J. (Joe) Weintraub

J. (Joe) Weintraub

J. Weintraub is a writer, playwright, poet, and translator. A member of the Dramatists Guild, he has had over 50 productions of his short plays, produced by, among others, the Theatre-Studio and La Petite Morgue (New York City), First Run Theatre (St. Louis, MO),Camino Real Playhouse (San Juan Capistrano, CA), Theatre One (Middleboro, MA), Black Box Theatre (Colorado Springs, CO), The Paw Paw (MI) Village...
J. Weintraub is a writer, playwright, poet, and translator. A member of the Dramatists Guild, he has had over 50 productions of his short plays, produced by, among others, the Theatre-Studio and La Petite Morgue (New York City), First Run Theatre (St. Louis, MO),Camino Real Playhouse (San Juan Capistrano, CA), Theatre One (Middleboro, MA), Black Box Theatre (Colorado Springs, CO), The Paw Paw (MI) Village Players, LowellArts (Lowell, MI), Fine Arts Assn. (Willoughby, OH), Gemco Players (Emerald, Australia), and the 2017-2018 Short + Sweet Festival in Hollywood, CA, Chennai, India, Auckland, NZ, and Sydney, AUS; and in the Chicago area by Second City, Theatre of Western Springs, GreenMan Theatre, New American Folk Theatre, American Blues Theatre, Blank Page Theatre, Summer Place Theatre, Fourth Street Theater, Chicago Dramatists, Dandelion Theatre, AMSATT Productions, Three Cat Productions, and 8 Scribes. In addition, he has had many staged readings of his full length plays in the Chicago area and has had radio plays produced by Scattered Sounds Productions, Whiskey Rebellion Theater, Studio@620, Hercules Radio Players, Yeppoon Little Theatre (AUS), and Small Fish Radio Theatre (for the Atlanta Fringe Festival). His fiction, poetry, and essays have been published in literary reviews and journals throughout the country, and many of his works have been anthologized. His translations from French and Italian have appeared in publications in the USA, the UK, and Australia, and in 2018 his annotated translation of Eugène Briffault’s Paris à table: 1846 was published by Oxford University Press. As a translator of Italian, his two-act adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s canonical Villeggiatura trilogy, The Summer Season, was published in The Mercurian: A Theatrical Translation Review and can be read online. He has also introduced the Italian horror writer, Nicola Lombardi, to the English-speaking public, and his edition of Lombardi’s The Gypsy Spiders and Other Tales of Italian Horror was published by the UK’s Tartarus Press in 2021. Having earned a Ph.D in English Literature from The University of Chicago, he has also published scholarly articles for such academic reviews as Gastronomica, Modern Philology, and French History.

Plays

  • Caliban by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: drama, period + 1 more
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    Keyword: Shakespeare, Tempest + 2 more
    Genre: drama, period, political
    Keyword: Shakespeare, Tempest, renaissance, revenge
    In this sequel to The Tempest, Caliban has followed Prospero to Naples (where the magician has become the power behind the throne) to confront him and remove the spell he believes Prospero has cast over his island. He is intercepted by Ariel (now the captain of Prospero’s secret police) and imprisoned, but following the execution of Gonzalo (King Ferdinand’s idealistic counselor), Ariel, disgusted by the...
    In this sequel to The Tempest, Caliban has followed Prospero to Naples (where the magician has become the power behind the throne) to confront him and remove the spell he believes Prospero has cast over his island. He is intercepted by Ariel (now the captain of Prospero’s secret police) and imprisoned, but following the execution of Gonzalo (King Ferdinand’s idealistic counselor), Ariel, disgusted by the repression of the current regime, involves Caliban in a plot to assassinate Prospero and overthrow the King and his queen, Miranda. (The idea for the play was inspired by the nineteenth-century French play Caliban by Ernest Renan. It is, however, completely original and has nothing in common with its predecessor other than the initial idea of Caliban following Prospero to Naples to seek revenge.)

  • The Summer Season by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    10–15
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: Goldoni, adaptation + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, commedia dell'arte, drama, period, romantic comedy, translation
    Keyword: Goldoni, adaptation, Classic, commedia dell'arte, Gilded Age, marriage
    “The Summer Season” is an adaptation of the Villeggiatura trilogy, a series of three connected plays written by Carlo Goldoni in 1761. In Italy, it is considered one of the highpoints of 18-century drama, a culmination of Goldoni’s trajectory from commedia dell’arte to a more realistic theater of complex social relationships that has occasionally – again in Italy – been compared to Chekhov. In 2015 it was...
    “The Summer Season” is an adaptation of the Villeggiatura trilogy, a series of three connected plays written by Carlo Goldoni in 1761. In Italy, it is considered one of the highpoints of 18-century drama, a culmination of Goldoni’s trajectory from commedia dell’arte to a more realistic theater of complex social relationships that has occasionally – again in Italy – been compared to Chekhov. In 2015 it was recognized by Michael Billington as one of the world’s "101 Greatest Plays." The work has, however, rarely been produced in any form in English, and, as far as I can tell never, at least commercially, in this century.

    My adaptation is a single, independent work, quite different from the original. It focuses on the social relations of the characters (the “Chekhovian” aspects, more or less) eliminating much of the satire and extraneous dialogue (of which there is a good deal), streamlining the plots, altering the characters, and transporting the action and language to late nineteenth-century Boston/Newport, a setting perhaps more appealing to contemporary audiences and the construction I’ve given the play.

    An edited version was revived by Piccolo Teatro in an adaptation by Toni Servillo in 2007, and was performed in Italian throughout Europe to great acclaim, finishing with a run at Lincoln Center in July 2009. Claudia Roth Pierpont in her New Yorker blog considered it one of the “Ten Best Cultural Events of 2009": “This visiting company, performing in Italian with English surtitles, gave a subtly bravura performance of a playwright—Venetian, eighteenth century—who is seldom (never?) performed in this country. Goldoni’s play turned out to be both brilliantly comic and shockingly cynical, exposing a world both distant and very close. How one wishes for more!”

  • A Short History of the Mob in America by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    7–12
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    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 2 more
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    Keyword: Mob, gangsters + 3 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period
    Keyword: Mob, gangsters, Jewish, prohibition, American history
    The Luciano/Lansky/Siegel bootlegging and gambling syndicate was probably the most successful organized crime cartel in the nation’s history. Beginning with the staged assassination of Benjamin Siegel, the play flashes back to depict events and circumstances that are usually given legendary representations but were, nevertheless, a significant part of the real history of the past century. Rising from the dead...
    The Luciano/Lansky/Siegel bootlegging and gambling syndicate was probably the most successful organized crime cartel in the nation’s history. Beginning with the staged assassination of Benjamin Siegel, the play flashes back to depict events and circumstances that are usually given legendary representations but were, nevertheless, a significant part of the real history of the past century. Rising from the dead to confront his assassin, Siegel is eventually joined onstage by Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, his mistress, Virginia Hill, and, for a short time, Arnold Rothstein. Together they act out and give voice to their dreams and aspirations and attempt to justify the bloody acts that led to their rise. In the meantime, they reveal, in a series of trial scenes and personal betrayals, their suspicions and conflicts, as well as the need for power, respectability, and celebrity that eventually leads to their downfall. Drawn from the histories, biographies, and chronicles of the times, the play is an attempt through dramatic confrontation and language to expose the truth behind the many myths and fabrications that have arisen from these often romanticized incidents and characters.

    I have included a dialogue sample. To read the full play, contact me at weintraub.joe1@gmail.com
  • The Wedding by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: family, Jewish + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: family, Jewish, diner, wedding, Chicago
    In this comedy a family is en route to a wedding, which—because of the machinations of the Father and Daughter, and much to the dismay of the Mother—they never reach. Similar to the way in which the Grandmother is losing her memory, the play represents the gradual loss of family ties through the passing years.
  • The Old Neighborhood by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, satire
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    Keyword: neighborhood, immigration + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: neighborhood, immigration, urban, white flight, restaurant
    A man and his wife return to the neighborhood of his youth and are dismayed to see that much has changed, particularly when they try to get a bite to eat.
  • Vietnam Zippos by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: vietnam, war + 2 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, period
    Keyword: vietnam, war, soldiers, Zippo
    The trajectory of the Vietnam war is played out in the inscriptions on the Zippo lighters the soldiers carried.
  • 28ºC by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, period
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    Keyword: Holocaust, Medical ethics + 2 more
    Genre: drama, period
    Keyword: Holocaust, Medical ethics, Jewish, Dachau
    The lead character, apparently the owner of a deli, delivers a monologue, that has him first joking and conversing with his customers, but which eventually descends into hysteria and death. A doctor and his orderly arrive on stage to reveal the true nature of his dilemma.
  • The Bright and Shining Future by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: Holocaust, Bauhaus + 3 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, period, political
    Keyword: Holocaust, Bauhaus, Weimar Republic, nazi germany, Germany World War II
    Two ex-students of the Weimar Bauhaus, Jules and Meyer, meet for perhaps the last time, as Meyer is on the verge of departing the city to begin a promising new career. A disabled veteran arrives to shed considerable darkness on the “bright and shining future” of both.
  • Roadkill by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 2 more
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    Keyword: Road, Truckers + 2 more
    Genre: drama, horror, mystery/thriller, radio drama
    Keyword: Road, Truckers, motor vehicle accident, Hitchcock
    Two truck drivers are on a delivery route, when suddenly they collide with a dog. Or was it a dog? (The central idea for "Roadkill" was suggested by the Dino Buzzati story, "I Due Autisti”--which, as far as I know has never been translated into English--but it is, most assuredly, not an adaptation of the story.) A radio version is also available.
  • Reunion by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, fantasy + 3 more
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    Keyword: ghosts, suicide + 1 more
    Genre: drama, fantasy, horror, radio drama, young audiences
    Keyword: ghosts, suicide, fathers and sons
    The play concerns a teenager who returns home late one night to find his father, who had previously died in a car accident--a presumed suicide--waiting for him. The play considers the past relationship between the two, the motives and consequences of the father's death, and the reason for the father's current presence there in the living-room. (Radio-play version also available.)
  • It's Not Over 'til the Bald Soprano Sings by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: absurdism, Ionesco + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, experimental, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: absurdism, Ionesco, theatre
    A couple arrives to attend a performance, the husband reluctantly, and as they articulate their needs and desires, their conversation gradually transforms them into the characters of a play similar to the one they are about to see.
  • The Year the Padres Won the Pennant by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: baseball, Chicago + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, period, radio drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: baseball, Chicago, San Diego, marriage
    A marriage disintegrates in face of the inevitable late season meltdown of the Chicago Cubs. (Available also as a radio play.)
  • Thinking Outside the Skinner Box by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: science, psychology + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, period
    Keyword: science, psychology, college, Medical ethics
    In the late sixties, two students, with the help of an incipient psychopath, seek out unorthodox means to achieve their academic ambitions, until reality intervenes for one of them. (This 10-minute play has a 13-15 min. version as well.)
  • The Interview by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: superhero, World War II + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fable/folktale, parody/spoof
    Keyword: superhero, World War II, Batman, superman
    In the early days of World War II, a journalist and an industrialist discuss crime in their respective cities, Metropolis and Gotham City, and their concerns about the global conflict. It soon becomes clear (to both the characters and the audience) that both are concealing their super-hero identities beneath their surface characters and that their duty and responsibilities in face of the war are far from clear.
  • Full Moon by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: theater, teaching + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: theater, teaching, university, urban legends
    In an office conference, a theater professor criticizes two of his students for failing to “write what you know” without realizing he may be making a fatal misjudgment.
  • Waiting for Cuddly by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: cats and dogs, veterinarian + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce
    Keyword: cats and dogs, veterinarian, pets
    It’s just a simple checkup at the veterinarian ‘s office for the Weinracks' cat, Cuddly, until Schmidt and his bull terrier, Bruno, arrive on the scene.

  • Empty Shelves by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: coronavirus, Covid-19 + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: coronavirus, Covid-19, pandemic, lockdown
    In this microplay, a young couple discover, much to their dismay, that more than rice, bread, and toilet paper are scarce during a pandemic lockdown. This is a play for voices and can be easily produced as a radio drama or podcast.
  • Easter Sunday by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: siblings, Mourning + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: siblings, Mourning, parenthood, death of a parent
    A Brother and Sister meet on the day of their mother’s death, revealing the deep and irreparable rupture in their own relationship fostered by their parent’s aging and death.
  • Christmas in Vegas by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, holiday
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    Keyword: christmas, Las Vegas + 1 more
    Genre: drama, holiday
    Keyword: christmas, Las Vegas, prostitution
    Weber likes to sacrifice his own Christmas for the benefit of others. But when he meets Gloria, a Las Vegas “escort,” he learns that his own concept of Christmas giving does not necessarily coincide with that of his recipient.
  • Exit 34 by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
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    Keyword: road trip, inner sanctum + 1 more
    Genre: drama, horror, radio drama
    Keyword: road trip, inner sanctum, ghosts
    "Exit 34" is an "existential horror play," about a young couple in an automobile, lost in the middle-of-the-night on the road to nowhere, desperate to find an exit off. A radio version is also available.
  • The Tears of San Lorenzo by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 4 more
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    Keyword: beach, Italy + 2 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, fantasy, horror, radio drama, translation
    Keyword: beach, Italy, sea monster, Human Sacrifice

    A drug dealer, who is looking to make new connections with the residents of a secluded coastal village in Italy, succeeds in integrating himself into the community far more intimately than he had anticipated. The play isa translation and an adaptation of "Vengono per Te," a story by Nicola Lombardi who has authorized me to adapt and translate his work. A radio adaptation is also available.
  • Walpurgis Night by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: witch, Haalloween + 2 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, holiday, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: witch, Haalloween, Walpurgis, murder
    A reporter interviews a woman, with the reputation of being a ”good” witch, on the twentieth anniversary of a tragic accident involving an entire class of students under her supervision. Translated and adapted from a story by Nicola Lombardi. (Radio adaptation also available.)
  • You by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: dating, love + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: dating, love, communication, restaurant
    The play, You, represents the gradual dissolution, over a restaurant table, of the relationship of a young couple, the shifting complexity of which (from ecstasy to shipwreck) being expressed with principally one word of dialogue: "You." A Stage Manager sits downstage to offer play-by-play and color commentary. (This 10-minute play has a 13-15 min. version as well.)
  • Little Boy by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: nuclear, Donald Trump + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, parody/spoof, political, satire
    Keyword: nuclear, Donald Trump, nuclear disarmament
    Somebody has left a nuclear warhead in the Oval Office, and the President and his immediate staff need to do something about it. This is a 10-minute play; 15-minute version also available.
  • The War for Christmas by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, holiday + 2 more
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    Keyword: christmas, War against Christmas + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, holiday, political, satire
    Keyword: christmas, War against Christmas, christianity, nativity, Donald Trump, Anti-Trump
    A suburban couple is upset by "the War against Christmas" as evidenced, in particular, by the use of neutered Christmas greetings, and they take drastic measures to rectify the situation.
  • The Canal by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adventure, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: war, fragging
    Genre: adventure, drama, mystery/thriller, radio drama
    Keyword: war, fragging
    After completing an "impossible" mission, an army patrol is asked to repeat the mission under even greater odds. A radio play.
  • In Defense of Ernest Hemingway by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: bar, workplace + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: bar, workplace, Hemingway
    A new employee, an elderly poet, disappears from a corporate cocktail party, and when his supervisor finds him drinking at a bar, he soon discovers that more than the employee's position may be in jeopardy. Play originally written to be performed in a bar.
  • 1903 by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Chicago, Iroquois Theatre + 3 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, period, tragedy
    Keyword: Chicago, Iroquois Theatre, History, disaster, fire
    A father and daughter reveal their deep resentment toward the mother of the family as her late arrival denies them entry into a theater. Following their departure, the theater manager reveals to the cashier his reasons for closing admissions and chaining the exits as they enter the doomed Iroquois theater to view the sold-out performance.
  • The Right Choice by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    3–4
    ·
    Genre: fantasy, mystery/thriller + 1 more
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    Keyword: Robots, logic
    Genre: fantasy, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: Robots, logic
    An industrial spy is captured in the act, and his fate will be decided by his dialogue with a pair of robots.
    Translated and adapted from a story by Nicola Lombardi. 8-minute play, available as 6-minute play..
  • The Best Polish in Chicago by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: Chicago, hot dogs + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Chicago, hot dogs, food, illness
    This is a slightly slimmed-down version of an earlier play, "Pastrami on Rye," which takes place outside a hotdog stand (rather than inside a deli), where the owner is surprised and pleased to see one of his regular customers return after a long illness. But when the customer insists on ordering his traditional lunch, the results are calamitous.
  • Pastrami on Rye by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    6–7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Chicago, food + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Chicago, food, urban
    The staff of a popular Chicago deli are surprised and happy to see one of their regular customers return after a long illness, although when he insists on ordering his traditional lunch, the results are calamitous. (Hot dog stand versoin, "The Best Pastrami in Chicago," also available).
  • Express Lane by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: guns, food + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, political, satire
    Keyword: guns, food, grocery store, urban violence, civility
    How many items above the limit are acceptable in a grocery express lane particularly if the terms "express" and "item" are unclear? This is the argument that engage a pair of customers in this ten-minute play, until a third customer, with a concealed weapon, settles the issue for them. (The is a comedy, by the way, and although the threat of violence is expressed, it is never realized.)
  • Security, Inc. by J. (Joe) Weintraub
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: labor, recession + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, satire
    Keyword: labor, recession, guns, Employment
    A Security Guard escorts an Employee, just laid-off from his job, to his office to see if there’s anything he wishes to retrieve from his former life there. But before being ousted from the premises, the Employee receives a surprising offer from the Security Guard, including practical advice on economic survival in the present and future world order.