Emily McClain

In the morning after the 2024 US Election, 3 characters meet in the junk food aisle of a grocery store. What does your snack food of choice say about you- or worse, what do others THINK it says?

Written for the Playwrights Thriving 2024 Secret Santa Title Exchange, lovingly gifted by Philip Middleton Williams.

FULL LENGTH DRAMA- A young female painter struggles to gain recognition for her work within the male-dominated art world of Renaissance Italy. Meanwhile, in the contemporary United States, a young career woman encounters her own version of the same challenges as she fights for recognition in the workplace. chiaroscuro or Slaying Holofernes blends and blurs the worlds of past/present, fact/fiction, and personal/political as it explores two women’s parallel quests for justice in an imperfect world.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Kellie's wealthy family has offered to take her and her wife, Sarah, on an all-expense paid vacation to Italy. Sarah has never been on such an extravagant trip and is willing to look past some small personal "slights" about their lifestyle for a chance to go on a trip they would not be able to afford otherwise. Kellie, however, feels the trip comes with invisible strings attached and wants to refuse. While Kellie's parents have never been cruel, they have never been particularly supportive or accepting of Sarah and Kellie's relationship. How important are principles, really? Especially weighed against the offer of a free first-class vacation?

ONE ACT PLAY- Half-brothers Byron and Charlie come together to fulfill their mother's wishes for her final resting place. It seems so simple- but it requires both men to untangle a lot of complicated feelings about their version of who their mother really was, in life and in death. Part of the Bowie Cycle, inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie's song Ashes to Ashes.

ONE ACT FARCE- Olive finds herself saddled with more than she bargained for when she is named executor of her Aunt Zelda's estate. To deal with the clean-out of her aunt's cluttered home, she enlists the help of her ne'er-do-well brother Max, who brings along his less-than-helpful girlfriend Diana, who hires a somewhat-shady pawn shop owner Anthony, who brings his stoner son Zeke. But Aunt Zelda's house proves to be full of more than just doilies and faux antique furniture. When their cleanout uncovers a priceless piece of art, their true natures are revealed....

And somewhere, in all the clutter, lurks a very mean, very hungry, very scary cat.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Enthusiastic teachers Janet, Angela, and Wally find their creative vision for the Christmas Pageant stymied by Principal Emmons' demands that the show be less " aggressively religious."

ONE ACT PLAY (40 pages)- Set one year after the events of the novel The Great Gatsby, Jordan Baker seeks out Nick Carraway in his apartment in Chicago. Her visit brings up feelings and secrets that Nick has been trying desperately to bury, and she presents him with an offer that could change his life.

FULL LENGTH DRAMA- A dark twist on the Gift of the Magi. Della and Jim Young desperately long to be parents. After years of failed fertility treatments and then finding out they are not eligible to be adoptive parents due to Della’s medical history, both embark on their own individual quests to achieve the goal they both believe will bring them the true fulfillment and the happiness they’ve been missing. Each keeps their plan secret from the other- but the hidden costs of their journeys eventually overwhelm their relationship. The consequences of their choices come to fruition and leave them longing for another, less treacherous path.

FULL LENGTH DARK COMEDY- Roger McElroy wrote one incredibly successful novel in the 1970's and has not published anything of merit since that time. He is 76 years old and lives alone in his cabin home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He recently had a heart attack and had to have surgery. He comes home from the hospital where his adult children try to convince him to sell the cabin where he has lived since writing his novel. He reveals to his daughter Heidi
that a movie producer has offered him 3 million dollars for the movie production rights to his novel but he is not interested in having the movie made and that she should keep this information from her brothers. She reluctantly agrees.
When the brothers arrive, the frustrations at Roger's refusal to take his health and safety seriously cause an escalating argument which brings out an accusation by the eldest son that he does not believe Roger is the true author of his famous novel but that he stole the idea from his mistress who committed suicide in her late twenties. This accusation causes Roger to suffer a cardiac episode which forces Heidi to choose between supporting her father in continuing to live a lie or facing the truth with her brothers. The conflict between the
siblings comes to a head and Heidi relents, leaving the decision about the movie rights and their father’s living arrangements in the hands of her brothers. Roger reveals that he has been
haunted by his actions towards his mistress and her work and he has never been able to finish the novel they started together. The play ends with his youngest son Phillip stealing the outline and notes of the dead woman’s novel.

1 MINUTE MONOLOGUE- Christine is a newbie within a community theatre group currently producing A Christmas Carol and she has some questions for her director, Matt.

A freshwater fish tank family experiences an impending apocalypse when they realize their owner is contemplating suicide.

FULL LENGTH HISTORICAL DRAMA- Based on the life of American artist Anna Coleman Ladd, this play takes an unflinching look at the human cost of war and how we are all called upon to "restore the beauty that was lost." The structure of the play is a traditional linear story intercut with "portraits" that share the innermost thoughts of people Anna interacts with throughout her time at a surgical hospital in WWI France.

Running to a fancy liquor store on the way to the firm's Christmas party should be. a quick stop on the way to a nice evening out, but for Ellis and Solaire it quickly reveals the difference in their backgrounds and potentially damaging their ability to move on from what they learn. It's not just about the label on the bottle, is it?

Written as part of the Playwrights Thriving Secret Santa Title Exchange (2021). This title was lovingly gifted by Steven G. Martin! <3

(TEN MINUTE PLAY) Welcome to the 72nd Annual Mount Pleasant Baking Competition! The stakes are high in the tent this year and hostess and head judge Drusilla Wollingsworth has a surprising twist for the lucky women who are competing this year.

*Written for Playwrights Thriving 2023 Secret Santa Title Exchange, with a title lovingly gifted by Samuel Heyman*

The story of a romance, as told through take-out delivery orders made during the 2020 pandemic.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- High-strung suburbanite Molly and her husband Ross invite the new neighbors over for a dinner party. When an accident upends her picture-perfect tablescape, Molly has to contend with the unpleasant realization that life is not a Pottery Barn photo shoot.

Written for the Playwrights Thriving 2020 Secret Santa Title Exchange.
Title lovingly gifted by Daniel Prillaman. His incredible plays can be found on THIS VERY WEBSITE.

ONE ACT PLAY- A slice-of-life centering around the mailbox room at the Manhattan Chase Apartment complex. Part of the Bowie Cycle, inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie's song Everyone Says Hi.

ONE ACT PLAY- It’s 2014 and three bored twenty-something Silver Screen Cinema employees find themselves unwilling witnesses to a police shooting of an unarmed black man in the movie theatre parking lot. Although they all saw the same horrific event, their personal backgrounds and beliefs shape what they tell the investigators- and each other.
Content warning for offstage depiction of a police shooting.

Inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie’s song “Life on Mars.”

ONE ACT (67 pages)- Jamie has a plan to solve his financial woes: land a spot on the reality television show America's Most Haunted Houses. Problem #1: his house isn't currently haunted. With the help of his friend Frankie and girlfriend Ramona, Jamie attempts to stage a haunting to convince the producers and get $100,000. Problem #2: after the faked seance, Jamie is visited by the ghost of his childhood best friend, a 10 year old boy named Dylan, who doesn't seem super-clear that he's dead or that Jamie isn't 10 years old anymore either.

10 MINUTE PLAY- Despite the official recommendation of the ABA that state boards of bar examiners not inquire about a person’s mental health history, many states, including Florida and Georgia, consider seeking treatment for mental health issues as a potential “disqualifying event” for bar certification. Does this practice discourage full disclosure by candidates? Does it perpetuate the stigma against seeking help for mental illness?
Should seeking treatment for mental illness be a consideration for bar certification at all?

(10 MIN PLAY) Charlie and Meg are waiting for news that it's safe to come out from their protective bubbles. When they receive the news, there's a question about the trustworthiness of the source.

*This play is the result of a prompt from Emma Goldman-Sherman's BRAVE SPACE workshop.*

10 MINUTE PLAY- The Jacobson family is thrilled to find out they have been selected to be the host family for a foreign exchange student. What they don’t realize is that they are actually on a reality television show broadcast to so-called “Third World Countries” about Suburban American Culture.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Two female astronauts, charged with the important mission of carrying the first pregnancy to full term in space, find themselves entangled in patriarchal nonsense, even 400 million miles away on a spaceship orbiting Jupiter's moon Io. Part of the Bowie Cycle, inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie's song Space Oddity.

10 MIN PLAY: The trio of goddesses charged with caring for Hera's grove of sacred golden apples come to terms with a serious breach after Atalanta returns the apples stolen by her soon-to-be husband, Melanion. The women struggle with their obligation to their assigned "careers" and their desire to live their inner truths.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- The Candler Park Hotel, a boutique hotel in an artsy downtown neighborhood in Atlanta, is joining in on the Halloween fun with a Monster Pub Crawl. Charlie is very excited about it. Lola is not.

(10 MINUTE PLAY) The job title “Judas Goat” refers to the practice of having one animal (usually a donkey or a goat) guide the other animals through a slaughter house from the holding pen to the kill floor because they trusted the guide animal and would follow it more readily than they would a human. In the early 20th century, these guide animals were rewarded with treats, including most notably cigarettes, which led to quite a few goats becoming nicotine addicts.

So anyway, here's a weird little play about that job.

Written for Playwrights Thriving February 2023 Animal Play Challenge.

FULL LENGTH PLAY- A family "dramady" set in a small failing restaurant. Adult siblings Annie and Parker come back to help their father Gerald after the unexpected death of their mother, Julie. Tensions mount as thieving cousins, litigious poodles, charming ex-boyfriends, lost recipes, past mistakes, deeply guarded family secrets, and a fire alarm that just won't quit bring out the worst in everyone as they try to deal with loss and figuring out how to move on.

FULL LENGTH PLAY- In this series of interlocking vignettes the themes of love, desperation, economic stability, and personal fulfillment are explored through the eyes of the myriad characters living and working in Pierce, Georgia. The world they inhabit is grim and familiar to anyone who has experienced small-town life in working-class America, but each scene brings forth an unexpected magic which reflects and illuminates their individual struggles. Though their circumstances may lead them to feel they are trapped in an endless cycle of poverty and isolation, the continual glimmer of hope that is the resiliency of their community leaves them yearning for an outcome that maybe this time will be different

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Have you ever wondered what the real dangers are in listening to loud music on MARTA? Or what truly constitutes a lawyer-client relationship?

High school soccer players Alex and Stella have a disagreement while on a training run when
Stella attempts to stand up for herself and correct a past mistake.

Part of the WALKING PLAYS as collected and curated by Claudia Haas.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- When his plans for a first date are derailed by the "Shelter In Place" order due to the pandemic, Mark perseveres in a creative way to impress his crush, Amanda. The awkwardness of a first date meets the awkwardness of a Zoom video meeting.

5 MINUTE PLAY: Kay is having a strange commute. Rosa can provide something of an explanation, but only if Kay will muster the courage to ask.

*Based on a prompt in Emma Goldman-Sherman's BRAVE SPACE WORKSHOP.

Performed at the Valdez Theatre Conference Fringe Festival 2022

ONE ACT THRILLER: Budding journalists Allen and Peyton journey to Owl Creek, Alabama believing they are investigating a series of unexplained disappearances, with the hopes of turning their experience into the next “True Crime” podcast sensation. With the assistance of their college friend and Owl Creek local, Eliza, they find themselves exposing long-hidden secrets. The mystery quickly grows to supernatural proportions beyond anything they could have predicted. Tension mounts, terror grows, and the enigma of the powerful forces that inhabit Owl Creek exert their control in truly unexpected ways. Loosely based on the Ambrose Bierce short story "An Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge."

ONE ACT PLAY- The Hunter family is on the verge of moving on after the tragic murder of daughter/sister Brooke Hunter when an ambitious lawyer comes with information that could exonerate the convicted murderer. The siblings struggle to determine what their involvement should be and how to protect their mother’s fragile mental state. They must answer the question of what matters most: peace of mind or justice?

June and Craig are two Congressional staffers working in the office of a prominant Senator. They navigate the complexities of their jobs and their connection to each other with... mixed results.

When June encourages the Senator to take a bold stand for women's reproductive rights during a Presidential primary event, the political cost is disappointingly extreme. The Senator she lionized falls short, but what about Craig? Will he bow to the party pressure or will he stand with June? But more importantly: is he ever going to clean out his disgusting car?

Written as part of #EndOfPlay2022 through the Dramatist Guild

FULL LENGTH HISTORICAL DRAMA- The two most celebrated writers of Elizabethan England, William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, shared many traits but one lesser-known shared quality was their mutual adoration for the incredible Emilia Bassano. Was she more than just the “Dark Lady” of the sonnets? Mired in the intrigue and treachery of the court of Queen Elizabeth I, these three sensitive souls find love and attempt to forge an uncertain path through darkness to carve out a lasting legacy together. The journey of these original “star-cross’d lovers” challenges our preconceived notions of authorship and the power in creating something beautiful with people you love.

Reading at the Valdez Theatre Conference June 2022

(FULL LENGTH) Alan Tully was convicted of the murder of Janice Beck in 1996 and has been on death row for 23 years, during which time he has maintained his innocence. His daughter Elsie receives a letter from the man who claims to have committed the crime and she attempts to use the information to exonerate her father. The insurmountable challenges of exonerating a wrongly convicted person drive her to the desperate position of threatening a man she believes could help free her father, with disastrous results.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Suzanne visits Madam Christie to try and get some answers from her sister from "the great beyond." Unfortunately for Suzanne, Irene is not interested in being tremendously helpful.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Grace makes a misguided attempt to console her cousin Margaret on prom night, but Grace has motives beyond just a desire to make Margaret feel better. Part of the Bowie Cycle, inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie's song Let's Dance.

Hank asks Laurel to join him for a night of star-gazing (she hopes?) and possible UFO sighting (he hopes!).

ONE ACT PLAY- A modern retelling of the Grimm's fairy tale "Snow White & Rose Red." The two sisters explore the world of online dating: Snow is tentative and cautious, Rose is free-spirited and adventurous. Their varied approaches to life (and dating) play out over FaceTime calls, text message threads, and email exchanges. The ultimate realization that they are both messaging the same man brings the play to a surprising conclusion, and a recognition that there isn't one "right" way to be a woman in modern life.

MONOLOGUE: Casey is quite sure there is zero connection between their fear of placing stickers on things and their fear of commitment in relationships. Absolutely NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER, OKAY?!?

Inspired by Edward Hopper’s painting Summertime, Frances finds herself at a loss after the death of her father. When she meets charismatic artist Jenny, Frances’ life is infused with love she’s never known. But the pressure to conform to what society says her life should be overwhelms her strength to chart her own path. Can one summer change the trajectory of a life?

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Ruth and Hannah reach out to Deborah to see how she is holding up in the first few weeks with a new baby. The strain of motherhood, the pressure to be seen as a "good mother," and the lack of spousal support is wearing on her- as is her neighbor, Mary, who also has a brand-new baby boy and doesn't seem to be having any of the same issues Deborah is having.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- A seemingly innocent lie spirals out of control when a woman tries to convince her skeptical niece and nephew that she dated Santa in high school.

18 years after the tragic events of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, political upheaval again threatens the fragile stability of Rome. The remaining members of the Andronicus family: aged Senator Marcus, his ambitious nephew Lucius the Younger, and Terminus (the son of Aaron the Moor and Tamora, Queen of the Goths) that Marcus has raised in his home from birth. When Emperor Lucius is murdered, Terminus' loyalty to Rome and the Andronicus family is questioned. Will Terminus be able to break the cycle of revenge, or will the tragic madness of the Andronicus line emerge again in this new generation?

TEN MINUTE PLAY- The City Commission has been charged with the renaming of the Orville Hatch Library. It has been renovated at great expense and there is a lot of pressure to have a better, more prestigious name selected. As the three members discuss options, Molly, the head librarian, tries to provide some perspective and guide the decision as best she can.

MONOLOGUE: MEMBER 744.2 is a scientist on the Proxima Centauri Observation post, recording a message to transmit to their ex, Sylvia.

This piece was originally written for the podcast You Heard Me Write and can be heard on this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5p6i9VZpw5larpLjsGi2QR?si=Ec8vVgiWRj-H…

ONE ACT PLAY- A simple board game between a couple turns into a more intense discussion about the lengths people will go to preserve the status quo.

Don't piss off the Tooth Fairy. Just don't do it.

MONOLOGUE- Alex receives a complaint about the artistic license they've taken with their towel animals while working on a cruise liner that is under quarantine.

Published through StagePartners for royalty free performances in theatre distance learning groups.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Jerry discovers his friendly attempts to help a young library patron find a topic for her paper to be unappreciated and unwanted.

TEN MINUTE PLAY- Alan had a minor accident where he hurt his knee and has tried to avoid doing anything about it. His wife got sick of listening to him complain so she made him go see a doctor. He is nervous about being prescribed an opioid because of the risks of addiction and Dr. Parker seems to understand his concerns but he keeps offering a prescription
of one type after another. It escalates to ridiculous levels when Dr. Parker won’t let Alan leave without a prescription, going as far to stealing his crutch and making Alan trade him for a prescription. The
scene ends with Alan leaving in bewildered frustration but agreeing to get the prescription filled.

Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s work of the same name centering on her self-comfort in times of grief, this play explores the themes of care-giving and motherhood through the lens of a surreal theatrical experience: a modern day woman waking up in Frida Kahlo’s bathtub with no recollection of how she got there (or how she travelled back in time) and discovering that Frida is convinced she is the reincarnation of the child she recently miscarried.
The two-woman play utilizes music and movement/dance elements to evoke symbolic images of motherhood and nurturing found in Kahlo’s work at the same time interrogating the toll those expectations take on the individual women. Throughout the course of the play, Vivian and Frida navigate their understanding of their connection to each other and bring the audience into awareness of how society’s notions of motherhood and care-giving can become unbearable burdens that prevent women from self-actualization.

(TEN MINUTE PLAY)
Margo the White Naped Crane needs to find a mate to help repopulate her critically endangered species.
Her keeper, Alex, and Director of Zoo HR, Mallory, want to help her. The only problem is Margo's tastes run a little more exotic. Which is bad news for the zoo maintenence guy, Chris, who thought he was just innocently jamming to Prince on his headphones, but Margo saw something else altogether.
Inspired by this twitter post: https://twitter.com/amandadeibert/status/1445390006990815236?s=12

(10 MIN PLAY) Jerry is late for her Girl Scout meeting and she can't remember where she parked her car. Fortunately for her, the Norse god Baldr is willing to help her- if Jerry will help him do one tiny thing first.

Written as part of the Playwrights Thriving Halloween 2022 Bake-Off.

10 MIN PLAY: Emily attempts to correct a grave injustice and allow her friend Zach to return to his local Stop-N-Go where he has wrongfully been added to the "Banned Customer" wall. It's not as easy as she thinks.

*This play is a sequel to DC Cathro's play WINE BOX PLAYERS (which can be found here: https://newplayexchange.org/plays/1589337/wine-box-players) and was written and posted with permission.

*Written for Playwright's Thriving Into the PT Multiverse Aug 2022 Bake Off*

ONE ACT PLAY- A one act dark comedy that looks at an ill-fated romance between two teachers that evolves and dissolves over the course of a school year.

Three 1 Minute plays address the theme of divining.
-The Plunk is about rediscovering the magic of simple joys.
-Divining Rod Dreams is a monologue about decisions.
-Stars and Streams is a coming-of-age moment during a meteor shower.

Three 1-Minute plays address the theme of igniting.
-Flaming Out is an experimental piece about coping with trauma.
-Spark of Change asks what price we are willing to pay to revolutionize a society.
-Coffee From Ashes speaks to the unique grief we feel when we lose beloved objects.

Three 1-Minute plays address the theme of prayer.
-Say Your Prayers features an awkward insect first date.
-Tug-Of-Prayer looks at ancient rivalry in a new light.
-Prayer Requests wonders who prayer is really serving: the requestor or the subject of the prayer.