Lou Harry

Lou Harry

Lou Harry's ten or so produced plays include "We Are Still Tornadoes," adapted from the novel by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen, which launched Butler University's 18/19 season and had a pair of industry readings in NYC in 2020 featuring Lilla Crawford and Jared Goldsmith.

He is also responsible for "Midwestern Hemisphere" (Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre), "...
Lou Harry's ten or so produced plays include "We Are Still Tornadoes," adapted from the novel by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen, which launched Butler University's 18/19 season and had a pair of industry readings in NYC in 2020 featuring Lilla Crawford and Jared Goldsmith.

He is also responsible for "Midwestern Hemisphere" (Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre), "Lightning & Jellyfish" and "Clutter or the Moving Walkway Will Soon Be Coming to an End (both Theatre on the Square) and "Popular Monsters (Catalyst Repertory Theatre).

"Rita From Across the Street" had a reading at NY's The Pit Loft and will be the first play released on audio by Indy Pod Theater.

Shorter pieces have been seen at the Phoenix Theatre, Foundation Theatre, IndyFringe, and Comedy for Kids.

He co-created the long-running "Going...Going...Gone: A Live Auction Comedy" and the play reading series' Indy Actors Playground and SiteLines Indy.

Harry is former chair of the American Theatre Critics Association's New Play Committee, has served as Arts & Entertainment Editor of the Indianapolis Business Journal, and has written for HowlRound, The Sondheim Review, Variety, and more. His more than 30 books include "Creative Block," "Kid Culture," and "The High-Impact Infidelity Diet: A Novel" (optioned by Warner Bros). By day, he is editor of Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists.

He is seeking representation so feel free to connect.

Plays

  • Balsa Wood by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: forgiveness, guilt + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: forgiveness, guilt, emotional healing, Wildwood, Jersey Shore
    On the road away from rather than toward anything, Robin finds refuge in the home of Carrie, an iconoclast with an open heart and an open door, who provides a place -- without judgment -- for human strays to stay as long as they like.
  • Only You ... and You ... and You by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    An unconventional human comedy about unconventional relationships.
    Abby's don't ask/don't tell open marriage is going fine until her husband dies. Happy with the status quo with her other partner, Bill, she opts not to tell him. From there, things get complicated romantically, sexually, ethically... and mathematically.
  • Rita From Across the Street by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: mental illness, caregiving + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: mental illness, caregiving, coming of age, New Jersey, Wildwood, Relationships, fidelity, Boardwalk
    Five people. Two porches. One summer.

    Mark sold his boardwalk business to take care of his troubled brother. Donna is summering at the Jersey shore with her teenage daughter while her husband works during the week back home.

    Over the course of a summer, secrets are revealed, lives awakened, and the merits of front vs. back porches debated.
  • Popular Monsters by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: horror movies, Hollywood + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror, period
    Keyword: horror movies, Hollywood, acting, truth, Frankenstein, aging, homosexuality, coming of age, media
    It's 1978, the movie "Halloween" is about to open in theaters, and Greg has landed his dream job at his favorite horror movie magazine. But what's really scary isn't what's on screen or in print. On one dark and emotionally stormy night, a meeting with a horror movie legend, a date with a wildcard, and his boss' enigmatic daughter change his life forever. Single set. Four rich roles.
  • Lightning and Jellyfish by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    9–11
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: coming of age, New Jersey + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental
    Keyword: coming of age, New Jersey, aging, Springsteen, Dylan, rock and roll, teenagers, life cycle, trust, honesty
    "Now we know what life is like inside a Springsteen song" wrote critic John Belden about this coming-of-age story set in a Jersey shore rock-and-roll poster shop in the ’80s. Lightning and Jellyfish journeys into the heart—and future—of a young woman on the brink of change. A realistic, real-time first half spins into series of funny/touching/truthful individual-perspective monologues adding up to an...
    "Now we know what life is like inside a Springsteen song" wrote critic John Belden about this coming-of-age story set in a Jersey shore rock-and-roll poster shop in the ’80s. Lightning and Jellyfish journeys into the heart—and future—of a young woman on the brink of change. A realistic, real-time first half spins into series of funny/touching/truthful individual-perspective monologues adding up to an unexpectedly moving, funny, and rich portrait of a life. Highly recommended for colleges.
  • "We Are Still Tornadoes" by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: high school, college + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, drama, romantic comedy, young audiences
    Keyword: high school, college, friendship, Social distancing, blooming romance, best friends, 1980s, family funerals and deaths, children of divorce
    Cath and Scott were best friends in high school. Now she's gone off to college while he stayed home working in his father's clothing store. Can their friendship survive long-distance letter writing (it's the 80's), college boyfriends, family challenges, a band without a van, and more? Adapted from the acclaimed YA novel by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen.
  • Midwestern Hemisphere by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, science fiction
    ·
    Keyword: neighborhood, neighbors + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: neighborhood, neighbors, Our Town, security
    In this suburban metaphysical comedy, residents of an innocuous suburban community suddenly have to deal with actually being neighbors when a botched security effort installs an impenetrable dome. Yes, yes, we know about the Stephen King book/TV show...but we were there first. And Midwestern Hemisphere is funnier. Heartland Actors Repertory Theater launched with its world premiere. Co-written with Eric....
    In this suburban metaphysical comedy, residents of an innocuous suburban community suddenly have to deal with actually being neighbors when a botched security effort installs an impenetrable dome. Yes, yes, we know about the Stephen King book/TV show...but we were there first. And Midwestern Hemisphere is funnier. Heartland Actors Repertory Theater launched with its world premiere. Co-written with Eric. Pfeffinger (and you really should be reading others plays of his if you aren't already)
  • Clutter by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: business, recession + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, political, romantic comedy
    Keyword: business, recession, marriage, Relationships, Economics, self-help, Cults, playwright
    A four-character contemporary comic drama about maturity, responsibility, modern relationships, class mobility (or lack thereof), and the indefatigable need to party. Two men face the closing of their business. Three years later, a former female employee and her friend face a different kind of transition. Three years after that, the hopes, fears, myths, dreams, libidos, and other needs collide in a life-...
    A four-character contemporary comic drama about maturity, responsibility, modern relationships, class mobility (or lack thereof), and the indefatigable need to party. Two men face the closing of their business. Three years later, a former female employee and her friend face a different kind of transition. Three years after that, the hopes, fears, myths, dreams, libidos, and other needs collide in a life-changing double date that's funny, moving, and surprising. For actors willing to go deep.
  • The High-Impact Infidelity Diet by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, drama
    "Cheating on your diet" takes on a new meaning when Martin and his friends are convinced by their wives that there's a reward waiting if they meet their weight-loss goals. In this funny and oddly truthful one-person play, the tides are turned on body consciousness and marital fidelity. Based on the novel by Lou Harry and Eric Pfeffinger published by Random House.


    "...
    "Cheating on your diet" takes on a new meaning when Martin and his friends are convinced by their wives that there's a reward waiting if they meet their weight-loss goals. In this funny and oddly truthful one-person play, the tides are turned on body consciousness and marital fidelity. Based on the novel by Lou Harry and Eric Pfeffinger published by Random House.


    "Anyone who has struggled with weight loss — and, with age, that includes almost all of us — will have heartstrings plucked or vibrated sympathetically...Even the perpetually slender should find much to admire here."-- critic Jay Harvey
  • Imagine Being Joyce Carol Oates’ Aunt, Just for a Minute by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: books, American Literature + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: books, American Literature, writing, Thanksgiving
    "...Finally, Lou Harry’s play “Imagine Being Joyce Carol Oates’ Aunt, Just for a Minute” deserves mention for its terrific title alone. It’s a little one-act that would wear out its welcome if it stayed much longer. But as it is, it’s one of the more amusing entries in the book." -- Indianapolis Monthly writing about the Indy Writes Books anthology, along with essays and fiction by John Green, Ben H....
    "...Finally, Lou Harry’s play “Imagine Being Joyce Carol Oates’ Aunt, Just for a Minute” deserves mention for its terrific title alone. It’s a little one-act that would wear out its welcome if it stayed much longer. But as it is, it’s one of the more amusing entries in the book." -- Indianapolis Monthly writing about the Indy Writes Books anthology, along with essays and fiction by John Green, Ben H. Winters, Dan Wakefield and more.
    I realize that doesn't tell you much. It takes place in a bookstore where a conversation gets a little out of hand. Enjoy. It'll take you five minutes to read. Maybe less.
  • Shep or Mutton in Common by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, holiday + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: alternative Christmas, christmas + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, holiday, satire
    Keyword: alternative Christmas, christmas, shepherds, Shepherds at Jesus' birth, CSI, sheep, Police interrogation
    Any time you look at a manager under a Christmas tree, there's only one or two sheep. So what happened to all those sheep that the shepherd was supposedly watching? Huh? HUH?
  • Beer Can Raft by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: drama, coming of age + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: drama, coming of age, romance, college, Spring break, teenagers, beer, comedy
    No sharks. No shipwreck. No horrible storm that washes one of us overboard. So you don’t have to worry about that. Nobody starves. Food doesn’t have to be rationed. We don’t have to consider the ethical implications of cannibalism—you know, like, is it better for the three of us to die or for two of us to survive if to do so we have to eat the other one. None of that.
    Instead, it's about connection...
    No sharks. No shipwreck. No horrible storm that washes one of us overboard. So you don’t have to worry about that. Nobody starves. Food doesn’t have to be rationed. We don’t have to consider the ethical implications of cannibalism—you know, like, is it better for the three of us to die or for two of us to survive if to do so we have to eat the other one. None of that.
    Instead, it's about connection, opportunity, and time spent floating on, yes, a beer can raft.

    "How perfectly, compactly Fringe!"--Jay Harvey, Indianapolis Star

  • The Pied Piper of Hoboken by Lou Harry
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 3 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, parody/spoof, young audiences
    Hamlet for kids? Sure. This romp weaves Hamlet into the Pied Piper tale, making room for elements from other Shakespeare plays including "Richard III," "Henry V," and "Macbeth." Originally produced in Philadelphia as "The Pied Piper of Germantown," it has gone through numerous permutations with productions in NYC and Indianapolis (and an ill-fated effort to turn it into a...
    Hamlet for kids? Sure. This romp weaves Hamlet into the Pied Piper tale, making room for elements from other Shakespeare plays including "Richard III," "Henry V," and "Macbeth." Originally produced in Philadelphia as "The Pied Piper of Germantown," it has gone through numerous permutations with productions in NYC and Indianapolis (and an ill-fated effort to turn it into a musical). Fun on multiple levels.
  • Predictable by Lou Harry
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: connection, disconnection + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: connection, disconnection, love, romance, college, Sex, marriage, predictability, engagement, proposals & engagements
    Jim and Patty have connected over the years, but never at quite the right time. This dinner could change everything.