Len Cuthbert

Len Cuthbert

"Len Cuthbert's scripts are taut and clever." London Free Press Review, 2019

Len Cuthbert is the creator and director of the NFP Organization, Fridge Door Live Theatre Company. His plays have won productions in Canada, US and Europe. He has also produced his own work locally at the Fringe, One Act Festival, and independently. In retaliation of the effects of COVID, he created...
"Len Cuthbert's scripts are taut and clever." London Free Press Review, 2019

Len Cuthbert is the creator and director of the NFP Organization, Fridge Door Live Theatre Company. His plays have won productions in Canada, US and Europe. He has also produced his own work locally at the Fringe, One Act Festival, and independently. In retaliation of the effects of COVID, he created Garage Theatre Canada where he stages and records his 10-minute plays and makes them available for stream-on-demand at www.GarageTheatre.ca

www.OnStageLive.ca, www.StagePlays.ca

Plays

  • 107 by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: NASA, aerospace + 8 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: NASA, aerospace, Space Shuttle, cousins, FBI, UFO, playwriting, a comedy for three women, fringe festival, all female cast
    Two estranged cousins find a strange artifact in the woods. The FBI shows up and the bear crap hits the fan.

    In a thrilling metatheatrical mystery, Len Cuthbert's 107 is a show that keeps you on your toes. Between the comedy and the action that just draws you in, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the performance. Jenn Boulay, Intermission Magazine

    107 is a well performed...
    Two estranged cousins find a strange artifact in the woods. The FBI shows up and the bear crap hits the fan.

    In a thrilling metatheatrical mystery, Len Cuthbert's 107 is a show that keeps you on your toes. Between the comedy and the action that just draws you in, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the performance. Jenn Boulay, Intermission Magazine

    107 is a well performed, fun concept that takes many unexpected turns -- this isn't your run of the mill storyline. Parton & Pearl

    If you're into meta comedy with lots of twists & turns, this play is for you. Duxbury Cider Co.
  • Finding Fox (2-Act) by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: reunion, Drama teacher + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: reunion, Drama teacher, high school teacher, college, homeless youth, at-risk youth, drug addiction, dead-end jobs
    A high school drama teacher is approached in the airport waiting lounge by a young lady who says she knows him. Through a series of scenes from the past (Act 1) to the future (Act 2), interwoven with scenes of the present, it is evident that even the least prominent have the potential to impact lives beyond imagination.
  • delilah. (2-Act) by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: abandonment, adoption + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: abandonment, adoption, single parent, death, coming of age, foster care, menstruation, control freak, best friends, teen pregnancy
    Jade has a history of being the victim of abandonment. As a result, she struggles with her relationship to Delilah, Mick and 12-year old Dee-J; the people she is closest to. Her survival mechanism is to be in control of her own life and everyone else’s. But that ability to control is threatened when she faces one of the ultimate difficult decisions in her life. Take a journey with these four characters as...
    Jade has a history of being the victim of abandonment. As a result, she struggles with her relationship to Delilah, Mick and 12-year old Dee-J; the people she is closest to. Her survival mechanism is to be in control of her own life and everyone else’s. But that ability to control is threatened when she faces one of the ultimate difficult decisions in her life. Take a journey with these four characters as they are confronted with Life and Death; Love and Hate; Discovery and Abandonment.
  • Short of 30: A musical by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    8–13
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 9 more
    ·
    Keyword: first world war, Germany World War II + 7 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, musical, period, political, romantic comedy, tragedy
    Keyword: first world war, Germany World War II, Anne Frank, Sophie Scholl, Marina Raskova, full length, purgatory, Partisan, resistance
    Short of 30 was developed from an award winning 10-minute, 2-character play that is now included with the collection, Reunited Shorts.

    Short of 30 takes place at a playground beyond the end of life, where seven posthumous heroes under the age of 30 from World War 2 realize their heroic significance and must decide how to use their remaining youth and passion to inspire and help win the war. The...
    Short of 30 was developed from an award winning 10-minute, 2-character play that is now included with the collection, Reunited Shorts.

    Short of 30 takes place at a playground beyond the end of life, where seven posthumous heroes under the age of 30 from World War 2 realize their heroic significance and must decide how to use their remaining youth and passion to inspire and help win the war. The story begins on the heals of WW1 with a surprise ending on the eve of the next, “war to end all wars.”
  • Grace Mission: A Musical by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: outer space, NASA + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, musical, romantic comedy, tragedy, young audiences
    Keyword: outer space, NASA, astronomy, family, A musical comedy for the entire family, bittersweet love story, jealousy, revenge, grace
    Grace Mission is a musical about seven Grade 12 students in their final year of high school. The guys have a band and want to enter a big music contest but need one more guy to compete. The girls want to be part of it but don't have the musical talent, so they think. Enter O'Grady, a new student, the perfect addition to the guys dilemma. But by the time prom night arrives, everything about O'...
    Grace Mission is a musical about seven Grade 12 students in their final year of high school. The guys have a band and want to enter a big music contest but need one more guy to compete. The girls want to be part of it but don't have the musical talent, so they think. Enter O'Grady, a new student, the perfect addition to the guys dilemma. But by the time prom night arrives, everything about O'Grady's past, present and future will have created enough chaos to leave everyone pondering the values of life, acceptance, and grace. "At Some Point, Everyone Needs A Second Chance." For information from premiere productions, visit http://www.OnStageLive.ca

    SCRIPT includes all professionally written piano (and optional guitar) scores.
  • Oz In A Clozet (1 Act 60-minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Wizard of Oz, revenge + 5 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Wizard of Oz, revenge, proposals & engagements, ex-girlfriend, being in the closet, Farce, Fantasy
    Place one enigmatic girl and one vulnerable guy in one medium sized locked custodial closet. Add one dominant fiancé. Shake knob three times. Oz in a Clozet. This play, Oz in a Clozet, is a combination of comedic calamity that begins when a guy and girl, strangers to each other, find themselves stuck in the custodial closet of a movie theater. The chaos escalates when the fiancé comes in search of her boyfriend.
  • Killing Time (One Act 30-minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: restaurant, bad boss + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fantasy
    Keyword: restaurant, bad boss, comic fantasy, dinner theater, family, twilight zone-like, competition shows, one act comedy, fringe festival, college age actors
    A successful business person goes to the same restaurant and orders the same thing every day. But on this day, their normal routine is upset by a sad reality. Absolutely everything in the restaurant has changed. After enduring horrible service and meal, the customer gets up to leave but finds that the door to the restaurant has disappeared. Trapped in a restaurant from hell, this is a comedy with a twisted ending!
  • Faded Shorts: 7 short plays about the mystery of life and beyond by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3–15
    ·
    Genre: adventure, biography + 8 more
    ·
    Keyword: after death, accepting death + 8 more
    Genre: adventure, biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fantasy, mystery/thriller, period, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: after death, accepting death, cemetery, all female cast, rollercoaster, artificial intelligence, Google, aerospace, theory of relativity, Germany World War II
    THE ANOMALY
    A young lady visits her former family doctor for a second opinion

    STOLPERSTEIN
    Two distinctive girls uncover their parallel lives

    OFF THE EDGE
    One sister needs attention, the other needs the beach.

    RELATIVITY & ME
    In a subway station, a young mother meets her great grandmother for the first time.

    CRUZAR...
    THE ANOMALY
    A young lady visits her former family doctor for a second opinion

    STOLPERSTEIN
    Two distinctive girls uncover their parallel lives

    OFF THE EDGE
    One sister needs attention, the other needs the beach.

    RELATIVITY & ME
    In a subway station, a young mother meets her great grandmother for the first time.

    CRUZAR
    Cruzar is the most terrifying yet most satisfying ride. It's the ride you avoid until last.

    DEATH OF AN EPITAPH
    Two friends discuss the value of words.

    OKAY CHARLIE
    In a digital world, who's really in control?
  • Relativity & Me by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: earth and space, theory of relativity + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, science fiction
    Keyword: earth and space, theory of relativity, space travel, children, sci-fi
    In a subway station, a young mother meets her great grandmother for the first time.
  • The Anomaly by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: doctor visit, terminal illness
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: doctor visit, terminal illness
    A young lady visits her former family doctor for a second opinion.
  • Off The Edge by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: siblings, dating + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: siblings, dating, agender, non-binary character, LGBQT+
    One of us needs sympathy, the other needs the beach.
  • Stolperstein by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: Germany World War II, brave girls
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fantasy, period, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: Germany World War II, brave girls
    Two distinctive girls uncover their parallel lives.
  • Death of an Epitaph by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: coming of age, afterlife + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fantasy, tragedy, verse
    Keyword: coming of age, afterlife, best friends
    Two friends discuss the value of words.
  • Reunited Shorts: 6 short plays about reunions by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3–13
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: dating, lawyers + 8 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fantasy, period, political, romantic comedy, tragedy
    Keyword: dating, lawyers, career v. marriage, pilot, actress, Transgender, end of life, World War II, Anne Frank, reunion
    An eclectic collection of 6 short award winning plays about reunions.
    (Below a history of individual productions prior to being published by Dramatic Publishing 2020)

    BENCHED
    Synopsis: Sometimes you need a reminder of why you broke up.
    2015: Grand Theatre Playwrights Cabaret, London, Ontario, CANADA
    2015: Storefront Theatre, Waxhaw, NC
    2016: the Phoenix Stage...
    An eclectic collection of 6 short award winning plays about reunions.
    (Below a history of individual productions prior to being published by Dramatic Publishing 2020)

    BENCHED
    Synopsis: Sometimes you need a reminder of why you broke up.
    2015: Grand Theatre Playwrights Cabaret, London, Ontario, CANADA
    2015: Storefront Theatre, Waxhaw, NC
    2016: the Phoenix Stage Company, Oakville, CT
    2018: Eagle & Beaver Ensemble, London, UK

    THE GIFT EXCHANGE
    Synopsis: A woman seeks help from a lawyer who is part of her problem.
    2015: City Theatre of Independence, Kansas
    2015: London Public Library, London, Ontario, CANADA
    2017: Working Title Playwrights, Atlanta, GA

    TABLE FOR TWO RENDEZVOUS
    Synopsis: A couple with a strangely perfect marriage consider altering their circle of life.
    2011: NUFAN Tables & Chairs Festival, Chicago, IL
    2012: Luxembourg Play Fest, Luxembourg

    YOU, ME. ME, YOU.
    Synopsis: We've changed since high school. Especially you.
    2015: Smoked Apple Theatre Group, Louisville, KY
    2016: Grand Theatre Playwrights Cabaret, London, Ontario, CANADA
    2016: Falling Pennies Theatre Company, London, UK
    2016: Starlite Players, Sarasota, FL
    2017: South Walton High School, Santa Rosa, FL
    2019: Playwrights Round Table, Orlando, FL
    2022: Translated into Italian, Universita' Roma 3, Rome, Italy
    2022: Color Me Queer Festival, TX

    DELILAH.
    Synopsis: A girl asks her biggest supporter and closest friend to cheer her one last time. The hardest yet.
    2011: Rising Sun Performance Company (reading), NYC (People's Choice)
    2011: London One Act Festival, London, Ontario (People's Choice Award)
    2011: InspiraTO Festival, Toronto, ON (People's Choice Award)
    2011: Rising Sun Perfromance Company, NYC
    2011: Boxfest Detroit, Detroit, MI
    2012: ACME Theatre, Maynard, MA
    2012: Blue Slipper Theatre, Montana

    LAST DANCE
    Synopsis: Two youth discover each other during the last dance.
    2017: Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY
    2017: InspiraTO Festival, Toronto
    2018: InspiraTO Directors Toolbox
    2018: Creative Circuit Studios, San Antonio, TX
    2018: University of Alabama Advanced Directing Class, Tuscalosa, AL
    2018: Barrington Collective, NYC
    2019: Stillwater Fest, Stillwater, OK

    REUNITED SHORTS: Collection of above 6 plays
    2019: London Fringe Festival, London, Ontario, CANADA
  • Last Dance (10-minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: World War II, pilot + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political, romantic comedy
    Keyword: World War II, pilot, Anne Frank, dance, purgatory, nazi germany, after death, love, Literature and Writing
    Two youth discover each other during the last dance.

    Published by Dramatic Publishing, in the collection, Reunited Shorts, by Len Cuthbert, 2020.
  • delilah. (10-minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: euthanasia, best friends + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: euthanasia, best friends, girlfriends, accepting death, coming to terms with death, control freak
    A girl asks her biggest supporter and closest friend to cheer her on one last time. The hardest yet.

    Published by Dramatic Publishing, in the collection, Reunited Shorts, by Len Cuthbert, 2020.
  • You, Me. Me, You. (10-minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Transgender, class reunion + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Transgender, class reunion, dance, dating
    We've changed since high school. Especially you.

    Published by Dramatic Publishing, in the collection, Reunited Shorts, by Len Cuthbert, 2020.
  • Table For Two Rendezvous (10-minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: failed marriages, Airport + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: failed marriages, Airport, pilot, Broadway, actress, love, restaurant
    A couple with a strangely perfect marriage consider altering their circle of life.

    Published by Dramatic Publishing, in the collection, Reunited Shorts, by Len Cuthbert, 2020.
  • The Gift Exchange (10-Minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: defense lawyer, lawyers + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: defense lawyer, lawyers, The Wall, theft, CDs, ex-boyfriend, awkward relationships, dating and relationships, court
    A woman seeks help from a lawyer who is part of her problem.

    Published by Dramatic Publishing, in the collection, Reunited Shorts, by Len Cuthbert, 2020.
  • Benched (10-minute) by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: dating and relationships, breakup + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, romantic comedy
    Keyword: dating and relationships, breakup, ex-boyfriend, girlfriends, Canadian, park bench, awkward relationships, love
    Sometimes you need a reminder of why you broke up.

    Published by Dramatic Publishing, in the collection, Reunited Shorts, by Len Cuthbert, 2020.
  • True Colors by Len Cuthbert
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    13–20
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: middle school students, working together + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, drama, faith-based, young audiences
    Keyword: middle school students, working together, jealousy, funny revenge, Joseph, gender flexible, girls' summer camp, elementary school
    A youth theatre cast are preparing to stage the musical Joseph for a drama contest. Ironically, some of the cast members become jealous of the lead actor, who seems to be favored by the director. When they devise a plan to oust him, the production gets derailed and their chance to compete in the contest is jeopardized.
  • The Maladroit Romeo / Enigmatic Lucidity / One Year One Day (Trilogy 40 minutes) by Len Cuthbert
    Cast: 
    2–6
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: proposals & engagements, bittersweet love story + 4 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, romantic comedy, tragedy
    Keyword: proposals & engagements, bittersweet love story, wedding anniversary, dark comedy, a young couple, Romeo and Juliet
    THE MALADROIT ROMEO (10 Minutes) Bob loves Angelina but when it comes to romance, he can be a little inept. Bob’s plan to propose to Angelina in the college library where they first met studying “Romeo and Juliet” goes awry when he forgets his lines and loses the engagement ring.

    ENIGMATIC LUCIDITY (10 Minutes) Then as Bob and Angelina settle into married life, they discover that marriage can be...
    THE MALADROIT ROMEO (10 Minutes) Bob loves Angelina but when it comes to romance, he can be a little inept. Bob’s plan to propose to Angelina in the college library where they first met studying “Romeo and Juliet” goes awry when he forgets his lines and loses the engagement ring.

    ENIGMATIC LUCIDITY (10 Minutes) Then as Bob and Angelina settle into married life, they discover that marriage can be, literally, a series of nightmares.

    ONE YEAR ONE DAY (15 Minutes) And when the couple reaches their one-year anniversary, not only does Bob forget, but he accidentally surprises Angelina with 1.7 tons of chicken rock instead of concert tickets. But in the end, it may be Angelina who has the biggest surprise of all!

    Plays are independent stories but also act as a 3 short scene play. All three plays are 1M; 1F, repeat characters.