribery, cremation, judaism, inner city housing, cover-up
    A city mayor has achieved a major coup by rehabbing thousands of vacant and affordable houses. The last one is about to go on the market when a Habitat for Humanity worker discovers skeletons in the cellar and threatens to tell the media. Will the mayor's press secretary persuade him to keep his mouth shut?
  • Meet Me in the Endive, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: widow, gardening + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: widow, gardening, dead husband, grief, Mourning, humor, Seniors
    A widow needs help with her vegetable garden, but she won't admit it until she receives a visit from her late husband who is on probation from limbo.
  • Night Divers, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: dumpster diving, relationship + 3 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, movement/physical, romantic comedy
    Keyword: dumpster diving, relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend, food
    Phil, an unemployed 20-something, takes his well-to-do girlfriend Janet dumpster diving. Will their relationship survive?
  • Standby, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: hypocrites, dante + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, political, satire
    Keyword: hypocrites, dante, classics, spoof, Divine Comedy, clerical corruption
    A riff on the Divine Comedy. Jerry Falwell, Jr. and an Italian cardinal meet at an airport and vie for the last seat on a plane that is about to depart for Purgatory, CO. Which man will win?
  • Killing Time, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, political + 1 more
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    Keyword: shooting, emergency room + 3 more
    Genre: drama, political, tragedy
    Keyword: shooting, emergency room, hospitals, death, class and economic inequality
    Two women from very different backgrounds meet outside the emergency room. Each of them is waiting for a family member who's inside. What will happen when they discover what they have in common?
  • Hooked: Anybody's Child, a docu-drama of about 70 minutes by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    9–41
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: substance abuse, addiction + 5 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: substance abuse, addiction, Recovery, overdose, parents, community, Drug rehab
    This docu-drama shows the impact that substance abuse has had on individuals and families. They are true stories based on personal interviews with men and women in a variety of cities and towns in Maryland, but they could be anywhere in the U.S.
  • Shattered, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: organ transplant, infertility + 2 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: organ transplant, infertility, marriage, children
    A husband who has been in an industrial accident argues with his wife about having a penis transplant. She wants to have children; he doesn't want another man's organ.
  • Headlong into the Abyss, a 10-12 minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Hurricane Katrina, attic + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic, drama, faith-based, political
    Keyword: Hurricane Katrina, attic, chopper, rescue, veterans, despair, New Orleans, fear and hope
    During the height of Hurricane Katrina, Lamont and his Aunt Pauline, who is in a wheelchair, escape to her attic. They watch, horrified, as their neighbors fall into the waters below. When a chopper passes them by, they begin to lose hope -- until Lamont comes up with a plan.Will he succeed?
  • Waterfront Property, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: drama, melodrama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: homelessness, statue + 4 more
    Genre: drama, melodrama, tragedy
    Keyword: homelessness, statue, violence, despair, mental illness, audition monologue
    After being attacked, a homeless woman talks and argues with the statue of a dead governor whom she considers a friend. He encourages her to seek medical attention, but she resists.
  • Just a Bus Driver, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: inner city, black lives matter + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: inner city, black lives matter, jealousy, revenge, love triangle, murder threat city bus
    On the eve of his retirement, a city bus driver encounters a male passenger who threatens to commit a murder when he leaves the bus.
  • It's My Party!, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical + 1 more
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    Keyword: drug addiction, prostitution + 4 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical, tragedy
    Keyword: drug addiction, prostitution, jail, class and economic inequality, shoes, female lawyer
    Connie, a suburbanite, gets picked up for drug possession. At the jail she meets Crystal, a street savvy prostitute and mother, whom she regards with disdain. They fight over a flashy pair of shoes and discover their vulnerabilities. What will be the outcome?
  • Old Goldilocks and the Two Bears, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: Spain, innkeeper + 4 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, opera
    Keyword: Spain, innkeeper, Opera Singer, hiking, subterfuge, the Camino
    Marge, who is in her 70s, is tired after hiking all day in Spain and in need of a place to stay for the night. She comes across a charming inn, but the owner says they are closed. Will she find a way around him?
  • Queen for a Day, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: butler, Charades + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, farce, mystery/thriller, parody/spoof
    Keyword: butler, Charades, violence, guns, murder
    It all starts out innocently enough. A young woman wins a butler for a day. Then the action veers off in an unnerving direction.
  • My Heroine, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: heroin, drug dealer + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: heroin, drug dealer, inner city, First generation college student, fast food, remorse
    Brenda works at a fast food restaurant and moonlights on the side to put herself through college -- until one day her ambition and desire to succeed get her into trouble. Happy meals are no longer happy and neither is Brenda.
  • Such Good Neighbors, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: argument, domestic violence + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: argument, domestic violence, nosy neighbors, Seniors, love triangle
    An older couple are awakened in the middle of the night by their next door neighbors who are having an argument. The nosy wife becomes intrigued by the goings-on; meanwhile, her husband does everything he can to distract her. Published by One Act Play Depot, Canada, in a collection of 3 short plays called Hell Is Other People,www.oneactplays.net.hellis.html
  • Table for Two, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce
    ·
    Keyword: restaurant queue, impatience + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, farce
    Keyword: restaurant queue, impatience, Homeless Man, Saturday night, single woman
    A woman comes to a restaurant on a Saturday night looking for a table for one. She keeps getting passed over by the couples behind her. Increasingly frustrated, she comes upon a solution involving a homeless man.
  • Suite 510, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, melodrama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Terror, intruder + 4 more
    Genre: drama, melodrama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Terror, intruder, threat, writers, office, revenge
    A woman writer, alone in her office this night, encounters a male intruder who threatens to kill her.
  • Master Theft, a full-length play by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    8–16
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: art theft, private detective + 3 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, farce, movement/physical
    Keyword: art theft, private detective, greed, Marc Chagall, museum
    A valuable painting by Marc Chagall gets stolen from the home of a successful businessman. Then it falls into the hands of a wide array of people at the high and low ends of society -- drug dealers, street punks, a crooked pawn shop owner, a gigolo who thinks he's an artist, etc. A private detective who knows nothing about art gets hired to find it. Will he succeed?
  • Mama Bears, a 10-minute play by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: high school students, matriarch + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: high school students, matriarch, college, engineering, self-sacrifice
    An African American male high school junior receives advice from his mother and grandmother about which college to attend to study engineering. Will he take it?
  • Consumer Confidence by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: senior woman, Sex + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: senior woman, Sex, condoms, retail store
    A convenience store clerk insists that all sales are final when his former elementary school teacher requests a refund. Will she persuade him otherwise?
  • Sisters by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    ·
    Keyword: Sisters, physical disability + 4 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical
    Keyword: Sisters, physical disability, college age, chess, jealousy, female independence
    Olivia is about to leave for college. How does she say goodbye to her older sister, Beatrice, who has a physical disability? Olivia has resented her sister's intelligence and the attention Beatrice has received from their parents her whole life. Can the two women acknowledge their need for one another despite their differences?
  • One Shoe Off, One Shoe On by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: marriage proposal, shoes + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, romantic comedy
    Keyword: marriage proposal, shoes, dance, champagne toast, jokes about feet
    Max proposes to Jean and she, in turn, proposes a champagne toast. But instead of raising a glass, Jean suggests they drink from her high-heeled shoe. Then they trade barbs. En garde!
  • Headlong into the Abyss, radio play by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Hurricane Katrina, African American + 3 more
    Genre: adventure, drama, faith-based, radio drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Hurricane Katrina, African American, New Orleans, rescue, escape
    At the height of Hurricane Katrina, Lamont and his Aunt Pauline escape to her attic. They watch, horrified as her neighbors fall from a balcony into the waters below. When a chopper passes overhead without stopping, their hopes for being rescued are dashed -- until Lamont comes up with a plan.
  • Headlong into the Abyss by Susan Middaugh
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic, drama, radio drama
    Keyword: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, ex-military, roof, escape, the Superdome, neighbors, African American
    During Hurricane Katrina, Lamont and his Aunt Pauline escape to the attic of her home. As the water rises, they look with horror as their neighbors resort to drastic measures. Lamont devises a plan to escape through the roof. But Aunt Pauline resists.
  • Just Another Face in the Crowd by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: face transplant, Able-bodied/disabled Tensions + 1 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: face transplant, Able-bodied/disabled Tensions, critical decision
    A severely disfigured man has an opportunity for a face transplant, but he resists. Will his wife and young daughter persuade him to change his mind?
  • The Swinging Bridge by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: hiking, fear + 4 more
    Genre: adventure, drama, movement/physical
    Keyword: hiking, fear, dying, friendship, bridge, nurse
    Janice a cancer patient in her 60s, is afraid of dying. Her friend Claire tries to comfort her by reliving a time when Janice overcame her fear of heights while on a hike with a local club.
  • Circumcised or Circum-skeptic? And the winner is... by Susan Middaugh
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, faith-based
    ·
    Keyword: circumcision, family traditions + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, faith-based
    Keyword: circumcision, family traditions, disagreement, Birth
    Margie, who is pregnant for the first time, and her husband Sol disagree over whether to have their baby son circumcised. Who will prevail?