work
plays
[partial list]
The Daughters / Cast size: 6
A gutsy comedic romp over 60 years, from the first secret meeting of the first lesbian social club in San Francisco to closing night of the last lesbian bar. As women loving women gather in defiance of convention (and the law), they drink, debate, politicize, flirt, drink more, dance hard, make out, fall in love, break up—and though they are entirely unaware—make history and change the world. A play about the transformation of identity, gender, and sexuality across generations in the queer epicenter of the universe.
The Sister Show / Cast size: 2 / Dark comedy
Paulette and Ann Marie are sisters - they share some DNA, a brutal sense of humor and that's about it. So what happens when Paulette shows up unannounced to Ann Marie's San Francisco apartment from New Hampshire? Hint: fistfights, a medical crisis, a homemade musical, and a shot at forgiveness. “The Sister Show" is a ruthless comedy that investigates the meaning of family, responsibility, and the power of letting go.
The Surrogate / Cast size: 6
A comedy about the slippery slope of bioethics and just plain ethics. When Billy and Sara ask their best friends Margaret and Jen to be the guardians of their precious Tallulah (and yet-to-be-born baby Carroll), lives change, and friendships are tested. The surprise arrival of surrogate Crystal and Sara’s mother, Rita, bring the issues of motherhood, desire, class and sexual politics to a head in unexpected ways. “The Surrogate” explores what happens when we become casual about de-intimating the rituals of life into a business plan.
After All I Did for You / Cast size: 8
A comedy/drama that examines the similarities/differences between gay male relationships and lesbian relationships and the love between men and women in an alternative sense – how do we connect when sex is not a goal or an obstacle? Moving from the 1990s through the present day, the play centers on the long-term relationship between a gay male couple and a lesbian couple. These couples are each other’s favorite people, the best of friends – family, really – and through their decades-long friendship, the play presents a specific and intimate history of the HIV/AIDS crisis and how it has impacted the queer community. AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU explores themes of love, loss, and betrayal while illuminating how living through trauma has repercussions that none of us can predict.
1980 (Or Why I’m Voting for John Anderson) / Cast size: 4
A comedy about class, race and learning to believe that anything is possible, before you learn that it actually isn’t. For a sliver of a shining moment in the fall of 1980, it looked as though a little-known congressman from Illinois, John Anderson, might actually have a chance to be a contender for President of the United States. At least that's what the campaign staff of John Anderson for President believes. In a bare bones campaign office in Boston, Massachusetts four very different (and slightly lost) people search for answers and hope that their long shot candidate will change their country and their lives.
The Rules of Comedy / Cast size: 2
Caroline is really, really not funny. Which is why she hires Guy, a stand-up comedian with some hang-ups of his own, to teach her how to tell jokes. But it turns out that they both have things to learn from one another, about life as well as laughter.
musicals
[partial list]
HEAVYHEAD / Cast size: 8-10
Book by Patricia Cotter
Music and Lyrics by Stephanie Salzman & Sylvana Joyce
A musical re-envisioning of the Medusa myth where 90s diva pop collides with feminist indie rock. “Heavyhead” is a story of sexual assault, betrayal, and ultimately resurrection.
The Break Up Notebook / Cast size 8-10
Book by Patricia Cotter
(based on her play)
Music and lyrics by Lori Scarlett
The Break-Up Notebook: A Lesbian Musical is the award-winning, hilarious, touching and sexy musical comedy for anyone and everyone who has ever had a broken heart and lived to tell about it. Based on Patricia Cotter’s critically acclaimed hit play
Ladykillers / Cast size 8-10
Book by Patricia Cotter
Music and Lyrics by Lori Scarlett
“Ladykillers” is a pitch-black musical comedy based on the true story of Olga Rutterschmidt and Helen Golay, two older women who killed homeless men for insurance money. With a pop score encompassing elements of film noir, Tropicalia, Bakersfield outlaws, and country and western, Asking the question: What is the value of a human life, “Ladykillers” also offers a warning to its audience: Be careful about who you ignore.
Wild and Precious Life / Cast: 6
(Original music by folk-rock duo Misner & Smith)
Short comedy. There's a lot of money to be made at this funeral. Friends and flames have gathered to celebrate and remember the WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE of the charismatic, outrageous Sheila — but the dearly departed still has one more trick up her sleeve.