Ariana Burns

ARIANA BURNS is a storyteller, artist, stagehand, producer, and anthropologist. Her plays include The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire; Silver Wings on Blue; Tiny Lives, Tiny Deaths; and Patchwork. BURNS' work has been produced and/or developed by the Lewiston Civic Theatre, Theatre Outside the Belljar, Shade of Difference, and the University of Idaho as well as independently in Honolulu, HI & Potsdam, NY.

Awards include: second place, David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival - ATHE for The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire; a reading at the Northwest Drama Conference of A Stick in the Spoke; a prize & production of Patchwork by the Northwest Playwrights Guild.

She has worked for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre...

ARIANA BURNS is a storyteller, artist, stagehand, producer, and anthropologist. Her plays include The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire; Silver Wings on Blue; Tiny Lives, Tiny Deaths; and Patchwork. BURNS' work has been produced and/or developed by the Lewiston Civic Theatre, Theatre Outside the Belljar, Shade of Difference, and the University of Idaho as well as independently in Honolulu, HI & Potsdam, NY.

Awards include: second place, David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival - ATHE for The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire; a reading at the Northwest Drama Conference of A Stick in the Spoke; a prize & production of Patchwork by the Northwest Playwrights Guild.

She has worked for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Mount Baker Theatre, Shade of Difference, the Dread Admiral’s Sunshine Factory, Laughing Horse Summer Theatre, the University of Idaho's Conferences and Events, and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.

Burns is on the board of directors for the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre & a member of the National Council on Public History. She has a B.F.A. in technical theatre & an M.A. in anthropology from the University of Idaho. She has studied screenwriting under Colin Higgins and playwriting under Micki Panttaja & David M. Cohen.

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Scripts

Bone Drift

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
4
Genre
comedy,
drama

"Bone Drift" is set in memories of the 1990s in rural Idaho. Directionless after college, Portia takes a job at a lumber mill, the antithesis of everything she has stood for. Matters are forced to the front when her daredevil friend, Dandelion stages a political action at her job site. Similar to Glaspell's Trifles, it reflects on the forces at play in our life through everyday interactions.

A drama for 3...

"Bone Drift" is set in memories of the 1990s in rural Idaho. Directionless after college, Portia takes a job at a lumber mill, the antithesis of everything she has stood for. Matters are forced to the front when her daredevil friend, Dandelion stages a political action at her job site. Similar to Glaspell's Trifles, it reflects on the forces at play in our life through everyday interactions.

A drama for 3 females and one male.

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Cheap Atomic Romance A Play in Ten Scenes

by Ariana Burns

1
Cast Size
9—10
Genre
comedy,
drama,
period,
science fiction

CHEAP ATOMIC ROMANCE takes place at the beginning of the Atomic Age, when people drove to the desert or watched atomic tests from Las Vegas balcony parties and set in a small diner. It is a time when, despite the danger, this new energy source promised a “World of Tomorrow” where anything and everything was possible; time of romance and confining reality and pushing against boundaries.

Mardell, said to do...

CHEAP ATOMIC ROMANCE takes place at the beginning of the Atomic Age, when people drove to the desert or watched atomic tests from Las Vegas balcony parties and set in a small diner. It is a time when, despite the danger, this new energy source promised a “World of Tomorrow” where anything and everything was possible; time of romance and confining reality and pushing against boundaries.

Mardell, said to do “impossible things,” visits her Aunt Edna one of the tests goes awry and sets fire to Edna’s pond.

CHEAP ATOMIC ROMANCE is framed within a traditional motif of Westerns and film noir: the stranger comes to town, upsets the local order with their presence, and then is looked to for restoration of balance.

CHEAP ATOMIC ROMANCE looks at romances, both great and small, that provide people with reasons to work, to hope, and to live.

This script is an ensemble show for seven women and three men set in and around the environs of the diner.

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Silver Wings on Blue

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
10
Genre
comedy,
docudrama/historic,
drama,
musical

"Silver Wings on Blue" is the story the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) who logged millions of miles in the air ferrying military aircraft and towing targets for gunnery practice during World War II.

The hardships and triumphs are seen through three fictional pilots whose exemplify the WASP experience: patriotism, love of flight, and determination in the face of hazardous planes, treacherous weather...

"Silver Wings on Blue" is the story the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) who logged millions of miles in the air ferrying military aircraft and towing targets for gunnery practice during World War II.

The hardships and triumphs are seen through three fictional pilots whose exemplify the WASP experience: patriotism, love of flight, and determination in the face of hazardous planes, treacherous weather, the scorn and mistrust of men, and in a few cases, sabotage. The script is framed by first-hand source material from letters and parody songs.

The script is an ensemble show with eight women and two men playing a variety of roles in a black box with the option for multi-media equipment.

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The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
14—20
Genre
adventure,
comedy,
fantasy,
musical,
period

"The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire" by Ariana Burns, original shanties by Shandeen
Wilhelmina Dowdy has a secret. Seven years ago she was Captain Hellfire of the pirate ship, the Early Revenge. A sudden tempest shipwrecked her and her crew, along with their amassed stolen loot. Dowdy protected the treasure and waited. Now her crew returns, old, meaner, and not much wiser to finally divvy up the booty.

"The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire" by Ariana Burns, original shanties by Shandeen
Wilhelmina Dowdy has a secret. Seven years ago she was Captain Hellfire of the pirate ship, the Early Revenge. A sudden tempest shipwrecked her and her crew, along with their amassed stolen loot. Dowdy protected the treasure and waited. Now her crew returns, old, meaner, and not much wiser to finally divvy up the booty.

Tiny Lives, Tiny Deaths

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
6
Genre
dark comedy,
experimental,
fable/folktale,
fantasy,
tragedy

Set at the wake, four characters struggle with the passing of a close friend. A look at the grieving process and the effort to continue on. Death just wants to collect the Ghost and go.

Set at the wake, four characters struggle with the passing of a close friend. A look at the grieving process and the effort to continue on. Death just wants to collect the Ghost and go.

Home

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
2
Genre
drama,
zoom

At her house due to Covid-19, Itzel chats with Kiera about her father's dementia, travel, and what exactly home is if it's not a house.

At her house due to Covid-19, Itzel chats with Kiera about her father's dementia, travel, and what exactly home is if it's not a house.

Employee of the Year

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy,
drama,
fable/folktale,
fantasy,
zoom

"Employee of the Year" is a tale of corporate politics, friendship after disaster, mercy, and the creation of good from bad.

"Employee of the Year" is a tale of corporate politics, friendship after disaster, mercy, and the creation of good from bad.

Magic Lanterns

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy,
melodrama,
period

A tale of devils & muses, friendship & hangover cures. Part of "Marvelous Devils" a tetralogy of Jazz Age tales.

A tale of devils & muses, friendship & hangover cures. Part of "Marvelous Devils" a tetralogy of Jazz Age tales.

And Philosophers...

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
3
Genre
comedy,
melodrama,
period

And Philosophers... is tales of devils & muses, friendship & hangover cures. Part of "Marvelous Devils" a trio of tales.

And Philosophers... is tales of devils & muses, friendship & hangover cures. Part of "Marvelous Devils" a trio of tales.

Gin Fizz

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
3
Genre
comedy,
drama,
melodrama,
period

A tale of devils & muses, friendship & hangover cures. Part of "Marvelous Devils" a tetralogy of Jazz Age tales.

A tale of devils & muses, friendship & hangover cures. Part of "Marvelous Devils" a tetralogy of Jazz Age tales.

Fire Starter

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
1
Genre
comedy,
drama

A monologue from the play Bone Drift.

A monologue from the play Bone Drift.

Torches

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
1
Genre
comedy,
drama

Monologue from the play Bone Drift.

Monologue from the play Bone Drift.

The Oubliette

by Ariana Burns

Cast Size
3
Genre
dark comedy,
fable/folktale,
fantasy,
tragedy

Friends try to relate when one is hemmed in by fear.

Friends try to relate when one is hemmed in by fear.