Steven Strafford

It's 1994, and Kevin's just a kid hoping to win a big scholarship and get enough money to go to the school of his dreams. It's 1994, and Kevin's just a closeted kid who secretly goes on adults-only chat rooms looking for men. It's 1994, and Kevin's just an ambitious, closeted kid who has to decide how far he's willing to go to impress the man who can change or ruin his life. It's time to go to the 1994 Model Congress!

(Full length. One act.) In Small Jokes About Monsters, we meet three brothers who have arrived in a rented beach house after their estranged father’s funeral. Ryan, the gay middle brother, explains to his two brothers his theory of how there are three different kinds of funny people: Godzillas, Mothras and Gameras. Godzillas destroy all they see with their jokes. Mothras, the silent but deadly types, lay a room flat with just one joke. And Gameras are the folks who don't even realize they're funny.

When their tough-talking, non-nonsense mother arrives, they open the final words from their addict father. As more and more secrets are revealed, each brother must deal with what it means to heal traumas from their youth. Tempers flare, and the joking that was light and fun becomes cruel. Alliances are formed and re-formed as everyone begins to fend for themselves.

In the end, we witness this family take a step, forward or back is up for debate.

(Full length. Two Acts.) Steph has cancer, but that's the least of her worries. She has to contend with a dad who may be faking his dementia, a truth-telling mom who hates her dad, a missing husband, and brother and his too-young boyfriend, all at a birthday party at her home. Will Steph be able to get what she needs from her estranged dad, and keep her life together at the same time?

(Full length. Two Acts.) Multiple timeliness, a woman standing her ground, a gay man terrified for his life, the ghosts that haunt them, and what lengths we’ll go to seek justice. Greater Illinois tells two stories interwoven that examine the intersections of fear, race, homophobia, and The Greater Illinois Council, a government agency insistent on “making a brighter tomorrow today,” no matter the human cost. Greater Illinois is the story of who chooses fight, flight, or freeze and what happens when they choose.

(Full length. One act.) A former free-spirit who saddled herself in a bad relationship and a go-nowhere job goes on a road trip to take her name off a Holocaust-Trivia distribution list. Along the way, she learns to take up a bit more room without apologizing for it.

(Full length, solo show in one act) METHTACULAR! written and performed by Steven Strafford, directed by Adam Fitzgerald, is Strafford’s hilarious and harrowing account of his three year run as a crystal meth addict in Chicago. As Steven weaves together stories, songs and sitcom trivia, and a game show, audiences will laugh their way down into the depths of his drug addled, sex crazed life. Methtacular! is a roller coaster ride you won’t soon forget. Video of full production is included on this page.

(Short play) Cindy makes a video call to Jane to discuss a problem Jane has with the rules.

(short play)Chris is trying to study, but Sam has other things on his mind.

(ten min.) The author of the play tries to recount the moment in time where his relationship ended. The other characters fight for narrative control.

(short play) A middle aged gay man inspects his receding hair, and then we zoom in to see the last two hairs who've stayed in "the old neighborhood" of his right temple's original hairline. When one hair says she's leaving for greener pastures, they have a hard goodbye.

(short play) Three women discuss how abortion was the right decision for them.