Brian David Walker

Brian David Walker

Brian David Walker’s plays include DOG (published by Broadway Play Publishing 2021), Deer Island (2021 BAPF semi-finalist), American Coot (2018 O’Neil semi-finalist, 2018 Roots of the Bluegrass New Play Award), High Tide (2017 O’Neil semi-finalist, Orlando Shakes’ PlayFest semi-finalist and PlayPenn finalist), POST, dirty sexy derby play and Great American Sex Play. He has had plays developed at Walking Shadow...
Brian David Walker’s plays include DOG (published by Broadway Play Publishing 2021), Deer Island (2021 BAPF semi-finalist), American Coot (2018 O’Neil semi-finalist, 2018 Roots of the Bluegrass New Play Award), High Tide (2017 O’Neil semi-finalist, Orlando Shakes’ PlayFest semi-finalist and PlayPenn finalist), POST, dirty sexy derby play and Great American Sex Play. He has had plays developed at Walking Shadow Reader’s Theatre (2020), Cincinnati Lab Theatre (2020), The Bard’s Town (2017/2019), Actors Workshop Louisville (2016), Theatre [502] (2014/2015), UP Theatre Company (2014), Capital Stage’s Playwrights Revolution (2014), Nashville Repertory Theatre (2013), Last Frontier Theatre Festival (2012) and Great Plains Playwrights Conference (2009). He is the co-founder of Derby City Playwrights, a new play development lab for Louisville playwrights. He currently serves as the Kentucky Regional Rep for the Dramatists Guild.

Plays

  • Deer Island by Brian David Walker
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    6–11
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: dark comedy, friends + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror
    Keyword: dark comedy, friends, deer, Native American mythology, LGBTQ, siblings, lesbian waterparks, gay and lesbian
    Full length
    Six lives converge over the future of a stretch of highway that may have a unique and highly
    intelligent deer population living within its borders. It’s a dark play about friendships, identity
    and the encroachment of the little bit of land that our wildlife have left.
  • American Coot by Brian David Walker
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: dementia, ensemble + 8 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: dementia, ensemble, siblings, coots, aliens, Maine, lake house, camp, family drama, strong female roles
    Full length
    American Coot is a play about a woman at the onset of dementia, who brings her four children together to decide who she is leaving her lakefront camp in Orono, Maine to when she dies. Aliens visit at night as the line between mythology and reality is blurred. It examines a mother's struggles as she comes to terms with the final details of her life, while also dealing with the recent...
    Full length
    American Coot is a play about a woman at the onset of dementia, who brings her four children together to decide who she is leaving her lakefront camp in Orono, Maine to when she dies. Aliens visit at night as the line between mythology and reality is blurred. It examines a mother's struggles as she comes to terms with the final details of her life, while also dealing with the recent death of her eldest child and the vocal and offensive coots which inhabit and make their nests on the banks of the lake.
  • CPR on the Lost Continent by Brian David Walker
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, atlantis + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: LGBTQ, atlantis, Kentucky, Southern gay, mythology, coming out
    Full length
    In a suburban neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky Mary lives with her son Scotty next door to Rick and his husband Foster. Their backyards are separated by a chain link fence, Mary and Scotty have a pool and Rick and Foster do not. The play opens with Rick giving CPR to Scotty after Scotty’s had an accident and almost drowned in his pool. As Mary’s feelings about living next to a gay...
    Full length
    In a suburban neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky Mary lives with her son Scotty next door to Rick and his husband Foster. Their backyards are separated by a chain link fence, Mary and Scotty have a pool and Rick and Foster do not. The play opens with Rick giving CPR to Scotty after Scotty’s had an accident and almost drowned in his pool. As Mary’s feelings about living next to a gay couple becomes abundantly clear, Scotty and Rick form a friendship over water and artifacts. As the four individual’s lives explode, redemption is found in the most unlikely places.
  • Dog by Brian David Walker
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: dark comedy
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    Keyword: dogs, animals + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: dogs, animals, pets, Black comedy, Strong Female Characters
    Full length
    Bailey has lost her dog. She’s searched for it for over a year. One day, she’s walking in the park and sees her dog, and he’s being walked by someone else. DOG is a play about four people whose lives intersect over a dog. It’s about trying to get back what’s lost and examines how sometimes people can act like dogs and dogs can act like people.
  • Shot Me Down by Brian David Walker
    Cast: 
    10–17
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    Genre: drama, political + 2 more
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    Keyword: Gun, gun culture + 6 more
    Genre: drama, political, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: Gun, gun culture, gun debate, gun control, a political social satire, science fiction, Alternate history, Charlton Heston
    Full length
    Charlton Heston is president of the United States of America. An America where everyone is required to carry a gun and execution killing is sanctioned by law, in certain instances. An America that has dominated and rules the world, except for small pockets of resistance. Yvonne has shot her gun-innovating husband Xavier in a legally sanctioned kill and it causes a ripple of consequences...
    Full length
    Charlton Heston is president of the United States of America. An America where everyone is required to carry a gun and execution killing is sanctioned by law, in certain instances. An America that has dominated and rules the world, except for small pockets of resistance. Yvonne has shot her gun-innovating husband Xavier in a legally sanctioned kill and it causes a ripple of consequences that leads up to the president himself. Xavier was working on a top secret project which was going to change the way people kill each other forever. Yvonne finds herself on a search for her lost son in a tangled web of politics, unable to trust anyone or their intentions and ultimately has to decide what America will look like for her.
  • High Tide by Brian David Walker
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: siblings, octopus + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: siblings, octopus, road trip, mother, ocean, brother and sister
    Full length
    Bo, Triton and Hurley have never really gotten along that great. Competitiveness and divisiveness have always gone hand in hand with them being siblings, particularly as they became adults. When their mother dies, her last request is for them to finish the work she started as a marine-life vigilante and transport an octopus she’s stolen from poor conditions at a Florida aquarium to a friend...
    Full length
    Bo, Triton and Hurley have never really gotten along that great. Competitiveness and divisiveness have always gone hand in hand with them being siblings, particularly as they became adults. When their mother dies, her last request is for them to finish the work she started as a marine-life vigilante and transport an octopus she’s stolen from poor conditions at a Florida aquarium to a friend in Maine who will release it back to the waters from which it came. Part road trip comedy, part family drama and part mystical pilgrimage; it’s a play that looks at the relationships of brothers and sisters, of man and animal and the benefits of not always being completely sober.
  • Gamers 4 Life by Brian David Walker
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama, zoom
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    Keyword: video games, zoom + 2 more
    Genre: drama, zoom
    Keyword: video games, zoom, human connection, digital world
    10 MInute
    Two late night gamers struggle to find connection in the real world as they connect with each other in the digital world.
  • Great American Sex Play by Brian David Walker
    Cast: 
    12
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: Sex, sexuality + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, satire
    Keyword: Sex, sexuality, fluid sexuality, social satire, sex comedy, naughty play, large cast, simple set
    Full length
    Six volunteers agree to have their sexual identities and histories studied and picked apart for two weeks in an in-patient facility. Bonds are formed. Some engage in sex acts. Some share their truths in the hopes of having their problems solved. But the organization conducting the study have nefarious intentions that may cost the participants everything. GASP is a naughty social satire...
    Full length
    Six volunteers agree to have their sexual identities and histories studied and picked apart for two weeks in an in-patient facility. Bonds are formed. Some engage in sex acts. Some share their truths in the hopes of having their problems solved. But the organization conducting the study have nefarious intentions that may cost the participants everything. GASP is a naughty social satire focused on the fluidity of sexuality and the power of connection.
  • On the Road with Bernice and Robin by Brian David Walker
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: mother and daughter, road trip + 4 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, satire
    Keyword: mother and daughter, road trip, Americana, dark tourism, zoo, animals
    Full length
    As ROBIN’S life begins to spiral out of control, she decides she needs to locate her winning coloring sheet from a contest hosted by the Louisville Zoo when she was ten years old. She embarks on an American odyssey with her mother, BERNICE, going from zoo to zoo from Louisville to San Diego to get it back to get her back.
  • Cage (or the other side of tomorrow) by Brian David Walker
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    10
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    Genre: dark comedy, experimental + 4 more
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    Keyword: subversive, animals + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, experimental, horror, political, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: subversive, animals, treatment of animals, Outdoor, outdoor theater, social satire, cow
    Full length
    Bernie has lost his cat and can’t get out of bed. Avery has been arrested for attempted abortion. They are accused of crimes against society and ceasing to be of use to their fellow citizens, so they’ve been released to be processed as meat. They awaken in a cage at the slaughterhouse run by the Continental Operative Warrant, a newly formed government agency whose sole purpose is to feed...
    Full length
    Bernie has lost his cat and can’t get out of bed. Avery has been arrested for attempted abortion. They are accused of crimes against society and ceasing to be of use to their fellow citizens, so they’ve been released to be processed as meat. They awaken in a cage at the slaughterhouse run by the Continental Operative Warrant, a newly formed government agency whose sole purpose is to feed the mouths of America its meat. Cage is a subversive and dark science fiction social satire feast that asks the question: once animals are no longer here to feed us, what will we do next?
  • fb: a ghost story by Brian David Walker
    Cast: 
    8–12
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Facebook, grief + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror
    Keyword: Facebook, grief, loss, Elvis Presley, obsession, mental illness, digital grief, online memorial, addiction
    Full length
    fb: a ghost story is a play about grief in the digital age, obsession and what we give power to by our attention to it. Ted has lost his wife six months prior to an accidental prescription drug overdose. He has become obsessed with her Facebook page and is unable to move on with his life as he witnesses his wife continue to live online. Becky’s memories begin to haunt Ted and his grip on...
    Full length
    fb: a ghost story is a play about grief in the digital age, obsession and what we give power to by our attention to it. Ted has lost his wife six months prior to an accidental prescription drug overdose. He has become obsessed with her Facebook page and is unable to move on with his life as he witnesses his wife continue to live online. Becky’s memories begin to haunt Ted and his grip on reality becomes looser and looser as his obsession with her page becomes deeper and deeper.
  • The Friend Factory by Brian David Walker
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: friendship, LGBTQ + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: friendship, LGBTQ, dreams, gay, future, Fantasy, obsession
    Full length
    The Friend Factory is a dark comedy about friendship, finding yourself and what comes after Facebook. Jonas wants a boyfriend. Amy wants to hang out with Jonas. Jonas needs a break from Amy. He goes to a dream matcher called The Friend Factory to be set up with men in his dreams while he’s sleeping. Amy goes after him. What results is a bawdy and brutal cautionary tale about defining...
    Full length
    The Friend Factory is a dark comedy about friendship, finding yourself and what comes after Facebook. Jonas wants a boyfriend. Amy wants to hang out with Jonas. Jonas needs a break from Amy. He goes to a dream matcher called The Friend Factory to be set up with men in his dreams while he’s sleeping. Amy goes after him. What results is a bawdy and brutal cautionary tale about defining boundaries and keeping the ones you love in your life without killing them.