On a whim (or following a call), I auditioned for a local theatre company and was cast. About two weeks into rehearsals, I began feverishly writing plays. Never before have I written such character-driven material. I need only sit at the computer and record the words the characters poured into my ears. I’ve now completed a number of shorts and one full-length play.

Short Plays

    

Smart Women Project 2009 review in 77 Square

(including pics in which I look incredibly dumpy)

Snapshot: Breasts - comedy

CASTING: Two women, 30s

RUN TIME: 7 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

SYNOPSIS: Over-educated, underemployment and nearing forty, Naomi has been dumped by her younger girlfriend for being a wimpy dyke. Naomi's neglected best friend, Laura, enters bearing bagels and comfort. That's when Naomi confesses her darkest fear: her breasts will fall before she finds true love. Laura laughs this off and their strained friendship is mended.

Guard of the Eyes - drama

CASTING: Three women, 40s, 50s and 60s

RUN TIME: 20 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

SYNOPSIS: In the kitchen of their Benedictine monastery, Meg, a junior sister, and Sarah, a postulant, chat about the pleasures of monastic silence and the horrors of life “in the world.” Meg delights in their easy friendship until she discovers she has fallen in love and must face the hardship this brings.

Meditation on a Theme - drama

CASTING: Fourteen characters played by nine actors: 5 women, ages 30-70; 4 men, ages 20-50

RUN TIME: 80 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal set, a few unusual props, creative lighting

PRODUCTION: A critical reading by the Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre of Madison, WI, 2010

SYNOPSIS: Katherine can't meditate because noisy parts of her psyche keep intruding. These appear as a pesky four-year-old, an angry teenager, and her critical mother. Even worse, a bevy of spiritual figures, including Jesus, feel free to tromp through her mental space offering cryptic advice. Prodded by this unwelcome activity, Katherine is forced to face childhood experiences she'd rather forget. In the process, she stumbles into a confusing paradox. Although she was inexcusably hurt, those who hurt her were acting out of their own buried pain. But if she isn't just the innocent victim and they are not simply the evil abusers, how can she ever heal or forgive?

Love Among the Terrapins - drama

CASTING: Two women aged 40s and 50s

RUN TIME: 10 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

SYNOPSIS: Sylvia can't find a pet turtle to buy for her grandson. This sets Becky, her sister, off on a flight of romantic reminiscence over their African childhood, and the English biologist Becky had a crush on in Nigeria. Annoyed, Sylvia decides to finally tell Becky the truth: their mother and the biologist had an affair.

Walking to Extinction - drama

CASTING: Two women aged 20s and 40s-60s

RUN TIME: 10 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

PRODUCTION: A finalist in the 12th Annual EstroGenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source, 2011; A critical reading by the Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre of Madison, WI, 2011

SYNOPSIS: Mastodons are facing extinction but Beatrice, the Mastodon Matriarch, refuses to fight for her life. Amelia, the Mammoth Matriarch, despises such weakness. She will do anything to survive. In fact, she decides to abandoned her responsibilities and everyone she knows for the desperate flight of a refugee. The two meet unexpectedly and find they have a choice: hold onto their differences or part as friends.

Full-Length  Plays

          

SYNOPSIS: Barbie has just turned 50 and she's taking no guff. Her mistress, Tess, is cute but entirely too sentimental, and Gene, Tess's husband, is a complete waste. The tedium of their household is broken when baby doll, Leila, joins the family. Barbie has fun prodding Leila toward a little feminist liberation. Even better, a major fight with Gene pushes Tess across the boundary into the dolls’ world. Tess isn't so bad once she can respond to Barbie's advances.

The Bear & I - comedy

CASTING: Three women 50s, 40s & any; one man 40s

RUN TIME: 10 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

SYNOPSIS: At fifty, Barbie is disgusted when an old teddy bear snuggles with her blond wig and horrified when Joy, her new tween owner, forces them together for passionate kisses. Barbie soon puts Bear in his place, but then softens. He is kind of cute - despite his knobby knees and lack of fur.

Faux Trois - comedy

CASTING: Two women 30s to 50s; one man 20s

RUN TIME: 3 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

SYNOPSIS: Christine has had enough of Betty’s lackadaisical attitude. She stalks out of the restaurant before they even order, leaving Betty devastated and Ron, their waiter, confused. Nobody's idea of a white knight, Ron can only try his best.

In a Doll’s Life - comedy

CASTING: Three women 50s, 40s & 18; one man 40s

RUN TIME: 25 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

PRODUCTION: Love Creek Productions Brief Acts Division, New York, NY, 2011

Brief Acts Division cast

Tamara Cacchione, Monica Fernandez, Christina Sheehan, Ian Richard Barnes

“Walking to Extinction” named a finalist in the 12th Annual EstroGenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source

Aftermath - drama

CASTING: Three women aged 20s to 40s, one girl aged 8 to 11

RUN TIME: 6 minutes

SET, PROPS & TECHNICAL: minimal

PRODUCTION: In “Talking Out of School,” Mercury Players Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin

SYNOPSIS: Dr. Peres teaches special science classes in an elementary school. Maybe she only took the job when she couldn’t get one doing research, but turns out she loves it. The kids like her just fine. The teachers and her own conscience are entirely another matter.