James Presson

James is a writer/director/St. Louis Cardinals fan.
His plays include FUCK MARRY KILL (New Ohio, developed at Lincoln Center), ALBUM OF THE YEAR (The Cell, music/lyrics by Olivia Hally), MARY IN THE CLUB (Gym @ Judson), DISCOUNT GHOST STORIES (Ars Nova ANT Fest), LONG DIVISION (Portland Center Stage JAW Fest), OUTLAWS (Goodspeed New Musicals, “The Score” at le poisson rouge, music/lyrics by Oyen), FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS (Walkerspace), LITTLE TOWN BLUES (Wild Project), ARCHIE’S FINAL PROJECT (Stage74, music/lyrics by Oyen), and LITTLE MAC, LITTLE MAC, YOU’RE THE VERY MAN (Less Than Rent, co-written with SP Monahan). He co-wrote VOICES IN CONFLICT with Bonnie Dickinson, which ran at The Vineyard Theatre and Fairfield Theatre Company. He later collaborated on the teleplay for the film...

James is a writer/director/St. Louis Cardinals fan.
His plays include FUCK MARRY KILL (New Ohio, developed at Lincoln Center), ALBUM OF THE YEAR (The Cell, music/lyrics by Olivia Hally), MARY IN THE CLUB (Gym @ Judson), DISCOUNT GHOST STORIES (Ars Nova ANT Fest), LONG DIVISION (Portland Center Stage JAW Fest), OUTLAWS (Goodspeed New Musicals, “The Score” at le poisson rouge, music/lyrics by Oyen), FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS (Walkerspace), LITTLE TOWN BLUES (Wild Project), ARCHIE’S FINAL PROJECT (Stage74, music/lyrics by Oyen), and LITTLE MAC, LITTLE MAC, YOU’RE THE VERY MAN (Less Than Rent, co-written with SP Monahan). He co-wrote VOICES IN CONFLICT with Bonnie Dickinson, which ran at The Vineyard Theatre and Fairfield Theatre Company. He later collaborated on the teleplay for the film version that aired on PBS and was awarded two Regional Emmy Awards. Dramatists Guild Fellowship. Official selection: Roundabout Space Jam, ASCAP workshop, Gingold Group Speakers Corner, Sewanee Writers Conference. Awards: NY Fringe, United Solo, Indie Theater Now Person of the Year.
TV/Film: Vinyl (HBO), Civil (TNT), Get Shorty (Epix), Ray Donovan (Showtime), Royally (official selection NYTVF), as well as projects in development with Major League Baseball/Michael Deluca, eOne, and MGM/Cross Creek.
He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and The Writers Room, and the founder and Co-Artistic Director of Less Than Rent Theatre.
He lives on the Lower East Side.

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Scripts

Little Town Blues

by James Presson

Cast Size
13
Genre
adaptation,
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama,
satire

An adaptation of Chekhov's THREE SISTERS that delves into the emotional complexities of young love, intense friendship, and the end of adolescence, while never putting aside the absurdity of living in a world governed by iPhones, laptops, and text messaging. Navigating through delight and devastation, the boarding students of Deforest-Martin Prep rage against the machine of structured academia with the fire of a...

An adaptation of Chekhov's THREE SISTERS that delves into the emotional complexities of young love, intense friendship, and the end of adolescence, while never putting aside the absurdity of living in a world governed by iPhones, laptops, and text messaging. Navigating through delight and devastation, the boarding students of Deforest-Martin Prep rage against the machine of structured academia with the fire of a teenage rebel and the depth of a Russian poet. Co-written with Rachel B Joyce.

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Fuck Marry Kill

by James Presson

Cast Size
12
Genre
adaptation,
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama,
satire,
tragedy

Set in suburban Connecticut , we track the wild, twisted, and deeply intertwined lives of the teens of Greenport High as they grapple with loyalty, lust, narcissism, and nihilism, all while preparing for the biggest night ever: Prom!

Set in suburban Connecticut , we track the wild, twisted, and deeply intertwined lives of the teens of Greenport High as they grapple with loyalty, lust, narcissism, and nihilism, all while preparing for the biggest night ever: Prom!

Friends Don't Let Friends

by James Presson

Cast Size
8—11
Genre
adaptation,
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama,
tragedy

After four years on a hit sitcom, starlet Laura Burns is at the end of her rope. Unimpressed by the whirlwind of fame and consumed by existential notions, she longs for an escape from the artificiality of her laugh-track life. But as the lines between her off-screen friendships and her on-screen ones blur, Laura must face the terrifying possibility that this might be the only reality in which she can exist.

After four years on a hit sitcom, starlet Laura Burns is at the end of her rope. Unimpressed by the whirlwind of fame and consumed by existential notions, she longs for an escape from the artificiality of her laugh-track life. But as the lines between her off-screen friendships and her on-screen ones blur, Laura must face the terrifying possibility that this might be the only reality in which she can exist.

Long Division

by James Presson

Cast Size
5
Genre
adaptation,
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama

For Meryl, the bubble is finally bursting: she’s stuck in a loveless marriage, there are street-level protests raging day and night, and Dad’s dying upstairs from an incurable, unpronounceable disease. What’s to be done but drink the worries away? Long Division is a disaster-comedy depicting the cruel demise of the .0001%

For Meryl, the bubble is finally bursting: she’s stuck in a loveless marriage, there are street-level protests raging day and night, and Dad’s dying upstairs from an incurable, unpronounceable disease. What’s to be done but drink the worries away? Long Division is a disaster-comedy depicting the cruel demise of the .0001%