Dave Osmundsen

Dave Osmundsen

Dave Osmundsen (He/Him/His) is an Autistic playwright and dramaturg whose work has been seen and developed at KCACTF Region 8, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, the Great Plains Theatre Conference, Purple Crayon Players, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, Clamour Theatre Company, Premiere Stages, the Valdez Theatre...
Dave Osmundsen (He/Him/His) is an Autistic playwright and dramaturg whose work has been seen and developed at KCACTF Region 8, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, the Great Plains Theatre Conference, Purple Crayon Players, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, Clamour Theatre Company, Premiere Stages, the Valdez Theatre Conference, and more. He was one of two recipients of the Blank Theatre and Ucross Foundation’s inaugural Future of Playwriting Prize. His play Light Switch received its world premiere with Spectrum Theatre Ensemble in April 2022. Light Switch was also the 2021 Distinguished Achievement recipient of the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, an Honorable Mention finalist for BAPF 2021, longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, a finalist for the 2020 Carlo Annoni Playwriting Prize, and a semi-finalist for the 2020 National Playwrights Conference. His one-act, A Firework Unexploded, was a semi-finalist for the NYC Audio Theatre Writing Contest and was produced by Pint-Sized in London. His plays have been published by The Dionysian, Canyon Voices, Exposition Review, Fresh Words: Contemporary One Act Plays Volume 5, and Broadway Play Publishing. MFA: Arizona State University

Plays

  • Light Switch by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 31
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: autism, Asperger's + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: autism, Asperger's, Gay and LGBTQ, joy, Victorian, actuallyautistic, neurodiversity, neurodivergence, Neurodivergent, neurodivergent character
    FULL-LENGTH: Spanning twenty years, "Light Switch" follows the story of Henry, an autistic gay man with a passion for 19th century British literature, and his quest for love and acceptance.
  • The Gift of BS by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 13
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: autism, music teacher + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: autism, music teacher, student, actor life, actuallyautistic, Autistic, Neurodivergent, neurodivergent character
    FULL-LENGTH: William Johansson, age 46, is not exactly living his best life. On top of his wife leaving him, his father dying, and being fired from his job, he also realizes that he is Autistic. When he reunites with a former student who is also autistic, he embarks on an emotional journey of self-acceptance.
  • Is This All This Is by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 14
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: features LGBTQ character, femme non-binary + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: features LGBTQ character, femme non-binary, Non-Binary, non-binary character, autism, actuallyautistic, Arizona
    Four characters -- autistic non-binary lesbian Jamie, their transient aunt Theresa, Jamie's conservative mother Barb, and Theresa's autistic boyfriend Tyson -- contemplate where they are in life, and if where they are is the best their lives are ever going to be.
  • The Wonderful Out There by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller + 1 more
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    Keyword: autism, neurodiversity + 4 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller, tragedy
    Keyword: autism, neurodiversity, Neurodivergent, children, trauma, abuse
    As four kids living in a group home for neurodivergent children embark on their own journeys of personal discovery, they begin to uncover secrets of their own existence and are forced to confront the harrowing truth about their reality.
  • More of a Heart by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 11
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: autism, Parenting + 8 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: autism, Parenting, neurodiversity, mother-son, mother-son relationship, actuallyautistic, Effects of trauma, childhood trauma, illness, ALS
    When Mary-Ellen’s son Zachary was diagnosed with Autism, she became his fiercest advocate. But now, Zachary is grown up and having his own thoughts and feelings about her advocacy. When an unexpected crisis hits their lives, mother and son must say the things that need to be said before time runs out.
  • The Dummy Class by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 8
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    Cast: 
    7
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: children, special needs children + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, young audiences
    Keyword: children, special needs children, autism, elementary school, dance, singing
    Ted writes poems. Elizabeth tells jokes. Gina dances. Marcus conducts. With the Nockaquan Elementary School Talent Show coming up, these four neurodivergent children are determined to show everyone that they are more than just the dummy class.
  • Let Me Know If I Hurt You by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: autism, Autistic + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: autism, Autistic, theatre, gay, gay high schooler, high school, solo
    Bob, a gay Autistic man about to graduate high school, becomes involved with his favorite Broadway actor. A solo play about longing, heartbreak, and when Autistic people are considered "grown up."
  • My (Diagnosed) Self by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 10
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: autism, autism spectrum disorder + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: autism, autism spectrum disorder, actuallyautistic, Autistic, gay best friend, features LGBTQ character
    TEN-MINUTE: Rachel, a newly self-diagnosed autistic woman, comes out to her gay best friend Timmy.
  • (Un)Scripted by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 4
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, drama
    Genre: comedy, drama
    TEN-MINUTE: Miranda, an autistic girl dedicated to social improvement, endures a scripted coffee shop module to achieve "typicality."
  • Making Friends Remotely by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: virtual, coronavirus + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: virtual, coronavirus, Covid-19, friendship, Video Chat, skype, zoom
    After a virus has overtaken the nation, three strangers try to connect with each other virtually.
  • Only You Can Reject Jelly Beans by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 9
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: Covid-19, coronavirus + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Covid-19, coronavirus, gay men
    Otis, a 20-something gay man, is quarantined with little to do besides eating jelly beans and reflecting on his existence.
  • The Day I Turned Into A Bird by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 7
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: parents, children + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, drama, fable/folktale, young audiences
    Keyword: parents, children, animals, animal anthropomorphism, birds, death, ocean
    While at the park one day, Kim turns into a bird. Or does she? A play about change, loss, and becoming what we want to be in this world.

    *** NOTE: The story is inspired by Aimee Bender's "The Rememberer." The playwright is in contact with the entertainment rights holders for Bender's work.
  • The Last Shore Trip by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 12
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: addiction, close friendship + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: addiction, close friendship, coming to terms with death
    TEN-MINUTE: What if the best thing you can do for someone is to let them walk away? Seth and Peri grapple with this question as they reflect on the loss of their best friend Cara.
  • Accident on 80 by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 10
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: dark comedy, satire
    Genre: dark comedy, satire
    TEN-MINUTE: Sasha and Mikayla are two best friends whose favorite pastime is driving in traffic to see the latest major car accident. The accident they are heading for right now promises to be the biggest, most epic, and major accident in their entire lives. But a series of darkly comic events force them to consider the possibility that they could be the next accident…
  • A Firework Unexploded by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 12
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, drama
    Genre: comedy, drama
    TEN-MINUTE: Ned loves fireworks. Gina doesn’t. A seemingly meaningless difference that forces them to confront their insecurities, flaws, and what they mean to each other.
  • Only Small Actors by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: theatre camp, asian + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: theatre camp, asian, actuallyautistic, Autistic, Body image, features LGBTQ characters
    "Only Small Actors" follows a diverse group of young people over the course of one summer as they prepare for a production of "Cinderella." Years later, when they're all grown up, they strive to make change in a world that isn't always receptive to their perspectives and experiences.
  • Something for Sondra by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: mother and daughter, ALS + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: mother and daughter, ALS, illness, family, friendship
    FULL-LENGTH: Janey Tubben, her underachieving best friend Brian, and her sassy mother Sondra are forced to navigate the rocky waters of friendship and loyalty when Sondra is diagnosed with a deadly disease right when Janey receives the opportunity of a lifetime.
  • Pix of Your Partner's Privates by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 16
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy, satire
    TEN-MINUTE: When Shelly is about to return to the other side of the country, her long-distance boyfriend John gives her something to remember him by...
  • Make Way by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 19
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: book burning, post-apocalyptic + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, political, science fiction
    Keyword: book burning, post-apocalyptic, books, future
    TEN-MINUTE: When the government starts an initiative to begin humanity anew, people are paid to throw old books into a fire pit. When an idealistic young man comes across one of his favorite childhood books, he tries to save it from being burned, sparking a debate about the value of old books and ideas in a world that is trying to start over—and whether they’re worth keeping around.
  • What Price? What Glory? by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: sexual assault, LGBTQ + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, period, tragedy
    Keyword: sexual assault, LGBTQ, Hollywood, old hollywood, metoo
    FULL-LENGTH: 1927. A young woman's adventures in silent-era Hollywood take a devastating turn.

    2014. A young actor is set to make his Broadway debut in a musical about a silent-era film actress who went missing in 1927.

    Side by side, we hear their stories.
  • Ferret Ran Away by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ, pregnancy
    FULL-LENGTH: Don has broken up with his boyfriend after being diagnosed with HIV. Celia has become pregnant after a one-night encounter at a party. Will these siblings be able to cross personal and familial boundaries to reach one another in their times of need?
  • Stupid, Fat, Ugly by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 7
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, homosexuality + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: LGBTQ, homosexuality, abuse, forgiveness, acceptance
    FULL-LENGTH: When Mandy's younger gay brother Eric mysteriously dies, she travels to New York City to find out what exactly happened. What she discovers about her brother's death (and herself) will change her life forever.
  • The Yes Lives by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, friendship + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: LGBTQ, friendship, best friends, gay best friend, gay straight relationships, dance
    FULL-LENGTH: Alexander: Gay, cynical, and has a problem saying "yes". John: Straight, optimistic, and has no problem saying "yes". Over fifteen years, these two unlikely friends sustain each other through the highs and lows of life, and learn the consequences of saying (or not saying) the Y word.
  • The Ushers by Dave Osmundsen
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: Lesbian, loneliness
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Lesbian, loneliness
    FULL-LENGTH: The play follows a year in the lives of a small group of ushers at a Florida community theatre. Their desires, passions, and past hurts all come out as they vie for the Usher of the Year award.