SYNOPSIS

The Council on Interplanetary Technology Seeding, unknown to humankind, has been “seeding” us with increasingly more sophisticated technologies over more than three million years as a test of our potential and capacity to use really, really, really sophisticated technologies yet to come for the common interplanetary good and continuance; one bad decision has the potential to destroy the Universe and indeed, The Cosmos. They consider all the gifts they’ve given to the Earthlings, from stone tools and fire to the Internet and Gene Editing and discover that some many of their gifts can be used for good and for evil. They realize that they have missed something essential in the humankind in their gift giving and, perhaps it is they that have failed “The Test.”

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE!

CHARACTERS

BELLA, f, age 50+

 Bella is the Chair of the School Board.

HELEN, m, age 60+

 Helen is a long-time member of the School Board

 and a retired elementary school teacher.

ROSE, f, age 50+

 Rose is a new member of the School Board

 and a MAGA supporter.
 

MARY, f, age 60+
Mary is a long-time member of the School Board 
and a Religion Teacher at St. Steven’s Pre-school.

SALLY WILSON, f, age 30-40
Sally is a Civics Teacher at Anytown High School. 
She is also a long-time social justice advocate.

The School Board of Anytown School District has gathered for its monthly Zoom meeting to consider new courses and programs to be added to the courses required for graduation from Anytown High School. Present at the meeting are long-time committee members Bella, Helen, Rose, and Mary.. Also present is Sally Wilson, a Civics Teacher at the High school who is bringing a very unusual course proposal to the committee. The proposed course, “Deception 101” is designed to teach kids how to be good liars. The justification for the course is that lying has become so prevalent in all aspects of daily life that it has become an essential skill for success in politics, religion, social-cultural movements, and in everyday personal interactions. Sally presents a compelling argument to the horror of the committee members who embrace traditional ideas that children should be taught to tell the truth. In the end, the Board makes a surprising decision.

PROCEED TO THE ROUTE 

CHARACTERS

Harvey Patterson, 50's-60's; 
a well-dressed lawyer driving to a cross-town meeting.

Siri, the Apple female voice for GPS
Siri is only heard, not seen.

Millions of people have come to depend on personal digital assistants like “Cortana,” “Alexa,” and, of course, the ubiquitous “Siri.” GPS positioning is an astounding technical achievement and Siri will usually get you where you want to go...but not always.
This short “Ten-Minute Play” focuses on a hilariously series of miscommunications between George Paterson, a mild-mannered lawyer just trying to get across town and his very “personal” digital assistant. 

COKE!? I DON’T LIKE COKE! 

CHARACTERS

THE WOMAN– F, 60’s-80’s; an elderly and grumpy hearing-impaired woman being admitted to the
cardiac ward in the hospital.

THE NURSE- F, 20’s-30’s; a young cardiac nurse
who interviews The Woman.

An elderly woman with a significant hearing impairment is admitted to the cardiac ward of a major urban hospital. She is interviewed by a nurse who struggles to be heard. It seems that the woman has forgotten her hearing-aids. The result is a hilarious series of misunderstandings as the increasingly frustrated nurse struggles to remain calm and kind to the woman. The Playwright, a partially hearing-impaired individual himself, based the drama on his own actual life experience as a cardiac patient in 2010 and as an elder with a diminishing hearing ability.

Bard, an aging playwright is in the waiting room of a small train station on his way to pitch to a big-time producer in the City. He is approached by Charon (Kay-Ron), named for the character in Greek mythology whose duty it was to ferry souls of the deceased over the River Styx. Charon, The Train Conductor breaks the bad news...it seems Bard had a heart attack and is quite dead, a reality that Brad is most reluctant to accept. Charon does his best to persuade Bard of his demise, but he does not anticipate the twist of plot at the end that changes everything.

SYNOPSIS

It has been a long-held assumption by many peoples that it is “human nature” to use violence against other people to advance their own religious or political agenda. And, that assumption has been used to justify killing in war. In this “Ten-Minute Play, 18 year old soldier Joey O’Leary, who has been taught that to be true, is deeply worried about breaking the “God’s” commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.”  Joey confides his fears to Grampa Jack and the topic of human nature comes up as their very different perspectives emerge.

SYNOPSIS
Cardinal Rowan O’Sullivan, aka “Sully,” has served the Church all his life believing “The Story.”
 
“For I know the plans I have for you. 
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
 Jeremiah 29:11 [NIV]

But now, in his thirty-fifth year of service to the Church, Sully has been diagnosed with Stage-Three Alzheimer's Disease that, contrary to prospering him, will profoundly harm him and will dash all hopes for a future. But Sully has his own ideas, so he strikes up a one-sided conversation with Jesus hoping to negotiate a change of plans only to be reminded of that ancient Hebrew saying, “Mensch tracht und Gott Lacht,” Man plans...AND GOD LAUGHS! But, in the end; who will have the last laugh?

SYNOPSIS

The Greensboro Board of Education is meeting on Zoom to discuss the dismissal of recently- hired Elementary Teacher Maria Rodriguez on the grounds of insubordination. Specifically, Maria has refused to comply with a Massachusetts State Law requiring teachers to “lead” students in “The Pledge” at the start of every school day. Three long-serving Board members -who consider themselves patriots- are outraged but advised against firing Maria outright by the Board’s lawyer fearing law suits. So, they meet to give Maria “her say,” and then they will fire her unless she can persuade them to reconsider...nah!

This play emerges from the classic “battle” between religion and science; a battle that Science, for the most part, is uninterested in, but a battle that Religion is passionate about. Through a random twist of fate, a young 20-something Divinity Student, William Roberts Goodfellow III, aka “BilyBob,” while signing up for a course at the local Community College meets Dr. Jules Bookman. BillyBob, brimming with religious fervor and anxious to heed Mathew’s call to “go and make disciples,” immediately tries to engage Bookman, a scientist who believes in “evidence” but who has little interest in arguing the unarguable. BillyBob, not to be denied, insists.

HUMAN NATURE

 
CHARACTERS
 
REV. WILLIAM ROBERTS GOODFELLOW aka. “BILLYBOB”
 A young, highly enthusiastic clergyman waiting for a bus.

PROFESSOR JULES BOOKMAN
A college professor also waiting for a bus.

It has been a long-held assumption by many peoples that it is “human nature” to use violence against other people to advance their own religious or political agenda. And, that assumption has been used to justify killing in war. In this short play, 25 year old Rev. BillyBob Goodfellow, who has always assumed the assumption to be true, is faced with the task of counseling a young soldier about to go into battle, but deeply worried about breaking the “fifth” commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” Random chance brings BillyBob and Professor Jules Bookman together as they both wait for a bus. They strike up a conversation while waiting and the topic of human nature comes up as their very different perspectives emerge.

COVER PHOTO: DAVID MASTERS 
“THE FROG AND THE SCORPION”

THE ENCLAVE

CHARACTERS
 
REV. WILLIAM ROBERTS GOODFELLOW aka. “BILLYBOB”
 A 30-something Clergyman and Pastor at St. Steven’s Church

RABBI PETER BERINSTEIN
A Middle-aged Senior Rabbi at Beth Israel Temple

IMAM ABU BAKR

A Middle-aged Senior Iman at Masjid An-Noor Mosque

FATHER MICHAEL McMURPHY
A Middle-aged Senior Pastor at Our Lady of Peace Church

SETTING