James Van Eaton

James Van Eaton

James Van Eaton is a former bookstore owner currently working on a BA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. The second of his four novels, Chasing Moonshine, was twice adapted for the stage, and his full-length play Help Me was performed in Portland, OR as a reader’s theatre in 2018 and will be produced in October of 2023 in Sacramento, CA. His short plays have been performed by both...
James Van Eaton is a former bookstore owner currently working on a BA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. The second of his four novels, Chasing Moonshine, was twice adapted for the stage, and his full-length play Help Me was performed in Portland, OR as a reader’s theatre in 2018 and will be produced in October of 2023 in Sacramento, CA. His short plays have been performed by both community colleges and community theaters. You can find his stories, plays, poetry, and essays in New Moon Magazine, The Sierra Journal, The Broken Clock Magazine, Interplay Magazine, and the Cedar Valley Divide.

Plays

  • Americana (5 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    2–12
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: America, Americana + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, period, young audiences
    Keyword: America, Americana, young love, 4th of July, flirty
    In this short, sweet play without dialogue, teens Kenny and Jean watch Fourth of July fireworks and experience what it’s like to be young and carefree.
  • Daughter of Fire: Medea in Athens (5 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Euripides, Medea + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, fable/folktale, period, tragedy
    Keyword: Euripides, Medea, sequel, greek, mythology, classics
    Daughter of Fire envisions Medea’s tense and tenuous position with her benefactor as he discovers the truth behind her appalling murders and her flight to Athens following the conclusion of Euripides’ classic tragedy,
  • The Hand of God (10 min) by James Van Eaton
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, period + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: American Civil War, soldiers + 3 more
    Genre: drama, period, political
    Keyword: American Civil War, soldiers, historical, standoff, god
    As the American Civil War draws to a close, two confederate soldiers meet on an abandoned train platform. One has been sent to kill the other, and neither reason, nor moral argument, seems capable of preventing the death.
  • Infamy, inc. (30 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: celebrity, satire + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, satire
    Keyword: celebrity, satire, dark comedy, PR
    In this scathing satire of celebrity culture, Trina Bell, the dynamic, top agent for a mysterious PR firm bursts into the home of up-and-coming actor/ musician Elliot Bruce determined to convince him that the best thing he can do for his career is kill himself in a truly spectacular fashion.
  • New Light (10 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental
    ·
    Keyword: absurdism, miscarriage + 2 more
    Genre: drama, experimental
    Keyword: absurdism, miscarriage, Therapy, overcoming
    Sam has a brand-new apartment filled with light. She has her best friend Lana to help her move in. But when she hears a baby cry, the edges of her reality start to blur, and Sam must confront the thing she has been running from.
  • No More Roses (10 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Relationships, couples + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Relationships, couples, rural America, dating, single moms
    Danny shows up with flowers yet again asking forgiveness from Kate, a mother who must consider her own feelings and those of her young daughter in this strong, stirring argument about what it means to love.
  • Reconstruction (10 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: grandfather, grandpa + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: grandfather, grandpa, adoption, suicide, coping, Depression
    Reconstruction is a short play about a man who has recently lost his adult daughter to suicide and taken custody of his teenage granddaughter. In the man’s workshop, the grandfather and the granddaughter discuss who the mother was and what she meant to them, as well as the various ways they are both trying to move on. Emotions run high on both sides, but eventually they settle into a loving kind of truce and find a sense of peace.
  • Testimony (10 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    2–3
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental
    ·
    Keyword: couples, love + 3 more
    Genre: drama, experimental
    Keyword: couples, love, violence, overcoming, monologues
    This short play, composed of interconnected monologues, features the testimonies of three unique witnesses to a physical altercation at a bar. First, Nick tells his side of the story, then Nick’s girlfriend Cassie, who finds Nick being beaten on the floor, then Nick's Rage, who fleshes out the account and reveals the piece to be a desperate sort of love story.
  • Vertical Daylight (15 min) by James Van Eaton
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Seniors, Depression + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Seniors, Depression, lonely, friendship, witty, diner
    Five nights a week, lonely retiree Sylvia visits the same greasy-spoon diner and the same sassy, young waitress for comfort, support, and consistency, but a break in that routine forces her to confront thoughts that she’d rather not face.