Brigid Amos

Brigid Amos

Brigid Amos recently moved back to her home state of New Jersey after twenty five years in Nebraska. She is the winner of the 2022 Goshen Peace Play Contest and has been a finalist for The Woodward/Newman Drama Award, Kitchen Dog Theater's New Play Festival, and the Loft Ensemble as well as a semifinalist for Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, the International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting Competition,...
Brigid Amos recently moved back to her home state of New Jersey after twenty five years in Nebraska. She is the winner of the 2022 Goshen Peace Play Contest and has been a finalist for The Woodward/Newman Drama Award, Kitchen Dog Theater's New Play Festival, and the Loft Ensemble as well as a semifinalist for Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, the International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting Competition, Athena Project, Cimientos Play Development Program, The Landing Theatre’s New American Voices Playwriting Festival, Vivid Stage’s Meet the Artist series, the Warner International Playwrights Festival, and Epiphanies New Works Festival. She is currently working on development of Dove, a full-length, with ASOTO (A Stage of Their Own), a women’s play development program based in New Jersey. Dove had its regional premiere with Angels Theatre Company September 14-18, 2022 at the Johnny Carson Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska. Covenant Farm, a one-act which she is now developing as a full-length play, was released as a podcast in season 2 of Short Plays for Short Journeys by Wild Duck Theatre in London, England. Her full length play Listen had a staged reading as part of the 2018-19 5th Wall Productions Staged Reading Series in Charleston, South Carolina. Losing the Ring in the River, a full length based on the book of poetry by Marge Saiser, was produced by Angels Theatre Company as part of the 2017-18 season of the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska. Short plays have been produced by The Chatham Community Players, Angels Theatre Company, Metropolitan Community College, The Barn Players, Act Your Age Showcase, the Secret Theatre, and Empire Theatre Company. Other staged readings have been presented at CenterPieces Reading Series, The Midwest Dramatists Conference, Theatre Lawrence, Acting Naturally, and Geneva Theatre Guild. Brigid holds a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.S. from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Plays

  • Losing the Ring in the River by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: adaptation, drama
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    Keyword: Nebraska, farm + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama
    Keyword: Nebraska, farm, Three Generations of Women, dysfunctional family, mother-daughter conflict, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, rural, kitchen, intergenerational healing
    FULL LENGTH: When Liz’s grandfather leaves her his old pickup truck in his will, she and her mother Emma pay a visit to Grandma Clara’s farm to collect the strange bequest. Over pie, coffee, and tomato canning, three generations of Nebraska women struggle with the dark secrets of their family history. Can they acknowledge their shared experience of abuse and begin to heal the bonds it has broken among them?
  • Listen by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama, faith-based
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    Keyword: art, creativity + 7 more
    Genre: drama, faith-based
    Keyword: art, creativity, Art Gallery, Brooklyn, sibling conflict, Art and Artists, mental illness, artist, Bob Ross
    FULL LENGTH: Brilliant but unstable artist Dale Digman escapes his sister Carson’s watchful eye to bring one of his Bob Ross-inspired paintings to a gallery in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Determined to protect her brother’s artistic reputation, Carson pursues him and struggles to retrieve the painting from gallery owner Kelly Anker, who is preparing a show of paintings by Jay Turnbull, a former...
    FULL LENGTH: Brilliant but unstable artist Dale Digman escapes his sister Carson’s watchful eye to bring one of his Bob Ross-inspired paintings to a gallery in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Determined to protect her brother’s artistic reputation, Carson pursues him and struggles to retrieve the painting from gallery owner Kelly Anker, who is preparing a show of paintings by Jay Turnbull, a former classmate of Dale and ex-boyfriend of Carson. Jay’s early arrival at the gallery forces a showdown between Dale and Carson. Will Dale finally free himself from his domineering sister to pursue his unorthodox artistic vision?

  • Dove by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama, faith-based
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    Keyword: grief, child death + 8 more
    Genre: drama, faith-based
    Keyword: grief, child death, Holy Spirit, faith, Catholic, Nebraska, magical realism, mother daughter relationship, grieving, forgiveness
    FULL LENGTH: Effie and Grant’s eight-year-old daughter Dove was killed when a chain broke on a carnival swing ride. Effie shuts down emotionally, avoids saying Dove’s name, and buries herself in church work. Grant’s grief and anguish have become unbearable to Effie, and now she is planning her escape. Dove returns for twenty-four hours as an adult, demanding her mother’s attention and determined to stop her...
    FULL LENGTH: Effie and Grant’s eight-year-old daughter Dove was killed when a chain broke on a carnival swing ride. Effie shuts down emotionally, avoids saying Dove’s name, and buries herself in church work. Grant’s grief and anguish have become unbearable to Effie, and now she is planning her escape. Dove returns for twenty-four hours as an adult, demanding her mother’s attention and determined to stop her from tearing their family apart. She insists that Effie revisit the past with her and resolve the conflicts in their relationship. A play about forgiveness, hope, and the transcendent bonds between parents and children.
  • Heart of Gold by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
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    Keyword: crushing debt, crime + 8 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: crushing debt, crime, Con Artists, Fathers and Daughters, fraud, small town, desperate measures, suspense, Family Secrets, Nebraska
    FULL LENGTH IN DEVELOPMENT: On an icy Christmas Eve, a nearly bankrupt jeweler is about to close his shop, go home, and await his daughter's arrival from Lincoln. A stranger enters the store and offers the jeweler a way out of his financial difficulties. Heart of Gold explores the potentially dire consequences of indulging a child beyond one's financial means.
  • Stairlift by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Nebraska, mother daughter relationship + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Nebraska, mother daughter relationship, secrets, deception, elder care, Assisted Living, disability, aging, elderly
    ONE ACT: When a single, middle-aged woman takes in her elderly, disabled mother, the two women face off against each other in a house full of secrets. In their final showdown, they confront painful truths about the realities of aging and the shifting power structure in their family.
  • Our Daughter Katie by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: parenthood, magical realism + 8 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: parenthood, magical realism, teenage girls, family conflict, parent-child relationships, Rebellious Teens, moral dilemma, alternate reality, cookies, obedience
    FIFTEEN-MINUTE PLAY: Mom and Dad wish their teenaged daughter Katie were different. Or maybe they wish they had a different Katie…
  • The Suitcase by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Family Secrets, dark secret + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Family Secrets, dark secret, fear of discovery, suitcase, fear, shame, child death, hiding
    TEN-MINUTE PLAY: For thirty-two years, Beth and Ron have carried their large leather suitcase from place to place, always keeping it closed. Now an unexpected visitor will force them to finally confront its contents.
  • Bernice's Birthday by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: New York City, marriage + 7 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: New York City, marriage, food, birthday, outdoor cafe, salad, generosity, street musicians, love
    TEN-MINUTE PLAY: On her birthday, Bernice just wants to enjoy a nice salad at an outdoor café in the city. When her husband Lloyd objects to giving money to a street musician, she may have to toss her birthday plans.
  • Kitchen Garden by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
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    Keyword: Minnesota, revenge + 8 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Minnesota, revenge, ice fishing, suspense, grieving death of spouse, interrogation, guilt, dark secret, confession, tea
    TEN-MINUTE PLAY: Ilsa’s husband Lester drowned last winter when his truck broke through a frozen Minnesota lake during an ice fishing trip with his buddy, George. Now George has come for tea, and Ilsa has some tough questions for him.
  • Shall We Dance? by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: dance, dancer + 8 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: dance, dancer, competition, mentorship, passing the torch, professional conflict, choreography, female friendship, reconciliation, resentment
    THIRTEEN-MINUTE PLAY: When a scheduling error brings a dance teacher and her former student together in a studio, they engage in a power struggle that begins to redefine their long personal and professional relationship.
  • Covenant Farm by Brigid Amos
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: organic farming, intentional community + 6 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: organic farming, intentional community, environmental activism, sustainable agriculture, communal living, a life worth living, bonds of friendship, women in agriculture
    Eighteen years ago, fourteen people pooled their resources and signed a covenant to buy an organic farm on the Mendocino Coast of California. Now Shannon and Leanne are the last two left. As Leanne secretly plans to leave, their former partner Janine reveals that the covenant prohibits Shannon from bringing outside help onto the farm. Shannon injures herself. Leanne helps out on the weekends while holding down...
    Eighteen years ago, fourteen people pooled their resources and signed a covenant to buy an organic farm on the Mendocino Coast of California. Now Shannon and Leanne are the last two left. As Leanne secretly plans to leave, their former partner Janine reveals that the covenant prohibits Shannon from bringing outside help onto the farm. Shannon injures herself. Leanne helps out on the weekends while holding down her job office job. Janine and Leanne stage a final campaign to convince Shannon to leave the farm and take a job in the city, but she passionately rededicates herself to the farm.
  • The Fledgling by Brigid Amos
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale + 3 more
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    Keyword: xenophobia, allegory + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale, fantasy, political, young audiences
    Keyword: xenophobia, allegory, animal characters, outdoor performance, Social distancing
    Dog and Cat share the multilevel fire escape of their apartment building in mutual tolerance. Their peace is disturbed when they find Fledgling on their fire escape, calling to its mother in a wild bird language they do not understand. Cat wants to kill and eat Fledgling, but Dog’s human has taught that killing birds is bad behavior. Dog and Cat discuss Fledgling’s status as a wild animal in relationship to...
    Dog and Cat share the multilevel fire escape of their apartment building in mutual tolerance. Their peace is disturbed when they find Fledgling on their fire escape, calling to its mother in a wild bird language they do not understand. Cat wants to kill and eat Fledgling, but Dog’s human has taught that killing birds is bad behavior. Dog and Cat discuss Fledgling’s status as a wild animal in relationship to their own status as domestic animals. Cat convinces Dog that Fledgling is calling out to others of its kind to occupy their fire escape and attack them. They decide that Fledgling must die in order to protect their fire escape from the coming invasion, but just as Cat is about to pounce, Dog realizes Fledgling’s true intention and saves the young bird’s life. This play explores the seductive nature of xenophobia and the power of empathy to combat it.