John J. Wooten

John’s plays have been produced commercially Off-Broadway, internationally and in regional theaters across America. Published plays include: Trophies (Dramatists Play Service), Humbug (Concord), The Role of Della (Playscripts, Inc.), and Kiss the Bride (Dramatic Publishing Company). John is also published in numerous anthologies including Plays for Actresses and Playing Scenes. Awards: two Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation/NJSCA Playwriting Fellowships, including one in 2021 for his play Fading Grace, and a Best New Play Nomination from the American Theatre Critics Association for his play Hannah Senesh - The Mission Home. John wrote the screenplays for The Role of Della (Toronto, Ft. Lauderdale, Cleveland and DC Film Festivals) and Cat in the Pan (Montreal Film Festival) and his screenplay...

John’s plays have been produced commercially Off-Broadway, internationally and in regional theaters across America. Published plays include: Trophies (Dramatists Play Service), Humbug (Concord), The Role of Della (Playscripts, Inc.), and Kiss the Bride (Dramatic Publishing Company). John is also published in numerous anthologies including Plays for Actresses and Playing Scenes. Awards: two Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation/NJSCA Playwriting Fellowships, including one in 2021 for his play Fading Grace, and a Best New Play Nomination from the American Theatre Critics Association for his play Hannah Senesh - The Mission Home. John wrote the screenplays for The Role of Della (Toronto, Ft. Lauderdale, Cleveland and DC Film Festivals) and Cat in the Pan (Montreal Film Festival) and his screenplay Savage Act was semi-finalist for an Academy Nicholls Fellowship. Historical dramas include Hannah Senesh - The Mission Home (King’s Head Theatre in London); Duck Crossing (Premiere Stages); and UnCivil War (Theatre at Lime Kiln). John teaches Playwriting at Kean University, where he also serves as the producing artistic director of Premiere Stages.

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Scripts

Fading Grace

by John J. Wooten

1
Cast Size
3
Genre
drama

Since moving his mother Grace to a senior living facility, Danny has never broken his promise to visit her on her birthday. As a gathering snow storm threatens to prevent him from making his yearly visit, Grace prepares for the journey home. 2021 Winner of the top cash prize awarded by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation/NJSCA.

Since moving his mother Grace to a senior living facility, Danny has never broken his promise to visit her on her birthday. As a gathering snow storm threatens to prevent him from making his yearly visit, Grace prepares for the journey home. 2021 Winner of the top cash prize awarded by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation/NJSCA.

Trophies

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
5
Genre
drama

New York Times Review: https://nyti.ms/1pssRZ0
Available from Dramatists Play Service

New York Times Review: https://nyti.ms/1pssRZ0
Available from Dramatists Play Service

The Role of Della

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
3
Genre
comedy

An eager young actress has her eye set on the role of Della, but can she convince a cold, sarcastic director that she's right for the part? A riveting and riotous look at the contemporary audition process, giving new meaning to the term "stealing a scene."

"Wooten has come up with a very witty ending. Give the playwright a candy bar -- and make sure it's an O. Henry." -The Newark Star Ledger

Available from...

An eager young actress has her eye set on the role of Della, but can she convince a cold, sarcastic director that she's right for the part? A riveting and riotous look at the contemporary audition process, giving new meaning to the term "stealing a scene."

"Wooten has come up with a very witty ending. Give the playwright a candy bar -- and make sure it's an O. Henry." -The Newark Star Ledger

Available from Playscripts, Inc.

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Happy Hour

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
5
Genre
drama

Variety review: http://variety.com/2005/legit/reviews/happy-hour-4-1200525447/

From The New York Times: “Welcome to the Desert Cocktail Lounge, a temple of sleaze, booze and frozen dreams on a dusty highway somewhere between New Mexico and Texas. The year is 1979; the month September. Jenn, the sexy young waitress with the requisite low-cut blouse, scruffy cowboy boots and soulful expression, is wiping out...

Variety review: http://variety.com/2005/legit/reviews/happy-hour-4-1200525447/

From The New York Times: “Welcome to the Desert Cocktail Lounge, a temple of sleaze, booze and frozen dreams on a dusty highway somewhere between New Mexico and Texas. The year is 1979; the month September. Jenn, the sexy young waitress with the requisite low-cut blouse, scruffy cowboy boots and soulful expression, is wiping out ashtrays and lining up the Johnnie Walker in preparation for happy hour. Written in real time, with a wall clock solemnly marking the hours, the play is a well-crafted, gritty view of an American Dream gone sour. Mr. Wooten's snappy dialogue and cutting asides are tossed skillfully among the crew of losers who make the lounge their home.”

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Duck Crossing

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
6
Genre
comedy,
docudrama/historic

In this comic take on history’s most famous river crossing, George Washington has just set out to cross the Delaware to surprise attack the Hessians and turn the tide of war. One small problem…the river freezes when George and his men are only halfway across. The colonists are forced to contemplate their escape from the icy abyss, knowing full well that the future of the country hangs in the balance.

Newark...

In this comic take on history’s most famous river crossing, George Washington has just set out to cross the Delaware to surprise attack the Hessians and turn the tide of war. One small problem…the river freezes when George and his men are only halfway across. The colonists are forced to contemplate their escape from the icy abyss, knowing full well that the future of the country hangs in the balance.

Newark Star-Ledger Review: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2009/07/a_historic_momen…

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Humbug

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
12
Genre
comedy,
holiday

As A Christmas Carol with a modern day twist, Humbug follows the story of Eleanor Scrooge, a ruthlessly ambitious Wall Street executive who has an aversion to Christmas and an insatiable appetite for power. Locked in her office on a snowy Christmas Eve, Eleanor is determined to finish a corporate-takeover proposal until three "advisors" provide her with an eye-opening new appreciation for the holidays and the...

As A Christmas Carol with a modern day twist, Humbug follows the story of Eleanor Scrooge, a ruthlessly ambitious Wall Street executive who has an aversion to Christmas and an insatiable appetite for power. Locked in her office on a snowy Christmas Eve, Eleanor is determined to finish a corporate-takeover proposal until three "advisors" provide her with an eye-opening new appreciation for the holidays and the spirit of Christmas. An upbeat and moving adaptation of Dickens' holiday classic, Humbug is one for the ages. With a contemporary flair, it is a tale the whole family will enjoy!

REVIEWS

"Wooten has indeed concocted a comedy that puts a great of deal of delicious nonsense into Charles Dickens' most famous story... a multitude of laughs" - The Newark Star-Ledger

"Humbug is full of humor, warmth... a must see addition to the list of holiday classics" – The Home News Tribune

"A witty, timely, poignant script interspersed with upbeat Christmas carols and a timeless message of caring" – The Westfield Leader

"Wooten has nicely shaped his fast paced and lively conceit into a 75-minute play while finding clever modern day equivalents for most of Dickens' characters and situations, and even adding a principal thread of his own... pleasant, bright Christmas entertainment for the entire family" – Talkin' Broadway

"The play is for the entire family. Adults will be moved by it, and it would make for a fascinating introduction to live theatre for five-year-olds and up" – Union Leader

Available from Concord.

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Kiss the Bride

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
8
Genre
comedy,
farce

"What the world needs now is laughs, sweet laughs, and the playwright has delivered a bushel of them." - Peter Filichia, The Newark Star-Ledger

Available from Dramatic Publishing Company

"What the world needs now is laughs, sweet laughs, and the playwright has delivered a bushel of them." - Peter Filichia, The Newark Star-Ledger

Available from Dramatic Publishing Company

Hannah Senesh, The Mission Home

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
8
Genre
docudrama/historic,
drama

Based on actual events, The Mission Home tells the story of freedom fighter and poet Hannah Senesh, who parachuted behind enemy lines during World War II to help Jews escape from Nazi occupied Hungary. The play is a moving and powerful portrayal of a young woman’s fearless commitment to making the world a better place

Based on actual events, The Mission Home tells the story of freedom fighter and poet Hannah Senesh, who parachuted behind enemy lines during World War II to help Jews escape from Nazi occupied Hungary. The play is a moving and powerful portrayal of a young woman’s fearless commitment to making the world a better place

The Sticks

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
4
Genre
drama

What begins as a simple dinner party soon spirals into a dangerous game of Cat and Mouse as two couples collide in an increasingly divided America.

What begins as a simple dinner party soon spirals into a dangerous game of Cat and Mouse as two couples collide in an increasingly divided America.

UnCivil War

by John J. Wooten

Cast Size
6
Genre
docudrama/historic,
drama

Two wounded soldiers vie for the affection of the Southern Girl who cares for them in a farm house just outside of Chancellorsville. Based on actual events, UnCivil War is a psychological thriller that explores the days after the friendly fire shooting of Stonewall Jackson and the soldier who killed him.

Two wounded soldiers vie for the affection of the Southern Girl who cares for them in a farm house just outside of Chancellorsville. Based on actual events, UnCivil War is a psychological thriller that explores the days after the friendly fire shooting of Stonewall Jackson and the soldier who killed him.