Chris Vanderark

Playwright/Producer in Chicago, IL.
Dark Comedies with hints of Genre-fuckery from a Queer Lens.

Flexible Casting / Flexible Scripts

Quick Pacing | Minimalist | Borderline Absurd

Playwright/Producer in Chicago, IL.
Dark Comedies with hints of Genre-fuckery from a Queer Lens.

Flexible Casting / Flexible Scripts

Quick Pacing | Minimalist | Borderline Absurd

Scripts

Minutes and Seconds

by Chris Vanderark

Cast Size

Genre

comedy,

dark comedy,

drama,

experimental,

fantasy,

farce,

satire,

science fiction,

tragedy

The Sun shuts off and a family prepares for their deaths.
But one revealed secret unravels decades long baggage that must be dealt with before they freeze to death.

Dark Comedy | Tragedy | Problem Play

Key Words: Queer Characters, Apocalypse, Non Linear

The Sun shuts off and a family prepares for their deaths.
But one revealed secret unravels decades long baggage that must be dealt with before they freeze to death.

Dark Comedy | Tragedy | Problem Play

Key Words: Queer Characters, Apocalypse, Non Linear

Catherine Forever (the parasite)

by Chris Vanderark

Cast Size

Genre

comedy,

dark comedy,

drama,

experimental,

fantasy,

farce,

movement/physical,

parody/spoof,

romantic comedy,

satire,

tragedy

Sometimes when you're at rock bottom, the only way to find stability is to hurt the people around you.
And that's exactly what Catherine does.

Comedy | Queer | Surreal

Key Words: Bullet-Paced, Theatrical, Poverty, Doubling

Sometimes when you're at rock bottom, the only way to find stability is to hurt the people around you.
And that's exactly what Catherine does.

Comedy | Queer | Surreal

Key Words: Bullet-Paced, Theatrical, Poverty, Doubling

Mavis (the voyeur's comedy)

by Chris Vanderark

Cast Size

Genre

comedy,

dark comedy,

drama,

farce,

satire

The power goes out, it's hot as fuck, and Paul/Joanna have their biggest fight yet in front of their guests (again).

Dark Comedy | Real Time | Character Study

Key Words: Chicago, Dependency, Voyeurism/Exhibitionism

The power goes out, it's hot as fuck, and Paul/Joanna have their biggest fight yet in front of their guests (again).

Dark Comedy | Real Time | Character Study

Key Words: Chicago, Dependency, Voyeurism/Exhibitionism

Plastic Love

by Chris Vanderark

Cast Size

Genre

comedy,

dark comedy,

drama,

experimental,

horror,

political,

science fiction

A collection of documents on a similar theme.
Note: In a vignette, if the character name is in all caps (e.g., CHARLIE), this character is a machine.

Dark Comedy | Genre Experimentation | Sci Fi

Key Words: Technology, Queer Relationships, Ethics

A collection of documents on a similar theme.
Note: In a vignette, if the character name is in all caps (e.g., CHARLIE), this character is a machine.

Dark Comedy | Genre Experimentation | Sci Fi

Key Words: Technology, Queer Relationships, Ethics

see through (several versions of the same people)

by Chris Vanderark

Cast Size

Genre

drama,

experimental,

fantasy,

movement/physical,

science fiction,

tragedy

A medical emergency prompts a woman to volunteer her husband for an experimental procedure. The unexpected repercussions of this decision haunt her for the rest of her life.

Sci Fi | Tragedy | Experimental

Key Words: Mind Uploading, Homophobia, Technology, Ethics

A medical emergency prompts a woman to volunteer her husband for an experimental procedure. The unexpected repercussions of this decision haunt her for the rest of her life.

Sci Fi | Tragedy | Experimental

Key Words: Mind Uploading, Homophobia, Technology, Ethics

Mouthpiece

by Chris Vanderark

Cast Size

Genre

comedy,

dark comedy,

drama,

horror,

mystery/thriller,

political,

satire,

tragedy

Judith says she's the mouthpiece of God. But Judith is lying.
And she'll do anything to keep the lie going - - even if it means hiring a hitman.

Dark Comedy | Horror | Queer

Key Words: Weaponized Religion, Manipulation, Non Traditional Casting

Judith says she's the mouthpiece of God. But Judith is lying.
And she'll do anything to keep the lie going - - even if it means hiring a hitman.

Dark Comedy | Horror | Queer

Key Words: Weaponized Religion, Manipulation, Non Traditional Casting

Available for Freelance Dramaturgy

Artistic Statement

Representation

Chris Vanderark
chrisvanderarkplaywright@gmail.com
616 466 1895

Recommended by

Mad Girls

by Evalena Lakin

This play made me laugh a lot and also filled me with a lot of sadness. I love plays about unconventional families because nothing is predictable and nothing is a given. Mad Girls is part Ghost Story and part Tragedy - - with a hopeful ending that deals with grief and how we handle it. A great two-hander for two young actors.

This play made me laugh a lot and also filled me with a lot of sadness. I love plays about unconventional families because nothing is predictable and nothing is a given. Mad Girls is part Ghost Story and part Tragedy - - with a hopeful ending that deals with grief and how we handle it. A great two-hander for two young actors.
The Ghost of Jimmy Dean

by Stephen Douglas Wright

This is such a fun show. Just the right blend of absurdism and grounded emotions. Stephen has a really unique way of approaching abstract ideas and it makes for a really enjoyable play.

This is such a fun show. Just the right blend of absurdism and grounded emotions. Stephen has a really unique way of approaching abstract ideas and it makes for a really enjoyable play.
The Vanishing Point

by David Narter

There's a monologue at the top of this play which I think about a lot. It's startling and snaps this play into life in a (possibly, depending on how it's delivered) terrifying way. The play that follows it is a eerily dark comedy that brushes its shoulders with Sci-Fi and Horror in a subtle and "on the edge of your seat" kinda way. The characters are down to earth, relatable, and recognizable (once you read the play, that could be taken in a lot of ways).
A fun ride, would love to see what directors do with this play.

There's a monologue at the top of this play which I think about a lot. It's startling and snaps this play into life in a (possibly, depending on how it's delivered) terrifying way. The play that follows it is a eerily dark comedy that brushes its shoulders with Sci-Fi and Horror in a subtle and "on the edge of your seat" kinda way. The characters are down to earth, relatable, and recognizable (once you read the play, that could be taken in a lot of ways).
A fun ride, would love to see what directors do with this play.
TREIF PLAY

by Evalena Lakin

Evalena does a really great job of creating a rich setting for this play and for its characters to exist in. The Restaurant itself is a character we meet throughout the play through the interwoven plots that navigate their way through it. By the end, the narratives create some beautiful and heartbreaking parallels that feel very honest and fresh and very Chicago. I'm looking forward to seeing where this play goes next.

Evalena does a really great job of creating a rich setting for this play and for its characters to exist in. The Restaurant itself is a character we meet throughout the play through the interwoven plots that navigate their way through it. By the end, the narratives create some beautiful and heartbreaking parallels that feel very honest and fresh and very Chicago. I'm looking forward to seeing where this play goes next.
The Gravediggers Union

by Brian James Polak

This play caught me totally by surprise. While listening to a reading of this play, my mind ran laps and laps imagining the many ways this play could be effectively staged. I laughed (a lot), I was touched, and an unexpected monologue towards the end made me cry.

Brian is really funny and really smart. This play captures the essence of small towns while making sharp commentary on how big business intrudes on the lives of people in these settings. Charming, evocative, and moving. I can't wait to see this play staged.

This play caught me totally by surprise. While listening to a reading of this play, my mind ran laps and laps imagining the many ways this play could be effectively staged. I laughed (a lot), I was touched, and an unexpected monologue towards the end made me cry.

Brian is really funny and really smart. This play captures the essence of small towns while making sharp commentary on how big business intrudes on the lives of people in these settings. Charming, evocative, and moving. I can't wait to see this play staged.

View all 6 recommendations

Chris Vanderark

Scripts

Minutes and Seconds

by Chris Vanderark

Catherine Forever (the parasite)

by Chris Vanderark

Mavis (the voyeur's comedy)

by Chris Vanderark

Plastic Love

by Chris Vanderark

see through (several versions of the same people)

by Chris Vanderark

Mouthpiece

by Chris Vanderark

Mad Girls

The Ghost of Jimmy Dean

The Vanishing Point

TREIF PLAY

The Gravediggers Union