Sam Heyman

FULL LENGTH: From a young age, Jackson Pomona was gifted with language. He was curious, inventive, and hungry for knowledge. This was not lost on his literary theory professor mother, Dr. Cheryl Kendall, who encouraged his gifts, and cultivated his growth as a scholar. Together, mother and son, they developed writings surrounding a theory that stood to change everything about the way the world saw their connections to others, their souls, themselves... but one day, that partnership tragically came to an end.

Years later, Jackson has entered college, and like many of his classmates, he is searching for answers to big questions. He is wary of what may lie beyond the boundaries his father has set for him, and also deathly curious. Can Jackson find the answers he seeks without succumbing to the dangers of his own mind?

Written for End of Play 2024

Updated Draft Uploaded 8/5/25!

FULL LENGTH: Leah has just started college, and her view on the world is changing, fast. She's meeting all sorts of interesting people, and spreading her wings in a way her religious parents wouldn't be pleased with, if they knew. One night, at a party, Leah meets Harmony, and the two hit it off immediately. With maybe slightly impaired judgment, Leah goes with Harmony to a cabin on an abandoned campground and learns a tantalizing truth: vampires are actually real, and Harmony is one of them.

Leah surprises Harmony when she asks to be made into a vampire, and this decision sparks the beginning of a relationship and a globe spanning whirlwind romantic journey for two. But even actions taken with the best of intentions have consequences, and soon forces mobilize to track the two young-at-heart lovers down. Can Leah and Harmony withstand the ghosts of their pasts? Will they have a chance of staying together literally forever?

Written for End of Play 2025

Updated Draft Uploaded 11/2/25!

FULL LENGTH:

THE LOVER AND THE FIGHTER is a nonlinear exploration of memory, adolescent friendship, and the tension between the love we want, the love we have, and the love we deserve. Lee and Shawn are two unlikely best friends whose lives have taken them on wildly different paths: Lee is attending college at a small liberal arts school and Shawn is serving in the United States Army.

With the help of trusted friends and confidants, each young man reckons with the unanswered questions and unresolved feelings related to their last moments together. Can they find a path toward the peace--and truth--they yearn for? Can they claim the love they deserve?

New Draft Uploaded 5/30/25!

FULL LENGTH, MUSICAL: The 33rd Annual Tri-State Young Writers' Triathlon invites you to watch and marvel as a bright crop of eighth-grade creative writers compete against each other for the coveted prize of publication!

Among these writers are Nathan Miller, an excitable novelist-in-training with dreams of fame, Sasha Sandberg, a disciplined essayist in search of glory, and Sakura Harmon, a timid, formalist poet hoping to prove herself worthy. Their mentor, eighth-grade English teacher Mr. Hawthorne, hopes to impart lessons from a life of literary aspiration--and their many, passionate rivals hope to take each of them down.

A musical for the self-important, creatively vibrant middle schooler in all of us, Published! blends the high-octane world of Shonen anime and manga with the often muted and lonely world of being a writer to tell a story about finding one's voice, following one's passions and learning the hard lessons of pursuing the career of an artist.

New Draft Uploaded 5/19/24!

FULL LENGTH: SECOND BOOK SYNDROME is an urban fantasy dramedy about debut novelist Robert Schiftan, who, in the midst of avoiding calls from his agent and publisher, is visited by a young woman who may or may not be Calliope "Callie" Thornwind, the protagonist of his hit YA novel. Meanwhile, Robert's agent Mira is approached at her office by a man claiming to be the novel's antagonist, Edmund Rose, who offers to help her galvanize Robert through his creative block. When both parties converge on Robert's apartment, resentments bubble to the surface and uncomfortable truths come to light. Can the sins of author and agent be addressed in time for Robert to meet his deadlines? Can creator and character work together to tell the story that demands to be told?

Written for End of Play, 2023 - Current Draft Updated 1/22/26!

FULL-LENGTH - For many, college is a time of scholarly challenge, triumph and self-discovery. For a group of students at this fair college on the hill, college is all of those things and more: a place to learn courage; a place to form, break and renew friendships; a place to find your voice, your people, your way. Tales From The Hill is a romantic, comedic, and political ensemble play about the queer college experience, and the process of growing up.

Draft Updated 11/1/25!

FULL LENGTH: A play in the tradition of the American family drama that engages with questions of family within and beyond the nuclear unit, Three Damned Letters concerns a core bond of brotherhood and love between two men, college students and fraternity brothers -- and how, years later, that bond has become estranged and severed altogether.

David, the younger brother, goes to his older brother Jesse’s family’s house on the eve of Jesse’s funeral. What he finds waiting for him is painful memory, tender moments of connection and an uncannily familiar sense of secrecy. Jesse has left behind a legacy, and also a trail of guilty, broken hearts. His sudden death shocks the family and causes each member to reckon with their past, and contend with the challenge of working toward a brighter future together. While in the company of a family attempting to heal wounds old and new, David must face his own guilt--and find a path toward the love his heart yearns for.

Updated Draft Uploaded 1/15/26!

ONE ACT:

It's late into the first night of Pesach, and it's time to search for the Afikoman. Leo Rubin has come to visit his older brother Joel's family for a Passover Seder, his first in years. It's all a bit overwhelming for him, but he is not alone in his feelings. Leo's niece, Rivka, is also struggling with the performance expectations of the evening, and has taken refuge in her bedroom. As these two kindred spirits hide from the Seder crowd, hurts new and old begin to surface from within their hearts. Can what is hidden away be found at last? Can what is broken be mended, and made whole again?

New Draft Uploaded 12/3/23!

ONE ACT, RADIO PLAY: Ed Eisenstein is an ARMOR pilot, an essential part of earth's defense force against a terrifying alien threat. Today, though, he's having a rare coffee date with someone special, Kym. Throughout their conversation, painful memories haunt Ed's consciousness, and something doesn't seem quite right with Kym. Kym looks good, better than good. That can't be good.

A one-act tribute to the works of Hideaki Anno, written for the audio medium.

Alternate title: Eleven Minutes After Midnight, or Get In The Fucking Robot

TEN MINUTE PLAY VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE

ONE ACT: First, there was a girl named Alex and a boy named Etienne, skipping school for the first time. Then, Etienne made a choice, and they both discovered something neither expected to find. Grappling with this new revelation about herself, Alex is visited by someone, a glimmer of her future, who provides her with some key perspective about what’s to come, and what has already occurred. Can Alex find the strength of self to face her friends and family and claim her destiny?

Adapted from the short story, "First/Then," by Sam Heyman, published in Hashtag Queer: LGBTQ+ Creative Anthology, Volume 1 (Qommunicate, 2017)

ONE ACT, HOUR-LONG: Maybelline Applegate is the coolest girl in school. At least, that's what her best friends Colleen and Patricia think. Her not-quite-fellow classmates find her insufferable, if occasionally intriguing, her professors don't quite know what to do with her, and her school's headmistress, Wilhelmina Crotchkey, seems intent on keeping her from attracting too much attention to the school, lest the institution garner a less than savory reputation.

The Susan B. Anthony College of Motherhood Arts and Sciences is an all girls school designed for the training and rearing of child-rearers, child-bearers, midwives and caretakers of all kinds. It's no place for a budding intellectual like Maybelline, who was raised to love the forbidden fruits of literature--but then, neither, too, is the world at large, which looms menacingly just beyond the school's walls.

A brief glimpse into an imagined alternate reality where the gender binary is not only strictly policed but institutionally reinforced, "Maybelline" tells the story of a young, radical Midwifery major and her efforts to carve out a place for women's minds in a world that devalues and denigrates them at every turn. It is an as-yet unfinished play, either needing another act or another storytelling medium to explore its world fully.

DRAFT UNDER CONSTRUCTION AS OF 12/08/22 - Contact me if you're interested in reading the new draft!

ONE ACT: Not your average love triangle, not your average love story, Triptych is a play told in three parts which follows three Portland twenty-somethings as they navigate their identities, their desires and their connections -- however surprising -- to each other.

Adapted from the short story of the same name, by me.

Featured in the 2023 Valdez Theatre Conference Play Lab

Draft updated 6/24/23

ONE ACT: "A house divided against itself cannot stand... but it must move forward."

Violet and Harris used to share a room, but now they are separated. Violet yearns to understand why things have changed, but Harris, burdened with self-awareness, must maintain the boundary that separates them at all costs. When Violet starts a game of catch, it is not long before Harris cannot avoid answering her questions. Can he keep himself together without tearing what's left of their bond apart?

Draft Updated 9/30/24!

ZOOM Version Available Upon Request!

ONE-ACT, RADIO PLAY: Many queer southerners take the first opportunity they get to escape their hometowns. They search for places that will embrace them and allow them to fully be themselves, whether geographical or virtual, and this search divests them from their pasts, their heritage, and history.

Years after a tumultuous youth and young adulthood, Ellis has settled into his role as a bartender at his local bar, Wendelson's. He walks to and from the grocery store on his days off, waving to old classmates and dodging the leering eyes of old rivals. Occasionally he'll open a gay social app on his phone and see what there is to be seen, but he's accepted there isn't much worth yearning for... but today, something is different. A stranger has come to town.

What if you didn't have to stray far from home to find connection, support, love? What if enough people decided they could make a home out of a few dirt roads and a house on the edge of town? What if you stayed?

TEN MINUTE, RADIO PLAY: It's a day ending in Y, so you know what that means! People are coming out of the closet -- and we've got a brand new episode of the hottest radio game show around to share with you.

THE COMING OUT GAME is a play about queer people, queer stories, and the beautiful, challenging moments that shouldn't be left to chance.

RADIO PLAY, TEN MINUTE: A Playwright meditates on a play of theirs with a long development cycle, mired in "What if?" questions. Rather than let their writer wallow in self-pity and self-doubt, voices arise from within the Playwright and come to their aid. An experiment in narrative reflection, "A Playwright Asks... "What If?" PART ONE" takes aim at an under-explored element in Sam Heyman's "Three Damned Letters."

28 Plays Later (2023) #7 - "Pick a play you love - it could be yours, or a famous play that you know well and... well, love.

Now... your job is to pick one key element of the play that is so crucial to the plot, that if you change it, the whole play changes."

RADIO PLAY, TEN MINUTE: A Playwright meditates on past collaborations, mainly ones that ended in failure. Rather than let their writer solidify beliefs that they are beyond help, voices return to the Playwright's aid to facilitate a valuable lesson. An experiment in narrative reflection, "A Playwright Asks... "What If?" PART TWO" examines the conversations that must be had, both within and beyond oneself, to claim needed support.

Entry #14 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

RADIO PLAY, TEN MINUTE: A playwright takes stock of the work he has completed this month and the progress he's made toward his goals. Lingering feelings of doubt begin to crop up, but voices work to reassure and guide the playwright toward more optimistic possibilities for the day his dreams are realized in the hands of artists other than himself. An experiment in foresight and self-examination, "A Playwright Asks... "What If?" PART THREE" examines the work of theater artists and what it's all building toward.

Entry #21 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

RADIO PLAY, MUSICAL, FIVE MINUTE: It's the end of the 28 days, and after 27 previous plays, one more piece remains. A playwright and his voices meditate on what comes after this challenge, what paths may lie ahead.

Entry #28 of 28 Plays Later (2023).

RADIO PLAY, ONE MINUTE: Two nerds reunite at their local game store. Game specific jargon ensues.

Entry #15 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

New Draft Uploaded 6/2/24!

Part 1 of the Magic: The Jargoning series

RADIO PLAY, TWO-FIVE MINUTE: Timmy, Johnny, and Spike are getting ready for the upcoming prerelease, and everyone has their own take on the new set. Will these three wildly different players find common ground?

New Draft Uploaded 6/2/24!

Part 2 of the Magic: The Jargoning series

RADIO PLAY, TEN-ish MINUTE: We return to your friendly local game store for a conversation between three very different players of the greatest card game ever created… or do we?

Part 3 of the Magic: The Jargoning series

TEN-ISH MINUTE, RADIO PLAY: It's been a long time since the fateful release of Modern Horizons 3, and the iconic trio of Timmy, Johnny, and Spike have been scattered to the wastes and winds of 2026 Magic. Timmy has finally come to his senses, with only Television's Ted Danson available for counsel. Much has changed, and Timmy is determined to bring his friends back together and make things right. Will he crack the Clues he's been given and get his friends back? Or will some Riddleforms prove too Cryptic to Command?

RADIO PLAY, TEN MINUTE: The Institute of Subconscious Progress is dedicated to helping members of the public gain access to their subconscious mind through the use of sensory memories, or what the Institute refers to as 'sensories.' One member of the public, Helen Jasper, has signed the proper paperwork to be a participant in the Institute's latest experiment. What insights will her experiences within the Institute's walls yield?

New Draft Uploaded 1/27/25!

ZOOM, TEN MINUTE-ish: Melanie is looking for a job in her field. Charlotte just has a few questions for her.

Day 4 of 28 Plays Later (2023) - write a farce.

Updated Draft Uploaded 5/24/23!

TEN MINUTE: After a chance run-in with Dr. Hasenpfeffer during his travels, a wayward divorcee finds himself on the chopping block. The Traveler's only chances of survival lie in currying favor with this seemingly amoral scientist. Will this 'alchemist's gambit' pay off? Or will this traveler's life be cut tragically short?

Audio Play Version Available Upon Request!

TEN MINUTE: Robbie Schultz has two months until his Bar Mitzvah and he's made a lot of progress, all on his own. Today, his parents have invited Lisa, a family friend just a few months past her college graduation, to become his Bar Mitzvah tutor. Robbie doesn't want Lisa's help. In his words, she is not necessary. But not everything that's important is, strictly speaking, necessary. Can Lisa get through Robbie's stubborn walls of resistance? Does Robbie have what he needs to write a new beginning to his story?

Updated Draft Uploaded 12/23/25!

TEN MINUTE: A college dorm romantic comedy about a closeted bi jock, a grounded, gay everyman and the excitable, fast-talking nerd girl keeping them from having a moment alone.

Chip and Brett have been going steady for a while now, but Brett is still anxious about coming out, and having his straight-passing cover blown. When Chip's friend Jessica attempts to rekindle her friendship with Chip, Brett struggles to keep his true feelings hidden. Can Chip help Brett find his way out the closet door? Or will fear of being known prevent Brett from getting the thing he wants most?

New Draft 2/26/22!

TEN-ISH MINUTE: Half-siblings and adult children of divorce Liam and Diana haven't seen each other in years, but somehow their respective parents have convinced them to meet for a 'divorce reunion.' The trouble is, their parents are nowhere to be found, leaving the estranged half-siblings alone to their own devices and lingering resentments. After growing into adulthood, the two are finally given an opportunity to reconnect and be more than just strangers or Cold War enemies... will they make the most of it?

Written for the 2025 Playwrights Thriving Secret Santa Title Exchange

Updated Draft Uploaded 1/1/26!

TEN MINUTE: Mo and Clancy have been close friends for years. Now, Mo is headed to college, and she wants Clancy to come with her. There's only one problem: Clancy is not exactly good at standardized tests. Oh, and he doesn't want to go to college. Oh yeah, and he's Mo's imaginary friend. Can Mo's guidance counselor help her make the right decision for them both?

TEN MINUTE: During a Sunday afternoon at the park, two boyhood friends reunite and reminisce on the lives they've lived apart from each other. Is the past truly behind them, something to be idly remembered? Or does it live on in their hearts?

Written for the 2026 Playwrights Thriving Playwright's Delight.

Updated Draft Uploaded 3/1/26!

TEN MINUTE: A middle schooler spends his Christmas wish on a way to avoid having to write his assigned report on Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. At first it seems like he is bound to miss out on an important lesson about the role of literature in society -- but Santa has other plans...

Written for the 2024 Playwrights Thriving Secret Santa Title Swap.

Draft Updated 12/5/24! Radio Version Also Available.

TEN MINUTE: It's been months since Ed has returned to his work as a pilot. Months since he last spoke with his friend Kym. Months since the sky fell, and yet... today feels eerily calm. Kym is meeting Ed for coffee. He seems good. Better than good. That can't be good.

A not-so-subtle tribute to the works of Hideaki Anno.

Alternative Title: Eleven Minutes After Midnight

RADIO PLAY VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE

Draft Updated 8/12/24!

TEN MINUTE: Every so often, on the evening of Shabbos, Jews are paid a visit by their very own Shabbos ghost. Benjamin Rosenthal has been visited by one such specter, and he's not exactly full of naches -- instead, he's got Nachman, a Ghost of Shabbos Past with a particular objective in mind. Will Nachman get through to Benjamin, who's doing his best Scrooge impression, and help him see the light of the Shabbat candles?

Updated Draft Uploaded 11/2/25!

TEN MINUTE: Booker is a bouncer. He watches the door at The Golden Egg Cream Gold Club, a prestigious place for prestigious people (and certainly no place for riff raff). Ruggamon, meanwhile, is just the type of riff raff the Club, and Booker, means to keep out. Can the lovable rapscallion charm his way into a world of luxury? Is there hope for solidarity among working men?

Written for the 2024 Desert Playwrights Retreat Bake Off

TEN MINUTE: Pete and Marcus live in Marcus' penthouse apartment together. They both work, but Pete takes care of the apartment, and Marcus takes care of Pete. Today, Marcus has brought home someone new. But something isn't quite right about this guest, or Marcus...

Written for the 2023 Playwrights Thriving Halloween Bake Off

Draft Updated 11/21/23!

TEN MINUTE: Siblings Solly and Esther are out at brunch together at their favorite deli, schmoozing and having a lovely time. But something is on Esther's mind, and it's not just the relatively inferior OJ (long story). As Esther shares some unexpected news with her brother, their bond is tested as Solly's worries bubble to the surface. Can two siblings once bonded by their mutual bucking of expectations keep a hold on what--and who--they hold dear when one inches closer to maturity?

I LOVE YOU MORE is an emotional comedy about siblings, adulthood, and the constancy of love.

TEN MINUTE: Madam Comet, an inexperienced, but passionate palmister performs a reading for a client who strikes her in a way she was not expecting. Fearful of losing the joy of getting to know this relative stranger, Madam Comet takes her reading off the beaten path. A play about vulnerability and the significance of a good first time, "I'm Not Your First, Am I?" is my first entry in 28 Plays Later (2023).

New Draft Uploaded 4/23/25!

TEN MINUTE: Harmony and Leah met at a party not too long ago. When Harmony told Leah she knew a place, Leah wasn't expecting Cabin F of Smokeside Summer Camp, an abandoned camp ground no one has visited in years. The set up is straight out of a bloody horror movie, but there's more to this story's monsters than meets the eye.

Literally Forever is a romantic dramedy with a biting twist.

Draft Updated 9/15/25!

TEN MINUTE: Dave and Alan have been inseparable since they were cubs, but lately there's been some distance between the pair. Could someone new be trying to drive a wedge between them? Or is this relational fissure a change that's been a long time coming?

A comedic drama about lions, and the consequences of free love.

Updated Draft Uploaded 10/11/24!

TEN-MINUTE, MUSICAL: Ellie and Leonard are preparing to re-enter the workforce after layoffs and setbacks pushed them to the margins. Each has learned to cover for their weaknesses and struggles, but they each must learn that letting someone know the person behind your mask can be the key to getting the support you need.

A short form musical about disability, masking, and finding a path forward from one's failures, MY MASK HANGS HEAVY is my 6th entry in 28 Plays Later (2023) - a freeform piece, written without inhibitions.

ONE ACT: Eddie's father owns a wax museum. Sometimes Eddie invites friends and acquaintances to play theater games after-hours amid the mannequins and models. Nate was invited. Hilary was, too. Both actually showed up. They'll soon wish they hadn't.

Written for Playwrights Thriving October 2024 Horror Play Bake-Off

Updated Draft Uploaded 11/17/24!

TEN MINUTE: A tense drama ensues between a therapist, Aaron, and his young client, Clay, when the latter requests a sudden meeting. The already-fraught relationship erupts when Clay attempts to take Aaron to task for his actions. Will Clay escape from Aaron's custody unscathed? Or is Aaron the one being lured into a trap?

TEN-FIFTEEN MINUTE, MUSICAL: Two twenty-something men at varied places in their emotional journeys meet, and try to make a relationship work, but ultimately, friendship proves the easier path. A year into their friendship, feelings resurface. Can these two get past their barriers, within and beyond themselves, to claim what they want?

Entry #18 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

TEN MINUTE: As childhood friends and next door neighbors, Nadia and Caleb couldn't have been more different. At least, that's what they thought, before Nadia invited Caleb to spend time with her and her friends after school. In the aftermath of that fraught hangout session, Nadia seeks to apologize and make up for a friendship she believes went wrong somewhere.

Reformatted Draft Uploaded 4/20/24!

TEN MINUTE: A grandmother tells bedtime stories for three children, each with their own demands.

Written with Taylor Quinn for the Greater Nashville Rock and Roll Theatre Camp (2015), revised for Third Coast Comedy Club’s Sketch Comedy Showcase (2020).

TEN MINUTE: A metaphysical comedy about the perilous responsibility of being a creator, So You Want To Create A Universe? concerns the preparation of one God for their role as the Almighty. Aiding this God as a mentor is The One Who Came Before, a grizzled veteran of creation seeking to impart wisdom before fading away into oblivion. When the reality of managing reality begins to weigh heavily on God, The One must deliver some tough love to the omnipotent charge in their care. Will God rise to this momentous occasion? Or will the pressure of making a perfect universe prove too great to bear?

TEN MINUTE: Faryn fucked up. She kissed another girl, and Mia saw, and it all got messier than they intended. If she has a chance to explain herself, Faryn thinks she can convince Mia to give her another shot. But explanations are rarely all that are necessary to get a second chance.

Take Me Back is a story about love, and the stories that make up our love.

Updated Draft Uploaded 10/15/24!

TEN MINUTE: Brett comes across a torn poster in his college dorm common room and before he can right someone else's wrong, the guy who's been putting the posters up appears and confronts him. He's understandably pissed, but Brett can't help but tell how passionate he is... not to mention how cute he is. Whether they know it or not, for Chip and Brett, this is the day where everything changes.

Part 1 of Tales From The Hill

New Draft Uploaded 1/17/25!

TEN MINUTE: Chip has been burning the candle at both ends, and Jessica is determined to help him get to the bottom as to why. A college dorm heart-to-heart ensues between two friends, learning how not to distract themselves from the things and people who matter most.

Part 2 of Tales From The Hill

New Draft Uploaded 1/17/25!

TEN MINUTE: A play about the personal within the political, American Politics concerns two classmates coming together to work on a presentation for their Poli Sci class. One is sure of themselves and the impact they want to make, while the other is afraid of stepping on anyone's toes. Can these two relative strangers find common ground?

Part 3 of Tales From The Hill

New Draft uploaded 2/20/25!

TEN MINUTE: As two chance acquaintances reunite, tensions build as the two young men discuss identity and anxieties about growing up underneath the queer umbrella. A moment of culmination and release, Relax, Bro serves as the end of Act 1 of Tales From The Hill.

Part 4 of Tales From The Hill

New Draft Uploaded 2/13/24!

TEN MINUTE: Shep, a former R.A., attempts to attend their first meeting of their college's QSA, Outlook. Mitchell, meanwhile, is just passing the time. The two strangers struggle to see eye to eye, but the common ground they find surprises them both.

Part 5 of Tales From The Hill

New Draft Uploaded 1/17/25!

TEN MINUTE: Chip and Brett made it through the summer with their budding, private relationship intact, but now that they are spending more time together on campus, they have begun to deal with a few issues--namely the dynamics of PDA. With the judgments of freshman year friends looming, Brett's anxieties around being openly affectionate--and openly bisexual--may threaten to end their relationship before it has even begun.

Part 6 of Tales From The Hill

New draft uploaded 1/17/25!

TEN MINUTE: Jessica has never been more uncertain of herself and her relationships. She still hasn't decided on a major, her best friend isn't texting her back, and her roommate might hate her. Elena, meanwhile, is drowning her sophomore year sorrows in cigarette smoke and solitude. In Sexiled, two relative strangers find a way toward friendship by navigating their complicated emotions surrounding life, love and the liberal arts.

Part 7 of Tales From The Hill

Published in The Short Plays: 2024 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival

TEN MINUTE: Chip has been avoiding facing a world without Brett. Brett has been wading through life without Chip... but no longer. Today, he's going to get him to take him back. This would be a lot easier for Brett to navigate if Chip wasn't so popular; Jessica has a word or two for her best friend, and she's done being patient. It's now or never.

Where it all began, and where it all ends... or begins again?

Part 8 of Tales From The Hill

Published in the EMERGE: Lambda Fellows Anthology (2023)

New Draft Uploaded 1/17/25!

TEN MINUTE: On this day, Portnoy awoke with a start. What would happen to Portnoy on this day was something no one could have foreseen. It all started going wrong when he found the man hiding behind his curtain.

Written for the 2022 Playwrights Thriving Secret Santa Title Swap

Updated Draft Uploaded 9/13/24!

TEN MINUTE: William Ranson is the CEO of a former Fortune 500 company. His assistant, Jarvis, has some unfortunate news to deliver, and it's not related to his company's stock price.

Entry #11 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

New Draft Uploaded 2/20/23!

RADIO PLAY VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE

TEN MINUTE: A sleep paralysis demon and the Tooth Fairy walk into a sleeping boy's bedroom and find they have more common ground than either would have believed.

Updated Draft Uploaded 1/1/26!

TEN MINUTE: George and Hal just broke up yesterday. Last night, in fact. It's still fresh. Fortunately, they've got people helping them process today, taking it moment by moment. Maybe they're not right for each other long term. Maybe things just ran their course. But as painful as it can be to speculate or re-litigate, there's still something lingering beneath the surface of this pair's ending...

Zoom Version Available Upon Request!

What You Did Say was published in the Summer 2025 Issue of River and South Review.

TEN MINUTE: Two men who can't host, Eli and Jeremy, meet up and get a hotel room together. Before they can get down to getting down, there are a few things that need to be inspected, and brought into the (black) light. Will these two strangers like what they find when they are subjected to (half-)naked scrutiny? Is there a chance this one night stand could become something more?

Written for PT Secret Santa Title Swap 2023

New Draft Uploaded 9/30/24!

TEN MINUTE: It's almost Halloween, and Tad already has his costume figured out. It's brilliant. It's meta. It's sexy (?) and Bryan needs to catch the hell up. Over the course of a weird-ass, half-stoned conversation, two roommates contemplate the true spirit of spooky season, and question the horror (and sexiness) of being known.

TEN MINUTE: Every Jewish person has a story involving a matzo ball -- but not everyone has a story about a bottomless Matzo bowl! Join Wyatt and his Gigi as they learn and teach lessons about generosity, tradition, and tzedakah.

Written for the Atlanta Jewish Artists and Atlanta Dramatists' 2025 Chametz Off.

FIVE MINUTE: You'd have to be pretty brave or pretty stupid to get stuck on the Bad Side Of Town these days. Mel is fresh from their most recent brawl, Al has revenge on his mind, and Clara just wants some good chicken. Will anyone get what they want, or better yet, make it out alive?

Brief 8 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

TEN MINUTE: Mel and Clara are just hanging around Mel's apartment doing nothing, when Al arrives with some unfortunate news. Silliness ensues.

Entry #27 of 28 Plays Later (2023) - a continuation of Mel, Clara, and Al in: The Bad Side of Town (entry #8), inspired by brief #28 and shades of other briefs (Jukebox musical)

MONOLOGUE: After the death of her abusive husband, Robert's mother Tonya is happy that she and her son now have a chance at a brighter future, but there's one thing she wants him to know for certain. Before he goes out to play, Tonya approaches her son, words of love and support in her heart.

Written and uploaded with permission from Scott Sickles, author of PLAYING ON THE PERIPHERY: Monologues and Scenes For and About Queer Kids, from which this monologue was inspired.

MONOLOGUE: It's the Someteenth Annual One Act Play Festival you've paid good money to see. The Producer has a few choice words to share with you.

Day 2 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

MONOLOGUE, FIVE MINUTE: A competitive gamer recounts his experience in a study of gender treatment in the online gaming space.

Entry #17 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

Jenna's monologue from THREE DAMNED LETTERS, Act 2, Scene 2.

Published in Smith & Kraus' The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2024

MONOLOGUE, FIVE MINUTE: A recovering Aries meditates on what makes them who they are, and medicates to keep themselves from boiling over.

MONOLOGUE: A college senior delivers his final speech to a room of his fraternity brothers.

Excerpted from my full length play, Three Damned Letters.

MONOLOGUE: Changes at work can be stressful. They can show us just how fragile our peace can be, and how close we are to needing a serious change.

MONOLOGUE: Laine calls her friend and former bandmate Mary, who has drifted away and upward to stardom.

Entry #10 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

Inspired by "Look At You" by Rebecca Black

MONOLOGUE: A millennial muses grimly about the zoomers (and boomers) caught up in a perilous series of tubes.

Entry #19 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

MONOLOGUE, FIVE MINUTE: Val is stuck, and they have been for a long time. But they don't need help. They would rather not inconvenience anyone else.

A monologue about being stuck, and what it can take to get out.

Draft Updated 7/9/23!

Shawn's monologue from the Epilogue of The Lover and the Fighter.

Published in Smith & Kraus' The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2024.

MONOLOGUE: On February 23rd, 2023, Tennessee House Republicans voted to pass a bill seeking to limit, and in some cases criminalize, drag and gender non-conforming performance. Elliot is here to express some feelings about that. Their wig may be immaculate, but they are not dressed to dance or entertain. They are dressed for war.

Entry #22 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

New Draft Uploaded 2/28/26!

MONOLOGUE: Imagine this: you’re on your way to visit a gay drag bar you haven’t been to in years. You're not sure you can be the person you were the last time you were there, before everything that's happened since. But maybe that's not such a bad thing.

THE CEILING IS CLOSER THAN YOU REMEMBER is a monologue about drag bars, coming of age, and coming into your own as a queer adult.

ONE MINUTE: Harold is on the phone with Nadine, a customer service representative. Harold's order was not at all what he expected. There's a logical explanation, but Harold's not going to like it.

ONE MINUTE: Two dairy cows discuss their sequestered existence.

Entry #16 of 28 Plays Later (2023); inspired by brief 17, Better Late Than Never

New Draft Uploaded 3/2/23!

ONE MINUTE: Backstage with her brother at her side, a rising comedian prepares for her turn at the mic.

Entry #23 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

ONE MINUTE: I forgot to summarize this play.

Entry #26 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

ONE MINUTE: The clock has struck noon. You know what that means!

Day 5 of 28 Plays Later (2023) - A Riddle Play

ONE MINUTE: Two found family members discuss names and methods of choosing one for oneself.

Entry #25 of 28 Plays Later (2023) - inspired by Brief 26 - Today we write about our names.

ONE MINUTE: It's a dog day afternoon, and two friends are struggling to decide how to relax.

Entry #24 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

ONE MINUTE: A nice day of playing at the park leads to a quiet moment between mother and son.

Entry #12 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

ONE MINUTE: Just two bros, doing what bros do best.

Entry #13 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

ONE-MINUTE: Two model theater patrons discuss their excitement for the festival's play offerings.

ONE MINUTE: A man waits for news about his ailing father.

Entry #20 of 28 Plays Later (2023)

FREE FORM LENGTH, MOVEMENT: A young lover yearns for love, and hopes he can receive the moon's blessing. What blessing the moon has to offer may vary from what he expects, however.

A Noh-inspired piece, "The Moon's Blessing" is my 9th entry in 28 Plays Later (2023).