Jordan R. Young

Jordan R. Young

Jordan Young’s plays include HOLLYWOOD IS A STATE OF MIND (California Artists Radio Theatre; KPFK FM, Los Angeles); KVETCHER IN THE WRY (OC-centric New Play Festival; Dorothy Silver semi-finalist; Laguna Beach New Play Festival; opening monologue published in Best Men's Stage Monologues (2021); “We really loved the surprises within the script and the way you played with levels of theatricality” - Jennie...
Jordan Young’s plays include HOLLYWOOD IS A STATE OF MIND (California Artists Radio Theatre; KPFK FM, Los Angeles); KVETCHER IN THE WRY (OC-centric New Play Festival; Dorothy Silver semi-finalist; Laguna Beach New Play Festival; opening monologue published in Best Men's Stage Monologues (2021); “We really loved the surprises within the script and the way you played with levels of theatricality” - Jennie Webb, Theatricum Botanicum); PICASSO’S MOUSTACHE (World Premiere Weekend, UC Irvine; “very funny and clever and well-written... a nice piece with a sardonic edge” - William Luce, The Belle of Amherst); MAGIC BOX, EVIL EYE (Vanguard Theatre Ensemble, Fullerton, CA; finalist, Shakespeare in the ‘Burg one-act contest, Middleburg VA).

Jordan’s work has been produced Off-Off Broadway at Theatre Lab NYC; Hollywood Fringe Festival, The Chance Theater, and Chapman University (CA); Bloomington Playwrights Project (IL); Five-Minute Mile Play Festival (Houston); Kauai Shorts Festival (HI); and Asphalt Jungle Shorts (Toronto). His plays have also been presented at Melbourne Fringe Festival (Australia); Minnesota Fringe; Great Salt Lake Fringe; South Coast Repertory, and Playwrights Festival, Fullerton College (CA). He was a semi-finalist at Indie Boots Theatre Fest (Chicago).

A native Californian, his non-fiction has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Jordan’s books include Acting Solo, The Beckett Actor, Spike Jones Off the Record, King Vidor’s The Crowd (one of 2014’s “10 Best Film Books” - Huff Post), and Roman Polanski: Behind the Scenes of His Classic Early Films. He has written special material for The Grammy Awards and served as a consultant for BBC Radio, Chicago International Theatre Festival, and Panndora's Box New Play Festival; he was a longtime board member of Orange County Playwrights Alliance.

Plays

  • Kvetcher in the Wry by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: Jewish, Yiddish + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, farce, political, tragedy
    Keyword: Jewish, Yiddish, comedian, religious identity, Adolescence
    This offbeat full-length play chronicles the evolution of Dizzy Moskowitz, from hit-and-miss comedian to anti-war activist to suicidal shlemiel. As he contemplates suicide Dizzy reviews the ups and downs of his life, including his starstruck adolescence and comedy act with his brother; the reluctant suppression of his Jewish identity in search of wider acceptance; his failed marriage; and the emergence of his...
    This offbeat full-length play chronicles the evolution of Dizzy Moskowitz, from hit-and-miss comedian to anti-war activist to suicidal shlemiel. As he contemplates suicide Dizzy reviews the ups and downs of his life, including his starstruck adolescence and comedy act with his brother; the reluctant suppression of his Jewish identity in search of wider acceptance; his failed marriage; and the emergence of his social conscience. The story unfolds as the self-destructive funnyman ponders the age-old question—to be or not to be?—and concludes with a playful twist. The play mocks theatrical convention with two actors playing all the supporting male and female roles, at times doubling within a scene and playing opposite themselves. “We really loved the surprises within the script and the way you played with levels of theatricality” - Jennie Webb, Theatricum Botanicum.
  • Numbered by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Jewish, female holocaust survivor + 1 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Jewish, female holocaust survivor, African American
    NUMBERED is a long one-act about the life-changing friendship that evolves between a young woman of Ethiopian-Jewish heritage and a Polish Holocaust survivor. Rachel, the young volunteer helping to “fix the world a little bit at a time,” meets Marika, the survivor, at a senior home; the elderly woman is anti-social and shut down but Rachel succeeds in breaking through the barrier and gets her to open up. Their...
    NUMBERED is a long one-act about the life-changing friendship that evolves between a young woman of Ethiopian-Jewish heritage and a Polish Holocaust survivor. Rachel, the young volunteer helping to “fix the world a little bit at a time,” meets Marika, the survivor, at a senior home; the elderly woman is anti-social and shut down but Rachel succeeds in breaking through the barrier and gets her to open up. Their friendship is an eye-opener for the young woman, who is shocked when she first discovers the number tattooed on Marika’s arm. The play is a work in progress at this time.
  • Folly on 42nd Street by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    7–10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: irish, Irish American + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, period, romantic comedy
    Keyword: irish, Irish American, the Troubles, Broadway, New York, alcoholism
    This full-length play is a comedy of errors inspired by a true story, about how the greatest Irish play of the 20th century was turned into a misguided musical—and a monumental Broadway fiasco. The play is set in New York in 1956, during the time of “My Fair Lady.” Diva Cathryn Baxter has a tantrum when the director of her new show walks out as rehearsals are about to begin—only to be replaced by an adversary....
    This full-length play is a comedy of errors inspired by a true story, about how the greatest Irish play of the 20th century was turned into a misguided musical—and a monumental Broadway fiasco. The play is set in New York in 1956, during the time of “My Fair Lady.” Diva Cathryn Baxter has a tantrum when the director of her new show walks out as rehearsals are about to begin—only to be replaced by an adversary. Her ex-husband, Lloyd Rogan, still carrying the torch, finances the show as a comeback vehicle for the two of them. A dying Fergus O’Shea, displeased with having his classic tragicomedy about The Troubles turned into a musical, attaches his hard-drinking Dublin actor friend Jimmy Gallagher as insurance. If it sounds like a recipe for disaster, not to mention a nervous breakdown, it was, Cathryn assures us.
  • Picasso’s Moustache by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    7–10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: dali, Picasso + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, farce
    Keyword: dali, Picasso, Spanish painters, Surreal, death, dreams and nightmares
    This is a surreal full-length comedy about Salvador Dali’s life, his obsession with death, and his relationship with Pablo Picasso. The play is set in a hospital in Spain, in the mid-1980s, late in Dali’s life. Dali tosses in a restless sleep, having a nightmare—in it he argues with the ghost of Picasso over who is the greater painter, and which of them has sold out. Dali is certain he is dying; a doctor...
    This is a surreal full-length comedy about Salvador Dali’s life, his obsession with death, and his relationship with Pablo Picasso. The play is set in a hospital in Spain, in the mid-1980s, late in Dali’s life. Dali tosses in a restless sleep, having a nightmare—in it he argues with the ghost of Picasso over who is the greater painter, and which of them has sold out. Dali is certain he is dying; a doctor convinces him to try cryogenics—freezing his brain to thwart mortality. After deciding against an authorized biography and a surrealist film, he commissions a play about his life as a further means of immortalizing himself. Following a dream-dance with Death, he and Picasso collaborate on the play. Scenes include Dali painting his version of Leda and the Swan, with wife Gala being seduced by Zeus; young Dali butting heads with his tyrannical father; and an erotic ballet, partnering a bull with a lobster. The play-within-a-play by ends with a bizarre retelling the saga of Dali and Gala’s courtship. “Very funny and clever and well-written... a nice piece with a sardonic edge”
    - William Luce, playwright, The Belle of Amherst

  • Magic Box, Evil Eye by Jordan R. Young
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: American West, clashing cultures + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: American West, clashing cultures, photojournalism, cultural appropriation, Navajo legends, Navajo Code Talkers
    This one-act play—set in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona—pits a young urbanite photojournalist against a one-time Navajo code talker, in a clash of cultures that turns the tables on theatergoer's expectations. The play questions the nature of integrity, and explores the ways we sometimes exploit each other despite our best intentions.
  • How Donald Duck Won World War II by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic
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    Keyword: Disney, Hitler + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic
    Keyword: Disney, Hitler, World War II
    In this short one-act—a monologue with one actor playing 12 characters—a certain waterfowl who wants to do something for the war effort decides a song might do the trick. The truth about “Der Fuehrer’s Face” depends on who’s telling the story but the tune, written for the Oscar-winning cartoon of the same name and made famous by Spike Jones, tells Hitler where to go in no uncertain terms.
  • Tears in the Rain by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: irish, Ireland + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: irish, Ireland, Memoir, memory play, romance, bittersweet love story
    In this one-act memory play, an American man meets and falls in love with a young Irish woman on a visit to Europe in the early 1970s. They share some intimate moments but she is determined to remain chaste. Two years later he returns to pursue the romance but both realize they simply cannot pick up where they left off. The experience proves an emotional roller coaster. Further complicating things the sexual...
    In this one-act memory play, an American man meets and falls in love with a young Irish woman on a visit to Europe in the early 1970s. They share some intimate moments but she is determined to remain chaste. Two years later he returns to pursue the romance but both realize they simply cannot pick up where they left off. The experience proves an emotional roller coaster. Further complicating things the sexual revolution has yet to reach Ireland, resulting in great frustration for the couple. On a visit home the young schoolteacher confides in her brother the intimate nature of her relationship with the fledgling writer; however, her beau’s inability to talk to her father finally convinces her they are not meant for each other.
  • The Burns and Allen Chanukah Special by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    3–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, holiday + 1 more
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    Keyword: Jews, Jewish holidays + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, holiday, radio drama
    Keyword: Jews, Jewish holidays, Chanukah, comedy, comedians, golden age radio
    This one-act radio play (which can also be performed on stage) imagines an unusual TV program starring the popular husband and wife comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen. Writer Larry Gelbart (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) pitches the idea for a Chanukah special to a skeptical Burns, who feels the secret of his success—and colleagues like Jack Benny—is that they don’t flaunt the fact...
    This one-act radio play (which can also be performed on stage) imagines an unusual TV program starring the popular husband and wife comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen. Writer Larry Gelbart (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) pitches the idea for a Chanukah special to a skeptical Burns, who feels the secret of his success—and colleagues like Jack Benny—is that they don’t flaunt the fact they’re Jewish. Gelbart tries to convince him to “set a precedent” and “stand up for Jewishness,” and almost succeeds.
  • Old School Romance by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama, period + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: romantic comedy, Relationships + 4 more
    Genre: drama, period, romantic comedy
    Keyword: romantic comedy, Relationships, dating, first date, World War II, cruise ship
    This one-act is comprised of three scenes. In the first, Jeff, a sailor from Brooklyn, celebrates V-J Day–Victory over Japan–in San Francisco with a nurse named Betsy. An impromptu kiss leads to a romantic dinner date and unexpected revelations. In the second scene, we meet a pair of former high school classmates—Kaitlin, a disabled ex-dancer, and River, a newsman, as they get reacquainted over lunch. She’s...
    This one-act is comprised of three scenes. In the first, Jeff, a sailor from Brooklyn, celebrates V-J Day–Victory over Japan–in San Francisco with a nurse named Betsy. An impromptu kiss leads to a romantic dinner date and unexpected revelations. In the second scene, we meet a pair of former high school classmates—Kaitlin, a disabled ex-dancer, and River, a newsman, as they get reacquainted over lunch. She’s been busy mourning her former life and short time in the spotlight, until he encourages her to reinvent herself, as he has. In the final scene Betsy, now a widow, and Anton, a widower, meet at an art auction on a cruise ship. She admits she’s been “waiting to die” since her husband passed away; he hasn’t thought about another woman since he lost his wife. They decide to take a trip to Thailand together, and she eventually agrees “you only live once.”
  • Channeling Glenn Miller by Jordan R. Young
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Glenn Miller, Edgar Allan Poe + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Glenn Miller, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Frost, William Butler Yeats, Damon Runyon, American Literature, Irish poetry, Ireland, new england, Manhattan
    An evening of short plays akin to David Ives’ “All in the Timing.” Confusion ensues in the surreal title piece when a pawnshop proprietor offers a musician a trombone that may or may not have belonged to World War II-era bandleader Glenn Miller. Or was it that other Glenn Miller, the one who ran the newsstand on the corner? In “The Email of E. Poe,” Kate is awakened by her dim boyfriend Wally when he gets an...
    An evening of short plays akin to David Ives’ “All in the Timing.” Confusion ensues in the surreal title piece when a pawnshop proprietor offers a musician a trombone that may or may not have belonged to World War II-era bandleader Glenn Miller. Or was it that other Glenn Miller, the one who ran the newsstand on the corner? In “The Email of E. Poe,” Kate is awakened by her dim boyfriend Wally when he gets an email from “some weirdo,” all in verse: “Once upon a midnight dreary...” Wally has never heard of Edgar Allan Poe—who’s sitting at his laptop with his pet black cat Annabelle Lee somewhere out in cyberspace, when he gets a playful response from Kate.

    “Lose the Dog” records a meeting of the minds between New England poets Robert Frost and E.A. Robinson in a Boston saloon, and ventures down the road not taken. “Ireland Of The Memory” is a dramedy about Peter, a tourist who visits Ireland for the first time in nearly 20 years, and is dismayed at the vastly altered environment he finds. The ghost of William Butler Yeats reaches out from beyond the grave to reassure him, he’ll find the country’s beauty and charm still exists if he looks deep enough.
    In the one-act “Demon In Paradise,” Damon Runyon, the writer of “Guys and Dolls,” comes to Hollywood from his beloved Manhattan to produce a film based on one of his stories. To prove a point that L.A. is full of Runyonesque characters, he coaxes an outlandish story out of a train station waitress about her mixed-up love life.