Michael Higgins

WINNER, AACT NEWPLAYFEST 2022. A brilliant engineer has decided to leave our ailing planet on a mission to colonize another world. Her ex-boyfriend believes the Earth—and their relationship—can be saved, but first he must convince her to stay … and hope his new robotic arm doesn’t ruin everything. Told through a series of two-actor scenes, LAUNCH DAY (LOVE STORIES FROM THE YEAR 2108) follows six couples struggling with relationship issues in a high-tech but perilous future. Other characters include a starving artist who has agreed to let an advertising firm insert a computer chip in her head; a devoted zookeeper fighting to protect Sandy the pandaroo, her favorite genetically engineered creature; and a lonely construction worker enlisted to help a desperate woman with a task that may or may not be murder—killing her AI supervisor.

SEEKING WORLD PREMIERE. Super-salesman Joe Barkman, a one-time king of the TV infomercial, has a chance to return to his former glory. But his day of triumph gets complicated when he’s visited by Amber Weeks, a young fan who can recite his old infomercials by heart. At first, Joe takes Amber for a groupie, then believes he may have found a new partner. But as Joe’s comeback scheme starts to crumble, it’s Amber who forces him to confront the lies of his past – lies that could cost him everything. YOU MUST ACT NOW is a comic look at the art of salesmanship and the price of deception. It’s a play about honesty – and other items not sold in stores.

Published in the anthology THE BEST NEW TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2019. [Author retains performance rights.] A stressed-out young woman tries to escape her demanding life by fleeing into the world of her dreams.

Published in the anthology THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2018. [Author retains performance rights.] A struggling artist earns extra money by allowing an advertising firm to insert a computer chip in her head. But the effects on her romantic life are unsettling. This play is based on a scene from the author's full-length comedy, LAUNCH DAY (LOVE STORIES FROM THE YEAR 2108).

A man who narrates overwrought TV documentaries goes looking for love. But the skills that made him a success on TV sabotage his date.

Published in MONOLOGUES FOR HEADSPACE THEATRE: RADICAL THINKING INSIDE A BOX. [Author retains performance rights.] A monologue delivered by a 103-year-old man who has made it his life's goal to outlive his enemies. The play is based on a scene from the author's full-length comedy, SUPER WINNING MADE EASY.

A young scientist on the run from the authorities lands in the underground lab of a secret military contractor. Her only way out: Build the ultimate weapon. A comedy about war, peace and ray guns.

When his career as a self-help guru falters, Zack Barton hatches a comeback plan: He will spy on the world’s most extreme winners and learn their secrets. But a rival guru stands in his way.

In a future where wild animals need genetic modification to survive, a zookeeper struggles to protect her job and her favorite hybrid creature: a pandaroo. The play is based on an excerpt from the author's full-length comedy, LAUNCH DAY (LOVE STORIES FROM THE YEAR 2108).