Jim Lunsford

Jim Lunsford

(he/him/his) Some of Jim's produced plays include FEED (nominated for four LA Weekly awards), Facing the Calm (Knightsbridge Theatre/Los Angeles), Waltzing at the Regency Diner (Expanded Arts Theatre/New York, and Attic Theatre/Los Angeles), A Hostile Takeover in Battery Park (Independently published and produced by Center for the Arts/Bonita Springs, Florida), Departures (NoHo Arts Center/Los Angeles),...
(he/him/his) Some of Jim's produced plays include FEED (nominated for four LA Weekly awards), Facing the Calm (Knightsbridge Theatre/Los Angeles), Waltzing at the Regency Diner (Expanded Arts Theatre/New York, and Attic Theatre/Los Angeles), A Hostile Takeover in Battery Park (Independently published and produced by Center for the Arts/Bonita Springs, Florida), Departures (NoHo Arts Center/Los Angeles), and Flying Fish (Adelphi University). Development and workshops: The Public Theatre (Optimistic Voices, A collage for Ukulele, directed by Rachel Chavkin), The Cherry Pit (A Dog-Eared Truth, directed by Nancy Robillard), and The Goldberg Theatre Festival of New Works (An Imperfect Understanding). His play Fray, was an O’Neill Playwright’s Conference semi-finalist and a New American Voices selection. Other writing includes the short film The Wish (Stonestreet Studios), and spec scripts for The Walking Dead and Dexter. Currently he is developing an original cable series, Life Between Hope and Mercy, and writes an ongoing blog reflecting on his life as a long-term survivor called Coming Clean: Confessions of an HIV-Positive Dad, and he is a guest blogger for Gays With Kids and The Good Men’s Project. He received a two-year fellowship from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he earned an MFA in Dramatic Writing, and he has a BA in theatre from California State University, Northridge. Jim is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA, The Dramatists Guild of America, and the Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA Playwrights Unit.

Plays

  • The Last Pigeon by Jim Lunsford
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama, faith-based + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Vietnam War, Vietnam Veteran + 8 more
    Genre: drama, faith-based, movement/physical, political
    Keyword: Vietnam War, Vietnam Veteran, redemption, ensemble, religion, Bible, birds, dementia, LGBTQ, ghost story
    Full Length

    The Last Pigeon tells the story of Joe, a haunted Vietnam War veteran teetering on the edge of insanity and in desperate need of redemption. In the aftermath of a chance meeting with a mysterious Prophet, and a suspicious house fire that destroys everything, Joe discovers in the ashes a surprising gift from his past that might offer one last chance for peace before his mind and memories are lost forever.
  • FEED by Jim Lunsford
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama, political + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: Reproductive Rights, dystopian future + 7 more
    Genre: drama, political, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: Reproductive Rights, dystopian future, Dystopian, courtroom, courageous woman, Roe v. Wade, pro-choice/pro-life, LQBTQIA+, reproductive freedom
    Full Length

    In a not-too-distant future when procreation is strictly regulated in a last-ditch effort to save the human race from self-annihilation, public defender Joseph Truman (Cowboy) finds himself saddled with a new client. Sydney Marginski (Sid) is initially charged with kidnapping when she is apprehended with an undocumented child, and later faces far more egregious charges when it is...
    Full Length

    In a not-too-distant future when procreation is strictly regulated in a last-ditch effort to save the human race from self-annihilation, public defender Joseph Truman (Cowboy) finds himself saddled with a new client. Sydney Marginski (Sid) is initially charged with kidnapping when she is apprehended with an undocumented child, and later faces far more egregious charges when it is discovered that she has conceived a child without lawful sanction. Cowboy must plead his client’s case and win over public opinion via the Federal Education and Entertainment Display (FEED), a state-controlled, judicial broadcast that will ultimately decide Sid’s fate. During the explosive proceedings, Cowboy fights with everything he has for his client’s right to choose, and ultimately discovers a reason to reinvest in a dying world.
  • Fray by Jim Lunsford
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Reproductive Rights, reproductive freedom + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Reproductive Rights, reproductive freedom, Roe v. Wade, abortion, two hander
    Full Length

    When a desperate man suspects that his wife is secretly planning to terminate her pregnancy, he steals her away to a remote family cabin in the woods where an old dream will be slaughtered and a new dream will be born.
  • An Imperfect Understanding by Jim Lunsford
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Deaf, deaf history + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Deaf, deaf history, Deaf culture, Deaf and hearing integrated
    Full Length

    A Deaf college professor is frantic to find a compatible donor to save his dying son. When his long lost birth mother appears, he discovers that she may hold the key to a cure. But before one fading life can be saved, old wounds will be torn open and three generations of family must learn together how to heal.
  • Flying Fish by Jim Lunsford
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce
    ·
    Keyword: feminism, women + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, farce
    Keyword: feminism, women, Farce, dark comedy, Me Too Movement
    10-Minute

    Two hilariously disparate women find themselves trapped together in an absurdly desperate circumstance, but soon discover the liberating power of sincere affirmation and strong libation.
  • A Hostile Takeover in Battery Park by Jim Lunsford
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: divorce, corporate America + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: divorce, corporate America, shoes
    10-Minute

    A high-powered, hard-working, corporate, mover-shaker, with a penchant for very expensive footwear, has her entire world suddenly upended by an insignificant, low-level, sneaker-wearing assistant just before the most important business meeting of her entire career. In just ten minutes, these two women's lives will change forever as they quite literally learn what it feels like to...
    10-Minute

    A high-powered, hard-working, corporate, mover-shaker, with a penchant for very expensive footwear, has her entire world suddenly upended by an insignificant, low-level, sneaker-wearing assistant just before the most important business meeting of her entire career. In just ten minutes, these two women's lives will change forever as they quite literally learn what it feels like to walk a mile in each other's shoes.
  • Frankenstein Hums by Jim Lunsford
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: redemption, defense lawyer + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: redemption, defense lawyer, prosecution, Criminal Justice, blindness, feminism, legal system
    10-Minute

    In the aftermath of a brutal, physical assault, a rape victim insists on confronting her attacker. In the end, a moment of unexpected intimacy sheds a surprising light on some shared understanding. Laced with hope, humor, and musicality, Frankenstein Hums explores the provocative and empowering potential that exists when we are brave enough to face our darkest demons.
  • The Apple Orchard by Jim Lunsford
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: war, WWII + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: war, WWII, Japanese American, bi-racial relationship
    10-Minute

    It's 1942, and in the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the budding relationship between a young white boy and a Japanese American girl tragically withers when their love becomes collateral damage in an escalating world-wide conflict. The Apple Orchard is a timeless story about just how much is lost when our fear of those we do not understand causes us to see them as 'other'.