Nancy Temple

Nancy Temple

Nancy Temple has been involved in the arts all her life, as a tapestry weaver, design teacher and space planner. She has had many short plays performed at festivals, including Image Theater’s Fem Noire Festival for women playwrights and Playwright Platform Festival—where “Dog Park Afternoon” won Best Play award. Other plays which have been selected for various theater festivals include "Tiger Lilies,...
Nancy Temple has been involved in the arts all her life, as a tapestry weaver, design teacher and space planner. She has had many short plays performed at festivals, including Image Theater’s Fem Noire Festival for women playwrights and Playwright Platform Festival—where “Dog Park Afternoon” won Best Play award. Other plays which have been selected for various theater festivals include "Tiger Lilies," "Call Me Jess," "The Ties that Bind," and "Inked!" "Frank and Rachel" has been selected for almost a dozen different festivals. She has also written full length plays. "The Caregivers" is published in the ARTemis Wisdom Anthology, and it received a staged reading by the Actors Studio of Newburyport. Her comedic play for high-school or college theater groups, "Victoria for President! 1987" has been published by Next Stage Press. "Ties that Bind" will be released as a podcast by Broken Arts Entertainment in 2024. Nancy received her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University in 2021. She has also written short stories. "Riverbed Blue" was published by riverSedge, the literary journal published online by the University of Texas Rio Grande. It may be read here:
https://www.riversedgejournal.com/issue-35

Plays

  • A Million Stars by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: minimal set, ten-minute + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: minimal set, ten-minute, husband/wife conflict, new beginnings, set in the Indian desert, emotional freedom, controlling husband, the power of nature, the power of new possibilities
    When Rob arrives at a desert resort in India with the intention of bringing his wife back to Boston, he finds that life is full of unanticipated opportunities.
  • Call Me Jess by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: trans, centers a LGBTQ character* + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: trans, centers a LGBTQ character*, A Family drama
    Jess is transitioning from female. The play centers on the confrontation between Jess and their mother, Max. The revelation of a secret about Jess’s father changes the dynamic between Jess snd Max and forces both to confront a new reality.
  • A Lull in the Storm by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: family relationships, gay man + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: family relationships, gay man, accepting death, rivalry between siblings, Adult Siblings, estranged siblings, reconciliation, cresting mutual understanding
    Bernard, a gay man who has just broken up with his partner, and Angie, his sister, meet after a period of estrangement on the shore of Lake Michigan. When Bernard reveals that he has brought their father’s ashes to scatter on the Lake, and that he has had them for a year, Angie is furious. The exchange that follows brings further revelations about the relationships in their lives, and they come to realize they...
    Bernard, a gay man who has just broken up with his partner, and Angie, his sister, meet after a period of estrangement on the shore of Lake Michigan. When Bernard reveals that he has brought their father’s ashes to scatter on the Lake, and that he has had them for a year, Angie is furious. The exchange that follows brings further revelations about the relationships in their lives, and they come to realize they have shared sorrows and regrets. The realization brings reconciliation and a new beginning.
  • IN THE WAITING ROOM by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: strangers meet, Therapy + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: strangers meet, Therapy, betrayal and discovery, humor, male characters, truth and reconciliation, simple set
    Two strangers meet in a therapists’ waiting room. Frank, addicted to cigarettes, has an appointment with a hypnotherapist. Rob, distraught after his wife has left him, has made his first appointment with a psychiatrist. Frank tells Rob about the young woman he met who shared his dreams of escape from a routine existence. When Rob reveals that his wife has gone to Rajasthan, Frank realizes that Rob’s wife is...
    Two strangers meet in a therapists’ waiting room. Frank, addicted to cigarettes, has an appointment with a hypnotherapist. Rob, distraught after his wife has left him, has made his first appointment with a psychiatrist. Frank tells Rob about the young woman he met who shared his dreams of escape from a routine existence. When Rob reveals that his wife has gone to Rajasthan, Frank realizes that Rob’s wife is the woman he befriended. In the ensuing exchange, and with Frank’s encouragement, Rob is forced to face truths about his marriage and himself.
  • Shangri-La by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: cancer, death + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: cancer, death, Native American, drug addiction, secrets, betrayal, truth and reconciliation
    Kitty visits old friend Lina on Whidbey Island, and finds River, an Indian who performs healing ceremonies, and Lina’s son Tom, an addict, living with Lina. Only River knows is dying. Secrets create tension. Kitty and Tom resent River’s presence. Tom torments River, accusing him of being a fake. After a confrontation with Kitty, Lina reveals her diagnosis. River comes to say Tom is in the ER in Seattle after an...
    Kitty visits old friend Lina on Whidbey Island, and finds River, an Indian who performs healing ceremonies, and Lina’s son Tom, an addict, living with Lina. Only River knows is dying. Secrets create tension. Kitty and Tom resent River’s presence. Tom torments River, accusing him of being a fake. After a confrontation with Kitty, Lina reveals her diagnosis. River comes to say Tom is in the ER in Seattle after an overdose, but he will bring him back to the island. Lina tells Kitty how River cared for his dying sister on the reservation. Kitty and Lina are finally reconciled in a re-enactment of the healing ceremony.

  • A Letter by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: family, a mother's love + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: family, a mother's love, adoption, A Family drama, issues of color, character of color, racial discrimination
    “The Letter” explores the relationship between May, a white single mother, and her fifteen-year-old, dark-skinned daughter Jen, adopted from South India, with whom she has a tense relationship. May’s sister Su brings her a letter from Chuck, the son May gave up for adoption at birth. When May tells Jen about Chuck, Jen feels threatened by the prospect of competition for May’s love. She tests May by claiming to...
    “The Letter” explores the relationship between May, a white single mother, and her fifteen-year-old, dark-skinned daughter Jen, adopted from South India, with whom she has a tense relationship. May’s sister Su brings her a letter from Chuck, the son May gave up for adoption at birth. When May tells Jen about Chuck, Jen feels threatened by the prospect of competition for May’s love. She tests May by claiming to be pregnant; May reacts with anger. A physical struggle ensues, and harsh words are spoken. Jen runs away from home. Jen admits to her friend Lucy that she isn’t really pregnant. Lucy helps May understand that Jen fears her mother will abandon her for Chuck. May then realizes she must give up her hope of reuniting with her biological son in order to save her relationship with her adopted daughter.
  • Victoria for President! 1872 by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    15–30
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: high school, college + 8 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, political, young audiences
    Keyword: high school, college, biographical drama, American history, women in politics, Victoria Woodhull, historical comedy, women's issues, large cast, large female cast
    This comedic play highlights the dramatic moments of a singular life. Victoria Woodhull, a believer in spiritualism, free love, suffrage, and labor rights, was the first woman to run for President, in 1872. She was also the first woman to address Congress, to open, with her sister Tennessee, the first brokerage firm in New York, the first to publish a weekly paper. She was variously considered the devil...
    This comedic play highlights the dramatic moments of a singular life. Victoria Woodhull, a believer in spiritualism, free love, suffrage, and labor rights, was the first woman to run for President, in 1872. She was also the first woman to address Congress, to open, with her sister Tennessee, the first brokerage firm in New York, the first to publish a weekly paper. She was variously considered the devil incarnate and the people’s savior. Kate, a high school student, is doing a history project about Victoria Woodhull. Her friend Leah visits, bringing a Ouija board, and together they summon the spirit of Victoria from the past.
  • Frank and Rachel by Nancy Temple
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: drama, strangers meeting + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: drama, strangers meeting, dreams unfulfilled, Hope
    Two strangers meet at a bus stop outside a Walmart. A conversation ensues, in which Rachel
    complains of being stifled by her husband Rob’s rules and Frank describes his gambling
    addiction. They reveal their hopes of escape and discover they share dreams of travel to India.
    Each encourages the other to break free of the obstacles they face. There is first conflict, then
    harmony. In...
    Two strangers meet at a bus stop outside a Walmart. A conversation ensues, in which Rachel
    complains of being stifled by her husband Rob’s rules and Frank describes his gambling
    addiction. They reveal their hopes of escape and discover they share dreams of travel to India.
    Each encourages the other to break free of the obstacles they face. There is first conflict, then
    harmony. In the end they part, Rachel to return home to Rob, perhaps to announce her trip to
    India, while Frank remains at the bus stop
  • The Caregivers by Nancy Temple
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: caregiving, betrayal + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: caregiving, betrayal, drama, women, elder abuse

    “The Caregivers” focuses on the tangled relationships between three women: Ruth (80s), mother of Louise (60s) and Patti (50s). The play is about how all of these women manipulate and betray one another in various ways, in order to serve their own interests, and about what and how all of them suffer as a result. It is a play about unacknowledged limitations, meanness, compromise, incompetence—but also...

    “The Caregivers” focuses on the tangled relationships between three women: Ruth (80s), mother of Louise (60s) and Patti (50s). The play is about how all of these women manipulate and betray one another in various ways, in order to serve their own interests, and about what and how all of them suffer as a result. It is a play about unacknowledged limitations, meanness, compromise, incompetence—but also about vulnerability and the need for love—and about what happens when these different impulses and characters, with different agendas, collide.
  • Ties That Bind by Nancy Temple
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: mother and daughter, mother + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: mother and daughter, mother, daughters, adoption, family, a mother's love, secrets and lies
    Carol and her daughter Kim meet to discuss Kim's upcoming wedding. A furious Kim reveals that she has just learned that she is adopted and demands to know why Carol has always hidden this from her. Carol reluctantly reveals that Kim was born in prison. Kim later admits to secrets of her own. Mother and daughter must come to terms with painful revelations in order to reconcile.
  • Dog Park Afternoon by Nancy Temple
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: romantic comedy, dogs + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: romantic comedy, dogs, high school
    Carla and Joe, both twenty-somethings, meet at a dog park; their dogs are off stage. At first friendly, they both learn that there is something about the other’s dog that has created a problem in their life. Joe’s dog has been a pest at Carla’s bakery, whereas Carla’s dog has been yapping in the apartment building they all share. They quarrel. Their dogs, however, are having a good time. Carla admits her...
    Carla and Joe, both twenty-somethings, meet at a dog park; their dogs are off stage. At first friendly, they both learn that there is something about the other’s dog that has created a problem in their life. Joe’s dog has been a pest at Carla’s bakery, whereas Carla’s dog has been yapping in the apartment building they all share. They quarrel. Their dogs, however, are having a good time. Carla admits her dog needs therapy, and Joe has an idea for Carla’s bakery to make dog cupcakes. They reconcile and make a date as Carla exits.