Bruce Karp

A political comedy about the efforts made to stop a conservative Senator (who has regular private sessions with his pay-for-play boyfriend) from voting for a bill that would abolish gay marriage. The two people trying to stop the Senator are his longtime assistant...and the gay boyfriend.

Lucille, a longtime diner waitress (and world-class matchmaker), meets new customer Ernie and begins a non-so-subtle crusade to match him up with longtime customer Rosemary, who's not so happy with Lucille's prior attempts at matchmaking. Will positive sparks fly?

(FULL-LENGTH) Frank Betts is about to be executed for a murder he vehemently claimed, unsuccessfully, he didn't commit. An unscrupulous lawyer, running for District Attorney, arrives just in time with news of a confession by Leo, a man dying of cancer, who is offered a large amount of money that he can leave to his daughter, Cara, if he "confesses" to the murder. Leo accepts the offer, and Frank is released. There's a mysterious prison employee, Rita; she seems seems highly invested in the case. Key characters suddenly die, clouding Frank's efforts to clear his name. Frank and Cara will combine their efforts to try to find the killer.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Jenny and Will have lost their eight-year-old son in a mass school shooting. An anniversary of the shooting is near, and the couple hasn't been able to enter his room, or, in fact, to move on from their grief. Will wants to try, and has to convince Jenny.

(Inspired by "All the Empty Rooms," a 2026 Oscar-winning short documentary film.)

(SHORT ONE_ACT PLAY) It is 1984. Brad is in a relationship with Michael, to the point where Michael has moved in with him. Brad is closeted; his parents know he is gay, but their relationship is strained. He is also not out to co-worker Theresa, an Italian grandmother, who gently chides Brad over the fact he has no family photos on his desk.

The AIDS crisis is in full bloom and hits home when Michael is infected by the virus. Brad must navigate his relationships with Michael, who is determined to live out his life his way, and Theresa, who is far from naïve about Brad’s private life and proves to be a valued ally.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) A mother relives the loss of her gay son in a mass shooting. She did not know he was gay.

In this MONOLOGUE, a man discovers his mother dead in her apartment and explains to an unseen police officer how he made his unexpected discovery. But, is he hiding something?

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) George Braley is distraught. Financial advice that he gave his siblings failed miserably, and he wishes he had never been born. A kindly guardian angel helps him realize that his siblings would have been better off without his butting in. A twist on "It's A Wonderful Life."

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Written for a Covid-related play festival, with actors performing on Zoom, 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.

(TEN-MINUTES "PLUS" PLAY) The Lansing family is being celebrated for the two hundredth anniversary of its farm and its famous oak tree. Meanwhile, the town's mayor is trying to convince the family's matriarch to sell the land so he can build a shopping mall and amusement park. A revelation about how the family acquired the land upends everyone's plans.

(FULL-LENGTH PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) An aging actress goes to great lengths (and some surgical procedures) in an attempt to stay relevant. Her latest ploy may not turn out to be her best move.

(TEN MINUTES "PLUS" PLAY) On the 20th anniversary of his bar mitzvah, Larry Kappelhoff returns to the synagogue where it happened, to reminisce about that day, when he "became a man."

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) On the eve of a fiftieth high school reunion, a man returns to his hometown, and unexpectedly drops in on the woman he dated, then ran away from, without saying goodbye, years earlier. She is not pleased to see him.

Monologue - Peter Montalvo, a failed actor and sometime drag queen hospitalized and having hallucinations, dreams of getting out so he can pursue his big moment.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Charles, an older gay widower celebrating a birthday, gets the surprise of his life when a handsome young gay masseur shows up at his door as a birthday gift. But from whom?

(SHORT ONE-ACT) Old wounds resurface as formerly best friends, one black, one white, confront their past and present feelings for each other.

(FULL-LENGTH PLAY) Clear Blue Sky takes place in Maine, but is inspired by a news article about a security person who was on duty at Dulles Airport in Virginia on 9/11. The day started out as a seemingly routine day, and he did not find anything unusual about the men who came along, dressed in business casual clothing. Having no reason to suspect who they were or their intended destruction, he allowed them to pass through security. Guilt-ridden and unable to maintain a job, he finally, after ten years, starts to experience some semblance of stability, until a 9/11 widow moves to his town, causing old wounds and guilt to resurface. That is when the play begins.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) After losing his wife, Morris moves to an assisted living center and thinks it’s his “last stop.” He meets Jack, a fellow senior citizen, who helps him realize that there’s no reason to give up on life just yet. (It's a comedy...)

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) An aspiring playwright goes to a theater to see a famous playwright’s new work and realizes she has stolen his play.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Jarrod is a 13-year-old outsider, who takes matters into his own hands when he is taunted by the school bully.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) A workaholic advice-to-the-lovelorn columnist finds that she needs some advice herself in order to perk up her own long-term marriage. It all comes to a head when she receives an interesting letter from a "reader."

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Gavin has recently come out, moved to New York from small-town Missouri, and now faces a visit from his strait-laced and religious mother, who may or may not know about his recent lifestyle choices.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) While going through their late father’s belongings, a brother and sister discover a lottery ticket that could change their lives.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) 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."

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) A widow, with the help of a handsome gardener and a wild dream, is able to step back into her life again.

(ONE-MINUTE PLAY) A housewife calls on a junk removal service to remove some "dead weight" from her home.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Mimi is a nice Jewish girl whose mother is pushing her to find a nice Jewish boy. Surprises ensue.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Samantha and Gail are sisters, and close. Gail's work life is more chaotic than Samantha's, so they haven't seen each other in a while. When Gail drops in on her sister, things don't look quite right with Samantha, who is reluctant to reveal a serious health issue.

(SHORT ONE-ACT, STAGE OR AUDIO PLAY) It is 1973, Roe v. Wade has just become the law of the land. Holly Shay, 15 and pregnant, now has a choice. Or does she? Opposition comes from her mother, who has her own reasons for opposing an abortion.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Daniel is a young gay man advertising for a new roommate and is surprised when his old high school bully answers the ad.

(SHORT ONE-ACT) An elderly couple arrives at a roadside inn to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary. But things are not what they seem, setting off a series of unexpected events that turn deadly.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Betty was a famous television actress who married Allen, a game show host. When Allen died, Betty never stopped wishing she would see him again someday. After forty years, she finally enters Heaven and wonders…will her wish come true? (Inspired by the lives of Betty White and Allen Ludden.)

(ONE-ACT) After 20 years of marriage to Ann, Jeff meets Jim, and must confront his conflicting feelings.

(TEN-MINUTES "PLUS" PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Ray is having trouble at his high school. A bully makes fun of him because he has a gay friend, but more so because he has big feet. A man dressed as a clown named "Clownie" (with very big clown feet), sees Ray sitting on the stoop of his building on a school day and they end up having a conversation about Ray's situation. Clownie gives Ray some good advice as to how to respond to a bully. Their brief encounter may lead to a friendship, but mostly, it gives Ray some much-needed confidence.

(FIVE-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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) A teenager with an unusual nose wants to change it. A famous literary character and an actress, both with unusual noses, appear and try to convince her that being different can be a good thing.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) A cautionary comic 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.

In this MONOLOGUE, Beneatha, a young Africa-American woman, is upset when a fellow student "disses" her over her unusual name. Now older, she has recently been mistreated by policemen who mistook a diabetic episode for drunkenness. A kind older African-American man tries to help but is ignored. Ultimately, the policemen realize their error, and the older man compliments Beneatha on her beautiful name, lifting her spirits.

(TWO-MINUTE PLAY) 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.

(FULL-LENGTH PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) An older couple, he retired, she about to retire, meets on the Staten Island Ferry and realize they have a tragic family event in common.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Shirley is an independent senior, still active, in many senses of the word. Her son Nelson, a sad sack in his 50's, comes for a visit, troubled maritally and financially, asking to move back in with his mother. Shirley values her independence and refuses. The play follows Nelson's attempts to reverse his mother's decision. Meanwhile, in the short term, Shirley wants him out of her house so she can have a fling with an elderly neighbor.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) In a room, waiting to move on to “the next level,” run by an efficient but emotionless nurse, two elderly people discuss the irony of living through terrible world crises during their youth, only to be taken down by a “stupid little virus.” The nurse also experiences an unexpected emotional shock. A timely story about pandemics and injustice. (Formerly called "The Waiting Room".

(MONOLOGUE) An elderly gay man passionately expresses his guilt at surviving the AIDS crisis, when so many of his friends have been lost.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Two friends, a gay man and a straight woman, feeling old and invisible, lament their frustrated love lives in a gay bar...on Wet Underwear Night.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) A police officer comes home from a racial injustice protest in his small town, claiming to have hit a deer with his car while driving home. As the story unfolds, his wife and fellow police officer begin to have doubts about his story. Will the truth come out?

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) A play without dialogue, the play chronicles the early days of parenthood for a husband and wife getting accustomed to their first child.

(TEN-MINUTE "PLUS" PLAY) A rising artist receives a surprise visit from an old friend, who is ill and has a special request for the artist.

(TEN-MINUTE "PLUS" PLAY) 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.

(FULL-LENGTH) 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 meets a gay police officer assigned to the case, with whom he comes to terms with how he must live his life.

(MONOLOGUE) An older gay man goes shopping for bananas and ends up being pursued by a much younger supermarket employee in the Produce Department. He is not necessarily opposed.

(ONE-ACT PLAY) 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.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) Transgender adult child/mother with dementia confront difficulties in communicating with each other.

(TEN-MINUTE PLAY) 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?

(TEN-MINUTE "PLUS" PLAY) 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.