IF, WHEN, AND ONLY

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 49: “Against that time, if ever that time comes...”

Ensconced in a circle of thought, a husband (Henry) watches as his wife (Mary), aided by their Marriage Counselor’s prompts, comes to the realization that she is no longer in love. As Mary toys with the idea of ending the marriage, Henry’s inner struggle (Should he fight for the marriage or assist his wife in dismantling it?) is mounted with the help of two spirited characters: If and When.

Productions:
The Whole Art Theater — Kalamazoo, MI (2007)
Los Angeles City College — Los Angeles, CA (2011)

BUMP

A married couple—HIM and HER—are driving across the interstate on their way to the airport when they hit something in the road. She pulls the car over and an argument ensues. Was it a bump (Jimmy Hoffa’s torso), or a ka-bump (a dog with legs)? In the process of yelling at each other, they realize the trip they were going to take, a late-night flight to New York City to rekindle passions of the past, is not going to work.

Productions:
API Theatre — Kalamazoo, MI (2008)
Fog City Bandits — Oakland, CA (2011)

What We Keep. . . Long After

A play with music based on Agate NeSaule’s 1996 award-winning memoir, A Woman in Amber.
Commissioned by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.

What We Keep…Long After is a story about the atrocities of war: the gray cold of starvation, the barbed-wire fences and frozen mud floors of a Displaced Person’s Camp. It is also a quest to find healing, an insistence on finding that rare burst of color amidst the gray as one woman finds the courage to speak out, protected by love.

Productions:
The Whole Art Theater — Kalamazoo, MI (2006)

Natural Causes

Awarded Finalist, 2001 Princess Grace Foundation’s National Playwright’s Fellowship.

Kay leaves her husband because she thinks she might be “turning” gay. Sarah is pregnant and leaves medical school to care for twins. The play follows the two through 13 years of secret meetings and a deepening friendship as they navigate the confusing worlds of sexual orientation and gender.

Productions:
API Theatre — Kalamazoo, MI (2003)

The Music in the Mess

A spirited comedy about family, memory, and sisterhood’s more or less tolerable moments – all of which lead four sisters to an over-the-top reconciliation (and quite a show down) with the stories of their past.

Productions:
API Theatre — Kalamazoo, MI (2011)