Sheila Cowley

Susan flew military planes in WWII, so men could go and fight. Now she’s been ordered to get back to normal, while the town waits for her local hero husband to come home.

Finalist, Marin Theatre Company's 2018 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize. Finalist, Theatre Conspiracy New Play Contest 2018. Finalist, Florida Repertory Theatre, PlayLab Festival 2017. Semi-Finalist, Geva Theatre 2016. Semi-Finalist, O'Neill Theater Center 2015 National Playwrights Conference. Semi-Finalist, Ashland New Plays Festival 2015.

Flying looks at life propelled by stories, as the town tells glory tales of Bob and Susan tries to put away her memories of flying.

Susan is comfortable in Bob’s shadow. Now she’s using Bob’s legend to keep his family airfield going, since no one would bring an airplane to a woman for repairs. So when Bob is killed in action, it’s easier for Susan to pretend he’s coming home - for as long as she can.

When Bob’s wounded gunner comes looking for a job, she’s forced to hire him. Fisher struggles with an artificial leg and an airfield run by women, as the stories of the town reveal Susan through what they leave out. 

Flying is drawn from oral histories and memoirs of women who served in the WASP program. It explores the aftermath of war and the quiet, daily acts of heroism that never earn a medal.

"Our strongest ever season opening weekend at the box office since we started the company in 2007. Set two records for talkback attendance." - Bill Lelbach, Chenango River Theatre.

"This show is relevant and timely in so many ways. It gently sears and stays with you." - Robin Gordon, Tampa Repertory Theatre.

"Interweaving interpersonal relationships, personal identity, a community's economic struggle and loss -- inside of a social and historical context-- inside of memory-- layers the story beautifully. The diverse casting challenges the audience to review the specificity of history, while providing a universal doorway through which we can see ourselves." - Fanni Green, University of South Florida School of Theatre & Dance.

A romantic comedy of gender twists and unexpected acts of heroism – the adventures of an insecure puppeteer on a kids' TV show whose girlfriend is a hard-working superhero. As Aldo tries to work up the courage to finally propose, he winds up helping his best friend's adopted son find a creative solution to being bullied for being different.

The Burlesque Astronomy Play celebrates the vibrant interplay between scientific and artistic exploration – with dance, abstract art, astronomy and onstage science magic. It’s focused on the challenges that women face when balancing career and femininity.

Andi’s been longing for the starry sky since she was a little girl. But NASA turned her down, again, because they want people who have other interests besides blasting into space.

So Andi is marooned on Earth, trapped at a university and feeling like she’s running out of time. When she stumbles into an Art department project that’s inspired by astronomy, she meets Cal, an artist – and steps into a world of abstract art and burlesque dance experiments where there are no clear answers. As Cal and Andi wrangle with connections between art and astrophysics, Andi starts her own experiments to see if it’s possible for a nerd girl to be sexy.

Fiona is an Astro 101 teacher who never got her PhD because she stopped to raise a family. Now her kids are into musicals and haiku and Fiona’s in a panic - googling experiments with eggs and generating electricity with pickles, trying desperately to get her kids more interested in science than in tap dance.

Andi is applying one more time to NASA, now that she’s got “other interests.” But when she finds out she’s pregnant, it’s clear that the biggest mystery is her own femininity – and whether motherhood will derail her career.

If you didn't run amuck enough when you were young, you can fix that through the stories that you tell your grandkids.

A tiny play to celebrate resilience and many, many second chances.

This play is great fun for children, seniors and inclusive groups. It's also been performed by a professional actor, dancers and a brass ensemble – and by an actor sharing lines with joyful adults with neuro-differences.

Commissioned by the Roser Park Neighborhood Association for the 2021 installation of Jeff Whipple's public artwork.

* For Development by College Casts: Madness explores gender stereotypes and gender fluidity, in a theatrical celebration of transformation and the arts. The story tackles love, identity, sacrifice and family in a rollicking and absurd onstage world. 

Tonight, the annual March 32nd celebration’s underway, a time to give each other good surprises and be grateful bad surprises are all locked away. That was thanks to Eleanor, who forgot that she’d put herself out of a job by saving the world.

When a man transformed into a woman, two women playing men and Penelope, who’s loved March 32nd all her life, get to the party - they find Robin’s found a comfortable balance between male and female, Ollie has misplaced the recipe for perfect lovemaking - and Eleanor’s trying to put the world back like it was.

A screenwriter has spent her career killing the same actor over and over. Now that actor is asking her to rewrite his wife's very recent - and very real - death.

Two artists struggle over how far to go for their art, if even outer space isn’t far enough.

People under siege are making home and family with who and what they have.

"Stunningly original play" - Winner of 2018 British Theatre Challenge, Sky Blue Theatre.

A quantum physicist muses on the routine unpredictability of life and love.

An astronomer who feels gravity yanking at her socks when she looks up at the stars, and an artist who's overwhelmed by sounds vibrating off of blue and purple, find their way along an awkward first date on a cloudy night. 

A tidal biologist wading in the shallows feels the pull of distant galaxies.

A beleaguered nurse on a faraway island tries on a bikini for the first time, and has to choose between humiliation and bravado.

A young woman railing against her first Christmas without her mother, finds help from the nerdy kid she’s always ignored at family celebrations.

A couple dig through unseen piles of family heirlooms, and realize they never really listened to their endless family stories - and now nobody's alive to ask.

A married couple who used to be a man and woman and are now two men, are trying to get used to things as they chaperone an awkward high school dance. (earlier title, Dance)

An eye surgeon convinces her husband he's been blinded in an accident, to try to keep him from leaving her.

Every day, Tim bares his chest and Leslie kills him. Leslie’s mom is in the hospital, so she seeks distraction in her dad’s garage, devising a monster play for kids. Tim plays the monster as she wields a wooden sword, while a Trio of silent clowns create a magical world from found objects.

Trio wrestles with the cycles we all struggle through, as parents die and children have to take their place. 

When an old college love appears, a three-way romantic triangle takes shape through swords and masks and monsters, and Tim and Leslie forge a way to face the real world, even if you’re only armed with a wooden sword.

The preacher's wife wrangles with church ladies, her career as a doctor - and mysteries in the graveyard next door, knowing that her dog is stealing flowers from the tombstones.

A woman meets her boyfriend's father and realizes he's her soulmate, not his son - just 40 years too late. 

Two nervous workaday elves wait for Santa to jump into his getaway sleigh, with visible live sound effects performed onstage.

Commissioned for March Forth Productions' 2015 Krampusnacht celebration in NYC.

Charlie's done everything his father said would make him a good man - work hard, get married, raise a family. Jack's a doctor and almost a hermit, since his longtime partner left town. When their work lives connect, Charlie has to face fears and desires he's been struggling against all his life. Fathers, sons and masculinity, an exploration of how life resonates throughout a family.

Susan flew military planes in WWII, so men could go and fight. Now she’s been ordered to get back to normal, while the town waits for her local hero husband to come home.

Flying looks at life propelled by stories, as the town tells glory tales of Bob and Susan tries to put away her memories of flying.

Susan is comfortable in Bob’s shadow. Now she’s using Bob’s legend to keep his family airfield going, since no one would bring an airplane to a woman for repairs. So when Bob is killed in action, it’s easier for Susan to pretend he’s coming home - for as long as she can.

When Bob’s wounded gunner comes looking for a job, she’s forced to hire him. Fisher struggles with an artificial leg and an airfield run by women, as the stories of the town reveal Susan through what they leave out.

Flying is drawn from oral histories and memoirs of women who served in the WASP program. It explores the aftermath of war and the quiet, daily acts of heroism that never earn a medal.

- - - This streamlined version of the stage script was performed on Zoom with an all-Black cast directed by L. Peter Callender of the African American Shakespeare Company for Tampa Repertory Theatre in August 2020. The performance featured period costumes and virtual backgrounds of the hangar and ran under 90 minutes. Audience response was that it was the best Zoom performance many had seen. Sound design from the Tampa Rep production is available.

Finalist, Marin Theatre Company's 2018 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize. Finalist, Theatre Conspiracy New Play Contest 2018. Finalist, Florida Repertory Theatre, PlayLab Festival 2017. Semi-Finalist, Geva Theatre 2016. Semi-Finalist, O'Neill Theater Center 2015 National Playwrights Conference. Semi-Finalist, Ashland New Plays Festival 2015.

It's easier to dive into delightful wordplay than to simply tell someone you need a hug.

A lovely short solo play that you can make your own – a work that welcomes actors of any age, gender identity, ethnicity and ability. Good for auditions, classes, Thespians, or serenading someone you love.