Tiffany Antone

Tiffany Antone

Tiffany likes weird stuff. And spectacle. And making theatremakers ask "How the hell am I going to do THAT?" but, like, in a really good way. Her plays are imaginative, highly visual, bold, and (quite often) hilarious. Her plays have been read and/or performed in Los Angeles, New York, D.C., and Minneapolis. Tiffany's play, TWIGS AND BONE recently enjoyed rave reviews for a three-month run...
Tiffany likes weird stuff. And spectacle. And making theatremakers ask "How the hell am I going to do THAT?" but, like, in a really good way. Her plays are imaginative, highly visual, bold, and (quite often) hilarious. Her plays have been read and/or performed in Los Angeles, New York, D.C., and Minneapolis. Tiffany's play, TWIGS AND BONE recently enjoyed rave reviews for a three-month run with Nu Sass Productions in Washington, DC. CRICKET WOMAN MOTHER EARTH (OR) A NASTY COMEUPPANCE, (a past O’Neil finalist) enjoyed a workshop at The Boston Court as part of their 2017 New Play Festival. Her award-winning play, IN THE COMPANY OF JANE DOE, has been produced on both coasts. She is a past Hawthornden Fellow, Great Plains Theatre Conference selectee, and has been a finalist for both the O’Neill and Jerome playwriting awards. Tiffany was also one of HowlRound.com’s Here and Now Series playwrights. Her play THE GOOD BOOK is available through Concord Theatricals. During the pandemic, Tiffany began PlagueWrites, which is a collaborative writing project invested in creating outdoor and immersive plays. Their first play, ALICE IN QUARANTINE: A DRIVE-THRU ADVENTURE has been produced several times and is published with Next Stage Press.

Tiffany holds her MFA in Playwriting from UCLA, and currently lives/teaches in Iowa where she writes for stage and screen. She is an Affiliated Member of the Playwrights' Center, and member of The Dramatists Guild, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, and The Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative (for whom she is also a contributing blogger). She also runs Little Black Dress INK, a female playwright producing organization, and Protest Plays Project.

Plays

  • The Princess Ampersand Has Some Notes
    *Brand Spankin' New!*
    Once upon a time there was a princess
    who fell in love with the seamstress’ daughter.
    So her parents had her put to sleep
    in the hopes that a prince,
    or a duke,
    or any kind of male identifying dude, really,
    would awaken her with a kiss.
    Ten years later, she’s still asleep and knocked up!
    (Who came up this stupid plan,...
    *Brand Spankin' New!*
    Once upon a time there was a princess
    who fell in love with the seamstress’ daughter.
    So her parents had her put to sleep
    in the hopes that a prince,
    or a duke,
    or any kind of male identifying dude, really,
    would awaken her with a kiss.
    Ten years later, she’s still asleep and knocked up!
    (Who came up this stupid plan, anyway?)
    Good thing her one true love
    (Bronwyn, the seamstress’ daughter, duh)
    has finally made her way to the Princess’ bedside
    to wake her up
    and help her exact revenge on her parents,
    her rapist,
    and the stupid fecking witch bitch who cast the spell in the first place.

    THE PRINCESS AMPERSAND HAS SOME NOTES is a queer love story wrapped in a fairytale and covered in blood.
  • The Space Between Her Legs
    Maybell has a problem: Guys never stick around after she sleeps with them. She thinks she just needs to adjust her dating radar, but when her court-appointed gynecologist discovers that Maybell's vagina is actually sending her lovers to space, the federal government decides it wants a piece of the action, leading Maybell to ask "Am I Woman, or am I Weapon?"
  • My God, Ruby! My God
    **BRAND NEW** Climate change has delivered us to the dystopian old west, where Maureen and her daughter Ruby may just be the last two surviving women on the planet. Leev, Mattie, and E.B. are survivors who just can't believe their luck when these two agree to set up camp with them and build some kind of Eden together. Too bad Leev's estranged (and no-good) brother, Portus, finds their camp,...
    **BRAND NEW** Climate change has delivered us to the dystopian old west, where Maureen and her daughter Ruby may just be the last two surviving women on the planet. Leev, Mattie, and E.B. are survivors who just can't believe their luck when these two agree to set up camp with them and build some kind of Eden together. Too bad Leev's estranged (and no-good) brother, Portus, finds their camp, disturbing the peace and cracking open terrible secrets which put this make-shift family's whole delicate balance in peril.

    A rich and fast-paced play that digs in to (and dismantles) some familiar tropes to devastating effect.
  • Twigs and Bone
    *Now available through Broadway Play Publishing!*

    After her estranged parent’s phone line has been disconnected, Moira Lane begrudgingly returns to the home she abandoned eight years ago only to find things far worse than she could have feared. Her father, William, has taken to peeing in coffee mugs and her mother, Bonnie, claims to have had a miraculous birth. Believing the “baby” to be her...
    *Now available through Broadway Play Publishing!*

    After her estranged parent’s phone line has been disconnected, Moira Lane begrudgingly returns to the home she abandoned eight years ago only to find things far worse than she could have feared. Her father, William, has taken to peeing in coffee mugs and her mother, Bonnie, claims to have had a miraculous birth. Believing the “baby” to be her youngest daughter reincarnated, Bonnie is convinced that Faeries in the woods have blessed the family with a second chance. As a terrible storm moves in, Moira must battle her family’s madness and navigate the years of guilt and grief feeding the storm if she has any hope of getting out alive.

    Developed at The Hawthornden International Writer’s Retreat and Theatricum Botanicum

    Conferences: Great Plains Theatre Conference, 2014

    Finalist: Jerome Fellowship, 2010

    Semi-Finalist: O’Neill Playwright’s Conference, 2010 and Bay Area Playwrights Festival, 2010
  • [UNTITLED CHRISTMAS CAROL PROJECT] A Holiday Story With Ghosts and Sticks
    **BRAND SPANKIN' NEW!**
    What happens when a somewhat cynical, socially focused theatre-maker adapts Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? She deconstructs the whole thing, excises the improbably reformed capitalist/sugar-daddy ending, and puts the plot in the audiences’ hands, of course!

    This meta-theatrical, highly interactive play is brought to life by old, dead Marley, who leads a...
    **BRAND SPANKIN' NEW!**
    What happens when a somewhat cynical, socially focused theatre-maker adapts Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? She deconstructs the whole thing, excises the improbably reformed capitalist/sugar-daddy ending, and puts the plot in the audiences’ hands, of course!

    This meta-theatrical, highly interactive play is brought to life by old, dead Marley, who leads a cadre of self-aware characters, and includes a puppet wrestling match, bloody piñata explosion, food, prizes, dancing, and a whole lotta’ laughs.

    **Definitely excited about further development - this is a first draft!**
  • Cricket Woman Mother Earth (or) A Nasty Comeuppance
    Aura Bloom can’t sleep. She’s consumed with grief over our ever-warming planet and despaired over recent social/political events. So, when Aura seduces an unsuspecting Census Worker in a last ditch grab for consolation (who later mysteriously dies in her bed) and claims he’s impregnated her, it’s no wonder that her husband, Billy, thinks she’s gone over the edge. In the months that follow, Billy tries to...
    Aura Bloom can’t sleep. She’s consumed with grief over our ever-warming planet and despaired over recent social/political events. So, when Aura seduces an unsuspecting Census Worker in a last ditch grab for consolation (who later mysteriously dies in her bed) and claims he’s impregnated her, it’s no wonder that her husband, Billy, thinks she’s gone over the edge. In the months that follow, Billy tries to navigate his anger over Aura’s infidelity, while Aura prepares to birth an extinction level plague; Mother Earth’s final punishment for mankind’s carelessness.

    A play about crickets, politics, sex, unemployment, and… oh yeah, the end of the world.

    *Boston Court New Play Reading Festival selection, 2017
    *Finalist: O’Neill Playwright’s Conference, 2011
  • Ana and the Closet
    Ana’s life finally seems to be getting back to normal. She has a loving husband, good credit, and she just found the perfect dress, one that practically sings when she puts it on. So it’s no surprise really that things are about to get messy. See, Ana’s first husband, David, didn’t die in a military crash after all. He’s been a prisoner of war for the past 3 years, and the army just called to let her know...
    Ana’s life finally seems to be getting back to normal. She has a loving husband, good credit, and she just found the perfect dress, one that practically sings when she puts it on. So it’s no surprise really that things are about to get messy. See, Ana’s first husband, David, didn’t die in a military crash after all. He’s been a prisoner of war for the past 3 years, and the army just called to let her know he’s back. Now Ana has to decide how much her heart can take. And if that weren’t enough, David brought back something with him. Something dark, and dangerous, and it lives in the closet.

    Part surrealistic comedy, part romantic odyssey, Ana and the Closet, is a simple story set amidst today’s confusing times.

    Winner: Tim Robbins Award and Marianne Murphy Women & Philanthropy Award in Playwriting

    Finalist: Jerome Fellowship, 2009

    Semi-Finalist: O’Neill Playwright’s Conference, 2009
  • In the Company of Jane Doe
    Jane Doe cannot explain how the frozen cod got in her briefcase, she cannot explain why she keeps dreaming about snow, and she certainly doesn’t understand why she is being kept awake night after night with dreams of a little man slicing her into bite-size pieces. What she does know, however, is that she needs to get to the bottom of things before these mysterious “Incidents” get in the way of the biggest...
    Jane Doe cannot explain how the frozen cod got in her briefcase, she cannot explain why she keeps dreaming about snow, and she certainly doesn’t understand why she is being kept awake night after night with dreams of a little man slicing her into bite-size pieces. What she does know, however, is that she needs to get to the bottom of things before these mysterious “Incidents” get in the way of the biggest promotion of her life! When the eccentric Dr. Snafu offers to clone her, she leaps at the opportunity. What she doesn’t realize though, is that by failing to disclose her multiple plastic surgeries she will come face to face with the “Jane-that-could-have-been”, thus forcing her to confront her own inner demons. What follows is a riotous, and fantastical, journey through one woman’s fight for self-discovery.

    Developed with UCLA, and The Theatricum Botanicum

    Productions: LA Theatre Ensemble – 2008, CAKE Productions (NY) – 2012

    Winner:
    New Works for Young Women, University of Tulsa
    New Plays on Campus, The Playwrights’ Center
    Dini Ostrov Stage Spirit Award
    Hal Kanter Award in Comedy Writing
    Marianne Murphy Women & Philanthropy Award in Playwriting

    Finalist: Princess Grace Awards, 2006

    FULL SCRIPT AVAILABLE AT INDIE THEATER NOW: http://www.indietheaternow.com/Play/in-the-company-of-jane-doe
  • ALICE IN QUARANTINE: A Drive-Thru Adventure Play
    Curious times call for curiouser measures…

    Eleven intrepid playwrights have teamed up to write a most peculiar pandemic-proof play: ALICE IN QUARANTINE: A Drive-Thru Adventure. Co-written by Tiffany Antone, Allie Costa, Sharon Goldner, Jen Huszcza, Mildred Inez Lewis, Charissa Menefee, Amanda Petefish-Schrag, Micki Shelton, Taylor Sklenar, Cynthia Wands, and Jennie Webb, this exciting outdoor...
    Curious times call for curiouser measures…

    Eleven intrepid playwrights have teamed up to write a most peculiar pandemic-proof play: ALICE IN QUARANTINE: A Drive-Thru Adventure. Co-written by Tiffany Antone, Allie Costa, Sharon Goldner, Jen Huszcza, Mildred Inez Lewis, Charissa Menefee, Amanda Petefish-Schrag, Micki Shelton, Taylor Sklenar, Cynthia Wands, and Jennie Webb, this exciting outdoor theatre event was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

    What does “Pandemic-Proof” mean?

    - All scenes have been written to be performed by 1-3 actors, and they do NOT need to be near one another or audience members.
    - As a Drive-Thru Adventure, the play takes place outside and audiences move through the scenes in their cars, creating safe social distancing for all.
    - The carnivalesque atmosphere includes additional Covid-safe drive-thru activities like a Caucus Race Pitstop, Playing-Card Cornhole, and Wonderland Selfie Stops!

    Thinking Outside the Theatre Box!

    CUSTOMIZABLE! This innovative script offers multiple scene options per chapter, making it highly customizable for your company.

    GREAT FOR COMPANIES OF ANY SIZE— Regional, Community, University, and High School Theatre!

    FAMILY-FRIENDLY! Fun for all ages.

    A bounty of design/performance opportunities! This unique theatrical event allows for an incredible variety of production approaches and provides fun acting, design, and directing opportunities for your company!

    **MORE INFO ABOUT THIS PLAY and other collaborative pandemic-proof projects at www.PlagueWrites.com**
  • Plays on Parade!
    These plays have been written to be performed outside and from a distance. The actors do not get close to each other! Pieces range in tone and style: An epic battle between a couple of rowdy germs and hand sanitizer, friends exchanging bread and coping strategies, a pair of dinosaurs facing down the end of an era, a new couple's first (but socially-distant) non-Zoom date... In total, there are twelve fun...
    These plays have been written to be performed outside and from a distance. The actors do not get close to each other! Pieces range in tone and style: An epic battle between a couple of rowdy germs and hand sanitizer, friends exchanging bread and coping strategies, a pair of dinosaurs facing down the end of an era, a new couple's first (but socially-distant) non-Zoom date... In total, there are twelve fun, weird, short plays and monologues to choose from!

    I originally envisioned these plays being performed in community neighborhoods like a parade - with the actors driving to selected stopping points where each short play/monologue has its moment. Then actors get back in their cars and move on to the next stopping point to perform for the audience on that street. People could watch from their lawns, all socially distant and safe! How fun! BUT - that's not the only creative way to get theatre out of the box and into your community. These pieces could be performed as drive-up theatre (like a drive-in movie) or in any other number of creative ways. The essential thing is: Have fun with a new performance space/style! Be safe! And select as many of the pieces in this collection as works for you. Also, don't be afraid to incorporate some dance numbers - socially distant of course - or other fun performances. Does someone in your company juggle? Eat fire? Are they a contortionist? Create as many non-acting acts as works for you/your company and have fun bringing theatre to your community!

    **These are all brand new pieces. I am happy to workshop any of them as needed with your company!**
  • From the Rubble
    When the end of the world interrupts Jack’s busy day at the office, he is more then a little depressed at the prospect of spending his final moments with Pete, his pet rock. Not long after his office caves in however, Tori, a free spirited accountant from down the hall, hammers her way through his office wall with her high heel. He is looking for salvation; she’s just looking for the bathroom. Together they...
    When the end of the world interrupts Jack’s busy day at the office, he is more then a little depressed at the prospect of spending his final moments with Pete, his pet rock. Not long after his office caves in however, Tori, a free spirited accountant from down the hall, hammers her way through his office wall with her high heel. He is looking for salvation; she’s just looking for the bathroom. Together they find the answers, but not in the forms they expect. You see, God has a little plan of her own, and it requires a higher commitment than either Jack, or Tori, have ever had to make before.

    *This play may be performed as a 1-act utilizing the first act of the script only. In this case, the script will call for 1 W, and 1 M.

    Developed with NEW Plays NEW Voices at UCLA Playreading Series

    Winner: Marianne Murphy Women & Philanthropy Award in Playwriting
  • Ham Brown's House
    About a year ago Paul Brown returned to the family farm. He entered the house while no one was home, took off all his clothes and shot himself in the head. Now, a year later, Ginny Mae Brown has moved back to the family farm to take care of her ailing Mother and quick-tempered father, but things aren’t quite right in Ham Brown’s House. Ham is convinced his daughter is trying to kill him, his wife can’t speak...
    About a year ago Paul Brown returned to the family farm. He entered the house while no one was home, took off all his clothes and shot himself in the head. Now, a year later, Ginny Mae Brown has moved back to the family farm to take care of her ailing Mother and quick-tempered father, but things aren’t quite right in Ham Brown’s House. Ham is convinced his daughter is trying to kill him, his wife can’t speak, the nosy family physician keeps coming round to check on things, and his favored son John hasn’t been home since the funeral. All Ham wants is some peace and quiet , but that might be hard to do with Ginny poking around.

    Left to put together pieces of an old family secret, hidden away for 33 years, Ginny starts to wonder, what is Opal hiding? Did she really suffer a stroke or was she the victim of some sort of attack? What does Doc Housman know that makes Ham bristle at his very name? Why hasn’t John come home, and what is on that old movie reel that has got Opal so terrified of Ham? Events unfold in a pressure cooker of emotion until the final scene, where the old projector is once again found and Ginny Mae serves up a final reckoning.

    Finalist: Princess Grace Awards, 2008
    Semi-Finalist: 2009 Eileen Heckart Drama for Seniors Competition
  • Long Distance MadLib plays
    Five short plays for 2 or 3 actors. Free to use for educational purposes. Written to be performed online during quarantine. Please let me know if you use these - would love to see the final results and hear about your process.
  • Vagina of Vengeance
    A woman thinks she's figured out a way to safely navigate the world by hiding her vagina in a box, but is surprised to find that her vagina has plans of its own!
  • Misery Loves Company
    Jax isn't handling isolation very well and maybe oversold his distress to Billy, who shows up in worse shape than Jax. A short, sweet, play about friendship during these very lonely times.
  • The Egg
    A chicken tries to dispose an unplanned egg the best way she knows how, but her nosy neighbor can't keep his trunk out of her business.
  • Hat Trick
    JP's children have come back to the nest after struggling to find employment. While his daughter has found part time work as a substitute teacher, his son Mike is floundering (and spending way too much time engaging in comment battles with readers of the local online newspaper). JP tries to connect with his son while they watch the community's 4th of July Parade, but finds it's not as easy as...
    JP's children have come back to the nest after struggling to find employment. While his daughter has found part time work as a substitute teacher, his son Mike is floundering (and spending way too much time engaging in comment battles with readers of the local online newspaper). JP tries to connect with his son while they watch the community's 4th of July Parade, but finds it's not as easy as it used to be. Written for HowlRound's Here and Now Project.
  • Aztec, NM
    A #TheatreActionGunControl play written in response to the Aztec, NM shooting in Dec 2017.
  • Aphrodiseasiacs
    What happens when two viruses meet on an empty theatre stage? Things get intimate and weird... and then messy. Thank goodness Hand Sanitizer shows up... A super strange (and hopefully fun) short play.
  • What If...
    Skit and Doodle finally get to hang out after too long quarantining at home. Too bad their parents' paranoia has sunk into their own skulls and is coloring the moment...
  • Pickle Eye
    Joi and Indy haven't seen each other in a while, so they're really happy to meet in a socially distanced manner. Too bad Joi isn't very good at maintaining the distance. It's okay though, because Indy came armed.
  • Love in the Time of Quarantine
    A couple reunites (at a safe distance) after too much pandemic-prescribed time apart, but one of them can't resist a little manufactured drama.
  • The Drop
    Luz has gotten really into bread. Like, REALLY into it. Trying to share their bounty with Jar and Beany proves to be really frustrating, however, when the friends express doubts about Luz's quarantine baking habits.
  • RAWR!
    A couple of forlorn T-Rexes mull the end of the world while cursing out their nemeses, the velociraptors.
  • The Low Tide Gang
    Four odd gentleman, one sandy room, two shovels, a curious board game, and a couple of unexpected guests make this absurdist play quite an unusual ride. THE LOW TIDE GANG is an "examination of masculinity, violence, gender stereotypes and power dynamics—with a hefty dose of fearless good humor." *Brand New Work - development opps welcome!*
  • Ungrateful Adam
    Adam has some notes? For God? About this "Eve" person?
    Maybe God will care...

    A one-minute monologue