Drew Petriello

Drew Petriello

Originally from Seattle, now in Los Angeles. Theatre maker for over a decade. Lover of board games, heavy metal, and my demon cats. Plays performed at: Hollywood Fringe Festival, This is Water Theatre, Chapman University. Plays workshopped at: Theatre Asylum, Shawnee Playhouse, Steel River Playhouse, William Inge Festival. Publications Include: Sapere Aude, Merry-Go-Round-Magazine, Impostor Book.

Plays

  • Our Lady of Entropy by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: death, attempted suicide + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, horror, movement/physical
    Keyword: death, attempted suicide, medicine, Chance, chaos, magical realism, family, regret, addiction, religion
    After a freak accident at work, ER Doctor Wanda Venison attempts to take her own life with sleeping pills. Instead of dying, however, she is whisked away to St. Durgess' Research Hospital, an odd limbo-like place where the hospital staff are populated by people close to her. As her family seeks to pry open wounds Wanda'd rather keep closed, she becomes more and more determined to destroy the one thing...
    After a freak accident at work, ER Doctor Wanda Venison attempts to take her own life with sleeping pills. Instead of dying, however, she is whisked away to St. Durgess' Research Hospital, an odd limbo-like place where the hospital staff are populated by people close to her. As her family seeks to pry open wounds Wanda'd rather keep closed, she becomes more and more determined to destroy the one thing she believes has ruined her life: chance itself.
    Note: This play contains suicide (attempted and successful), strong language, and violence (including towards a child).
  • Anna St. Hesia Dreams by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: experimental, fable/folktale + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: anesthesia, dreams + 7 more
    Genre: experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, horror, movement/physical, tragedy
    Keyword: anesthesia, dreams, creation, absurd, waking up, tumors, art, loss, sacrifice responsibility
    Anna is trapped in an anesthesia-related coma. Her only way out is to sink deeper into fantasy – a dark fairytale where people weave dreams into tourist destinations. When reality isn’t worth it, is fantasy the next best thing?
  • Sunbathe in Darkness by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    8–14
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: fanfiction, emo + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, experimental, fantasy, movement/physical, parody/spoof, period, satire
    Keyword: fanfiction, emo, goth, teenagers, growing up, loneliness, absent parents, coping, pop culture
    In the distant past of 2007, Casey writes fanfiction for the hit Alfie Wunderkid series of books. She writes really, really, really bad fanfiction. On purpose. The plot makes no sense, the characters are inconsistent, the dialogue is at the level of a second grader who swears, and… it’s hugely popular. As the fanfiction comes to life, what started out as a joke slowly morphs into a way for her to cope with...
    In the distant past of 2007, Casey writes fanfiction for the hit Alfie Wunderkid series of books. She writes really, really, really bad fanfiction. On purpose. The plot makes no sense, the characters are inconsistent, the dialogue is at the level of a second grader who swears, and… it’s hugely popular. As the fanfiction comes to life, what started out as a joke slowly morphs into a way for her to cope with absentee parents, an overbearing sister, and having only one friend who, let’s just be honest, is a bit of a douche.
  • The Happiest Moment by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    6–12
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: entitlement, absurdism + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, horror, movement/physical, satire, tragedy
    Keyword: entitlement, absurdism, murder, violence, class, ensemble, chaos, control, gender relations
    Tel, shielded by her family's massive wealth, quite truly gets away with murder while adhering to a twisted philosophy. However, with the introduction of positive influences into her life she rebels against her psychosis, only for her demons to redouble their efforts.
  • (You Weren't Supposed to) Shoot the Dictator by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: revolution, developing nation + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, mystery/thriller, political, satire
    Keyword: revolution, developing nation, dictatorship, tyranny, Realism, Politics, power, betrayal, mistakes, greed
    Krado has spent years meticulously planning the revolution to overthrow the dictator of Rimedoj. And all that planning is for nothing when her compatriots wind up shooting the dictator prematurely. With an angry mob of the dictator’s supporters outside, the revolutionaries are running out of time to salvage the situation.
  • A Gap in the Melody by Drew Petriello
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    11–14
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: The Winter's Tale, grief + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, melodrama, tragedy, verse
    Keyword: The Winter's Tale, grief, loss, feminism, Classic, ensemble, epic
    Arepo: A tower filled with magic and illusions. Melody must reach the top of the tower before the psychotic Ruith hunts her down.

    Sicilia: A kingdom of sorrows. Paulina seeks to resurrect Queen Hermione with dark magic.

    Inspired by Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, the two separate worlds are joined through fantastical twists and turns in a tale that is both whimsical and...
    Arepo: A tower filled with magic and illusions. Melody must reach the top of the tower before the psychotic Ruith hunts her down.

    Sicilia: A kingdom of sorrows. Paulina seeks to resurrect Queen Hermione with dark magic.

    Inspired by Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, the two separate worlds are joined through fantastical twists and turns in a tale that is both whimsical and an exploration of how individuals grieve differently.
  • How to be Lazy and Not Feel Guilty by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    5–17
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: absurdism, Surreal + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, experimental, farce, movement/physical, satire
    Keyword: absurdism, Surreal, work, time, sleep, fever dream, nightmare
    Jenine is overworking herself to death and it's starting to fracture her mind. The one thing keeping her afloat is her relationship to Thomas, but even that is starting to deteriorate as she becomes stretched thinner and thinner. The lines of reality begin to blur and Jenine loses her ability to tell the difference between her imagination and the truth as the ensemble of "important people" threatens to consume her.
  • I Own You Now, Bitches by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: metatheatrical, hell + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, farce, satire
    Keyword: metatheatrical, hell, absurdism, actor's nightmare, god, for fun
    A playwright decides to torment his actors. How can the performers hope to fight back when every action of theirs is pre-determined by a sadistic madman?

    This goofy ten-minute play was written as part of a 24-hour play festival.
  • Don't Look Back by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: death, love + 7 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, parody/spoof, tragedy
    Keyword: death, love, grief, mythology, retelling, redemption, moving on, delusion, music
    What happened to Orpheus after he lost Eurydice? He wound up in a dive bar, of course. He drinks, plays sad music and moans about his dead wife to anyone who will listen. That is, until Sotiria, a fellow patron, decides that she's done feeding into his endless pity-party.
  • Four Hats and a Napkin Wreath by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: diner, date + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, radio drama, satire
    Keyword: diner, date, religion, absurdism, decisions, light
    Cassandra can't make decisions without thinking through all possible options, often leading to paralysis without making a decision at all. Blythe follows the perplexing rules laid out in the Best Book without question, no matter how strange. Their first date at Bold Betsy's Wishy-Washy Diner can only go well.
  • Gladiatorial Conduct: A Thinkpiece by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    3–10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: fascism, gladiators + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fable/folktale, parody/spoof, political, satire, tragedy
    Keyword: fascism, gladiators, antifa, streaming, fairness, complicity, sponsorship, plausible deniability
    Welcome to the First Annual Actual American Gladiator Tournament, now streaming on Nestlé TV+! We're here for a fair fight between Tiff and Turner. If only Tiff would stop being annoying, then this'd be nice clean fun. Please ignore Turner's Three Percenter tattoo.
    Contains: violence, strong language, bigotry.
  • To Speak Again by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    8–13
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: high school, teenagers + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, political, tragedy
    Keyword: high school, teenagers, graduation, Alcohol, music, LGBTQ, gun violence, guns
    Something's up at Rosewood Highschool...

    Follow the lives of five students as they navigate their way through a myriad of life-changing events. The clock is counting down until graduation comes and the pressure begins to build. Everyone is on the edge of exploding, and the volatile nature of hormones could be enough to send someone over the top at any second.
  • The Chain Link by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: isolation, loneliness + 5 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, fantasy, movement/physical, zoom
    Keyword: isolation, loneliness, Relationships, grief, love, letters, connection
    Breech and Rod are a couple on a mission to save their civilization, going on a journey deep into the planet's core in hopes to find the mythical Chain Link. The catch is that they must experience total isolation, living in their own separate pods floating in molten lava, their only form of communication a child's lunch box through which they can send letters to each other.
  • The Trash Heap Does Not Exist by Drew Petriello
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3–5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: trash, absurdist + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, movement/physical, satire
    Keyword: trash, absurdist, conspiracy, Garbage, environment, reality, roommates
    Cass returns from a business trip only to find her roommate, Denny, has created a massive Trash Heap... that he does not believe exists. Her attempts to gently bring him back to reality only draw her further into a web of conspiratorial nonsense, the depths of which she cannot begin to fathom.
  • Distance by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: suicide, Depression + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental
    Keyword: suicide, Depression, friendship, grief, moving away, loss, magical realism, Mental Health
    Komiya can't control herself. It's like she's telling herself what to do, but then she only barely does what she commands. Recovery is hard, but with a friend like Sonora, it just might be possible.
  • Ghostly Rights for Saint Stuffins' Yard by Drew Petriello
    Cast: 
    1–10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: ghosts, revolution + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, parody/spoof, radio drama, satire
    Keyword: ghosts, revolution, absurdist, romance, exorcism, bureaucracy, internship, activism
    A gleeful exorcist is pouring holy water on all of the ghosts in Saint Stuffins' Yard and it's up to a beleaguered ghost rights activist and his peppy intern to put a stop to her. They've dealt with plenty of exorcists before, but there's something about this one that proves more than the ghost rights duo has bargained for, culminating in an epic spectral slamdown that will change Saint Stuffins' forever.