Victoria Z. Daly

I’m a playwright, Emmy-Award-winning story editor/producer, and script consultant.

My plays include Doppelgänger, Sam, Demeter and Polly, Shell Collection, Invisible, Far North, On the Cross Bronx, Circling the Globe, Raw, Final Rest, High Water Line, Rockaway Park 2012, Bottom of the Order and What to Do About It (#AfterTheBans.) They have been developed/ produced at venues on four continents including the Actors Studio, Valdez Theatre Conference, ATHE Conference, Short+Sweet Festivals in Hollywood, Dubai, and Perth, the Vspyshka Theatre in Russia, Alliance for Jewish Theatre, Berrie Center, KPBX-FM (NPR,) and the Edinburgh Festival. As a commentator and playwright, I've contributed regularly to Scotland’s Writers Block Radio Hour, now on Radio Six International.

Some recent awards...

I’m a playwright, Emmy-Award-winning story editor/producer, and script consultant.

My plays include Doppelgänger, Sam, Demeter and Polly, Shell Collection, Invisible, Far North, On the Cross Bronx, Circling the Globe, Raw, Final Rest, High Water Line, Rockaway Park 2012, Bottom of the Order and What to Do About It (#AfterTheBans.) They have been developed/ produced at venues on four continents including the Actors Studio, Valdez Theatre Conference, ATHE Conference, Short+Sweet Festivals in Hollywood, Dubai, and Perth, the Vspyshka Theatre in Russia, Alliance for Jewish Theatre, Berrie Center, KPBX-FM (NPR,) and the Edinburgh Festival. As a commentator and playwright, I've contributed regularly to Scotland’s Writers Block Radio Hour, now on Radio Six International.

Some recent awards: Regional EMMY (producer/story editor,) 3 Seconds in October: The Shooting of Andy Lopez (PBS); “The 9 Most Memorable Plays of the Last 9 Years,” Warner International Playwrights Festival, Connecticut (Final Rest); the Neem Independent International Award, Russia (High Water Line); Winner, Impossible Fest, Chicago (High Water Line); Best Play, Short+Sweet Dubai (On the Cross Bronx); Winner, Grand Theatre Playwriting Competition, Georgia (Final Rest.)

My short plays have been published by Next Stage Press as Raw and Other Short Plays, a collection of 7 of my plays; Applause Theatre and Cinema Books; Smith & Kraus; Venus Theatre Company (upcoming;) the New Short Play Festival; MonologueBank; The Last Frontier Theatre Conference; and some scripts literary magazine.

I’m a Faculty Member at the Dramatists Guild Institute in their Plays in Progress program and a script consultant to private clients. I work with writers across the U.S. and abroad.

My playwriting workshops and bootcamps are now available both in-person and online. I’ve taught for organizations including Stephen Sondheim's Young Playwrights, Inc., the Fly Arts Center (Tenn.,) Litchfield Performing Arts (Ct,) Playmaking (NYC,) and my own The Write Stuff! programs. A former physical actor, I’ve taught and performed commedia dell'arte, clown and mask work in Paris, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and in New York City.

I’m the Founder and Executive Director of The 9th Floor, a collaborative of award-winning writers and actors in New York City, now in its seventeenth season. As a television producer, script consultant, and executive, I’ve worked for entertainment and media organizations including Lifetime Cable Television, Warner Brothers, and the American Broadcasting Companies. My journalism has appeared nationally in Glamour, Health, Portfolio, etc.

Education: MFA in Dramatic Writing, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts; Certificat d'Etudes in Theater, L’Ecole Jacques Lecoq, Paris; A.B. and M.B.A., Harvard. Member: Dramatists Guild of America; Actors Studio Playwrights and Directors Workshop; League of Professional Theatre Women; International Centre for Women Playwrights; and Honor Roll!, an advocacy group for women+ playwrights over 40.

Scripts

Doppelgänger

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

FULL-LENGTH. Vanessa, the mother of only child Shelley, faces a midlife crisis when Shelley's angry, teenage rebellion forces her to question her own identity. Vanessa's mother returns from the dead, an imaginary daughter shows up, and her therapist won't let her off the hook. Will Vanessa jump off the roof? Will she kill her daughter with a chicken? Or will imaginary daughter kill her? A dark comedy set in...

FULL-LENGTH. Vanessa, the mother of only child Shelley, faces a midlife crisis when Shelley's angry, teenage rebellion forces her to question her own identity. Vanessa's mother returns from the dead, an imaginary daughter shows up, and her therapist won't let her off the hook. Will Vanessa jump off the roof? Will she kill her daughter with a chicken? Or will imaginary daughter kill her? A dark comedy set in the middle of Vanessa's troubled mind.

Invisible

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

NEW VERSION! ONE-ACT, 30 minutes. When Suzanne, in her '60's, starts to lose her looks and can't find work, her younger selves know exactly what she should do about it.

NEW VERSION! ONE-ACT, 30 minutes. When Suzanne, in her '60's, starts to lose her looks and can't find work, her younger selves know exactly what she should do about it.

Far North

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Warner International Playwrights Festival, CT
Nominated for the Perry Award for Best Production of an Original Play, NJ
Published on MonologueBank.com

MONOLOGUE, 12-15 minutes (excerpt only - published work.) At a cocktail party, urbane Phyllis speaks into a cell phone camera as she gives advice to a newborn on living a...

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Warner International Playwrights Festival, CT
Nominated for the Perry Award for Best Production of an Original Play, NJ
Published on MonologueBank.com

MONOLOGUE, 12-15 minutes (excerpt only - published work.) At a cocktail party, urbane Phyllis speaks into a cell phone camera as she gives advice to a newborn on living a civilized life. But, as the party progresses, her proper veneer begins to crack, revealing a secret long ago buried in the Far North.

Great audition monologue for a woman 50's-70's. Upcoming publication in the collection "Raw: and other Short Plays" from Next Stage Press.

What To Do About It (#AfterTheBans)

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press

MONOLOGUE, about 14 minutes (excerpt only - published work.) In the near future, after abortion bans have been instituted nationwide, a cop in your city gives a lecture-demo to a group of arrested women. His goal: to convince them they should not attempt abortions on themselves. But his audience isn't buying it. Upcoming publication...

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press

MONOLOGUE, about 14 minutes (excerpt only - published work.) In the near future, after abortion bans have been instituted nationwide, a cop in your city gives a lecture-demo to a group of arrested women. His goal: to convince them they should not attempt abortions on themselves. But his audience isn't buying it. Upcoming publication in the collection

Bottom of the Order

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press

SHORT, 10 minutes (excerpt only - published work.) In a 1970’s kitchen, the morning after a violent family fight, a 15-year-old boy engages in an almost silent battle of wills with his unpredictable and dangerous father. Can the kid get out the door before the next round begins?

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press

SHORT, 10 minutes (excerpt only - published work.) In a 1970’s kitchen, the morning after a violent family fight, a 15-year-old boy engages in an almost silent battle of wills with his unpredictable and dangerous father. Can the kid get out the door before the next round begins?

On the Cross Bronx

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Published in SHE PERSISTED: THIRTY 10-MINUTE PLAYS BY WOMEN OVER 40, ed. Lawrence Harbison, Applause Books
Winner Best Play, Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Judges Choice, Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Best Actress, Short+Sweet Dubai
Selected for NPX's Featured list of Favorite Parenting Plays

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) In a cop car stuck in traffic on the side of the highway, Kate, in labor, refuses to...

Published in SHE PERSISTED: THIRTY 10-MINUTE PLAYS BY WOMEN OVER 40, ed. Lawrence Harbison, Applause Books
Winner Best Play, Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Judges Choice, Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Best Actress, Short+Sweet Dubai
Selected for NPX's Featured list of Favorite Parenting Plays

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) In a cop car stuck in traffic on the side of the highway, Kate, in labor, refuses to give birth until she can get to the hospital. Officer Joe's job is on the line if she doesn't safely deliver. And time is running out.

** Please note that it is possible to localize this play, that is, to set it in your geographic vicinity. This would entail changing the title as well as some of the local references. This may only be done only with the permission of, and in collaboration with, the playwright.

Raw

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Publishedin the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Finalist (Audience Choice,) Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Best Actor, Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Warner International Playwrights Festival, CT
NYU Finalist, Theater Masters National MFA Playwrights Festival

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) When Sam, a strong-minded urologist, refuses to give an influential family friend “The Snip,”...

Publishedin the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Finalist (Audience Choice,) Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Best Actor, Short+Sweet Dubai
Winner, Warner International Playwrights Festival, CT
NYU Finalist, Theater Masters National MFA Playwrights Festival

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) When Sam, a strong-minded urologist, refuses to give an influential family friend “The Snip,” Sam's wife Grace tries to convince Sam to apologize. But their family dinner rapidly spirals out of control, catching ten-year-old son Alan in the crossfire. [NOTE: Alan can also be played as a daughter, Allie.]

Circling the Globe

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Connecticut Artists and Playwrights Festival
Winner, Longwood University's 0 to 60: Ten Minute Play Competition, VA

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) When world-traveller Adele arrives at the home of daughter Celia -- unannounced, and with a very personal request -- only a secret in Celia’s snow globe collection can...

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Connecticut Artists and Playwrights Festival
Winner, Longwood University's 0 to 60: Ten Minute Play Competition, VA

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) When world-traveller Adele arrives at the home of daughter Celia -- unannounced, and with a very personal request -- only a secret in Celia’s snow globe collection can bridge the miles between them.

Final Rest

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Grand Theatre Playwriting Competition, Cartersville, GA.
Winner, The Warner International Playwrights Festival, CT.
Published in THE NEW SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL: THE FINALISTS, ed. Michael Susko, Fall 2019
Winner/Finalist, The New Short Play Festival, New York, NY

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) Chris returns to her...

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Grand Theatre Playwriting Competition, Cartersville, GA.
Winner, The Warner International Playwrights Festival, CT.
Published in THE NEW SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL: THE FINALISTS, ed. Michael Susko, Fall 2019
Winner/Finalist, The New Short Play Festival, New York, NY

10-MINUTE (excerpt only - published work.) Chris returns to her empty childhood home to help resentful sister Beth sprinkle Mom’s ashes in the backyard garden. Time’s up: the house will be sold tomorrow. But Chris, unprepared to let go, proposes a plan that threatens to ruin everything.

Rockaway Park 2012

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

10-MINUTE. In the Rockaways, ten days after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, neighbors Helen and Roxanne wait for the Red Cross and FEMA to help them clean up their basements and resume a normal life.

10-MINUTE. In the Rockaways, ten days after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, neighbors Helen and Roxanne wait for the Red Cross and FEMA to help them clean up their basements and resume a normal life.

High Water Line

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Neem Independent International Award for Improper Dramaturgy, Russia
Winner, Impossible Fest, Vanguard Arts Collective, IL
Published in in some scripts literary magazine's Climate Change Issue

SHORT, 6-7 Minutes (excerpt only - published work.) Teenage Abby and her mother Elise — stuck in a room together after the ice caps have...

Published in the collection RAW AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS from Next Stage Press
Winner, Neem Independent International Award for Improper Dramaturgy, Russia
Winner, Impossible Fest, Vanguard Arts Collective, IL
Published in in some scripts literary magazine's Climate Change Issue

SHORT, 6-7 Minutes (excerpt only - published work.) Teenage Abby and her mother Elise — stuck in a room together after the ice caps have melted — must either escape or drown. A short climate-change apocalyptic black comedy, maybe impossible to stage. Or maybe not.

Winner of the Independent International Award for Improper Dramaturgy «Neem-2019>>, May 2020. Published in in some scripts literary magazine's Climate Change Issue, May 2020.

Joy

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE, 5 minutes. A wife in a bad marriage fights to remember her greatest moment of joy, even if that moment involves tugging on internal organs and flopping like a fish.

MONOLOGUE, 5 minutes. A wife in a bad marriage fights to remember her greatest moment of joy, even if that moment involves tugging on internal organs and flopping like a fish.

Tina at 13

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE, about 3 minutes. All Tina wants, she tells the School Counselor, is to find a good recipe on Pinterest. But just thinking about her dead mother's stuffed cabbage is enough to send her around the bend.

MONOLOGUE, about 3 minutes. All Tina wants, she tells the School Counselor, is to find a good recipe on Pinterest. But just thinking about her dead mother's stuffed cabbage is enough to send her around the bend.

Figure Out How to Live

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

Upcoming publication in Venus Theatre's anthology, FROZEN WOMEN FLOWING THOUGHTS.

MONOLOGUE, 5 minutes. A new mother tries to convince her baby that she's even got a clue about how to take care of her.

Great audition monologue for a woman in her 30's.

Upcoming publication in Venus Theatre's anthology, FROZEN WOMEN FLOWING THOUGHTS.

MONOLOGUE, 5 minutes. A new mother tries to convince her baby that she's even got a clue about how to take care of her.

Great audition monologue for a woman in her 30's.

Figure Out How to Live -- Audio Version

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE, 5 minutes. A new mother tries to convince her baby that she's even got a clue about how to take care of her.

Great audition monologue for a woman in her 30's.

MONOLOGUE, 5 minutes. A new mother tries to convince her baby that she's even got a clue about how to take care of her.

Great audition monologue for a woman in her 30's.

The Big Bad Wolf

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

MONOLOGUE, 1 minute. Roxanne tells her granddaughter a bedtime story colored by the current political moment.

Great audition monologue for a woman 50's-60's.

MONOLOGUE, 1 minute. Roxanne tells her granddaughter a bedtime story colored by the current political moment.

Great audition monologue for a woman 50's-60's.

A Drink with Myself

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

SHORT, 1 minute. Would you hang out with someone you don’t respect -- especially if it’s you?

SHORT, 1 minute. Would you hang out with someone you don’t respect -- especially if it’s you?

Urn

by Victoria Z. Daly

Synopsis

SHORT, 1 minute. Daughter won’t go to Mom’s funeral. Even if, in Daughter’s dreams, Mom can’t breathe.

SHORT, 1 minute. Daughter won’t go to Mom’s funeral. Even if, in Daughter’s dreams, Mom can’t breathe.