Leigh Flayton

Leigh Flayton

Leigh is the author of nine full-length plays. Her newest play, "It's A Free Country," was a finalist for the 2022 Jane Chambers Award and will debut in July 2023 at the SheNYC Summer Theater Festival in New York City. "Classic Six" was a finalist in the 2022 Premiere Stages Play Competition and the 2021 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference. It was...
Leigh is the author of nine full-length plays. Her newest play, "It's A Free Country," was a finalist for the 2022 Jane Chambers Award and will debut in July 2023 at the SheNYC Summer Theater Festival in New York City. "Classic Six" was a finalist in the 2022 Premiere Stages Play Competition and the 2021 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference. It was also a semifinalist in the '21 Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition. It debuted as a Zoom film at the Powerstories Voices of Truth Theatre Festival in March 2021, where it won the Founder's Choice Award. The video link is: http://www.leighflayton.com/video

"Too Close to Home" was a semifinalist in the 2018 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference and was staged in an industry reading starring Judith Light that same year. In August 2022, it was part of the Page to Stage at Curtis Theatre Festival in Brea, CA. The play is currently in development with director Andy Sandberg. In 2015, Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City hosted a reading of Leigh's first play, "The Generator," as part of its TONGUES reading series.

Leigh served as Editor-In-Chief of "Arrive" magazine for over a decade. As a journalist, she has contributed to The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Salon, Refinery29 and LENNY, among other publications.

Plays

  • Classic Six by Leigh Flayton
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–5
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: ethics, accountability + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, period, political
    Keyword: ethics, accountability, power, metoo, Times Up, 1990's new york, fame, journalism
    Frances Nolan works as a live-in nanny/researcher in Frank and Patricia McGuire’s Classic Six Manhattan apartment. Twenty-five years later, Frances returns to the apartment and faces questions about her motives: Is Frances merely curious to revisit the place where she learned hard truths about marriage, power and accountability? Or does she plan to expose long-buried secrets?
  • It's A Free Country by Leigh Flayton
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: American society and politics, January 6 + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller, political, tragedy
    Keyword: American society and politics, January 6, misogyny, domestic terrorism, feminism, insurrection, suspense, conspiracy theories
    ** "It's A Free Country" debuted in July 2023 at the SheNYC Theater Festival in New York City**

    "It's A Free Country" tells the story of Louisa “Lou” Clay, the author of a cult classic feminist novel that has just premiered as a TV series — and it’s a massive hit. But this new wave of attention has compelled the always-reclusive Lou to leave her home in New York City...
    ** "It's A Free Country" debuted in July 2023 at the SheNYC Theater Festival in New York City**

    "It's A Free Country" tells the story of Louisa “Lou” Clay, the author of a cult classic feminist novel that has just premiered as a TV series — and it’s a massive hit. But this new wave of attention has compelled the always-reclusive Lou to leave her home in New York City and hunker down in her country house.

    Following Lou is a slew of unintended consequences, owing to America’s current political climate and the rage against the patriarchy that is the hallmark of the show. So, when a death threat arrives at Lou’s apartment, her niece, Ramona, who recently moved in, and Lou’s longtime agent and friend, Nell, join Lou in the country, where the trio tries to ascertain the severity of the threat — and evade any attempts on Lou’s life.

    But as the visit unfolds, the women learn of additional threats that go beyond Lou, while festering grievances are revealed and Lou makes a decision that will irrevocably alter each of their lives.
  • Imaginary Friends: Conjuring 1959's Most Famous Lunch by Leigh Flayton
    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: biography, comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: misfits, fame + 7 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, period
    Keyword: misfits, fame, marriage, famous writers, Red Scare, iconic women, divorce, art and literature, classic film
    In 1959, Isak Dinesen, the intrepid author of "Out of Africa," traveled for the first time to America, where she wanted to meet Carson McCullers and Marilyn Monroe. McCullers, a pen pal and admirer of Dinesen's, and an old friend of Monroe's, invited the women — and Monroe's husband, the playwright Arthur Miller — to luncheon at her home along with "Sister," McCullers's...
    In 1959, Isak Dinesen, the intrepid author of "Out of Africa," traveled for the first time to America, where she wanted to meet Carson McCullers and Marilyn Monroe. McCullers, a pen pal and admirer of Dinesen's, and an old friend of Monroe's, invited the women — and Monroe's husband, the playwright Arthur Miller — to luncheon at her home along with "Sister," McCullers's live-in cook, nurse and dear friend.
  • Too Close to Home by Leigh Flayton
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: mental illness, Mental Health + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: mental illness, Mental Health, Schizophrenia, family, American Family, Adult Siblings
    For years, the Hill family has revolved around the oldest daughter, Shelley, a mentally ill woman now in her late 30s. Shelley has been diagnosed with cancer, and her parents have enlisted her brother and sister to keep this information from Shelley in the fear that it might cause another suicide attempt. With an empathetic doctor who hasn’t asked the question — who has the right to make Shelley’s treatment...
    For years, the Hill family has revolved around the oldest daughter, Shelley, a mentally ill woman now in her late 30s. Shelley has been diagnosed with cancer, and her parents have enlisted her brother and sister to keep this information from Shelley in the fear that it might cause another suicide attempt. With an empathetic doctor who hasn’t asked the question — who has the right to make Shelley’s treatment decisions? — the family has some difficult choices to make, as well as secrets to keep.
  • American Woman by Leigh Flayton
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    6–7
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: american life, equality + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, period, political
    Keyword: american life, equality, class race and gender politics, American identity, cultural identity
    "What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open." — Muriel Rukeyser

    American Woman tells the story of four women — Hannah, Ellie, Moon and Claire; two white women and two women of color — coming of age in the latter 20th and early 21st centuries. In the spirit of The Heidi Chronicles and spanning three decades, the play depicts the women's...
    "What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open." — Muriel Rukeyser

    American Woman tells the story of four women — Hannah, Ellie, Moon and Claire; two white women and two women of color — coming of age in the latter 20th and early 21st centuries. In the spirit of The Heidi Chronicles and spanning three decades, the play depicts the women's relationships and what it's like to grow up female in the years leading up to the Me Too and Times Up era. American Woman speaks to the hidden realities and secret languages girls learn and women ultimately speak and live with in every aspect of their lives.
  • The Generator by Leigh Flayton
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: polarization, hurricane + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, political, tragedy
    Keyword: polarization, hurricane, hurricanes, neighborhood conflicts, 21st century politics
    During a hurricane, the use of a noisy power generator activates a war between neighbors.