Aren Haun

full-length

Ben, a young editor, has just landed his dream job to edit a documentary film at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The catch is: he only has one week to cut a five-hour version down to size and the egomaniacal, obsessive filmmaker, Cameron, doesn’t want to touch a frame. And when Libby, Cameron’s ex-editor and girlfriend, shows up and demands her old position back, Ben gets caught in the middle.

full-length

Robbie Murphy, a famous musician in his 50s, returns to Seattle after 29 years following the death of his former bandmate and best friend, Mark Holmes. He reunites with the surviving members of his old band to organize a tribute concert, but faces challenges from bandmates who question his motives, a resentful ex-wife, and the temptations of past addictions.

full-length

Centered on three grifters at a race track, partners Vincent and Joe run cons on unsuspecting patrons. When Vincent meets Erin, who is desperate to win money to buy back her father's racehorse using her mother’s life insurance, he becomes entangled in a web of deception. As tensions build toward one final race, the lines between trust and betrayal blur, leaving all characters racing against their own fates.

During a weekly mixed doubles match, a group of friends play their hearts out, both on and off the court. Their games and states of minds are thrown off, however, when one of them experiences a brush with death. Between smashing forehands and volleys, infatuations and attractions are revealed, risks are taken and hearts are broken. This Shakespearean-like comedy reflects the parallels between life and tennis as these mere players fight to the death for love.

full-length

After completing her magnum opus – an angsty, bitter novel about life’s inherent unfairness – Emma writes a second book for her own amusement, a send-up of the “chick-lit” genre entitled Chelsea Merriweather, which is surprisingly accepted. Emma then meets Rob, a charming, intelligent young publisher, and soon her new fairy-tale life begins to resemble the same fantasy world she only previously imagined.

full-length

Jeff, Megan, and Scott are three struggling young actors who decide to take their careers into their own hands by making a movie based on the behind-the-scenes world of Rebel Without a Cause. They dream of the film’s success turning them into movie stars, just like James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. But as the production begins to have problems, they turn to Tim, a more experienced actor, to guide them.

Erica, a barista yearning for excitement, sleeps with her co-worker Theo, despite tepid attraction. Then she meets Christian, sparking a genuine connection, but he's tied to another woman. Navigating these relationships, a demanding job, a co-worker's obsession, and a mother fixated on college, Erica finds herself trapped in a cycle of indecision and frustration, her attempts to accelerate her life leading to unexpected and often disappointing results.

one-person play

After her marriage collapses and she overdoses, 30-year-old Julie enters rehab, battling resentment towards her estranged husband and the program, all while grappling with her father's recent death. Though she slowly accepts the need for help and begins working the steps, deep-seated anger and an inability to forgive her mother over a tumultuous past threaten her recovery, leaving her resistance stubbornly high.

full-length

Alan and Lisa are a young married couple co-existing in a minuscule Brooklyn apartment, surviving on dreams and leftovers. One day Alan catches his big break, only to have it suddenly disappear again. Determined to get his screenplay produced, Alan tries to raise money for his project, but soon realizes that the thing that’s mostly been getting in his way is … himself.

Chris, a young actor, returns home from New York after his father, Stan, suffers a heart attack, to find his family in a state of chaos. His sister, Deirdre, has dropped out of school and wants to pursue a career in modelling, while his mother, Abby, is anxiety-ridden over their dire financial circumstances. And Stan, refusing to rest after his surgery, has taken on directing a production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and he wants Chris to play the role of Biff. Despite questioning whether or not he wants to continue to pursue acting as a career, Chris agrees to the role for the sake of his father's health, while trying to find a way to save his family from themselves.

The year is 1977. After completing the "est" training, a six-day seminar designed to inspire personal accountability, Stanley decides to radically change his life. He separates from his wife, quits his job, and attempts an affair with a co-worker. Things don't go to plan, however, when his wife leaves Chris, their 12-year old son, in his care. Stanley perseveres, placing his faith on his a horse racing system and getting his jazz band back together. But when his mother visits, pressuring him to attend his father's wedding, the wall of reality comes crashing down.

Gentleperson:

Aren Haun's play A SEPARATION [retitled: Make a New Plan, Stan] is a completely original, tender, desperate, farcical family drama--a newly minted form that dives directly into the heart of one family's pain at a time in American history seldom dramatized today. I believe in this play and hope that you will see its many strengths and possibilities as I.

Warmly,

Craig Lucas

Gentleperson:

Aren Haun's play A SEPARATION [retitled: Make a New Plan, Stan] is a completely original, tender, desperate, farcical family drama--a newly minted form that dives directly into the heart of one family's pain at a time in American history seldom dramatized today. I believe in this play and hope that you will see its many strengths and possibilities as I.

Warmly,

Craig Lucas

The year is 1973. Abby, nine months pregnant, and her husband, Stan, are expecting a visit from Stan's old college roommate, Frank. But when Frank arrives, Abby is surprised to discover that he has brought along a young companion named Taylor. As Abby and Stan attempt to entertain their unusual guests, Frank and Taylor seem to subtly mock their hosts through a series a social games, causing Abby to see her marriage in a new light. With a Pinteresque style and set in the context of an unsettling time in American history, Expecting explores the fundamental nature of social interactions in an entertaining way.

When a doctor confirms Stan’s worst fears, he discovers an optimism he didn’t know he had. Rather than giving into despair, he seizes the opportunity to complete his unfulfilled ambitions, recruiting his full-grown children, Chris and Deirdre, to help him. But after a lifetime of marital issues, his wife, Abby, doesn’t cope as well. Then, when new tests give them new reason to hope, Abby inquires into the integrity of the doctors themselves. Stan’s condition continues to inexplicably improve, but Stan and Abby fundamentally disagree on who and where they should put their trust.

one-act

Stan flies to New Mexico for his father’s funeral, expecting to receive a big inheritance. He discovers, instead, that his share of the will is virtually nothing. As he and his mother, Ruth, go through his father’s belongings, she reveals that she has a contract entitling her to half the estate, which Stan believes should be shared with him.

It’s 1962. Stan, a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Redlands, is nervous about proposing to his girlfriend, Abby, so he seeks the advice of his friends, Irv and Frank, who are both absorbed in an intense game of chess.

Christmas Day, 1969. Abby returns to her family home for Christmas dinner. Her parents, Helen and James, are surprised when they discover she has arrived without her husband, Stanley. Abby reveals that she is questioning her marriage, along with everything else, including her identity and what is happening in the world. Then, to her surprise, Stanley unexpectedly shows up and reveals a secret that Abby doesn’t want her parents to know.

The year is 1928 and Max Barry’s new play on Broadway depicting a true-life scandal involving William Randolph Hearst, Charlie Chaplin, and Marion Davies has been selling out to out of town audiences. Things go haywire, though, when it’s discovered that the events depicted in the play never actually happened.

Facing foreclosure, Stan and Abby host a small party, hoping Stan's brother Larry will invest in Stan's horse racing system to save their home. As more friends arrive, including the crass Bill and Carol who brazenly propose hosting their wedding at the house, the impending deadline intensifies. Abby begins to seriously question her husband's judgment, as their shared dream of salvation clashes with a chaotic reality.

A modern-day variation on Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, following the characters of Masha and Medvedenko.

Carl, an English teacher in a small, private high school, is about to publish his third YA novel, The Mating Instinct, which depicts an intimate relationship between a teacher and a student. After a copy of the book is leaked, everyone, including Carl's wife, Anne, believes that the events in the book are based on Carl himself and a senior named Mackenzie. Rather than downplaying the book, Carl fights back in the press, with the help of his daughter, Danielle, also a student at the school. But when Mackenzie's father, a lawyer, threatens him, suddenly Carl's job, reputation, and family are at stake, as the line between truth and fiction becomes increasingly blurred.

Ian and Craig are old friends who have been meeting for years to watch films together and discuss them afterwards. Then one evening, Ian reveals his intentions to completely alter his life, which Craig sees as part of a self-destructive pattern and tries to talk him out of it. And when even the server, Barbra, gets caught up in Ian's personal drama, Craig is convinced he's gone too far. In the vein of My Dinner With Andre, this play demonstrates that a conversation can change one's life.

ONE-ACT. Mark is a young art student, working in a burger place. One day an eccentric customer comes in, an older man named Bruno. Bruno tries to make a connection with Mark, but his aggressive manner keeps Mark at a distance. Though they are at entirely places in their lives — they are both lonely guys who pay a price for their isolation.