Maggie Lou Rader

Maggie Lou Rader

A produced playwright, member of the Dramatist’s Guild, and AEA Actor, Maggie Lou Rader (she/her/hers) tells epic stories of epic women. She's obtained degrees from William Jewell College in Kansas City and the Birmingham School of Acting in the UK and has called Cincinnati home for nearly 10 years. She has been the winner of the Notre Dame College New Play festival, a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill...
A produced playwright, member of the Dramatist’s Guild, and AEA Actor, Maggie Lou Rader (she/her/hers) tells epic stories of epic women. She's obtained degrees from William Jewell College in Kansas City and the Birmingham School of Acting in the UK and has called Cincinnati home for nearly 10 years. She has been the winner of the Notre Dame College New Play festival, a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Full Circle Theatre’s New Works Play Festival, Dayton Playhouse’s Future Fest, and UP Theater's Renewal Reading Series, a finalist for Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women and Central Florida Community Arts TYA New Play and Musical Festival, and was selected for Miami University’s inaugural Digital Play Reading Series. She’s has had the privilege of having her work developed at DePaul University, the Theatre School, and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Her plays have been produced at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, InBocca Performance, and The Marsh, MarshStream International Solo Fest, as well as staged readings with Theatre Pro Rata and Green Buffalo Productions. She’s also been published with Smith and Kraus as well as Madwomen in the Attic. Keep an eye out for her work at Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, Skeleton Rep, and Dean Productions in 2021.

As a performer, she has performed in over 60 productions with Know Theatre of Cincinnati, StageOne, The Human Race Theatre, Kentucky Shakespeare, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, and has been a resident actor with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for 10 seasons. In Cincinnati, she lives happily on her homestead with husband Justin, and three fur babies with four eyes between them.

Plays

  • Blood To Drink by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: Salem Witch Trials, witches + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, period, political, tragedy
    Keyword: Salem Witch Trials, witches, feminist, features Women's Roles, History, true story, halloween, contains LGBTQ character
    In this modern dark comedy about the ever present "why" behind America's most famous witch hunt, Elizabeth Proctor finds herself on the wrong side of witchcraft accusations alongside Sarah Good, Bridget Bishop, and Ann Foster in Salem, 1692. They reckon with their faith, fears, and just how much society has suddenly forced them to have in common. Nothing brings people together like a common enemy...
    In this modern dark comedy about the ever present "why" behind America's most famous witch hunt, Elizabeth Proctor finds herself on the wrong side of witchcraft accusations alongside Sarah Good, Bridget Bishop, and Ann Foster in Salem, 1692. They reckon with their faith, fears, and just how much society has suddenly forced them to have in common. Nothing brings people together like a common enemy, but when their enemy is placed directly in the middle of their cell, the rules of society that say women are subservient are quickly abandoned. Blood to Drink examines internalized misogyny, patriarchal oppression, and the radical joy wronged women choose to find.
  • The Helpers by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–11
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, biography + 8 more
    ·
    Keyword: Anne Frank, World War II + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political, radio drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Anne Frank, World War II, resistance, protest, allyship, full length, college age characters, History, feminism
    The Helpers is a new perspective from of the other side of the most famous bookshelf in history. Miep Gies, an immigrant and secretary for Otto Frank's famous Opekta company, leads a group of helpers to preserve the residents of the Secret Annex and the spirit of goodness and survival during World War II. The Helpers is a tale of joy, hope, friendship, and resistance during one of history's darkest moments.
  • LET. HER. RIP. by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, biography + 13 more
    ·
    Keyword: full-length, Jack the Ripper + 7 more
    Genre: adventure, biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fable/folktale, farce, holiday, horror, mystery/thriller, period, political, radio drama, tragedy
    Keyword: full-length, Jack the Ripper, full length play, dark comedy, History, feminist, small cast, Victorian, Great female roles
    LET. HER. RIP. is the story of comradery, activism, and ferocity which lies in the crosshairs of the Match Women labor movement and the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888. Behind the scenes labor leaders, Em, Liza, and Nana are busting their lady balls to make the East End safer for women and all working people, when the headlines move away from their accomplishments to the mysterious man mutilating women in the...
    LET. HER. RIP. is the story of comradery, activism, and ferocity which lies in the crosshairs of the Match Women labor movement and the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888. Behind the scenes labor leaders, Em, Liza, and Nana are busting their lady balls to make the East End safer for women and all working people, when the headlines move away from their accomplishments to the mysterious man mutilating women in the streets. Women they know. Women of their community. Neighbors and friends. They support and reignite each other in their fight against deadly misogyny, police brutality, personal demons, their own white saviorism, social reform, and a better life for all poor East End women. But as tensions come to a head, who will make the final rip?
  • They Played In Peoria by Maggie Lou Rader
    Cast: 
    12
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 9 more
    ·
    Keyword: women in baseball, AAGPBL + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fantasy, immersive, movement/physical, period, political, romantic comedy, tragedy
    Keyword: women in baseball, AAGPBL, baseball, Girls in sports, happy endings for queer kids, family, brain injury, college age actors
    They Played in Peoria follows Donny and the rest of the 1948 AAGPBL Peoria Redwings through their ever-shifting dynamics, plenty of losses, a few wins, and the nitty gritty of finding what bands them together as a team. However, as the season progresses, things are not always as they seem.
  • The Wonder by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adventure, biography + 13 more
    ·
    Keyword: ghost story, one act + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, biography, docudrama/historic, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, horror, immersive, movement/physical, musical, mystery/thriller, period, radio drama, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: ghost story, one act, halloween, full length, midwestern gothic, one act drama, college age characters, almost all female cast
    The Wonder is inspired by the first documented case of spiritual possession in America. Mary Roff's unearthly illness turns her family and the town of Watseka, Illinois upside down, that is, until Lurancy Vennum follows in her footsteps. The Wonder is a journey of hope, loss, undying familial love, and healing beyond the bounds of this world. Also, it's a ghost story. An American Midwest Gothic ghost...
    The Wonder is inspired by the first documented case of spiritual possession in America. Mary Roff's unearthly illness turns her family and the town of Watseka, Illinois upside down, that is, until Lurancy Vennum follows in her footsteps. The Wonder is a journey of hope, loss, undying familial love, and healing beyond the bounds of this world. Also, it's a ghost story. An American Midwest Gothic ghost story for mothers and daughters.
  • Like Demons by Maggie Lou Rader
    Cast: 
    6–16
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 10 more
    ·
    Keyword: Civil War, historical feminism + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, immersive, movement/physical, period, political, radio drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Civil War, historical feminism, intersectional feminism, badass women, PTSD, Adaptable for a Radio Drama, full length, college age, college age characters
    Set during the backdrop of the American Civil War, Like Demons is a tale of historical fiction based on the forgotten true stories of real women who lived and fought as male soldiers on the battlefield. Their silent heroism, true patriotism, and love of honor come to life in the story of Emma Edmond's journey as a soldier and spy for the duration of America’s bloodiest war. Emma comes to terms with her own...
    Set during the backdrop of the American Civil War, Like Demons is a tale of historical fiction based on the forgotten true stories of real women who lived and fought as male soldiers on the battlefield. Their silent heroism, true patriotism, and love of honor come to life in the story of Emma Edmond's journey as a soldier and spy for the duration of America’s bloodiest war. Emma comes to terms with her own past, prejudices, while discovering how dangerous hope can really be.
  • Mary's Monster by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: adventure, biography + 13 more
    ·
    Keyword: Frankenstein, motherhood + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, biography, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fantasy, horror, immersive, movement/physical, mystery/thriller, period, political, radio drama, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: Frankenstein, motherhood, historical women, Gothic horror, Adaptable for a Radio Drama, one act, full length, One woman show
    On a dark night near the end of her life, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley wrestles with ghosts: her dead children, her sister, her famous husband, her mother, and Frankenstein, her most famous creation. Death has loomed over her entire life, and now, shovel in hand, she will reckon with it, one way or another.
  • Conferring by the Parlor Fire by Maggie Lou Rader
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, feminist spin on Shakespeare + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, parody/spoof, period, political, satire
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, feminist spin on Shakespeare, contemporary shakespeare
    Kate the Shrew, Bianca and the Widow confer by the parlor fire while their husbands spend time with Shakespeare's audience. But what happened by that fire that led to Kate's famous "tamed" speech? These women are up to more than Shakespeare intended.
  • Antoine at the Border by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 9 more
    ·
    Keyword: Marie Antoinette, History + 2 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, fable/folktale, fantasy, immersive, parody/spoof, period, political, satire
    Keyword: Marie Antoinette, History, badass women, one act
    Marie Antoinette is a figure larger than history can hold. However, she was born Antoine, a sweet Austrian princess. What happened in that tent when the Austrian princess became the future French queen? Antoine at the Border is a delightful, 10-minute, "what if" story from history. Who came out of that tent on the border?
  • The Birth by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: family, non-traditional family + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, radio drama, romantic comedy, zoom
    Keyword: family, non-traditional family, comedy, generations, Family. Straight. LGBTQ, queer family
    Three generations await the birth of a new baby. A modern family is created while the generations before learn and share secrets about their, perhaps, not so traditional beginnings.
  • Dragon Up by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: Toxic Masculinity, Social Emotional Learning + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, fable/folktale, fantasy, immersive, movement/physical, musical, young audiences
    Keyword: Toxic Masculinity, Social Emotional Learning, conflict resolution, dragon, tya, one act, children's theatre, school tour
    Oro the dragon just turned 12, is struggling to learn how to breathe fire to be a “real” dragon boy, and now finds himself in charge of guarding the Great Dragon Treasure! However, when he’s arguing with Meetra, the Muskrat Knight, the Scary Teacher Monster comes and steals the treasure from under their snouts! Will Oro and Meetra find the treasure? Will Oro learn how to breathe fire? Will they learn how to...
    Oro the dragon just turned 12, is struggling to learn how to breathe fire to be a “real” dragon boy, and now finds himself in charge of guarding the Great Dragon Treasure! However, when he’s arguing with Meetra, the Muskrat Knight, the Scary Teacher Monster comes and steals the treasure from under their snouts! Will Oro and Meetra find the treasure? Will Oro learn how to breathe fire? Will they learn how to express emotions and resolve conflict in a healthy way?
  • Alice in Neverland by Maggie Lou Rader
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–5
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: Critical Thinking, educational + 6 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, fantasy, movement/physical, musical, mystery/thriller, period, young audiences
    Keyword: Critical Thinking, educational, touring show, one act, adults playing children, Alice in Wonderland, peter pan, tya
    Alice in Neverland is a literary mashup, crime caper mystery for audiences of all ages. Join Alice, the best detective in Wonderland, who takes the case when Tinkerbell and Peter's Shadow hire her to solve the mystery of Peter Pan’s disappearance. Upon arriving in Neverland, Alice finds that without Peter, time has been thrust forward, leaving Neverland in perpetual winter. The Lost Kids are growing up (...
    Alice in Neverland is a literary mashup, crime caper mystery for audiences of all ages. Join Alice, the best detective in Wonderland, who takes the case when Tinkerbell and Peter's Shadow hire her to solve the mystery of Peter Pan’s disappearance. Upon arriving in Neverland, Alice finds that without Peter, time has been thrust forward, leaving Neverland in perpetual winter. The Lost Kids are growing up (and running off to invest in stock market) and the mermaids lement about being stuck in winter (left to steal crab-shmere blankets from fish). Will Alice find Peter before he grows up?Will time be restored in Neverland? Will Captain Hook ever be picked for the hockey team? This mashup of everyone’s favorite childhood stories will have your audiences laughing, cheering, and using critical thinking skills to help Alice decipher clues and crack the case.
  • The Inventive Princess of Floralee by Maggie Lou Rader
    Cast: 
    2–5
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: fairy tale, stem + 7 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, fable/folktale, fantasy, melodrama, movement/physical, musical, period, young audiences
    Keyword: fairy tale, stem, feminism, tya, children's theatre, one act, school tour, educational theater, children and family musical
    This two-person, interactive, 45-minute fairy tale will have your audiences “thinking like scientists” as they follow the Princess of Floralee on the adventure of a lifetime, searching for the kidnapped king kept in the clutches of a viciously vile and wrathfully wicked witch. Along the way, audiences will help the princess solve a variety of math, engineering, science, and even dance challenges as she uses her...
    This two-person, interactive, 45-minute fairy tale will have your audiences “thinking like scientists” as they follow the Princess of Floralee on the adventure of a lifetime, searching for the kidnapped king kept in the clutches of a viciously vile and wrathfully wicked witch. Along the way, audiences will help the princess solve a variety of math, engineering, science, and even dance challenges as she uses her brains, wit, and sound judgment to find her father in the land Scalenfell. Our princess meets characters like a figure-skating dragon, a Platypus saving Pirate, a gate with a flair for the dramatics, and a witch! This unique educational opportunity unites science and art by giving audiences a chance to laugh, dance, and think critically about topics rooted in STEM.