Vince Gatton

Vince Gatton

Vince Gatton is a New York-based playwright and Drama Desk-nominated actor. His full-length play ALEXANDRIA won Sanguine Theatre Company’s Project Playwright Festival, and his short BETTER was one of the winners of the 2018 Samuel French OOB Festival. Other shorts have had readings in Motolla Theatre Project’s annual Cherry Picking new-play-generating event at the Wild Project in NYC; IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF HI...
Vince Gatton is a New York-based playwright and Drama Desk-nominated actor. His full-length play ALEXANDRIA won Sanguine Theatre Company’s Project Playwright Festival, and his short BETTER was one of the winners of the 2018 Samuel French OOB Festival. Other shorts have had readings in Motolla Theatre Project’s annual Cherry Picking new-play-generating event at the Wild Project in NYC; IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF HI-Q, BETTER, and HEY were all finalists for the National Playwriting Award at City Theatre in Miami; and another short, JAM, won Best Play in the 2015 LIC Short Play Festival at the Secret Theatre in Long Island City. WAKE, his first full-length play, was a semifinalist for PlayPenn, and a finalist with readings at Dayton Playhouse’s FutureFest, Boomerang Theatre’s First Flight Festival, and Vintage Theatre Productions’ Mystery/Thriller New Works Festival, and was recently published by Next Stage Press. He received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play for David Johnston's Candy and Dorothy. Other notable acting credits include Leigh Fondakowski’s SPILL at Ensemble Studio Theatre; I Am My Own Wife and Fully Committed at Barrington Stage Company; I Am My Own Wife again at Coachella Valley Rep (Desert Star Award Nomination) and Two Turns Theatre Company; and The Temperamentals at New World Stages, standing by for Michael Urie. He’s appeared on TV in BLUE BLOODS and LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME, and you can also catch him being himself on a certain rerun of Jeopardy, in the documentary Married & Counting, and in the Pippin episode of Encore! on Disney+. His short play THE OKTAVIST was recently named the winner of the inaugural Gary Garrison Playwriting Award for Ten Minute Plays, and will be published by The Tusculum Review in November 2023.

Plays

  • You Have Earned Bonus Stars by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 22
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: road trip, morality + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: road trip, morality, mass shooting, LGBTQ, nightmare, ethics, consequences of violence, gun violence
    [FULL LENGTH] Danielle has survived a shocking act of workplace violence; her quiet older co-worker Jimmy has not. A small act in his final moments becomes a clue that sets Danielle off on a quest on his behalf, sending her down a rabbit hole of secrets, lies, and questions about her own place in the moral universe – and the state of the moral universe itself.

    You Have Earned Bonus Stars is a...
    [FULL LENGTH] Danielle has survived a shocking act of workplace violence; her quiet older co-worker Jimmy has not. A small act in his final moments becomes a clue that sets Danielle off on a quest on his behalf, sending her down a rabbit hole of secrets, lies, and questions about her own place in the moral universe – and the state of the moral universe itself.

    You Have Earned Bonus Stars is a comedy about tragedy, an exploration of the judgement we all face – from the great beyond, from each other, and from ourselves.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, they can be read as a unified larger work as well by reading this and its companion anthology, The Thing That Happened. That play includes:

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]
  • ALEXANDRIA by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 16
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama, faith-based + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: religion, christianity + 5 more
    Genre: drama, faith-based, political, tragedy
    Keyword: religion, christianity, apocalypse, culture clash, southern, LGBTQ, gay marriage
    [FULL LENGTH] In a small town library in the Deep South, two librarians share an unlikely close friendship, despite being on opposite sides of the culture war. But when a young queer runaway, ominous global events, and the Sweep of Human History come crashing through their front door, what will it take for that friendship to survive?

    Alexandria is a play about relationships that cross deep...
    [FULL LENGTH] In a small town library in the Deep South, two librarians share an unlikely close friendship, despite being on opposite sides of the culture war. But when a young queer runaway, ominous global events, and the Sweep of Human History come crashing through their front door, what will it take for that friendship to survive?

    Alexandria is a play about relationships that cross deep divides of belief and conviction: what those relationships are worth, and what they cost.

    *** Winner - Sanguine Theatre Company's Project Playwright Festival
    ** Semi-finalist, Princess Grace Award
  • WAKE by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 16
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
    ·
    Keyword: ghosts, LGBTQ + 4 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: ghosts, LGBTQ, gay, marriage, HIV/AIDS, storytelling
    [FULL LENGTH] Dan and Eric have a new marriage license, a new baby, and a new house in the country. As they settle into this new life, Dan is having what seem to be sleepwalking episodes. A ghost story told by a young visitor leads Eric to suspect that Dan's sleepwalking incidents are actually something far more sinister -- but are they what he thinks they are? Or are there other forces at work?
    ...
    [FULL LENGTH] Dan and Eric have a new marriage license, a new baby, and a new house in the country. As they settle into this new life, Dan is having what seem to be sleepwalking episodes. A ghost story told by a young visitor leads Eric to suspect that Dan's sleepwalking incidents are actually something far more sinister -- but are they what he thinks they are? Or are there other forces at work?

    WAKE is a ghost story for the post-AIDS generation, a play about marriage, expectations, and the power of narrative to both heal and harm.
  • Better (Full-length) by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: great roles for women, white working-class + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror, political, tragedy
    Keyword: great roles for women, white working-class, systemic evil, horror, resentment, fascism, closet, meat packing
    [FULL-LENGTH] In a high-security meat-processing plant in the Ozarks, middle-aged line workers Ruth and Donna have long since settled into a routine based on decades of shared resentments. But when a new figure shows up in town, cracks start to break wide open - between Ruth and Donna, and in the world high above their workstation. And what’s up with all these Security alerts lately? BETTER is a darkly comic...
    [FULL-LENGTH] In a high-security meat-processing plant in the Ozarks, middle-aged line workers Ruth and Donna have long since settled into a routine based on decades of shared resentments. But when a new figure shows up in town, cracks start to break wide open - between Ruth and Donna, and in the world high above their workstation. And what’s up with all these Security alerts lately? BETTER is a darkly comic drama about the personal and systemic forces that conspire to resist change — often and especially change for the better.

    Based on the OOB Festival-winning short play BETTER, published by Samuel French, a Concord Theatricals Company
  • The Thing That Happened by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    9–19
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: workplace, Anthology + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, farce, horror, mystery/thriller, romantic comedy, tragedy
    Keyword: workplace, Anthology, gun violence, consequences of violence, Toxic Masculinity
    {FULL LENGTH, ANTHOLOGY] A seemingly normal day at the office gets a shocking twist. The Thing That Happened takes a sideways look at the event by exploring the stories along its margins – moments that touch directly or indirectly on the events of that one terrible day. Hopping around in time, place, and genre, these six funny, scary, sweet and sad short stories look at the ripple effects of violence and the...
    {FULL LENGTH, ANTHOLOGY] A seemingly normal day at the office gets a shocking twist. The Thing That Happened takes a sideways look at the event by exploring the stories along its margins – moments that touch directly or indirectly on the events of that one terrible day. Hopping around in time, place, and genre, these six funny, scary, sweet and sad short stories look at the ripple effects of violence and the unseen threads that connect us all.

    A companion piece to the full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

    *****The chapters can also be read as standalone pieces, found separately here on NPX. They are:

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]
  • The Oktavist by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 30
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: music, church + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: music, church, Imperial Russia, Choir, homosexuality, clergy, LGBT, gay, religion, power
    [SHORT] In a small church in Imperial Russia, Father Kirill is approached by the scion of a prominent local family for a favor: the young man is convinced it's his divine calling to be an oktavist, one of the legendary ultra-deep-voiced singers in Russian liturgical music. That calling, and much else, will now be put to the test.

    WINNER, The Gary Garrison Playwriting Award for 10-Minute Plays
  • But Soft by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Shakespeare, romance + 4 more
    Genre: drama, romantic comedy, verse
    Keyword: Shakespeare, romance, verse, love, yearning, lgbt youth
    Two roommates at boarding school are picking monologues for an upcoming audition for their school's production of Romeo and Juliet. The choice proves more momentous than expected.
  • Protocols by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 26
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: isolation, siblings + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror, zoom
    Keyword: isolation, siblings, family, zoom, Social distancing, Quarantine, horror, vampire, zombies, family tragedy
    [SHORT] Two siblings on a video call attempt to manage a crisis.

    A Zoom-friendly play.
  • Hey by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 23
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Adolescence, coming of age + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fantasy
    Keyword: Adolescence, coming of age, gay, LGBTQ, rural America, blue collar, closet, Underwear
    [SHORT] A boy's quest for a safe harbor leads him unexpectedly into the most terrifying danger of his young life. A comedy (sort of?) about shopping for underwear.
  • Janmadin by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: work, capitalism + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: work, capitalism, ghost, gun violence, consequences of violence, Indian American, Indian (South Asian) women
    [ONE ACT] Having to set up the dumb office "surprise" birthday party is tedious enough, but now Nathan also has to contend with the weirdly skittish janitor and a mysterious stranger occupying the conference room. Janmadin is a (dark?) comedy about our complicated American relationship to work, and to the people we work with. Also: cupcakes.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays,...
    [ONE ACT] Having to set up the dumb office "surprise" birthday party is tedious enough, but now Nathan also has to contend with the weirdly skittish janitor and a mysterious stranger occupying the conference room. Janmadin is a (dark?) comedy about our complicated American relationship to work, and to the people we work with. Also: cupcakes.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]

    • You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
  • She's Blown Away by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 13
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: teen, romance + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: teen, romance, high school, boundaries, Stalking, Valentine's Day, Violence against women, consequences of violence, gun violence
    [SHORT] An eager high school boy enlists his friends' help in coming up with the perfect "big gesture" to win the heart of the girl he loves. The help he gets, though, isn't the help he wants -- and for reasons he can't seem to understand. A play about romance, boundaries, control, and consequences.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre,...
    [SHORT] An eager high school boy enlists his friends' help in coming up with the perfect "big gesture" to win the heart of the girl he loves. The help he gets, though, isn't the help he wants -- and for reasons he can't seem to understand. A play about romance, boundaries, control, and consequences.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]

    • You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
  • Things Are Looking Up by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: gun violence, knitting + 2 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: gun violence, knitting, workplace, Co-workers
    [SHORT] Three nurses on a run to 7-11 encounter a stroke of good luck -- and other surprises. A play about cynicism, compassion, and sudden reversals of fortune.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the...
    [SHORT] Three nurses on a run to 7-11 encounter a stroke of good luck -- and other surprises. A play about cynicism, compassion, and sudden reversals of fortune.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]

    • You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
  • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 18
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: fear, Depression + 6 more
    Genre: drama, horror, tragedy
    Keyword: fear, Depression, trauma, consequences of violence, friendship, guns, gun violence, guilt
    [SHORT] Bed-bound Clay calls a friend for help.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened,...
    [SHORT] Bed-bound Clay calls a friend for help.

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]

    • You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
  • Status Update by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: mother, son + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: mother, son, teenagers, parenthood, loss, death, music, memory, punk rock
    [SHORT] In a sunny suburban kitchen on a Saturday afternoon, a mother's last nerve is getting trampled on by her teenage son's loud music. But underneath their argument over iTunes, a sudden loss and an unspoken fear are waiting to be revealed.

    Status Update is a play about youth, middle age, the relentless passing of time, and the small acts of love that make up our days.
    ...
    [SHORT] In a sunny suburban kitchen on a Saturday afternoon, a mother's last nerve is getting trampled on by her teenage son's loud music. But underneath their argument over iTunes, a sudden loss and an unspoken fear are waiting to be revealed.

    Status Update is a play about youth, middle age, the relentless passing of time, and the small acts of love that make up our days.


    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]

    • You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
  • JAM by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: absurdist, office + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, horror
    Keyword: absurdist, office, violence, absurd comedy, Black comedy, Co-workers, gun violence, mass shooting
    [ONE ACT] A malfunctioning piece of office equipment brings out the worst in a diverse group of co-workers. A dark comedy about perspective.

    *** Winner, LIC Short Play Festival

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have...
    [ONE ACT] A malfunctioning piece of office equipment brings out the worst in a diverse group of co-workers. A dark comedy about perspective.

    *** Winner, LIC Short Play Festival

    *****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

    • JAM [One Act]
    • Status Update [Short]
    • Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
    • Things Are Looking Up [Short]
    • She’s Blown Away [Short]
    • Janmadin [One Act]

    • You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
  • Better (Short) by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: class, factory + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: class, factory, women, resentment, blue collar
    [SHORT] Two women working along the line of a poultry-processing plant in Arkansas share many things, including their views about personal improvement; but when those views unexpectedly diverge, old cracks break wide open.

    **Winner - Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival
    *Finalist - City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting
  • Neon Glowing New by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: teenagers, raves + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: teenagers, raves, gay, family, millennium, dad
    [ONE ACT] On the eve of the millennium, a teenage girl attends her first rave and envisions a potential future that rejects the rules and restrictions of her parents' middle class values. But she soon finds that the freedom the rave promises is not just for her, in ways she finds deeply threatening.
  • In The Whole History of Hi-Q by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: teenagers, Trivia + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: teenagers, Trivia, loser, competition, Vocabulary, intelligence
    [SHORT] One the eve of the last tournament of the year, three high school trivia nerds must confront the real reasons for their losing streak.
  • Hair Tuck, Half Smile by Vince Gatton
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Katie Holmes, Scientology + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fantasy, melodrama, mystery/thriller, parody/spoof
    Keyword: Katie Holmes, Scientology, Dawson's Creek, celebrity, dreams
    [SHORT] A series of nested dreams, exploring how our celebrity obsessions both flatter and condemn us.

    Might as well be titled: What We Dream About When We Dream About Katie Holmes