Jon Klein

Jon Klein

I'm the author of around 30 plays, produced Off-Broadway and at regional theatres around the country. My best known plays are probably the ones that began at the Humana Festival: T BONE N WEASEL and BETTY THE YETI, still produced with frequency. I was also a finalist for the American Theatre Critics' Award for DIMLY PERCEIVED THREATS TO THE SYSTEM. And my stage adaptation of the children's...
I'm the author of around 30 plays, produced Off-Broadway and at regional theatres around the country. My best known plays are probably the ones that began at the Humana Festival: T BONE N WEASEL and BETTY THE YETI, still produced with frequency. I was also a finalist for the American Theatre Critics' Award for DIMLY PERCEIVED THREATS TO THE SYSTEM. And my stage adaptation of the children's book BUNNICULA continues to be a perennial favorite at theatres for young audiences. I was previously head of the MFA Playwriting Program at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. www.jon-klein.com

Plays

  • DECENCY by Jon Klein
    Cast: 
    3–4
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    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 3 more
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    Keyword: morality, sexism + 3 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political
    Keyword: morality, sexism, Hollywood, fame, based on true events
    Based on actual correspondence between famous actress Ingrid Bergman and "America's Censor," Joseph Breen. As head of the Motion Picture Production Code (the "Hay's Code"), Breen attempted to impose moral standards on Bergman's behavior, as she chose to have a very public affair while married.
  • FAITHLESS by Jon Klein
    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: religion, atheism + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: religion, atheism, faith, afterlife, dysfunctional family, multiracial casting
    FAITHLESS is about an aging atheist named Gus, recovering from cancer, who is forced to deal with two grown stepchildren: a Presbyterian minister who is suffering from a crisis of faith, and a young woman who seems to have had a glimpse of the afterlife after a head injury. He is also dismayed by his adopted child, a teenager who suddenly decides she’d like to be a nun. A comedy/drama.
  • CHANCE AND NECESSITY by Jon Klein
    Cast: 
    10–12
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    Genre: adventure, biography + 4 more
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    Keyword: science, philosophy + 7 more
    Genre: adventure, biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political
    Keyword: science, philosophy, World War II, Paris, epic, true story, Nazi, resistance, Camus
    Winner of an Alfred P. Sloan Developmental Award at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Epic true story of science, famous writers and hidden romance. Nobel Prize winning biologist Jacques Monod only has days to live, and makes a surprising confession about his adventures in the French Resistance to novelist Jerzy Kosinski (who is under suspicion of plagiarism). Monod's relationship with Albert Camus is recounted...
    Winner of an Alfred P. Sloan Developmental Award at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Epic true story of science, famous writers and hidden romance. Nobel Prize winning biologist Jacques Monod only has days to live, and makes a surprising confession about his adventures in the French Resistance to novelist Jerzy Kosinski (who is under suspicion of plagiarism). Monod's relationship with Albert Camus is recounted - as well as a young female music student.
  • BUTCHERTOWN by Jon Klein
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 4 more
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    Keyword: business, war + 7 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political, tragedy
    Keyword: business, war, prejudice, ethnicity, true story, family, betrayal, immigration, government
    In Kentucky, a young man endures ethnic hatred during the second World War, and is betrayed by his own father when the old immigrant is threatened by the US War Production Board. Inspired by a true story.
  • EARLY STAGES by Jon Klein
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: backstage, acting + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, period, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: backstage, acting, young, 1980s, apprenticeship, gay
    Comedy. In the 1980's, a group of young apprentices at a Midwestern theatre struggle with art and relationships, under the distracted tutelage of an artistic director on the verge of a nervous breakdown.