Full Length Plays Available For Production
"The Red Badge of Courage"
A new adaptation of the Stephen Crane novel written with Edward J. Walsh.
Cast of 10.
While still in his early 20s, Stephen Crane wrote “The Red Badge of Courage.” Born seven years after America’s Civil War, and yet to witness combat situations as a war correspondent, Crane nevertheless wrote what is acknowledged as a masterpiece of American literature. The timeless story of Henry Fleming, an 18-year-old who must come to grips with his own fears in a long and bloody battle during America’s Civil War, speaks to the terrors and doubts besetting soldiers then and now. But the novel also speaks to the courage they somehow find in the midst of carnage.
Adapting this great novel for the stage presents both great opportunities and tremendous challenges. Our intent from the beginning was to preserve the integrity of Crane’s masterpiece - its essential characters, its language, its probing of young Henry Fleming’s mind and heart. In doing our adaptation, we were going to stay true to the story Crane wrote. And why wouldn’t we? The novel has captivated readers for more than 100 years. The audience for our adaptation whether they had read Crane’s book or not, would not see a prettied-up or fanciful version of “The Red Badge of Courage.” They would see the real thing-the novel transformed-on stage.
We read and re-read the novel, culling the narrative for its most telling moments. We converted these narrative moments into scenes, and introduced certain of Crane’s characters into those scenes. In a few instances, we devised scenes in order to enhance the audience’s understanding of the story or the realties soldiers North and South faced during this epic struggle.
Our determination to stay true to Crane’s work never wavered. Now, at a time when the nation is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we have an adaptation that never strays far from the honesty of the novel. That honesty is sometimes ennobling, sometimes not, but it is what makes The Red Badge of Courage so extraordinary. Joseph Conrad is only one of many literary titans who revered the novel. We share the passion of Conrad for this unforgettable story of a young man come face-to-face with the horrors of war. We hope and believe our adaptation does the story justice.
The play was first workshopped and development by the Kent State University Theater Department. It has also had a public reading with professional actors at the Ensemble Theater.
A new adaptation of the Stephen Crane novel written with Edward J. Walsh.
Cast of 10.
While still in his early 20s, Stephen Crane wrote “The Red Badge of Courage.” Born seven years after America’s Civil War, and yet to witness combat situations as a war correspondent, Crane nevertheless wrote what is acknowledged as a masterpiece of American literature. The timeless story of Henry Fleming, an 18-year-old who must come to grips with his own fears in a long and bloody battle during America’s Civil War, speaks to the terrors and doubts besetting soldiers then and now. But the novel also speaks to the courage they somehow find in the midst of carnage.
Adapting this great novel for the stage presents both great opportunities and tremendous challenges. Our intent from the beginning was to preserve the integrity of Crane’s masterpiece - its essential characters, its language, its probing of young Henry Fleming’s mind and heart. In doing our adaptation, we were going to stay true to the story Crane wrote. And why wouldn’t we? The novel has captivated readers for more than 100 years. The audience for our adaptation whether they had read Crane’s book or not, would not see a prettied-up or fanciful version of “The Red Badge of Courage.” They would see the real thing-the novel transformed-on stage.
We read and re-read the novel, culling the narrative for its most telling moments. We converted these narrative moments into scenes, and introduced certain of Crane’s characters into those scenes. In a few instances, we devised scenes in order to enhance the audience’s understanding of the story or the realties soldiers North and South faced during this epic struggle.
Our determination to stay true to Crane’s work never wavered. Now, at a time when the nation is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we have an adaptation that never strays far from the honesty of the novel. That honesty is sometimes ennobling, sometimes not, but it is what makes The Red Badge of Courage so extraordinary. Joseph Conrad is only one of many literary titans who revered the novel. We share the passion of Conrad for this unforgettable story of a young man come face-to-face with the horrors of war. We hope and believe our adaptation does the story justice.
The play was first workshopped and development by the Kent State University Theater Department. It has also had a public reading with professional actors at the Ensemble Theater.
“About Tremont”
A new comedy/drama
Written with Pamela V. Noll
Cast of six (4 males, 2 females.) One set.
“About Tremont” is set in “The Silver Bush” a neighborhood tavern with a small but loyal clientele. Eva is waiting tables and living above the bar, having fled to its safety when her home was broken into. Zoltan, the owner has fallen in love with her. An elderly couple, the Popovich’s, are regular customers, although Marijka is trying to get her husband, Roman, to move to Parma. “Tree” has just lost his job and thinks he can start a new career as a gambler betting on the Cleveland Indians. Eva’s brother, Andre (the Polish Milton Berle) has reappeared after a long absence and is demanding his share of his parent’s savings.
The characters, like the city and its neighborhoods, are in the midst of change. The world in which immigrants could get good jobs, buy homes, cars, and raise their families in comfortably isolated ethnic neighborhoods is falling apart. Some flee to the suburbs while others fight a rear guard action trying to hold onto the old ways.
"About Tremont" won first place in a national playwriting competition sponsored by The Elite Theater in Oxford, California. It later had its world premiere at that theater.
An earlier version of this play was produced by Actors’ Summit in Hudson, Ohio.
“Hedda in the Heights”
(Modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play.)
Written with Pamela V. Noll
Cast of seven actors. One set.
I’ve always loved “Hedda Gabler” but I’ve noticed in using it in the classroom that my college students have a hard time relating to the characters, especially Hedda, and to the world of the late 19th century Northern Europe. I told my wife the idea of doing a modern translation that young people could relate to yet remain faithful to Ibsen. She immediately agreed to work on the script with me. Pamela is an experienced psychologist and an award-winning dramatic writer who I knew could add insights into the psychology of Hedda and the other characters.
We went back to the original 1890 first English translation of the play. We then changed the time period to the present and set it taking place in Shaker Heights, Ohio though it can be any city that has a college nearby. When we first started to adapt the play, we had hoped that we’d be able to stay completely faithful to Ibsen, but we soon realized if we were going to make our Hedda, a true modern woman today, more changes would have to be made. Through months of work and what we learned from the reading, we now have a 21st century “Hedda” that audiences and actors, especially college age students would love to perform and see. It’s a Hedda that we both feel Ibsen would have approved. His story is just too great for us not to keep its great characters and situations. He truly was a master.
“Hedda in the Heights" was first performed at Judson Manor in Cleveland, Ohio.
Published by Heartlandplays.com
"A Scent of a Rose"
(Inspired by Strindberg's "Miss Julie")
Written with Pamela V. Noll
Cast of two females and one male. One set.
This sensual story is about a spoiled heiress, with a forbidding past. When Life throws her a curve, she turns to the Mexican-American chauffeur for solace. She discovers life changes only to stay the same, with tragic results.
The characters in this play live in a hacienda surrounded by roses, in New Mexico, where class struggles between Latino employees (the chauffer, Miguel and the cook, Maria) and Rose (the daughter of the Anglo employer) take on a deeper and more intimate meaning when some unexpected revelations change the courses of two of their lives..
Like a bolero, the relationships between the three coruscate in a downward spiral leading to unplanned directions, and even disaster. Miguel’s machismo pervades each scene, while we watch him charm the women. Maria's dotes on Miguel naively as she tries to seduce him, unaware of how he uses her. It is one of his manipulations to let her think they are engaged, but never confirms or denies it.
Always the opportunist, Miguel immediately senses an opportunity when Rose presents herself as a pseudo-equal the night she falls off the wagon, and gets completely drunk. It is the night her canceled wedding is celebrated, notwithstanding.
Rose loses her sobriety, and then her dignity when she succumbs to Miguel adept seduction and mind-bending games. The morning after his seduction, he shows only indifference to her rebound passion. Fired by her sudden love for Miguel, Rose desires to flee her secret shame, and is spurred on by Miguel to flee with him to Mexico. He convinces her to put up the money so they can buy a hotel for him to manage. His scheme is so successful; Rose is compelled to plunder her father’s library. When she returns, she brings with her not only the money demanded by Miguel, but a pistol.
Maria awakens the next morning to discover the unfaithfulness of her fiancé, but maintains her dignity when she finally recognizes Miguel’s true nature. She exclaims his worthlessness, and leaves for church enraged.
Now free to carry out their plan, it somehow goes pear-shaped when she discovers the truth about her family’s shameful secret... Confronted with the debasing truth, Rose realizes running away to Mexico with Miguel will not solve her problem, but neither can she continue to live on in society which will rebuke her when the truth is unavoidably revealed. Rose takes the only way out she can, and Miguel goes back to another day of chauffeuring.
