Zach Barr

Zach Barr

A playwright and historian, based in the Chicagoland area. They/them.

Zach's full length pieces include NEW OLEANNA, QUINLYN CAN PAINT, THE PILON, and SOPHIA BRAHE (AND HER BROTHER, TYCHO). Their new play ENDURING JEST is currently being developed through the Three Brothers Theatre Playwrights Residency, and will debut in August 2024. Zach is a produced member of the 23/24 PlayGround-Chicago...
A playwright and historian, based in the Chicagoland area. They/them.

Zach's full length pieces include NEW OLEANNA, QUINLYN CAN PAINT, THE PILON, and SOPHIA BRAHE (AND HER BROTHER, TYCHO). Their new play ENDURING JEST is currently being developed through the Three Brothers Theatre Playwrights Residency, and will debut in August 2024. Zach is a produced member of the 23/24 PlayGround-Chicago Writer's Pool, has been a semi-finalist for development with Seven Devils, Normal Ave Productions, and Wild Imaginings, and has had plays read at Red Theatre, Bramble Theatre, Fat Theatre Project, and Chicago Dramatists. They are the creator of the theatre history video essay series "And Now, They Sing" (youtube.com/@andnowtheysing) and will be a presenter at BroadwayCon 2024.

Plays

  • New Oleanna by Zach Barr
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: David Mamet, Oleanna + 6 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, political
    Keyword: David Mamet, Oleanna, classroom, class and gender, loose adaptation, definitions of masculinity, forgiveness, Passive aggression
    FULL LENGTH
    College senior Hudson is looking for the perfect play to direct for his senior thesis. His advisor, Nona, recommends the perfect script: David Mamet's "Oleanna." But as Hudson gets closer to rehearsals, Nona – who prides herself on trying to expose students to opinions they may disagree with – finds herself overlooking more and more red flags, about the play and about Hudson...
    FULL LENGTH
    College senior Hudson is looking for the perfect play to direct for his senior thesis. His advisor, Nona, recommends the perfect script: David Mamet's "Oleanna." But as Hudson gets closer to rehearsals, Nona – who prides herself on trying to expose students to opinions they may disagree with – finds herself overlooking more and more red flags, about the play and about Hudson himself.

    A play about the inherent violence of masculinity, what happens when men try to circumvent it, and where the line lies where intention to harm ceases to matter.
  • Quinlyn Can Paint by Zach Barr
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama, experimental + 1 more
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    Keyword: siblings, artists + 5 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, tragedy
    Keyword: siblings, artists, interviews, monologues, three-hander, minimal set, one act
    FULL LENGTH
    On the occasion of her first solo museum exhibition, abstract painter Olive Hollyhox is having a documentary made about her life and career. In addition to the featured artist, her older sisters – Quinlyn and Gabby – are also being interviewed. Turns out, Quinlyn is also a painter. Not that anyone cared.

    Structured as a series of monologues, QUINLYN CAN PAINT gradually reveals...
    FULL LENGTH
    On the occasion of her first solo museum exhibition, abstract painter Olive Hollyhox is having a documentary made about her life and career. In addition to the featured artist, her older sisters – Quinlyn and Gabby – are also being interviewed. Turns out, Quinlyn is also a painter. Not that anyone cared.

    Structured as a series of monologues, QUINLYN CAN PAINT gradually reveals the fissures between three sisters, each hardworking but fundamentally at odds with each other. How do you handle a sibling achieving the success you've always dreamed of? How early in life can signs of talent or identity be truly identified? And how wide can anyone hope to push the gap between the "two deaths" we all die?
  • The Pilon by Zach Barr
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: sports cards, masculinity + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: sports cards, masculinity, Trans Characters, basketball, Seattle, trans youth, collecting, search for identity, queer love story, homosexuality
    FULL LENGTH
    In Fall 2019, the market for basketball cards has never been more volatile – mint condition samples sell for five figures, and the selling and buying of cards has become a fraternal pursuit like no other. Caught in the center of this market is Corbin, the co-owner of a Seattle card shop, doing his best to keep the business afloat along with his aunt, Rhonda. But when a regular customer pulls...
    FULL LENGTH
    In Fall 2019, the market for basketball cards has never been more volatile – mint condition samples sell for five figures, and the selling and buying of cards has become a fraternal pursuit like no other. Caught in the center of this market is Corbin, the co-owner of a Seattle card shop, doing his best to keep the business afloat along with his aunt, Rhonda. But when a regular customer pulls a potentially game-changing card in the shop, the ensuing scramble to sell it reveals the fissures between why men collect cards in the first place – and how they aim to define themselves as men by doing so.

    A meditation on how we build an identity through collecting, featuring a queer love story, intergenerational trans friendship, characters overhauling their own constructions of themselves, and the greatest dream of all: Seattle getting an NBA team again.
  • Sophia Brahe (and her brother, Tycho) by Zach Barr
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 3 more
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    Keyword: astronomy, siblings + 7 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political
    Keyword: astronomy, siblings, brahe, supernova, feminism, science, stem, History, Denmark
    FULL LENGTH
    Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe is on the verge of upending the entire study of astronomy, with a revolutionary new way to organize the solar system. Meanwhile, Sophia Brahe, his younger sister, is attempting to do the same – without being able to go to university. Or learn Latin. Or travel without a husband.

    Over the course of their parallel careers, the relationship between...
    FULL LENGTH
    Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe is on the verge of upending the entire study of astronomy, with a revolutionary new way to organize the solar system. Meanwhile, Sophia Brahe, his younger sister, is attempting to do the same – without being able to go to university. Or learn Latin. Or travel without a husband.

    Over the course of their parallel careers, the relationship between the siblings twists and strains, as they wrestle with financial uncertainty, romantic entanglement, and an orphaned, wandering elk. The bond between siblings is strong, but will it hold as Sophia watches her brother succeed in all the places she's failed?
  • Winnie-the-Pooh by Zach Barr
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 3 more
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    Keyword: adaptation, Winnie-the-pooh + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, fable/folktale, fantasy, young audiences
    Keyword: adaptation, Winnie-the-pooh, children, Fantasy, Pastoral, English, literary, flooding, xenophobia, found family
    FULL LENGTH
    Christopher Robin is organizing an expedition to discover the North Pole, and has asked his good friends to come along with him: Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet, and the "silly old bear" called Winnie-the-Pooh. But when two new friends come to the Forest, Kanga and her baby Roo, Pooh gets embroiled in a Very Reasonable Plan to send the two new animals out of the forest. But why do they have...
    FULL LENGTH
    Christopher Robin is organizing an expedition to discover the North Pole, and has asked his good friends to come along with him: Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet, and the "silly old bear" called Winnie-the-Pooh. But when two new friends come to the Forest, Kanga and her baby Roo, Pooh gets embroiled in a Very Reasonable Plan to send the two new animals out of the forest. But why do they have to leave? And why is Christopher Robin so convinced that it will rain soon? And will anyone remember that today is Eeyore's birthday?

    Adapted from A.A. Milne's literary classic, this new stage adaptation brings the book's messages of community reliance and the necessity of maintaining hope to the forefront. When the whole Forest floods and you feel like you simply can't heal the world yourself, the very least you can do is to make the lives of those around you better. This is an adaptation of the Pooh stories meant for all ages – children and adults alike.
  • The Comical Historie of Shrek, The Ogre by Zach Barr
    Cast: 
    10–19
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, fable/folktale, fantasy, farce, parody/spoof, romantic comedy, satire, verse
    FULL LENGTH
    THE COMICAL HISTORIE OF SHREK, THE OGRE tells the story of a brash but kindhearted ogre who sets off on a quest to reclaim his stolen land, only to have his worldview shattered when he meets an unflappable donkey and a bracingly honest princess. In an odyssey through a fairy-tale setting, the trio are forced to confront how the world expects them to act– –and question whether they have the...
    FULL LENGTH
    THE COMICAL HISTORIE OF SHREK, THE OGRE tells the story of a brash but kindhearted ogre who sets off on a quest to reclaim his stolen land, only to have his worldview shattered when he meets an unflappable donkey and a bracingly honest princess. In an odyssey through a fairy-tale setting, the trio are forced to confront how the world expects them to act– –and question whether they have the bravery to live life on their own terms. And also whether ogres are truly like onions.

    This is a parody of the Dreamworks film SHREK, written in faux-Shakespearean style. It is unofficial and has not been approved by DreamWorks Animation LLC or NBCUniversal. The script is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-SA license, and may be performed royalty-free.
  • The Sea and its Keeper by Zach Barr
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 6 more
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    Keyword: 18th century women's history, non-human character + 4 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, movement/physical, science fiction
    Keyword: 18th century women's history, non-human character, fantastic realism, 10-minute play, lighthouse keeper, Ida Lewis
    TEN MINUTE
    Ida Lewis, the most famous lighthouse keeper in America, wrestles with the Sea – perhaps for the last time.
  • The Tall One by Zach Barr
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: mothers, daughters + 7 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: mothers, daughters, Transgender, trans acceptance, Mountains, Indigenous, Alaska, hiking, college
    TEN MINUTE
    A mother and daughter go on a final mountain hike before college, but the mom can't quite get the mountain's name right.
  • How The Owl Gained Her Wisdom by Zach Barr
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale + 2 more
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    Keyword: death, owls + 8 more
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, tragedy
    Keyword: death, owls, fable, folk tale, two-hander, ten minute, Campfire, myth, folk, origin story
    TEN MINUTE
    An owl flies far away from her home, and learns a terrible secret. A two-actor fable about death!
  • Honey Bear by Zach Barr
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 3 more
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    Keyword: grief, loss + 7 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, movement/physical
    Keyword: grief, loss, honey, Non-Binary, romance, marriage, dreams, Bear, death
    TEN MINUTE
    Still recovering from a loss, Rosamel returns home to their kitchen. As they unpack groceries, they hear a small voice speaking to them: a 12-ounce bottle of golden honey. As the two continue to talk, Rosamel eventually comes to grips with the one subject they’ve been avoiding discussing with anyone, including themselves.
  • Pardoned by Zach Barr
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: Thanksgiving, Turkey + 7 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, holiday, political, young audiences
    Keyword: Thanksgiving, Turkey, ten minute, Black characters, all women, teen characters, presidential, political, social media
    TEN MINUTE
    Two first daughters have to stand by every year as their father pardons two turkeys. It's the worst tradition. Both of them hate it. But not as much as the world hates them.
  • A Love Song For Dodi Fayed by Zach Barr
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: legacy, royalty + 5 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, political, tragedy
    Keyword: legacy, royalty, History, celebrity, princess diana, dodi fayed, gypt
    TEN MINUTE
    Dodi Fayed is a playboy millionaire and heir to his father’s toy store fortune. Princess Diana is a former British royal who left the stuffy confines of the monarchy. Both of them are going to be remembered forever. They have to be. How could they not be? A tense 10-minute play about building your legacy.
  • Too Close To The Sun by Zach Barr
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 1 more
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    Keyword: hamilton, audition + 4 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, musical
    Keyword: hamilton, audition, theatre, modern, singing, tension
    TEN MINUTE
    Five actresses wait in a hallway, hoping to be seen during an open call for "Hamilton." Each has their own audition quirks, traditions, and neuroses. The air gets thicker as each, in turn, goes in and sings. But does anyone even have a shot to throw away?