Tom Moran

Tom Moran

Tom Moran's plays been produced in 21 states and seven foreign countries. Major productions in his home state of Alaska include "Date with History" at the Fairbanks Drama Association; "Boundary" at Perseverance Theater in Juneau; and "The Big Guy" at Anchorage Community Theater. Other productions include "Breakout" by theaters in Washington state, Australia, Italy...
Tom Moran's plays been produced in 21 states and seven foreign countries. Major productions in his home state of Alaska include "Date with History" at the Fairbanks Drama Association; "Boundary" at Perseverance Theater in Juneau; and "The Big Guy" at Anchorage Community Theater. Other productions include "Breakout" by theaters in Washington state, Australia, Italy and Germany, "Duo" by theaters in Alaska, Kansas, North Carolina, Utah, Nevada, Washington state and New York; and "I, Phone" by theaters in New York, Alaska, Washington state, New Jersey, Ohio and Iowa. Duo was published in “The Best 10-Minute Plays 2012” by Smith & Kraus, and Breakout in the 2017 edition. Tom’s been a semifinalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and a finalist for the Heideman Award. He holds a Bachelor’s in English from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. Find out more at www.moran-plays.com.

Plays

  • God On Our Side by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    10–20
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 1 more
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    Keyword: football, atheism + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, satire
    Keyword: football, atheism, sports, Fundamentalism, NFL, religion, christianity, apocalypse, armageddon, radio
    [FULL-LENGTH] Brady Hobbs is a resolute atheist and a starting NFL quarterback – until he’s injured, and his fundamentalist backup reels off a string of improbable victories. Now he’s determined to get his job back and show the world that talent, not faith, is what wins the ballgame.
  • Denier by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
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    Keyword: science, climate + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: science, climate, female scientist, climate change, denial
    [FULL-LENGTH] Astronomer Jillian Carter has had a rough couple of years: first her husband ran off with an undergrad, then she struck out again and again trying to fund her research. That all changes when a distinguished scientist offers her a generous grant, but as her funders’ requirements grow more and more objectionable, Jillian realizes she’s getting sucked into the world of climate change denial.
  • Boundary by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–7
    ·
    Genre: drama, period
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    Keyword: Alaska, trapper + 8 more
    Genre: drama, period
    Keyword: Alaska, trapper, psychological, ghosts, rural, cabin, Native, fathers, daughters, river
    [FULL-LENGTH] For two decades, trapper Joe Warren and his daughter have eked out an existence on a remote stretch of the Yukon River. But the arrival of an unexpected visitor hoping to live off the land throws their careful life into turmoil and forces them to confront mistakes they thought they’d buried. (O'Neill semi-finalist)
  • Holy Fire by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: convents, Catholic nuns + 6 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, mystery/thriller, period
    Keyword: convents, Catholic nuns, Catholic, Italy, arson, courtroom drama, based on a true story, Vatican
    [ONE-ACT] In May 1673, a convent in a small town in Italy mysteriously burned to the ground. But was it accident, or arson? Based on a true story.
  • Exit Strategy by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
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    Keyword: dating, survey
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: dating, survey
    [ONE-ACT] Sean's figured out an ingenious (or perhaps not) way to keep women from dumping him: hit them with an exit interview, designed to accentuate his positives and get them to change their minds. Over the course of three separate dates, he comes to realize the deception isn't going to work, but also figures out what will.
  • WYWH by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic + 1 more
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    Keyword: chat room, Telegram + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic, fantasy
    Keyword: chat room, Telegram, Star-crossed lovers, time travel, long distance
    [TEN-MINUTE] 15-year-old Chloe met Woodrow on Discord and was instantly enamored. Which is a problem, because Woodrow is a telegraph operator in 1881.
  • Duo by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
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    Keyword: superhero, Bomb + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    Keyword: superhero, Bomb, supervillain, feminism, sexism, college age, comic books
    [TEN-MINUTE] An old-fashioned superhero has to deal with both a ticking time bomb and his stridently feminist new sidekick.
  • I, Phone by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    3–4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    [TEN-MINUTE] Melanie is headed out on a first date - but her smartphone's GPS app sends her to her ex-boyfriend's house instead. The phone then starts to speak up on Melanie's ex's behalf, convincing her to try to reconcile with him - at which point we discover the phone's true motive is to reunite with a former lover of his own.
  • You Damn Well Can Take It With You by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic
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    Keyword: midlife crisis, Egypt + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic
    Keyword: midlife crisis, Egypt, professor, funeral, divorce, burial practices, burial, aging
    [TEN-MINUTE] Ted's not taking his 50th birthday very well, especially now that his ex is getting remarried. So he lures her back the only way he knows how: by dressing up like a pharaoh and enlisting her into his funerary obligations.
  • Admission Impossible by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
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    Keyword: college, college admissions + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: college, college admissions, Ivy League, bribery, rejection
    [TEN-MINUTE] Mark comes to a college admissions office with an unusual offer: he wants to bribe them to reject his daughter so he doesn't have to pay for college.
  • The Sign by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, fantasy + 1 more
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    Keyword: UFO, trail + 7 more
    Genre: drama, fantasy, science fiction
    Keyword: UFO, trail, strangers, prank gone wrong, lights, hometown, Chance encounters, Ace of Base, pop song
    [TEN-MINUTE] Arthur has returned to his hometown in search of an explanation for an inexplicable event in his youth. A chance encounter with a local on a local trail gives him an unexpected answer.
  • Bad Necromance by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: cat, necromancer + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce
    Keyword: cat, necromancer, corpse, ghost, coffin, career change, pentagram, occult
    [TEN-MINUTE] Neophyte necromancer Morris gets called in to reanimate dowager Belinda’s dead cat. But this turns out to be merely preface for Belinda’s much larger and more gruesome request: to bring her daughter’s dead boyfriend back to life.
  • Sojourn! (A Pizza Story) by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: Henry David Thoreau, Walden + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, musical, period
    Keyword: Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Ralph Waldo Emerson, pizza, freeloading, 18th century, Concord, Massachusetts
    [TEN-MINUTE, MUSICAL] Henry David Thoreau escapes his cabin on Walden Pond to invade his sister's house on pizza night. Co-written with Marty Moran.
  • Engels in the Outfield by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, musical + 2 more
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    Keyword: baseball, communism + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, musical, period, political
    Keyword: baseball, communism, socialism, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, musical
    [TEN-MINUTE, MUSICAL] The founders of communism take in a baseball game. Co-written with Marty Moran.
  • Nemeses by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
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    Keyword: comic romance, curse + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: comic romance, curse, superpowers, lovelorn, loneliness, polar opposites, opposites, nemeses
    [ONE-ACT] Hannah is uniquely unlucky in love. Brandon has had way more romantic success than he ever wanted. When these two forces of nature meet, will it end their respective misery or just prolong it?
  • Breakout by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: soldiers, mercenary + 7 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: soldiers, mercenary, business, liberal, military, layoffs, intern, office, guns
    [TEN-MINUTE] A progressive-minded worker at an educational software company is horrified to find out some of the side business the firm engages in.
  • OKComputer by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: Dystopia, computer dating + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: Dystopia, computer dating, obsessive and tragic love, arranged marriage, 1984, brainwash
    [ONE-ACT] In this dystopian comedy, the government has started using computer dating algorithms to play matchmaker. But what happens when you substitute compatibility for romance?
  • The Big Guy by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    ·
    Keyword: godzilla, Tokyo + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof
    Keyword: godzilla, Tokyo, Japan, monster, existential, Therapy, destruction, gojira
    [ONE-ACT] It ain't easy being green - or 250 feet tall, or radioactive - but Godzilla has weathered all storms. But what good will fire breath and bulletproof skin do him when he's facing down a full-blown existential crisis?
  • WTF by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: texting, love + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: texting, love, cell phones, acronym, communication
    [ONE-MINUTE] A couple communicating via text use increasingly lengthy and bizarre acronyms to summarize their thoughts.
  • Replay by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy
    ·
    Keyword: pac-man, video games + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy
    Keyword: pac-man, video games, ghosts, homelessness, arcade, atari, reunion, tour
    [TEN-MINUTE] Faded videogame superstar Pac-Man gets another shot at stardom when he is found by an old nemesis.
  • Back to Normal by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
    ·
    Keyword: elementary school, psychiatrist + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: elementary school, psychiatrist, girls, parenthood, pop psychology, government intrusion, U.S. education
    [TEN-MINUTE] The Jacobses are called into the school psychiatrist’s office to learn their daughter’s calm demeanor and exemplary study habits are evidence of a horrible new malady: Attention Surplus Disorder.
  • Dolls and Guys by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: CPR, sex doll + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: CPR, sex doll, THERAPIST, puppets, 20-somethings, breakup
    [TEN-MINUTE] A CPR instructor gets a little too attached to his Resusci-Annie dummy.
  • The Stars in our Faults by Tom Moran
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: zodiac, contemporary romance + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: zodiac, contemporary romance, marriage proposal
    [TEN-MINUTE] Josh and Patty's relationship is built around Zodiac signs. So what happens when Josh finds out he may have gotten his birthdate wrong? And can their Zodiac signs (appearing as characters) help iron the whole thing out?
  • Remainders by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: library, books + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: library, books, Pride and Prejudice, Rudy Giuliani, teen romance, paperback
    [TEN-MINUTE] A group of books relegated to the library book sale have mixed reactions to their impending fates.
  • Date With History by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: date, History + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: date, History, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Socrates, Amelia Earhart, dinner
    [ONE-ACT] Luke won a contest to have dinner with three historical figures of his choice, then picked three people to impress his fiancée Jenny. When the dinner goes horribly wrong, it’s up to some of history’s greatest luminaries to help Luke win back Jenny’s love.
  • Roadkill by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy
    ·
    Keyword: sibling rivalry, siblings + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy
    Keyword: sibling rivalry, siblings, rednecks, mythology, barbecue, griffin, truck
    [TEN-MINUTE] Sibling rivalry takes a turn for the surreal when Curt one-ups his brother Lee’s story with an outrageous tall tale. Unless, of course, he’s telling the truth…
  • Letting Go by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: fathers and sons, Getting Fired + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: fathers and sons, Getting Fired, crazy family, mixed metaphor, business man
    [TEN-MINUTE] A businesslike father has had enough of his mischievous son. So he fires him.
  • Star League by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, young audiences
    ·
    Keyword: hospitals, illness + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, young audiences
    Keyword: hospitals, illness, football, Fantasy, star wars, Star Trek
    [TEN-MINUTE] Matt tries to get his terminally ill brother Jason excited about joining a fantasy football league. But Jason has a different idea of what constitutes "fantasy."
  • The Book of Miriam by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, faith-based
    ·
    Keyword: Moses, Bible + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, faith-based
    Keyword: Moses, Bible, Egypt, Israel, Jewish, judaism, miriam
    [TEN-MINUTE] Miriam's been working in the shadow of her brother for years now and is starving for some recognition. But that's easier said than done, since her brother is busy trying to lead the Israelites to the promised land.
  • Friar with a Crowbar by Tom Moran
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, period
    ·
    Keyword: Shakespeare, monks + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, period
    Keyword: Shakespeare, monks, Italy, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, obsessive and tragic love
    [ONE-ACT] In this Shakespearean mashup - written entirely in blank verse - the meddling friars in “Romeo and Juliet” and “Much Ado About Nothing” are revealed to be the same person, executing both far-fetched schemes at the same time.
  • Rewrite by Tom Moran
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 1 more
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    Keyword: Western, author + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, period
    Keyword: Western, author, Rebellion, guns, cowboys
    [ONE-ACT] The characters in a hack Western novel have had enough. So they rise up in rebellion against their author.