Craig Houk

3 Female, 3 Male, 1 Any Gender • Two Act/Full Length • ~120 Mins

​Four vengeful, narcissistic actors, with the assistance of a brutish stage manager and a cynical stagehand, abduct and hold captive a theater critic notorious for shutting down productions and ending careers through his malicious reviews. To confound matters, they intend to carry their plan out during a performance of a show they’re all currently appearing in. Less than an hour before the curtain is due to rise, their scheme begins to quickly unravel as we discover that none of the conspirators are familiar with the actual plan or its designed outcome. Brute Farce is a satirical commentary on the perpetually symbiotic, oftentimes dysfunctional, and occasionally turbulent relationship between actors and reviewers.

3 Female, 2 Male • Two Act/Full Length • ~120 Mins

Years before the horrific mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, thirty-two men perished in an arson attack at a gay bar in New Orleans on June 24, 1973, a fire set by one of their own. On that same evening, Sydney “Syd” Trahan, a young nursing student, is taken into custody for dancing at Brady’s, a notorious lesbian bar in the French Quarter nearby. Immediately following her arrest, Syd’s parents, Bud and Helen, struggle to gain control over their lives and to restore normalcy. At the same time, their neighbors, Beau and Beverly Larson, are hiding their own dark secrets that intertwine with both the fire and Syd’s arrest. While Syd demands the chance to be the person she’s meant to be, the Trahans and Larsons are forced to face the truth.

5 Female, 4 Male • Two Act/Full Length • ~150 Mins

Carly Weekes and her sisters, Lolly and Shirley, are witches. Determined to find Carly a mate, the three cast a circle to summon a popular recording artist from Colorado. However, Shirley casts what appears to be a dubious and deadly spell. Worried that Carly and her new family might now be cursed, Lolly endeavors to reverse the hex, but fails, resulting in her expulsion to an alternate world. Years later, the Pacheco twins mysteriously drown. The case goes cold, but many believe Carly’s oldest son, Johnny, is responsible. Cold Rain is an account of a family bound by black magic, a dark and sometimes comical tale of ill-conceived machinations, misdirected resentment, and repressed desire.

2 Male, 1 Female • Two Act/Full Length • ~105 Mins

Oscar winner, Jack Dunn, returns to Connecticut after being gone for nearly four years in McGrath, Alaska. His closest friend, Wade Henry, also an award-winning actor, has something Jack wants. After a long evening of drinking and poker with their pals, Jack and Wade, both eager to cement their legacies, face off one last time. Or so it seems.

2 Male • One Act/Full Length • ~90 Mins

Lou Brunazzi & André Cooper live across the hall from each other in the basement of a shabby apartment building in the Bronx. On the landing between their units stands a noisy radiator, which is connected to a deteriorating boiler. Determined to stop the whistling, hissing & banging that’s keeping him awake at night, André endeavors to turn the radiator off, but is cut short by Lou who is determined to keep it running at all costs. What begins as a battlefield between two headstrong men slowly evolves into a makeshift sitting room where the pair begin to form a unique and lasting bond.

5 Female, 2 Male • Two Act/Full Length • ~120 Mins

Pete, a working-class schmuck, hatches an ill-laid scheme to console Peggy Lynn, a beautician & his allegedly infertile wife, by conceiving a child outside their marriage.

8 Female, 2 Male, 1 Any Gender (Doubling Optional) • Six Intersecting Playlets • ~90 Mins

LOST IN PLACE is an anthology of six short intersecting plays, some of which can stand alone, but are intended to be performed as a group.

BARBARA & JODY: A few weeks into a world-wide pandemic, Barbara is called into a police station to provide a witness statement. Jody, the detective assigned to the case, has a special request.

HANK & TEDDY: Early into a world-wide pandemic, good-natured Teddy, from across the road, checks in on his surly neighbor, Hank. A delicate exchange results in a bad decision.

MARLENE & GINNY: Early into a world-wide pandemic, Marlene and her mother-in-law, Ginny, decide to get fancy and make martinis. Their fun, however, is interrupted by that damn lesbian from next door, who's hell-bent on stealing their rutabagas. Seems Dwayne, Marlene's infant child, has slept through the whole ruckus.

TRINA & ADELE: A year or so into a world-wide pandemic, Adele pays Trina a visit to follow up on a commitment she made.

RHONDA & DANIELLE: ​Two or more years into a world-wide pandemic, next door neighbors, Rhonda and Danielle, gossip with one another while dealing with the loss of their significant others. ​

JODY & CHARLENE: Several years into a worldwide pandemic, Charlene – looking for shelter – shows up on Jody’s doorstep with two of her three daughters.

10 Female, 5 Male (Doubling, Tripling) • Two Act/Full Length • ~105 Mins

Cleary’s Delicatessen has been the most popular dining destination in Clarksville, Tennessee for nearly fifty years. Nowadays the business practically runs itself. It’s best-selling item? Grandma Cleary’s potato salad. Three generations of Cleary men have reaped the rewards of its success. And now young Herb Cleary will be the next to take the reins. One minor problem, however: Herb ain’t right in the head.

1 Female, 1 Male • One Act Playlet • ~20 Mins

An estate lawyer pays a strategic visit to a man hellbent on finding his other shoe.