Jackie Martin

Jackie Martin

Jackie Martin is a teacher and playwright from Norwood, Massachusetts. Jackie’s work has been produced by Shadblow Theatre, Playwrights’ Round Table, 2Cents Theater, Open Theatre Project, Left Edge Theatre, The Studio Players, The Warner Theatre, Firehouse Center for the Arts, and others. Awards include the Peter Honegger Prizes for Best One Act and Best Short Play in 2019, as well as the Audience Choice award...
Jackie Martin is a teacher and playwright from Norwood, Massachusetts. Jackie’s work has been produced by Shadblow Theatre, Playwrights’ Round Table, 2Cents Theater, Open Theatre Project, Left Edge Theatre, The Studio Players, The Warner Theatre, Firehouse Center for the Arts, and others. Awards include the Peter Honegger Prizes for Best One Act and Best Short Play in 2019, as well as the Audience Choice award at the Shadblow Theatre’s Short Play Fest in 2020. Her work has been published by YouthPLAYS as well as Smith & Kraus. Jackie is a member of Playwrights' Platform and the Dramatists' Guild.

Plays

  • Abigail, For Now by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    9–15
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Mental Health, Adolescence + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, science fiction
    Keyword: Mental Health, Adolescence, high school, Hospital, aliens, college performers, Therapy, UIL approved
    *FINALIST: Woodward/Newman Award 2023

    FULL LENGTH. One act version adapted for middle school/high school performance or festivals available. UIL approved.

    Abigail grapples with feeling like an outsider, and for good reason - she claims she is from another galaxy, here only to study human behavior. After her behavior intensifies, her parents place her in a psychiatric facility for...
    *FINALIST: Woodward/Newman Award 2023

    FULL LENGTH. One act version adapted for middle school/high school performance or festivals available. UIL approved.

    Abigail grapples with feeling like an outsider, and for good reason - she claims she is from another galaxy, here only to study human behavior. After her behavior intensifies, her parents place her in a psychiatric facility for adolescents. Despite her best efforts to isolate herself, Abigail forms a connection with another patient which leads her on a journey of self-discovery. As Abigail begins to listen and share, she gains powerful insights about belonging and the complexities of being human. "Abigail, For Now" is a poignant and surprising exploration of mental health, identity, and the search for connection in a world that often feels unfamiliar.
  • Abigail, For Now (One-Act Version) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    9–15
    ·
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    ·
    Keyword: Mental Health, science fiction + 4 more
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    Keyword: Mental Health, science fiction, drama, one-act, festival length, high school
    *Festival/One Act Version*

    Her name is Abigail. But only while she's here.

    Teenaged Abigail is found by her parents in the middle of the woods, frantically trying to leave Earth to go back home where she claims she belongs. It's enough to convince them that her recent erratic behavior comes down to more than just puberty, and they check her into a psychiatric hospital...
    *Festival/One Act Version*

    Her name is Abigail. But only while she's here.

    Teenaged Abigail is found by her parents in the middle of the woods, frantically trying to leave Earth to go back home where she claims she belongs. It's enough to convince them that her recent erratic behavior comes down to more than just puberty, and they check her into a psychiatric hospital for adolescents. Abigail, angry and afraid that she'll never go home, reluctantly begins to connect with her fellow residents. While her parents and doctors struggle to understand her, Abigail learns more about being human than she ever could have done by simply studying them from afar.
  • Impressions by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: art, money + 7 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: art, money, wealth, comedy, Art Gallery, Farce, full length, community theater, high school
    Finalist, B Street Theatre's 2020 New Comedies Festival
    *One act version available*

    FULL LENGTH. It's the biggest opening ever for Ashby's Galleria, and everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jonathan Bixby, hermit billionaire. When an uninvited guest shows up, he throws a wrench into the evening, and more than one life is forever changed. A play about money, art,...
    Finalist, B Street Theatre's 2020 New Comedies Festival
    *One act version available*

    FULL LENGTH. It's the biggest opening ever for Ashby's Galleria, and everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jonathan Bixby, hermit billionaire. When an uninvited guest shows up, he throws a wrench into the evening, and more than one life is forever changed. A play about money, art, and the BS that surrounds it all.
  • Impressions (One-Act Version) by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    8–20
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce
    ·
    Keyword: comedy, Farce + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, farce
    Keyword: comedy, Farce, art, artists, money, community theater, high school, festival version, one-act
    *One Act/Festival Version
    Finalist, B Street Theatre's 2020 New Comedies Festival
    It's the biggest opening ever for Ashby's Galleria, and everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jonathan Bixby, hermit billionaire. When an uninvited guest shows up, he throws a wrench into the evening, and more than one life is forever changed. A play about money, art, and the BS that surrounds it all.
  • MYTH-UNDERSTOOD by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    18–47
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy
    ·
    Keyword: middle school actors, high school actors + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy
    Keyword: middle school actors, high school actors, family friendly, comedy, Greek mythology, minimal set, large cast
    75-80 Minutes. Two teens who are writing a report on Greek Mythology get whisked away to Mount Olympus so the gods and goddesses can retell their stories in a more positive light. The only problem is... those gods and goddesses may not be telling the truth.

    *Can be made shorter by cutting scenes. Please reach out for permission.
  • Corrections by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Criminal Justice, marriage + 8 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Criminal Justice, marriage, loss, Relationships, parenthood, prison, alcoholism, regret, acceptance, women in prison
    ONE ACT. Joe visits his wife Laney in prison, but he carries more than the photographs she has requested of their son. He also brings with him news of his future plans, which do not include her. As a result, the pair must confront the tragic past that ties them together and decide how to negotiate a future that they can both live with.
    Winner, Peter Honegger Prize for Best One-Act, Firehouse Center for...
    ONE ACT. Joe visits his wife Laney in prison, but he carries more than the photographs she has requested of their son. He also brings with him news of his future plans, which do not include her. As a result, the pair must confront the tragic past that ties them together and decide how to negotiate a future that they can both live with.
    Winner, Peter Honegger Prize for Best One-Act, Firehouse Center for the Arts, 2019
    Now published by Heuer Publishing.
  • The High Ground by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: death, funeral + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: death, funeral, family, addiction, mother and son, brothers, opioid addiction
    *Winner: The LabWorks Producers Choice Award, Pittsburgh New Works Festival

    ONE ACT: The funeral is over and the mourners have gone home, leaving a mother and son alone to try and come to terms with their loss.
  • Heartbreak at the Putt-Putt Palace by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: comedy, Relationships + 5 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: comedy, Relationships, marriage, dating, online dating, divorce, mini-golf
    ONE ACT.
    Mike has the perfect proposal planned out for his girlfriend - and it's all going down at the Putt-Putt Palace, Alyssa's favorite childhood mini-golf course. Unfortunately, while they wait their turn and discuss the highs and lows of relationships with a more experienced couple, Alyssa's ambiguous feelings about lifelong commitment come to light.
  • Hallmark Doesn't Make Cards for Us by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: motherhood, Mother's Day + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: motherhood, Mother's Day, mother daughter relationship, Mental Health, sobriety, family, Hope
    SHORT. Jenna and her mother, Maggie, have a complicated relationship, strained by a rocky past. Now that Jenna has left her husband, she's reluctantly taken her daughter to stay with Maggie for the summer. One late night, Maggie tries to connect with Jenna and unspoken thoughts, unresolved resentments - and maybe first steps toward an understanding? - begin to emerge.

    Winner, Peter Honegger...
    SHORT. Jenna and her mother, Maggie, have a complicated relationship, strained by a rocky past. Now that Jenna has left her husband, she's reluctantly taken her daughter to stay with Maggie for the summer. One late night, Maggie tries to connect with Jenna and unspoken thoughts, unresolved resentments - and maybe first steps toward an understanding? - begin to emerge.

    Winner, Peter Honegger Prize for Best Short Play, Firehouse Center for the Arts, 2019
    Winner, Audience Choice, Short Play Festival, Shadblow Theatre, 2020
  • The Banishment Room by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: office, career + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    Keyword: office, career, women in the workplace
    *Included in the Best 10 Minute Plays of 2022 (Smith & Kraus)

    SHORT. Diane is distraught when her career takes an unexpected turn - right into a dead end. Her new office mate offers words of wisdom and a passive - very passive - way to fight back.
  • Commencement (a 10 minute play) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: high school, senior year + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    Keyword: high school, senior year, college, female friendship
    SHORT. Maria and Gabby are inching closer to high school graduation and their new lives as college students. One evening, the two friends discover their views on the subject differ - except for when they don’t.

    *A version of this play which has been adapted for virtual performance is available upon request.
  • A Shared Conviction by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: dark comedy, conviction + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: dark comedy, conviction, reunion
    *Included in the Best 10 Minute Plays of 2024 (Smith & Kraus)

    10 MINUTES. Mia and Lucy are reuniting after seven years apart, but catching up isn't the only thing on their minds.
  • Teddy by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: grief, Childhood + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, zoom
    Keyword: grief, Childhood, Toys, nostalgia, social distancing play, drama, suitable for Zoom, family
    10 MINUTES.
    Remember your favorite childhood toy? There's a chance it remembers you too...
    While cleaning out their childhood home, Oakley has an unexpected encounter with a beloved toy from their past.
  • Goodbye, Denny Jacobs by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Criminal Justice, LGBTQ + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Criminal Justice, LGBTQ, good and evil, female reporters, journalism, capital punishment, Death Penalty, conversion therapy
    ONE ACT.
    Maddie Dickson-DeWitt has witnessed many executions in her job as a prison reporter in Huntsville, Texas, known as the “death penalty capital” of the country - but only one has ever made her question what she believes about good and evil.
  • FOMO: The Prodigal Son Play by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: siblings, fathers and sons + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: siblings, fathers and sons, The Bible, Bible, acronym, brothers
    TEN MINUTES.
    After losing everything, Gideon has returned to his family's homestead. His father is overjoyed.
    His brother? Not so much. FOMO: The Prodigal Son Play imagines what may have transpired between two brothers after one's famed return home.
  • Harold's Island by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: travel, disaster + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: travel, disaster, Relationships, nature, acceptance, guilt, friendship
    SHORT. Recently revised.
    When Daniel washes ashore on a (mostly) deserted island, he is understandably dazed, afraid, and desperate for help.
    Unfortunately, he's really getting in the way of Harold's peace and quiet.
  • CareLess™ (a 10 minute play) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Bechdel Test
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, science fiction
    Keyword: Bechdel Test
    Nina is ready to try a new approach to life, and Delia has just the thing to help her.
  • No Right Time, a virtual play in 10 minutes by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: FaceTime, zoom + 8 more
    Genre: drama, zoom
    Keyword: FaceTime, zoom, online, virtual, doctor, marriage, coronavirus, Covid-19, isolation, LGBTQ
    After a difficult night in the ER, Kevin checks in with his husband, David. Kevin’s ready for a tough conversation about the future. David isn’t.
  • No Time Like It by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: reunion, comedy + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: reunion, comedy, one-act, romance
    [First draft/28 Plays Later]
    Former high school sweethearts reminisce at a 20th reunion.
  • Canes Urbana by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: coyotes, wildlife + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: coyotes, wildlife, urban sprawl, comedy, nature
    SHORT. Two coyotes lament the current state of their world.

  • We're Alright by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: zoom, google hangout + 6 more
    Genre: drama, zoom
    Keyword: zoom, google hangout, high school, prom, coronavirus, Social distancing, Quarantine, young adult
    Janelle and Paul are high school seniors who are missing out on the end of their school year due to a stay-at-home order. They are friends during their one class together, but otherwise exist in very different social circles. Paul has asked Janelle to meet him online for a virtual prom date, but she’s somewhat suspicious of his motives. Published and licensed with YouthPLAYS.
  • Cookies for Bethany by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: horror
    ·
    Keyword: horror, infidelity + 2 more
    Genre: horror
    Keyword: horror, infidelity, Bad Neighbors, short play
    Kathy unexpectedly shows up at her neighbor's house to collect her mail and helps herself to a few of the freshly baked cookies sitting out on the table.
    But Myriam didn't make those cookies for Kathy. She made them for Bethany.
    And Kathy's about to learn a lesson about taking things that don't belong to you.
  • Starlight by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental
    ·
    Keyword: romance, love + 3 more
    Genre: drama, experimental
    Keyword: romance, love, summer, five minute play, any genders
    FIVE MINUTES.

    A late summer evening.
    A meteor shower.
    A kiss.
    What else could you want at the end of the world?
  • AHHH! (The Bathing Suit Play) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: female friendship, summer + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: female friendship, summer, Body image, beach, female empowerment
    5 minutes. Three friends gather the nerve to get into the damn water, already.
  • Office Hours (A One Minute Play) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: education, college
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: education, college
    A professor and student meet to discuss a grade.
  • Beached (a one minute play) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Quarantine, beach + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Quarantine, beach, silly, vacation, coronavirus
    Jack and Caroline get some news on their last day of vacation.
  • One Minute More by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: infertility, fertility + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: infertility, fertility, IVF, parenthood, Relationships, children
    Danica and Joel are about to find out whether this round of IVF worked... they just need to wait one more minute.
  • Baggage by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: siblings, family + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: siblings, family, addiction, estranged siblings
    Siblings meet unexpectedly in the night.
  • Denny's Monologue (from Goodbye, Denny Jacobs) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: crime, conversion therapy + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: crime, conversion therapy, capital punishment
    *Featured in Smith & Kraus's "Best Men's Stage Monologues 2020"

    Denny Jacobs is a 46 year old man who has been serving time on death row in Huntsville, TX since murdering his parents at the age of 17. Here, he speaks with journalist Maddie Dickson-Dewitt on the eve of his execution, recounting the actual circumstances of his crime for the first time.

    Full script posted separately.
  • Quiet, Not Shy (a monologue for a middle schooler) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: young audiences
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, audition + 1 more
    Genre: young audiences
    Keyword: monologue, audition, middle school
    After a parent-teacher conference the night before, Layla seeks out her teacher to correct a misconception.
  • Table for One (A Monologue) by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: middle school, Quarantine + 4 more
    Genre: drama, zoom
    Keyword: middle school, Quarantine, Covid-19, monologue, only child, siblings
    Middle schooler Cam is an only child...which was pretty cool until a pandemic hit and everyone had to stay home all day. Now, Cam's sort of wishing for an annoying sibling.
  • What is There to Say at the End of a Life by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: afterlife, grief + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: afterlife, grief, memory, motherhood, marriage, housewife, death
    10 minutes. After viewing her own memorial, Betty has some questions about the way she's being remembered.
  • SMART (a 10 minute play) by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: smart home, smart technology + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: smart home, smart technology, one person on stage, easy zoom adaptable, pandemic-friendly, simple staging
    10 minutes. A man struggles to get information from his home assistant device, AVA, who is done being taken for granted.
    *Zoom-friendly
    *As the device is portrayed via voice-over, only one actor needs to be onstage for this play.
  • Restless by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: insomnia, anxiety + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: insomnia, anxiety, virtual play, zoom
    SHORT.
    We've all been there. You're tired. You're so tired. And you think that you'll just fall right into a deep sleep because you're just. so. tired.
    But your brain? It has other plans.
  • Waiting (a virtual one act play) by Jackie Martin
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: pregnancy, motherhood + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    Keyword: pregnancy, motherhood, zoom, virtual, one act
    Two pregnant women end up in the same virtual waiting room and bond over their shared experience.
    Well, sort of.
  • Hans Christian Anderson's "Blockhead Hans": an adaptation by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    13–99
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: adaptation, one act + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, fable/folktale, young audiences
    Keyword: adaptation, one act, children's theater, theater for young audiences, neurodivergence, large cast, doubling, folk tale, comedy, middle school actors
    ONE ACT. Hans isn't as educated as his older brothers. He thinks of things in his own way, which has earned him the nickname "Blockhead Hans." But when a royal proclamation announces that the princess is looking for a husband, he journeys with his goat Mika to try his luck. Will Hans learn that his family was right about him, or will he discover that intelligence comes in many different forms?
  • All in a Day, or Four-Two-Three (a play about a riddle) by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: experimental
    ·
    Keyword: one minute, movement + 2 more
    Genre: experimental
    Keyword: one minute, movement, riddles, lifetime
    1 minute, movement-based.
    The journey of a life, based on the riddle of the Sphinx from Oedipus the King.
  • The Light Through the Pines by Jackie Martin
    Cast: 
    10–30
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: high school, festival length + 5 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, experimental, fantasy, movement/physical
    Keyword: high school, festival length, one act, odyssey, comedy, Fantasy, great roles for teens or young adults
    *Festival Length - Approx. 38 minutes*
    Loosely inspired by The Odyssey, The Light Through the Pines follows four teens who run away from a disciplinary camp. As they make their way toward home - or whatever comes next - they meet helpful strangers, a deceptive influencer, and monsters. Each traveler must learn to listen to the voice within and forge their own path along the way. With ample opportunities...
    *Festival Length - Approx. 38 minutes*
    Loosely inspired by The Odyssey, The Light Through the Pines follows four teens who run away from a disciplinary camp. As they make their way toward home - or whatever comes next - they meet helpful strangers, a deceptive influencer, and monsters. Each traveler must learn to listen to the voice within and forge their own path along the way. With ample opportunities for creative staging, dance, puppetry, and more, The Light Through the Pines explores themes of identity, belonging, and unity.