Bruce Karp

Bruce Karp

Bruce Karp is a native of New York City. He has written numerous ten-minute and one-act plays, several of which have been performed at South Florida theater festivals. All three of his full-length plays have had staged readings in Florida, and he recently finished a draft of his fourth full-length play, which will be workshopped and read at The Sauk in Michigan this Spring. Recent credits: “The Spot” (King’s...
Bruce Karp is a native of New York City. He has written numerous ten-minute and one-act plays, several of which have been performed at South Florida theater festivals. All three of his full-length plays have had staged readings in Florida, and he recently finished a draft of his fourth full-length play, which will be workshopped and read at The Sauk in Michigan this Spring. Recent credits: “The Spot” (King’s Theatre’s Summer Theater Festival in Nova Scotia; Onion Man Productions, Chamblee, GA), “Why Not Merman?” (South Florida Theatre League’s Stages of the Sun, and Shakespeare Troupe of South Florida); Musical version of “The Spot” (Miami New Musicals, South Florida); “Goy Meets Girl” (Delray Beach Playhouse); "Above and Beyond" (Connected Voices, Playwright's Round Table, Orlando, FL); He currently divides his time between South Florida and Northern New Jersey. Dramatist’s Guild Member, 2019.

Plays

  • Above and Beyond by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    Genre: drama
    Written for a Coronavirus-related play festival, with actors performing at their laptops, the play focuses on an astronaut who is on a long mission on the Space Station, and her husband back on Earth, who has contracted the virus.
  • All the Comforts of Home by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: 1980s, family
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: 1980s, family
    It's the 1980's and Gloria Rand is firmly in middle age. She must deal with her overbearing, elderly, still vibrant mother, who constantly makes unflattering comparisons between her and her siblings, who left home long ago for good reasons. Gloria prefers not to participate in the onset of new technology, despite her enabling husband's best efforts. Her issues are causing so much stress that...
    It's the 1980's and Gloria Rand is firmly in middle age. She must deal with her overbearing, elderly, still vibrant mother, who constantly makes unflattering comparisons between her and her siblings, who left home long ago for good reasons. Gloria prefers not to participate in the onset of new technology, despite her enabling husband's best efforts. Her issues are causing so much stress that she is unable to leave her house.

    After a tense Mother's Day dinner at home, a family death will lead to the unearthing of a devastating family secret, forcing Gloria to confront both her mother and her fears.
  • Angels and Pastrami by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale
    Despite his mother's objection, a young boy befriends a homeless man, who prefers living on the street to dangerous shelters. The man's only wish is to recreate the best meal he's ever had, a pastrami sandwich like the one he had at a New York deli, years earlier. An angel drops in from time to time to offer her opinions.
  • Billy's Leap Day Birthday by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    A couple celebrates their son's 8th birthday, on Leap Day. The problem is that the son, still living at home, is actually in his 30's.
  • Coming Back To Life by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    After losing his wife, Morris moves to an assisted living center and thinks it’s his “last stop.” He meets Jack, a fellow senor citizen, who helps him realize that there’s no reason to give up on life just yet. (It's a comedy...)
  • Cupcake by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: on the dark side
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: on the dark side
    Jarrod is a 13-year-old outsider, who takes matters into his own hands when he is taunted by the school bully.
  • Flirtation by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    An older man and a younger man, both gay, share a smile at the post office, leading to discussions with their unseen friends, as to "what might have been."
  • Goy Meets Girl by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    Mimi is a nice Jewish girl whose mother is pushing her to find a nice Jewish boy. Surprises ensue.
  • Hail, Cheeser! by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    Dr. Cheddarofsky, Nobel Prize winner and the inventor of cheddar cheese, is not happy with the flavor of his native Swiss cheese. He hears that playing music where the cheese is aging can improve the cheese's flavor. To save the Swiss economy, he experiments with several music genres. His last hope is a local hip hop artist who is willing to help.
  • Mr. Right by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    Genre: drama
    After 20 years of marriage to Ann, Jeff meets Jim, and must confront his homosexuality.
  • Murder, She Caused! by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, farce
    Genre: dark comedy, farce
    A once-famous Broadway actress, now better known for her role in a long-running television show, has her show cancelled. She is not pleased and decides to end the series with a bang.
  • Naming Paint by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    Who wouldn’t want to have a job sitting around, creating names of paint colors? The answer: Desmond and Jenna, who have such a job, and ponder whether or not they might be on the wrong career path.
  • Permission by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale
    ·
    Keyword: 5 minute play
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale
    Keyword: 5 minute play
    In this fantasy, a young man who lost his young wife is ready to move on to a new relationship, but needs to receive permission from his late wife, who may or may not be on board.
  • Prom Night by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    A cautionary tale about a teenage girl and boy, the senior prom, a romantic bluff overlooking their city, and a new car with a lot of safety features.
  • Red Light Madness by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    A man, accused by his wife of not being spontaneous, is confronted by a very long red light and must decide if this is the moment to break out.
  • Rights by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    10
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: women's rights, gay rights
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: women's rights, gay rights
    The story, presented in three scenes titled “Life,” “Liberty,” and “The Pursuit of Happiness,” revolves around Holly Shay, who will struggle with personal social issues at three key moments in America’s history over a 40-year period. In these scenes, she will face issues such as abortion, reconnecting with a child previously given up for adoption, same-sex marriage, and the difficulties of being different in a...
    The story, presented in three scenes titled “Life,” “Liberty,” and “The Pursuit of Happiness,” revolves around Holly Shay, who will struggle with personal social issues at three key moments in America’s history over a 40-year period. In these scenes, she will face issues such as abortion, reconnecting with a child previously given up for adoption, same-sex marriage, and the difficulties of being different in a country where all are supposed to be equal. The play’s originality lies in its look at lives lived during three important socially historic periods. In some cases, multiple roles can be played by one actor, lowering the amount of required actors to eight.
  • Survivor Guilt by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Dramatic rap
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Dramatic rap
    An elderly gay man expresses his guilt at surviving the AIDS crisis, when so many of his friends have been lost.
  • The Gates of Hell - A Comedy by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: romantic comedy
    Genre: romantic comedy
    Andrew has put his personal life aside in favor of his work. After he wakes up from a crazy dream, he decides to be more aggressive for a change, and pursue an old flame.
  • The Next Hero by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: A family drama
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: A family drama
    A mother who lost her fire fighter husband on 9/11 locks horns with her college-age son, who wants to drop out of school and follow in his father's footsteps by joining the New York City Fire Department.
  • The New Baby by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: performed without dialogue
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: performed without dialogue
    A play without dialogue, the play chronicles the early days of parenthood for a husband and wife getting accustomed to their first child.
  • The Spot by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fable/folktale
    In this fable, which takes place in Central Park with trees ablaze in Autumn colors, two of the trees, planted together eighty years earlier, act like an old married couple, talking, philosophizing and giving comfort, verbal and otherwise, to an elderly neighborhood woman, who has visited the trees her whole life. Her son starts to worry about her when she reveals that she talks to the trees.
  • The Value of Gold by Bruce Karp
    Cast: 
    7–9
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: family, gay-theme
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: family, gay-theme
    Jacob Gold is a young orthodox Jew, and closeted gay man. His only outlet is a gay video store, which he frequents regularly, and where he witnesses a brutal murder. He faces a moral dilemma, where he must decide whether to help the police find the killer, which would reveal his secret life and upend his family relationships. In the process, he comes to terms with how he must live his life.
  • Where's Mom? by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Genre: comedy, drama
    One night, Audrey isn’t where she is supposed to be to get picked up from work. Her family recounts the story of the night she seems to have gotten lost. Secrets are revealed, but not necessarily the ones you expect.
  • Why Not Merman? by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    Tyler’s assignment is to write an essay on a person who has made a great contribution to American society. He chooses to write about Broadway star Ethel Merman. His gay Uncle Ronald and Ms. Merman band together to find out why...or why not?
  • Win for Life by Bruce Karp
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Screwball Comedy
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Screwball Comedy
    A comedy in the 1940's style (think "His Girl Friday"), an old-line publisher runs a contest where the winner receives large monthly cash payments - for life! The company has chosen a winner, but can't afford to pay the ongoing prize - and the winner is coming to collect! It's all hands on deck, trying to figure out how to get out of paying the winner.