Helen R. Murray

Helen R. Murray

Helen Murray is a playwright, director and the Producing Artistic Director of American Stage in St. Petersburg, FL. Formerly she was the Executive Producer of the Aurora Fox in Colorado and the Founder and Artistic Director of The Hub Theatre in Northern Virginia. Helen has produced and directed multiple World, U.S. and Area Premiers, an annual free staged reading series, new play festivals, and commissioned...
Helen Murray is a playwright, director and the Producing Artistic Director of American Stage in St. Petersburg, FL. Formerly she was the Executive Producer of the Aurora Fox in Colorado and the Founder and Artistic Director of The Hub Theatre in Northern Virginia. Helen has produced and directed multiple World, U.S. and Area Premiers, an annual free staged reading series, new play festivals, and commissioned original work from nationally recognized artists. Her original plays have been produced by The Hub, Theatre Alliance, Malibu Playhouse, ArtsWest, American Stage, JCCNV and been seen at the Kennedy Center's Page to Stage Festival. In addition to her writing and leadership roles, Helen has worked as an actor in many DC area theaters, including Folger Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Theatre J, Forum Theatre, Theatre Alliance, Rorschach Theatre, Keegan Theatre, Didactic Theatre, The Inkwell, the Source Festival, and the Beckett Centenary Festival. She has appeared in numerous independent films and area commercials. Helen holds a BA in Theatre from Virginia Tech. She, along with her co-writer Jason Lott, has been nominated for a Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding New Play for Wonderful Life. Abominable was nominated for the Steinberg New Play Award and Redder Blood won the 2016 Jewish Playwriting Contest. She is the recipient of the Puffin Foundation Award and the Washington Canadian Partnership Award.

Plays

  • Redder Blood
    God just won’t let up. Sadie has heard the voice of God her entire life. But she has never answered back, after all, why her? As her her parent’s marriage crumbles, and her own love interest takes off, Sadie’s life takes a comical turn toward the absurd. And in the midst of it all she must come to terms with her own worth and whether or not its time to let in the voice.
  • Abominable
    In Abominable, Sam is dealing with a lot, but so do all teenagers. His bones are growing so fast that sometimes he feels inhuman. Meanwhile, a mysterious and beastly footprint is discovered in the middle of town. While his mother tries to find out what is happening to Sam, more footprints appear and terrify the community as gossip and mayhem abound. A play that walks the brink between boy and man, and man and beast.
  • Eat Dirt
    Jett is collecting geological samples from all over the world trying to recreate the exact makeup of the sinkhole that took her family. Hoping that somehow her discovery will put to rest her loved ones, she drives her research partner Gray to the breaking point. They are aided by the ever present Intern as they they uncover this mystery. A dirty play that questions how the ones you love can shake the ground beneath your feet.
  • Wonderful Life
    Co-Written with Jason Lott
    George Bailey’s struggle to grasp why life is worth living finds a fresh voice in this imaginative one-person retelling of Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life. This Helen Hayes nominated memory play introduces a new generation to the residents of Bedford Falls, New York on a fateful Christmas Eve in 1945. Wonderful Life is a heartwarming story about the effect one...
    Co-Written with Jason Lott
    George Bailey’s struggle to grasp why life is worth living finds a fresh voice in this imaginative one-person retelling of Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life. This Helen Hayes nominated memory play introduces a new generation to the residents of Bedford Falls, New York on a fateful Christmas Eve in 1945. Wonderful Life is a heartwarming story about the effect one man’s sacrifices have on the people and town he loves.
  • The Magi
    Nix and Jude have been touring their band The Magi for 8 years. They have been in love for 7 years and 11 months of that tour. But now the band and the couple may be breaking up. Part concert, part love story, and part awkward to be sure. Music & Lyrics by Eli Pafumi
  • Merry, Happy... What?
    Molly has the same trouble every year. When Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa roll around she always feels left out. No one else celebrates the same holiday that she does. This is a play for the whole family about winter, celebrations and snow days. Music by Eli Pafumi
  • Clara's Little Questions
    Lydia is doing her best to raise Clara by herself, but now a secret about Clara’s origins, and the arrival of Lydia’s new lover, threatens to upset their delicate balance. A play about why we lie to our children, go running, and listen to pop music. Told with a puppet that asks a million little questions.