Neil McGowan

Neil McGowan is a writer and actor based out of Los Angeles, CA. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from West Virginia University in Theatre. Neil is a member of the Pacific Resident Theatre Writers Group in Venice, CA. His short films, Like Old Times and Trip and Sloan, both of which he wrote and stars in, have appeared in many film festivals across the country, including the Austin Film Festival. His screenplay, Numbered, won the Slamdance Screenplay Contest, and was a finalist in the Final Draft Big Break Screenplay Contest and the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Contest. (A novelization of Numbered is available for purchase on Amazon.) His play Tracks in the Snow won the 2008 Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award and was produced at Northern Michigan University. His...

Neil McGowan is a writer and actor based out of Los Angeles, CA. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from West Virginia University in Theatre. Neil is a member of the Pacific Resident Theatre Writers Group in Venice, CA. His short films, Like Old Times and Trip and Sloan, both of which he wrote and stars in, have appeared in many film festivals across the country, including the Austin Film Festival. His screenplay, Numbered, won the Slamdance Screenplay Contest, and was a finalist in the Final Draft Big Break Screenplay Contest and the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Contest. (A novelization of Numbered is available for purchase on Amazon.) His play Tracks in the Snow won the 2008 Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award and was produced at Northern Michigan University. His play Lone-Anon, produced at award-winning Rogue Machine Theatre in Los Angeles, was named one of the Top Ten plays of 2013 by L.A. Weekly Magazine. He has adapted Lone-Anon to a screenplay called Loners which was released in 2019 (available for streaming on Amazon Prime). His play My Girlfriend is an Alien! by Keith DeFacto had its world premiere at Pacific Resident Theatre in 2016 and was published by Stage Rights. In 2018, his play Disposable Necessities was named as a finalist in the Austin Film Festival Playwriting Contest and was produced at Rogue Machine Theatre in January of 2020.

read more

Scripts

Disposable Necessities

by Neil McGowan

1
Cast Size
5
Genre
dark comedy,
drama,
science fiction

NOMINATED FOR AN OVATION AWARD BY THE LA STAGE ALLIANCE FOR PLAYWRITING FOR AN ORIGINAL PLAY

WORLD PREMIER AT AWARD-WINNING ROGUE MACHINE THEATRE IN VENICE, CA OPENED IN DECEMBER, 2019!

FINALIST IN THE 2018 AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL PLAYWRITING CONTEST

In the future, aging and death have become annoyances of the past thanks to a process of the downloading of the digitized soul into another host body, or Module...

NOMINATED FOR AN OVATION AWARD BY THE LA STAGE ALLIANCE FOR PLAYWRITING FOR AN ORIGINAL PLAY

WORLD PREMIER AT AWARD-WINNING ROGUE MACHINE THEATRE IN VENICE, CA OPENED IN DECEMBER, 2019!

FINALIST IN THE 2018 AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL PLAYWRITING CONTEST

In the future, aging and death have become annoyances of the past thanks to a process of the downloading of the digitized soul into another host body, or Module. The only catch is that it is an extremely expensive undertaking, and therefore only the wealthiest 1% of society can partake in it. Luckily for the Totten family, money is not a problem, but not all of the members of the clan are on board with the practice and its implications. This is the story of a family dealing with the moral implications of a technological modern world, and what it really means to live while you’re still alive.

read more

Lone-Anon

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
6
Genre
comedy,
farce,
political,
satire,
science fiction

Named one of the Top Ten plays of 2013 by L.A. Weekly! Lone-Anon is a support group for loners. Naturally, loners would never volunteer to join a support group for loners, so they are gently urged to attend weekly meetings by the government in the form of a court-ordered mandate. One year in the future, this seems to be the best way to ensure safety to its non-loner populace after an expansion to the Patriot Act...

Named one of the Top Ten plays of 2013 by L.A. Weekly! Lone-Anon is a support group for loners. Naturally, loners would never volunteer to join a support group for loners, so they are gently urged to attend weekly meetings by the government in the form of a court-ordered mandate. One year in the future, this seems to be the best way to ensure safety to its non-loner populace after an expansion to the Patriot Act defines mass shootings as an act of domestic terrorism, and therefore, those who engage in them as domestic terrorists. It might seem harsh, but it just seems so much easier than gun control.

read more

My Girlfriend is an Alien! by Chris Defacto

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
5—8
Genre
comedy,
romantic comedy,
science fiction

As frustrated playwright Chris DeFacto attempts to write the perfect play about dating the perfect woman, he realizes he might be incapable of doing either, and that she may be more out of this world than he thought. My Girlfriend is an Alien! by Chris DeFacto tweaks the romantic comedy genre, setting it in a play-within-a-play, and hilariously examines the flawed search for perfection.

As frustrated playwright Chris DeFacto attempts to write the perfect play about dating the perfect woman, he realizes he might be incapable of doing either, and that she may be more out of this world than he thought. My Girlfriend is an Alien! by Chris DeFacto tweaks the romantic comedy genre, setting it in a play-within-a-play, and hilariously examines the flawed search for perfection.

Tracks in the Snow

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
7
Genre
drama

Winner of the Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award.

During a search for something rare and beautiful, a marine back in the U.S. after a tour of duty is forced to wait out a blizzard in the home of a family that isn't used to strangers. During his stay and within this family he finds what he was looking for, for better or worse.

Winner of the Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award.

During a search for something rare and beautiful, a marine back in the U.S. after a tour of duty is forced to wait out a blizzard in the home of a family that isn't used to strangers. During his stay and within this family he finds what he was looking for, for better or worse.

The Final

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy,
romantic comedy,
young audiences

A glimpse through a college dorm room window one winter just before holiday break, long long ago.

A glimpse through a college dorm room window one winter just before holiday break, long long ago.

6 Apartments

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
9
Genre
comedy,
farce,
romantic comedy

A search for a new apartment "just for a short break" from his girlfriend leads Darryl to an apartment complex populated by tenants with a lot going on in their lives. Darryl inadvertently becomes involved in their various dramas while being forced to confront his own weaknesses and limitations.

A search for a new apartment "just for a short break" from his girlfriend leads Darryl to an apartment complex populated by tenants with a lot going on in their lives. Darryl inadvertently becomes involved in their various dramas while being forced to confront his own weaknesses and limitations.

Soulmate, Inc.

by Neil McGowan

2
Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy,
farce,
satire

In the ultimate last resort in the search for love, a man pays for the services of a company that guarantees they'll find your perfect match. And he gets what he pays for, more or less.

In the ultimate last resort in the search for love, a man pays for the services of a company that guarantees they'll find your perfect match. And he gets what he pays for, more or less.

The First Line

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy

Two playwrights talk it out.

Two playwrights talk it out.

T.S.B.

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy

Two people talk in a restaurant.

Two people talk in a restaurant.

The Stain

by Neil McGowan

2
Cast Size
4
Genre
comedy,
drama

People lie to each other, some wine gets spilled.

People lie to each other, some wine gets spilled.

(sophie)

by Neil McGowan

Cast Size
5
Genre
dark comedy,
drama

A journey into the mind of a troubled young woman looks an awful lot like an exploration of office politics. A play about how our base instincts are countered - or not - by the best inside us.

A journey into the mind of a troubled young woman looks an awful lot like an exploration of office politics. A play about how our base instincts are countered - or not - by the best inside us.