Kelsey Austin

Kelsey Austin

Kelsey Austin is a writer based in Southern New Jersey. In addition to short pieces, she has several full-length works including RAINDROP CLEAN, COCKFIGHT, and BLOW-OUT. As an Arts and Humanities instructor at Rowan College of South Jersey, Kelsey taught a number of literature, theatre, and speech courses. She also has experience in acting, directing, choreography, scenic design and painting, and stage...
Kelsey Austin is a writer based in Southern New Jersey. In addition to short pieces, she has several full-length works including RAINDROP CLEAN, COCKFIGHT, and BLOW-OUT. As an Arts and Humanities instructor at Rowan College of South Jersey, Kelsey taught a number of literature, theatre, and speech courses. She also has experience in acting, directing, choreography, scenic design and painting, and stage managing. Kelsey is a graduate of Rowan University with a bachelor's degree in Theatre. She studied at Essex University in Colchester, England where she earned a master's degree with merit in Literature: Theatre and Drama. While at Essex, Kelsey studied playwriting under Jonathan Lichtenstein. She wrote several plays with Joe Udall for the San Diego Fringe Festival and dinner theatre. Kelsey is a Chicago Dramatists Network Playwright and a member of The Dramatists Guild of America. She received a residency from Emilio Williams at the Blue Parrot, Chicago.

Plays

  • The Essentials by Kelsey Austin
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: love, death + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, holiday
    Keyword: love, death, marriage, christmas, grief, family, business, Bigfoot, comedy, controlling mothers
    With her grieving husband Peter consumed by Sasquatch hunting, homemaker Meredith finds her voice and purpose in launching an online essential oils business. Her mother, Joyce, sees danger in this new-found independence, Peter is disturbed by Meredith’s unique way of coping, and Milton, Meredith's father, is indifferent and only wants peace from his reading chair. Ultimately, the oils overtake, and both...
    With her grieving husband Peter consumed by Sasquatch hunting, homemaker Meredith finds her voice and purpose in launching an online essential oils business. Her mother, Joyce, sees danger in this new-found independence, Peter is disturbed by Meredith’s unique way of coping, and Milton, Meredith's father, is indifferent and only wants peace from his reading chair. Ultimately, the oils overtake, and both Peter and Meredith choose their own paths.

  • Raindrop Clean by Kelsey Austin
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Pyramid Scheme, theft + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Pyramid Scheme, theft, door-to-door sales, poverty, Social Security, elder abuse, child endangerment, young couple, imprisonment
    ShayAnn is a well-meaning young mom with few skills who’s trying to make a better life in her new door-to-door sales role for the pyramid scheme Raindrop Clean. With each failed home visit, her confidence begins to wither but she clings to the company motto: Family, Fresh, and Free. Saddled with a toddler, a dying grandmother, and a boyfriend with no moral compass, the only choice is to make this gig work. When...
    ShayAnn is a well-meaning young mom with few skills who’s trying to make a better life in her new door-to-door sales role for the pyramid scheme Raindrop Clean. With each failed home visit, her confidence begins to wither but she clings to the company motto: Family, Fresh, and Free. Saddled with a toddler, a dying grandmother, and a boyfriend with no moral compass, the only choice is to make this gig work. When her boyfriend hatches a plan to speed things up by robbing her customer’s homes, things take a deadly turn, and her dreams seem impossibly far away.

  • Blow-out by Kelsey Austin
    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: abuse, poverty + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: abuse, poverty, murder, addiction, dreams, affair, narcissism, rural America, dysfunctional family
    The Whitakers share their cramped life in southern New Jersey. As Rick prepares for his annual hunting trip in Alaska, his wife Sheila keeps quiet about family secrets until the unforgivable happens. Daughter Missy supports the family on convenience store paychecks, and younger sister Barbara dreams of adulting with live-in boyfriend Jimmy. But all comes to a halt when narcissism breeds disaster. It’s the...
    The Whitakers share their cramped life in southern New Jersey. As Rick prepares for his annual hunting trip in Alaska, his wife Sheila keeps quiet about family secrets until the unforgivable happens. Daughter Missy supports the family on convenience store paychecks, and younger sister Barbara dreams of adulting with live-in boyfriend Jimmy. But all comes to a halt when narcissism breeds disaster. It’s the hopeless situation of living among self-absorbed suburbanites where boundaries are murky, and cruelty is family fun.
  • Outside Job by Kelsey Austin
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: family, the outsider + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: family, the outsider, rural America, illicit activity, internet, poverty, siblings, corruption
    In a county where there seems to be no escape and in a community where men refuse to take responsibility for themselves and their families, mother Alice has the double burden of surviving while keeping her family intact. Personal safety and happiness are unattainable luxuries. But daughter Nicole is too foolish to realize this and cannot be resigned to mere survival. She attempts a new identity as someone who...
    In a county where there seems to be no escape and in a community where men refuse to take responsibility for themselves and their families, mother Alice has the double burden of surviving while keeping her family intact. Personal safety and happiness are unattainable luxuries. But daughter Nicole is too foolish to realize this and cannot be resigned to mere survival. She attempts a new identity as someone who is happy and loved only to have her dreams dismantled by the cynicism of her sister Tabitha and the actions of their father Jerry. The voiceless heater repairman Guy becomes a target of fantasies, ignorance, and hate as the house is under surveillance by legal authorities. Alice tries to smooth out conflict as Jerry spirals out of control in this dark tale of family dysfunction.
    This play received a reading Chicago in the summer of 2017. It was recommended by Kitchen Dog Theater as a finalist for its 2019 New Works Festival in Dallas, Texas.
  • Cockfight by Kelsey Austin
    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: cockfighting, illicit activity + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: cockfighting, illicit activity, rural America, small community, rural poverty, business, family trauma
    In the Delaware Bay area of Southern New Jersey, inhabitants make ends meet by
    stitching together part-time, low-paying jobs. When Randy acquires chickens to raise for
    profit, instigator Storm advises Randy to start an illegal cockfighting ring. Randy enlists the help of loyal
    friend Buster and borrows money from his sister Roberta. Even ex-girlfriend Gert is coerced by Storm to
    ...
    In the Delaware Bay area of Southern New Jersey, inhabitants make ends meet by
    stitching together part-time, low-paying jobs. When Randy acquires chickens to raise for
    profit, instigator Storm advises Randy to start an illegal cockfighting ring. Randy enlists the help of loyal
    friend Buster and borrows money from his sister Roberta. Even ex-girlfriend Gert is coerced by Storm to
    take part. Greed and desperation rise up, relationships tangle, and Randy and his ring are thrown into a
    downward spiral.