Kim E. Ruyle

Kim E. Ruyle

Kim Ruyle is a playwright based in Wisconsin and a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, The Playwrights’ Center, and Chicago Dramatists. Kim’s stories come from a unique perspective. A US Army veteran with blue-collar roots, Kim went on to earn multiple graduate degrees and to work as an HR and leadership consultant. Writing for the stage is a second career for Kim beginning in 2018. Many of his plays...
Kim Ruyle is a playwright based in Wisconsin and a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, The Playwrights’ Center, and Chicago Dramatists. Kim’s stories come from a unique perspective. A US Army veteran with blue-collar roots, Kim went on to earn multiple graduate degrees and to work as an HR and leadership consultant. Writing for the stage is a second career for Kim beginning in 2018. Many of his plays have won awards and been produced across the country. In 2023, he received the Inaugural Network Playwright Award from Chicago Dramatists.

Plays

  • Hellbent in a Northwoods Cabin
    [Full-Length] NOTE: This play was previously titled, Flannel Sheets and a John Deere.
    It all starts innocently enough when on the afternoon of November 19th, 2021, four coworkers are thrown together in a hunting cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods on this, the very day that Kyle Rittenhouse has been found not guilty of fatally shooting two people during the Kenosha unrest of 2020. One of the four is an...
    [Full-Length] NOTE: This play was previously titled, Flannel Sheets and a John Deere.
    It all starts innocently enough when on the afternoon of November 19th, 2021, four coworkers are thrown together in a hunting cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods on this, the very day that Kyle Rittenhouse has been found not guilty of fatally shooting two people during the Kenosha unrest of 2020. One of the four is an interloper, a fish out of water who has no business being there. As they discover unnerving truths about each other, including how they are each uniquely connected to the events in Kenosha, hostilities are sparked, alliances form and break, and everyone is put in jeopardy. How destructive can polarizing values become on a personal level? These four coworkers are about to find out.
  • Yeah, Art Figures
    [One-Act]
    Frank, a math teacher distraught over the ignorance of his students, encounters and unloads on Joni, a substitute teacher, in the teachers’ lounge. In conversation with Joni and other teachers, Frank discovers that his ignorance, in some ways, surpasses that of his students.
  • Dinkers Taming Bangers
    [One Act].
    Inspired by the works of William Shakespeare with a nod to The Taming of the Shrew.
    Competition on the pickleball court spills over for Kate and Bebe when they place a bet on who will be most successful in reforming their partners to play differently. Can a dinker become a banger? Even more interesting perhaps, can a banger become a dinker?
  • Sliding into Seniorhood
    [Full-Length]
    The paths of six intriguing characters intersect as they navigate the unpredictable and challenging twists and turns of aging. On the slide into seniorhood, they encounter relationships and experiences, some painful, some sensual, and some just downright silly. When all is said and done, will they find that life has left them with anything more than simple memories?
  • Maeve's Camellia
    [Full-Length]
    The first date between Maeve, a PhD psychologist, and Rob, a blue-collar welder, turns into a weekend whirlwind of sensuality, conflict, and surprises as this unlikely couple explores attraction, compatibility, and love later in life. Their verbal swordplay slices away layers to reveal the inner lives of these vibrant mature characters. At times amusing, other times painful, their banter...
    [Full-Length]
    The first date between Maeve, a PhD psychologist, and Rob, a blue-collar welder, turns into a weekend whirlwind of sensuality, conflict, and surprises as this unlikely couple explores attraction, compatibility, and love later in life. Their verbal swordplay slices away layers to reveal the inner lives of these vibrant mature characters. At times amusing, other times painful, their banter takes them to a place they could not have predicted and leads to a stunning conclusion.
    NOTE: OVER ITS DEVELOPMENT, THIS PLAY HAS GONE THROUGH TWO TITLE CHANGES: SENIOR SWORDPLAY and LOVE LATELY.
  • A Crooked French Affair
    [Full-Length]
    Perry, a wannabe playwright/director has written his first play, A Crooked French Affair, ostensibly a dramatic romance set in the royal court of Louis the 15th. When he pitches his play to the dysfunctional Board of Directors of the Pity Falls Community Playhouse, it throws them into a conniption fit. Against all odds, Perry’s play is selected, and now the real work begins with the cast...
    [Full-Length]
    Perry, a wannabe playwright/director has written his first play, A Crooked French Affair, ostensibly a dramatic romance set in the royal court of Louis the 15th. When he pitches his play to the dysfunctional Board of Directors of the Pity Falls Community Playhouse, it throws them into a conniption fit. Against all odds, Perry’s play is selected, and now the real work begins with the cast of amateur, inept actors, who work on a set and in costumes designed by recruits from the local junior high school. Complicating everything is an undercurrent due to the affair between Perry’s wife and the husband of Avis, a board member who is recruited to play a part in Perry’s play. On opening night, the production loses its way yet creates a stunning audience reaction and a fortuitous discovery for Perry.
  • Tennessee Wet Rub
    [Full-Length]
    It’s January 30, 1951, and perhaps what is the worst winter storm in Tennessee’s history is burying the state under snow and ice. Roads have been shut down, and people are without power. As the storm rages, Bertha and Hank, an older white couple, huddle in their shuttered barbecue restaurant around a kerosene lantern when two young people, a white girl and a black male enter seeking...
    [Full-Length]
    It’s January 30, 1951, and perhaps what is the worst winter storm in Tennessee’s history is burying the state under snow and ice. Roads have been shut down, and people are without power. As the storm rages, Bertha and Hank, an older white couple, huddle in their shuttered barbecue restaurant around a kerosene lantern when two young people, a white girl and a black male enter seeking refuge. The values and compassion of Bertha and Hank are put to the test when a deputy sheriff arrives hunting for something or someone.
  • Five Frickin Winters
    [Full-Length]
    Roger, a struggling writer, finds his life in a tailspin. He’s dead broke. His best friend’s wife has an out-of-control libido and keeps attempting to seduce him. His friend, oblivious to his wife’s flirting, tries to set Roger up with an inconceivable companion. And worst of all, he’s got no inspiration to write. Will Roger stave off his love-starved neighbor? Will he fall head-over-heels...
    [Full-Length]
    Roger, a struggling writer, finds his life in a tailspin. He’s dead broke. His best friend’s wife has an out-of-control libido and keeps attempting to seduce him. His friend, oblivious to his wife’s flirting, tries to set Roger up with an inconceivable companion. And worst of all, he’s got no inspiration to write. Will Roger stave off his love-starved neighbor? Will he fall head-over-heels for un unlikely paramour? Will he leave his beloved Florida to endure five frickin winters in Minnesota? Or maybe, just maybe, this wild and wacky scenario will provide Roger with the very inspiration he craves.
  • Oh, Dear God, Dad is a Feminist
    [10-Minute]
    Rebecca accompanies her injured dad to the ER. While waiting for medical attention, they engage in a wide-ranging discussion which leads Rebecca to a surprising insight.
  • What Baggage
    [10-Minute]
    After their first act of intimacy, two seniors try to decide if it’s possible to have a future that involves a committed, long-term relationship. Is it time for them to live together? Is that even possible when both carry personal baggage that includes exes, kids, grandkids, and a cat?
  • He Ain’t No Stephen Adly Guirgis
    [10-15 Minutes]
    During an early rehearsal of a play, a dark mystery-horror mashup, an actor struggles with the shitty script she’s been given. She confronts her director which leads to surprising insights for both.
  • Va-Va-Vicarious
    [10-Minute]
    A pair of mismatched writers on a layover happen to meet in an airport frequent flyer lounge. As they discuss their approaches to living, loving, and writing, they reach a surprising conclusion.
  • It's Not Blood
    [10-Minute]
    Jimmy and Danny consider the past, the future, and their obligation to the family legacy as they prepare for their younger brother’s funeral.
  • Thalia's B&B
    [10-Minute]
    An emerging playwright and his wife explore the source of inspiration with the proprietors of a B&B.
  • Kalispell
    [Full-Length]
    The insane dynamics and dysfunction of a western Montana logging family are laid bare over a Thanksgiving holiday. A volatile redneck patriarch, a doting matriarch, and five grown children are forced to confront their biases, and broken relationships with a series of crises that careen between tragic and hilarious.
  • Mourning Woods Merengue
    [Full-Length]
    After being forced out of his job, Loren, a resident of Mourning Woods Village, is deeply depressed. Shar, his next-door neighbor, is determined to reanimate and romance Loren. She invites him to partner in a dance contest with the support of Paloma, the earthy, vivacious activities coordinator who ludicrously supports the matchmaking. Adult children jump in and complicate things with...
    [Full-Length]
    After being forced out of his job, Loren, a resident of Mourning Woods Village, is deeply depressed. Shar, his next-door neighbor, is determined to reanimate and romance Loren. She invites him to partner in a dance contest with the support of Paloma, the earthy, vivacious activities coordinator who ludicrously supports the matchmaking. Adult children jump in and complicate things with their own problems and interference. In the end, will anyone find romance? Will anyone even dance?
  • Claire's Invisibility Monologue
    Claire’s Invisibility Monologue is one of a series of ~2-minute monologues inspired by Kalispell, a full-length play by Kim E. Ruyle that follows the insane dynamics of a dysfunctional logging family from Montana.