Peter Mercurio

Peter Mercurio

Peter is a writer, husband, and dad. He is the author of Our Subway Baby, a children’s picture book published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Peter wrote We Found Our Son in the Subway, a personal essay about his family, for The New York Times. Variations of the story have been published in Marie Claire Australia, Marie Claire South Africa, Reader’s Digest,...
Peter is a writer, husband, and dad. He is the author of Our Subway Baby, a children’s picture book published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Peter wrote We Found Our Son in the Subway, a personal essay about his family, for The New York Times. Variations of the story have been published in Marie Claire Australia, Marie Claire South Africa, Reader’s Digest, Knack Weekend (Belgium), Red (United Kingdom), and Found Magazine.

He has written several plays including Two Spoons (productions in St. Petersburg, FL; Chicago; New York City, and finalist for the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival), Andrew Reaches the Other Side, Red & Tan Line, Yesterday’s News (produced in New York City), and Hatch (semi-finalist for the AACT NewPlayFest and for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference).

Peter is the founder and Artistic Director of Other Side Productions, a nonprofit theatre company. In addition to writing and producing, he is a presentation specialist and web site designer.

Peter enjoys hiking and exploring the National Parks. He has played on the same softball team, the Rookies, for over 25 years, and was recently inducted into the Big Apple Softball League Hall of Fame. He lives in New York City with his husband Danny.

Plays

  • There
    SCRIPT ARRIVING SOON

    Sometimes everything happens for a reason. And sometimes everything happens in spite of reason. But together we will eventually get there.

    There (tentative title) is my latest play, and it’s is a magical ride of chance, fate, and destiny, and yes, it’s about my family’s story. There and I would love to find a home to be nurtured, workshopped, developed,...
    SCRIPT ARRIVING SOON

    Sometimes everything happens for a reason. And sometimes everything happens in spite of reason. But together we will eventually get there.

    There (tentative title) is my latest play, and it’s is a magical ride of chance, fate, and destiny, and yes, it’s about my family’s story. There and I would love to find a home to be nurtured, workshopped, developed, commissioned, and loved. Want to read There? Looking to collaborate? Get in touch.
  • Hatch
    After their daughter died in a tragic accident, Florence and Edward found themselves raising young kids again, their grandchildren. For eighteen years they coped with the loss by stuffing the grief. But now, as Florence faces her own mortality, she is haunted by Edward's reaction to their daughter’s death. Years of bottled-up pain and lingering resentment rise to the surface as Florence looks for a way to...
    After their daughter died in a tragic accident, Florence and Edward found themselves raising young kids again, their grandchildren. For eighteen years they coped with the loss by stuffing the grief. But now, as Florence faces her own mortality, she is haunted by Edward's reaction to their daughter’s death. Years of bottled-up pain and lingering resentment rise to the surface as Florence looks for a way to protect herself from her husband. Meanwhile, their grandchildren face their own mortal dilemma. And as the past and present converge, the family is ripped apart.

    HATCH is a fresh, yet stark slice, of Americana that follows one family’s struggle with loss, mistrust, and what it means to die with dignity.
  • Andrew Reaches The Other Side
    Northern New Jersey. Autumn 1993. The New York Giants are on Monday Night Football and Andrew and John are in a comfortable routine, doing what they always do: Talking back to the TV, second-guessing play calls, and drinking beer. Through his love of sports, along with the dissection of Bruce Springsteen song lyrics, Andrew is about to embark on a personal journey of self-discovery and acceptance that will take...
    Northern New Jersey. Autumn 1993. The New York Giants are on Monday Night Football and Andrew and John are in a comfortable routine, doing what they always do: Talking back to the TV, second-guessing play calls, and drinking beer. Through his love of sports, along with the dissection of Bruce Springsteen song lyrics, Andrew is about to embark on a personal journey of self-discovery and acceptance that will take him to a places he’s never been before.

    ANDREW REACHES THE OTHER SIDE is a different kind of coming out story.
  • Two Spoons
    All Steve and Larry had hoped for during their weekend getaway to Philadelphia was a break from the daily routine and responsibilities of being parents of an active tantrum-throwing toddler. But when they meet some “other guy” at the hotel, temptation strikes and threatens to fracture their relationship. What had begun as an innocent, quiet, relaxing trip somehow turns into a quest for redefining the rules of...
    All Steve and Larry had hoped for during their weekend getaway to Philadelphia was a break from the daily routine and responsibilities of being parents of an active tantrum-throwing toddler. But when they meet some “other guy” at the hotel, temptation strikes and threatens to fracture their relationship. What had begun as an innocent, quiet, relaxing trip somehow turns into a quest for redefining the rules of their relationship. Can they ever return to “normal” again in order to keep their family intact?

    TWO SPOONS explores the line between–and the boundaries of–independence vs commitment, freedom vs responsibility, and fantasy vs reality.
  • Red & Tan Line
    Gay brothers, one hoping to find “Mr. Right” and the other looking for only “Mr. Right Now,” compete in a year-long sibling rivalry that takes them through an unpredictable string of freaky dates, fix-ups, and flings.

    As the brothers embark on a series of unforgettable hook-ups and dates, they tangle with guys who are closeted to boldly obsessed activists. Guys with eccentric fetishes,...
    Gay brothers, one hoping to find “Mr. Right” and the other looking for only “Mr. Right Now,” compete in a year-long sibling rivalry that takes them through an unpredictable string of freaky dates, fix-ups, and flings.

    As the brothers embark on a series of unforgettable hook-ups and dates, they tangle with guys who are closeted to boldly obsessed activists. Guys with eccentric fetishes, uncompromising genital issues, and bizarre fixations. Periodically, Tom and Rick meet up to spar, provoke, and offer advice, all the while comparing notes on their encounters.
  • Anchors, Talk Shows, Love and Poetry Without Motion
    ANCHORS, TALK SHOWS, LOVE, AND POETRY WITHOUT MOTION is a seriocom about two long-distance pen pals who grow up together communicating through handwritten letters, and how the repetitive exposure to sensationalized news programs and talk shows infiltrates their lives and turns their innocent relationship into a ratings-war casualty.

    Written in 1990—before the the proliferation of 24-hour news,...
    ANCHORS, TALK SHOWS, LOVE, AND POETRY WITHOUT MOTION is a seriocom about two long-distance pen pals who grow up together communicating through handwritten letters, and how the repetitive exposure to sensationalized news programs and talk shows infiltrates their lives and turns their innocent relationship into a ratings-war casualty.

    Written in 1990—before the the proliferation of 24-hour news, and before the advent of the internet, email, and social media—ANCHORS takes a trip back to a simpler time, but also serves a prescient warning of what's to come in the future.
  • Refreshments
    Champagne and tempers bubble up when two men on a first date share their New Year’s resolutions.
  • Ladies and Gentlemen, Madeline Bello and...
    September 1972. Madeline visits her childhood home in Kansas City to honor Wally, the last of her now deceased five brothers–and senses his presence through Lucas, a current resident of the house.
  • Before The Last Call
    Mom and son are having a typical, routine morning preparing for their day when a telephone call changes their lives forever.
  • The MFA BS Cartel (Becoming Petra)
    On his/her way to “emerging” as Petra, the playwright formerly known as Pat Smith takes aim at the aggrandized value of MFA degrees, the insular world of academia, and the pimping-ways of Paula Vogel.
  • Cattle Hymn of the Republic
    Alex, a teenager and "mean girl" who "can't even," shares what she did this past summer, including a family vacation to Walt Disney World, taking aim at all the overweight patrons riding motorized scooters.
  • Grits With Brown Sugar
    Jamie, a weekly regular at the usually quiet Blue Saucer Cafe, daydreams lustfully about the waiter. When a boisterous “possé” enters, Jamie gets jealous, revealing some uncomfortable prejudices.
  • Wasting Time
    George and Rick navigate their way through a paranoid and “terrorizing” coffee “date."
  • Bump and Grind
    When Rick bumps into his new co-worker, Brad, in the break room after hours, he wastes no time trying to turn business into pleasure.
  • Blowing Smoke
    Tom breaks out of his comfort zone when an online hookup shows up in the flesh for some “fun” with cigars.
  • The Dangling Participle
    Tom gets a handful during a hookup with Brad.
  • Pope Fiction
    A dinner date turns into an activist’s ramblings about the world, including the Pope being gay.
  • Blood or Roses
    Mark and Ricky argue about donating blood and getting married.
  • Bankrupt
    He/she/they reveals the dark side of being at a creative dead end.
  • The Late Bus
    Andrew reveals his feelings of being invisible and helpless.
  • On The Docket
    A judge’s distracting thoughts come to light while hearing a case.