Now You See Me is published by Brooklyn Publishers. Click the above button to open a new window and order a perusal copy or performance rights.
About The Play
Dramedy. 3+ males, 5+ females (8-22+ performers possible, with considerable gender flexibility). 30-35 minutes. Suitable for middle school and older.
Commissioned and developed by the Choate Rosemary Hall Summer Arts Conservatory (Wallingford, CT), and premiered by Oak Park High School (Kansas City, MO). A few comments from the student performers:
"This play has made me think."
"The first night we ran the whole play . . . I cried."
"Being involved in the play opened my eyes . . . This play was real to life as it could come. . . Rewarding, intellectual, challenging, helpful."
"Thank you for this inspiration."
Check out the great article on the website of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations about a production of the play!
Synopsis
A teenager (played by a male and a female actor who trade off playing the main character throughout the play until they unite at the end) threatens to blow up a school but is dismissed by school officials and his own parents for not looking the part. At school, the teen is virtually invisible to his schoolmates, who ignore him as they scramble for seats in a crowded class. Even the teen’s teacher doesn’t respond to him. A trip to the guidance office is a flop, as he doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s list. Depression sets in, and a psychologist far more intent on her own problems visits the now-bedridden teen. When the teen finally gets up, she is picked out by an unsavory group of new, similarly invisible friends who burn socks in their spare time. Even this group drops her, and one final appeal for help to her oblivious parents fails. It isn’t until this moment that the male and female actors share the stage as the teenager, who returns to school to seek revenge on those who have wronged him/her.
Online Playwriting Class Starts on May 21st! I will be teaching a month-long online playwriting class through Writers University beginning on May 21.
Festivals, Festivals, Festivals I am excited to be attending a number of national conferences in the coming months. First up, the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in late June, where I'll be teaching a quartet of writing workshops and hanging out at the Playscripts booth!
The Locker Next to Mine Now Available
My new play, The Locker Next to Mine, is now available. It's a full-length drama, though spiked with humor, about teen suicide and dealing with loss. I'm looking for a group to stage the world premiere. Could that be you?
Though the one-act version, available from Playscripts, stands on its own (and is perfect for competition!), this play was always intended to be a full-length composed of three acts: Rumors of Polar Bears, Ursa Major and Northern Lights. Look for the other two plays in the cycle sometime in 2012.
Starting out as a writer? Get help by clicking here. You'll find playwriting instructional tips, links to young playwrights contests, sample query and cover letters and even a suggested reading list!
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