Morey Norkin

Morey Norkin

Morey Norkin is a retired technical writer/proposal manager now living in Japan. He was a regular fixture in Annapolis, Maryland community theater from the late ‘70s to the mid-90s appearing often at Colonial Players, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, and Annapolis Theater Project, of which he was a co-founder. Morey made his debut as a playwright in 2019, with Last Laugh, a one-act play presented at Colonial...
Morey Norkin is a retired technical writer/proposal manager now living in Japan. He was a regular fixture in Annapolis, Maryland community theater from the late ‘70s to the mid-90s appearing often at Colonial Players, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, and Annapolis Theater Project, of which he was a co-founder. Morey made his debut as a playwright in 2019, with Last Laugh, a one-act play presented at Colonial Players as part of an evening of three one-acts under the umbrella title, Generations. Morey’s most produced 10-minute play, On Queue, was a finalist in the 2021 Stage It! 10-Minute Play Festival in Bonita Springs, FL, and was one of 10 to be produced during the festival. On Queue was also produced in 2022 by PlayZoomers, in 2023 by Prince Theatre’s Short Attention Span Theatre festival in Chestertown, MD, and will be part of Short & Sweet in Sydney, Australia in 2024. Morey’s only (to date) full-length play, Gold Paint, was a finalist in the 2021 Chameleon Theatre Circle new play contest and a quarterfinalist in the 2021 ScreenCraft Stage Play contest. His AI-inspired one-act play, Flight of Fancy, was part of Tiny Theatre's Tiny Spring Lineup for 2023. Morey’s 10-minute, earth-shattering, climate change comedy, Eden 2, was presented by The Magnetic Theatre in Asheville, NC in 2023, and will be part of the Mini Shenanigans podcast in 2024. Morey’s short satire, The Replacement, was awarded second prize in the inaugural Fern Street New Play Festival in West Hartford, CT in 2023.

In his spare time, Morey enjoys sharpening his table tennis skills and leading an adult English conversation class.

Plays

  • Look Away
    On December 17, 1862, during the American Civil War, Major General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11 expelling all Jews from the territory under his command. Although the order was quickly reversed by President Lincoln, the damage was done to the Jewish community and to Grant’s legacy. Grant would eventually become President and make amends to the Jewish community. But General Order No. 11 has taught...
    On December 17, 1862, during the American Civil War, Major General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11 expelling all Jews from the territory under his command. Although the order was quickly reversed by President Lincoln, the damage was done to the Jewish community and to Grant’s legacy. Grant would eventually become President and make amends to the Jewish community. But General Order No. 11 has taught us how fragile freedom is when hatred takes hold.

    I consider this a work in progress and welcome constructive feedback.

    NOTE: Music samples listed on this page are just to provide familiarity with the music. These recordings are not to be used unless you obtain appropriate rights.
  • Gold Paint
    When one of his friends suddenly dies on the way to the racetrack, an aging, socialist paint store proprietor in Washington, DC, is forced to confront issues of race and politics, as well as an inquisitive African American FBI agent, during the turbulent 1960s.
  • When in Rome
    A day at the Colosseum.
  • Rewind
    Someone shows up at a video rental store seeking help after their car breaks down. A video rental store in 2023? What's going on here?
  • The Replacement
    For one white nationalist, at least, chants of not being replaced are for naught.
  • Last Laugh
    Two comics, one nearing the end of his career without the success he’d hoped for, and one hoping she’s on the verge of her big break, discover a connection beyond comedy.
  • Flight of Fancy
    An English literature professor has a chance encounter with an unusual flight attendant when his seat on a cross-country flight is upgraded. Immediately attracted to the flight attendant, the professor ultimately discovers that beauty and humanity are much more than skin deep.
  • The Big Sneeze (or Much Achoo About Nothing)
    A light-hearted romantic comedy that attempts to answer the question: Can a fractured rib mend a broken heart?
  • On the Eighth Day of Hanukkah My True Love Gave to Me
    A resident of the Hebrew Home for the Aged receives a Hanukkah gift that proves there really are miracles.
  • Urashima Taro
    The story is from Japanese folklore. Urashima Taro, a fisherman, rescues a sea turtle and is rewarded with a voyage to the Dragon Palace in the undersea empire. There he meets and falls in love with Princess Otohime. As the two are about to be married, Taro remembers his obligations back home. He decides to return and takes a present from the Princess, a small box, which Taro must promise never to open....
    The story is from Japanese folklore. Urashima Taro, a fisherman, rescues a sea turtle and is rewarded with a voyage to the Dragon Palace in the undersea empire. There he meets and falls in love with Princess Otohime. As the two are about to be married, Taro remembers his obligations back home. He decides to return and takes a present from the Princess, a small box, which Taro must promise never to open. Returning home to a strange world, Taro reconsiders his promise to the Princess.
  • To Fetch a Pail of Water
    Not only are Jack and Jill incapable of fetching a pail of water without falling down, they're not very good with rhymes either.
  • Eden 2
    Two astronauts on a mission to begin populating Mars have a divine encounter that leads to a conclusion of biblical proportions.
  • On Queue
    Two strangers drawn to an unexplained event try to fill time while waiting for something, anything, to happen.
  • Vegetables are Revolting!
    A corny story any way you spinach.
  • Can You Hear Me Now?
    Bell and Watson invent a way to revolutionize communication, if only they can find enough string.
  • Essie and Willie (a monologue)
    A childhood memory of my parents.
  • (A Day in) The Life of Pie
    A collaboration with Christopher Plumridge.

    IF YOU’VE ALREADY READ THIS ON CHRISTOPHER PLUMRIDGE’S PAGE, STOP NOW! IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER!

    A song lyric based play noir.

    PI John Pie receives a letter from a mystery lady by the name of Kay, she needs him to find the murderer of her father, X. Will this wizened old ex-cop be able to follow her clues and track down X...
    A collaboration with Christopher Plumridge.

    IF YOU’VE ALREADY READ THIS ON CHRISTOPHER PLUMRIDGE’S PAGE, STOP NOW! IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER!

    A song lyric based play noir.

    PI John Pie receives a letter from a mystery lady by the name of Kay, she needs him to find the murderer of her father, X. Will this wizened old ex-cop be able to follow her clues and track down X's exes....is Kay all she seems, who really was the shoeshine man... and does anyone care......?

    Back in August 2022, across miles of sea and land, two wrangling writers from two great countries separated by one common language decided to take the beginnings of a simple monologue and produced this earth shattering, ground breaking 'PLAY NOIR' !

    Christopher Plumridge (British, don't you know!) and Morey Norkin (Our Man in Japan) bring you.....
    (A DAY IN) THE LIFE OF PIE !
  • Pie 2 - A Bigger Slice of Pie
    You didn’t ask for a sequel. You didn’t need it. Surely, you didn’t want it. (Sorry for calling you Shirley.) But here it is anyway, the sequel to (A Day in) The Life of Pie: Pie 2 - A Bigger Slice of Pie!

    Yes, those two desperate, attention-seeking playwrights, Christopher Plumridge and Morey Norkin, are at it again. Follow PI John Pie as he tries to unravel the mystery of who killed Maxwell...
    You didn’t ask for a sequel. You didn’t need it. Surely, you didn’t want it. (Sorry for calling you Shirley.) But here it is anyway, the sequel to (A Day in) The Life of Pie: Pie 2 - A Bigger Slice of Pie!

    Yes, those two desperate, attention-seeking playwrights, Christopher Plumridge and Morey Norkin, are at it again. Follow PI John Pie as he tries to unravel the mystery of who killed Maxwell with his silver hammer. (You can already see where this is headed.)

    But wait! You say you haven’t read the first Pie adventure? Well, now you can listen to it! Enjoy an all-star cast of some of your favorite playwrights (and me): John Busser, Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn, Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, Dana Hall, and Debra Cole! Conceived, directed, recorded, nursed, and bankrolled by Christopher Plumridge.

    https://youtu.be/5X6PXk1Z0r8?si=g48paoJ3I8Hnsoyd