Deanna Strasse

Deanna Strasse

Deanna Strasse is a Milwaukee-based playwright who enjoys mixing the heartfelt with the hilarious. Her most notable works include "Dancing With Hamlet" (produced through Windfall Theatre in 2018), "Summers in Prague" (produced through Sidecar Theatre in 2018 and Windfall Theatre in 2020), "The Cafe' Mocha Murders" (produced through Golden Chain Theatre in 2022), and the...
Deanna Strasse is a Milwaukee-based playwright who enjoys mixing the heartfelt with the hilarious. Her most notable works include "Dancing With Hamlet" (produced through Windfall Theatre in 2018), "Summers in Prague" (produced through Sidecar Theatre in 2018 and Windfall Theatre in 2020), "The Cafe' Mocha Murders" (produced through Golden Chain Theatre in 2022), and the "Molly's (Mostly) Accurate" series (produced through The Box Theatre Co. 2018-2019).

Ms. Strasse has also seen her work workshopped and/or produced through companies such as Chameleon Theatre Circle (in Minneapolis, MN), Spark Creative Works (in Long Island, NY),Renaissance Theaterworks' Br!nk New Play Festival (in Milwaukee, WI), Lake Country Playhouse (in Hartland, WI), Village Playhouse (in West Allis, WI), St. Croix Festival Theatre (in St. Croix Falls, WI), and more.

Plays

  • Dancing With Hamlet by Deanna Strasse
    Cast: 
    6–10
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, female lead + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, female lead, death of a parent, Drama/Dark Comedy, Hamlet, Female Hamlet
    When Rosie, the matriarch of the Flack family, decides to remarry following her divorce, her three grown children are not exactly thrilled with the idea. What's more, they are mortified when their father dies suddenly in a car crash a week before the big day and Rosie decides to move forward with the wedding. The family's only daughter Elvira begins to see the whole as a tragedy...on a Shakespearean...
    When Rosie, the matriarch of the Flack family, decides to remarry following her divorce, her three grown children are not exactly thrilled with the idea. What's more, they are mortified when their father dies suddenly in a car crash a week before the big day and Rosie decides to move forward with the wedding. The family's only daughter Elvira begins to see the whole as a tragedy...on a Shakespearean level. It's time for a little antic disposition.
  • Summers in Prague by Deanna Strasse
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Prague, male prostitution + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Prague, male prostitution, female sexual awakening, unlikely romance, unlikely friendship, female lead, Czech
    While visiting Prague, Mara decides to do something crazy and hire a male prostitute. Enter Valcav. Over the course of many years, Mara continues to visit Vaclav and an unorthodox friendship blossoms.
  • The Café Mocha Murders by Deanna Strasse
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    9
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    Genre: comedy, melodrama + 2 more
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    Keyword: murder mystery, murder mystery comedy + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, melodrama, mystery/thriller, parody/spoof
    Keyword: murder mystery, murder mystery comedy, coffee, latte, barista, adversaries, coming together, poison
    Despite the raging storm outside, it seems like a perfectly normal night for an employee meeting at the local coffee shop, The Bean Shack. That is... until the lights go out, and someone winds up dead! In this over-the-top whodunit, it’s all about latte art, caffeine content, and the imminent threat of death.
  • Islands by Deanna Strasse
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Ireland, novelist + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Ireland, novelist, bed and breakfast, hotel and travel, Belgium, Isolation and Depression
    Just beyond Slieve League in Teelin, Ireland is the Mulligan Bed and Breakfast: a hidden gem for anyone looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of tourism, big cities, and nightlife. The guest list includes an English professor who is attempting (with little success) to finally write that novel she's always dreamed of creating, a former Miss Belgium, and a charming man from Atlanta with his own...
    Just beyond Slieve League in Teelin, Ireland is the Mulligan Bed and Breakfast: a hidden gem for anyone looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of tourism, big cities, and nightlife. The guest list includes an English professor who is attempting (with little success) to finally write that novel she's always dreamed of creating, a former Miss Belgium, and a charming man from Atlanta with his own skeletons in the closet. Taking care of them is a fifteen-year-old with an affinity towards paper airplanes, a Renaissance woman with an affinity towards antique weapons, and Gretchen, who is just trying to keep everything afloat. This group of strangers will come together and attempt to build bridges in a time of disconnect and monotony.
  • Mayhem at Camp Marigold by Deanna Strasse
    Cast: 
    14
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    Genre: comedy, farce + 2 more
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    Keyword: crochet, knitting + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, mystery/thriller, young audiences
    Keyword: crochet, knitting, pottery, journey of self-discovery, murder mystery
    Kat was led to believe that she was heading to space camp (which is totally cool), but when a snafu in registration occurs, she's off to craft camp instead (which is totally lame). Between pottery classes, crochet lessons, and overly perky counselors, Kat is sure that this is going to be the worst week ever. But when a storm blows in and campers go missing, Kat and her cohorts are going to need every...
    Kat was led to believe that she was heading to space camp (which is totally cool), but when a snafu in registration occurs, she's off to craft camp instead (which is totally lame). Between pottery classes, crochet lessons, and overly perky counselors, Kat is sure that this is going to be the worst week ever. But when a storm blows in and campers go missing, Kat and her cohorts are going to need every crafty skill they've got to survive the night.
  • A Play About Parker by Deanna Strasse
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: aspiring actor, age difference + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: aspiring actor, age difference, billy joel, love affair, older man/younger woman
    When Parker Price meets the much older John Parker, her attraction for him is only matched by his for her. Despite the age difference, they decide to begin a relationship and what follows is a love affair that is at times both uplifting and toxic.
  • Molly's (Mostly) Accurate Retelling of Fairytales by Deanna Strasse
    Cast: 
    6–20
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: 'Kids Say the Darndest Things
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, parody/spoof, young audiences
    Keyword: 'Kids Say the Darndest Things
    You think you know the story of Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Frog Prince, but youre wrong. Molly (along with her madcap theatre troupe) is out to set the record straight. Follow the adventures of a claustrophobic Cinderella, a noble steed who dreams of passing the bar exam, a cat named Kevin, and more in this fun and (mostly) truthful homage to the Brothers Grimm.
  • Molly's (Mostly) Accurate Mythology Anthology by Deanna Strasse
    Cast: 
    16–20
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale + 2 more
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    Keyword: ancient greek mythology, Norse mythology + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale, parody/spoof, young audiences
    Keyword: ancient greek mythology, Norse mythology, Eros, Persephone, Loki, Thor, Zeus
    Molly, Kevin, Gregory, Peaches and the rest of the crew are back! When a teacher is at her wits ends, trying to figure out how to get her class interested in Greek mythology, she calls upon a local theatre group to help spice things up. When the professionals cant make it, Molly's madcap theatre troupe is more than happy to step in.
  • Roberta's Skin by Deanna Strasse
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: loving yourself, body positivity + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: loving yourself, body positivity, nudist, beach, Body image, negative body image
    Roberta decides to join a nudist colony...but first she has to get over her own insecurities.