Jennifer O'Grady

Jennifer O'Grady

Playwright and poet Jennifer O'Grady's plays are produced across the U.S. and internationally. Her full-length plays include CHARLOTTE'S LETTERS (2020 Rising Artist Award; 1st Place Henley Rose Award; NEWvember Festival Dublin; O'Neill Semifinalist and other honors); PARANORMAL LOVE (MTWorks Newborn Winner; NEWvember Finalist; Pandora's Box Honorable Mention; SWTP Semifinalist):...
Playwright and poet Jennifer O'Grady's plays are produced across the U.S. and internationally. Her full-length plays include CHARLOTTE'S LETTERS (2020 Rising Artist Award; 1st Place Henley Rose Award; NEWvember Festival Dublin; O'Neill Semifinalist and other honors); PARANORMAL LOVE (MTWorks Newborn Winner; NEWvember Finalist; Pandora's Box Honorable Mention; SWTP Semifinalist): JUGGLING WITH MR. FIELDS (SWTP Finalist); ELLERY (Bechdel Group workshop selection) and others. Her short plays have won audience-choice awards and are published in multiple editions of The Best Ten-Minute Plays (S&K) and Best New Ten-Minute Plays (Applause) as well as in Stage It! 3, some scripts, Feels Blind Literary and elsewhere. Her plays are also included in multiple editions of The Best Women's Stage Monologues (S&K) and in Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35 (Applause) and other anthologies. Presenting theaters include The Irish Rep, The Barrow Group, 6th Street Playhouse, Attic Salt Theatre, Short+Sweet, Rover Dramawerks, Weathervane Playhouse, Saw It Here First Productions, The Playhouse at White Lake, Heartland Theatre Co, Gi60, The Hive Collaborative, Brave New World Rep, NextStage, PlayZoomers and many others.

Jennifer is also an award-winning poet and author of the poetry books WHITE (Mid-List First Series Award for Poetry) and EXCLUSIONS & LIMITATIONS (Plume Editions/MadHat Press). Her poems appear in numerous places including Poetry, Harper's, The New Republic, The Kenyon Review, The Yale Review, The Writer's Almanac, Poetry Daily, Verse Daily and American Poetry: The Next Generation. Born and raised in New York City, she holds an MFA in poetry from Columbia University and a BA from Vassar, and lives with her family live just outside NYC. (www.jenniferogrady.net)

Plays

  • CHARLOTTE'S LETTERS by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 15
    ·
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: biography, drama + 6 more
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    Keyword: Brontë, Jane Eyre + 8 more
    Genre: biography, drama, experimental, fantasy, immersive, mystery/thriller, period, political
    Keyword: Brontë, Jane Eyre, feminism, writing, school, biography, teaching, Brussels, women, 19th century women
    2020 Rising Artist Playwriting Award / 1st Place Henley Rose Award / NEWvember Festival Dublin / O'Neill Semifinalist / Irish Rep's New Works Series / Top 25 Plays, Pandora's Box and other honors

    (Full length) A fresh new take on the Brontës, intertwining Charlotte Brontë's two years as a unpublished young woman at a Belgian school--where she became increasingly close to her...
    2020 Rising Artist Playwriting Award / 1st Place Henley Rose Award / NEWvember Festival Dublin / O'Neill Semifinalist / Irish Rep's New Works Series / Top 25 Plays, Pandora's Box and other honors

    (Full length) A fresh new take on the Brontës, intertwining Charlotte Brontë's two years as a unpublished young woman at a Belgian school--where she became increasingly close to her married tutor/employer, Monsieur Heger--with her friend and biographer Mrs. Gaskell's struggle to salvage Charlotte's posthumous reputation and feminist novels. When an alarming letter arrives from Brussels, Mrs. Gaskell is forced to investigate just how much of Charlotte's novels--including the bestselling but scandalous JANE EYRE--was based on her own life. A theatrical play about love, friendship, and the making of art and identity.
  • COMPLEX ANALYSIS by Jennifer O'Grady
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: psychotherapy, PTSD + 7 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: psychotherapy, PTSD, trauma, gun violence, math, Mental Health, social work, survivor's guilt, pregnancy
    (Full length seeks development) Anthea heads a struggling trauma clinic where patients include Nathan, a math student still grappling with survivor's guilt years after a school shooting. While her own life falls into crisis Anthea is forced to hire Christine, an inexperienced therapist whose sessions with Nathan quickly blur the lines between helping and harming.
  • ELLERY by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: psychic, ghosts + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror, immersive, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: psychic, ghosts, women, senior woman, love, parnormal, moral responsibility, mystery, mother-daughter
    2019 Bechdel Group Selection and included in THE BEST WOMEN'S STAGE MONOLOGUES

    (Full length) Becca hates her psychic abilities and is being haunted by her dead but still-critical mother and dead grandmother, for reasons none of them understands. When a dead young woman appears and pleads confusingly for help, Becca turns away--but unwittingly gives her best friend the chance to pursue a...
    2019 Bechdel Group Selection and included in THE BEST WOMEN'S STAGE MONOLOGUES

    (Full length) Becca hates her psychic abilities and is being haunted by her dead but still-critical mother and dead grandmother, for reasons none of them understands. When a dead young woman appears and pleads confusingly for help, Becca turns away--but unwittingly gives her best friend the chance to pursue a dangerous course that could harm Becca and another living woman. A play about living responsibly and being different. (Play 2 in the Ghost Trilogy of standalone plays)
  • JUGGLING WITH MR. FIELDS by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: celebrity, movie star + 7 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period
    Keyword: celebrity, movie star, 1940s Hollywood, alcoholism, W.C. FIelds, family, aging, film industry, Los Angeles
    2020 Southwest Theatre Productions Finalist / Kilroys List nomimee

    (Full length) In 1940s Hollywood, aging, irreverent, nearly-alcoholic movie star W.C. Fields--shunned by film studios and eager for work--grudgingly hires a young English manservant, while Fields' live-in girlfriend Carlotta Monti and rising-actor friend Anthony Quinn vie for his attentions. But new servant Rodney brings a...
    2020 Southwest Theatre Productions Finalist / Kilroys List nomimee

    (Full length) In 1940s Hollywood, aging, irreverent, nearly-alcoholic movie star W.C. Fields--shunned by film studios and eager for work--grudgingly hires a young English manservant, while Fields' live-in girlfriend Carlotta Monti and rising-actor friend Anthony Quinn vie for his attentions. But new servant Rodney brings a link to the past that will have shattering consequences, in this imagined look at the hidden side of an iconic film star and drama about longing and belonging.
  • PARANORMAL LOVE by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: ghosts, love + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: ghosts, love, drag queen, grief, LGBTQ, death, afterlife, photographer, psychic, memory
    MTWorks Newborn Winner / NEWvember Finalist / 2019 Pandora's Box Honorable Mention / 2020 SWTP Semifinalist

    (Full length) Kevin and David were a loving couple, but now Kevin is dead and stuck in a boring afterlife with little to do but eat popcorn and watch the living. When David decides to marry a woman, Kevin seizes the chance to wrap up unfinished business with the aid of two dead friends...
    MTWorks Newborn Winner / NEWvember Finalist / 2019 Pandora's Box Honorable Mention / 2020 SWTP Semifinalist

    (Full length) Kevin and David were a loving couple, but now Kevin is dead and stuck in a boring afterlife with little to do but eat popcorn and watch the living. When David decides to marry a woman, Kevin seizes the chance to wrap up unfinished business with the aid of two dead friends--until things begin to go wrong. A play about love, loss, and the power of memory. (Play 1 in the Ghost Trilogy of standalone plays)
  • QUASARS by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: faith, religion + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, faith-based, immersive
    Keyword: faith, religion, marriage, art, sculptor, motherhood. illness, love, priest, Parenting
    Included in THE BEST WOMEN'S STAGE MONOLOGUES and BEST CONTEMPORARY MONOLOGUES FOR WOMEN 18-35

    (Full length) When blocked sculptor Josh's wife becomes seriously ill but won't slow down, Josh takes secretive measures to keep Erin at home. But their nine-year-old daughter witnesses his ploys, bringing unwanted scrutiny from a young Catholic priest. As Erin's illness worsens Josh...
    Included in THE BEST WOMEN'S STAGE MONOLOGUES and BEST CONTEMPORARY MONOLOGUES FOR WOMEN 18-35

    (Full length) When blocked sculptor Josh's wife becomes seriously ill but won't slow down, Josh takes secretive measures to keep Erin at home. But their nine-year-old daughter witnesses his ploys, bringing unwanted scrutiny from a young Catholic priest. As Erin's illness worsens Josh must learn to let go--and try to grow up--with help from a troubled priest and a strange young woman with piercings.
  • SLANTED LIGHT by Jennifer O'Grady
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: ghost, psychic + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, science fiction
    Keyword: ghost, psychic, funeral home, poetry, grief, mother-daughter, love, teenagers, high school, loss
    (Full length seeks development) Joanna's a poet and single parent working part-time in a funeral home--an odd choice, considering that Joanna can see dead people. When a dead teenage boy follows her home and ensconces himself in her attic, Joanna and her teenage daughter Miranda must learn some hard truths about living and dying. (Play 3 in the Ghost Trilogy of standalone plays)


  • Abundance by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: coronavirus, Covid-19 + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller, radio drama, science fiction, tragedy, zoom
    Keyword: coronavirus, Covid-19, virus, pandemic, 2020, Viral Outbreak
    Selected for Dramatic Question Theatre's DQTini Series (2021)

    (1 Min) No one--and nothing--likes to be alone. A pandemic play for any two performers.
  • Admiral Grace Hopper Revisits by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 8 more
    ·
    Keyword: navy, women + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, immersive, political, radio drama, science fiction, zoom
    Keyword: navy, women, women's history, senior woman, technology, Computer, science, 365 Women a Year
    Productions include 6th Street Playhouse and Rover Dramaworks

    (One Act/Monologue) 85-year-old, former U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and computer pioneer Grace Hopper speaks about life, computer compilers, and kicking some ass in this short solo play about perseverance and passion.
  • Bars by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 8 more
    ·
    Keyword: pets, birds + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, immersive, political, radio drama, science fiction, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: pets, birds, cages, parakeet, comedy, animal rights
    Produced by Primal Theatre UK (2019)

    (Monologue) Sky, a pet parakeet, has a request. Or three.
  • Belle, ex-wife of a Beast by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: princess, Disney + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, immersive, radio drama, satire, zoom
    Keyword: princess, Disney, fairy tale, feminism, comedy, metoo
    Selected for The Writers Block Radio Hour (2020)

    (Monologue) A former princess speaks.
  • The Bookstore by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: books, bookstore + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fantasy, horror, parody/spoof, science fiction, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: books, bookstore, poetry, pop culture, jealousy, boredom, young adult
    2021 productions by NextStage Theater and The Playhouse at White Lake

    (10 Min) When a popular YA action novel appears on the shelves, a bored poetry book decides to make a little mischief.
  • Cage by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: pets, isolation + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, radio drama, science fiction, zoom
    Keyword: pets, isolation, rabbit, cages, animals, fear, monologue
    Produced by Primal Theatre UK (2019)

    (Monologue) Thumper the pet rabbit describes their habit for the audience.
  • Chem Class by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: walking plays, walking + 8 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical, political, radio drama, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: walking plays, walking, audiodrama, Highschool, LGBQT+, coming out, teenagers, friendship, Walking Playwrights, teenage girls
    (10 Min) On their morning walk to school Alex asks his friend Sofia to their Junior Prom. But Sofia's reaction isn't what Alex had hoped for--or so he thought. A play about taking risks and being ourselves. (Written for THE WALKING PLAYS)
  • Circumnavigation by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: fish, pets + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, radio drama, science fiction, zoom
    Keyword: fish, pets, fear, isolation, goldfish, monologue, Hope, animals
    Selected for Stage Left Theater's Fast and Furious (2021)

    (Monologue) Flash, a young goldfish, loves their new home. Really.
  • Closet Cat by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, immersive + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: cats, pets + 8 more
    Genre: dark comedy, immersive, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: cats, pets, closet, pandemic, hiding, isolation, 2020, virus, Covid-19, fear
    Selected for Gi60: The International One-Minute Theatre Festival (2021) and published in some scripts (2021)

    (Monologue) Sometimes the best place to be is your owner's closet.
  • Cops by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, immersive + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: police, cops + 6 more
    Genre: drama, immersive, political, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: police, cops, Driving, fear, murder, law enforcement bias, American Law Enforcement, Law Enforcement
    (3 Min) Two adults speak about their different encounters with the police.
  • Dishwasher by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: dishwasher, alternative relationships + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, parody/spoof, satire, science fiction, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: dishwasher, alternative relationships, kindness, LGBTQ, dysfunction, repair, kitchen appliances
    (10 Min) Alan’s dishwasher has been acting up. Carter, a repairman, visits and discovers that even household appliances require some kindness. A play about dysfunctional relationships and repairs.
  • Domestic Service by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: racism, 1940s Hollywood + 5 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political, tragedy
    Keyword: racism, 1940s Hollywood, Louise Beavers, classic movies, blackface, 365 Women a Year, Los Angeles
    Produced by White Mouse Theater (2018)

    (10 Min) When Oscar-nominated, African-American actress Louise Beavers is cast as yet another maid in another Hollywood movie but this one has a very shocking twist, she finds herself forced to make a difficult decision.
  • Egypt by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: domestic abuse, domestic violence + 5 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, immersive, political
    Keyword: domestic abuse, domestic violence, motherhood, pregnancy, murder, grief, abuse of women
    Selected for Mind the Gap Theatre's Housebound Series (2021)

    (Monologue) The six-month-old fetus of a murdered woman speaks. (CW: domestic violence)
  • Emily's Room by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: poetry, women + 5 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period
    Keyword: poetry, women, Emily Dickinson, Immigrants, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, middle-age woman, women's history
    Selected for Rover Dramawerks' 365 Women a Year Festival (2019)

    (15 Min) 54-year-old recluse Emily Dickinson and her 44-year-old Irish maid reach an unspoken understanding that, unknown to either, will alter the course of American literature.
  • Expectations by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: Charles Dickens, women + 6 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, immersive, period, political, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: Charles Dickens, women, historical women, women's history, marriage, identity, patriarchy, motherhood
    Selected for Short+Sweet Sydney 2021 and Ladies Briefs by Valley Players (2021) / Shortlist: Short+Sweet Dubai 2022 and 2021

    (Short) Novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Kate Dickens speak about the legal separation Dickens initiated after twenty-two years of marriage and nine children—narratives that differ substantially from each other. A play about power and women's lives.
  • First Day in Trade by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Jacqueline Kennedy, celebrity + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, political
    Keyword: Jacqueline Kennedy, celebrity, women, women's history, publishing, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, middle-age woman, President
    Published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2017 (Smith and Kraus)

    (10 Min) At a major New York publishing house an impoverished assistant learns that one of the world's wealthiest women--editor Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis--might want to bum cigarettes from her. (Inspired by a true incident)
  • Fridge by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 18
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 10 more
    ·
    Keyword: fridge, refrigerator + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, immersive, radio drama, science fiction, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: fridge, refrigerator, kitchen appliances, failure, Hope, parent-child relationships, repair, love
    Published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2021 (Smith and Kraus)

    (10 Min) A woman and her fridge. A play about failure and acceptance.
  • The Gorilla by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: gorilla, gun control + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, farce, political, science fiction
    Keyword: gorilla, gun control, conservation, zoo, wildlife, women, love, transformation, silence
    Produced by Primal Theater UK (2019)

    (10 Min) When a gorilla at the zoo takes a surprising interest in Myra, she finds her life transforming--but for better or worse?
  • The Great Gaffe by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: 1920s Paris, F. Scott Fitzgerald + 7 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, tragedy
    Keyword: 1920s Paris, F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Edith Wharton, alcoholism, books, economic disparity, women, 365 Women a Year
    Published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2016 (Smith and Kraus)

    (10 Min) Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Edith Wharton gives a tea party for F. Scott Fitzgerald, struggling young author of THE GREAT GATSBY, with disastrous results.
  • Greed (or the alligator play) by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: environment, alligator + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, political, satire
    Keyword: environment, alligator, animals, greed, picnic, nature, man vs nature, danger, Endangered Species
    (10 Min) Corey questions reality when an alligator appears at the picnic and eats up all the guac. A play about environmental encroachment, with a talking alligator.
  • I'm Not Malala by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, immersive + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, school shooting + 6 more
    Genre: drama, immersive, political, radio drama, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: gun control, school shooting, high school, middle school, teenagers, fear, monologue, teenage girls
    Selected for The PlayGround Experiment's Faces of America Monologue Festival #1

    (Monologue) Julia isn't Malala. But maybe Malala can help?
  • In Memory of Maria Mercader by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: COVID, COVID 19 + 8 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, immersive, political, radio drama, tragedy, zoom
    Keyword: COVID, COVID 19, friendship, loss, grief, 2020, monologue, Asian American, CBS, journalist
    Included in The Covid Monologues by Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble (currently on YouTube)

    (Monologue) CBS news producer and my high-school friend Maria Mercader died during the COVID pandemic in New York. This was written to celebrate Maria and her life.
  • Invasion by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: pandemic, Covid-19 + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, zoom
    Keyword: pandemic, Covid-19, 2020, coronavirus, goats, man and nature, animals, virus, Quarantine
    (1 Min) Where are all the people? Who cares? There's grass! (A pandemic play with goats.)
  • Invisible by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: dogs, pets + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: dogs, pets, animals, border, culture of fear, monologue, fear
    Selected for "Natural Distancing" at Civic Theater of Greater Lafayette (2020)

    (Monologue) Scout the dog explains the new invisible fence to a potential playmate.
  • January by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, immersive + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: middle school, differences + 4 more
    Genre: drama, immersive, radio drama, young audiences
    Keyword: middle school, differences, friendship, female friendship, children, monologue
    (Monologue) Bella, age twelve, ponders her mom’s reaction to Bella's interest in hanging out with the new girl at school, who isn’t like everyone else.
  • Kitty by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: cats, stray cats + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, horror, science fiction
    Keyword: cats, stray cats, animal, hook-up, Dark and Stormy, comedy horror, comedy/horror play, vengeance, halloween
    (6 min) Things with Kitty don't work out quite the way Tyler planned. (Or: a stray cat seeks vengeance.)
  • Like Knives by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: aging, male gaze + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: aging, male gaze, bar, revenge, feminism, ageism, feminism ageism, female empowerment
    Written for Brave New World Rep's "Over and Above" and performed by Laura San Giacomo (2020)

    (Monologue) A middle-aged bar owner has some words for an ageist male customer--after she locks the door.
  • Lion Cut by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: cats, pets + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, immersive, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: cats, pets, animals, disillusionment, identity, monologue
    (Monologue) Snowball the cat struggles with new ideas about human beings.
  • Listening by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: lp records, divorce + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, radio drama, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: lp records, divorce, singing, music, teenager, Ella Fitzgerald, intergenerational, teenage girls
    Audience-choice winner in Weathervane Playhouse's 2019 8x10 Theatrefest 2019; also produced by PlayZoomers (2021)

    (10 Min--A Hailey Play, #1) Stuck for the weekend at her preoccupied, divorced dad's house (and never mind having to deal with Dad's new girlfriend, Sandra), sixteen-year-old Hailey learns that listening to old-people music can actually be life-altering.
  • Lucy Tries Again by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: teenager, motherhood + 7 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: teenager, motherhood, mother-daughter, Lucille Ball, acting, 365 Women a Year, teenage girls, persistence, talent
    Selected for Crafton Hills College New Works Festival (2021)

    (10 Min) 16-year-old Lucy Ball has been kicked out of her NYC drama school for being too shy and having insufficient talent. Back home with her mom, Lucy tries to figure out what if anything to do next. (Based on events in the life of iconic TV star Lucille Ball.)
  • Matthew Weaver Finds Me by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Matthew Weaver, birthday + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental, farce, parody/spoof
    Keyword: Matthew Weaver, birthday, Unicorn, playwriting, collaboration, friendship, theater, imagination
    (5 Min) Frustrated by a play she's writing for Matthew's birthday, Jennifer brainstorms with Matthew. A unicorn might appear. (Included in 40ish Short Plays About Matthew Weaver compiled by playwright Matthew Weaver)
  • Mending by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: women's history, slavery + 8 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political, tragedy, zoom
    Keyword: women's history, slavery, motherhood, Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, President, patriarchy, women, 365 Women a Year, U.S. history
    (10 Min) At Monticello the day after Thomas Jefferson's death an enslaved woman, Sally Hemings, and her 21-year-old enslaved son by Jefferson wait to hear their fate.
  • Menopause Play by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: menopause, peri-menopause + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, farce, immersive, political, radio drama, satire, zoom
    Keyword: menopause, peri-menopause, theater, middle age women, women, feminism
    (10 Min) Fed up with having her menopausal symptoms unacknowledged and ignored, a playwright decides to write about it. This is her play and you'd better listen.
  • Microwave by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: basketball, teenage + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, radio drama, science fiction, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: basketball, teenage, aging, microwave oven, negotiation, ageism
    Produced by PlayZoomers (2021)

    (10 Min) Sixteen-year-old Ethan needs to defrost a meal before his basketball game, but Mike, an aging microwave oven, refuses to open her door--forever. A play about give and take with a common household appliance.
  • A Midsummer Night's Script by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: Shakespeare, comedy + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, farce, parody/spoof, period, satire, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: Shakespeare, comedy, theater, actors, Elizabethan England, London, A Midsummer Night's Dream
    Produced in Funny Shorts Live! (2021)

    (10 Min) London, 1595 -- The Lord Chamberlain's Men are having trouble with their latest play, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. (A Will, Kempe & Ed Play)
  • A Midsummer Night's Script (5-minute version) by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: inspired by Shakespeare, William Shakespeare + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, period, satire, zoom
    Keyword: inspired by Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, Elizabethan theatre, playwriting, acting, Elizabethan England
    (5 Min version written in 2020 for Caravan Productions and published in A YEAR WITH THE CARAVAN]
  • Most Wonderful by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: christmas, holiday + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, holiday
    Keyword: christmas, holiday, adult friendship, actors, roommates, zoom, friendship, single
    Published in THE BEST NEW TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2021 (Applause)

    (10 Min) Two unemployed roommates learn the meaning of Christmas with help from a can of beans and some dental floss.
  • The Mysterious Affair at the Christies by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: Agatha Christie, World War I + 5 more
    Genre: biography, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, mystery/thriller, period, zoom
    Keyword: Agatha Christie, World War I, Hercule Poirot, classic mystery, marriage, writing, novel
    Produced by Saw It Here First Productions (London), Rover Dramawerks and other theaters.

    (10 Min) Imagined glimpse into mystery-writer Agatha Christie's troubled first marriage and the roots of her long career as a novelist.
  • New Kitten by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: cats, kitten + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: cats, kitten, transformation, youth, aging, teaching, pets, envy, jealousy, sibling rivalry
    Produced by Gi60 US (2019)

    (1 Min) Max the cat is seriously pissed off--a new kitten has moved in and expects Max to share everything including the litter box. A tiny play about jealousy and transformation.
  • Only Human by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 16
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, faith-based + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, Catholic priest + 6 more
    Genre: drama, faith-based, immersive, radio drama, tragedy, zoom
    Keyword: gun control, Catholic priest, faith, monologue, religion, mass shooting, trauma, code red playwrights
    Selected for St. Paul's Arts Council's Short New Play Festival, The Factory Theater at Greenville U's New Play Festival and by other theaters around the country

    (Monologue) A Catholic priest remembers a tragedy in his past.
  • On 9th Street by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: women, Abstract Expressionism + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, political, zoom
    Keyword: women, Abstract Expressionism, art, 365 Women a Year, feminism, 1950s, women's history, NYC
    Premiering in 10x10 at The New Deal Creative Arts Center (2022)

    (!0 Min) May 1951 -- Four Abstract Expressionist women artists await the opening of their group exhibition in a condemned building in downtown New York City. A play about the women of the 9th Street Show.
  • Out by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: dogs, pets + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, young audiences
    Keyword: dogs, pets, frustration, one-minute comedy
    Produced by Gi60 UK (2019)

    (1 Min) A tiny play about the frustrations of dog-ownership.
  • Persephone by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 30
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: motherhood, grief + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fable/folktale, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: motherhood, grief, love, ghosts, myth, mother-daughter
    Published in THE BEST NEW TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2019 (Applause)

    (10 Min) A modern riff on the myth of Persephone, forced to leave her family behind forever. This Persephone returns to give her small child an unusual gift--a new mom.
  • A Piece of the Continent by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 8 more
    ·
    Keyword: climate change, Dystopia + 6 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, drama, farce, horror, parody/spoof, political, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: climate change, Dystopia, environment, Politics, Trump, Jared Kushner, President, Alternate history
    (10 Min) #45 as an old man contending with history textbooks and the realities of climate change--when it impacts him.
  • Playgroup by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: motherhood, feminism + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, radio drama, zoom
    Keyword: motherhood, feminism, baby, hypocrisy, contemporary parenting, Birth, confession
    Selected for The Mother-logues by Red Herring Productions and Empower Her Voice U.K. (2020)

    (Monologue) At her weekly playgroup for moms and babies, Lauren makes an unexpected confession.
  • Pre-War by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: stillbirth, agoraphobia + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: stillbirth, agoraphobia, refugee, NYC, holocaust survivor, senior woman, Immigrants, pregnancy, 365 Women, women
    Winner of Stage It's Ten-Minute Play contest and published in STAGE IT 3 (2019)

    (10 Min) Traumatized by a recent loss, Elena finds it hard to leave her NYC apartment until she meets Clara, her older neighbor, and the women discover they have more in common than they thought.
  • Seek by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: gun violence, code red playwrights + 4 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy, zoom
    Keyword: gun violence, code red playwrights, daughter-father relationship, hide and seek, grief, love
    (5 Min) A father's love spans twenty years in five minutes. A daughter's love survives an unthinkable tragedy.
  • Shakespeare's Dilemma by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: Shakespeare, London + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, parody/spoof, period, political, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: Shakespeare, London, Elizabethan England, theater, actors, Edward de Vere
    Selected for Caravan Productions (2021)

    (10 Min) London, 1593 - The Lord Chamberlain's Men are having trouble with their plans for JULIUS CAESAR--and with their new and unwanted playwright. (A Will, Kempe & Ed Play)
  • Shelved by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: library, books + 7 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, farce, mystery/thriller, young audiences
    Keyword: library, books, robbery, aging, literature, older actors, theft, grief, French
    Produced by NextStage Theater (2021)

    (10 Min) Two bickering French books stuck in the basement stacks of a library (and subjected to the inexplicable glares of the librarian) find themselves uniting when forced to foil a robbery plan.
  • A Split Second by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: opioids, opioid crisis + 5 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller, political, tragedy
    Keyword: opioids, opioid crisis, police, motherhood, missing child, drug addiction, trauma
    Selected for Plays for Us by The Actors Center (2020)

    (10 Min) In two different places two unrelated women--a parent with a missing child, and a traumatized driver--speak about recent events that, unknown to them, are tragically connected.
  • Street by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, immersive + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, Black Lives Matters + 3 more
    Genre: drama, immersive, tragedy
    Keyword: monologue, Black Lives Matters, George Floyd, Minneapolis, inanimate objects
    (Monologue) A street outside Cup Foods, Minneapolis, speaks to us.
  • Sugar by Jennifer O'Grady
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: domestic violence, domestic abuse + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: domestic violence, domestic abuse, neighbor, two-hander, 2 women, sugar
    (10 Min) Lilia is started when her new neighbor Jaden knocks on her door and asks to borrow sugar. But Jaden has an ulterior motive that has nothing to do with sugar, and everything to do with Lilia.
  • Theoni V. Aldredge, Costume Designer, Speaks by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: costumes, theater + 7 more
    Genre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, immersive, radio drama
    Keyword: costumes, theater, film, historical women, Greek-American, Immigrants, monologue, feminism, 365 Women a Year
    Produced by Tutti Bravi Productions (2021)

    (Monologue) Award-winning, Greek-American costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge speaks about what women and immigrants can do.
  • Tomorrow or Next Year by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, high school + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gun control, high school, school shooting, gun violence, good roles for teenagers, PTSD
    Published in Feels Blind Literary (2019)

    (5 Min) Mackenzie wants to help. Caroline wants to forget. A play about growing up in today's United States.
  • Waiting by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: takeout, engagement + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, farce, immersive, satire, young audiences
    Keyword: takeout, engagement, diamond ring, Fathers and Daughters, biological clock, children of divorce, teenage girl
    Premiering in Weathervane Playhouse's 2022 8x10 Theatrefest

    (10 Min--A Hailey Play, #2) It's a new year and teenager Hailey's dad is getting married to his girlfriend Sandra--except that Sandra doesn't actually know it yet. When Dad tries to surprise Sandra with an engagement ring but things go terribly wrong, Hailey comes to the rescue and proves once again that adults aren't always observant.
  • Walkies by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: dog, 2 women + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: dog, 2 women, women40+, divorce, winter, grief, anger
    Selected for "Snowed Under" by Caravan Productions (2021)

    (10 Min) An unexpected tragedy forges an unexpected connection. (CW: Pet loss)
  • We Were Happy by Jennifer O'Grady
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: immigration, women + 7 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, immersive, science fiction, zoom
    Keyword: immigration, women, women's history, memory, aging, family, Sisters, NYC, Lower East Side history
    (10-15 Min) Two Italian-American sisters remember growing up on New York's lower Eastside and find that their memories differ. But they were happy there. Maybe.