Scott Sickles

Scott Sickles

SCOTT C. SICKLES (he/him/his) is a biracial Korean American / LGBTQ / neurodivergent writer. He has received five consecutive Writers Guild of America Awards for the daytime serial General Hospital, as well as ten Emmy Award nominations. For more than thirty years, his plays have been performed in New York City, his native Pittsburgh, across the United States, as well as internationally in Canada, Australia,...
SCOTT C. SICKLES (he/him/his) is a biracial Korean American / LGBTQ / neurodivergent writer. He has received five consecutive Writers Guild of America Awards for the daytime serial General Hospital, as well as ten Emmy Award nominations. For more than thirty years, his plays have been performed in New York City, his native Pittsburgh, across the United States, as well as internationally in Canada, Australia, the UK, Hungary, Singapore, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Dubai.

Sickles’s biographical drama Nonsense and Beauty, chronicling the private life of E. M. Forster, received its world premiere at the Repertory Theater of St. Louis in 2019, garnering an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and a St. Louis Theater Circle Award, as well as being named an ATCA Steinberg Award finalist. The play previously won the 2016 Dayton Playhouse Future Fest (under its previous title, Shepherds Bush).

Sickles was a 2019 O’Neill finalist for Marianas Trench, the first play in an alternate-history/speculative sci-fi trilogy. Marianas Trench was also a finalist for the 2019 Fratti-Fred Newman Political Playwriting Contest, as well as a semifinalist for Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s PlayFest 2019 and American Blues Theater’s 2019 Blue Ink Playwriting Award. The other plays in this trilogy are Pangea, a romance set in Antarctica over the first days of 2046 as the climate reaches yet another tipping point, and The Known Universe, which takes place during the final hours of sustainable human existence on Earth. Pangea was an O'Neill semifinalist.

His drama Composure received the 2016 New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Original Full-Length Script and was a finalist for the 2018 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Drama. He also garnered the 1999 Beverly Hills Theater Guild/Julie Harris Playwriting Award for Lightning from Heaven, a Cold War romance about Boris Pasternak, his muse Olga Ivinskaya, and the creation of Doctor Zhivago. In 1996, the Pittsburgh New Works Festival named him Outstanding Playwright for his father-son reconciliation drama The Harmonic Convergence.

His comedy Intellectuals can be found in Smith & Kraus’s New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2007. Published short works include murmurs (Samuel French Festival Plays #21), Beautiful Noises (S&K's 2009: Best 10-Minute Plays...), and Turtles and Bulldogs (Applause, Best American Short Plays 2015-2016). Smith & Kraus and Applause have also published several of his monologues in their anthologies. His experimental piece The Other Half made its Budapest debut after being translated into Hungarian and has since been published in an anthology of translated plays.

Sickles made his Capital Fringe debut in 2018 with his indie theater backstage comedy Perfecting the Kiss: a mockumentary for the stage. In 2013, his controversial drama Moonlight & Love Songs opened GayFestNYC to critical acclaim. Reno Little Theater has produced both Intellectuals and Demon Bitch Goddess – an evening of his short plays Medusa, Cassiopeia, and Thalassa.

Other full-length plays: From the Top (WorkShop Theater Company, NYC), Hairdresser on Fire (Compass Theatre, San Diego), The Philosopher’s Joke (based on the story by Jerome K. Jerome; WorkShop Theater Company); Frailty, Thy Name; and TARTARUS.
Other produced one-acts: The Antique Shoppe; Appetizers, or “On an Island Somewhere”; Badger and Frame, The Bedroom Summit; Dangerous Angels; Erroneous Zones; The Following Morning; The Greater and Lesser Edmunds of the World; Hand on Heart; #Bastille; I Knew It!; I’d Follow You Anywhere: a Solaris story; The Man in 119; Manly Men Doing Manly Things; Miracle and Her Minion, The Mother Lode; The Open Window (based on the short story by Saki); Outpost; Sarcophagus; Sugarplum; Tactile Creatures; Uncomplicated Bereavement; Vacancies; We’ll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet; and Yea, Though I Walk.

Sickles holds an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Dramatists Guild, and the New Play Exchange. www.ScottCSickles.com

Plays

  • Marianas Trench (Part One of The Second World Trilogy) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 47
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Immigrants, refugee + 7 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller, political, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: Immigrants, refugee, Growing Up Gay, masculinity, American politics, homophobia, Islamophobia, Asian American, korean american
    [FULL LENGTH • SCIENCE FICTION]
    2019 O'NEILL FINALIST

    2F/6M (3M roles are East Asian/Korean)
    The first piece in a science fiction trilogy that follows a love story between two men from when they're 11-year-old pen pals until the end of the world nearly 50 years later.

    Teddy Passanante and Anzor Khasanov are eleven-year-old pen pals. Teddy is an unathletic,...
    [FULL LENGTH • SCIENCE FICTION]
    2019 O'NEILL FINALIST

    2F/6M (3M roles are East Asian/Korean)
    The first piece in a science fiction trilogy that follows a love story between two men from when they're 11-year-old pen pals until the end of the world nearly 50 years later.

    Teddy Passanante and Anzor Khasanov are eleven-year-old pen pals. Teddy is an unathletic, half-Korean nerd living in a liberal U.S. made up of what used to be Blue States. Anzor is the child of Muslim refugees trapped in a militant right-wing Christian theocracy that used to be the Red States. The boys know their correspondence is mandated and monitored by Anzor’s government. This is a love story.

    Developmental readings at Portland Stage's Little Festival of the Unexpected and the Road Theatre Company's Summer Playwrights Festival.
  • Pangea (Part Two of The Second World Trilogy) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 25
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama, political + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: romance, environmental crisis + 6 more
    Genre: drama, political, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: romance, environmental crisis, climate change, Alternate history, future, Antarctica, gay romance, Asian American
    [FULL LENGTH SCIENCE FICTION DRAMA]
    2020 O'NEILL SEMIFINALIST

    4M/2F – 2 Males are East Asian

    The second piece in a science fiction trilogy that follows a love story between two men from when they're 11-year-old pen pals until the end of the world nearly 50 years later. In Pangea, they meet for the first time as 38-year-old adults.

    Palmer Station,...
    [FULL LENGTH SCIENCE FICTION DRAMA]
    2020 O'NEILL SEMIFINALIST

    4M/2F – 2 Males are East Asian

    The second piece in a science fiction trilogy that follows a love story between two men from when they're 11-year-old pen pals until the end of the world nearly 50 years later. In Pangea, they meet for the first time as 38-year-old adults.

    Palmer Station, Antarctica: New Year’s Day, 2046. Astronaut Andy Manners and marine biologist Lincoln Passanante wake up in each other’s arms for the first time – twenty-six years after Andy vanished from Lincoln’s life. When they were children, the Red States became the New Confederate States of America from which Andy escaped a genocide. Now, the New Confederacy is collapsing, the climate is reaching another catastrophic tipping point, and two men who have loved each other all their lives must confront an intimately and globally uncertain future.

    FINALIST: Garry Marshall Theater 2021 New Works Festival
  • The Known Universe (Part Three of The Second World Trilogy) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 24
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Gay and LGBTQ, speculative + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, period, political, science fiction
    Keyword: Gay and LGBTQ, speculative, climate change, end of the world, apocalypse, nontraditional, family, gay romance, Asian American
    [FULL LENGTH SCIENCE FICTION DRAMA]
    The third piece in a science fiction trilogy that follows a love story between two guys from when they're 11-year-old pen pals until the end of the world nearly 50 years later. This is the final installment, so...

    2067. The Earth is entering a new ice age and nothing on the surface will survive. Astronaut Anzor "Andy" Khasanov-Manners is...
    [FULL LENGTH SCIENCE FICTION DRAMA]
    The third piece in a science fiction trilogy that follows a love story between two guys from when they're 11-year-old pen pals until the end of the world nearly 50 years later. This is the final installment, so...

    2067. The Earth is entering a new ice age and nothing on the surface will survive. Astronaut Anzor "Andy" Khasanov-Manners is in a space station, in orbit, assisting with evacuation efforts... which have just been abandoned. His husband, Teddy; their boys, Mason and Julius; the boys' mother, Drisana, and stepmother, Sophie, were supposed to be on the next flight up. As the temperature plummets and the planet becomes uninhabitable, Anzor and his family bid each other a long farewell. Told in real time and flashbacks, THE KNOWN UNIVERSE is a story of family and everything they and we have to lose.
  • Composure by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: LGBTQ, Shakespeare + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: LGBTQ, Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, college, divorce, acquaintance rape, trauma survivors
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    When Fletcher Driscoll returned to his hometown to direct Romeo and Juliet, he never expected to end up in his own star-crossed romance with Jeff, a recently out divorcé with a complicated past. Nor was he prepared to confront Tommy, his high school best friend who broke his heart... repeatedly and on purpose.

    A powerful drama about the resonance of loss, Composure is...
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    When Fletcher Driscoll returned to his hometown to direct Romeo and Juliet, he never expected to end up in his own star-crossed romance with Jeff, a recently out divorcé with a complicated past. Nor was he prepared to confront Tommy, his high school best friend who broke his heart... repeatedly and on purpose.

    A powerful drama about the resonance of loss, Composure is for everyone who has ever loved the wrong person and worries that it's too late to find the right one.


    two acts; 1 hour, 45 minutes (+ intermission)
  • Demon Bitch Goddess by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    8–10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: old age, wedding + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: old age, wedding, dysfunctional family, Sisters, widow
    [EVENING OF ONE-ACT PLAYS]
    Life’s major milestones happen unexpectedly out of order in these three tales of love, lust and loss.

    Demon: Medusa
    Mavis and Thor are two senior citizens out on a first date. Thor is a perfect gentlemen, but that may not be what Mavis wants...

    Bitch: Cassiopeia
    Developmentally challenged Angela prepares for her wedding. Her two...
    [EVENING OF ONE-ACT PLAYS]
    Life’s major milestones happen unexpectedly out of order in these three tales of love, lust and loss.

    Demon: Medusa
    Mavis and Thor are two senior citizens out on a first date. Thor is a perfect gentlemen, but that may not be what Mavis wants...

    Bitch: Cassiopeia
    Developmentally challenged Angela prepares for her wedding. Her two sisters want what’s best for her. Unfortunately, they have very different opinions on what that might be.

    Goddess: Thalassa
    On the shore of the Mediterranean, a young woman spots a man about to take a one-way walk into the deep blue sea. Can she save him? Can they save each other?

    3 one-act plays; 90-100 minutes; no intermission
  • Frailty, Thy Name by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, female lead + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, horror, mystery/thriller, period, political, tragedy
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, female lead, Hamlet, Gertrude, Ophelia, retelling
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA – adaptation/retelling of HAMLET]

    You know the story, right?
    After the sudden death of her king, the grieving Queen Gertrude tries to save her country from the brink of war by helping her brother-in-law, the wise and good statesman Claudius, ascend to the throne instead of her temperamental son, Prince Hamlet. When Hamlet becomes unhinged, Gertrude enlists his love...
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA – adaptation/retelling of HAMLET]

    You know the story, right?
    After the sudden death of her king, the grieving Queen Gertrude tries to save her country from the brink of war by helping her brother-in-law, the wise and good statesman Claudius, ascend to the throne instead of her temperamental son, Prince Hamlet. When Hamlet becomes unhinged, Gertrude enlists his love Ophelia to help save his sanity. But soon, Ophelia inherits Hamlet's suspicions about his father's death and must determine if the queen can be trusted or is an accomplice to murder.
    This is a story about women.

    FRAILTY, THY NAME examines the Hamlet mythos exclusively from the perspectives of its women, Queen Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude is a noble, savvy and honorable queen who, in a moment of deep grief, puts country before family. She and Ophelia — clever, perceptive, and steadfast — unite over their love of Hamlet, until his suspicions of treachery force them to confront the patriarchy that has trapped and perhaps even doomed them.
  • From the Top by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: comedy of manners, gay + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: comedy of manners, gay, theatre people, unrequited love, breakup, young love
    [FULL LENGTH COMEDY OF MANNERS]
    A contemporary comedy of manners about the things we keep from the people we love.
    Two couples and their elusive best pal prepare for a major event while harboring secrets until they find the right moments to reveal them...moments which may or may not come.



    SUMMARY:
    FROM THE TOP examines (roughly) the same half-hour from three...
    [FULL LENGTH COMEDY OF MANNERS]
    A contemporary comedy of manners about the things we keep from the people we love.
    Two couples and their elusive best pal prepare for a major event while harboring secrets until they find the right moments to reveal them...moments which may or may not come.



    SUMMARY:
    FROM THE TOP examines (roughly) the same half-hour from three different characters’ perspectives as they prepare to leave for a special event.
    In Act One, young actor Edmund arrives with his new boyfriend Paddy. He’s seeking an audience with his mentor and dear friend Brandon, a highly regarded theater director. His attempts to have a private moment with his friend are blocked by Irene and Calvin, an actress/playwright couple who appear to be running interference. Edmund eventually has the heart-to-heart he’s been longing for, but what’s wrong with Brandon?
    In Act Two, moments before Edmund and Paddy’s arrival, Irene tries to break up with bewildered Calvin. They discreetly negotiate the chaos going on around and in between them, ultimately confronting the fate of their relationship.
    In Act Three, Brandon lets Irene and Calvin in and informs them that he’s invited Edmund to join them. He dismisses their concerns at first, but after Edmund’s arrival, Brandon must navigate his own mounting heartbreak.


    90 minutes, 3 short acts, no intermission.

    " From the Top deserves a long life, though hopefully it will be ensconced on the New York stages for a long time to come, an ideal destination for audiences seeking a witty and intelligent modern comedy of manners."
    ~ Matthew Murray, Talking' Broadway
  • Hairdresser on Fire by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–10
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: psychological abuse, manipulation + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: psychological abuse, manipulation, gay men
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    Lawrence is on the rebound. His best pals -- ex-lover Niles and devout virgin Briony -- can only provide so much comfort. Then in walks Allan, a handsome attorney who whisks him away from his problems... and soon begins to separate Lawrence little by little from the people and things he cares about. Allan's plan to control Lawrence starts to backfire when Lawrence reveals himself...
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    Lawrence is on the rebound. His best pals -- ex-lover Niles and devout virgin Briony -- can only provide so much comfort. Then in walks Allan, a handsome attorney who whisks him away from his problems... and soon begins to separate Lawrence little by little from the people and things he cares about. Allan's plan to control Lawrence starts to backfire when Lawrence reveals himself to be a stronger person than the heartbroken sad sack he was the night they met. But is Lawrence strong enough?

    90 minutes, no intermission

    "Hairdresser on Fire ... unfolds with the ease of an episode of "Seinfeld" but ends 90 minutes later the way "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" would if written by Larry Gelbart instead of Edward Albee. ... a lively engaging piece about the downward spiral of relationships that begin with a power imbalance. It's also about the particular courage it takes to assert one's self in the face of the possible loss of love."
    ~ Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • HELLISH DELIGHTS (Four New One-Act Plays) by Scott Sickles
    Cast: 
    3–8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: hell, prison + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: hell, prison, murder, American Gothic, TBI, music, puppets, comedic nativity play
    [EVENING OF ONE-ACT PLAYS]

    PRODUCTION CLOSED EARLY DUE TO COVID-19

    Four New One-Act Plays including
    BULLETPROOF LOVE
    THE FALLOW GARDEN
    O, FOR A MUSE OF FIRE
    SOMEWHERE SOUTH OF BETHLEHEM
  • Intellectuals by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–12
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: gay, Lesbian + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: gay, Lesbian, screwball, comedy of manners, romantic comedy
    [FULL LENGTH COMEDY]
    Psychologist Margot leaves her philosophy professor husband Philip to "explore untapped feminie potential" by giving lesbianism a whirl. The separation leaves them and their gay best friend Brighton to thier own devices, schemes, and unexpected romances. Mayhem ensues.

    2 acts; 120-130 minutes

    "...you know the playwright has potential. ......
    [FULL LENGTH COMEDY]
    Psychologist Margot leaves her philosophy professor husband Philip to "explore untapped feminie potential" by giving lesbianism a whirl. The separation leaves them and their gay best friend Brighton to thier own devices, schemes, and unexpected romances. Mayhem ensues.

    2 acts; 120-130 minutes

    "...you know the playwright has potential. ... Mr. Sickles’s zingy dialogue sparkled..."
    ~Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

    "Romantic screwball comedy is alive and well... Intellectuals is a refreshing reminder of how fun good theatre can be... several surprising twists and turns...
    ~ Michael Criscuolo, nytheatre.com

    "Some people are just too smart for their own good. That’s bad for them, but it’s great for the audience of Intellectuals. ... Sickles’s dialog is witty and crisp, and the jokes zipped by, one on top of the next. ... a lot of fun indeed."
    ~ Byrne Harrison, oobr.com

    Available in Smith & Kraus's NEW PLAYWRIGHTS: BEST PLAYS OF 2007, edited by Lawrence Harbison.
  • Layers, or "The Casserole Play" by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 13 more
    ·
    Keyword: women, women in history + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, commedia dell'arte, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, melodrama, movement/physical, pageant, pantomime, parody/spoof, period, political, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: women, women in history, women in media, History, journalism, theatrical, food, casseroles
    [FULL-LENGTH DOCUPAGEANT]

    In 1866, Elmire Jolicoeur, a French-Canadian immigrant, invented the precursor of the modern casserole in Berlin, New Hampshire. OR DID SHE? A present day journalist's curiosity leads her to discover the truth between Jolicoeur's legend and her life. This docupageant dramatizes that life, that search, and that legend with high theatricality, examining how women...
    [FULL-LENGTH DOCUPAGEANT]

    In 1866, Elmire Jolicoeur, a French-Canadian immigrant, invented the precursor of the modern casserole in Berlin, New Hampshire. OR DID SHE? A present day journalist's curiosity leads her to discover the truth between Jolicoeur's legend and her life. This docupageant dramatizes that life, that search, and that legend with high theatricality, examining how women are portrayed by history and the media, and how in a "post-fact" society, the truth still matters even if that truth seems trivial.

    [Multiple roles meant to be played by 3 actors.]
  • Lightning From Heaven by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    9–13
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: freedom of expression, Soviet Union + 5 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, political
    Keyword: freedom of expression, Soviet Union, intense, interrogation, censorship, writers, History
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    Before the classic film and the celebrated novel Doctor Zhivago, there were poet Boris Pasternak, his muse Olga Ivinskaya, and the Soviet government’s attempt to silence their story. After Pasternak’s death in 1960 Olga, his lover of fourteen years, was arrested by the KGB. LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN chronicles Olga's subsequent interrogation and trial, while depicting her and...
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    Before the classic film and the celebrated novel Doctor Zhivago, there were poet Boris Pasternak, his muse Olga Ivinskaya, and the Soviet government’s attempt to silence their story. After Pasternak’s death in 1960 Olga, his lover of fourteen years, was arrested by the KGB. LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN chronicles Olga's subsequent interrogation and trial, while depicting her and Pasternak's struggle to complete and publish Doctor Zhivago despite determined Soviet efforts to stop them.

    2 acts; 2h15m

    "torrid... as sizzling as the love affair between Zhivago and Lara. ... The play is full of high drama, deep characterization, and constant tension. It is a scathing look inside the nightmarish world of Soviet oppression. ~Bruce Chadwick, History News Network

    "It is a smart, deeply literate play, driven by the conflict between individual artistic integrity and the collectivist state. Perhaps most touching are the scenes deliberately echoing Zhivago in which Pasternak and Ivinskaya find beauty in the increasingly drab, dehumanized Soviet world about them. ... Highly recommended for fans of historical drama or Zhivago in any of its incarnations."
    ~ Joe Bendel. J.B. Spins blog
  • Moonlight & Love Songs by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–8
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Movies, LGBTQ + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Movies, LGBTQ, intense, gay, age difference, religion, May-December, age of consent
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    When lonely 45-year-old architect Harry Wallace meets sexy film student Jim Bennett, it’s a motion picture perfect romance. After a shocking revelation shatters their relationship, Harry and Jim must pick up the shambles of their suddenly very separate lives.

    90 minutes, no intermission

    “Sickles nails the complexities in this relationship in such a...
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    When lonely 45-year-old architect Harry Wallace meets sexy film student Jim Bennett, it’s a motion picture perfect romance. After a shocking revelation shatters their relationship, Harry and Jim must pick up the shambles of their suddenly very separate lives.

    90 minutes, no intermission

    “Sickles nails the complexities in this relationship in such a powerful way... There is something for everyone in the audience to draw from; whether you are gay or straight, it
    is very relatable.”
    ~ Gregory G. Allen, Huffington Post

    “Playwright Scott C. Sickles creates an intriguing, surprisingly believable study of human behavior...just about any audience member will find something with which to
    connect.”
    ~ Ronni Reich, Back Stage

    “Sickles takes a potentially controversial topic and crafts a beautiful story of a doomed romance. Like the old movies it references, Casablanca chief among them, Moonlight & Love Songs shows that love often demands sacrifice to become
    transcendent.”
    ~ Byrne Harrison, Stagebuzz.com
  • Nonsense and Beauty by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 21
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: biography, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: gay romance, History + 4 more
    Genre: biography, drama, period
    Keyword: gay romance, History, English, 1930s, 1960s, Forster
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    2016 DAYTON PLAYHOUSE FUTUREFEST WINNER
    2018 EDGERTON FOUNDATION NEW PLAY AWARD WINNER
    2020 AMERICAN THEATER CRITICS ASSOCIATION STEINBERG AWARD FINALIST
    2020 ST LOUIS THEATER CIRCLE AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY

    In 1930, E.M. Forster met and fell in love with Bob Buckingham, a policeman 23 years his junior. Before long, fear of discovery forced Bob to...
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA]
    2016 DAYTON PLAYHOUSE FUTUREFEST WINNER
    2018 EDGERTON FOUNDATION NEW PLAY AWARD WINNER
    2020 AMERICAN THEATER CRITICS ASSOCIATION STEINBERG AWARD FINALIST
    2020 ST LOUIS THEATER CIRCLE AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY

    In 1930, E.M. Forster met and fell in love with Bob Buckingham, a policeman 23 years his junior. Before long, fear of discovery forced Bob to court and marry May, a young nurse. The ensuring love triangle, turbulent and unique, evolved until Forster’s death nearly forty years later.

    2 acts; 120 minutes

    (formerly titled "Shepherd's Bush")
  • Perfecting the Kiss: a mockumentary for the stage by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: backstage
    Genre: comedy, farce, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: backstage
    [FULL LENGTH COMEDY]
    In this "Noises Off for Off-Off," a stage manager presents a dramatic recreation of her traumatizing previous production during which she was secretly attracted to playwright Harvest Carruthers who in turn became attracted to the sweet, sexy, and tremendously untalented Jonah "Buck" Jackson who himself developed a crush on director Edwina O'Halloran who is...
    [FULL LENGTH COMEDY]
    In this "Noises Off for Off-Off," a stage manager presents a dramatic recreation of her traumatizing previous production during which she was secretly attracted to playwright Harvest Carruthers who in turn became attracted to the sweet, sexy, and tremendously untalented Jonah "Buck" Jackson who himself developed a crush on director Edwina O'Halloran who is only doing this very bad gay play to prove that the actor who rejected her romantic overtures, Mike Porter, did so because he's gay thereby enabling her to cope with his rejection. The result is a hilariously catastrophic series of clashing egos and romantic misalliances.

    75 minutes, no intermission
  • The Philosopher's Joke by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–14
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: time travel, Fantasy + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, fantasy
    Keyword: time travel, Fantasy, drama, full length, dance, love, romance
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA/FANTASY]
    [NOTE: I’m looking to rewrite the ending]
    Based on the short story by Jerome K. Jerome. A young man about to propose marriage to his girlfriend seeks the advice of three older couples, all of whom have been acquainted with one another for over twenty years. There's the sedate Reverend Nathaniel Armitage and his flirtatious wife Alice; brusque entrepreneur Dick...
    [FULL LENGTH DRAMA/FANTASY]
    [NOTE: I’m looking to rewrite the ending]
    Based on the short story by Jerome K. Jerome. A young man about to propose marriage to his girlfriend seeks the advice of three older couples, all of whom have been acquainted with one another for over twenty years. There's the sedate Reverend Nathaniel Armitage and his flirtatious wife Alice; brusque entrepreneur Dick Everett who married his wife Nellie for her beauty, which has faded completely; and passionate writer Horatio Camelford, who stopped believing in marriage right around the time his wife Jessica finally realized she loved him. The three couples regale the young man with a story about how one night in Germany they were magically transported back to their youths... and given knowledge of their futures. What did they learn from the decisions they made?

    70 minutes (45 pages, plus movement) no intermission
  • Seaside Tragedies by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental
    ·
    Keyword: LGBTQ, ADHD + 8 more
    Genre: drama, experimental
    Keyword: LGBTQ, ADHD, neurodivergence, bipoc, AAPI, korean american, South Asian American, Filipino American, marriage, COVID
    [WORK IN PROGRESS; EARLY DEVELOPMENT]
    [FULL-LENGTH DRAMA]

    Tishk, an Indian/Pakistani American is figuring out his life after long Covid cranked his
    ADHD and cost him his journalism career. He spends his afternoons at the local diner, where he's been befriended by a Filipina American waitress. Meanwhile, his Korean American photographer husband, Brady, appears to be living a...
    [WORK IN PROGRESS; EARLY DEVELOPMENT]
    [FULL-LENGTH DRAMA]

    Tishk, an Indian/Pakistani American is figuring out his life after long Covid cranked his
    ADHD and cost him his journalism career. He spends his afternoons at the local diner, where he's been befriended by a Filipina American waitress. Meanwhile, his Korean American photographer husband, Brady, appears to be living a double life, a strange man shows up everywhere either of them go, and Tishk’s reality and perceptions separate and blur. Seaside Tragedies examines multicultural marriage, intimacy, identity, and prejudice through a subjective neurodivergent lens in the lingering aftermath of the pandemic.

  • TARTARUS by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 18
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–23
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: horror, Child kidnapping + 6 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: horror, Child kidnapping, homophobia, child murder, suspense, gay boys, LGBTQ, anti-gay hate
    [HORROR; FULL-LENGTH SHORT PLAY CYCLE]
    TARTARUS is a seven-part cycle following the trail of a serial murderer who finds small boys he believes to be gay and lures them to their deaths. Through the intimate perspectives of the victims, the killer, and their families, the piece is as much a horror story as a political indictment of what happens when homophobia, zealotry, and sociopathy merge.
    ...
    [HORROR; FULL-LENGTH SHORT PLAY CYCLE]
    TARTARUS is a seven-part cycle following the trail of a serial murderer who finds small boys he believes to be gay and lures them to their deaths. Through the intimate perspectives of the victims, the killer, and their families, the piece is as much a horror story as a political indictment of what happens when homophobia, zealotry, and sociopathy merge.

    1: ACHERON - Luke, a handsome, athletic older boy, befriends a younger boy he sees admiring him
    2: ASPHODEL MEADOWS - The mother of a missing boy becomes overwhelmed by her fears
    3: COCYTUS - Two people trying to have an intimate encounter make a horrifying discovery
    4: RHADAMANTHUS - Luke, the killer, confronted by his parents, explains what drives him
    5: EURYNOMOS - One of Luke's victims has survived and, decades later, tries to confront him
    6: THE MOURNING FIELDS - Another child goes missing with an unexpected outcome
    7: THE STYGIAN MARSH - Luke's father attempt to expose Luke's crimes

    The plays are meant to be performed either as stand-alone pieces, in combinations, or together.
  • Playing on the Periphery: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: gay youth, Anthology + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, young audiences
    Keyword: gay youth, Anthology, monologues, gay children, LGBTQ, children, Non-Binary, gay boys, lesbian girls, elementary school
    [ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT WORK FOR LGBTQ YOUTH]

    Daphne, Bertram, Zoe and Robert are gay kids. They may not know it quite yet, but the feelings are there. Before, during and after their third grade year, they navigate social and family pressures just to stay in each other's orbits.

    An anthology of four monologues and three short plays including:

    1. ALL OF THE NAPKINS...
    [ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT WORK FOR LGBTQ YOUTH]

    Daphne, Bertram, Zoe and Robert are gay kids. They may not know it quite yet, but the feelings are there. Before, during and after their third grade year, they navigate social and family pressures just to stay in each other's orbits.

    An anthology of four monologues and three short plays including:

    1. ALL OF THE NAPKINS ARE WET a monologue in which Daphne takes a break from an exhausting tea party with exhausting people

    2. HOW TO TIE A CRAVAT a monologue in which Bertram responds to being bullied by his very best friend Robert

    3. THE CAPTURE, NATURE, AND PURPOSE OF THE (UNFORTUNATELY NON-TERRESTRIAL) POLLYWOG, a monologue in which Zoey tries to make sense of Daphne's choice of friends while she's left alone to hunt for tadpoles

    4. NOT EXACTLY A LULLABY a monologue in which Robert confesses to his sleeping mother about his turmoil over what he's done to Bertram

    5, THE BENEFITS OF FRINGE POPULARITY AND SOCIAL INVISIBILITY, a ten-minute play in which Daphne attempts to clear Zoey after Zoey's been accused of a prank

    6. THE OBJECT IS TO PREVENT MOISTURE a short play in which Robert tries to get Bertram to forgive him

    7. WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS... a one-act play in which Daphne, Bertram, Zoey and Robert take turns choosing what games to play as their summer vacation reaches its peak
  • All of the Napkins are Wet (a monologue) (Playing on the Periphery #1) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 17
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, children's tea party + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: monologue, children's tea party, frustration, gay youth, Childhood, elementary school
    [COMIC MONLOGUE FOR A CHILD]
    Part 1 of PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids

    Daphne is not enjoying her tea party.
  • How to Tie a Cravat (a monologue) (Playing on the Periphery #2) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 13
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay youth, gay men + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gay youth, gay men, Childhood, friendship, bullying, child abuse
    [MONOLOGUE FOR A BOY]
    Part 2 of PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids

    Bertram is an unusually well dressed and well groomed eight-year-old boy. At least he usually is. Today, he's been knocked to the ground by another boy. He's about to get up.
  • The Capture, Nature, and Purpose of the (Unfortunately Non-Terrestrial) Pollywog (a monologue) (Playing on the Periphery #3) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: children, LGBTQ + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: children, LGBTQ, gay youth, Childhood, elementary school
    [MONOLOGUE FOR A GENDER-NON-CONFORMING GIRL]
    Part 3 of PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids

    Zoey is catching tadpoles. There are other things she also wants.
  • Not Exactly a Lullaby (a monologue) (Playing on the Periphery #4) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: bullying, homophobia + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: bullying, homophobia, child abuse, domestic violence, friendship, parents and children, Childhood, elementary school
    [MONOLOGUE FOR A BOY]
    Part 4 of PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids

    8-year-old Robert has done a bad thing; he's hurt his best friend. And his only confessor is his sleeping mother.
  • The Object is to Prevent Moisture (Playing on the Periphery #5) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: bullying, childhood friendship + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: bullying, childhood friendship, Toxic Masculinity, child abuse, death, Childhood, elementary school
    [SHORT PLAY FOR LGBTQ KIDS]
    Part 6 of PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids

    Bertram just wants to have high tea by himself in the school cafeteria. His ex-best friend Robert has decided to join him. Uninvited.

    This is a sequel to the monologue HOW TO TIE A CRAVAT.
  • The Benefits of Fringe Popularity and Social Invisibility (Playing on the Periphery #6) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: gay youth, caper + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: gay youth, caper, elementary school, Childhood, pranks
    [TEN-MINUTE PLAY FOR LGBTQ KIDS]
    Part 5 of PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids

    Someone has put frogs in everyone's backpacks and Zoey is about to take the heat! That is, unless Daphne has something to say about it!
  • When in the Course of Human Events... (Playing on the Periphery #7) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Fourth of July, LGBTQ + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, holiday, political
    Keyword: Fourth of July, LGBTQ, gay youth, Childhood, elementary school, summer vacation
    [ONE-ACT PLAY FOR LGBTQ CHILDREN]
    The 7th and Final Play in PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids

    Daphne, Bertram, Zoey and Robert are taking turns choosing a new game every five minutes. It's a special summer day for them.
  • There's an Order to These Things (Beauregard and Zeke #1) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 13
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay, gay teenagers + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay, gay teenagers, homophobia, sexual curiosity
    [FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Zeke is curious. He has a question for Beauregard.

    CONTENT WARNING: Hate speech.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys.
    The first four are written...
    [FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Zeke is curious. He has a question for Beauregard.

    CONTENT WARNING: Hate speech.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys.
    The first four are written and available on the NPX.
    Others will be added as they are completed.
  • Would You Like Fries With That? (Beauregard and Zeke #2) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay teenagers, gay + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay teenagers, gay, love, romance, Sex, masturbation, sexual curiosity
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Zeke takes Beauregard to the McDonald's Drive-Thru. They share stuff.

    CONTENT WARNING: Sexual content.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys.
    The...
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Zeke takes Beauregard to the McDonald's Drive-Thru. They share stuff.

    CONTENT WARNING: Sexual content.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys.
    The first four are written and available on the NPX.
    Others will be added as they are completed.
  • And This is My Assistant Beaker (Beauregard and Zeke #3) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay teenagers, gay + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gay teenagers, gay, love, romance, Sex, masturbation
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA -- NOT ABOUT MUPPETS]

    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Zeke discovers a new skill. Beauregard appreciates this but has concerns.

    CONTENT WARNING: Simulated sexual act.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity...
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA -- NOT ABOUT MUPPETS]

    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Zeke discovers a new skill. Beauregard appreciates this but has concerns.

    CONTENT WARNING: Simulated sexual act.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys.
    The first four are written and available on the NPX.
    Others will be added as they are completed.

    Written for the Playwrights Thriving February 2021 Food Play Bakeoff
  • Miss Coco Peru Does Not Lie! (Beauregard and Zeke #4) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay teenagers, gay + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay teenagers, gay, love, romance, Sex, masturbation, Oral sex, Car
    [FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY -- NOT ABOUT MISS COCO PERU]
    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Beauregard and Zeke have a mishap in the back seat of a car.

    CONTENT WARNING: Language.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys....
    [FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY -- NOT ABOUT MISS COCO PERU]
    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Beauregard and Zeke have a mishap in the back seat of a car.

    CONTENT WARNING: Language.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys.
    The first four are written and available on the NPX.
    Others will be added as they are completed.
  • Things Didn't Cost As Much Then (Beauregard and Zeke #5) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: gay teens, LGBTQ + 6 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: gay teens, LGBTQ, gay boys, gay romance, gay love story, love, romance, closeted homosexuality
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]

    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Beauregard and Zeke fell asleep in Zeke's bed... and woke up to discover that someone turned off the TV, put a blanket on top of them, and shut off the lights. So much for their relationship being a secret.

    "...
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]

    Beauregard and Zeke are 16-year-old high school juniors.
    Beauregard wears a windbreaker. Zeke wears a denim jacket.

    Beauregard and Zeke fell asleep in Zeke's bed... and woke up to discover that someone turned off the TV, put a blanket on top of them, and shut off the lights. So much for their relationship being a secret.

    "Beauregard and Zeke" is a series of plays about sexual curiosity between gay teenage boys.
    The first five are written and available on the NPX.
    Others will be added as they are completed.
  • The Antique Shoppe by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: elder romance, mature actors + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: elder romance, mature actors, retirement home, singles, dance
    [ONE-ACT ROMANTIC COMEDY]
    It's the Spring Fling Dance at St. Joseph's retirement community! Jack has got his eye on Hilary who would rather he look elsewhere. Staff member Gladys tries to encourage them but Hilary's son Emmett has other ideas!
  • Badger and Frame by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, period
    ·
    Keyword: LGBTQ, children + 8 more
    Genre: drama, period
    Keyword: LGBTQ, children, memory, grief, friendship, boys, sexuality, coming of age, emotional abuse, love
    [ONE-ACT PLAY; 25 minutes]
    During the summer of 1978, Bobby "Badger" McCandless and Ephraim "Frame" Siebert were best friends. Today, after Bobby's funeral, Ephraim meets his childhood bestie's widow Mary Kate. As she reminisces over her life with Bobby, Ephraim relives his friendship with "Badger": their summer of exploration and adventure from its humble beginnings to its abrupt end.
  • Bridge of No Return by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: History, United Nations + 4 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, mystery/thriller, period, political
    Keyword: History, United Nations, DMZ, Korea, axe, murder
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    On August 18, 1976, on the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom within the Korean DMZ, North Koreans murdered two American soldiers... with axes. A UN officer helps a diplomat determine what went down, so they can recommend what to do next.
  • Bulletproof Love by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 15
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: prison, love + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: prison, love, poetry, romance
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    Ambrose and Ramona were supposed to be married. Instead, she's visiting him in prison with bulletproof glass between them. He is the strong, silent type — very strong, very silent. She has a mouth for rage. Neither can express their love to each other... Lucky you, you get to hear what's in their hearts. And it is boundless.
  • Cassiopeia by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: special needs, TBI + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: special needs, TBI, developmental disability, wedding, family, intellectual disability
    [ONE-ACT WEDDING COMEDY-DRAMA]
    Angela, a 70-year-old developmentally challenged woman, is marrying Roy today!Everything is going great until younger sister Beatrice arrives... and she is not happy!
    This play is the "bitch" play in the one-act evening DEMON BITCH GODDESS.

    Note: The play was written in 2005 when the term "mentally retarded" was considered standard...
    [ONE-ACT WEDDING COMEDY-DRAMA]
    Angela, a 70-year-old developmentally challenged woman, is marrying Roy today!Everything is going great until younger sister Beatrice arrives... and she is not happy!
    This play is the "bitch" play in the one-act evening DEMON BITCH GODDESS.

    Note: The play was written in 2005 when the term "mentally retarded" was considered standard medical terminology. It is used as such in the play.
  • Corporeal Punishment by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: sociopath, mind games + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror
    Keyword: sociopath, mind games, mind body spirit, bullying, Unrequieted Love, sorcery, spells, Beheading
    [SHORT ONE-ACT HORROR]

    Harvey shows up at an old, dark house to find Stefan in a panic next to a decapitated body holding its head in its lap. The body isn't the most unsettling thing in the room.

    CW: implied violence and discussion of suicide
  • Fade to White by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: hungary, missing child + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: hungary, missing child, platonic relationship, autism, neurodiversity
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    Seventy-year-old documentary filmmaker Istvan is about to interview his next subject — his school-hood girlfriend Magda, now a retired teacher — about the day one of their classmates vanished in a freak snowstorm. Reflecting on this long-ago tragedy forces Magda to confront who she's become and why.
  • The Fallow Garden by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: American Gothic, murder + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror, melodrama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: American Gothic, murder, revenge, blackmail
    [ONE-ACT AMERICAN GOTHIC]
    Glynnis and Marie France are digging a hole in Lavinia Fowler's garden.
    They are not planting vegetables.

    In this American Gothic tale of small-town extortion and revenge, these two women discover they are being leveraged by a common enemy. They conspire to turn the tables on their blackmailer, but is silencing her enough to secure their secrets?
  • The Greater and Lesser Edmunds of the World: a short play about bastards and birthright by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, melodrama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: illegitimate children, Inheritance + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, melodrama, satire
    Keyword: illegitimate children, Inheritance, prodigal son, brothers, familial love
    [ONE-ACT SHAKESPEARE INSPIRED COMEDY]
    Gideon is meeting his half-brother Augie. They've met only once before, at their father's funeral... a father who kept two families at the same time. Gideon thinks he knows what Augie wants. Gideon is wrong.
  • "Guten Tag, Baby!" by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Texas, Route 66 + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Texas, Route 66, nostalgia, memory, dementia, sexual assault, rape survivor, familial love, nonbinary character
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    On a road trip to an historic motel and diner on Route 66, Vivienne hopes to help her mother, Eleanor, hold onto her memories. Turns out Eleanor remembers a few things she never mentioned before.
  • The Harmonic Convergence by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: fathers and sons, reading + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: fathers and sons, reading, literacy, children and parents, education, classroom
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    An aging German immigrant's request to finally learn to read and write in English is met with unexpected resistance from his schoolteacher son.
    *Winner, Outstanding Play, 1996 Pittsburgh New Works Festival*
  • Holidaze by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: christmas, holiday + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, political, satire
    Keyword: christmas, holiday, family, dialect, cultural stereotypes, homophobia, prejudice
    [ONE-ACT HOLIDAY COMEDY/SATIRE]
    Joshua, a gay Jewish man from NYC, and his Irish lover Philip are having guests over for Christmas: Joshua's southern belle ex-wife Charlotte, their activist son David, and David's new significant other who... well... they're expecting a boy, but...

    NOTE: This play was written in the 1990s. It is also a broad satire of homophobia and prejudice...
    [ONE-ACT HOLIDAY COMEDY/SATIRE]
    Joshua, a gay Jewish man from NYC, and his Irish lover Philip are having guests over for Christmas: Joshua's southern belle ex-wife Charlotte, their activist son David, and David's new significant other who... well... they're expecting a boy, but...

    NOTE: This play was written in the 1990s. It is also a broad satire of homophobia and prejudice, so one of the characters in particular says things that are bigoted. They're supposed to be offensive; that's the point.
  • I'd Follow You Anywhere: a Solaris story by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    ·
    Keyword: love, unrequited love + 3 more
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    Keyword: love, unrequited love, romance, Sci Fi, space station
    [ONE-ACT, SCIENCE FICTION]
    Above the planet Solaris, Emery has just spent the best night ever with River who is quite literally the Person of Their Dreams.

    Inspired by the sci-fi classic.
  • The Interior by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 17
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: adventure, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: wilderness, man vs nature + 1 more
    Genre: adventure, drama, horror
    Keyword: wilderness, man vs nature, horror
    [ONE-ACT SOLO PLAY/HORROR]
    Skylar Chapin does not do well outside of big cities. Stranded in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest after a plane crash and possessing next to no survival skills, Skylar tries to make it back to civilization... only to discover an even greater danger.

    This is a solo play that can be performed by an actor of any gender or race within a wide range of ages.
  • Les Joyeux Dilettantes by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: mothers, dating + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: mothers, dating, Boy Meets Girl, bisexuality, romance
    [ONE-ACT ROMANTIC COMEDY]
    A headstrong mother, a quiet daughter, and a gentleman caller. Sort of.
    A romcom salute to The Glass Menagerie.
  • Lost Starlet by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
    ·
    Keyword: classic movies, cinema + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: classic movies, cinema, mockumentary
    [ONE-ACT COMEDY MOCKUMENTARY]
    In this mockumentary sendup of TCM documentaries, the one-way rivalry between cinema icon Genevieve O'Neal and single-movie sensation Desiree Dovell celebrates American film from the golden age on.
  • The Man in 119 by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: dialogue-free, no dialogue + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: dialogue-free, no dialogue, grief, opera, hotel, flashbacks, romance, loss of a parent
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA WITHOUT WORDS]
    A man returns to the seaside hotel where his parents first met to scatter their ashes into the sea. The woman in the next room sees his pain and reaches out. A play about grieving, healing, love... and opera.

    Inspired by "Verdi Cries" by 10,000 Maniacs
  • Manly Men Doing Manly Things by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Hospital, Vigil + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Hospital, Vigil, gay men, LGBT, LGBTQ, Closeted gay man, closeted, fame, ex-lovers
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    A year after their breakup, a closeted Formula One race car driver tracks down his ex who is immersed in his own family crisis.
  • Medusa by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: aging, dating + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: aging, dating, Sex, elder romance
    [ONE-ACT COMEDY]
    Mavis and Thor are two senior citizens out on a first date.Thor is a perfect gentleman, but that might not be what Mavis wants.

    This play is the "demon" play in the one-act evening DEMON BITCH GODDESS.
  • The Most Important Meal of the Day by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay, LGBTQ + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gay, LGBTQ, breakup, Cyberbullying, disgraced reporter, breakfast, love
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    Rupert is a wildly successful corporate sell-out. Linus is a washed-up journalist who has never recovered from his fall from grace. They're having one last breakfast together before parting ways... maybe forever?
  • murmurs by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay, gay teenagers + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay, gay teenagers, gay boys, baseball, jock, nerd, 1970s
    [ONE-ACT GAY COMING OF AGE DRAMA]
    Ex-jock Jason has invited his physics lab partner Les over to watch the 1977 Pittsburgh Pirates home opening on TV. Unbeknownst to Les, Jason hopes they have more in common than baseball...
    Published and licensed by Samuel French
  • O, For a Muse of Fire by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: traumatic brain injury, composer + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: traumatic brain injury, composer, middle age, friendship, exes, love
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Lane, an award-winning film composer, returns home from the hospital for the first time after a car accident: memory intact but no longer able to compose. Lane's former love and dear friend Vaughn does everything possible to inspire Lane to reconnect with music and their past.

    Note: casting is gender neutral, there is a song that should be sung to piano music
  • Of Garden Gnomes and Other Tragedies by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 18
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: magic, witches + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fantasy
    Keyword: magic, witches, evil spell, garden gnome
    [ONE-ACT COMIC FANTASY]
    Chantelle had one last chance to save her beloved Felix from the wicked Diabolallura's spell but it has not gone well at all. Now, they face the aftermath...
  • Of Night and Dark Obscurity by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: ghost, revenge + 4 more
    Genre: drama, horror, period
    Keyword: ghost, revenge, body swap, body switching, abuse, emotional abuse
    [ONE-ACT HORROR; 15 Minutes]

    Young Jessa wants revenge. She's summoned Quinton to get it.
  • The Olfactory Soul by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, holiday + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: halloween, doppelganger + 4 more
    Genre: drama, holiday, horror
    Keyword: halloween, doppelganger, child loss, consent, deception, familial love
    [ONE-ACT HALLOWEEN/PANDEMIC/HORROR PLAY]
    Halloween night, 2020. A woman visits a boutique perfumery in an otherwise closed boardwalk hotel. The perfumer creates a scent that "is" her.

    Written for Playwrights Thriving's Halloween Bake-Off. The ingredients were: a perfumery/part of a hotel that is not a room; a relentless optimist; and "The Orb."
  • Oubliette by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: ADHD, emotional dysregulation + 8 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, horror, movement/physical
    Keyword: ADHD, emotional dysregulation, rejection sensitive dysphoria, demons, gay romance, friendship, gay friendship, Therapy, Mental Health, neurodivergence
    [ONE-ACT NEURODIVERGENCE EXPERIMENTAL PLAY]

    Dal is not okay. After reconciling as friends with a former romantic partner, Dal is now targeted by demons amplifying their feelings of rejection and heartbreak. Why? Because they can.

    The demons (openly) represent Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and Emotional Dysregulation, two common conditions associated with ADHD, which DAL has....
    [ONE-ACT NEURODIVERGENCE EXPERIMENTAL PLAY]

    Dal is not okay. After reconciling as friends with a former romantic partner, Dal is now targeted by demons amplifying their feelings of rejection and heartbreak. Why? Because they can.

    The demons (openly) represent Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and Emotional Dysregulation, two common conditions associated with ADHD, which DAL has.

    While Dal and Nicky are imagined as gay men, any of all of the characters in OUBLIETTE can be played by adults of any race or gender.
  • Persephone by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: adoption, heightened language + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: adoption, heightened language, oddball, familial love, platonic relationship
    [ONE-ACT COMEDY]
    Helena gave up her daughter Persephone at birth. Today, they meet for the first time. It's going really well. Or at least it was...
  • Popcorn by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: coming of age, Gay and LGBTQ + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: coming of age, Gay and LGBTQ, teen sexuality, cooking show, Discovering of Sexual Identity
    [ONE-ACT, GAY "COMING OF AGE" COMEDY]
    Straight-laced Kip just wants to watch Nigella's cooking show, but scruffy Stan won't stop ribbing him about it. Things turns physical... really, really physical.

  • Poseidon and the Sea Nymph by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Roofies, sexual assault + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Roofies, sexual assault, chivalry, size, sizism, female rage, introverts, consent
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]

    Lydia has woken up on Abel's boat. She doesn't remember how he got there or who he is. All she knows is that she's a very small woman far from shore, alone with a very big and potentially dangerous man.

    CW: discussion of sexual assault
  • The Presidential Chili Cook Off by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: Watergate, parody + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, mystery/thriller, parody/spoof, political, satire
    Keyword: Watergate, parody, journalism, Fake news, racism, White Supremacy, small town, new england, all female cast
    [ONE-ACT SATIRICAL COMEDY]

    There has been a break-in at the studio of Millicent Grosvenor, the third place ribbon winner of last year's Klonopinto County Annual Chili Cook Off. Before that, the second place winner, Elvira-Lamb Winnipeg, suddenly left town. Now, the long-running champion, Nicola Sleight-Richards, appears to be behind it all! But can intrepid Klonopinto County Picayune...
    [ONE-ACT SATIRICAL COMEDY]

    There has been a break-in at the studio of Millicent Grosvenor, the third place ribbon winner of last year's Klonopinto County Annual Chili Cook Off. Before that, the second place winner, Elvira-Lamb Winnipeg, suddenly left town. Now, the long-running champion, Nicola Sleight-Richards, appears to be behind it all! But can intrepid Klonopinto County Picayune reporter Cedar Emberhorn prove it by press time, even though the paper is weekly?!? There's a lot more at stake than a hill of beans.
  • Sarcophagus by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: aging, women getting older + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: aging, women getting older, introverts, Hollywood, Cleopatra, Robin Hood, self-love
    [ONE-ACT COMEDY-DRAMA; *NOT* HORROR]
    Cleopatra and Robin Hood meet in the anteroom of a Hollywood Halloween party. But who are they really? And who do they wish they were?
  • Shipbuilding by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Extraterrestrials, Robots + 2 more
    Genre: drama, horror, science fiction
    Keyword: Extraterrestrials, Robots, Medical ethics, love
    [ONE-ACT; SCIENCE FICTION]
    Somewhere out in deep space, Menzies has awoken after surviving a horrific attack. But how did Menzies survive at all? How did anyone?
  • The Silence of My Lonely Room by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror
    ·
    Keyword: Mental Health, Schizophrenia + 3 more
    Genre: drama, horror
    Keyword: Mental Health, Schizophrenia, revenge, friendship, platonic relationship
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA; 2M*]
    A long time ago, Kenneth thought he killed a demon in this room. Then he found out it was a hallucination. Today, he's back in the room for the first time since he lost his mind. Once again, he's not alone.
  • Somewhere South of Bethlehem by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: christianity, hell + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, faith-based, fantasy, holiday
    Keyword: christianity, hell, afterlife, devil, evangelical, Lucretia Borgia
    [ONE-ACT COMEDY]
    1M/2F; 25 minutes
    Disgraced Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson is in hell... literally and figuratively. Her current torment is being forced to rehearse a Nativity play (with loads of puppets!) with Lucrezia Borgia and the Devil. Revelations and confessions ensue.
  • The Steps by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: children, depression era + 4 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, period, young audiences
    Keyword: children, depression era, halloween, wedding, step children, familial love
    [ONE-ACT MONOLOGUE PLAY FOR THREE CHILDREN]

    Inspired by Helen Levitt’s 1939 photo "Halloween," three children with masks stand on large concrete steps. In the play, they are a brother and sister waiting outside a courthouse with their new stepbrother.

    They do not speak to each other. Nevertheless, they have opinions...
  • The Stuff of Tragedy by Scott Sickles
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: ghosts, diner + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror
    Keyword: ghosts, diner, winter, unrequited love, diary, Hats, comic violence, Gore
    [ONE-ACT GHOST STORY]

    An annual otherworldly confrontation finally takes a turn towards truth.
  • Sugarplum by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: horror
    ·
    Keyword: Schizophrenia, psychological + 2 more
    Genre: horror
    Keyword: Schizophrenia, psychological, apocalypse, mental hospital
    [ONE-ACT HORROR]
    3M/3F; 20-25 minutes
    Rayanne wakes up in a hospital where she's told the apocalyptic nightmare she's been living was actually a hallucination. Soon, the line between her realities begins to blur.
  • Tactile Creatures by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, fantasy
    ·
    Keyword: ghosts, Touching + 4 more
    Genre: drama, fantasy
    Keyword: ghosts, Touching, contact, loneliness, love, romance
    [ONE-ACT GHOST STORY/ROMANCE]
    Recovering from a breakup, Aubrey moves into a studio apartment only to discover that the residence is occupied... by a ghost. A romance about loneliness in the aftermath of love, both requited and not, and the importance of contact.

    NOTE: the characters have not been assigned any age, race or gender; those decisions entirely up to the production!
  • TAINT by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: comedy noir, parody + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, mystery/thriller, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: comedy noir, parody, poop, femme fatale, detective story
    [ONE-ACT "SCAT NOIR"]

    This play is disgusting.

    Hopefully, it's funny.

    It was inspired by a fake news story from the Jackson Telegraph in August 2017. The story previously appeared nearly word-for-word in the Border Herald in May 2017. The only difference in the story is the alleged location: the more recent article being in Jackson, Mississippi, and...
    [ONE-ACT "SCAT NOIR"]

    This play is disgusting.

    Hopefully, it's funny.

    It was inspired by a fake news story from the Jackson Telegraph in August 2017. The story previously appeared nearly word-for-word in the Border Herald in May 2017. The only difference in the story is the alleged location: the more recent article being in Jackson, Mississippi, and the earlier being set in Jacksonville, Florida.

    It was about how digestive pandemonium broke out in a strip club after the pole dancers and patrons tossed back some tainted shrimp and ended up with explosive diarrhea. It makes the incident in BRIDESMAIDS look elegant by comparison.

    Naturally, the only way to tell a story this depraved and revolting was by using film noir tropes and I needed to write something for #30Playsin30Days so...

    Without further ado, I give you my "scat noir"... TAINT!
  • Thalassa by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: widow, Mourning + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: widow, Mourning, grief, death, beach, Europe
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    On the shore of the Mediterranean, a young woman spots a man about to take a one-way walk into the deep blue sea. Can she save him? Can they save each other?

    This play is the "goddess" play in the one-act evening DEMON BITCH GODDESS.
  • "Three Months! Tops!" by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: 1940s, family + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, farce, holiday, parody/spoof, period, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: 1940s, family, winter, love, forbidden love
    ONE-ACT COMEDY
    [3F/3M] Spinster Mamie has finally find the man of her dreams in sweet Grover. But when Mamie announces their engagement to her family, no one takes it seriously. Once they realize that Mamie is indeed serious, fretful Mama lays down the law: Mamie can't marry Grover... for a very good and unique reason...
  • Uncomplicated Bereavement by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: funeral, church + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: funeral, church, Sex, caregiving, sacrifice, dealing with loss
    [ONE-ACT COMEDY]
    Sarah – approaching 50, alone and lonely – has just lost the father she'a been taking care of for years. As the funeral procession waits for her outside the church, she meets a handsome stranger dealing with loss of his own. And yet... could there be a spark?
  • The Unjust Sound of Unseen Waves by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Greek mythology, minotaur + 3 more
    Genre: adventure, dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, zoom
    Keyword: Greek mythology, minotaur, illusion, friendship, kindness
    [ONE-ACT FANTASY]

    The Minotaur receives his first visitor in a long, long... long time. This visitor has a purpose but neither of them knows what it is. Yet.
  • Vacancies by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: supernatural, broken marriage + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: supernatural, broken marriage, flood, motel, love, touch, affection, listening
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    A flood has forced Carol and Graham to seek refuge at a motel. Their marriage already strained, Carol also blames Graham for a tragic act of negligence. When she's away from him, Graham is befriended by another guest who makes an unsettling yet alluring claim.
  • We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–10
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: adaptation, Anton Chekhov + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, holiday
    Keyword: adaptation, Anton Chekhov, modern adaptation
    [ONE-ACT, DRAMA]
    Central Park, New Year's Eve. A carriage driver bearing the weight of a great tragedy tries to reach out to his passengers, but connection only comes from an unlikely place.
    Adapted from the short story "Misery" by Anton Chekhov
  • Winter Harbor by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: biography, drama
    ·
    Keyword: 1930s, disappearance + 5 more
    Genre: biography, drama
    Keyword: 1930s, disappearance, Vigil, lighthouse, based on a true story, love, platonic relationship
    [ONE-ACT PERIOD DRAMA]
    One February day in 1935, Clinton "Buster" Dalzell – assistant lighthouse keeper at Egg Rock Light – kissed his pregnant wife Elizabeth goodbye, left to run an errand... and disappeared. Unable to join in the search, Elizabeth must stay strong for her young sons as she hopes for her husband’s safe return.
  • Winter on the Cusp of Sagittarius by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: childbirth, acquaintance rape + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: childbirth, acquaintance rape, guilt, forgiveness, apocalypse
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    Cady is having her baby, outside on her family's balcony, right now, before the meteor shower happens. She has her reasons.
    Wolfgang is helping. He has reasons of his own.

    This play was written for Quarantine Bakeoff #3. The prompts were a goodbye, peach, a silence, a misconception, and a tree growing; bonus prompt: a meteor shower.

    Content...
    [ONE-ACT DRAMA]
    Cady is having her baby, outside on her family's balcony, right now, before the meteor shower happens. She has her reasons.
    Wolfgang is helping. He has reasons of his own.

    This play was written for Quarantine Bakeoff #3. The prompts were a goodbye, peach, a silence, a misconception, and a tree growing; bonus prompt: a meteor shower.

    Content Warning: This play deals with the consequences of an acquaintance rape.
  • All is Calm by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: christmas, holiday + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, holiday
    Keyword: christmas, holiday, gay, breakup, friendship, friendship between men, love, unrequited love
    [TEN-MINUTE; COMEDY-DRAMA]
    Doug is spending Christmas by himself, at least until his BFF Garrett shows up to check on him. A friendly visit conjures feelings that might actually not be better left unsaid.
  • Appetizers, or "On an Island Somewhere" by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: activism, American politics + 3 more
    Genre: drama, horror, political, science fiction
    Keyword: activism, American politics, LGBTQ, social issues, gay conversion therapy
    [TEN-MINUTE PLAY]
    Alice and her husband host a farewell party of wine and hors d'oeuvres celebrating Tamara and her husband moving back to the Mainland after years on the Island. But why are they all there in the first place? When will they all be allowed to leave?
    ----
    An evening of wine hors d'oeuvres celebrating Tamara and her husband finally moving off the Island back to the...
    [TEN-MINUTE PLAY]
    Alice and her husband host a farewell party of wine and hors d'oeuvres celebrating Tamara and her husband moving back to the Mainland after years on the Island. But why are they all there in the first place? When will they all be allowed to leave?
    ----
    An evening of wine hors d'oeuvres celebrating Tamara and her husband finally moving off the Island back to the Mainland. She wants one last girl talk session with her BFF/hostess Alice, so she sends their hubbies – Calvin and Oliver – off to the man cave for a male bonding session of their own. Soon, they each begin to recall their experiences at Camp, a program where they learned to eradicate their desires for members of the same sex, embrace Christ, and come out with a brand new outlook and an assigned spouse. But will the emotional bonding lead to something beyond friendship. If so, what?
  • Beautiful Noises by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay, grief + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gay, grief, homophobia, afterlife, forgiveness, love, familial love, loss
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    A recently deceased gay man encounters his long-lost sister in the afterlife. But instead of offering guidance, she needs his help reaching out to the mother she left behind. However, the animosity between their mother and the man's lover may prevent any communication between the living and the dead.

    This play in included in the anthology Demon Bitch Goddess.
  • The Bedroom Summit by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: coming of age, gay + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: coming of age, gay, gay teen, homophobia, bullying, Sex, love, Toxic love
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Boyd has been on the run from bully Justin all day, so when he finds Justin waiting for him in his bedroom... But Justin's not there to hurt Boyd. He has something quite different in mind.

    The Bedroom Summit tackles internal and societal homophobia as the nature of the boys’ violent relationship stems from an attraction that one wishes to consummate and the other is...
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Boyd has been on the run from bully Justin all day, so when he finds Justin waiting for him in his bedroom... But Justin's not there to hurt Boyd. He has something quite different in mind.

    The Bedroom Summit tackles internal and societal homophobia as the nature of the boys’ violent relationship stems from an attraction that one wishes to consummate and the other is desperate to escape.

    Note: This play is thematically about anti-gay bullying and internalized homophobia among teenage boys. Only the boys appear on stage. There is an off-stage female voice with only two lines that can be delivered by someone backstage or as a sound effect. This play also features strong sexual content. NO nudity.
  • Boardwalk Concessions by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 16
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: abandonment, abuse + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: abandonment, abuse, verbal abuse, friendship, learning
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]

    When someone is pouring their heart out to you, how long is it polite to wait before you can bite into your corn dog?
  • Canopies and Canapés by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: wedding, gay wedding + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, political, satire
    Keyword: wedding, gay wedding, assault weapons, hors d'oeuvres, hostage, love
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    A Chef and a Waiter, parters in business and life, have just taken cover when the wedding they're working is set upon by gunfire.

    Written for Cold Readings of Hastily Written Plays, the prompt was:
    Two characters leave a social function together.
    They each get one subject to talk about (from a specific list).
    One of them returns to the function...
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    A Chef and a Waiter, parters in business and life, have just taken cover when the wedding they're working is set upon by gunfire.

    Written for Cold Readings of Hastily Written Plays, the prompt was:
    Two characters leave a social function together.
    They each get one subject to talk about (from a specific list).
    One of them returns to the function at the end.
    AND... the playwright had to listen to an assigned sound file on loop while writing.
    My sound file was a very fast rap song.
  • A Carefully Planned Spontaneity by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: intimacy, intimacy direction + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: intimacy, intimacy direction, crush, actors, Sex, romance, independent film
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]

    The night before the final day of shooting, two male actors of a certain age rehearse their impending love scene, which has been choreographed within an inch of its life. Can they make it work?
  • Crater by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: love, sex worker + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: love, sex worker, regret, unrequited love, role playing, romance, imagination
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Josh was the one that got away and now he's finally waking up in Archie's arms in a hotel room in Vegas. The night before was great but the morning after is a little more complicated.
  • Done and Done by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: adult friendship, gay straight relationships + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: adult friendship, gay straight relationships, time and distance, love, unrequited love, platonic relationship
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Mike runs into his estranged friend Bertz in a hospital in New York City, a few years after Bertz up and left without a word. A tenuous reunion reveals the unfortunate circumstances of Bertz’s sudden departure and the tragic reason behind his return.
  • Drain by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 16
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: authoritarianism, fascism + 3 more
    Genre: drama, horror, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: authoritarianism, fascism, xenophobia, prejudice, bipoc
    [TEN-MINUTE POLITICAL SPECULATE SCIENCE FICTION]
    Mark Schlesinger is an Asian American detained by ICE finding out exactly how many rights he has in 45's second term.

    This was written on the day but before I found out that the Republican Party, instead of adopting a platform, resolved to pledge undying loyalty to their incumbent candidate.

    This is admittedly an extreme...
    [TEN-MINUTE POLITICAL SPECULATE SCIENCE FICTION]
    Mark Schlesinger is an Asian American detained by ICE finding out exactly how many rights he has in 45's second term.

    This was written on the day but before I found out that the Republican Party, instead of adopting a platform, resolved to pledge undying loyalty to their incumbent candidate.

    This is admittedly an extreme worst case scenario. Highly improbable. Not impossible.
  • Glint by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: demons, possession + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, horror
    Keyword: demons, possession, friendship, supernatural, consent, platonic relationship, forbidden love
    [TEN MINUTE PLAY ABOUT DEMONIC POSSESSION AND CONSENT]

    A guy and a demon and a gal and a kiss.

    Written for the Kennedy Center Playwrights Intensive and for #31PlaysIn31Days
  • Floats by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: AAPI, heartbreak + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: AAPI, heartbreak, unrequited love, abandonment, single parenthood, korean american, families
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    At an ice cream social, Ken approaches the mother of his child, both of whom he abandoned years ago, hoping for another chance. This is a play about Korean Americans.
  • Ghlamping by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Camping, glamping + 5 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Camping, glamping, gay men, gay mormon, ghosts, silly, platonic relationship
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    I needed to write something abjectly silly.

    Arthur has let his BFF (with benefits) Hudson take him gay glamping (that's "glamour camping"). When Hudson goes forth to try and find someone-or-two to bring back for a make-out party in their tent, Evinrude shows up ready with a crazy backstory and an amorous disposition.
  • Hand on Heart by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: suicide bomber, terrorism + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, political
    Keyword: suicide bomber, terrorism, identity, Heritage, love
    [TEN-MINUTE COMIC DRAMA]
    In the aftermath of a failed suicide bombing, exhausted ER worker Marcella tries to save the unconscious bomber while her friend Davey keeps her calm. In these extraordinary circumstances, the two friends discover things about one another they would have never otherwise supposed. 8-10 minutes. Comedy/Light Drama
  • #Bastille by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: resistance, revolution
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, political, satire
    Keyword: resistance, revolution
    [TEN-MINUTE POLITICAL SATIRE]
    Flynn has been fighting the power with words, words, words, while Rory has decided to take action! However, it turns out there's a right way and a wrong way to use social media in the name of revolution.
  • HEART OF A WOMAN IN A PRESSURE COOKER: a journey in eight notions by Ephrym Justyce by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: avant-garde, send-up + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: avant-garde, send-up, narrator
    [TEN-MINUTE SENDUP OF REALLY BAD THEATRE]

    That actually is the title.

    Sherize just wants to be loved. Or does she? What is her Mama mixing in that bowl? Is Jade her brother or her sister? And who is that naked Man? Anything goes (or does it?) in the send up of really terrible avant-garde theater.

    Note: as the stage directions are part of the comedy, a narrator to...
    [TEN-MINUTE SENDUP OF REALLY BAD THEATRE]

    That actually is the title.

    Sherize just wants to be loved. Or does she? What is her Mama mixing in that bowl? Is Jade her brother or her sister? And who is that naked Man? Anything goes (or does it?) in the send up of really terrible avant-garde theater.

    Note: as the stage directions are part of the comedy, a narrator to read the stage directions is essential (especially as many of them can't be physicalized).
  • Hibernation by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: god, priest + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, faith-based
    Keyword: god, priest, friendship, food, love, romance, divorce, faith
    [TEN-MINUTE LIGHT DRAMA]
    Small town minister Max has just heard from his estranged wife for the first time since she left him a year ago. His best friend Gunnar, the local baker, and schoolteacher Ingrid try to buck him up, but in very different ways...

    Inspired by Ingmar Bergman's 1963 film WINTER LIGHT, but funnier.
  • I Knew It! by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: rock and roll, marriage + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: rock and roll, marriage, fluid sexuality, love, platonic relationship
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Francesca, wife of a music superstar, discovers a fellow rock-and-roll wife sneaking out of her husband's bedroom. She thinks she knows what's going on. She doesn't.
  • I'll Find My Soul as I Go Home by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: love, forbidden love + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, faith-based, political
    Keyword: love, forbidden love, unrequited love, clergy, Interfaith relationships, age difference
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    A young man confesses his love to his minister... again.
  • Imperfect Storms by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 16
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: breakup, tenderness + 4 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, science fiction
    Keyword: breakup, tenderness, interspecies love, forgiveness, acceptance, body acceptance
    [TEN-MINUTE MAGICAL REALISM]

    Belgium, July 2021, during the historic floods.
    Kelian has just saved Louis from drowning.
    Before that, it was already a pretty bad day.
  • The Last Great Act of Mankind by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 14
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: love, unrequited love + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: love, unrequited love, Gay and LGBTQ, apocalypse, Meteors, bromance
    [TEN-MINUTE SCIENCE FICTION]
    Another Scott Sickles play about love and the apocalypse.
    A meteor has ignited the atmosphere. As the fire gets closer to annihilating them and all life on earth, Lars wants to have end-of-the-world sex with Benno... who for various reasons isn't in the mood right now.
  • Millennium Waltz by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: new year's eve, Y2K + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: new year's eve, Y2K, couples, arguing couple, millennium's end, love
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Happy New Y2K!!!
    Remember the moment when the ball dropped on January 1, 2000, and... nothing happened? The world was expecting a disaster but instead of a global catastrophe, Kingsley and Hollis have another more intimate crisis to contend with.
  • Miracle and Her Minion by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: magic, love + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, young audiences
    Keyword: magic, love, platonic relationship, unrequited love, friendship
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Fourteen-year-old self-taught witch Miracle is preparing to cast a love spell. Her classmate and minion, Bud, is helping but harboring his own agenda. Will he foil Miracle's plan to capture the heart of the boy she loves?
  • Morning After the Mêlée by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: friendship, dragon + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, period, satire
    Keyword: friendship, dragon, demon, neurodivergence, rejection sensitive dysphoria, mental illness, autism, ADHD
    [SHORT NEURODIVERGENT DEMONOLOGY COMEDY FANTASY]

    Last night, Sir Miguel and Sir Cristobal finally defeated the despair dragon Astaroth! It didn't quite take.

    NOTE:
    While not explicitly stated, these are neurodivergent characters.
    Sir Cristobal suffers from a condition highly common in people with ADD/ADHD (see below).
    Sir Miguel demonstrates a staunch...
    [SHORT NEURODIVERGENT DEMONOLOGY COMEDY FANTASY]

    Last night, Sir Miguel and Sir Cristobal finally defeated the despair dragon Astaroth! It didn't quite take.

    NOTE:
    While not explicitly stated, these are neurodivergent characters.
    Sir Cristobal suffers from a condition highly common in people with ADD/ADHD (see below).
    Sir Miguel demonstrates a staunch analytical nature and modest social hyposensitivity associated with high-functioning autism, that, in these circumstances, is an asset.

    As for the dragon, Astaroth represents the aforementioned condition associated with ADD/ADHD (and other neurodivergent conditions) known as Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD). RSD manifests as sudden and extreme emotional pain in response to rejection, real or perceived. It pervades individuals and relationships with irrationality, agony, and despair. It is indeed a monster.

    MORNING AFTER THE MELEE, however, is a comedy about friendship, forgiveness, and uniting to overcome mental and emotional illness.
  • Music and God by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    3–4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Charlie Brown, Linus + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Charlie Brown, Linus, Schroeder, wedding, wedding reception, gay, gay minister, music, religion, faith
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    At Marcie and Patty's wedding reception, best person Schroeder and officiant Linus finally find time to catch up: about the brides, about their bestie Chuck, and about each other.

    Playwrights Note: Music and God was written, with permission, as a companion/sequel to Hillary Bluestein-Lyons’s Marcie and Patty Are Getting Married. This version of Schroeder is...
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    At Marcie and Patty's wedding reception, best person Schroeder and officiant Linus finally find time to catch up: about the brides, about their bestie Chuck, and about each other.

    Playwrights Note: Music and God was written, with permission, as a companion/sequel to Hillary Bluestein-Lyons’s Marcie and Patty Are Getting Married. This version of Schroeder is supposed to be the same Schroeder with the same personality. Linus and Charlie Brown do not appear in that play.

    Disclaimer: Music and God has not been authorized or approved in any manner by the Charles M. Schulz Estate or United Features Syndicate, which have no responsibility for its content.
  • The Other Half by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: experimental, fantasy
    ·
    Keyword: avant-garde, non-linear + 4 more
    Genre: experimental, fantasy
    Keyword: avant-garde, non-linear, conjoined twins, familial love, lost dreams, choice
    [FIFTEEN-MINUTE EXPERIMENTAL]
    A surgeon must separate twin girls conjoined at the chest, sharing one heart. As the surgeon decides which girl will live and which will die, s/he imagines the impact this decision will have on the family and the surviving twin in a flash-forward memory play.
  • Outpost by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: love, romance + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, political, satire, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: love, romance, apocalypse
    [TEN-MINUTE SCIENCE FICTION]
    At the edge of the Milky Way, Dale has just been brought out of statis to discover the outpost is abandoned and an mysterious organism has almost finished consuming the galaxy. Things are not looking up.
  • Perfect Porcelain Doll by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: drama, political + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Atlanta, mass shooting + 2 more
    Genre: drama, political, tragedy
    Keyword: Atlanta, mass shooting, gun violence, anti Asian racism
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]

    A Korean American woman waits for a call from the police. Her Helmeoni (grandmother) was killed in a shooting in Atlanta. She would very much like to cry.

    Part of the #CodeRed Plays collection.

    Note: Last year, I was asked by Rachael Carnes to write a play for Code Red Playwrights, which creates plays and monologues in response to gun violence. I...
    [TEN-MINUTE DRAMA]

    A Korean American woman waits for a call from the police. Her Helmeoni (grandmother) was killed in a shooting in Atlanta. She would very much like to cry.

    Part of the #CodeRed Plays collection.

    Note: Last year, I was asked by Rachael Carnes to write a play for Code Red Playwrights, which creates plays and monologues in response to gun violence. I was given the honor of writing a piece in memory of Suncha Kim who was murdered in Atlanta on August 16, 2021.

    The play is not literally about Ms Kim and her family. I do know know them. This is not a dramatization. Instead, it is an imagining. Of what it’s like to wait to hear from police… and wait… and wait. Of the expectations placed on American raised Asian children, even grown ones, by their immigrant elders who worked harder than we ever will. It’s an imagining of love and anger… of silence and the need to scream.

    I hope it moves you.
  • Remote Control by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: horror, thriller + 2 more
    Genre: drama, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: horror, thriller, Stalking, Violence against women
    [ONE-ACT/TEN-MINUTE HORROR/THRILLER]
    Melinda has come home hoping to enjoy a quiet evening by herself in front of the TV. Unfortunately, she can't find her remote. Even more unfortunately, she's not alone.
  • "THE RODINS ARE HERE!" by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, commedia dell'arte + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: manners, Art and Artists + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, commedia dell'arte, farce, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: manners, Art and Artists, send-up, heightened language
    [SEVENISH-MINUTE PERIOD COMEDY]
    Chicago, circa 1886. Wealthy businessman Potter Palmer and his wife Bertha have surprise guests for dinner, the sculptor Auguste Rodin and his life partner Rose Beuret. Dinner is late, they are famished, but when Rodin is inspired to create art, everything else must wait!
  • The Story-Teller by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, period
    ·
    Keyword: adaptation, period + 3 more
    Genre: adaptation, period
    Keyword: adaptation, period, storytelling, children, train
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    A woman on a train has trouble controlling her unruly nieces and nephew until the man in the compartment offers to regale them with a story... that may not be entirely appropriate for children.
    Based on the short story by Sake (H.H. Munroe), in the public domain.

  • Turtles and Bulldogs by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay, straight crush + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay, straight crush, missed connections, love
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    Collin just ran into the guy he had a crush on in high school...
    thirty-five years later... at the cemetery. They have some catching up to do.
  • Virgins by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: nervous bride, Sisters + 5 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: nervous bride, Sisters, sexuality, sexual experience, virginity, love, first time
    [TEN-MINUTE COMEDY]
    It's sweet Bonnie's wedding day and she's got last minute cold feet, so her sexy sister Savannah has been called in to find out why. Bonnie and Savannah reveal their secret anxieties about love, men, and the nature of experience.
  • All the Things by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: unrequited love, same-sex attraction + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: unrequited love, same-sex attraction, Gay and LGBTQ, love
    [FIVE-MINUTE; COMEDY-DRAMA]
    England, 1998. Nigel is on his deathbed in London. His friend, Gregory, is at his side. Nigel's wife Julia is on her way. This is the last five minutes of a thirty-year love triangle.
  • Bygones by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: abuse of women, Stalking + 1 more
    Genre: drama, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: abuse of women, Stalking, suspense
    [UNDER 5-MINUTE SUSPENSE DRAMA]
    Candace just wanted a drink before she boards her flight. She didn't expect to see Dieter, especially because she has a restraining order against him which he doesn't seem to care about.
  • Conflagration Then Nothing by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: daughter-father relationship, plane crash + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: daughter-father relationship, plane crash, witness, friendship, friendship between women and men
    [TWO-MINUTE DRAMA]
    A man witnesses a fiery plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico, not sure if it was his daughter's flight.
  • Destiny by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: maps, globes + 5 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: maps, globes, vacation, destiny, Chance, marriage, Couple
    [UNDER-FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY]

    A couple. A map. A quarter. And chance!
  • Dormancy by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: reunion, gay man + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: reunion, gay man, gay straight relationships, homophobia
    [TWO MINUTE DRAMA]

    Elementary school classmates reunite after 40 years. It was going so well...
  • An Excavation of Lace by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: artifacts, evidence + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: artifacts, evidence, Russia, 1920s, vacation, Childhood, imagination
    [FIVE-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Lysanne has become obsessed by a large piece of lace she found embedded in the mud on the path by her vacation rental in Russia. Magdalena, whose family used to rent the place themselves, is there to help solve the mystery.
  • LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION: a Very Short Play About Children and Guns by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 20
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, gun debate + 2 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, horror, political
    Keyword: gun control, gun debate, school shooting, death of a child
    [TWO-MINUTE DRAMA]

    I was very angry when I wrote this.
    Inspired after reading Greg Burdick's beautiful ONE IN THE CHAMBER, I needed to write my own take on gun legislation and school shootings.

    Here it is.
  • The Lord's Work by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: coming out, gay teen + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: coming out, gay teen, acquaintance rape, sexual assault, Christian hypocrisy
    [FIVE-MINUTE DRAMA]
    When Francis came out to his friend Gemma, he did not anticipate how she would try to help.

    This was inspired by a sign. When the #MeToo movement broke,
    men also came forward with stories of sexual assault, harassment, and rape. One young
    man’s sign concisely described events that are dramatized in this play.

    TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault.
  • Moments of Crisis: Online Love Connection by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: vampire, listening + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, horror
    Keyword: vampire, listening, horror comedy, physical comedy
    [UNDER 5-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Barbie is trying to convince Annabel that her (Annabel's) boyfriend Vlad is a vampire. Annabel thinks Barbie is jealous because she (Barbie) is still woefully single. Clearly, Annabel doesn't see what's going on behind her. It's awful.
  • Notes Over an Undercast Sky by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, political + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: god, creation + 3 more
    Genre: drama, political, science fiction
    Keyword: god, creation, armageddon, Peace, starting over
    [FIVE-MINUTE SCIENCE FICTION]
    At a precipice at the edge of the universe, a Scholar is about throw their life's work over the edge and a Soldier is there to make sure it happens. But what a life's work! And is throwing these notes into the ether necessarily a bad thing?
  • Old Norse Love Aria (a short pantomime) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, pantomime
    ·
    Keyword: wedding, pantomime
    Genre: comedy, pantomime
    Keyword: wedding, pantomime
    Somewhere in Scandinavia, a Viking themed wedding competes with the wind.
  • The Open Window by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: adaptation, Sake + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, horror
    Keyword: adaptation, Sake, spooky, horror, comedy, twist, period
    [TEN-MINUTE HORROR COMEDY]
    A highly strung man has been sent to a countryside estate to calm his nerves. He is not prepared for the history of the house... or for the young girl who tells it!
    Based on the short story by Saki (H.H. Munroe), in the public domain.
  • Orchids and Heat by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: 1930s, murder + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: 1930s, murder, trains, marriage, regret
    [FIVE-MINUTE PERIOD DRAMA]
    1930s. A train is stopped in the desert. The engineer stands in front of the train holding a top hat. It belongs to a man who was murdered, thrown off the train in a brutal fight. The dead man's wife finds him, carrying orchids to lay down for her husband and a revelation about the murder.
  • Poetica by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: Societal Assumptions, assumptions + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, political
    Keyword: Societal Assumptions, assumptions, reason, science
    [FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Jordan has some advice!
    You've had this conversation! Just probably not about this.

    Two-hander for adults of any race and gender.
  • Possibly the First of Many by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: drama, hostage + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: drama, hostage, prisoner, Stockholm syndrome
    [FIVE-TO-TEN MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    A prisoner gets a surprise visit from a former hostage.
  • 600 km NE Lima by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: coronavirus, Covid-19 + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: coronavirus, Covid-19, environment, oil, Peru, conservation
    [FIVE-ISH MINUTE DRAMA]

    March 6, 2020. The day the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in Peru.
    As a disco, two people on opposite sides of an environmental conflict share a moment of peace.

    Written for #31Playsin31Days 2000.
  • The Syllabus by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Holocaust education, cautionary tale
    Genre: drama, horror, political
    Keyword: Holocaust education, cautionary tale
    [TWO-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Miss Mason is teaching her students about a difficult chapter in history. Principal Warner has some good news for her.
  • The Trike, or "Use Your Words" by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay wedding, male friendship + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay wedding, male friendship, LGBTQ, bisexuality, unrequited love, best friends, anger, communication, Bisexual men
    [FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    The groom's best friend has hijacked the wedding limo and won't get out. A complex negotiation beings between the edudite Gabriel and the semi-articulate Angus, revealing the readings for his tantrum run deep.

  • Tropes I Hate: "How Could You Do This To Me and With My..." by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: adultery, friendship + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: adultery, friendship, send-up, tropes
    [SIX-MINUTE SEND-UP OF THEATRICAL TROPE]

    A man and a woman find their spouses in bed together. But who are they to each other??? The answer will be obvious because you've seen it billions of times before.

    Written for the 2020 #31PlaysIn31Days
  • Tropes I Hate: Tattletale by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    [TWO-PAGE SEND UP OF TROPES]
    The Noble One threatens to expose The Villain!

    Written for the 2020 #31PlaysIn31Days
  • Tropes I Hate: The Title of the Play We're In by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    ·
    Keyword: writers, friends + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    Keyword: writers, friends, titles, cliches, tropes
    [SIX-MINUTE SENDUP OF THEATER TROPE]
    A writer has written a novel about their friendship with their friend. GUESS WHAT THEY'RE GONNA CALL IT!!!

    Another trope I wish we'd just do away with..

    Written for the 2020 #31PlaysIn31Days
  • Under Cover of Darkness By the Light of the Moon, or "Nobody Was Supposed To Be Here" A Tale of the Pacific Northwest by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: Bigfoot, mafia + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fable/folktale, fantasy, horror, movement/physical, musical, pantomime, science fiction
    Keyword: Bigfoot, mafia, ritual, abduction, murder, singing, jam session, no dialogue
    [TEN-MINUTE MUSICAL PANTOMIME]
    An encounter in the woods brings crime, ritual, and legend together for a very long, awkward moment.
  • Up on a Roof by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    Genre: drama
    [FIVE-MINUTE DRAMA]
    Hal has stepped away from the party. His best pal Robbie's girlfriend, Gemma, has found him. Gemma questions whether she's made the right choice between the two.
    Available in 5-Minute Plays from Applause Theatre & Cinema Books.
  • Where We Dead Awaken by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: comedy, death + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: comedy, death, burial, 'til death do us part, religion, A Family issue
    [FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Brett and Lee have been together nearly 35 years. Today, looking out over the sunset, they consider their final resting places.
  • A World Without Matthew Weaver by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, commedia dell'arte + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Matthew Weaver
    Genre: comedy, commedia dell'arte, experimental, movement/physical, parody/spoof
    Keyword: Matthew Weaver
    [SHORT EXPERIMENTAL OUTCRY]
    I have dared to imagine the unimaginable! The untenable!
    A world where playwright Matthew Weaver's characters exist without Matthew Weaver! (Fellow NPX playwrights, look him up so you can read his beautiful plays... and so you can get the jokes in this one!)
  • Down in the Depths (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: wedding, best man + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: wedding, best man, bridesmaids, comedy, drama
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY/DRAMA]
    At a destination wedding in Glacier Lagoon, Iceland, the best man has accidentally dropped the rings in the frigid waters while making out with a bridesmaid. What will he do? What will it cost him?
  • The Eyes, The Nose, The South of You / The East, West, North, and the Mouth of You (two parts of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: wedding vows
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: wedding vows
    [TWO ONE-MINUTE-ISH COMEDIES]
    At a destination wedding in Glacier Lagoon, Iceland, it's time for the Groom's vows.

    In THE EYES, THE NOSE, THE SOUTH OF YOU, we hear Reese the groom's vows to his beloved bride Jenny.

    In THE EAST, WEST, NORTH AND THE MOUTH OF YOU, we hear what Jenny hears when Reese recites his wows.

    They are very different things.
  • A Trip to the Moon on Gossamer Wings (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: wedding, wedding reception + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: wedding, wedding reception, LGBTQ
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    Dora and Bascom are the only two gay people at a destination wedding reception in Iceland. Their joined in their ennui by Fred, the best man who's licking minor wounds of his own.

    At Steven G. Martin's suggestion, I'm writing a series of one-minute plays that take place at this wedding. The first was Down in the Depths.
  • On High With Nothing to Do (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: body acceptance, Fat Shaming
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: body acceptance, Fat Shaming
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Grandma and Grandpa are wheelchair-bound, quite elderly, and have traveled to Iceland for a destination weeding. Grandma is not happy about it. Then again. she might not be happy about anything.
  • Though Your Lips are Tempting (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay men, LGBTQ + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay men, LGBTQ, hustling, loneliness, wedding, wedding reception
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    After some rigorous dancing, Bascom steps out to get some air and encounters Ólafur, one of the catering staff at this Icelandic destination wedding, who also may be the only other gay man there. Suave and sexy, Ólafur takes an interest in Bascom, but are his motives what they seem? [The play may be shorter than this description.]

    Part of a series of one-minute...
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    After some rigorous dancing, Bascom steps out to get some air and encounters Ólafur, one of the catering staff at this Icelandic destination wedding, who also may be the only other gay man there. Suave and sexy, Ólafur takes an interest in Bascom, but are his motives what they seem? [The play may be shorter than this description.]

    Part of a series of one-minute plays set at a destination wedding in Glacier Lagoon, Iceland.
  • The Night is Young, The Sky is Clear (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Lesbian, wedding
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Lesbian, wedding
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    After the wedding and the reception are over, the mother of the bride and the maid of honor make a surprising connection.
  • What a Swell Party This Is (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: wedding night
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: wedding night
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Newlyweds Reese and Jenny finally make it back to their hotel room for wedding night bliss.
    They've been drinking.
  • They Say That Bears Have Love Affairs (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: gay straight relationships, first kiss
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: gay straight relationships, first kiss
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Little gay groomsman Bascom helps big straight drunk best man Fred back to Fred's hotel room. It gets awkward.
  • In the Chill, Still of the Night (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: guilt, Sex + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: guilt, Sex, guilt sex, wedding
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    In her hotel room, bridesmaid Julie processes her guilt while welcoming a one-night stand with a cater-waiter from the wedding reception.
  • I Can Hear a Lark Somewhere (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: lesbian couple, wedding + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: lesbian couple, wedding, hook-up
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY-DRAMA]
    The mother of the bride and the maid of honor, the morning after the night before.
    Oh, yeah...
  • Starry Eyed and Vaguely Discontented (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: wedding, hotel lobby + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: wedding, hotel lobby, best man, bridesmaids, Fat Shaming
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY DRAMA]
    At a destination wedding in Glacier Lagoon, Iceland... Before the ceremony, bridesmaid Julie was really into best man Fred, until she suddenly wasn't.
    Now, it's the morning after the wedding. Julie and Fred are speaking for the first time since her abrupt rejection.
  • Flying Too High With Some Guy in the Sky (part of the one-minute play series Destination: Wedding) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: gay straight relationships
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: gay straight relationships
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Straight best man Fred planted a drunken kiss on gay groomsman Bascom last night.
    Today, they discover they're seatmates on the plane back to the States.
    It's still awkward.
  • Arboreal Conquests by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: child, tree + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, young audiences
    Keyword: child, tree, imagination
    [ONE MINUTE HORROR PLAY FOR CHILDREN]

    A curious child and a creepy old tree.
  • Dark and Stormy by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: feminist ghost story, ghost story + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror
    Keyword: feminist ghost story, ghost story, domestic violence
    [ONE-MINUTE BLACK COMEDY/HORROR]
    A woman on the run hides out in a farmhouse only to be confronted by a ghost.
  • DECEPTION • WAR • RETRIBUTION by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: siblings, children + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: siblings, children, tweens, teens
    [UNDER-FIVE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    A shot is fired. Casualties are distorted. Conflict escalates across genres!
    Also, pizza.
  • Desserts by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: food, dessert + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: food, dessert, coping with grief, grief
    [ONE-MINUTE BLACK COMEDY]

    It's the day of Friedrich's funeral.
    Mimsy is in mourning. Devorah is already over it.
    And she's going to see that Mimsy gets over it too!
  • Did I Get You? by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: assault, sexual assault + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: assault, sexual assault, Sexual Assault Survival, safety
    [ONE-MINUTE]
    Acts of violence, real and imagined.
  • Exclusion by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: child sexual abuse, Sex Offender
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: child sexual abuse, Sex Offender
    [ONE-MINUTE DRAMA]
    A released child sex offender is confronted by someone from his past, now an adult, who demands an answer.
  • Head by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: praying mantis, bug + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: praying mantis, bug, insects, mating, cannibalism, food, Sex
    [ONE MINUTE PRAYING MANTIS FOOD SEX COMEDY]

    Madge's mate is losing his flavor but Franz is ready and willing to take his place in her life and on her plate! But is Madge really THAT hungry...?
  • If There's Anything by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: adult friendship, truce + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: adult friendship, truce, grief, argument, Touching
    [ONE-MINUTE PLAY]
    Estranged friends forge a truce during a difficult time
  • Likeminded Thoughts on the Nature of Permanence by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce
    ·
    Keyword: wedding, bad + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, farce
    Keyword: wedding, bad, escape
    [ONE-MINUTE COMEDY]
    Today is Freesia and Cadwallader's wedding day.
    Plans change.
  • Love and Gratitude by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Thanksgiving, love + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Thanksgiving, love, romance, balloons, Macy's Parade, dismemberment
    [ONE-MINUTE HOLIDAY MAYHEM]

    A mishap at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade sparks a series of events both tragic and glorious!
  • The Nihilists Victorious by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–999
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    ·
    Keyword: nihilism, spoof + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    Keyword: nihilism, spoof, silly
    [ONE-MINUTE PHILOSOPHICAL BOMBSHELL!]

    The Nihilists! They have won!
  • Now That THAT'S Over... by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: gay straight relationships, bisexuality + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: gay straight relationships, bisexuality, polyamory, friendship, love, affection, kissing
    [ONE-MINUTE POST-PANDEMIC PLAY]

    The Pandemic is over! Hudson and Dexter are seeing each other for the first time in ages. Who missed who more?
  • The Old Railroad by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: affection, winter + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, holiday
    Keyword: affection, winter, holiday, christmas, boxing day, grief, model trains
    [ONE-MINUTE HOLIDAY NOSTALGIA PIECE]

    Timothy and Tuck wake up in each other's arms the day after Christmas.
  • Signs of Life by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: dessert, Depression + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: dessert, Depression, death, grief, friendship
    [ONE-MINUTE DRAMA]

    Two friends enjoy a respite with coffee, pie, and ice cream.
  • Vanilla by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 19
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: sex work, Touching + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: sex work, Touching, pandemic, coronavirus
    [ONE-MINUTE PLAY]
    A sex worker, a john, and a pandemic.
  • Armrest (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: air travel, Fatphobia + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: air travel, Fatphobia, kindness
    [TWO-MINUTE MONOLOGUE]
    A heavyset person contends with entitlement and fat phobia from the person they gave their extra seat to.
  • Between the Surf and the Stars (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    1–2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, adultery + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: monologue, adultery, affair, laundry, politician
    [MONOLOGUE; 6-8 minutes]
    Benton stands on the beach by a fire gazing up at the stars. There's more to it than that.
  • Boy's State (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: biography, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Memoir, loneliness + 2 more
    Genre: biography, drama, political, young audiences
    Keyword: Memoir, loneliness, Social anxiety, gay teen
    [FIVE T0 TEN MINUTE MONOLOGUE]
    This is a brief memoir about attending the 1985 American Legion Keystone Boys State.
    It involves Stephen King, social anxiety, and boys. (Not like that.)
  • Consolation (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Valentine's Day, unrequited love + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: Valentine's Day, unrequited love, attempted suicide
    A two-minute monologue in which Melanie, who has just been rescued from a suicide attempt, declares that today "was, like, the second worst Valentine's Day ever." A darkly comic lament about romantic inequality. (Can actually be performed by actor of any gender.)
  • Delicious (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: revenge, food + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, horror
    Keyword: revenge, food, high school, trauma, cannibalism
    [ONE-MINUTE BLACK COMEDY MONOLOGUE]

    Taste this.

  • Discarded (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Runner, scholarship + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Runner, scholarship, injury, lost opportunities, recovering, second chances
    [FIVE-MINUTE MONOLOGUE]
    A runner. An open field. A tin watering can.

    A monologue for performers of any race or gender.
  • Dissolution (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: murder, adultery + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: murder, adultery, soda
    [ONE-MINUTE BLACK COMEDY MONOLOGUE]

    Gerta gave Doolittle one job!
  • Eighty-Seven Keys (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 18
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: eulogy, COVID + 5 more
    Genre: drama, zoom
    Keyword: eulogy, COVID, death, piano, music, photo, Memorial
    [FIVE-MINUTE MONOLOGUE]
    My eulogy for Rick Unterberg who died of COVID in April 2020.
    He will be missed.
  • End of a Long, Long Day (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: mental illness, Mental Health + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: mental illness, Mental Health, emotional disconnect, adultery
    [MONOLOGUE; approx 15 minutes]
    A major discovery in a marriage reveals an emotional disconnect that can no longer be ignored.
  • Escalator to the Gallows (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Valentine's Day, attempted suicide + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: Valentine's Day, attempted suicide, breakup
    A MONOLOGUE. The stylish and beautiful FEDORA has come home to find her bookish boyfriend, ERLAND, ready to hang himself. What choice does she have at that moment BUT to break up with him? And it wouldn't be fair NOT to give him a long, detailed explanation as to why, now would it? [This monologue requires two actors but only FEDORA speaks.] Roughly 2 minutes.
  • Fracture (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: grief, heartbreak + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: grief, heartbreak, Mourning, photograph
    You found a picture you forgot you had taken.
  • Ghost Vacuum (a (Zoom) monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: gay romance, breakup
    Genre: drama, zoom
    Keyword: gay romance, breakup
    [TWO-PAGE DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE FOR EAST-ASIAN MALE]

    Christopher observes the earth from space, sending a heartfelt message to the man he loves who is not there.

    NOTE: While characters in this piece bear similar backgrounds and occupations to those in The Second World Trilogy, these are not those characters; this is not the same universe.

  • Hoist (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    1–2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Sex, gay straight relationships + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Sex, gay straight relationships, gay friendships, LGBTQ, gay men, bears, Cubs
    [6-MINUTE NOSTALGIC MONOLOGUE]

    An older Bear gives a young Cub some unsolicited advice about sex, love, and expectation.

    [This is about furry gay men not talking furry woodland creatures.]

    Written for Writers Block Radio Hour podcast
    Episode theme: "Machismo"
  • I Deserve a Break Today (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, pandemic + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: monologue, pandemic, Temptation, food, fast food
    [FOUR-MINUTE COMIC MONOLOGUE]
    A life story about Big Macs, weight loss, and temptation during the 2020 pandemic.
  • I Left My Heart in the Mojave Desert (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1–2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, marriage proposal + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: monologue, marriage proposal, engagement, Vegas
    [MONOLOGUE; COMEDY; 3-5 minutes]
    Karen reacts to Chad's marriage proposal. There's good news and bad news.
  • In Case You Open Your Eyes Again (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: non-binary character, Vigil + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: non-binary character, Vigil, goodbye, deathbed
    [MONOLOGUE FOR A NON-BINARY PERFORMER]
    Chris needs to say goodbye to a dying loved one. They also need to say a few other things. If only said loved one were still conscious...


    This monologue will be published by Smith & Kraus in the "WE/US: Monologues for Gender Minority Characters Anthology."
  • Knife on a Glass (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: pandemic, anti-masker + 6 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: pandemic, anti-masker, anti-vaxxer, Holocaust, COVID, public health, wedding, toast
    Formalwear and outrage.
    Heinous things have been said.
    They must be addressed.

    Written for Theatre Unmasked’s Renaissance evening.
  • Lumps (a monologue – two versions) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: christmas, gifts + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: christmas, gifts, pranks, wokeness
    [TWO-MINUTE OR ONE-MINUTE HOLIDAY MONOLOGUE]

    Lou has just tried to give their niece some gag Christmas gifts. It did not go as hoped.
  • Lust Chernobyl (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: sexual dysfunction, self esteem + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: sexual dysfunction, self esteem, kissing, lust
    [ONE MINUTE MONOLOGUE]

    Taron just wants to make out. That's all.
  • Music in the Name (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Obesity, weight loss + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Obesity, weight loss, Body image, self love, surgery
    [MONOLOGUE]
    Grant is a heavy guy who appeals to a doctor to get smaller.
  • Night in Tunisia (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: American fascism, anti-gay discrimination + 3 more
    Genre: drama, horror, science fiction
    Keyword: American fascism, anti-gay discrimination, Tunisia, refugees, statelessness
    [DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE FOR ANY ADULT ACTOR]

    Caspar was on vacation at a gay-friendly resort in Tunisia when a new far-right American government revokes the citizenship of its LGBTQ+ population. Suddenly stateless in a country where homosexual acts are subject to imprisonment, Caspar and their partner need to find a way to safety.
  • Parameters (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Covid-19, masks + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Covid-19, masks, anti-masker, Rights
    [A SHORT COVID MONOLOGUE]

    Dunne is done! They've had to listen to one too many people explain how it's their right not to wear a mask during the COVID pandemic. Dunne calmly explains the logic and provides helpful options. This is a speech about containing rage.
  • Rainy Night in a Piazza of Stone: a monologue for a dancer by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: dance, sexual assault + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, movement/physical
    Keyword: dance, sexual assault, prevention, women's safety
    [MONOLOGUE FOR A DANCER]
    Suzanna was walking home alone at night. Until she wasn't alone.
  • Sacrifice at the Altar (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: wedding, vows + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: wedding, vows, interruption, infidelity, cliches, jilted at the altar
    [ONE-MINUTE WEDDING MONOLOGUE]

    The wedding is off in more ways than one.
  • The Studio Cut (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: auteur filmmaking, time + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: auteur filmmaking, time, Hollywood, producers, directors
    [ONE MINUTE COMIC MONOLOGUE]

    Art versus commerce.
  • Sudden Movements (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1–2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: intermittent explosive disorder, ied + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: intermittent explosive disorder, ied, anger, Mental Health, abuse, Therapy
    [ONE-MINUTE DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE]

    Lou just wants a romantic night...
  • Surrounded (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
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    Keyword: monologue, comedy + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: monologue, comedy, turkeys, love, divorce, Sex
    [SHORT COMIC MONOLOGUE]
    Diarmid is having Sharon over to his new place. Unfortunately, it's under siege by wild turkeys.

    Originally written for Quarantine Bakeoff Week 2, but I missed the deadline!
  • Taps (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: drama, horror
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    Keyword: monsters, hiding + 1 more
    Genre: drama, horror
    Keyword: monsters, hiding, Hiding Jews during the Holacaust
    [ONE MINUTE HORROR MONOLOGUE]

    A hiding person is sought.
  • These Eyes (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: mixed ethnicity, Asian American + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: mixed ethnicity, Asian American, gay, Growing Up Gay, shame, biracial identity, Heritage, acceptance, body acceptance
    [TWO-MINUTE MONOLOGUE/MEMOIR]

    A gay mixed-race Korean man in his 50s recalls the difficult journey to accepting his heritage and himself.
  • This is Not a Touch Exhibit (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 14
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    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, immersive
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    Keyword: monologue, midlife + 5 more
    Genre: drama, immersive
    Keyword: monologue, midlife, FALLING IN LOVE, love, attraction, Museums, Chicago
    [MONOLOGUE; 5-8 minutes]
    Ollie fell in love today. Briefly.
  • Time, Magic, and Antoinette (a monologue) (unabridged) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 4
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    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, LGBTQ
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: monologue, LGBTQ
    [MONOLOGUE; FIVE-MINUTES]

    Millicent has received a mysterious photo that inspires some life-changing decisions!
  • Time, Magic, and Antoinette (a monologue) (short version) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    Genre: drama
    [MONOLOGUE; THREE-MINUTE VERSION]
    Millicent has received an impossible photo. She shares her discovery with her dearest friend, Antoinette.
  • The Time You Were Away (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: siblings, Sisters + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: siblings, Sisters, brothers, parents, families, abduction, child, Roofies
    [DARK COMEDY]
    Justine is having a very good day. The little boy she's babysitting is going to be picked up soon, and she's definitely made an impression. Here's hoping he remembers it...

    Written for Urban Stages' The Heroes and Villains Monologues 2021.
  • Timing is Everythi– (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: declaration, love + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: declaration, love, apocalypse
    [ONE-MINUTE APOCALYPSE MONOLOGUE]

    It's now or ne-
  • Unnecessary Beauty (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: hotel room, non-binary character + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: hotel room, non-binary character, amab, adultery, polyamory
    [MONOLOGUE FOR AN NB-AMAB PERFORMER]

    Rupe, an AMAB non-binary person, is about to spend the night in a cis-het married man’s hotel room. But first, some ground rules.

    This monologue will be published by Smith & Kraus in the "WE/US: Monologues for Gender Minority Characters Anthology."
  • WE RIDE AT DAWN! (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, comic + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: monologue, comic, children, gender neutral, horror movies, imagination
    Mill has been wronged! And with the help of the pine tree and the creatures that live in it, this 10-year-old is about to take revenge! (A testament to nerdy children who love horror movies they're too young to watch.)
  • Your Gaze (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: neurodivergence, love + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, zoom
    Keyword: neurodivergence, love, self-esteem, ADHD, neurodiversity
    [TWO-MINUTE MONOLOGUE]

    A person with ADHD explains why they have a problem hearing "I love you."