Cassie M. Seinuk

Cassie M. Seinuk

Cassie M. Seinuk is a Jewish Cuban playwright and AEA stage manager with an MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen from Lesley University, and her BA at Brandeis University with High Honors in Theatre Arts and Creative Writing. Cassie's full-length play FROM THE DEEP is the second place recipient of the 2014 Latinidad Playwrights Award at The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, the 2014 winner...
Cassie M. Seinuk is a Jewish Cuban playwright and AEA stage manager with an MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen from Lesley University, and her BA at Brandeis University with High Honors in Theatre Arts and Creative Writing. Cassie's full-length play FROM THE DEEP is the second place recipient of the 2014 Latinidad Playwrights Award at The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, the 2014 winner of the Pestalozzi Prize for best New Play at the Firehouse Center for the Arts New Work Festival, a Global Age semi-finalist at the Aurora, and a semi-finalist for the nuVoices Festival in at the Actors’ Theatre of Charlotte NC. Seinuk was a 2014 Kennedy Center Fellow and Playwright Observer at The O’Neill, and is a recipient of the Boston University Jewish Cultural Endowment grant for the upcoming production of FROM THE DEEP.

Seinuk’s short play Leave A Message was nominated for the Region 1 National Ten-minute Play Award at KCACTF 2013. Occupy Hallmark and Playing Checkers are finalists for Region 1 for the NPP National Ten-Minute Play Award at KCACTF 2014.

Her full-length Eyes Shut. Door Open is a 2014 Inkwell Finalist, and has received development with Wax Wings Theatre Company and Argos Productions in Boston.

Other productions and achievements include: Seinuk’s short play Just Like Tetraphobia was produced at the Boston Theater Marathon. Her 10-minute Occupy Hallmark received its second production July 2013 as a Final 30 at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival. Her one-act play The Muse was a semi-finalist at the OOB in 2011, a semi-finalist in Manhattan Rep's One Act Competition in 2012, and a 2013 semi-finalist at The Warner Theatre Company's Playwrights Festival. Her full-length, Runner: The Novel The Play, received a workshop at Brandeis University (Free Play Theatre), a staged reading in Boston (Holland Productions), and a workshop in Chicago August 2012 (Echoes Theatre). Her full-length Meet Me In The Bathroom has had two readings in Boston, and another in January 2014 with Maiden Phoenix Theatre in Boston.

Seinuk is a member of Boston Public Works Theater Company. In addition, Seinuk is the co-founder of Interim Writers, a playwrights' collective, and is a member of their Accomplice Writers' Group. Seinuk is a Dramatist Guild member, and a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Plays

  • From the Deep by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 9
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama, tragedy
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    Keyword: Israel, Middle East + 8 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Israel, Middle East, missing person, captivity, sexuality, identity, Black Lives Matters, Boston, Jewish, war
    FULL LENGTH - When Andrew, a young Black missing Boston University student, arrives in the surreal Room of the Missing, Ilan, an Israeli POW, must convince Andrew to play games, keep his mind active, and face the truth of his captivity before they both go missing forever. From The Deep explores the question: where do we go when in captivity, and what will we do to survive?
  • Dream House by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: mortality, legacy + 8 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, faith-based, tragedy
    Keyword: mortality, legacy, tree houses, family, death, magical realism, dream chorus, design, unrequited love, Jewish Family
    FULL LENGTH - Life has been relatively easy for West, a 27 year old RISD graduate, who has just spent the past seven years of his life working as a customer service rep at an online banking company, that is until a collapse at work and subsequent diagnosis puts an expiration date on West’s life. Shocked by the news, West quits his job and moves back to semi-rural North Hampton, Massachusetts, back to his...
    FULL LENGTH - Life has been relatively easy for West, a 27 year old RISD graduate, who has just spent the past seven years of his life working as a customer service rep at an online banking company, that is until a collapse at work and subsequent diagnosis puts an expiration date on West’s life. Shocked by the news, West quits his job and moves back to semi-rural North Hampton, Massachusetts, back to his estranged mother’s home. West enlists the help of his childhood, stoner-chick, friend Sammy, and sets out to build the tree house of his dreams, the one he started with his missing father, the first project in a slew of unfinished projects before time runs out. Excited about her son’s return, but struck with deep financial debt, Elyse, West’s mother, seeks guidance from her hippie Rabbi sister Diane, as they try to unearth the mystery behind West’s behavior, hoping he could bring the relief she needs. But when West’s symptoms grow too severe and expose his secret, he must not only face his devastated mother, but her secrets as well.
  • Una Me Da Leche by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama, faith-based + 4 more
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    Keyword: US-Mexico border, Jewish + 5 more
    Genre: drama, faith-based, horror, mystery/thriller, political, tragedy
    Keyword: US-Mexico border, Jewish, Cults, Spanglish, Mexican, bilingual, intersectionality
    FULL LENGTH - Sent by her dying mother, Gabi, a young Jewish Latina, finds herself at a dusty storage unit in New Mexico, face to face with her half-brother Manuel, a tattooed junkie who is a devote worshipper of Santa Muerte, Our Lady of Death. Gabi must convince Manuel to come with her before their mother dies, but Manuel is determined to surrender to sure death himself as he waits for El Hombre, his assassin...
    FULL LENGTH - Sent by her dying mother, Gabi, a young Jewish Latina, finds herself at a dusty storage unit in New Mexico, face to face with her half-brother Manuel, a tattooed junkie who is a devote worshipper of Santa Muerte, Our Lady of Death. Gabi must convince Manuel to come with her before their mother dies, but Manuel is determined to surrender to sure death himself as he waits for El Hombre, his assassin, to arrive. Now, Gabi must not only save her brother, but also face her own demons as the two struggle with questions of faith, love, and the lengths one goes for family.
  • Meet Me in the Bathroom by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    7–19
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    Genre: tragedy
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    Keyword: teenage girls, social media + 4 more
    Genre: tragedy
    Keyword: teenage girls, social media, choral style, metoo, friendship, revenge
    Currently under development at The Nora Theatre Company. Looking to continue development on this play.

    FULL LENGTH - When Freckles, a high school junior, innocently shows her friends a selfie of her and their sexy English teacher Mr. Murphy, she unwillingly sets herself into a social and social media tailspin. The dominos begin to fall as mean girl with a grudge, Laser, steals Freckles'...
    Currently under development at The Nora Theatre Company. Looking to continue development on this play.

    FULL LENGTH - When Freckles, a high school junior, innocently shows her friends a selfie of her and their sexy English teacher Mr. Murphy, she unwillingly sets herself into a social and social media tailspin. The dominos begin to fall as mean girl with a grudge, Laser, steals Freckles' phone and posts the photo online, the school’s beloved English teacher gets fired, and Freckles gets kicked off student government, her ticket to a stellar college application and popularity. Set entirely in the girls' bathroom of a high school in an average town, six teenagers are faced with decision to stand with Freckles and fall into social suicide, or to save face and join the ranks of popular opinion, believe that Freckles a slut and must be destroyed!

    This play tackles belief in the world of #metoo. Of how black and white things feel when you are in high school. And how messy it is to be a teenager in the age of social media.
  • Eyes Shut. Door Open. by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 7
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: adaptation, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: brothers, haunting + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, fable/folktale, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: brothers, haunting, Art and Artists, PTSD, family, secrets, contemporary fable, truth, blood
    Inkwell Finalist, Nominated for Best New Play at the ArtImpulse Awards 2015

    FULL LENGTH - Turner Street’s bold paintings are the hottest thing to hit the SoHo art scene – they’ve even captured the attention of the elusive Johanna. But when his one-eyed, pill-popping, younger brother Palmer appears, Turner must face the disturbing truth of his success, the dark family secrets shut behind doors,...
    Inkwell Finalist, Nominated for Best New Play at the ArtImpulse Awards 2015

    FULL LENGTH - Turner Street’s bold paintings are the hottest thing to hit the SoHo art scene – they’ve even captured the attention of the elusive Johanna. But when his one-eyed, pill-popping, younger brother Palmer appears, Turner must face the disturbing truth of his success, the dark family secrets shut behind doors, and risk losing everything.
  • PAUSE/PLAY/STOP (co-written with Jordan Morille) by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: late 90s, pop punk + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: late 90s, pop punk, Retro, college age actors, High school characters, aftermath Gun violence, female driven, early 2000s
    PAUSE/PLAY/STOP is a pop-punk-inspired collaborative script written by Cassie M. Seinuk and Jordan Morille, that both celebrates and criticizes the life and culture of the late 90s/early 00s. It tells the story of Stacey and three of her male friends struggling to pick up the pieces in the wake of a terrible tragedy, the loss of the unifying friend in their group of misfits. The play follows Stacey as she, like...
    PAUSE/PLAY/STOP is a pop-punk-inspired collaborative script written by Cassie M. Seinuk and Jordan Morille, that both celebrates and criticizes the life and culture of the late 90s/early 00s. It tells the story of Stacey and three of her male friends struggling to pick up the pieces in the wake of a terrible tragedy, the loss of the unifying friend in their group of misfits. The play follows Stacey as she, like a CD in a disc-man, spins between Jake, Adam, and Mark serving their needs before her own, until she can finally break the cycle and hit STOP.
  • OCCUPY HALLMARK a ten-minute play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 11
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, holiday + 1 more
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    Keyword: KCACTF Valentine's Day, quirky + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, holiday, romantic comedy
    Keyword: KCACTF Valentine's Day, quirky, occupy
    Winner of the The Gary Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Award at The Kennedy Center American College Theatre National Festival, 2015
    Finalist Region 1 The Gary Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Award, KCACTF, 2015
    Final 30 at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival

    When MOOSE, a loud liberal, down-on-love and protesting Valentine’s Day, greeting cards, and while he’s at it...
    Winner of the The Gary Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Award at The Kennedy Center American College Theatre National Festival, 2015
    Finalist Region 1 The Gary Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Award, KCACTF, 2015
    Final 30 at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival

    When MOOSE, a loud liberal, down-on-love and protesting Valentine’s Day, greeting cards, and while he’s at it corporate America, is stumbled upon by SALTY, a quirky young lady and long-lost childhood friend, the two discover the perfect way to quell their hatred of all things heart-shaped, and find that maybe there’s someone out their for everyone.
  • No One Talks About It: A 10 minute Lactation Play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: motherhood, breastfeeding + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: motherhood, breastfeeding, nurse, Bechdel Test, mother, new Moms, women's health, fear
    Tabby has seen enough breastfeeding! And after this last nipple citing, Tabby can no longer contain her own feelings of regret, loss, disappointment, and resentment with her own breast feeding struggles, and is now a steaming engine of a mom-tornado, and it's just unfortunate that mom-to-be Deb has landed in her path!
  • Misplaced by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 8
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: miscarriage, pregnancy + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: miscarriage, pregnancy, coping with grief, connection, women's issues, motherhood, child loss
    10 MINUTE PLAY: It's been three weeks since Jane has just had a miscarriage, and the grief and heartbreak have driven her to find her first-ever heartbreak, her sixth-grade brief boyfriend Abe. When he is reluctant to talk to her about her miscarriage, which he feels completely unconnected to, Jane holds her knowledge of his whereabouts over his head. Forcing him to participate in her deep need to know "why."
  • Birders Flock to Kentucky: a 10-minute Eco Theater Play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: eco theater, environmental crisis + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: eco theater, environmental crisis, climate change, bird-watching, ten minute drama, non-binary character
    Howie's mom and dad are shocked when they discover their 11-year-old has purchased plane tickets to Kentucky without their permission and even more shocked when they discover the reasons why. Inspired by the story of the Pink Footed Geese, Birders Flock to Kentucky is an eco-theater play about Gen X negligence and the climate disaster we have irresponsibly left our children to deal with.
  • Skin to Skin: A Virtual 10 Minute Play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama, zoom
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    Keyword: COVID, pandemic + 6 more
    Genre: drama, zoom
    Keyword: COVID, pandemic, Parenting, motherhood, breastfeeding, betrayal, family drama, virtual play
    Toni and Alex have spent the entirety of the pandemic together but completely isolated from their friends and family. When shortly after the arrival of their baby boy they are forced to quarantine apart, they must find a new way to co-parent. Over a FaceTime call, these brand new parents must face the reality of their situation when an innocent TV watching debrief turns into a confrontation about breaking...
    Toni and Alex have spent the entirety of the pandemic together but completely isolated from their friends and family. When shortly after the arrival of their baby boy they are forced to quarantine apart, they must find a new way to co-parent. Over a FaceTime call, these brand new parents must face the reality of their situation when an innocent TV watching debrief turns into a confrontation about breaking lockdown and the unique chemical bond of a mother and child.
  • PLAYING CHECKERS a ten-minute play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: haunting, unconventional love story + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: haunting, unconventional love story, brother and sister, dark
    Winner of The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Regional Finalist

    10 MINUTE PLAY. Playing Checkers is a chilling tale about incestuous abuse between a brother and sister and power: the power we steal in during intimacy, and how taking control of your past can be as easy and as challenging as checkers.
  • CRACKLERS a ten-minute play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama, political
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    Keyword: Boston Marathon Bombing, Smith & Kraus + 3 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: Boston Marathon Bombing, Smith & Kraus, public transportation, TSA, Race
    On the second 4th of July after the Boston Marathon Bombings, TOM, an ethnically ambiguous man in his mid to late 30s, has been riding the MBTA Red Line train back and forth for over three hours. When an undercover TSA officer asks him to explain himself and the suspicious parcel tucked under his seat, he must face his guilt and failed attempt at freedom.
  • We Wear It (formerly titled Speechless) by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: antisemitism, Zionism + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: antisemitism, Zionism, Antizionism, Jewish, American Jews and Israel, Boston, trivia night, inspired by a real event
    10 MINUTE PLAY - When NOAH returns home from what was meant to be a night of Trivia and beer with a stitched-up and severely bruised face, his wife HANNAH is less than shocked to discover the reason for the attack -- his IDF hoodie. The couple is faced with the realities of the rise in antisemitism masquerading as anti-Zionism, and what's worse, they must decide how and what to tell their young children in the morning.
  • JUST LIKE TETRAPHOBIA a ten-minute play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: monster, college + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: monster, college, dating, opposites attract, halloween
    MONSTER JOE, a college student...and monster, will do whatever it takes to win over JILLIAN and make her his date to the Fall Fest Fling. Jillian is afraid of monsters, Monster Joe is afraid of Jillian, and everyone’s afraid of falling in "like.”
  • P is for... by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 4
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
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    Keyword: Internet porn, marriage + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Internet porn, marriage, technology
    10 MINUTE PLAY - When REN, the wife of "fun-employed" and porn-shamed ROB, comes home, kicks back on the couch, and opens her hubby's iPad for a much needed Netflix binge, she is surprised by what he's left playing on the screen. REN then sets out on a mission to get Rob to admit that he, like everyone else in the world, watches porn.
  • Post It - a ten minute play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: motherhood, Bechdel Test + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: motherhood, Bechdel Test, parenthood, mother and daughter, social media
    A millennial soon to be mom and her mother grapple with the issue "to post your baby's pictures on Social Media, or not?"
  • Miles of Homemade Candy by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Transgender, family + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, holiday
    Keyword: Transgender, family, LGBTQ, halloween, coming out, coming of age
    When EDNA's young son MILES chooses his own Halloween costume for the first time, EDNA is faced with her son's true identity, or at least his experimentation with gender.
  • LEAVE A MESSAGE a ten-minute play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: technology, phones + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: technology, phones, cell phones, love, heartbreak, cheating
    Regional Semi-Finalist at KCACTF Region 1, 2014

    After a workplace love affair ends suddenly, BECK desperately ties to get in touch with JESS, but making a connection is harder than it seems in a time where cell phones are our lifeline and ignore is a just a button away.
  • A Little Night Stand Music by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: music, one night stand + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: music, one night stand, love, beauty, cancer, Body image, motherhood
    10 Minute Play: After a one night stand Candace and Gene face the music of their recent diagnosis.
  • The Muse by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: nudity, coming of age + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: nudity, coming of age, weed, dark
    To make some extra cash Finn sets up his awkward best friend Archie with a unique new job working for a mysterious older man named George. There are a few twists in the coming-of-age story, that not only explores friendships, but what it means to be naked.
  • Triumphs of the Heart (Sphere) by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: aging parents, Cults + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: aging parents, Cults, moving on, family
    When COLLIN returns home to discover that his mother, GERALDINE, is giving away all of their sentimental possessions and family memorabilia as part of a spiritual cleansing “step process,” COLLIN is faced with convincing his mother that she’s joined a cult.
  • Rough Trade by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: sexuality, LGBTQ + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, period
    Keyword: sexuality, LGBTQ, mother and son, 2003, texting, online dating, taboo romance, drug use
    It’s 2003, a time before snap-chat, grinder, and smart-phones. Casey, a 22 year old loner, is stuck in a conservative seaside town on the Eastern shore, turning tricks to make ends meat, and save up for his escape, he has become very popular with men secretly seeking men. Margene, his mother, can’t hold down a job, and is constantly on the hunt for a new, and rich, husband to solve all of their problems. But...
    It’s 2003, a time before snap-chat, grinder, and smart-phones. Casey, a 22 year old loner, is stuck in a conservative seaside town on the Eastern shore, turning tricks to make ends meat, and save up for his escape, he has become very popular with men secretly seeking men. Margene, his mother, can’t hold down a job, and is constantly on the hunt for a new, and rich, husband to solve all of their problems. But when her new beau turns out to be Casey’s most lucrative John, Casey will have to choose between his freedom and his family.
  • The Test: A Monologue by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: smoking, teen pregnancy + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: smoking, teen pregnancy, queer, antihero, Young actors
    Jumper, a teenage bad boy who secretly reads classics, tries to buy a pregnancy test for a friend.
    This is a character pulled from a larger play, Meet Me In the Bathroom. However, the monologue is unique and unrelated to the story of the play.
  • Skin of Her Teeth by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: abortion, Roe v. Wade + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: abortion, Roe v. Wade, future, womens' rights, womens' health
    It's a decade or so after the overturning of Roe V. Wade, and Mother and Daughter find themselves in a dentist's office waiting room... waiting for a *root canal.* Mother wants to calm her daughter's fear of her nearing procedure, while also protecting her from the potential dangers of getting a *root canal* in this scary time. When a Uniformed Person enters the waiting room, perhaps their worst...
    It's a decade or so after the overturning of Roe V. Wade, and Mother and Daughter find themselves in a dentist's office waiting room... waiting for a *root canal.* Mother wants to calm her daughter's fear of her nearing procedure, while also protecting her from the potential dangers of getting a *root canal* in this scary time. When a Uniformed Person enters the waiting room, perhaps their worst fears are closer than they think.

    This ten-minute play explores a world where abortion is illegal again, and women have to find alternative and secret clinics to make choices about their own bodies. It is also a play about contradictions, change, and the collective pain bodies with uteruses exprience when our rights are terminated.
  • Pink Feet, a 5 minute monologue by Cassie M. Seinuk
    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: eco-disaster, environment + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: eco-disaster, environment, eco-system, kid, monologue, monologue for non-binary actors
    Adapted from my 10 Minute Play "Birders Flock to Kentucky," this is a monologue for Howie, an 11-year-old, precocious with that Harriet the Spy or Matilda kind of spunk, kid. Howie’s parents have just discovered that HOWIE purchased airplane tickets to Kentucky to go on a Birding Expedition without their permission. In this monologue, HOWIE pleads their case to their parents.