Andrea Markowitz

Winner of BEST ORIGINAL SCRIPT, ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence (also nominated for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE). - Imagine Googling your name and discovering more than 160,000 websites that spread defamatory lies about you. That’s what would happen if you were Sarah Winchester, the real-life Winchester rifle company heiress whose San Jose, California, mansion was turned into a tourist attraction after she died. FAIR GAME combines investigative journalism with suspenseful storytelling to expose the lies that became the foundation of a still thriving travel destination. The lies began decades before Winchester passed away in 1922, when newspapers first printed articles that questioned her sanity for building a 250-room mansion. After she died, John Hamilton Brown, an amusement park pro, transformed Winchester’s home into a haunted house and built his new business by exploiting the unsubstantiated gossip that Winchester was a deservedly haunted soul. FAIR GAME uses twists, turns and humor as it explores the roots and consequences of fake news by uncovering historic newspaper articles that reveal how John Brown, his wife Mayme, and three real-life reporters used the press to promote the Browns’ new business by keeping alive the mean-spirited rumors that made Winchester an involuntary legend. These characters get a taste of their own medicine when stories about them spin out of control. The difference is, the stories about them are true. FAIR GAME blends stylistic elements of Oscar Wilde, Agatha Christie and Kurt Weill to tell this cautionary tale. Sarah Winchester does not appear in FAIR GAME. She deserves to rest in peace.

"Looking Back" is inspired by the true-life story of Dick and Evie Engel, ranchers who lived in 1950s Cave Creek, Arizona.* They plan to strike it rich by subdividing and selling their 640-acre spread, but fall in love with the Sonoran Desert's lush landscape and geologic gems. Having sunk their last penny into the ranch, they find themselves having to choose between living in prosperity or Paradise. (*Based on a collection of Dick's letters in the Cave Creek Museum.)

IN THIS AWARD-WINNING SCRIPT, a refugee arrives unexpectedly and challenges a family to question their assumptions, recognize their biases, and combine their divergent perspectives to work out opposing views about offering safe haven to a person whose race is different from theirs. Time reversals and changes of identity create a transformative experience, filled with twists and turns and constant surprises that nurture respect and understanding, reveal common ground, and inspire the creation of a better world for all.

Aspirations run amok when Ruthie and Marty Furie set out to live the 1960s American Dream that glorifies upward mobility, domineering husbands, and obedient wives and children. Marty gets a promotion and moves the family to the suburbs. As the audience eavesdrops on the Furies’ hilarious restaurant conversations it becomes apparent that Ruthie and Marty, and their children, Mindy and Robbie, all hunger for more than what's on the menu. Ruthie craves respect and freedom. She feels trapped playing the “ideal” housewife and mother and she's jealous of Mindy, who gets to go away to college and pursue a career. Marty craves obedience. He exploits his roles of "the good provider" and "head of the household" as entitlements to bully everyone. Mindy and Robbie crave their parents' love and approval, yet boldly challenge their parents' self-defeating views about honesty, normalcy, and conformance to social expectations. They also steadfastly remain true to their natures, despite Ruthie's and Marty's attempts to crush Mindy's feminist ideals, and Marty's refusal to accept Robbie's homosexuality. Sympathies shift between Ruthie and Marty after Marty has a stroke and Ruthie takes control with a vengeance. Mindy and Robbie ultimately accept that Ruthie and Marty are emotionally incapable of being nurturing spouses or parents, and distance themselves from their passive-aggressive mother and tyrannical father. Ruthie and Marty finally recognize the void they created between themselves and their children.

A near-death experience heals deep wounds between a mother and daughter, and teaches them the two most important lessons of their lives.

Sharon Levi-Schwartz's rediscovery of a Stradivarius stolen by the Nazis sets off a confrontation that results in creating a bond between Sharon, who believes the violin belonged to her grandfather, and DeShawn Smith, a young Black violin prodigy.

A cashier dismisses the claim that chip technology provides credit card security, oblivious to all of the personal information she constantly reveals about herself.

Tia and Marie aren't sure how to explain the bizarre changes in their mother's behavior, but whatever the cause may be, they're not complaining!

A junior high school geek chooses between being cool and doing the right thing.