"We're in a cemetery - don't talk about Halloween in a cemetery. All the dead bodies will come to life and surround you and spit at you."

All Hallowed

Mid 1990's, a world war II vet and father of three is buried on Halloween. At the following reception hosted by his best friend,  the vet's youngest grandchild is determined to go trick-or-treating, as his three adult children struggle with each other and with decisions about their mother whom they hope is not losing her mind.

Seven characters:

Stephen – 40's, divorced, middle child, smart and sensitive 

Alex – 50, his older brother, remote, competitive 

Cindy – 40's, sister, scrappy, mother of two, on the verge of divorce 

Marie – 70's, their mother, grief-stricken and befuddled 

Dennis – 70's, family friend and the kindest man 

Justin – 10, determined, resourceful 

Travis –14, Justin's brother, smokes dope, cynical and questioning

two acts

one intermission 

"'Where is it?" I laughed and he got so mad, because he really wanted to know where that good time was. But he looked so funny. His hair was full of leaf-chips, he had acorns in his pockets and flower-petals in the cuffs of his pants."

Dancing in the End-Zone

Star college quarterback is given drugs by his coach; is controlled by his adoptive mother and is being used by his tutor even as they share a mutual attraction. Recent past.

Four characters:

James – 22, an innocent aiming to please everyone as he looks for love everywhere

Coach Biehn – 40's, a trim, hyper kinetic force using whatever he has to for a winning season

Madeleine – 60's, confined to a wheelchair, possible hysterical paralysis, adores her son and will do anything to protect him except stop trying to protect him

Jan – 27, attractive, sexy even, looking to change the world

two acts

one intermission

Samuel French

(revised copy available)

"It's not fair or smart to think that Ireland is the place for your beautiful future. Your future is here - in America."

Expatriate

The great-grandson of an Irish immigrant decides after election 2004 that he wants to “return” to Ireland. The daughter of this Irish immigrant runs away from home after a disastrous Thanksgiving and goes to her grandson's house for his consolation and to reveal family secrets. Instead she discovers packed boxes. Meanwhile her son – the expatriate's father - follows her to bring her home to the husband she wants to divorce.  

Three characters:

Kemper – 34, handsome, strong, ethical, practical and poetic

Muddy – 79, vulnerable, emotional, on the verge of tears often but recovers quickly, a real lover

Kenneth – 56, strong, successful working class guy, veteran, confrontational, emotionally wounded, caring

90 minutes

no intermission

"All the way here in the car I was dying to ask you this but....I thought I'd give you time to at least adjust to the temperature change."

Household Accounts

Edmond buys a new house to begin anew with his wife after he indulged in a brief infidelity. His nephew, the son of his deceased sister for whom he still grieves, arrives after being kicked out of the house where he was staying with his girlfriend and her Christian parents when it is discovered that she is pregnant. Edmond summons the girlfriend north to convince her not to have the baby. Her mother follows her to make sure she does. Present day.

Five characters:

Edmond

Joy – his estranged wife

Alan – his nephew, late teens, son of his deceased sister

Caitlin – late teens, Alan's pregnant girlfriend

Barbara – Caitlin's Fundamentalist Christian mother

two acts

one intermission

"You think having a baby is like walking barefoot into the bright unknown of the day?"

The Human Cocktail

Two high school friends – two decades later – she, now living with another woman and he, divorced and single. He carries romantic feelings for her – he is her best friend – they meet once a month to get her pregnant. Present day. 

Two characters:

Jeremy – good-looking, smart, responsible, always on the verge of giving up on love

Sara – supportive, fast, just neurotic enough to be lovable, very attractive without pushing it

90 minutes

no intermission

"And I wanted the kind of ears that could hear what they were screaming about because I wanted to save them"

Mass Appeal

A passionate and rebellious seminarian is placed under the tutelage of a sly and approval seeking priest who is as lonely as he is popular. Present day.

Two characters:

Fr. Farley – 50 to 70, charms you as he warns you against  being charmed, witty, scared, vulnerable

Mark – 24 to 30, sexy, direct, innocent in his confrontations, isolated by his devotion to his sense of truth

two acts

one intermission

Dramatist Play Service

(revised copy available)

"I spent a little time in prison and the hardest part was being away from Louise. Lying in bed without your lover, when you have a lover - well that's hell - pure hell."

The Sex King

1998 - In the tony hills of Connecticut a man claiming to be running an escort service is on trial for prostitution. He chooses one young female reporter to state his case to in the hopes this will help win his freedom.

Two characters:

Jeremiah – mid 60's, iconoclastic, smart, witty, political, living with a younger woman, forges intimacy by being provocative

Maureen – early 30's, smart, innocent, idealistic and trusting, married to an older man, does her best not to be intimidated

two acts

one intermission

"Whenever you want to go somewhere that's where we always go.  And I wished something awful -  I said to myself, "I wish he'd hurry up and..."
 I was wrong - I know I was....and I didn't think it long."

Spine

A night in Connecticut in winter – a family home – the last night of the youngest family member's life. Brother, sister and father hide in their rooms as his mother tries to get them out to say good-bye to him. Present day.

Five characters:

Lois – 42, high school prettiness, running on odd, borrowed energy

Mike Sr. – 42, airline pilot, everything must be perfect, on the verge of bursting

Mike Jr. – 17, pierced ear, in love, in pain and wants out of the house

Claire – 13, athletic, loves her horse, torments her older brother, tries to take over tasks in the house

Dr. Maru – late 30's, Indian doctor, intrigued by this family and protective of Lois

90 minutes

no intermission

"WITH THIS LOCK YOU WILL MARRY
 WITH THIS LOCK YOU'LL BE FREE."

Village Rites

musical

book and lyrics  – Bill C. Davis

music – Brett Boles

Thirteen characters

two acts

"If you and Angie haven’t had a moment’s peace since that scene at the train station, that’s your problem. I’m not giving you absolution or a discussion."

Wrestlers

Two brothers meet on stage. After a year of silence between the two of them the younger brother tries to convince the older brother to talk to him and resolve a conflict that has festered after they both became involved with the same woman.

Three characters:

Monty – late 20's, athletic, lithe, quick, romantic, vulnerable

Bobby – early 30's, shorter than Monty, formal, well-organized, repressed, guilty

Angie – mid 20's, Italian, forceful, volatile, maternal, ready to be wed

90 minutes

no intermission

Dramatist Play Service

(revised copy available)