MARK EISMAN

MARK EISMAN

MARK EISMAN won the LA WEEKLY’s Best Playwright Award for SHOVE at the Road Theater Company, where it played in repertory with his THE SMOKE AND ICE FOLLIES. He has had one play, one musical and one screenplay presented at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. His plays have been produced and workshopped at various regional theaters including the Magic Theater in San Francisco Center Stage in Baltimore...
MARK EISMAN won the LA WEEKLY’s Best Playwright Award for SHOVE at the Road Theater Company, where it played in repertory with his THE SMOKE AND ICE FOLLIES. He has had one play, one musical and one screenplay presented at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. His plays have been produced and workshopped at various regional theaters including the Magic Theater in San Francisco Center Stage in Baltimore and The Denver Center Theatre Company. THE GUY UPSTAIRS, which premiered at the Charlotte Repertory Theater, received a nomination for the Best New American Play award of the American Theater Critics Association. SIGHTLINES was the first full-length play published in The Kenyon Review. Festival presentations include US West Theater Fest at the Denver Center Theatre Company, Charlotte Repertory Theatre’s New Play Festival, FutureFest 2011 at the Dayton Playhouse and recently the “Undressing Cinderella” festival at Middlebury College and the Black Box festival at Brooklyn’s Gallery Players. He has developed his work during four summer residencies at the New River Dramatists in Healings Springs, NC. Mark wrote questions for JEOPARDY and scripts for children’s TV programs including THE GREAT SPACE COASTER, READING RAINBOW and the RAMONA series for PBS. He has received two daytime Emmy nominations, a NY state playwriting fellowship, a Writers Guild screenwriting fellowship, two Beverly Hills Theater Guild/Julie Harris Playwriting Awards, the Charles MacArthur Fellowship, Abingdon Theatre’s Christopher Brian Wolk Award for playwriting excellence and a playwriting scholarship from Primary Stages theater. Mark was born in Boston, lives in New York, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and an alumnus of the BMI Librettist Workshop. He is also a NY company member of The Custom Made Theatre Company which has produced several of his plays including the 2013 revival of SIGHTLINES at NY’s Cell Theater. In 2014, his commissioned musical play HAIL TO THE CHIEF, was produced at several venues in New England.

Plays

  • WHERE??? by MARK EISMAN
    Cast: 
    9–10
    ·
    Genre: young audiences
    Genre: young audiences
    The competition between North and South High is shaken up when Angeli, an immigrant from Ecuador, joins the North geography team. Angeli is a quiz wizz but she makes some surprise moves and ignites accusations which go beyond the boundaries of academic competition in a play which explores the many meanings and implications of geography.

  • CAESAR AND THE HOLEY WAR by MARK EISMAN
    Cast: 
    8–10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, science fiction + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, science fiction, young audiences

    Hungry moths have been destroying wool garments in Caesar’s town.
    Another teen Lana, has had dozens of her trademark sweaters, ravaged.
    Rosalie, who comes from a family of female exterminators (Ladybugs) explains that conventional means do not work on these Armani devourers.
    Caesar has a funny voice. He only speaks when absolutely necessary. Apparently, the sound of his voice...

    Hungry moths have been destroying wool garments in Caesar’s town.
    Another teen Lana, has had dozens of her trademark sweaters, ravaged.
    Rosalie, who comes from a family of female exterminators (Ladybugs) explains that conventional means do not work on these Armani devourers.
    Caesar has a funny voice. He only speaks when absolutely necessary. Apparently, the sound of his voice drives the moths away. Suddenly the trait which has made him a shy outcast becomes a gift and makes him a hero. Rosalie explains that there is such a thing as sonic extermination and Caesar’s voice may be an unusual example.
    In ACT TWO, the crisis has spread to other fabrics. Only gingham and calico are safe to wear.
    Then Caesar completely loses his voice.
    People stop shouting “Hail, Caesar, but a hail storm brings relief.
    Rosalie, who has been searching for a moth bomb in her nana’s recipe box, instead finds recipes for things like Shoo Fly Pie and Locust Cake. She discovers there is more to life than extermination.
    When Caesar’s voice returns, it has changed as boys’ voices do. The Holey War is over. The kids can change out of gingham and calico. At a dance, they celebrate the return of their favorite fabrics.

  • TASTELESS by MARK EISMAN
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
    Genre: dark comedy
    JW, an important food critic, who treasures his anonymity, loses his longtime dining companion, Pauline, in the opening scene, when they are disguised as a priest and a nun.
    JW picks up Marzy, a teenage girl, hoping to find her father Teddy, whom she has never met and is about to be released from a brief prison stay for stealing macarons. JW tells Marzy she has “talented buds” and she becomes his new...
    JW, an important food critic, who treasures his anonymity, loses his longtime dining companion, Pauline, in the opening scene, when they are disguised as a priest and a nun.
    JW picks up Marzy, a teenage girl, hoping to find her father Teddy, whom she has never met and is about to be released from a brief prison stay for stealing macarons. JW tells Marzy she has “talented buds” and she becomes his new companion (dining only).
    In ACT TWO, Covid strikes and turns JWs world upside down. Not only are the restaurants closed but JW gets the virus and loses his sense of taste. Even when the restaurants reopen, he remains tasteless.
    The hapless Teddy, who delivers meal kits, becomes an unlikely and essential hero.
    The set consists of a series of migratory tables. Food is not served but vividly and critically described.
  • DARK SIDE OF THE STARS by MARK EISMAN
    Cast: 
    8–9
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, young audiences
    Genre: dark comedy, young audiences
    Eliza and Orianne are foster sisters, separated for years. They are both matriculating at the same university. Both were abandoned as infants. Orianne was lefr on the steps of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Eliza was left in front of a church next to a pizza parlor. Eliza is a low vision person who attended the same school as Helen Keller. A budding journalism student, she wants to see if there is any...
    Eliza and Orianne are foster sisters, separated for years. They are both matriculating at the same university. Both were abandoned as infants. Orianne was lefr on the steps of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Eliza was left in front of a church next to a pizza parlor. Eliza is a low vision person who attended the same school as Helen Keller. A budding journalism student, she wants to see if there is any truth to the extra-terrestrial rumors and dreams about Orianne’s origins. Oruanne wonders why her foster sister isn’t exploring the story of her own origins. Ultimately, some light is shed on both stories.
    The play fearures a series of Eliza’s childhood watercolors depicting how a person with minimal vision sees the world.
  • OUR NOTORIOUS NAMES by MARK EISMAN
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    With his bow in tow, an archery counselor claims to the camp director (Ceil) that the only reason she is not rehiring him for the summer of 2019 is because of his name. What other reason could there be? He has been a member of the Camp Algonquin family since he was eight.
    Suddenly, his name is notorious. He is Jeffrey Epstein. Not the Jeffrey Epstein, the imprisoned sexual predator, just a...
    With his bow in tow, an archery counselor claims to the camp director (Ceil) that the only reason she is not rehiring him for the summer of 2019 is because of his name. What other reason could there be? He has been a member of the Camp Algonquin family since he was eight.
    Suddenly, his name is notorious. He is Jeffrey Epstein. Not the Jeffrey Epstein, the imprisoned sexual predator, just a Jeffrey Epstein, teacher and archer. Suddenly, everyone is sniggering at him and now he is persona non grata at Algonquin (recently renamed Apple Hill, possibly for political correctness reasons)
    There is another Algonquin alumnus who shares the same name (actually, make that Geoffrey Epstein)/ They also occasionally shared a bunk. The Epstein boys haven’t seen each other in fifteen years. Geoffrey yearns to rekindle with Jeffrey. Jeffrey only wants to discuss the sudden burden of their names. Geoffrey isn’t feeling the pain.
    And one other thing on Jeffrey’s mind.
    When they were teens, he (and Geoffrey) were part of a group that harassed a girl in the camp across the lake. She had the most notorious surname of all time. Only now does he understand the pain a name can bring. He wants to find her and apologize.
    With the help of his father, he does locate her and develops feelings for her. She has a thing or two to teach him about himself. She also intimates that he may have the wrong Audrey Hitler.
    The play ends with the
  • STANDBY FOR CINDERELLA by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    10–12
    ·
    Genre: comedy, young audiences
    Genre: comedy, young audiences
    Teenager Grace is orphaned and living with her stepmother Martha and stepsister Caroline, who treat her with disdain. Since she is living the role, Grace is sure she will be cast as Cinderella in the school musical. She is shocked to discover that Caroline is to be Cinderella and she is cast as one of the stepsisters. This role reversal from real life is distressing and she begs the director Miss Cross to...
    Teenager Grace is orphaned and living with her stepmother Martha and stepsister Caroline, who treat her with disdain. Since she is living the role, Grace is sure she will be cast as Cinderella in the school musical. She is shocked to discover that Caroline is to be Cinderella and she is cast as one of the stepsisters. This role reversal from real life is distressing and she begs the director Miss Cross to switch parts. Miss Cross agrees to let Grace understudy or standby for the eole of Cinderella. Grace doesn’t have a Fairy Godmother but in a dream, her late mother Adele,, an actress, tries to help or find somebody who can assust Grace who has further alienated Martha and may be on the verge of being booted into the foster system. Adele suggests that her former stepsister, Peggy, also an actress, might be of some help. “Where can I find her?” Grace asks. “Everywhere” answers Adele. And that is true. Peggy is everywhere, at least her voice is. The rest of Peggy is more elusive. Standbys rarely get to go on but a minor miracle awaits.
  • SLEEPING WITHIN AND WITHOUT by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–12
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Genre: dark comedy, drama


    He can hear everything people are saying to him.
    Only we can hear his responses with one exception.
    For twenty five years, he has longed to talk to her and for her to talk back.
    Now, thanks to his special and perilous circumstance, they can converse.
    He believes someone has attempted to murder him.
    She isn’t so sure.
    He can hear her with...


    He can hear everything people are saying to him.
    Only we can hear his responses with one exception.
    For twenty five years, he has longed to talk to her and for her to talk back.
    Now, thanks to his special and perilous circumstance, they can converse.
    He believes someone has attempted to murder him.
    She isn’t so sure.
    He can hear her with extraordinary clarity but will he listen to her?
    And how much time do they have?


  • BEING SUPREME by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Courtrppm sketch artists
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Courtrppm sketch artists
    Miriam and her younger sister Judith are courtroom sketch artists. Miriam has a regular gig drawing the Supreme Court, where no cameras are allowed. Judith freelances in a world where cameras have largely replaced artists except at the federal level. Miriam is contemplating retirement at an early age to battle an illness which has altered her appearance. Judith hopes to replace her. In order to make ends meet,...
    Miriam and her younger sister Judith are courtroom sketch artists. Miriam has a regular gig drawing the Supreme Court, where no cameras are allowed. Judith freelances in a world where cameras have largely replaced artists except at the federal level. Miriam is contemplating retirement at an early age to battle an illness which has altered her appearance. Judith hopes to replace her. In order to make ends meet, Judith sketches perpetrators of crimes for the police. There she meets Stevenson who can’t even identify the gender of the person who robbed and sexually assaulted hum.
    At an exhibition of Miriam’s sketches, Judith and Miriam’s best friend Ruthann meet PK on whom Miriam had a teenage crush until a violent encounter, in which her mother was killed, changed their lives. . PK wants to see Miriam, but Miriam, self conscious about her appearance, doesn’t want to see anyone. PK and ultimately Miriam seek redemption for the death of Miriam’s mother, a cantor, whose demise was fueled by the destruction of her zinnias.
    The play, a dark comedy, features drawings ranging from Martha Stewart at her federal trial to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whom Miriam draws and admires. Drawings of PK and Miriam chart their relationship until Miriam’s face is finally revealed to PK and the audience.

  • THE GODDESS AND THE GODMOTHER by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–8
    ·
    Genre: young audiences
    Genre: young audiences
    Since Marlene is blind, she does not have conventional dreams. When she dreams, she only hears and what she has been hearing lately is one voice. It’s a voice familiar to us all. The cheery woman who tells us to “Press One” etc. Marlene calls her the Goddess because nobody has ever seen her and yet she is everywhere. Marlene thinks that the Goddess may be her mother. One stormy night, the voice takes form as...
    Since Marlene is blind, she does not have conventional dreams. When she dreams, she only hears and what she has been hearing lately is one voice. It’s a voice familiar to us all. The cheery woman who tells us to “Press One” etc. Marlene calls her the Goddess because nobody has ever seen her and yet she is everywhere. Marlene thinks that the Goddess may be her mother. One stormy night, the voice takes form as the first and only person or thing Marlene has ever seen. Enter Marlene’s Godmother. She sounds like the Goddess but she is someone else entirely. She brings no magic but may bear clues to Marlene’s identity.

  • MULTIPLEXITIES by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    9–11
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, young audiences
    A shoplifting in a bakery impels a young woman to search for her biological parents, also alleged to be thieves. Her journey takes her and the baker’s daughter to a multiplex movie theater where a love triangle of the past led to a crime and the future of a second triangle hinges on secrets of that crime. The truth is exposed in black and white.
  • TEXT ME, KATE by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, political
    Kate has contributed to a new American History textbook and she wants Ozzie her former teacher and mentor to endorse Our America. Ezra, Kate’s former friend, a PH.D candidate in American History and Amazon delivery man, despises Our America, as much for what it leaves out as for what it includes. Kate’s return threatens the long platonic relationship between Ozzie and his landlady Nanette. The 52 year old...
    Kate has contributed to a new American History textbook and she wants Ozzie her former teacher and mentor to endorse Our America. Ezra, Kate’s former friend, a PH.D candidate in American History and Amazon delivery man, despises Our America, as much for what it leaves out as for what it includes. Kate’s return threatens the long platonic relationship between Ozzie and his landlady Nanette. The 52 year old Ozzie is infatuated with the 28 year old Kate. As both he and Nanette have stayed clear of any conventional relationships, he doesn’t know how to proceed. Nanette’s foster child Marjean is surrounded by history buffs and she is no fan of the subject until she starts to delve into the history of Nanette’s family who once occupied the many rooms of the large house in Massachusetts where the play is set. The two older characters struggle with texting as a means of expressing shorthand emotions. Mixed messages ensue.
  • BREAKING EASY by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Breaking Easy is a unique new company. Instead of matching people up, it helps them disengage. Its agents are messengers who say things that its clients cannot or will not say to help dislodge them from longtime personal relationships as well as parents, jobs, even religions. Cliffy, the founder and CEO of Breaking Easy, hires his childhood friend as an agent, Raymond, a former librarian, feels transformed by...
    Breaking Easy is a unique new company. Instead of matching people up, it helps them disengage. Its agents are messengers who say things that its clients cannot or will not say to help dislodge them from longtime personal relationships as well as parents, jobs, even religions. Cliffy, the founder and CEO of Breaking Easy, hires his childhood friend as an agent, Raymond, a former librarian, feels transformed by the job. However, another childhood friend, Eliza, thinks the job is destroying Raymond and urges him to quit. Cliffy, Eliza and Raymond became friends in eighth grade, a time of tragedy and loss for them.Raymond hopes that his father will get the courage to leave his second wife. The play follows the fate of client Claire, who seems to be shedding everybody in her life until there is nobody left except herself. This causes a crisis at Breaking Easy. Suicide is not part of their mission. Eventually, a subdivision called RECONNECTIONS emerges.
  • GYPSY IN THE LABYRINTH by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
    Genre: dark comedy
    A gunshot and broken glass leave a Broadway usher blinded on Halloween Eve, 1953. His Guys and Dolls vision is frozen in time until years later. He opens a business renting dogs to lonely New Yorkers and his illusory view of the world shatters.

  • DIRTY HARRY AND ALL THE EXTRAS by MARK EISMAN
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic
    Genre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic
    Dirty Harry is a 32 kiloton atomic bomb which the U.S. government tested in the Nevada desert in 1953. In 1954, Howard Hughes began production on The Conqueror which starred John Wayne as Genghis Khan on a location near the test site. Brothers Jack and Harry and their friend (and possible half sister) Claudette, three young people from nearby Utah, are excited about being extras in the “cast of thousands.” The...
    Dirty Harry is a 32 kiloton atomic bomb which the U.S. government tested in the Nevada desert in 1953. In 1954, Howard Hughes began production on The Conqueror which starred John Wayne as Genghis Khan on a location near the test site. Brothers Jack and Harry and their friend (and possible half sister) Claudette, three young people from nearby Utah, are excited about being extras in the “cast of thousands.” The movie bombs at the box office but the fallout for the cast crew and community members continues for years. Claudette’s political consciousness is raised. Sheep and people begin dying at alarming rates. The government told them there was nothing to fear. A surreal version of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes enters the dreams of the extras. The burning question: WAS THE ONLY USE THE U.S, HAS MADE OF A NUCLEAR BOMB SINCE WORLD WAR TWO AGAINST ITS OWN CITIZENS?