Amanda Petefish-Schrag

Amanda Petefish-Schrag

Amanda Petefish-Schrag is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Iowa State University where she teaches courses in performance and theatre history. Her professional credits include work as a puppeteer, playwright, director, actor, (and mom). Her playwriting has been produced at theaters and festivals in Chicago, New York, London, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Iowa City, and has been...
Amanda Petefish-Schrag is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Iowa State University where she teaches courses in performance and theatre history. Her professional credits include work as a puppeteer, playwright, director, actor, (and mom). Her playwriting has been produced at theaters and festivals in Chicago, New York, London, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Iowa City, and has been published by Playscripts, Inc. Amanda is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Plays

  • The Endurance of Light by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
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    Keyword: miscarriage, pregnancy + 7 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    Keyword: miscarriage, pregnancy, women, Shackleton, Einstein, Hidegard von Bingen, science, faith, Antarctica
    Sophie, a scientist, refuses to leave her bed. Instead, she spends her time lost in piles of books, trying to discover the reason for her multiple miscarriages. Her husband and her mother desperately try to connect with her, unaware that her bedroom has become a surreal landscape where Sophie, along with Sir Ernest Shackleton and his ship, The Endurance, are perpetually trapped in the Antarctic ice. Guided by...
    Sophie, a scientist, refuses to leave her bed. Instead, she spends her time lost in piles of books, trying to discover the reason for her multiple miscarriages. Her husband and her mother desperately try to connect with her, unaware that her bedroom has become a surreal landscape where Sophie, along with Sir Ernest Shackleton and his ship, The Endurance, are perpetually trapped in the Antarctic ice. Guided by an impudent Albert Einstein and spirited Hildegard Von Bingen, Sophie must navigate the mysterious forces that now threaten to trap her forever as past and present, faith and science, collide
  • Supergirls! Tales of Life, Love, and Captain Nebraska by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    1–4
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    Genre: adventure, comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: superhero, Nebraska + 3 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, drama
    Keyword: superhero, Nebraska, supervillain, monologue, midwest
    It’s not easy being a supergirl - particularly in the middle of Nebraska. In this one-woman play, four characters share the trials of love and superbattles on the Midwestern plains. Through the stories of Ultragirl, the stalwart second-in-command; The Honeybee, the impetuous teenager; Harrier, the superhero turned villain; and Susan, Captain Nebraska’s wife, the play explores what superhero comics leave out...
    It’s not easy being a supergirl - particularly in the middle of Nebraska. In this one-woman play, four characters share the trials of love and superbattles on the Midwestern plains. Through the stories of Ultragirl, the stalwart second-in-command; The Honeybee, the impetuous teenager; Harrier, the superhero turned villain; and Susan, Captain Nebraska’s wife, the play explores what superhero comics leave out and what they get right – the glass ceilings, awkward pragmatics, burden of power, and our universal longing for love and companionship.
  • Iphigenia by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    7–15
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    Genre: adaptation, tragedy
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    Keyword: classical contemporary, sacrifice + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, tragedy
    Keyword: classical contemporary, sacrifice, injustice
    An ambitious general. A king’s wounded pride. The greatest army ever assembled. And one innocent girl . . .
    Puppetry, original music and a classical Greek Chorus come together in this new adaptation of an ancient tragedy. Adapted by Amanda Petefish-Schrag and Ben Schrag based on the play by Euripides.
  • Rebecca's Roommate by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
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    Keyword: sasquatch, breakup + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: sasquatch, breakup, Mt. Everest
    When Rebecca suddenly returns home after a long absence, her significant other has a few questions: Why did she leave? Where did she go? And why is there a sasquatch in the living room?
  • Finding Amelia by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: Amelia Earhart, July 4th
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Amelia Earhart, July 4th
    Nancy’s dreams of greatness lead her to the creation of a new national holiday and an
    unexpected discovery.
  • The Break In by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
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    Keyword: Relationships, breakup + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Relationships, breakup, spiders, exterminators
    Violet and Jerry broke up months ago. But when a break-in at Jerry’s new house unexpectedly brings them together again, they must revisit the source of their relationship’s demise. With a little help from Violet's best friend, Gail, Violet and Jerry attempt to navigate around broken-hearts, the new woman in Jerry's life, spiders, and possible felony charges.
  • The Big Game by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: in-laws, basketball + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: in-laws, basketball, battle of wills, interpretative dance
    Getting to know your future in-laws is never easy, but Taylor’s hopes of an ally in her future sister-in-law take a strange and nightmarish turn on a local basketball court.
  • Sunday in the Park with Carla by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: Therapy, clowns + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Therapy, clowns, infertility, miscarriage, John Phillip Sousa
    Maggie's Sunday stroll through the park leads to a park bench, a clown wig, some John Phillip Sousa, and an unlikely companion.
  • Shakespeare on the Green: Fun, Frantic and Slightly Fractured Introductions to Shakespeare Plays by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    8–20
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: Shakespeare, absurd + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, parody/spoof, period
    Keyword: Shakespeare, absurd, adaptation
    Taming of the Shrew, King Lear, Comedy of Errors, Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Winter's Tale are revamped into fun, accessible shorts that use comedic narration and modern language to update some of Shakespeare's classic works. From a lesson in Shakespearean tragedy through the plight of King Lear to an error machine that calculates the miscommunications in Comedy of Errors, these flexible plays...
    Taming of the Shrew, King Lear, Comedy of Errors, Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Winter's Tale are revamped into fun, accessible shorts that use comedic narration and modern language to update some of Shakespeare's classic works. From a lesson in Shakespearean tragedy through the plight of King Lear to an error machine that calculates the miscommunications in Comedy of Errors, these flexible plays are sure to provide a fun night of tales from the Bard, with some twists.
  • Art Nouveau by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: scrapbooking, infertility
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: scrapbooking, infertility
    Jane takes scrap booking to a whole new level.
  • Contrition by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: clowns, divorce + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: clowns, divorce, marriage
    Zoe is sorry. Sort of.
  • Memo from my Father by Amanda Petefish-Schrag
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Adolescence, Childhood + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Adolescence, Childhood, Body image
    A father's ongoing legacy to his daughter, written in a memo.