John McDonnell

John McDonnell

John McDonnell is a novelist, short story writer, and playwright living in Pennsylvania. He writes in various styles and genres, but usually with a comedic touch and a twist at the end. His plays have been performed at theaters in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alabama, New Mexico, Washington, and Michigan. He has published 24 books of fiction, poetry, and plays.

Plays

  • Love Bite by John McDonnell
    Cast: 
    4–8
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    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof + 2 more
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    Keyword: dracula, halloween + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: dracula, halloween, vampire, comedy horror, romantic comedy, absurd comedy, online dating, zombie, dark comedy
    Vlad is a thousand year old vampire who tries online dating because he's having a hard time meeting a woman who will let him suck her blood. His first date with Vicky, a phlebotomist, is a disaster -- he runs away from her in terror because she seems immune to his dark powers. He tries dating other women -- with predictably disastrous results -- but he can't stop thinking about Vicky. Vicky also has a...
    Vlad is a thousand year old vampire who tries online dating because he's having a hard time meeting a woman who will let him suck her blood. His first date with Vicky, a phlebotomist, is a disaster -- he runs away from her in terror because she seems immune to his dark powers. He tries dating other women -- with predictably disastrous results -- but he can't stop thinking about Vicky. Vicky also has a series of disastrous dates and she also can't stop thinking about the mysterious man she calls "Vladdie". "Love Bite" follows the trajectory of these two off-kilter souls who seem destined for each other -- even though their attempts at communication go hilariously wrong. Are they even on the same page? Will they get together in the end? "Love Bite" provides the silly and sweet answer to those questions.
  • Six Universes by John McDonnell
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, experimental + 2 more
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    Keyword: multiverse, comic romance + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: multiverse, comic romance, contemporary romance, astrophysics, quantum physics
    A comedy drama about the multiverse. Bill and Sally have a perfect love (well, almost perfect) until tragedy strikes and their romance ends. Heartbroken, Bill decides to search for Sally in another universe where they can relight the flame of their eternal love. He builds a machine to jump across the universes, searching for Sally and having many strange adventures. Bill and Sally meet many times, but they must...
    A comedy drama about the multiverse. Bill and Sally have a perfect love (well, almost perfect) until tragedy strikes and their romance ends. Heartbroken, Bill decides to search for Sally in another universe where they can relight the flame of their eternal love. He builds a machine to jump across the universes, searching for Sally and having many strange adventures. Bill and Sally meet many times, but they must grow and change before they can truly love again. This play has elements of comedy, sci-fi, romance, tragedy, and redemption.
  • Just Fire Me, Please! by John McDonnell
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: demons, satire + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: demons, satire, hell as an office, sales competition, firing, layoffs, business meetings
    Cindy Kindle, a demon, has been called in for a meeting with Ashton Pepper, a regional sales manager in Hell. It seems Cindy has not been meeting her quota lately for condemned souls. She explains that she’s burned out and needs a break. Ashton tries to tell Cindy that there are no breaks in Hell, but Cindy disagrees. A comic short play.
  • It's Not Over by John McDonnell
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Covid anxiety, Ten-Minute Play + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, zoom
    Keyword: Covid anxiety, Ten-Minute Play, twenty-somethings, single urban professionals, dating, a Zoom play
    Lex and Maddie are twenty-something friends who are reconnecting after months of isolation during the pandemic. They are excited to see each other and they talk in rapid bursts, filling each other in on everything that's happened in their lives. Their fast-paced conversation is funny, touching, and poignant with regret about the changes the pandemic has wrought in their world. Minimal set requirements....
    Lex and Maddie are twenty-something friends who are reconnecting after months of isolation during the pandemic. They are excited to see each other and they talk in rapid bursts, filling each other in on everything that's happened in their lives. Their fast-paced conversation is funny, touching, and poignant with regret about the changes the pandemic has wrought in their world. Minimal set requirements. Adapts perfectly for a Zoom performance.
  • The Consequences Of A Kiss by John McDonnell
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, radio drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: constructive gender roles, adult fairy tale + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, radio drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: constructive gender roles, adult fairy tale, radio play, comic romance
    Prince Magnum is a handsome and manly fellow, but not the brightest of fairy tale characters. He is in the forest seeking adventure with his faithful sidekick Patsy when they stumble upon a princess who has fallen asleep because of a witch’s spell. The prince thinks that one kiss from him will break the spell but alas, it doesn’t. However, a kiss from Patsy does the trick. That kiss causes much confusion among...
    Prince Magnum is a handsome and manly fellow, but not the brightest of fairy tale characters. He is in the forest seeking adventure with his faithful sidekick Patsy when they stumble upon a princess who has fallen asleep because of a witch’s spell. The prince thinks that one kiss from him will break the spell but alas, it doesn’t. However, a kiss from Patsy does the trick. That kiss causes much confusion among Patsy and the princess, and especially Prince Magnum who can’t figure out why a sleeping princess would respond to a mere sidekick like Patsy instead of a handsome prince like himself. At the end the characters have learned important lessons about their identities (well, except for the prince, who still doesn’t have a clue).

  • The Balance Of Nature by John McDonnell
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 1 more
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    Keyword: Ten-Minute Play, Talking Animals + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, parody/spoof
    Keyword: Ten-Minute Play, Talking Animals, comedy
    Two lions, Braveheart and Jerry, are basking in the sun on the Serengeti Plain of Africa. They are having a conversation about Life, and the talk turns to a discussion of the balance of Nature. Things get very silly.
  • KAPUT MAGAZINE by John McDonnell
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: Ten-Minute Play, Farce + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce
    Keyword: Ten-Minute Play, Farce, absurd comedy
    The play opens in the office of Mr. Wellington, editor in chief of Kaput Magazine, a trade magazine for funeral directors. He is interviewing to hire a staff writer. His administrative assistant, Emily, brings a candidate in, a young man named Josh Meadows. Josh is eager to make a good impression, but things quickly take a turn toward the ridiculous, as Mr. Wellington lectures Josh on what the funeral industry...
    The play opens in the office of Mr. Wellington, editor in chief of Kaput Magazine, a trade magazine for funeral directors. He is interviewing to hire a staff writer. His administrative assistant, Emily, brings a candidate in, a young man named Josh Meadows. Josh is eager to make a good impression, but things quickly take a turn toward the ridiculous, as Mr. Wellington lectures Josh on what the funeral industry is really like. Things get more and more absurd, until Josh runs off in a panic.

  • Escape Clause by John McDonnell
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: buddy comedy, fatherhood + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: buddy comedy, fatherhood, male friendship
    Chris and Tom are neighbors in 1989, in central New Jersey. It is 3 AM and Chris has just gotten back from the hospital where his wife has delivered their first child, a boy. Tom comes over to congratulate Chris, and he’s brought a bottle of whiskey. They have a conversation about fatherhood, and Chris reveals that he is nervous about being a father to a boy, because he has a fractured relationship with his own...
    Chris and Tom are neighbors in 1989, in central New Jersey. It is 3 AM and Chris has just gotten back from the hospital where his wife has delivered their first child, a boy. Tom comes over to congratulate Chris, and he’s brought a bottle of whiskey. They have a conversation about fatherhood, and Chris reveals that he is nervous about being a father to a boy, because he has a fractured relationship with his own father. The relationship is so bad, in fact, that he has decided not to tell his father about the birth of his child. Tom tries to talk Chris into changing his views about his father. At the end, Chris seems ready to call his father.