John J King

John J King

Artist Bio
John J King is part Texan and part Tyrannosaur, and lives in Providence where he Creates Delight. He has a B.A. in Theatre & English from SUNY Boondocks, and an accent from his mama.

In 2020, John’s play 7 MINUTES reached the finalist shortlist for Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries Cycle 3 at the American Shakespeare Center, and was a finalist for the National Playwrights...
Artist Bio
John J King is part Texan and part Tyrannosaur, and lives in Providence where he Creates Delight. He has a B.A. in Theatre & English from SUNY Boondocks, and an accent from his mama.

In 2020, John’s play 7 MINUTES reached the finalist shortlist for Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries Cycle 3 at the American Shakespeare Center, and was a finalist for the National Playwrights Conference at the O’Neill Theater Center. His web series HOME OFFICE – created and written with his wife – about a couple learning to work from home together during lockdown, received rave reviews from the Boston Globe, and WBUR’s The Artery.

In January 2019, John’s play MARTHA’S (B)RAINSTORM: A BOSTON FAIRY TALE, was awarded the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Fellowship in Dramatic Writing. John served as the inaugural Playwright in Residence at the Boston Public Library, 2017 - 2018, and is a proud alum of the Huntington Playwriting Fellows.

John’s new play, MUSEUM PIECE, a farce about institutional (personal, and national) diversity, will be developed at Speakeasy Stage Company, part of the 2019-20 Boston Project. John’s work has been produced in Boston by Vaquero Playground, SpeakEasy Stage, New Exhibition Room, and Company One Theatre.

Plays include: 7 MINUTES (Finalist, Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries), BLUESHIFT (O'Neill Theatre Center National Playwrights' Conference Finalist, 2016); FROM DENMARK WITH LOVE (IRNE nomination: Best New Play); an adapted libretto for Marschner’s Gothic opera DER VAMPYR. He is currently finishing book, lyrics and music for his glam-rock opera THE RISE & FALL OF OEDIPUS T REX & THE GOAT SONG OF THEBES.

What the Press Says
"King’s libretto is the crowning achievement [...] Not only is his rhyming dexterously hilarious[...], but it always serves the story and the score." – Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe

"[King's] libretto brims over with clever and often anachronistic or off-color rhymes [...] and puns." – Lloyd Schwartz, New York Arts

“Unabashed, R-rated fun.” – Mara Littman, The Boston Herald

What Audiences Say
“Gothic meets Looney Tunes. Comedic, anachronistic, epic.”
"sexy evil genius"
"adult innocence at its best"

Plays

  • 7 MINUTES by John J King
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    10–12
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: wrestling, female wrestling + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, drama, movement/physical, political
    Keyword: wrestling, female wrestling, college, college sports, Shakespeare, henry v, America, American, sports
    7 MINUTES follows a college wrestling team through the 2002-2003 season, building to the NCAA National Championship. Immersed in the alpha-male culture of wrestling, and the lead-up to the US invasion of Iraq, members of the team, led by their captain Harry Finn, wrangle with masculinity, patriotism, and growing into adulthood after lives spent dedicated to living on the mat.

    Harry Finn is a...
    7 MINUTES follows a college wrestling team through the 2002-2003 season, building to the NCAA National Championship. Immersed in the alpha-male culture of wrestling, and the lead-up to the US invasion of Iraq, members of the team, led by their captain Harry Finn, wrangle with masculinity, patriotism, and growing into adulthood after lives spent dedicated to living on the mat.

    Harry Finn is a senior wrestler, but his father’s death, and the drinking spiral Harry fell into afterwards, disrupted his Junior year chances at a National Championship. Harry returns to the Warriors wrestling team senior year to face his rival, Luis Fernandez of Penn State, and captain a team wary of his leadership after his Junior year struggles. Off the mat, he faces the looming question of his future, after dedicating his life to a sport that all but ends after college.

    Harry leads a team of alphas, each of whom come with personal battles. Biddy, a senior who struggles to meet his weight requirement, fights back fears that he’ll be replaced by a younger, fresher team. Guerra hides his sexuality under the cover of machismo. Freshman Burnett flails as the new kid trying to keep up with the big dogs, after a high school career of being on top. And Randi, who transfers from the team’s rival Penn State, is a female wrestler who isn’t allowed to compete in men’s tournaments, but wants to test herself against the best wrestlers she can find.

    Tracking the Warrior’s journey is Karina, a senior year journalism student profiling the team’s quest for the title. Haunted by the fear her brother will join the military as the nation spirals into war, Karina seeks to understand the masculinity and tribalism that holds the Warriors together. As she follows the Warriors, Karina and Harry fall in love. But Harry’s dedication to his sport, and his lack of understanding anything off the mat – particularly emotional connection – make any kind of relationship difficult.

    As the Warriors near the National Championships, and the country invades Iraq, Harry faces his arch rival Luis, but also must face the reality of who he has become, having spent his life living only for the wrestling mat.
  • Museum Piece by John J King
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    8
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    Genre: comedy, farce + 2 more
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    Keyword: Art Gallery, Museums
    Genre: comedy, farce, political, satire
    Keyword: Art Gallery, Museums
    Khalid Walker, Director of Visitor Services at “The BEAN,” prepares for the museum’s biggest attendance day of the year, struggling to ensure the museum honors its new Director’s bold promise of inclusion for the young and diverse audiences of Boston. But everywhere he turns he finds that mission challenged – by bitter long-time members, alienated locals, lost tourists, and the probing press. For every step...
    Khalid Walker, Director of Visitor Services at “The BEAN,” prepares for the museum’s biggest attendance day of the year, struggling to ensure the museum honors its new Director’s bold promise of inclusion for the young and diverse audiences of Boston. But everywhere he turns he finds that mission challenged – by bitter long-time members, alienated locals, lost tourists, and the probing press. For every step Khalid takes forward, the BEAN’s history or – worse yet – his own boss, pulls him two steps back. Can Khalid make the BEAN live up to this bold vision of a cultural sanctuary for ALL of Boston’s populace, or will the museum trip over its own feet as it walks towards the future?

    Originally commissioned and developed through the SpeakEasy Stage Company Boston Project.
  • The Mementi Mori of Edward Gorey by John J King
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    9–12
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    Genre: adaptation, biography + 11 more
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    Keyword: edward gorey, biography + 6 more
    Genre: adaptation, biography, comedy, commedia dell'arte, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, movement/physical, mystery/thriller, opera, parody/spoof, political
    Keyword: edward gorey, biography, Art and Artists, identity, Silent Film, ballet, comic opera, puppets
    A shuffle play inspired by the life and work of author-illustrator Edward St. John Gorey. THE MEMENTI MORI OF EDWARD GOREY has 13 sketches about the artist, in different styles from ballet and opera to hand puppets and silent film. For each performance, several sketches are selected and ordered by an audience volunteer - Tarot card reading style - resulting in a new performance each night. By casting nine...
    A shuffle play inspired by the life and work of author-illustrator Edward St. John Gorey. THE MEMENTI MORI OF EDWARD GOREY has 13 sketches about the artist, in different styles from ballet and opera to hand puppets and silent film. For each performance, several sketches are selected and ordered by an audience volunteer - Tarot card reading style - resulting in a new performance each night. By casting nine actors as different versions of the artist, MEMENTI MORI explores the spectrum and fluidity of identity, artistry, and personhood, through a life.
  • Martha's (b)Rainstorm: A Boston Fairy Tale by John J King
    Cast: 
    10–12
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 6 more
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    Keyword: Boston, comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, political, science fiction, young audiences
    Keyword: Boston, comedy, climate change
    Once upon a time, in 2072, rising temps and sea levels threaten to turn Boston into New England's own Venice. But some things in Boston never change: the population doubles in September, the Yankees suck, and nobody speaks to one another—they yell. City Communications Director Martha Morgan needs to chart a course that keeps Bostonians above water, but a Single-Minded Mayor, Arrogant Architect, and a...
    Once upon a time, in 2072, rising temps and sea levels threaten to turn Boston into New England's own Venice. But some things in Boston never change: the population doubles in September, the Yankees suck, and nobody speaks to one another—they yell. City Communications Director Martha Morgan needs to chart a course that keeps Bostonians above water, but a Single-Minded Mayor, Arrogant Architect, and a history of segregation stand in her way. And on top of all that, a talking turtle is begging Martha to save its last egg...and its entire species. If Martha hopes save all of Boston's citizens, both human and otherwise, she better hope a rising tide lifts all votes.

    Commissioned by and Developed with Fresh Ink Theatre, 2017-18 as part of the Boston Public Library's Playwright in Residence Program.
  • Der Vampyr by John J King
    Cast: 
    14–30
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 7 more
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    Keyword: vampire, opera + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, horror, musical, mystery/thriller, opera, parody/spoof, period, romantic comedy
    Keyword: vampire, opera, vampire opera, mash-up, Buffy, classical music
    A new English-language adaptation of Heinrich Marschner's DER VAMPYR, updated for a contemporary audience.

    Lord Collins, a vampire new to London, joins a coven and is ordered to bring in 29 new vampire brides over the coming lunar cycle. He wreaks havoc on the young women of London, until he meets his ultimate match: Muffy the Vampire Nay-Sayer.

    An operatic vampire tale with a...
    A new English-language adaptation of Heinrich Marschner's DER VAMPYR, updated for a contemporary audience.

    Lord Collins, a vampire new to London, joins a coven and is ordered to bring in 29 new vampire brides over the coming lunar cycle. He wreaks havoc on the young women of London, until he meets his ultimate match: Muffy the Vampire Nay-Sayer.

    An operatic vampire tale with a helping a parody and a dash of social critique, DER VAMPYR mashes up horror tropes and gender norms into a biting and delighting theatrical event.

    Press have said:

    “OperaHub’s stellar production of Der Vampyr stands out as one of the most rewarding theatrical events of the season. The company’s heady brew of Heinrich Marschner’s lush, Romantic score with an updated libretto with the insouciant humor of Boston playwright John J King [...] makes this rarely performed opera wonderfully accessible and enjoyable to opera lovers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight fans alike."

    "King’s libretto is the crowning achievement of this Der Vampyr. Not only is his rhyming dexterously hilarious (‘I’ll seduce her, then I’ll juice her’), but it always serves the story and the score."
    - Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe

    The libretto brims over with clever and often anachronistic or off-color rhymes (“This is foolish, don’t be mulish”; “You wimp, don’t be so limp!”) and puns (“I have a little trick,” Collins tells Della as he sucks on her punctured finger, “when you have a little prick”; Muffy announces that Collins “thinks he’s taking me out for ‘steak.’ He’s right!”). “Carfax Abbey,” we are told, is “just across from Downton.” Someone even exclaims “Oy vey!”
    - Lloyd Schwartz, New York Arts

    “Der Vampyr is a decadently feminist adaptation of Marschner’s original. This new arrangement…tackles the difficult truths of male entitlement, victim blaming and rape culture that all women face on a daily basis… [it] is relatable, singable, and very entertaining."
    - Kitty Drexel, New England Theatre Geek
  • BlueShift by John J King
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: psychological, Depression + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: psychological, Depression, ghosts
    Damon bought a house, and Martha is moving in with him. But she has trouble finding a room of her own in the new place. Meanwhile the house has spiders, raccoons, sad paint, and a neighbor who seems a bit too excited that a mixed-race couple has moved in. Turns out this may not be the best place for Martha to fight off her past demons. And speaking of demons: what is that coming out of the trunk in the attic?...
    Damon bought a house, and Martha is moving in with him. But she has trouble finding a room of her own in the new place. Meanwhile the house has spiders, raccoons, sad paint, and a neighbor who seems a bit too excited that a mixed-race couple has moved in. Turns out this may not be the best place for Martha to fight off her past demons. And speaking of demons: what is that coming out of the trunk in the attic?

    A ghost story about depression and time travel.
  • From Denmark With Love by John J King
    Recommendations: 4
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    Cast: 
    7–8
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    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 3 more
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    Keyword: mash-up, James Bond + 2 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: mash-up, James Bond, Hamlet, Shakespeare
    Shaken or Stirred...that is the question in this mash-up of Shakespeare's HAMLET and James Bond.

    Hamlet's father has died suddenly, and his uncle Claudius has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. As Hamlet investigates to find the truth behind his father's death, he finds a terrifying plot to destroy the world. But who's behind it all? Claudius? Or...The Norwegians?!...
    Shaken or Stirred...that is the question in this mash-up of Shakespeare's HAMLET and James Bond.

    Hamlet's father has died suddenly, and his uncle Claudius has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. As Hamlet investigates to find the truth behind his father's death, he finds a terrifying plot to destroy the world. But who's behind it all? Claudius? Or...The Norwegians?!

    His girlfriend Ophelia Balzac and best buddy Horatio (who sidelines in gadget manufacturing) help 00Syv track down just what is rotten in the state of Denmark!

    Received a workshop production in Boston, MA in 2013, which was called:
    “Unabashed, R-rated fun.” - The Boston Herald
    "a madcap, multimedia caper with non-stop zany antics." - The Theater Mirror
    "a low-tech comedy that spoofed every Bond cliché imaginable while staying true to the essential framework of Shakespeare’s tragedy.” - The ArtsFuse
  • Bear Patrol by John J King
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: Wizard of Oz, Boston + 2 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, experimental, fantasy, parody/spoof
    Keyword: Wizard of Oz, Boston, post-apocalyptic, mash-up
    Somewhere, over the Zakim...
    Huggy Bear wants to be a rock star. But when the world gets nuked, all she has left are some rock star ruby booties, her best friends, and a post-apocalyptic Boston full of mutants and malice. Will she find her audience? Or will she just find home?

    She finds the answer somewhere over the Zakim in this romping adaptation of the Wizard of Oz, chock full of pop culture, gags, and mutants.