anita yellin simons

anita yellin simons

W R I T I N G E X P E R I E N C E
• Full-length Plays:
“Goodbye Memories” Anne Frank, her family and friends before hiding
“Ladies First” (with Lojo Simon) anti-war comedy
“Heartland” (with Lojo Simon) German-Americans arrested and interned during WWII
“This We’ll Defend” female rapes and PTSD in U.S. military
“A Social Delirium...
W R I T I N G E X P E R I E N C E
• Full-length Plays:
“Goodbye Memories” Anne Frank, her family and friends before hiding
“Ladies First” (with Lojo Simon) anti-war comedy
“Heartland” (with Lojo Simon) German-Americans arrested and interned during WWII
“This We’ll Defend” female rapes and PTSD in U.S. military
“A Social Delirium” the Palmer Raids 1919-20
“Later On” a musical about senior couple meeting on-line
“In Sanity” a family deals with teenage son’s drug addiction
“Family Mystique” a dysfunctional family drama set in 1964
“Joy Vey” (with Lojo Simon) dueling grandmas care for twin grandbabies
“Silence is Not Golden” domestic abuse in the late 1960s

W R I T I N G A W A R D S
• Goodbye Memories
Published by YouthPLAYS, 2022
Winner, CATF Hostel YOUTH! New Play Prize, 2012
Production, J*Company, La Jolla 2011
Semifinalist, Jackie White Memorial National Children’s Play Writing, 2007
First Place Winner, 2004 Community Theatre Assn of Michigan Playwriting Contest
Winner, Pulse Ensemble Theatre’s Chamber Theatre Playreading Festival, 2001
Third place winner, Jewel Box Theatre competition 2001
4th place winner, Stage 3 Theatre Company Festival of New Plays 2000
• Ladies First
Finalist, Trustus Playwriting Festival 2006
• Heartland
Published by YouthPlays, 2020
Published by Sense Publishers in social-fictions series, 2014
Second Place, 2009, David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award
Semi-Finalist, 2009, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center National Playwrights Conference
Finalist, 2009, American College Theater Festival
Production, 2008, MiraCosta College, Oceanside, CA
Winner, 2008, Dayton Playhouse FutureFest
Winner, 2008 Long Beach Playhouse New Works Festival
Second Place, 2008, University of Akron Playwriting Contest
Second Place, 2008, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Playworks
Second Place, 2007 OxDocs Annual Festival of New Work
Semifinalist, 2006, Reverie Productions Next Generation Playwriting Contest
• A Social Delirium
Second Place, Maggie Phair Institute Script Writing Contest, October 2011
• This We’ll Defend
Production American History Theater, 2021
Semi-Finalist, 2013, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center National Playwrights Conference
Staged readings at Prescott Center for the Arts, Prescott, AZ, January 2013
One of 10 finalists for Susan Nims Distinguished Playwriting Award 2012
• In Sanity
Staged reading at Coronado Playhouse Local Playhouse Showcase May 25-26, 2012

The playwright is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.

Plays

  • Ladies First (co-written with Lojo Simon) by anita yellin simons
    Cast: 
    6–8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: anti-war
    Genre: comedy, political
    Keyword: anti-war
    “LADIES FIRST”
    by
    Lojo Simon
    Anita Yellin Simons



    SYNOPSIS


    Middle-aged and angry about the war in 2005, Joan has camped out in front of the White House. But when her supporters and the media leave, she fears that her efforts have failed. Then, as if in a dream, the spirits of four former First Ladies appear to her: Mary Todd Lincoln,...
    “LADIES FIRST”
    by
    Lojo Simon
    Anita Yellin Simons



    SYNOPSIS


    Middle-aged and angry about the war in 2005, Joan has camped out in front of the White House. But when her supporters and the media leave, she fears that her efforts have failed. Then, as if in a dream, the spirits of four former First Ladies appear to her: Mary Todd Lincoln, Edith Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Pat Nixon. Together, they come up with a madcap plan: they are going to kidnap Laura Bush and have her convince the President to end the war.
    Full of action and fast-paced dialogue, this all-female, six-actor play is easy to stage with minimal set and props.
    A politically relevant comedy, *LADIES FIRST runs approximately 90 minutes (with intermission) and is available for world premiere.

  • IN SANITY by anita yellin simons
    Cast: 
    8–10
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: teenage drug addiction, family
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: teenage drug addiction, family
    IN SANITY presents a day in the life of the upper middle class Nicholas family after an horrific circumstance brings their estranged 19 year-old son, Colin, back to the family. Colin was involved with using and selling drugs, and now the family is on their way to visit him at Cordura Trails Ranch, a residential drug rehab facility in the San Diego back country, with Colin’s 15 year-old sister and 18 year-old...
    IN SANITY presents a day in the life of the upper middle class Nicholas family after an horrific circumstance brings their estranged 19 year-old son, Colin, back to the family. Colin was involved with using and selling drugs, and now the family is on their way to visit him at Cordura Trails Ranch, a residential drug rehab facility in the San Diego back country, with Colin’s 15 year-old sister and 18 year-old girlfriend. The family doesn’t know that the day they are visiting is the day their family has been chosen to be the focus of a family group session. Mom Sarah thinks it’s a great idea – especially since she thinks the girlfriend doesn’t understand how serious addiction is and wants her to be able to help Colin stay clean and sober after he leaves the program. They are all in for unexpected surprises and consequences during and after the family group session.
    IN SANITY is a gripping and insightful look at a family’s experience with addiction and rehabilitation. It has roles for four women and four men and runs 90 minutes. The scenes take place in the Nicholas home kitchen and the Ranch facility.
  • SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN by anita yellin simons
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: domestic violence
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: domestic violence
    Before the days of Phil Donahue or Oprah, no one talked about domestic abuse or self-esteem -- it was a private and embarrassing subject. Linda, a young newlywed, is so in love with her husband Larry that she believes him when he tells her everything is her fault. The two of them are back in their home state of Ohio, but Linda has no friends and no one to talk to since her family moved to California. Each time...
    Before the days of Phil Donahue or Oprah, no one talked about domestic abuse or self-esteem -- it was a private and embarrassing subject. Linda, a young newlywed, is so in love with her husband Larry that she believes him when he tells her everything is her fault. The two of them are back in their home state of Ohio, but Linda has no friends and no one to talk to since her family moved to California. Each time there is an "incident" she continues to stand by her man and wait for a better day. What other choice does she have? Finally, she reaches her limit and fights back. But at what cost to her?
  • J'oy Vey (co-written with Lojo Simon) by anita yellin simons
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    ·
    Keyword: family
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    Keyword: family
    Gammy Leigh is excited for her holiday overnighter with her twin grandbabies. It’s the first time her daughter, Cass, and her husband, Elliott, have gone out of town, and Gammy is thrilled to be in charge of Noah and Madison, especially as she prepares to celebrate their first Christmas together. But she’s barely got a burp out of baby Noah when Bubbie Arlene unexpectedly shows up, barges in with her suitcase...
    Gammy Leigh is excited for her holiday overnighter with her twin grandbabies. It’s the first time her daughter, Cass, and her husband, Elliott, have gone out of town, and Gammy is thrilled to be in charge of Noah and Madison, especially as she prepares to celebrate their first Christmas together. But she’s barely got a burp out of baby Noah when Bubbie Arlene unexpectedly shows up, barges in with her suitcase and shopping bags galore, and threatens all of Leigh’s best-laid plans.

    Bubbie is not only pushy and demanding; she’s also hypercritical of everything Gammy and new mother Cass do for the babies. Breastfeeding isn’t good enough, cloth diapers are old-fashioned, and why does Cass need to go back to work and put the precious poopers in day care anyway? When Bubbie learns that Gammy is prepping for Christmas, look out: here comes a Huge Hanukah Happening!

    As the tension builds between these feuding family members, Bubbie reveals that Christmas is no longer welcome in “the kids’” house because Cass has converted to Judaism. Gammy is shocked, and accuses Bubbie of coercion. Not to be outdone, Gammy reveals a secret of her own: she’s dating Bubbie’s ex-husband, Mark. In a comedy of backstabbing barbs and multiple calls on look-like cell phones, Bubbie and Gammy fight to the bitter end, or until they misplace the babies, which throws them both into a tizzy.

    In the end, Gammy and Bubbie acknowledge their similarities as well as their differences as they celebrate both Christmas and Hanukah in a world in which there’s enough love (and babies) for everyone.
  • Heartland (co-written with Lojo Simon) by anita yellin simons
    Cast: 
    8–10
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: internment, World War II + 3 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, period, political
    Keyword: internment, World War II, scapegoats, human rights, social justice
    From 1943 to1946, the United States held captured Prisoners of War (POWs) in prison camps throughout the U.S. Although imprisoned, these German, Italian and Japanese soldiers were permitted to work in factories and on farms as part of the American effort to re-educate the prisoners in the American way of life.
    Not widely known or acknowledged is the fact that from 1941 to 1945, the U.S. government also...
    From 1943 to1946, the United States held captured Prisoners of War (POWs) in prison camps throughout the U.S. Although imprisoned, these German, Italian and Japanese soldiers were permitted to work in factories and on farms as part of the American effort to re-educate the prisoners in the American way of life.
    Not widely known or acknowledged is the fact that from 1941 to 1945, the U.S. government also imprisoned nearly 11,000 German-Americans and 3,500 Italian-Americans. Unlike interred Japanese-Americans, many of these so-called enemy alien immigrants to the United States faced interrogation and internment conditions that were far worse than those faced by foreign nationals. Some of these prisoners were held in captivity even after World War II had ended, and more than 1,000 German-Americans, including innocent American-born children, were expatriated to Germany against their will.
    HEARTLAND is set on a small, family-run dairy farm in Wisconsin where, in March 1945, a German-born widow and her children are struggling to make ends meet after the family patriarch has died. When they receive notice from the War Manpower Commission offering two Prisoners of War to work their farm, it seems like an answer to the family’s prayers, but the arrival of these two strangers causes changes no one had anticipated. Based on true stories of many such arrests of German-American families during World War II, HEARTLAND explores what can happen when fear and prejudice pit neighbor against neighbor in times of war.
    Tony-winning director Marshall Mason said of Heartland, it is “a compelling story… well-structured [with] a large cast of diverse, complex characters and excellent dialogue.”
    A politically relevant drama with one set and a cast of four women, three men and one boy, the play is approximately 90 minutes.
  • Goodbye Memories by anita yellin simons
    Cast: 
    8–10
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Anne Frank, Holocaust
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, period, political, young audiences
    Keyword: Anne Frank, Holocaust
    Based on the biographies of the Franks and my personal contact with Anne’s three surviving friends, Goodbye Memories is a universal story of parents, children, friends, sexual awakenings, and the special spirit of a talkative, attention-loving girl named Anne Frank. Unlike the play and movie based on Anne’s diary, Goodbye Memories begins on the morning of Anne’s 13th birthday in June 1942 when she receives her...
    Based on the biographies of the Franks and my personal contact with Anne’s three surviving friends, Goodbye Memories is a universal story of parents, children, friends, sexual awakenings, and the special spirit of a talkative, attention-loving girl named Anne Frank. Unlike the play and movie based on Anne’s diary, Goodbye Memories begins on the morning of Anne’s 13th birthday in June 1942 when she receives her infamous diary. The play ends on the morning of July 6, 1942 when the Franks leave their home to go into hiding.
    Anne was not very different from teens of today. She fights with her sister, argues with her mother, laughs with her friends, and flirts with her first boyfriend. She is especially close to her father whom she adores. Anne is at her best when with her two friends Hannah and Jacque. She can gossip, imitate school chums and talk about boys while also learning about herself and her relationship with others. Anne “the flirt” shines when she is with her new friend Hello Goldberg and also reveals some of her innermost thoughts. Anne was just beginning to blossom sexually and intellectually right before going into hiding.
    On July 5, 1942 Anne and her sister Margot think that their father has received his call-up notice to report to a labor camp, and the girls begin to bond as never before. Later when Anne learns that the call-up was really for Margot, their relationship takes another turn. Always positive about her future, Anne is confident that her family will be safe as long as they stay together. The Franks are just like any family: they fight, they laugh, they cry, and in times of crisis they stick together.
    Goodbye Memories is presented in two acts and runs approximately 90 minutes. The cast includes two women, four teenage girls, one man and one teenage boy. The setting is the Frank’s living room, Anne’s bedroom, the rooftop and one exterior scene. All of Anne’s friends who are portrayed in this play are still alive and it is hoped that some of them would be invited to attend a production and participate in a discussion afterwards.
  • This We'll Defend by anita yellin simons
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–7
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: rape, military + 1 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: rape, military, PTSD
    According to the Department of Defense statistics: one in three women who join the U.S. military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military, making it more likely to be raped by a fellow American soldier than killed by enemy fire. But now, even more alarming are deaths of women soldiers in Iraq and in the United States following rape. The military has characterized each of the deaths of women...
    According to the Department of Defense statistics: one in three women who join the U.S. military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military, making it more likely to be raped by a fellow American soldier than killed by enemy fire. But now, even more alarming are deaths of women soldiers in Iraq and in the United States following rape. The military has characterized each of the deaths of women who were first sexually assaulted as deaths from “non-combat related injuries,” and in some cases then added “suicide.” Several of the families of the women whom the military has declared to have committed suicide strongly dispute the findings and are calling for further investigations into the deaths of their daughters. In addition, over ten percent of returning soldiers report serious functional impairment due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or depression. Nationwide, studies suggest 300,000 returning veterans experience the symptoms of TBI, however, many of them are being declined benefits after being discharged when they are told they have a pre-existing personality disorder. This not only affects the returning veteran, but their family as well, leading to another epidemic of suicide.

    “This We’ll Defend” tells the fictional story of a sister and her mother searching for the truth about the death of her older sister who was serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq where she was raped by a fellow soldier and after reporting the rape was found dead in her room. Her family is told that it was a suicide, and later learns that her Army buddy also died of “non-combat related injuries” only 10 days after her. Two years later, the sister and mother finally locate the other girl’s family and make a surprise visit. Unfortunately, they find a mother unwilling to help, in denial about her own daughter’s rape and desperate to stop them from seeing her son who returned from Afghanistan suffering from severe PTSD. The mothers have similar but opposing goals: one to learn the truth and the other to survive by hiding it.

    A politically relevant drama based on compilation of actual stories with one set that can be used for several locations, and a cast of five women and one man. This play was a 2013 Semi-Finalist in the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center National Playwrights Conference.