Michael C. O'Day

Michael C. O'Day

Michael C. O’Day is a theatre artist based in New York City. He made his playwriting debut with Dragon’s Breath, which was produced as part of the 2014 New York International Fringe Festival. His work has been presented at the Valdez Theatre Festival, Playwrights Theatre of East Hampton, John Drew Theatre, Core Artist Ensemble, Boston University Stage Troupe, Kraine Theater, and Naked Angels. He is a two-...
Michael C. O’Day is a theatre artist based in New York City. He made his playwriting debut with Dragon’s Breath, which was produced as part of the 2014 New York International Fringe Festival. His work has been presented at the Valdez Theatre Festival, Playwrights Theatre of East Hampton, John Drew Theatre, Core Artist Ensemble, Boston University Stage Troupe, Kraine Theater, and Naked Angels. He is a two-time finalist in the Shakespeare's New Contemporaries competiton (American Shakespeare Center). Also an actor, he was a company member of the Obie award-winning Classical Theatre of Harlem, appearing in eight of their productions as well as their installment of Suzan Lori-Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays at the Public Theater. Since September of 2019, he has served as co-Creative Director of Naked Angels' Tuesdays at NIne reading series. A graduate of Colgate University, he currently resides in Brooklyn.

Plays

  • An Arctic Confederate Christmas by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–7
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 4 more
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    Keyword: climate change, climate apocalypse + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, holiday, political, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: climate change, climate apocalypse, encroaching fascism, christmas
    [FULL LENGTH] It's Christmas Eve in Barrow, Alaska, a hundred years from now; thanks to climate disaster, a handful of fascist white ethnostates ringing the Arctic Circle are all that remains of humanity. The home of water executive Bob Whitaker is buzzing with anticipation of the return of Bob's long-lost brother Jeff - but Jeff has brought secrets with him, too dangerous for the Arctic Confederacy...
    [FULL LENGTH] It's Christmas Eve in Barrow, Alaska, a hundred years from now; thanks to climate disaster, a handful of fascist white ethnostates ringing the Arctic Circle are all that remains of humanity. The home of water executive Bob Whitaker is buzzing with anticipation of the return of Bob's long-lost brother Jeff - but Jeff has brought secrets with him, too dangerous for the Arctic Confederacy to allow to be made public. Now the Whitaker family must protect Jeff even as they confront ghosts from their own past - all while trying to have the Best Christmas Ever.
  • Before Vinson by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, period + 1 more
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    Keyword: U.S. Supreme Court, Supreme Court + 3 more
    Genre: drama, period, political
    Keyword: U.S. Supreme Court, Supreme Court, American history, 20th century American history, Death of a Salesman
    [FULL LENGTH] It's an early spring day in 1949, and a young attorney named Bernard is about to argue his first case before the U.S. Supreme Court. As he makes his final preparations for oral argument, however, he learns that the outcome of the case will depend not upon his legal acumen, but on backyard tennis games, men's fashion, breakfast pastries - and a certain traveling salesman who lived next...
    [FULL LENGTH] It's an early spring day in 1949, and a young attorney named Bernard is about to argue his first case before the U.S. Supreme Court. As he makes his final preparations for oral argument, however, he learns that the outcome of the case will depend not upon his legal acumen, but on backyard tennis games, men's fashion, breakfast pastries - and a certain traveling salesman who lived next door when Bernard was growing up.
  • The Tragedie of King John Falstaff by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    12–30
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 8 more
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    Keyword: Shakespeare, History + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, parody/spoof, period, political, satire, science fiction, verse
    Keyword: Shakespeare, History, Politics, political satire
    [FULL LENTGH] Defeated at Harlech by the English forces, the Welsh sorcerer Owen Glendower uses his magic to throw England into a terrifying alternate timeline. Now, Henry V is a meager footnote, and Sir John Falstaff - fat, cowardly, corrupt, irrepressible Falstaff - sits on the throne of England. Is he fated to destroy the nation, or can he possibly put things right? And if he can't - or won't - then is there anybody who can?
  • Ascension Monday by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: zoom, pandemic + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, political, satire, science fiction, zoom
    Keyword: zoom, pandemic, computer technology, tech bros
    [ONE-ACT] It's Monday, December 21, 2020, and the senior executives of Marrisware Software have been invited to a mysterious 5pm Zoom meeting. As they contend with mysterious packages, Starbucks lines, astrological conjunctions, and Russian troll farms, they discover there's more you can do on Zoom than simply discuss new product launches. Much, much more.
  • An Audience of One by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental + 1 more
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    Keyword: love, quiet desperation + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, romantic comedy
    Keyword: love, quiet desperation, infatuation, language
    [TEN MINUTE] Infatuation. Pursuit. Rejection. Repeat. One last, desperate attempt, against all the obstacles thrown up by a cold and indifferent world, to catch the attention of one loved from afar and sweep them up in the delirious ecstasies of passion. Maybe.
  • Basic Cable Method Acting by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, period + 2 more
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    Keyword: 1980s, acting + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, period, political, satire
    Keyword: 1980s, acting, post apocalyptic, 20th century American history
    [TEN MINUTE] In a grimy rehearsal studio, somewhere in the mid 1980s, three young actors are auditioning to play a mostly mute henchman in a crappy post-apocalyptic science fiction movie. One of them has done some particularly intensive audition prep, but will that be enough to get him the part? Or, for that matter, to save the country?
  • Coming Soon to the Dowling Bookstore by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Suburbs, Long Island + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: Suburbs, Long Island, true crime, twinkies
    [TEN MINUTE] Chet and Dusty meet late one night in the parking lot of a Long Island 7-Eleven. One is a successful assistant bank manger, the other is a burnt-out high school drop out. But when one makes a remarkable proposal to the other, it becomes clear which of the two is really an adult.
  • Fond Pageant by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: christmas, Childhood + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, holiday, pageant, verse
    Keyword: christmas, Childhood, special education, Slaughter of the Innocents
    [TEN MINUTE] Timothy Luke Peterson is a troubled young boy, whose Sunday School teacher may have found a way to reach him and unlock his potential. Unfortunately, this is going to lead to a decidedly atypical Christmas pageant...
  • For the Benefit of Jimmy Mangiaroli by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: COVID, pandemic + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, zoom
    Keyword: COVID, pandemic, Politics, Staten Island
    [ONE ACT] An angry young man riding the Staten Island Ferry receives a video call from his mother, terrified that he's been roped into some sort of criminal activity. And indeed, the drug-dealing, sordid local legend Jimmy Mangiaroli has asked him to run a special errand. It may not be illegal, but with New York in the grip of the covid pandemic it might be even more dangerous.
  • Gun Safe by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: guns, guns in American life + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, political
    Keyword: guns, guns in American life, guns in schools, Accidental gun violence, American education
    [ONE ACT] It's Parent-Teacher night in a school district which has voted to arm its teachers. When the parent of the class troublemaker turns out to be a mercenary soldier, one fourth-grade teacher receives a very different sort of education in gun safety.
  • How to Pronounce Samhain by Michael C. O'Day
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: witchcraft, wicca + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, faith-based, holiday, political
    Keyword: witchcraft, wicca, halloween, COVID, mourning rituals, Death and mourning customs, ultimate frisbee
    [ONE-ACT] In a lonely graveyard on the Saturday before Halloween, with the veil between worlds at its thinnest, the High Priestess Morrigan Dusk attempts a solemn ritual. When it is interrupted by a reckless teenager and his family, the priestess receives an unexpected visit from the past and an even more unexpected opportunity for the future. A story of loss, witchcraft, and ultimate frisbee.
  • The Mascot Always Pings Twice by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Advertising, mascots + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, political, satire
    Keyword: Advertising, mascots, Corporate Propaganda, environmental activism, cows
    [ONE ACT] Mitch MacReady has spent years working on an ad campaign for a company he hates; desperate for a fresh start, he quits his lucrative corporate position for a job in environmental advocacy. But it's hard for a sap like Mitch to go straight; the nonprofit world has its own treacheries and double-crosses, and the lure of selling out is utterly - or, rather, udderly - seductive.
  • Morningside Heath by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: post-apocalyptic, post-apocalypse America + 2 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, fantasy, political, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: post-apocalyptic, post-apocalypse America, New York City, Shakespeare
    [ONE ACT] Decades from now, with society in ruins, New York City is a dangerous wasteland. In a long-forgotten basement beneath what was once Columbia University, survivors race to find a very special artifact - and the future of humanity may depend on what they do with it.
  • Norwegians Pay Half Price by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Shakespeare, Hamlet + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: Shakespeare, Hamlet, death tourism, tourism, please don't treat the sites of national tragedies as vacation destinations
    [ONE-ACT] It's ten years after the deaths of the Danish royal family, and the preening Lord Osric has a plan to reverse the fortunes of Castle Elsinore - by turning the place into a cheesy tourist attraction. But can he convince the remnants of the court to set aside their animosity towards the occupying Norwegians and help him implement his plan? Especially when it involves telling a story as ridiculous...
    [ONE-ACT] It's ten years after the deaths of the Danish royal family, and the preening Lord Osric has a plan to reverse the fortunes of Castle Elsinore - by turning the place into a cheesy tourist attraction. But can he convince the remnants of the court to set aside their animosity towards the occupying Norwegians and help him implement his plan? Especially when it involves telling a story as ridiculous as that of Prince Hamlet?
  • Trivial by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: zoom, COVID + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, zoom
    Keyword: zoom, COVID, Mental Health, suicide prevention
    [ONE ACT] Cooped up in their apartments during the Covid-19 quarantine, three friends pass the time at an online trivia event. When their zoom meeting is accidentally crashed by a distraught young woman trying to reach a suicide prevention hotline, they need to find a way to talk her down, and apply their pop culture knowledge and skills to a decidedly less trivial subject.
  • Trumpets Sounding Over Harrisburg by Michael C. O'Day
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Three Mile Island, Nuclear Power + 2 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, horror, period, political
    Keyword: Three Mile Island, Nuclear Power, environmental crisis, hostage
    [TEN MINUTE] On March 30, 1979, the Civil Defense Alarm sounds in Harrisburg, PA during the meltdown at Three Mile Island. During the confusion, two women discover that once the sirens start shrieking, it's hard to think clearly - hard, in fact, to do anything at all...