Katherine Vondy

Katherine Vondy

Katherine Vondy is a Los Angeles-based writer and director working in theater, film, and literature. A recipient of the Davey Foundation Theatre Grant, she has developed and produced plays with the Athena Project, Salt Lake Acting Company, Fresh Ground Pepper, Clamour Theatre Company, Campfire Theatre Festival, The Blank, HBMG Foundation, Paper Wing Theatre Company, The Script Readers (UK), Kibo Productions,...
Katherine Vondy is a Los Angeles-based writer and director working in theater, film, and literature. A recipient of the Davey Foundation Theatre Grant, she has developed and produced plays with the Athena Project, Salt Lake Acting Company, Fresh Ground Pepper, Clamour Theatre Company, Campfire Theatre Festival, The Blank, HBMG Foundation, Paper Wing Theatre Company, The Script Readers (UK), Kibo Productions, All Terrain Theater, CalArts TSA, and The Vagrancy (where she currently serves as Writers' Group Moderator). Her plays have also been finalists for the McNerny Playwriting Contest, B Street Theatre New Comedies Festival, Garry Marshall New Works Festival, and Relative Theatrics' Playwrights Voiced, as well as semi-finalists for the O'Neill NPC and Ashland New Plays Festival. She has received dramatic writing residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, PLAYA, Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, Starry Night, Wildacres, and the Voice and Vision ENVISION Retreat.

As a director, Kat helmed Sharyn Rothstein's “Troublemaker” for THE PUSSY GRABBER PLAYS LA Pop-up as well as THE COMPLETE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, a live show from noted musical comedy group Lost Moon Radio. She also directed the world premieres of All Terrain Theater's SUDDENLY SPLIT AND SWIPING OVER by Tracy Held, and Jon Caren's FRIENDS IN TRANSIENT PLACES with Fresh Produce'd LA. Her award-winning short film, THE BROKEN HEART OF GNOCCHI BOLOGNESE, has played at festivals worldwide. She has an MFA in Film and Television Production from USC, and received her BA from Amherst College.

Find more information about all her creative adventures at katherinevondy.com.

Plays

  • The Fermi Paradox by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: outer space, betrayal + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, movement/physical, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: outer space, betrayal, love, astronaut, dance, book club, The Fermi Paradox
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Love. Betrayal. And a dance competition in outer space.

    When his co-pilot dies during a maintenance spacewalk, astronaut Joseph Morgan suddenly finds himself orbiting Earth alone. Faced with the joint stresses of a failing mission and utter solitude, Joseph is soon lost in memories of his friendship with the now-deceased Pilot Robert Charles, as well as...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Love. Betrayal. And a dance competition in outer space.

    When his co-pilot dies during a maintenance spacewalk, astronaut Joseph Morgan suddenly finds himself orbiting Earth alone. Faced with the joint stresses of a failing mission and utter solitude, Joseph is soon lost in memories of his friendship with the now-deceased Pilot Robert Charles, as well as reflections on his deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend, Adrienne. But Joseph’s ruminations take a turn for the absurd when his ship is boarded by an alien life form, accompanied by a troupe of four dancing scientists from the 1950s.

    Juxtaposing book clubs and reality television with the mysteries of the cosmos, THE FERMI PARADOX tells a universal--literally!--story about trying to understand the ways we hurt and are hurt by the people we love.
  • The Snake God of Fiji (A Hedda Gabler Prequel) by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 4
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: Henrik Ibsen, writing + 6 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, drama, period, tragedy
    Keyword: Henrik Ibsen, writing, memory, desire, Hedda Gabler, Norway, Fiji, classic adaptation
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    In Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler burns the manuscript written by Eilert Lövborg, her former lover. The world never knew what was written in that book.

    Until now.

    Exploring the roles that memory and desire have in storytelling, THE SNAKE GOD OF FIJI (A HEDDA GABLER PREQUEL) tells the peculiar tale of this mysterious book’s creation.
  • The Ocean Deep by Katherine Vondy
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: friendship, marine biology + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy
    Keyword: friendship, marine biology, Ouija board, Embezzlement, women, ocean, laboratory
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    After the devastating failure of her latest research project, marine biologist Doris is struggling to get her career back on track--until her best friend Marie shows up for an unexpected visit. To the surprise of all the sea creatures in the lab, Marie inspires Doris to embark upon a study of the lab's newest addition, a rare dragonfish. But with her attention focused on...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    After the devastating failure of her latest research project, marine biologist Doris is struggling to get her career back on track--until her best friend Marie shows up for an unexpected visit. To the surprise of all the sea creatures in the lab, Marie inspires Doris to embark upon a study of the lab's newest addition, a rare dragonfish. But with her attention focused on uncovering the secrets of her unusual specimen, Doris fails to realize that Marie has a number of dark secrets of her own. And as these secrets float to the surface, the boundaries between who is doing the studying and who is being studied start to disappear.
  • Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm? by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    8–16
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: feminism, mystery + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller, period
    Keyword: feminism, mystery, World War II, History, murder, forensic science, ghosts
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    While wandering Worcester, England in 1943 in search of bird eggs, a teenage boy happened upon the skeleton of an unidentified woman inside the trunk of a large tree. An investigation commenced to determine who the woman was and how she died, but it raised more questions than it answered. Was she a spy? Was she a prostitute? Had she been part of an occult ritual? Theories...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    While wandering Worcester, England in 1943 in search of bird eggs, a teenage boy happened upon the skeleton of an unidentified woman inside the trunk of a large tree. An investigation commenced to determine who the woman was and how she died, but it raised more questions than it answered. Was she a spy? Was she a prostitute? Had she been part of an occult ritual? Theories abounded, but no definitive answers emerged. Then graffiti began to appear around town, asking a question that remains unanswered to this day...

    WHO PUT BELLA IN THE WYCH ELM? uses the historical mystery to explore the ways in which society imposes identities on women, and ultimately ask how much it's possible to truly know another person.

    A young actors version of the play, which is suitable for teenage performers and educational settings, is available through Stage Partners: https://www.yourstagepartners.com/products/who-put-bella-in-the-wych-elm
  • Three Cities by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Relationships, love + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Relationships, love, ai, time, dance, technology, two-handers
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Ada & Benedict are friends in their 20s, living in New York, who have only begun to realize they have romantic feelings for each other. Unfortunately, the timing couldn't be worse. Ada is a dancer and has just accepted a place in a touring company; she'll be leaving the city without the opportunity to give Benedict a chance. But Ada & Benedict are young, and...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Ada & Benedict are friends in their 20s, living in New York, who have only begun to realize they have romantic feelings for each other. Unfortunately, the timing couldn't be worse. Ada is a dancer and has just accepted a place in a touring company; she'll be leaving the city without the opportunity to give Benedict a chance. But Ada & Benedict are young, and life is long; they assume their paths will cross again. And in the meantime, who knows what wonderful things the world may have in store for them?

    Revisiting Ada & Benedict twelve years later in San Francisco, and then twelve years after that in London, THREE CITIES is a play-with-dance revealing the ways in which the future can diverge from our youthful expectations.
  • Slowly And Then All At Once by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: climate change, Los Angeles + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: climate change, Los Angeles, future, apocalypse, Dystopia
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Naomi and Kiran have a nice life together. They work from home. They get their groceries delivered. They binge-watch streaming TV shows. But the earthquakes just won’t stop. And when Naomi’s destitute cousin unexpectedly appears on their doorstep, he brings the reality of the outside world--decimated by the effects of climate change--in with him, and their lives are shaken up...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Naomi and Kiran have a nice life together. They work from home. They get their groceries delivered. They binge-watch streaming TV shows. But the earthquakes just won’t stop. And when Naomi’s destitute cousin unexpectedly appears on their doorstep, he brings the reality of the outside world--decimated by the effects of climate change--in with him, and their lives are shaken up even more. What are our obligations to family? How different are they from our obligations to strangers? Our obligations to our partners? Ourselves? SLOWLY AND THEN ALL AT ONCE examines the ways that our health, our safety, and our futures are inextricably intertwined with the well-being of our planet.
  • Winchester/Winchester by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Medieval history, 1990s + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, period
    Keyword: Medieval history, 1990s, teenage girls, dual timelines, alternative rock, storytelling, Old English, high school, coming-of-age
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    In the 990s, Southern England is constantly beset by Danish invaders, who plunder and destroy their ways across the Kingdom of Wessex.

    In the 1990s, international relations continue to be a hot topic in the US, where the Clinton administration has just passed NAFTA.

    And in the midst of these disparate political landscapes are Gænburh & Æscwyn...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    In the 990s, Southern England is constantly beset by Danish invaders, who plunder and destroy their ways across the Kingdom of Wessex.

    In the 1990s, international relations continue to be a hot topic in the US, where the Clinton administration has just passed NAFTA.

    And in the midst of these disparate political landscapes are Gænburh & Æscwyn and Jennifer & Amanda: two pairs of teenage sisters living in Medieval Winchester, England, and 20th-century Winchester, Virginia. As all of them are learning, the world is full of peril for young women--whether facing the physical threats of the wild animals in the forest or the emotional threats of public high school. How do individual lives get shaped by broader political and national events, and what can lives separated by an ocean and a millennium possibly have in common? WINCHESTER/WINCHESTER is a darkly comic and poignant exploration of the relationships between two pairs of sisters, living in sister cities a thousand years apart.
  • Orta by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: comedy, commedia dell'arte + 5 more
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    Keyword: Italy, History + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, commedia dell'arte, dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, tragedy
    Keyword: Italy, History, Orta, marriage, serpents, secrets, saints, Crisis of Faith
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    In Northern Italy there is a small town. Next to the town is a lake. On the lake is a tiny island. And on this island, there are absolutely no snakes, dragons, or monsters–thanks to St. Julius, who, according to legend, sailed across the lake on his cloak in the 4th century and banished them.

    These days, Orta is known to be a romantic destination for couples in...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    In Northern Italy there is a small town. Next to the town is a lake. On the lake is a tiny island. And on this island, there are absolutely no snakes, dragons, or monsters–thanks to St. Julius, who, according to legend, sailed across the lake on his cloak in the 4th century and banished them.

    These days, Orta is known to be a romantic destination for couples in love, but when Kasper and Tajana go there on their honeymoon, some of the banished serpents decide it’s the perfect time to return home. The thing is, the serpents may not be what they seem. And, as it turns out, neither are the newlyweds…
  • Drift by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: geology, science + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: geology, science, family
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    During the summer of 2006, a college geology professor brings his wife and teenage children along on one of his student's research trips--a trip that begins the slow process of fracturing the entire family. A decade later, as the student attempts to come to terms with the past, the four members of the family each try to come to terms with their futures.
  • Meaner Creatures Kings by Katherine Vondy
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: Shakespeare, adaptation + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Shakespeare, adaptation, office, metoo, business, Finance, Richard III, wall street, FTC
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    High up in a NY skyscraper, the employees of York Financial prepare to merge with Clarence Edwards Corp. But lunches keep disappearing from the office refrigerator. Coworkers are pissing each other off. And thanks to those pesky antitrust laws, the FTC's taking forever to finish their review of the merger. Is CEO Dick York doing whatever it takes to make the deal go...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    High up in a NY skyscraper, the employees of York Financial prepare to merge with Clarence Edwards Corp. But lunches keep disappearing from the office refrigerator. Coworkers are pissing each other off. And thanks to those pesky antitrust laws, the FTC's taking forever to finish their review of the merger. Is CEO Dick York doing whatever it takes to make the deal go through? Or is he just doing whatever he wants?

    This dark office comedy inspired by Shakespeare's RICHARD III asks what crimes our contemporary society is truly interested in punishing.
  • Reliable Narrators by Katherine Vondy
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Relationships, divorce + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Relationships, divorce, unreliable narrators, storytelling, writing, books, metafiction, bad art friend
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Sam is going to tell us a story. It's a story about the complications of friendship. It's a story about heartbreak, the triumph of love, and the human condition. It's a relatable and universal story. But also, it's just a story…

    …Or is it?

    Tapping into the turbulence of the recent "Cat Person" and "Bad Art Friend...
    FULL-LENGTH PLAY.

    Sam is going to tell us a story. It's a story about the complications of friendship. It's a story about heartbreak, the triumph of love, and the human condition. It's a relatable and universal story. But also, it's just a story…

    …Or is it?

    Tapping into the turbulence of the recent "Cat Person" and "Bad Art Friend" literary blowups, RELIABLE NARRATORS explores the question that’s dominating today’s creative world: who do stories belong to?
  • Road Trip by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: road trip, time travel + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, science fiction
    Keyword: road trip, time travel, Relationships, multiple sclerosis, baseball
    SHORT PLAY.

    When an innocuous-seeming road trip turns out to reveal moments from Sam and Riley's future, they are forced to make a decision about the direction of their relationship.
  • The Drums by Katherine Vondy
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, science fiction
    ·
    Keyword: technology, drumming + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: technology, drumming, algorithms, good and evil
    SHORT PLAY.

    Two app developers try to understand the difference between good and evil.