More detailed synopses of my full-length plays:

Pieces of Whitey

Synopsis:

(Full-length comedy. Cast: 3 women, 3 men)
Pieces of Whitey is a comedy about well-meaning white people. Fast-paced and highly theatrical, the narrative follows two main threads.
A well-meaning white playwright, Fred, tries to lead a more racially integrated life. He’s commissioned by an all white theatre company to write a play about race, is forced to get a license to write black characters, he’s on a game show where the contests guess the race of guests, he attends a 3-minute interracial friendship club, and government agents strip him of his white privilege. He and his wife end up adopted a black baby, and even simple things like grocery shopping and going to the video store take on a surreal tinge.

A middle-aged white couple, Bill and Betty, have a daughter (Megan), who is about to marry a black man (Jalen). A new blood test reveals that their prospective son-in-law actually has no “black blood” but that their daughter is thirty percent black. Bill and Betty find out that they’re not as white as they thought, and they struggle to adjust.

Production History

Productions/Readings: Awards:

Casting and Production Requirements:


A simple set is used to suggest multiple locations. Props used are hand props. The action is quick and seamless. The play can be done on a small stage with no fly space.

Time: The Present
Place: Various places in America

Character Descriptions: (required: 3 men, 3 women)
(You can certainly use more actors if you desire.)
There are lots of characters to distribute. Here is one scheme that works for six actors:

Man 1 plays: Fred, Voice, Assistant #1

Man 2 plays: Harold, Assistant #2, Jalen, Bob Smith, Shopper 1 and Shopper 4, Tyrone, Guest #2, Chip, Maxwell, Coffee Customer, Tom, Julon. Guy on stoop in "Fred's Brain." Cop.

Man 3 plays: David, Bill, Jim Hayman. Other guy on stoop in "Fred's Brain."

Woman 1 plays: Betty

Woman 2 plays: Amy, Megan, Dr. Hector, Elana Kowalski, Sherry, Vicki, Guest #1, Shopper 3, Neighbor, Martha, Barrista, Subway Rider, Jamie.

Woman 3 plays: Janice, Sally, Assistant #3, Courtney, Amelia, Guest #3, Fred's Brain, Tamika, Dr. Marks, Cynthia, Shopper 2, Cook, Kelly Snow, Video Clerk, Bartender.

Man 1 should be aged 20-40
Man 2 should be 20-40
Man 3 should be 30-55

Woman 1 should be 30-55
Woman 2 should be 20-40
Woman 3 should be 20-40

The action of the play should be fast and as smooth as possible. In order for this to happen, settings should be established with the barest minimum of props and furniture. Scene cards or projected slides with scene titles can help a lot. Costumes need to be easy to change, and again, quickly representative.

Last note. This play is intended for an all-white cast. There are, of course, some philosophical problems with this. So, if you want to produce the play with a racially mixed or all-black cast, that's fine, but if you do so then ALL (that includes white actors) the actors must wear white face.

God's Voice

Synopsis:

(Full-length historical drama, two acts. Cast: 2 women, 4 men
With an increasingly non-realistic style, God's Voice shows an impressionistic view of a band of religious reformers with a stunning commitment to faith, freedom, and each other. Their story features torture, murder, shipwreck, betrayal, and the Bible. The sound of words, of the poetry that underlies our modern English language, surrounds the characters and the audience. Two women, Alpha and Omega, speak only in biblical verse, serving as the hands of fate, the voice of the Bible, and as the voices in William Tyndale's head as he struggles to translate the Bible from the original Greek, Latin, and Hebrew into English. Bibles fall from the sky, Sir Thomas More is a handpuppet, and other surrealistic images fill the stage.

Fearful the Reformation will spread to England, the Bishops deny Tyndale permission to translate the Bible. With the help of smuggler John Tewkesbury, Tyndale escapes to exile in Europe, where he and his drunken assistant, Friar William Roye, translate and publish the New Testament.

Soon Tewkesbury is smuggling thousands of bibles into England. He even sells one shipment to the bishops, who burn the books on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral. Unable to staunch the flow of bibles, the bishops start burning the men and women who possess the bibles or who believe in reform. Tyndale's friend and fellow reformer, John Frith, is one of the first to be burnt. Soon he's joined by Tewkesbury and a list of other martyrs.

Tyndale remains in exile, tormented by the knowledge that his life's work is costing the lives of his followers and closest friends. After he is betrayed by Henry Phillips, a young man secretly working for the bishops, Tyndale refuses to recant his beliefs or apologize for his actions and is burnt at the stake.

Production History

Readings:
Awards:

Casting and Production Requirements:


Time: Summer 1523 - October 6, 1536.
Setting: England, Germany, Antwerp (Belgium)
Set: Bare stage with portable set pieces brought on as necessary (these would include a desk on wheels, a wheelbarrow, and a stake). Lots of paper and books.
Character Descriptions: (required: 4 men, 2 women
Cast requirements for God's Voice:
Six actors (four men, two women). The characters are:

William Tyndale. In his late 30s/early 40s, a man of deep faith and conviction.
Alpha and Omega are women who speak only in scriptural verse and show the internal dialogue that Tyndale conducts with God, as he's translating and as he suffers. They can be of any age, but must have clear, musical voices.

William Roye, a drunken monk and scholar who assists Tyndale in his first translation and publication of the New Testament.
John Tewkesbury is a smuggler and cloth merchant. He's a simple man, new to the ideas of reform.
Latomus is a scholar of the Church, who conducts Tyndale's trial. (Roye, Tewkesbury, Latomus are played by the same actor, a man in his 30s.)

John Frith is a young writer and reformer and a close friend of Tyndale. He becomes one of the first martyrs for reform.
Henry Phillips is a young nobleman, a gambler, liar, thief. (Phillips and Frith are played by the same actor, a man in his 20s.)

Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall is a scholar caught in a difficult political time. He burns Tyndale's bibles publicly and attacks the accuracy of the translation.
Bishop John Stokesley replaces Tunstall as Bishop of London and is eager to stamp out heresy in England, perfectly willing to use torture to do so.
Pierre Dufief is Tyndale's jailer, a man known for his cruelty. (Tunstall, Stokesley, and Dufief are played by the same actor, a man in his 40s.)


Blinders

     Order from Original Works Publishing

Synopsis:

(Full-length satire, two acts. Cast: 1 woman, 3 men, 4-person chorus)
Scientists claim to discover two people exactly alike-not twins, but two identical human beings. Karen Sayer, a newspaper reporter, can clearly see that the "duplicates," Chris and Alex, don't even look alike (the audience shares her point of view). No one else seems to notice. Instead, the media engages in a feeding frenzy over this new scientific discovery.

With the power of the media and science behind them, Chris and Alex become instant celebrities. Karen struggles to make her dissenting voice heard, but no one will listen. She loses her job, she's threatened by an angry mob, and her fiancé, Stack, the world's greatest salesman, is hired to be marketing manager for Chris and Alex. Karen escapes to her parents' house, but her family is thoroughly entranced by Chris and Alex, and they commit her to an insane asylum.

Stack's ability as a salesman brings Chris and Alex's popularity to new heights, as he leads them in a campaign for Presidents of the United States-their slogan is "Two Heads Are Better Than One." Karen escapes from the loony bin to assassinate the two frauds, and receives help from The Underground Movement Operating To Stop Chris and Alex From Ruling Our Planet (T.U.M.O.T.S.C.A.F.R.O.P.). When the moment of action arrives, Karen chooses not to shoot the duplicates, afraid of making them martyrs. Instead she uses her allies at T.U.M.O.T.S.C.A.F.R.O.P. to kidnap Alex. Karen, dressed as Alex, takes his place. No one notices.

In the final presidential debate, the opposition candidate, Senator Caldwell, shoots and kills the remaining duplicate, Chris, just as Karen is about to reveal the truth on national television. The moment of truth passes, and Karen is elected President of the United States (as Alex).

What the critics say about Blinders


Production History

Publication: Selection included in Best Stage Scenes of 1998, published by Smith & Kraus.
Productions/Readings: Awards:

Casting and Production Requirements:


A simple set is used to suggest multiple locations. Props used are hand props. Projected slides add to the effectiveness of the piece. The action is quick and seamless. The play can be done on a small stage with no fly space.

Time: The Present
Place: Various places in America

Character Descriptions: (required: 3 men, 1 woman, 4 chorus members)
Karen Sayer, a reporter, committed to the truth, L20s-30s
Stack Thompson, the world's greatest salesman, 30s
Chris, age 25-40 (Chris and Alex should not look alike.)
Alex, age 25-40

Roles played by a 4 person (minimum) chorus of mixed gender and race.
Jack
Dr. Cooper Gennette
Papergirl
Shopper1
Shoppper2
Reporter1
Reporter2
Tipsy Starlet
Dude
Psychologist
Floyd Sayer
Wanda Sayer
Asylum inmates: Carnac, Miller, Hideout
Passerby
Cop
Fat Dominic
Wilbur Jenkins
Voice in Crowd
Moderator
Spectator
Voice of Reporter
Optometrist
Mailman
Woman



Reading the Mind of God

Check out this cool web site for Reading the Mind of God at Richland Community College. It not only gives info about the play, but also has some cool interdisciplinary lesson plans for teachers and lots of links about Kepler and Tycho.

Synopsis:

Two 17th Century astronomers, Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe, are thrown together by fate-two men of genius, jockeying for their positions in History. Their tempestuous collaboration will help usher in a new scientific age-if it survives their stormy clash of egos.

Aging Tycho Brahe is the most famous astronomer in the world-wealthy, influential, and above all, the owner of 35 years of precise readings of the stars and planets-a priceless treasure. For years he has been able to out think, out work, and out drink everyone around him-and his ego has grown to match his accomplishments. But Tycho understands that he lacks the ability to interpret his observations and create a planetary theory. No suitable heir is in sight among his assistants or sons.

Young Johannes Kepler is a man of intense vision and conviction-about science, the universe, and God. His mind is rich with theories, but he lacks the data necessary to make more than simple guesses. The violent beginnings of the Counter Reformation force Kepler to seek refuge with Tycho-the man who possesses what Kepler needs to make his own mark on history: planetary data. After a warm welcome, Kepler quickly finds Tycho's castle a difficult place. Tycho will share only scraps of data, and the entire house is so chaotic with drinking and partying that Kepler can hardly think. Tycho and his men rarely hesitate to humiliate Kepler-mocking his poor vision, tossing him in the fish pond. Kepler's internal vision of the Heavens, once crystal clear, is now muddled. The arrival of his wife, a woman of constant complaint, only makes matters worse. Finally, Tycho's constant pressure is too much and Kepler suffers a nervous breakdown.

Kepler recovers his health in his hometown of Graz, but all Lutherans are expelled from the province and he must return to Tycho. For his part, Tycho has sorely missed the young genius and is eager for his return. Tycho's unwed daughter is pregnant, his son is rebelling, and his health is deteriorating. Kepler returns but insists that conditions must improve. Constant fights with Kepler and Tycho Junior infuriate the elder Tycho-he's filled with despair at the thought that he cannot transform his numbers into a meaningful theory. Kepler barely manages to stop a raging, drunken Tycho from burning his entire collection of data. The next day, Kepler demands the observations, saying they belong in safer, saner hands. Tycho, livid, collapses. As he dies, Tycho and Kepler are able to reconcile, and Tycho gives the young scientist the precious collection of observations.


Kepler and Tycho's passionate, often destructive, collaboration laid the foundations of modern physics and astronomy. Sir Isaac Newton once said, "If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." His giants were Kepler and Tycho.


What the critics say about Reading the Mind of God:


Production History

Staged Readings: Productions: Awards: Publication: Selected monologues published by Smith & Kraus in Best Stage Monologues for Men 1997 and Best Stage Monologues for Women, 1997.

Character Breakdown:

(minimum required: 5 men, 3 women)
Johannes Kepler: 29 years old, dark, wiry, often bursting with energy. A tremendous genius, extremely nearsighted.
*Magistrate
Tycho Brahe: 54 years old, a large rotund, balding man. His most distinctive feature is his nose, which is made of silver (he lost the original in a duel in his youth), on which he constantly rubs ointment. His presence extends far beyond himself, and he shifts quickly between good humor and rage.
Jep: Tycho's fool, rumored to possess second sight.
Tengnagel: 20s/30s, handsome, Tycho's chief assistant, from a noble family.
Elizabeth: 23 years old, Tycho's daughter. Romantically involved with Tengnagel.
Junior: Tycho's eldest son, a strapping young man of 19. More interested in hunting and horses than astronomy.
Christine: 40s, Tycho's common-law wife. From peasant stock.
Barbara Kepler: 25 years old. Has already lost several children to illness and is now on her third marriage. She's often short-tempered and melancholy.
*Karl, an inquisitor/nobleman.
*Helen, a Bavarian noble in Graz
*Gretta, a Bavarian noble in Graz
* = role can be doubled.




Hearing Voices

Synopsis:

Dating is never easy. It's nearly impossible if your mind is filled with voices from failed, brutal relationships. As Wendyl and Tina get closer, ghosts from the past spring to life, needling every sensitivity and fear.

Tina is haunted by the specter of her long vanished ex-husband and the unspeakable loss of her stillborn child. The two women most active in her present life, her boss and her grandmother, seem to do everything to keep her from forgetting.

Wendyl is a puzzle to Tina-he's seemingly just a shy editor, completely, pathologically unable to say "no" to anyone. But just like Tina, his calm exterior hides a boiling inner world, one that's already landed him in prison for beating his ex-wife. Wendyl's sanity is brittle, as he relives violent, omnipresent lessons from his parents and ex-wife.

Together, Tina and Wendyl struggle to silence the voices and find a simple peace together.

Production History

Publication: Blizzard Publishing, Canada, 1996
Productions/Readings:

Set Description:


The Green Turtle Diner and other areas serving as areas from Tina and Wendyl's past and present.
The set can be done extremely minimally, with only two chairs as the Diner surrounded by a set of bare risers that served as all the other areas.

Cast of Characters: (4 men, 5 women)

Wendyl Brackman: 35-45, a man haunted by his past
Celia: 20s, Wendyl's ex-wife, sharp-tongued, a ghost.
Mother: 50-70, Wendyl's mother. Also a ghost.
Brackman: 50-70, Wendyl's father. A ghost.
Dick Perkle: 30-50, Wendyl's boss.
Tina Sergeant: 30-35, a woman unable to leave her past behind.
Myrtle Jeffries: 40-55, owner of the Green Turtle Diner, Tina's boss.
Hattie Stoker: 89, Tina's Grandmother.
Mick: 20s, Tina's ex-husband. A ghost.