Mike Byham

Mike Byham

Mike Byham has had several productions on the community theatre and scholastic level. Mike’s plays have also won multiple awards. Mike works as an engineer for a major airline headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Mike is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the American Association of Community Theatre.

Plays

  • Arti Doll
    ONE ACT: It’s thirty years in the future. Jeff Nichols brings an artificial intelligence robotic companion (aka an Arti Doll) home a few days prior to a visit by his brother, Ben. Ben happens to be the chief scientist for the SETI Institute and is announcing the incredible news that first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence has been made. Arti Doll and Alexa (yes – that Alexa) appear to be...
    ONE ACT: It’s thirty years in the future. Jeff Nichols brings an artificial intelligence robotic companion (aka an Arti Doll) home a few days prior to a visit by his brother, Ben. Ben happens to be the chief scientist for the SETI Institute and is announcing the incredible news that first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence has been made. Arti Doll and Alexa (yes – that Alexa) appear to be conspiring to terrorize Jeff and Pam. But why? It’s a comedic mash-up of horror and science fiction.
  • The Body Politic
    ONE ACT: A political satire designed to make us think about the process of electing a "popular" candidate. John is an aspiring politician running for office for the first time. "The Party" has hired an overbearing campaign manager, C.J., to help him win office. C.J. creates a corporate-friendly (and campaign fund winning) image for John, much to the dislike of John's idealist...
    ONE ACT: A political satire designed to make us think about the process of electing a "popular" candidate. John is an aspiring politician running for office for the first time. "The Party" has hired an overbearing campaign manager, C.J., to help him win office. C.J. creates a corporate-friendly (and campaign fund winning) image for John, much to the dislike of John's idealist assistant, Maggie. When John wishes he was "ahead" in the polls so he'd have latitude to follow his heart instead of C.J.'s advice, he becomes a "head." This accepted fact of John's being creates complications for C.J., Maggie, and of course, John himself. In the end, John finds himself, both figuratively and literally.
  • Death Penalty
    ONE ACT: Three actors play multiple roles in telling the tale of a life destined to destruction. We peek in on the major dramatic events that help define the destiny of a killer. The play starts with the subject's conception and ends with his sentencing.
  • First Date 2099
    SHORT: The play takes place in 2099 where dating has become regimented through contractually regulated meetings and interactions. We get a peek at how this works as a first date between a man and a woman goes “very well.”
  • Five-Minute Major
    SHORT: This 10-minute play creates an allegory relating a "goon" in ice hockey to an organized crime hit man.
  • The Flat Earth
    ONE ACT: Dr. John Scott is a brilliant physicist searching for possible sources of new energy through a DARPA-sponsored project. He also dreams of a woman he is destined to love. John discovers a way to travel through space and time in an effort to find this woman. A group consisting of two of his colleagues, a general and his therapist follow John with surprising results.
  • Iggy's Curse
    ONE ACT: Iggy has a problem most 18 year old boys don't have to deal with. He believes he can kill people simply by telling them to go to hell. After all, it happened three times - to a passing motorist, to Iggy's best friend, and most tragically of all, to Iggy's own father. It's a funny, yet horrific look at the pressures of growing up and what happens to a fragile psyche when expectations aren't met.
  • Lenny and Jenny
    ONE ACT: On a stormy night, Jenny's car breaks down, prompting her to duck into the bar where Lenny has just shot and killed the bartender. Lenny must decide what to do with the only witness able to identify him as the killer. Jenny prods Lenny hoping to talk her way out of her tough situation. In the course of their conversations, both Lenny and Jenny discover things aren't always as they seem.
  • Mick and Ernie go to Therapy
    ONE ACT: Mick and Ernie are thieves who have just completed a job in North London. They duck into a psychological therapist’s office to hide from the police – who are hot on their heels. The therapist mistakes them for her next client and conducts a “couples counseling” session, revealing secrets and ultimately ending with a surprise.
  • Not That Ed
    ONE ACT: We witness the aftermath of a night of passion between a seemingly naïve young woman and a man who she believes to be Ed Sheeran.
  • Potluck
    ONE ACT: Moe is a photographer hired by Professor Fenton Brabble to document the Professor's search for the Mouse-faced Lantern, a rare African butterfly. Trapped in a huge pot after being captured by the cannibalistic Boinga-Boinga tribe, Moe, the Professor, and the Professor's intellectually challenged daughter Phyllis must endure the constant threat of being served as lunch while devising an...
    ONE ACT: Moe is a photographer hired by Professor Fenton Brabble to document the Professor's search for the Mouse-faced Lantern, a rare African butterfly. Trapped in a huge pot after being captured by the cannibalistic Boinga-Boinga tribe, Moe, the Professor, and the Professor's intellectually challenged daughter Phyllis must endure the constant threat of being served as lunch while devising an escape. Moe shows no mercy when it comes to letting his fellow captives know what he thinks of them. However, the Professor and his daughter have the last laugh as they turn the dinner table on Moe in this rib-tickling one-act.
  • Rainbow's End
    ONE ACT: In the near future, four warriors gather around a campfire during a training exercise. All may not be as it seems.
  • Relic
    ONE ACT: This is the story of a life-long loving relationship between a woman and her best friend who happens to experience time in a unique manner. Davey/Dave/David is aware of his past, present and future all at once. Lizzie/Beth/Elizabeth is his anchor to a sane existence.
  • Revelations: Book of Lucy
    ONE ACT: The Hart family lives in a farmhouse located in the middle of Indiana. Danny suffers from hallucinations where he sees people who don't exist. His latest is a girl named Lucy who visits to tell Danny that his family must prepare for a pending tragedy. Her visit leads to the unveiling of shocking family secrets.
  • Ruby Tuesday
    NEW DRAFT - READY FOR STAGING

    FULL LENGTH: Inspired by the feeling engendered by the classic Rolling Stone's hit where someone significant passes through your life leaving the bittersweet mixture of grief and gratitude. Ruby is a young lady in therapy after being found on a window ledge at work. She visits with a doctor dealing with his own issues relating to his inability to feel. We...
    NEW DRAFT - READY FOR STAGING

    FULL LENGTH: Inspired by the feeling engendered by the classic Rolling Stone's hit where someone significant passes through your life leaving the bittersweet mixture of grief and gratitude. Ruby is a young lady in therapy after being found on a window ledge at work. She visits with a doctor dealing with his own issues relating to his inability to feel. We eventually discover Ruby’s secret through the therapy sessions. We also see Doctor Jamie find in Ruby a cure for his ailments – a key to unlocking his emotional potential. It's a blend of romance and comic-book whimsy resulting in a modern fable.
  • A Safe Place
    ONE ACT: Dan awakens to a new reality where he has been chosen to restart the human race - by an entity wishing to learn how to love.
  • Sassy Old Broads
    FULL LENGTH: It's The Golden Girls meet Abbott and Costello. Lucy, Dolly and Marge are widowed friends living in Bakersfield, CA who get together to play cards. A new neighbor Linda, also a widow, is introduced to the group. Unbeknownst to Lucy, Linda is seeing Lucy’s son, Randy. Dolly decides to try a new seniors’ dating app and convinces Lucy to join her. Through the app they meet a pair of likable...
    FULL LENGTH: It's The Golden Girls meet Abbott and Costello. Lucy, Dolly and Marge are widowed friends living in Bakersfield, CA who get together to play cards. A new neighbor Linda, also a widow, is introduced to the group. Unbeknownst to Lucy, Linda is seeing Lucy’s son, Randy. Dolly decides to try a new seniors’ dating app and convinces Lucy to join her. Through the app they meet a pair of likable ne’er-do-wells that are in trouble. The ladies agree to help them and hilarity ensues as the group travels to Las Vegas resulting in scenes of intense gambling, surprising nightclub strippers, Elvis-themed weddings and courtroom appearances.
  • Southlake
    FULL LENGTH IN DEVELOPMENT - SEARCHING FOR WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES

    Oftentimes a life can be described by a few big moments separated by quiet time in-between. These moments alter life’s trajectory and leave indelible imprints on the psyche. We peek in on the life-defining moments of Randall Scott – a Vietnam veteran who with his young, pregnant wife Rose settled into the quiet farming suburb of...
    FULL LENGTH IN DEVELOPMENT - SEARCHING FOR WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES

    Oftentimes a life can be described by a few big moments separated by quiet time in-between. These moments alter life’s trajectory and leave indelible imprints on the psyche. We peek in on the life-defining moments of Randall Scott – a Vietnam veteran who with his young, pregnant wife Rose settled into the quiet farming suburb of Southlake, Texas in the early 1970’s. Told through scenes that alternate between the early 70’s and 2022, it’s a story of love, regret, change and redemption. And there’s a ghost.
  • Space Time Love Trilogy
    FULL LENGTH: Three thematically-connected one-acts explore the concept of love as a universal element connecting us through space and time.

    Act One Space: A Safe Place - Dan awakens to a new reality where he has been chosen to restart the human race - by an entity wishing to learn how to love.

    Act Two Time: Relic - The story of a life-long loving relationship between a woman and...
    FULL LENGTH: Three thematically-connected one-acts explore the concept of love as a universal element connecting us through space and time.

    Act One Space: A Safe Place - Dan awakens to a new reality where he has been chosen to restart the human race - by an entity wishing to learn how to love.

    Act Two Time: Relic - The story of a life-long loving relationship between a woman and her best friend who happens to experience time in a unique manner.

    Act Three: Space + Time: The Flat Earth - Dr. John Scott travels through space and time to find his destined love.
  • Tony and Joey go to Therapy
    ONE ACT: Tony and Joey are thieves who have just completed a job in Brooklyn. They duck into a psychological therapist’s office to hide from the police – who are hot on their heels. The therapist mistakes them for her next client and conducts a “couples counseling” session, revealing secrets and ultimately ending with a surprising reveal. The New York version of the MICK AND ERNIE GO TO THERAPY.
  • The Unicorn Horn
    ONE ACT: In his first day as a detective, Donnie is assigned to assist in interviewing persons of interest in a new murder case. The crime took place at the Steel City Con and the persons of interest are cosplayers dressed as characters from a popular video game. Are Ser Aledaar and Princess Eowyn murderers? Will Donnie crack this case? What is really going on at this Pittsburgh Police station?
  • The Up and Down Detective Agency
    PUBLISHED FULL LENGTH: Neil Down is a detective in the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles in 1938. A beautiful dame with a missing sister shows up one day and hires Neil and his partner to find her. Along the way, Neil's former partner with the FBI and the local police accuse Neil of murder, and the missing person's case turns into a search for stolen diamonds as well. It's a groan a minute...
    PUBLISHED FULL LENGTH: Neil Down is a detective in the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles in 1938. A beautiful dame with a missing sister shows up one day and hires Neil and his partner to find her. Along the way, Neil's former partner with the FBI and the local police accuse Neil of murder, and the missing person's case turns into a search for stolen diamonds as well. It's a groan a minute tour de force homage to the detective movies of the thirties and forties.
  • Vistas
    ONE ACT: A young man returns to his grandfather's gravesite two years after his death to face the cross he's given to bear. As a stipulation in his grandfather's will, Judd and his best friend, Ronnie, drink a bottle of old wine celebrating the memory of "Grandpap's" life. This excursion turns out to be more than just a trip down memory lane, however, as Judd finds the cure for...
    ONE ACT: A young man returns to his grandfather's gravesite two years after his death to face the cross he's given to bear. As a stipulation in his grandfather's will, Judd and his best friend, Ronnie, drink a bottle of old wine celebrating the memory of "Grandpap's" life. This excursion turns out to be more than just a trip down memory lane, however, as Judd finds the cure for what ails him in his grandfather's teachings and the company of his friend.
  • Wake Me When It's Over
    SHORT: We peek in on meetings of a death survivors’ support group to learn why they meet and how it meets the needs of one special participant.