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10-MINUTE. Dominic and Colin have a serendipitous meeting, which stirs up a painful past but sparks a promising future.
Robert Weibezahl
Robert Weibezahl
Robert Weibezahl’s plays include “And Lightning Struck” (commissioned and presented by Lit Live, Simi Valley, California, 2017; Winner, 2020 Quarantine Playwriting Competition, Grand Theatre, Cartersville, Georgia), “Which Way the Wind Blows” (staged reading Palisades Playwrights Festival 2018 and Finalist at Dayton Playhouse’s FutureFest 2019), and “Hold On” (staged reading Palisades Playwrights Festival 2019...
Robert Weibezahl’s plays include “And Lightning Struck” (commissioned and presented by Lit Live, Simi Valley, California, 2017; Winner, 2020 Quarantine Playwriting Competition, Grand Theatre, Cartersville, Georgia), “Which Way the Wind Blows” (staged reading Palisades Playwrights Festival 2018 and Finalist at Dayton Playhouse’s FutureFest 2019), and “Hold On” (staged reading Palisades Playwrights Festival 2019). His short plays have been performed (live and virtually) by theatre companies in New York, California, Massachusetts, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Australia, as well as at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and the William inge Festival. He has worked in various production capacities on feature films and television movies, has published two novels ("The Wicked and the Dead" and "The Dead Don’t Forget"), two non-fiction books, and numerous poems and short stories (including the Derringer Award finalist “Identity Theft”), as well as several hundred book reviews as a monthly columnist for "BookPage." A "Jeopardy!" champion, he lives in southern California and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Plays
Gimme Shelter by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 2··Cast:2Genre: comedy, drama·Keyword: connection, great role for older actress + 5 moreGenre: comedy, dramaKeyword: connection, great role for older actress, nonbinary, retirement, generations, rock and roll, Lost twenty-somethings10-MINUTE. A septuagenarian with an unconventional past and a twenty-something with an uncertain future have a brief encounter at the bus stop in a retirement village and forge a highly unexpected connection.
FIRST PLACE, 8x10: The Eileen Moushey TheatreFest, Weathervane PlayhouseR/Eject by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 6··Cast:2Genre: comedy·Keyword: writer, playwriting + 4 moreGenre: comedyKeyword: writer, playwriting, writer's block, rejection, jeolousy, two-handerA playwright wrestles with his/her better self.Ashes - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 2··Cast:1Genre: drama·Keyword: LBGTQ, global pandemic + 7 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: LBGTQ, global pandemic, AIDS crisis, climate change, wildfires, culture of fear, denial, COVID, AIDS epidemicA Man. Two viruses. Climate Change. Through the story of his own personal loss, an aging man reflects on the spiraling series of losses that the world has faced and often denied in recent times.Bronze Buddha - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 4··Cast:1Genre: drama·Keyword: War era, loss + 5 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: War era, loss, family, vietnam, monologue, religion, spiritualityA woman reminisces about something she inherited after her uncle's death in Vietnam.
Companion piece to "Wrong Turn - A Monologue" and "Broken Glass - A Monologue," as well as "Final Dispatch - A Monologue," "Straightening Up - A Monologue," and "Dog Gone - A Monologue."Broken Glass - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 7··Cast:1Genre: drama·Keyword: war, Vietnam War + 2 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: war, Vietnam War, friendship, anti-warA soldier in Vietnam writes a letter to an old friend.
Companion piece to "Bronze Buddha - A Monologue" and "Wrong Turn - A Monologue," as well as "Final Dispatch - A Monologue,""Straightening Up - A Monologue," and "Dog Gone - A Monologue."Wrong Turn - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 5··Cast:1Genre: drama·Keyword: grief, regret + 4 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: grief, regret, Vietnam War era, loss, family, sacrificeAt a funeral, a woman on the cusp of middle age assesses the price exacted on her life by childhood events and sacrifices unwittingly made.
Companion piece to "Final Dispatch - A Monologue," "Broken Glass - A Monologue," "Dog Gone - A Monologue," and "Straightening Up - A Monologue"Dog Gone - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 3··Cast:1Genre: comedy, drama·Keyword: dog, death and grief + 3 moreGenre: comedy, dramaKeyword: dog, death and grief, funeral, father and son, memoryA man remembers a dog he never had.
Companion piece to "Final Dispatch - A Monologue," "Broken Glass - A Monologue," "Wrong Turn - A Monologue," and "Straightening Up - A Monologue"Straightening Up - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 5··Cast:1Genre: drama·Keyword: monologue, grief + 3 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: monologue, grief, family, motherhood, great role for older female actorAs Helen cleans up her kitchen the evening after her husband's funeral, she reflects on the complicated past and ponders a hopeful future.
Companion piece to "Final Dispatch - A Monologue," "Broken Glass - A Monologue," "Dog Gone - A Monologue," and "Wrong Turn - A Monologue"Final Dispatch - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 6··Cast:1Genre: drama·Keyword: family, loss + 3 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: family, loss, fathers and sons, Vietnam War era, death and griefA middle-aged man hashes out the past after his father's funeral.
Companion piece to "Broken Glass - A Monologue," "Straightening Up - A Monologue," "Dog Gone - A Monologue," and "Wrong Turn - A Monologue"
Hold On by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 5··Cast:2Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more·Keyword: reunion, Musicians + 4 moreGenre: comedy, dark comedy, dramaKeyword: reunion, Musicians, romance, high school reunion, female rockstars, midlife crisisFULL-LENGTH. As a 25th high school reunion goes on in the gym down the hall, HEATHER WREN wanders into what she thinks is an empty classroom to sneak a smoke, where she finds GREG ALDERSEN, a math teacher, at work. Greg immediately recognizes Heather, who is a minor rock star, returning to her hometown for the first time, but at first, she does not recognize him as her former friend and confidante from high...FULL-LENGTH. As a 25th high school reunion goes on in the gym down the hall, HEATHER WREN wanders into what she thinks is an empty classroom to sneak a smoke, where she finds GREG ALDERSEN, a math teacher, at work. Greg immediately recognizes Heather, who is a minor rock star, returning to her hometown for the first time, but at first, she does not recognize him as her former friend and confidante from high school. As the action of the play unfolds through the night, the complicated past relationship between these two damaged characters comes to light, and long kept secrets and repressed truths begin to surface. Beneath the sharp-tongued humor of these erstwhile friends lies a poignant sense of emotional need and unfulfilled destiny.And Lightning Struck by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 4··Cast:7–10Genre: adaptation, biography + 4 more·Keyword: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein + 7 moreGenre: adaptation, biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, tragedyKeyword: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, literature, History, family, 1800s England, Romantic poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord ByronWINNER, 2020 Quarantine Playwriting Competition, Grand Theatre, Cartersville, Georgia
Published by Next Stage Press
FULL-LENGTH. "And Lightning Struck: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Creation" is an atmospheric historical drama that delves into the intimate life of Mary Shelley, the writer of "Frankenstein." It is a story about Mary herself—not an adaptation of "...WINNER, 2020 Quarantine Playwriting Competition, Grand Theatre, Cartersville, Georgia
Published by Next Stage Press
FULL-LENGTH. "And Lightning Struck: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Creation" is an atmospheric historical drama that delves into the intimate life of Mary Shelley, the writer of "Frankenstein." It is a story about Mary herself—not an adaptation of "Frankenstein," but rather the story of how this literary genius came to write it. Mary Godwin Shelley was only eighteen years old when she first “gave birth” to her classic story and the creature at the heart of it. Along with her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and their friends, including Lord Byron, Mary was part of group of freethinkers who lived life by their own rules, often provoking scandal. But tragedy dogged Mary Shelley’s life—her mother died when she was born, all but one of her children died as children, and by age twenty-five she was already a widow.
"And Lightning Struck" begins in 1831 as a publisher asks Mary to write a new introduction to a new edition of "Frankenstein." As she reluctantly tells him the fascinating story of how she came to create this classic tale during a ghost storytelling contest, she tries to puzzle out the source of her own genius. As the action unfolds, the play re-imagines this incredible true story as the older Mary looks back on her life and is visited by the ghosts of memory—including her husband, her father William Godwin, her stepsister Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron, the doctor–poet John Polidori, and, of course, the fictional Victor Frankenstein and the "creature" he/she created.
Which Way the Wind Blows by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 4··Cast:8Genre: drama, mystery/thriller + 1 more·Keyword: student antiwar movement, police + 5 moreGenre: drama, mystery/thriller, politicalKeyword: student antiwar movement, police, 1960s, morality, social conscience, memory, marriageFULL-LENGTH. WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS is about friendship, memory, and a crisis of conscience.
Finalist, FutureFest 2019, Dayton Playhouse
Best New Work, nominee, Dayton Most Metro
Marty O’Neill is a good cop with an ordinary life. A captain with some thirty years on the force, he is content in his job and his marriage. But, O’Neill’s contentment is shattered when he is...FULL-LENGTH. WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS is about friendship, memory, and a crisis of conscience.
Finalist, FutureFest 2019, Dayton Playhouse
Best New Work, nominee, Dayton Most Metro
Marty O’Neill is a good cop with an ordinary life. A captain with some thirty years on the force, he is content in his job and his marriage. But, O’Neill’s contentment is shattered when he is faced with a decision that challenges everything he has always believed.
MARTY O’NEILL is about to head home at the end of the day when his assistant, THALIA, tells him there is a witness he should interview. The man, GERALD FREEMAN, was witness to an unsolved hit-and-run. But the moment Freeman walks into the office, O’Neill is troubled by a sense of recognition. He’s sure he knew Freeman in the past, but can’t quite place him.
That evening, O’Neill will remember as he pins down the resemblance between Freeman and someone else he once knew—Paul Travis. As O’Neill tells his wife, CAROL, Paul Travis was a close childhood friend with whom he long ago lost touch. O’Neill has some vague recollection of Paul having been involved in something criminal. A little research reveals that Paul was a member of a radical anti-war group during the Vietnam War, and that he went underground after a bombing. He has been missing all these years.
Still, as sure as he feels about his hunch, O’Neill cannot be certain that Freeman is really Travis—until Thalia digs up some strong evidence that they are the same man. Suddenly, O’Neill is faced with a crisis: turn in his old friend, or abandon the principles that have guided his career in law enforcement.
As the play unfolds, we discover more about the complicated relationship between O’Neill and Travis, and how the latter all but saved the former from a childhood of abuse and neglect. We discover, too, an emotional complexity that has long simmered beneath the benign surface of the O’Neill’s marriage.
Artifact by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 11··Cast:2Genre: comedy, drama·Keyword: runaway teen, nuyorican + 6 moreGenre: comedy, dramaKeyword: runaway teen, nuyorican, journey, runaway, native american artifact, ferry, hispanic male, abusive Father10-15 MINUTES. On a crossing of the Staten Island Ferry, the very different worlds of a young white upper class runaway and 30-something Nuyorican collide with unexpected consequences.Dolls by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 12··Cast:3Genre: comedy, drama·Keyword: mother, racism + 3 moreGenre: comedy, dramaKeyword: mother, racism, casual racism, gender roles, shopping10-MINUTE. Three very different mothers have an altercation in the toy aisle as they vie for the last princess doll.Gown by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 17··Cast:3Genre: drama·Keyword: mothers, daughters + 5 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: mothers, daughters, great roles for female actors, great role for older female actor, wedding, race-neutral, cancer10-MINUTE. Lynn and Annie embark on that treasured mother-daughter rite of passage: shopping for the perfect wedding gown. But saying yes to the dress proves not so straightforward as their afternoon in the bridal shop reveals an unforeseen agenda and unfolds in both heartbreaking and uplifting ways.Matinee by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 14··Cast:2Genre: comedy·Keyword: family, generational divide + 3 moreGenre: comedyKeyword: family, generational divide, boomer parents, Movies, Gone With the Wind10-MINUTE. During a visit to her childhood home, Melanie reluctantly goes to the movies with her aging baby boomer parents.Mission by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 7··Cast:2Genre: comedy, drama·Keyword: love, Relationships + 3 moreGenre: comedy, dramaKeyword: love, Relationships, marriage, travel, anniversary10-MINUTE A couple grapples with their relationship while visiting a California mission.Recipe (a Zoom play) by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 15··Cast:5Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more·Keyword: zoom, family + 1 moreGenre: comedy, dark comedy, dramaKeyword: zoom, family, Transgender10-MINUTE: Virtual/via Zoom. During a family's weekly virtual check-in, old habits die hard.
“A beautiful play — very honest and very real . . . RECIPE was one of the most important (and beautifully written) of all the pieces in the series.” — Jeffrey Sanzel, Executive Artistic Director, Theatre Three ProductionsThe Disappearing Diamonds: From The Casebook of Beak E. Baxter by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 6··Cast:6Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller + 3 more·Keyword: spoof, hard-boiled + 1 moreGenre: comedy, mystery/thriller, parody/spoof, young audiences, zoomKeyword: spoof, hard-boiled, animal charactersA PLAY FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES. 15-MINUTE.
A comic spoof of 1930s and 40s hard-boiled films for young audiences. Beak E. Baxter, a tough-talking crow, and her sidekick, Chomper, a bashful fox, solve crimes from their office over the pet shop near Hollywood and Vine.
Zoom-adaptableMaps or Charts - A Curmudgeon's Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 3··Cast:1Genre: comedy, drama·Keyword: curmudgeon, finding direction + 2 moreGenre: comedy, dramaKeyword: curmudgeon, finding direction, navigating change, good role for older actorA curmudgeon of a certain age ruminates on peoples' lost sense of direction.
Written at New Play Lab Playwrights' Masterclass, Inge Festival 2022Partita - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 8··Cast:1Genre: drama, tragedy·Keyword: Covid-19, pandemic + 5 moreGenre: drama, tragedyKeyword: Covid-19, pandemic, virus, classical musicians, grief, friendship, after deathMONOLOGUE: A violinist visits the grave of an old friend and colleague.
Gender neutral. Race neutral.Viva - A Monologue by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 7··Cast:1Genre: comedy, drama·Keyword: monologue, Covid-19 + 2 moreGenre: comedy, dramaKeyword: monologue, Covid-19, memory, zoomMONOLOGUE: Live or virtual. 90-year-old Joni gets ready as she waits to leave for her COVID test.
The COVID Monologues: 54 writers respond to the pandemicEssentials by Robert Weibezahl
Recommendations: 12··Cast:2Genre: drama·Keyword: coronavirus, panic + 5 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: coronavirus, panic, crisis, toilet paper, virus, pandemic, Covid-19ONE-MINUTE. A micro-play written for The One-Minute Play Festival's "The Coronavirus Play Project."
During a perceived crisis, a calm character is infected by another character's panic.