Sophia Naylor

Sophia Naylor

Sophia Naylor was born and raised in snowy Minneapolis, and now resides happily in the sunny California Bay Area. Her works have been produced and/or developed by the Pear Theatre, Broad Horizons, Women in SOLOdarity, Playwrights Center of San Francisco, Minnesota Fringe Festival, and Local Color. Sophia co-founded the murder mystery theater company The Clue Collective, serving as CEO for six years, as well as...
Sophia Naylor was born and raised in snowy Minneapolis, and now resides happily in the sunny California Bay Area. Her works have been produced and/or developed by the Pear Theatre, Broad Horizons, Women in SOLOdarity, Playwrights Center of San Francisco, Minnesota Fringe Festival, and Local Color. Sophia co-founded the murder mystery theater company The Clue Collective, serving as CEO for six years, as well as writing and customizing shows. She is a member of the Pear Playwrights Guild (attached to the Pear Theatre). Her work has also been published in literary journals, including Qu, Literature Today, and Fresh Words. She earned an Honors Theater degree from Swarthmore College, specializing in playwriting, dramaturgy, acting, and Shakespeare.

Plays

  • For A Brighter Tomorrow by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, period + 2 more
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    Keyword: war, Soviet Union + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, period, political, satire
    Keyword: war, Soviet Union, nuclear weapons, Cosmonauts, space, Russia, Cold War
    It’s 1974 aboard a secret Soviet space station. Cosmonauts Dmitri and Yuri are discussing the best method to woo Pat Nixon when they are interrupted by an urgent radio message from the USSR: a Soviet ship near Cape Canaveral has seen unusual activity on one of the American launch pads. As they orbit Earth, the two men must do everything they can to find out whether the Americans have benign intentions or...
    It’s 1974 aboard a secret Soviet space station. Cosmonauts Dmitri and Yuri are discussing the best method to woo Pat Nixon when they are interrupted by an urgent radio message from the USSR: a Soviet ship near Cape Canaveral has seen unusual activity on one of the American launch pads. As they orbit Earth, the two men must do everything they can to find out whether the Americans have benign intentions or whether they are preparing to launch an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) tipped with a nuclear warhead.

    Interrupting their work, besides the unstoppable urge to find joy in terrible circumstances, is the revelation of possibly unforgivable mutual betrayals. And, all the while, waiting for their report is the Soviet Union’s anxious leader Brezhnev. When Dmitri and Yuri reach Moscow, they must decide what to tell Brezhnev: their words could prevent—or start—World War 3.
  • Blood and Dolly by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    11–15
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 4 more
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    Keyword: Shakespeare, Macbeth + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, period, political, tragedy, verse
    Keyword: Shakespeare, Macbeth, adaptation
    In this freaky-deaky reimagining of Macbeth, Scotland is replaced by a 1960s cult. Written in verse, this adaptation follows the titular character as he plots to kill leader Guru Duncan. But Macbeth doesn’t only want the title guru, he wants to dominate his flock. Set in the shadow of the Vietnam War, is everyone forced to follow fate, or is destiny just politics?
  • Nirvandraw by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: A Play for One Actor, MLM
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: A Play for One Actor, MLM
    Today is the opening of Nirvandraw’s weeklong seminar, which focuses on spirituality, fellowship, and how to make money teaching other people how to doodle. Nirvandraw co-founder Bethany will share the foundations of the method, which was built upon the strength of her now ended marriage. By the end of the week, all seminar attendees will become Certified Nirvandraw Instructors, joining a company that’s...
    Today is the opening of Nirvandraw’s weeklong seminar, which focuses on spirituality, fellowship, and how to make money teaching other people how to doodle. Nirvandraw co-founder Bethany will share the foundations of the method, which was built upon the strength of her now ended marriage. By the end of the week, all seminar attendees will become Certified Nirvandraw Instructors, joining a company that’s definitely not a multi-level marketing pyramid scheme.
  • Delayed by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: suicide
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: suicide
    After his sister’s death, Arthur attempts suicide by jumping onto train tracks, only for the train to be delayed. He is discovered by Felicity, who has ten minutes to convince him that life is worth living.
  • The Witching Hour by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: experimental, movement/physical + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: dance
    Genre: experimental, movement/physical, verse
    Keyword: dance
    Each night for the past millennia, four spirits gather to welcome the sun. They never wait to see if the sun actually rises, as seeing the sunrise is not part of their sacred duty. But this evening one of the timeless spirits is struck with the question: does the sun even exist?
  • The Sermon by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: religion, christianity + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, parody/spoof, political, satire
    Keyword: religion, christianity, Jesus
    Jesus just finished his Sermon on the Mount, and his disciple Matthew has some “constructive criticism.” Faith and finances collide as the two argue about the future of the messiah business: idealism threatens to turn to greed, and authenticity teeters on the edge of cynicism. Funny and irreverent, this play shows the fallout when money mixes with religion. And maybe all along, the real miracle was Capitalism.
  • Play-Bot by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: Shakespeare, ai + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, parody/spoof, political, satire, science fiction, verse
    Keyword: Shakespeare, ai, writing
    What counts as original? Play-Bot, a Natural Language Processor, assisted playwright Stephanie on her Shakespeare adaptation—until the machine became unhappy with her ideas and finished the play alone. After Play-Bot received rave reviews on Broadway, Stephanie is out for revenge. And she’s got a pair of scissors, ready to cut the cord.
  • Boxed by Sophia Naylor
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: epilepsy, mannequin + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: epilepsy, mannequin, Relationships
    Phoebe and Minny have spent the last ten years searching for the name of a bizarre French film starring a man and a mannequin, so Minny buys Phoebe a mannequin as a joke. Although the two still can’t remember the name of the movie, aided by their new plastic friend, they start to remember the night that they watched it—a warm evening in Paris full of trysts and heartbreak. Phoebe, diagnosed with epilepsy two...
    Phoebe and Minny have spent the last ten years searching for the name of a bizarre French film starring a man and a mannequin, so Minny buys Phoebe a mannequin as a joke. Although the two still can’t remember the name of the movie, aided by their new plastic friend, they start to remember the night that they watched it—a warm evening in Paris full of trysts and heartbreak. Phoebe, diagnosed with epilepsy two years ago, is afraid to love so freely again. Minny, on the other hand, only loves the world more. But Phoebe is the one with the boyfriend, so can Minny heal their relationship?