Laura Neill

Laura Neill

Laura Neill (she/they) is a Brooklyn-based playwright currently under commission with Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan Project (CWIID: a comedy!) and Keen Company (the doctor will see you shortly). Previous residencies include the O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference (Winter People), University of Tulsa WomenWorks (The End Will Hurt), and CompanyOne's PlayLab. Laura is developing Foot Wears...
Laura Neill (she/they) is a Brooklyn-based playwright currently under commission with Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan Project (CWIID: a comedy!) and Keen Company (the doctor will see you shortly). Previous residencies include the O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference (Winter People), University of Tulsa WomenWorks (The End Will Hurt), and CompanyOne's PlayLab. Laura is developing Foot Wears House, a play inspired by fellow retail coworkers at REI and their union's drive for a contract. Laura's play I Love You Elizabeth Warren won the Clauder Competition Massachusetts prize. Productions include Isolated Incidents (Broadway Podcast Network and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), Public Property (Salvage Vanguard Theatre), Skin and Bones (Wilbury Theatre Group), Don't Give Up the Ship (Fresh Ink Theatre), and DIVAS (OperaHub, commission). Published plays include Don't Give Up the Ship (Uproar Theatrics, upcoming), Game Night (Stage Partners), Funtown (YouthPLAYS), The Last Cookie (Stage Partners), One Kind of Fear (Flowersong Press, upcoming), The Last Red Lion (ScriptWorks’ Perfect Glitch), and Applause Books and Smith and Kraus anthologies. Laura coordinates the "playwright amoeba," a casual hangout space for playwright community; join @playwrightamoeba on Instagram. MFA: Boston University. Website: www.laura-neill.com

Plays

  • Foot Wears House by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: working class, unionization + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, political
    Keyword: working class, unionization, ensemble cast
    Your neighborhood outdoor goods store is unionizing. The people who sold you your hiking boots are trying to figure out who’s down to strike—while helping sixteen customers at a time and hoping the store doesn’t flood again. Foot Wears House reveals the humor, camaraderie, and pure rage that exists at the intersection of no guaranteed hours and salaried managers who are Really Excited About Selling Memberships...
    Your neighborhood outdoor goods store is unionizing. The people who sold you your hiking boots are trying to figure out who’s down to strike—while helping sixteen customers at a time and hoping the store doesn’t flood again. Foot Wears House reveals the humor, camaraderie, and pure rage that exists at the intersection of no guaranteed hours and salaried managers who are Really Excited About Selling Memberships! Plus, the warehouse bays and alarm seem to have a life of their own… is the warehouse ghost unionizing, too?
  • Winter People by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: community, class + 3 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller, political
    Keyword: community, class, beach town, racism, immigration
    [O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference] The Hamptons. The dead cold of March. A giant beach mansion burns down--and someone local will take the blame. Economic and racial tensions rise, a witch-hunt begins, and the lives of five local Long Island families start falling to pieces (if they were ever whole). Each actor plays an entire family In this love-hate letter to a complicated community.
  • Love Yourself in 80 Minutes by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Mental Health, social media + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: Mental Health, social media, friendship, surviving depression, the self-help industry
    When Tara runs into her absolute hero, Sky of the Love Yourself channel!!!, on top of a mountain, she's thrilled at the chance to snap a selfie. But why is Sky smashing her phone to pieces and yelling at Tara to go the f*ck away? This dark-ish comedy about the monetization of the self-help industry is full of twists, bad self-help advice, and... tax fraud??
  • Lilith : Maria by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    Genre: drama
    A daughter and a mother try to say each other's names with something other than hurt and anger. It takes more than reality for this to happen: Lilith becomes her mother Maria and Maria becomes her mother Eve and Eve becomes her mother the Witch. Maria remembers her love of the desert. Lilith meets her dead grandmother. And Lilith and Maria say each other's names.
  • I Love You Elizabeth Warren by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: romantic comedy, millennial + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, political, romantic comedy
    Keyword: romantic comedy, millennial, dark comedy, Politics, anxiety, Mental Health, funny
    Cate sort of actually believes that Elizabeth Warren brings her Ben and Jerry’s and makes everything okay. But when Cate meets Billy and they start to form a connection, the thing pretending to be Elizabeth Warren gets jealous... Can Cate and Billy overcome the patriarchy, white supremacy, and their own deep self-hatred to reach each other? This romantic comedy for our time is 100% millennial, 50% political, and just a little bit demonic.
  • Just Cause by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: horror comedy, monster + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, horror, mystery/thriller, political
    Keyword: horror comedy, monster, gentrification, economy, Boston
    Security guards Harry and Sammy are supposed to watch over the subway tunnel their bosses are turning into luxury condos. But they start to wonder... is that interchangeable white guy boss really in the Caymans, or did he maybe die in an explosion of blood and shadows? A gory and incisively depressing comedy that takes a hard look at Boston’s economy and the monsters that lurk in our shadows. [In development...
    Security guards Harry and Sammy are supposed to watch over the subway tunnel their bosses are turning into luxury condos. But they start to wonder... is that interchangeable white guy boss really in the Caymans, or did he maybe die in an explosion of blood and shadows? A gory and incisively depressing comedy that takes a hard look at Boston’s economy and the monsters that lurk in our shadows. [In development with director Dawn M. Simmons]
  • The End Will Hurt by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, horror
    ·
    Keyword: dark comedy, technology + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, horror
    Keyword: dark comedy, technology, social media, family, grief
    Maura's dying and obsessed with Facebook, but that's not the only problem—her daughter Cindy is under the Food Network's control, and her granddaughter Darcy is getting way too good at first-person-shooter video games. As each woman avoids facing her grief, digital worlds meld with the real world to create a dangerous new landscape in which anything is possible.
  • Skin and Bones by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: veterans, grief + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: veterans, grief, connection, secrets, aging, invisibility
    Katharine is a volunteer theatre usher, and Marly is a bouncer for the fight across the hall. But they are both hiding secrets that demand to be told, and when their small talk doesn't line up, they find a strange honesty rising between them.
  • Public Property by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    6–21
    ·
    Genre: drama, immersive + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: large cast, Flexible Casting + 6 more
    Genre: drama, immersive, political
    Keyword: large cast, Flexible Casting, ensemble, nature, environment, community, connection, activism
    Public Property: that's what a park technically is. But everyone who spends time at the park has their own individual story of that place, a belief that this land belongs to them. Ghosts of soldiers, rushed dog parents, new friends, mourning family, even the trees themselves, all of these beings collide. When part of the park is closed down, what happens to all the overlapping stories that have been interrupted?
  • Don't Give Up the Ship by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: coming out, navy + 8 more
    Genre: adventure, docudrama/historic, drama
    Keyword: coming out, navy, mother and daughter, battle, ship, LGBTQ, dysfunctional family, Rhode Island, divorce, love
    When Diana, a middle-aged mother of two, wakes up as Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the War of 1812, she suddenly commands much more of her life than she used to. Imagining that her daughters are warring lieutenants, her ex-husband is her four-year-old son, and her nurse Lizzie is her darling wife, Diana establishes an identity that is much closer to her true self than anyone expected.
  • Lost and Found by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    ·
    Keyword: lost and found, community + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    Keyword: lost and found, community, dramedy, holiday show, healing, magical realism
    When five “losers” band together to seek their missing possessions, they instead find each other--and a lost and found bin with tentacles. This heartfelt comedy shows grieving people finding a way forward through a combination of community and a little bit of magic.
  • Juliet Wakes Up - one-act by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: feminist, Shakespeare + 2 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, dark comedy, parody/spoof
    Keyword: feminist, Shakespeare, comedy, appropriate for teen actors
    Juliet wakes up and discovers Romeo has poisoned himself. She's about to kill herself in despair, except... instead she panics and stabs his dead body. Her cousin Rosaline (Romeo's ex) and Willow (the apothecary's apprentice) are covering up their own contributions to Romeo's death. So when the somehow-still-not-dead Romeo stumbles in, Juliet has to make a decision: will she try to save her...
    Juliet wakes up and discovers Romeo has poisoned himself. She's about to kill herself in despair, except... instead she panics and stabs his dead body. Her cousin Rosaline (Romeo's ex) and Willow (the apothecary's apprentice) are covering up their own contributions to Romeo's death. So when the somehow-still-not-dead Romeo stumbles in, Juliet has to make a decision: will she try to save her husband? Or will she make sure he's really dead so they can all start new lives on the run?
  • Game Night (Humans Only, Please) - one-act by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: adventure, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: UIL, one-act + 8 more
    Genre: adventure, dark comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: UIL, one-act, post-apocalypse, climate change, dark comedy, festival play, school-friendly, school-appropriate, family-friendly, rated PG
    Published with Stage Partners:
    https://yourstagepartners.com/game-night-humans-only-please

    It's game night at the end of the world. The library is one of the only places still above the water line, and the nerds are living it up while they can. But when the soccer team shows up because their field went underwater, they begin a more dangerous game. A high-stakes dark comedy about...
    Published with Stage Partners:
    https://yourstagepartners.com/game-night-humans-only-please

    It's game night at the end of the world. The library is one of the only places still above the water line, and the nerds are living it up while they can. But when the soccer team shows up because their field went underwater, they begin a more dangerous game. A high-stakes dark comedy about mutant lizards, climate change, and being the generation born to watch the water level rise.
  • The Secretaries - one-act for kids by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–12
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: superhero, female superheroes + 8 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, young audiences
    Keyword: superhero, female superheroes, Fun, action, comedy, UIL, school-appropriate, family-friendly, festival play, middle school
    Anna is a superhero!!! That's what her acceptance letter to the YZ Institute says--but when she gets there, she's informed it was a mistake, and she's reassigned to be a secretary. The “real” superheroes-in-training are impressive, but their arrogance makes it hard for Anna to fit in. To make things worse, the trainer Mx Medusa suddenly goes missing. When Anna suspects that one of the so-called...
    Anna is a superhero!!! That's what her acceptance letter to the YZ Institute says--but when she gets there, she's informed it was a mistake, and she's reassigned to be a secretary. The “real” superheroes-in-training are impressive, but their arrogance makes it hard for Anna to fit in. To make things worse, the trainer Mx Medusa suddenly goes missing. When Anna suspects that one of the so-called heroes may be to blame—and may be planning to use their powers for evil—she and her fellow "secretary" Bree must team up to save the world as we know it.
  • Funtown - one-act by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: adventure, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: outcasts, Dystopia + 8 more
    Genre: adventure, drama, political, young audiences
    Keyword: outcasts, Dystopia, gentrification, gender-neutral, UIL, festival play, one-act, rated PG, school-friendly, family-friendly
    Published with YouthPLAYS: https://www.youthplays.com/play/funtown-by-laura-neill-672

    Five young outcasts live together in an abandoned fun park. But when their "abandoned" home is marked for demolition, their way of life is called into question. Jo wants to fight, Hair wants to hack into the developers' system, and Doc just wants everyone to calm down. When a wrecking ball knocks...
    Published with YouthPLAYS: https://www.youthplays.com/play/funtown-by-laura-neill-672

    Five young outcasts live together in an abandoned fun park. But when their "abandoned" home is marked for demolition, their way of life is called into question. Jo wants to fight, Hair wants to hack into the developers' system, and Doc just wants everyone to calm down. When a wrecking ball knocks down everything the band had known, will they come together, or scatter back to their loner lives?
  • Petting Zoo: VAMPIRE EDITION - one-act by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    9–20
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: dark comedy, UIL show + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: dark comedy, UIL show, one-act, festival show, rated PG, school-appropriate, blood, vampires, animal characters
    Alpaca is just trying to get their graze on, Donkey is busy being a farmer's pet, and the Cows are battling it out for the title of Cow 1. When an unknown creature starts biting arteries and the farm is suddenly covered in blood, can the animals band together long enough to survive?
  • The Nightmare Next Door - one-act by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, radio drama
    Genre: drama, radio drama
    This is Episode 2 of Isolated Incidents, an audio drama series co-created with Pascale Florestal, Nick Kaidoo, Jaymes Sanchez, and Hayley Spivey, and produced by Broadway Podcast Network and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre. Follow URL to listen: https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcast/isolated-incidents/#:~:text=ISOLATED%20INCIDENTS%20follows%20five%20essential,t%20so%20isolated%20after%20all
  • We the Sisters - ten-minute by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: contemporary, health care + 4 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: contemporary, health care, politician, healthcare, dramatic, high stakes
    Becky has an opinion on how her old sorority sister Congresswoman Lara Sweet should vote on the next healthcare repeal bill... and a few old college stories to wield as weapons. This no-holds-barred battle between a powerful politician and her once-sister escalates quickly to a point of no return.
  • One Kind of Fear - ten-minute by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: kindness, humanity + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: kindness, humanity, nurse, Social distancing, mask shortage
    Alex, an experienced nurse, is dealing with a new kind of fear. Newbie nurse CJ offers a way through.
  • The Last Cookie - ten-minute by Laura Neill
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: kindness, humanity + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: kindness, humanity, love, friendship
    Bri and Lou have one oreo left. Who is going to eat it?
  • Rains It Pours by Laura Neill
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
    ·
    Keyword: working class, funny + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: working class, funny, humor, capitalism, magical realism
    Sylvie is ready to go home, but her boss has decided to keep her after work because she doesn't pour water fast enough... and Sylvie's ancient witch ancestor, who is SUPPOSED to help Sylvie through her Moment of Great Crisis, has decided Sylvie is being a snowflake about this whole day-job thing. But when Jurassica pushes Sylvie a little too far, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.