Actor's Choice: Monologues for Men
by Keith Aisner, Robert Alexander, Tanya Barfield, Stephen Belber, et al.
Edited by Erin Detrick
Foreword by Broadway casting director Kate Schwabe |
 
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$14.95 per book
Discover a monologue book like no other. Actor's Choice: Monologues for Men gives you an extraordinary array of cutting-edge new monologues, from comedic to dramatic and everything in between. Unlike other monologue books, the source of every monologue is easily accessible -- each play is available through one website (www.playscripts.com), where you can read nearly the entire published script online for free. Explore the work of today's most celebrated theatrical voices, including Naomi Iizuka, Mac Wellman, Tanya Barfield, Jordan Harrison, Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and many more!
Also in this series:
Actor's Choice: Monologues for Women
Actor's Choice: Monologues for Teens
Actor's Choice: Scenes for Teens
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Actor's Choice: Monologues for Women
by Liz Duffy Adams, Robert Alexander, John Augustine, Stephen Belber, et al.
Edited by Erin Detrick
Foreword by Broadway casting director Kate Schwabe |
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$14.95 per book
Discover a monologue book like no other. Actor's Choice: Monologues for Women gives you an extraordinary array of cutting-edge new monologues, from comedic to dramatic and everything in between. Unlike other monologue books, the source of every monologue is easily accessible -- each play is available through one website (www.playscripts.com), where you can read nearly the entire published script online for free. Explore the work of today's most celebrated theatrical voices, including Naomi Iizuka, Rinne Groff, Jane Martin, Pulitzer Prize winners Lynn Nottage and David Lindsay-Abaire, and many more!
Also in this series:
Actor's Choice: Monologues for Men
Actor's Choice: Monologues for Teens
Actor's Choice: Scenes for Teens
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 8-10 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
After a supermarket pick-up leads to a passionate interlude, a shy young man and a bold young woman don't know what to do next.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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Drama
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
When a man and a woman meet in a hotel room for a tryst, the woman gets her needs met not by the man but from a surprising source.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 7-9 minutes
3 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
A young man surprises his Army enlistment officer both by his enthusiasm -- and his prosthetic leg. When the recruiter informs the young man that he is ineligible for service, the young man, whose father and grandfather were injured while in the military, does everything he can to prove his worthiness.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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| "Just plain touching." |
| --Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times |
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Vaudeville routine
Short, 5-6 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
In this parody of Abbott and Costello's classic "Who's on First," a novice at an orgy tries to get a straight answer to "Who's on top?"
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 3 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Foreign Affairs.
November 1988: A timid East German bureaucrat is willing to express any opinion to get a better job -- as soon as he can figure out which opinion will get him the job!
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Foreign Affairs.)
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 10-12 minutes
2 females, 3 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Nothing Serious.
Barbara is an experienced executive, and Alison is a young trainee. When Alison blunders at an important meeting by requesting larger women's bathrooms, Barbara is the first to take her to task. Which is more important in the workplace: equality or empowerment?
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Nothing Serious.)
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Comedy
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Foreign Affairs.
When a couple in their fifties vacation in Rio, a husband's secret desire inspires a hair-raising suggestion from his wife, and the husband must think quick to avoid a close shave.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Foreign Affairs.)
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Comedy
Short, 6-8 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$35.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of two anthologies: Romantic Fools and Nothing Serious.
A nervous bride's fear of divorce prevents her from getting married.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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| "a funny piece about pre-wedding jitters" |
| --Columbus Suburban News |
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Comedy
Short, 15 minutes
3 females, 4 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Foreign Affairs.
November 2004: A poor Bulgarian family hopes that a visiting American cousin will shower them with money, but one of them has an even bolder request that incites wild scheming among everyone present. Everyone except the American, that is.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Foreign Affairs.)
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Comedy
Short, 10-13 minutes
2 females, 1 male, 1 either (4 actors possible: 2-3 females, 1-2 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is included in two different anthologies: OY! and Nothing Serious.
Such a trial! The human being wants a divorce from God and takes Him to court.
(This play can also be performed as part of two different full-length plays: OY! and Nothing Serious.)
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Drama
Short, 10-12 minutes
2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
When a college professor involved in a scandal is forced to leave campus, one of his students arrives in his office with a provocative question.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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Comedy
Short, 9-11 minutes
1 female, 3 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
At KvetchRadio, everybody complains -- but the host won't tolerate complaints about himself...
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy
Short, 9-12 minutes
2 females
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
On Chanukah, an observant woman learns her sister is a lesbian -- and dating a shikse.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy/Drama
Full-length, 100-110 minutes
6 females, 10 males (5-18 actors possible: 2-7 females, 3-11 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
Couples brings together nine dynamic short comedies and dramas, each for two actors. From a one-night stand that reveals a woman's secret (Right Sensation) to a professor and student who create a scandal (Class Dismissed), to a couple whose marriage dissolves in line at Disneyland (Matterhorn), Couples is a hilarious and moving examination of relationships.
To purchase this book of 9 plays, click "Order this play" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
Matterhorn
Class Dismissed
Lion Tamer
Afternoon Sun
Heart of the Fire
Oh Happy Day
Invisible Woman
Right Sensation
Afterglow
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| "Both funny and poignant... Orloff moves the action in unexpected ways to create real dramatic tension... There are wildly imaginative flights." |
| --The New York Times |
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Comedy
Short, 15-20 minutes
5 females, 3 males (5-8 actors possible: 2-5 females, exactly 3 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
In this wacky, gag-filled fairy tale, Cripperella, a young woman with a disability, is able to attend the royal ball, despite it being in an inaccessible palace, when a fairy godmother casts a spell which conceals Cripperella's disability until midnight. Although the prince is enchanted with her, Cripperella is forced to run home when the clock strikes twelve, leaving behind her glass slipper. Determined to find his mysterious dance partner, the prince sets out to see who left the shoe behind. His small-mindedness leads to an unexpected but very happy ending.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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Comedy
Short, 9-12 minutes
2 females, 1 male, 1 either (4 actors possible: 2-3 females, 1-2 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
When best friends Tina (who is able-bodied) and Olivia (who has a disability) travel to Amsterdam, they're intrigued when a suave Frenchman sends a bottle of wine to their table. Certain that he must be attracted to Tina, both women are shocked, and their friendship tested, when the seductive stranger is interested only in Olivia.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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| "I love the way this play raises questions about romance and relationships." |
| --Martin Denton, nytheatre.com |
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Comedy
Short, 7-9 minutes
2 females, 1 male, 1 either (4 actors possible: 2-3 females, 1-2 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is included in two different anthologies: OY! and Nothing Serious.
God is a woman, and Eve is made first, in this rib-tickling comedy.
(This play can also be performed as part of two different full-length plays: OY! and Nothing Serious.)
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Comedy
Short, 7-10 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
A woman assumes her blind dates can't get worse, till she opens her door and finds a caveman.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Full-length, 85-95 minutes
3 females, 4 males (7-26 actors possible: 3-10 females, 4-16 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
Foreign Affairs is comprised of seven short comedies set in seven different countries, between November 1989 and November 2004. From a timid East German bureaucrat's response to the fall of the Berlin Wall (Berlin Promotion) to a kinky tryst in Buenos Aires (Triumph in Argentina), from a vacationing couple in Rio stripping away pretensions, and possibly more (Brazilian Wax Eloquent) to a Pope who finds himself accidentally married to a showgirl (I Married a Pope: The Pilot Episode), Foreign Affairs takes an irreverent look at sex, religion, and politics, international style.
To purchase this book of 7 plays, click "Order this play" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
Berlin Promotion
Prague Summer
I Married a Pope: The Pilot Episode
Triumph in Argentina
Off the Map
Brazilian Wax Eloquent
Bulgarian Rhapsody
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| "Bright, zany comedies! Audiences will find a good dose of humor to make the world seem slightly friendlier." |
| --American Theatre Web |
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Comedy
Full-length, 75-90 minutes
2 females, 3 males (5-36 actors possible: 2-15 females, 3-20 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
Funny as a Crutch mixes ten vibrant short plays in an uproarious yet touching collection that explores the concept of disability. In tales ranging from a woman with a disability who is picked up for her first one night stand (Dutch Treat), to a young man who is turned away from the Army for having a prosthetic leg (All That He Can Be), to a waif whose fairy godmother promises to conceal her disability until midnight (Cripperella), Funny as a Crutch is guaranteed to make you laugh and raise your consciousness at the same time.
To purchase this book of 10 plays, click "Order this play" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
All That He Can Be
Cripperella
Dutch Treat
I Didn't Know You Could Cook (ten-minute version)
Just One of Those Things
Nellie
The New Land
Position Available
Toes
Totally Accessible
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| "Many, many pleasures. Rich Orloff's witty, unpredictable script fends off pity and preachiness with a daffy sense of humor." |
| --Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times |
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Comedy
Short, 5-6 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
Although Einstein has just won the Nobel Prize, his mother still worries about how he looks.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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| HA! by Rich Orloff |
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Comedy
Full-length, 100-120 minutes
2 females, 4 males (6-16 actors possible: 2-6 females, 3-10 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
NOTE: Book contains three one-act plays
HA! is a collection of Rich Orloff's three most popular one-act comedies, including Oedi (a spoof of Oedipus Rex), The News from St. Petersburg (a Chekhovian parody), and The Whole Shebang (which asks the question, "What if the entire universe was simply one student's science project?"). Together the three pieces create a hilarious full-length show. (Oedi, The News from St. Petersburg, and The Whole Shebang can also be purchased and performed separately.)
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| "Deliciously satisfying. Buoyant, funny and occasionally quite touching.
Somewhere between Mel Brooks and Christopher Durang lies the talented Rich Orloff, and the world is all the better for it." |
| --Theater Online |
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Drama
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
A waitress in an East Village bar gets an unwanted visit from a man she knows, with a request she'd rather not hear.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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| "A small gem." |
| --Off-Off-Broadway Review |
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Comedy
Short, 25-30 minutes
2 males
$35.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Incredible Sex.
A paraplegic school teacher in his twenties gets an odd ultimatum when he discusses his sexuality with his conservative older brother. (A ten-minute version of this play is also available.)
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length collection Incredible Sex.)
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| "Humorous and sensitive. Threaded through the snappy dialogue there is poignancy." |
| --The Martha's Vineyard Times |
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 9-12 minutes
2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
When conservative older brother Mark visits his paraplegic brother Jerome's house for dinner, he is shocked by two pieces of information -- his little brother is a great cook, and he is gay. When Mark demands Jerome choose between being disabled and being gay, the ensuing conversation reveals how much the brothers have kept hidden from each other over the years. Will Jerome be able to convince his brother to accept him for who he is? (A one-act version of this play is also available.)
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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Comedy
Short, 10-15 minutes
2 females, 2 males, 1 either (5 actors possible: 2-3 females, 2-3 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Foreign Affairs.
In this wacky sitcom pilot, the first American-born Pope learns he accidentally married a showgirl the night before. Between his heartbroken bride, his overbearing mother, and pressure to decide church doctrine on homosexuality, this is one very stressed Pope.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Foreign Affairs.)
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Comedy
Full-length, 100-120 minutes
3 females, 3 males (6-12 actors possible: 3-6 females, 3-6 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
Incredible Sex is a trio of one-act comedies about love and desire, and the questions men and women face in their twenties. The tone of the plays varies from the deliciously ribald dialogue of Women in Heat, to the touching comic drama of I Didn't Know You Could Cook, to the hilarious fantasy of Mars Needs Women, But Not As Much As Arnold Schecter. (Women in Heat, I Didn't Know You Could Cook, and Mars Needs Women, But Not As Much As Arnold Schecter can also be performed separately.)
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| "Incredible Sex was incredibly funny. Many one-liners and wacky, unpredictable plots. All three one-acts proved to be amusing and enjoyable, causing the audience to laugh out loud fairly frequently. A good time for all." |
| --Off-Off Broadway Review |
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Drama
Short, 7-10 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
When a woman and her boyfriend meet at a bar, the man asks how she is. The woman considers the question dangerous.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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Comedy
Short, 7-9 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
A kosher couple discovers an imaginative way to arouse each other.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy
Short, 7-9 minutes
2 females, 2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
Despite being a qualified applicant, Sam's job interview is turning out to be a disaster because his interviewer, Alice, is constantly distracted by his "thing," an inescapable physical entity that follows Sam wherever he goes. Will Alice be able to look past Sam's "thing" and give him the job he deserves? A comic and thought-provoking exploration of imperfection, visible or concealed.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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| "A miniature masterpiece of understatement and insight." |
| --Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times |
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Comedy
Short, 9-12 minutes
5 either (5 actors possible: 0-5 females, 0-5 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is included in two different anthologies: OY! and Nothing Serious.
Moments before birth, a child has second thoughts about leaving the womb. But the team getting her ready won't be stopped!
(This play can also be performed as part of two different full-length plays: OY! and Nothing Serious.)
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| "a nifty short comedy" |
| --Columbus Dispatch |
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
A man considers purchasing a woman's home, or is it all foreplay?
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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| "One of the all-around strongest plays of the evening. Sexy, funny and disturbing." |
| --Off-Off-Broadway Review |
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Comedy
Short, 40-45 minutes
3 females, 3 males
$35.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Incredible Sex.
What does a New Jersey nerd do when his girlfriend dumps him for a prince from Mars? He fights back, with help and interference from friends both local and intergalactic. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length collection Incredible Sex.)
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| "A lively intergalactic romp!" |
| --The Martha's Vineyard Times |
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Comedy
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is included in two different anthologies: Nothing Serious and Couples.
Stuck in a never-ending line at Disneyland, a husband and wife are just on the verge of killing each other -- until they devise a novel solution to their marital woes...
(This play can also be performed as part of two different full-length plays: Nothing Serious and Couples.)
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| "...hostility to the point of hilarity..." |
| --Miami New Times |
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Comedy
Short, 5-6 minutes
3 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
Such scholars! The three men in the steam room explore the concept of justice.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy
Short, 8-10 minutes
1 female, 1 male, 4 either (3-6 actors possible: 1-5 females, 1-5 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
An innocent lass learns lessons in life and love from an embittered puppet, who is none too kind when visited by puppet versions of classic disabled characters Quasimodo, Tiny Tim, Captain Hook and Oedipus. When she learns the reason for the puppet's bitterness, the lass teaches the puppeteer a thing or two!
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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| "A droll send-up. Terrifically funny." |
| --Back Stage |
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Comedy
Short, 7-10 minutes
1 female, 3 males, 1 either
(5 actors possible: 1-2 females, exactly 3 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
Just as the settlers in early America are reveling in the perfection of the new world, they are surprised by two unexpected settlers with disabilities. Shocked and appalled by this blemish to their vision of an ideal new land, they try to turn them away -- until a surprising and spiritual guest arrives with a powerful message.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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Comedy
Short, 20-25 minutes
1 female, 3 males
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
Set in 1905 Russia, this Chekhovian spoof follows the effect of a revolutionary rumor on an aristocratic couple, their doctor, and an overworked and temporarily overjoyed serf. The lives of both rich and poor are constantly shifting as ignorance leads to hearsay and then to sobering reality. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length collection HA!)
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| "How many playwrights are playing the failed 1905 uprising in Czarist Russia for laughs? Orloff proves to be a genuinely witty writer, capable of imagination and deft jokes. Good stuff." |
| --The New York Press |
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Comedy
Short, 5-7 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is included in two different anthologies: Romantic Fools and Nothing Serious.
A woman and man envision totally different consequences if she lets him buy her a drink.
(This play can also be performed as part of two different full-length plays: Romantic Fools and Nothing Serious.)
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Comedy
Short, 7-10 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
A man doesn't know what to do when he's both attracted to and repulsed by an attractive and manipulative woman.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Full-length, 90-115 minutes
2 females, 3 males, 2 either
(7-34 actors possible: 2-31 females, 3-32 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
Nothing Serious is a collection of Rich Orloff's 10 most popular and acclaimed 10-minute comedies, including two affectionate dissections of Theatre Itself (Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson and Oh My God, It's Another Play). From Antarctica and Disneyland to the Garden of Eden and inside the womb, Orloff creates theatrical worlds that are both imaginative and hilarious.
To purchase this book of 10 plays, click "Order this play" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson
Eve and Adam: The Untold Story
Bride and Gloom
Bladder Control
Off the Map
Can This Marriage Be Saved?
Matterhorn
Last-Minute Adjustments
Nice Tie
Oh My God, It's Another Play!
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| "Genuine fun that can't help being contagious." |
| --The Honolulu Advertiser |
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Comedy
Short, 20-25 minutes
1 female, 3 males
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
This farcical retelling of the Oedipus Rex story confronts the overlooked fact that if Oedipus married his mother, she had to be old enough to be his mother. When Oedipus' two advisors first explain to him that he married his mother, he's distraught. But Jocasta and the advisors only want to find a way to spin the story so that Oedipus looks good... (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length collection HA!)
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| "A funny, zippy Greece-meets-Borscht Belt take on Oedipus Rex." |
| --The Miami Herald |
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Comedy
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is included in two different anthologies: Foreign Affairs and Nothing Serious.
In a very cold place, a penguin helps a lost couple find direction.
(This play can also be performed as part of two different full-length plays: Foreign Affairs and Nothing Serious.)
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| "Clever comedy. Consistently funny dialogue." |
| --Columbus Dispatch |
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Comedy
Short, 10-12 minutes
2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
At home after work, two men in a long-term relationship unwind. One is a politician and the other has a surprise present for him.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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| "Each tossed off quip and funny expression fills the house with energy." |
| --Backstage |
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Comedy
Short, 10-12 minutes
14 either (7-14 actors possible: 0-14 females, 0-14 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Nothing Serious.
A ridiculous behind-the-scenes look at what really happens at rehearsal, as an utterly pretentious director, a thoroughly disgruntled stage manager, and romantically entangled actors all prepare for a nonsensically generic play.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Nothing Serious.)
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Comedy
Short, 5-7 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
A man seeks an "escort" to indulge the one fantasy he can't admit to other women.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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| OY! by Rich Orloff |
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Comedy
Full-length, 90-120 minutes
2 females, 3 males (5-44 actors possible: 2-41 females, 3-42 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
OY! is a collection of 13 short comedies, each illustrating the meaning of a Yiddish word -- including the untold stories of Eve and Adam, Einstein's demanding mother, the divorce trial of God and the human, the use of unkosher food as an aphrodisiac, and three men in a steam room who communicate using only the word "oy." Appealing to audiences of all backgrounds, OY! is a tribute to the absurdity and comedy of being human.
To purchase this book of 13 plays, click "Order this play" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
Word Play
Eve and Adam: The Untold Story
Good News From Albert
Stevie Goldstein Faces the Day of Atonement Unprepared
Can This Marriage Be Saved?
Oy
Murray, Leo and Sol Rewrite the Criminal Code
A Trolley Named Tsuris
Close Call
Is Lust Kosher?
Come Light the Menorah
Last-Minute Adjustments
What Makes a Man?
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| "You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate the wonderful humor of OY! Do yourself a favor and don't miss OY!" |
| --Arlington Weekly News |
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Comedy
Short, 6-9 minutes
3 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
In this tribute to the most colorful of all Yiddish words, three men in a steam room have a vibrant interaction with each other and life -- using only the word "oy."
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy
Short, 10-15 minutes
3 either (3 actors possible: 0-3 females, 0-3 males)
$40.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Nothing Serious.
An instructor lectures on the craft of playwriting, using two live examples: a would-be jumper on the edge of a ledge, and a would-be Good Samaritan trying to save him. But after being paused and replayed one too many times, these two characters rise up and revolt against both the instructor and the rules of playwriting itself...
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Nothing Serious.)
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| "Unusually sharp and intelligent, a lot of laughs." |
| --Oakland Tribune |
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Comedy
Short, 5-8 minutes
1 male, 1 either (2 actors possible: 0-1 females, 1-2 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
Are you a "bitter disabled person with amazingly creative talent"? No? How about a "relentlessly cheery type who reminds us that these are the best years of our lives"? When a human resource counselor at the Concerned Liberal Institute for Compassionate Handicapped Employment (CLICHE) is unable to reduce a new job applicant to an uplifting stereotype, the question rises: Could someone with a disability just be an average person?
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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Comedy
Short, 5-7 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
Arm-wrestling becomes a metaphor for a couple's sexual interactions.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Foreign Affairs.
Summer 1992: When two Czech men deal with an American corporate woman sporting six legs and feelers, one finds her fascinating but the other is bugged.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Foreign Affairs.)
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| "Comedy is easy to pick up, yet hard to master. Random Acts of Comedy is a collection of assorted plays that range in many types of humor from outright parody to twisting of classics to meta humor on the art of theatre. For anyone seeking to teach their students the art of humor, [this] is quite the excellent source for inspiration." |
| --Midwest Book Review |
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Couples.
When a man and a woman who have met at a bar end up in her apartment, they both hope for sex but end up with something more.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Couples.)
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| "The play is sweet and tender, a true delight." |
| --Off-Off-Broadway Review |
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Comedy
Full-length, 90-120 minutes
1 female, 1 male (2-24 actors possible: 1-12 females, 1-12 males)
$75.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: Each piece in this anthology can be licensed and performed separately.
Romantic Fools consists of 12 two-character comedies examining love, lust, dating, and romance -- from a date with a caveman (Find Me a Primitive Man) to the joys of dull sex (One Man's Secret Desire) to the surprise frustrations of having a perfect mate (The Stepford Guy). With influences of Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, Jules Feiffer, the Marx Brothers, and classic vaudeville comedy, these sketches vary in style but all celebrate the inherent comedy of male-female relationships.
To purchase this book of 12 plays, click "Order this play" above. To perform an individual play, click on its title below:
Find Me a Primitive Man
Nightmare with a Sexy Skirt
One Man's Secret Desire
At the Orgy
The Sheep (or Much Ado About Mutton)
The Stepford Guy
Nice Tie
Power Is the Greatest Aphrodisiac of Them All
Vegetarians in Lust
Spaghetti Overture
The Wedding Planner
Bride and Gloom
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| "A side-splitting new comedy. You'll ache from non-stop laughing." |
| --Show Business Weekly |
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Comedy
Short, 6 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
When an outraged wife learns of her husband's affair, he tries to pull the wool over her eyes.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Short, 5-8 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
When a man tries to convince a woman to marry him, a very large plate of pasta contains a ring of truth.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Short, 6-8 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
A too-good-to-be-true husband drives his wife nuts with his perfection, until he comes up with the perfect answer.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Short, 8-10 minutes
1 female, 2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
Stevie's parents face a problem not found in any parenting book: What do you do when your son tells you he hasn't sinned all year?
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy
Short, 7-12 minutes
2 females, 2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
When Sheila brings home her new fiance Leonard to meet her parents, she's shocked that they refuse to give the charming young man their blessing. Despite their own disabilities, Sheila's parents cannot tolerate Leonard's slight physical imperfection. Can Sheila break through her parents' hilariously illogical thinking?
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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Comedy/Drama
Short, 10-12 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Funny as a Crutch.
Ivy and Bryan, who both use wheelchairs, live a storybook life. They're happily married, make nice livings, and take luxurious resort vacations. But one evening, when a small argument blows up into a much bigger fight, they begin to question: Are they trying to live out a fairy tale that doesn't exist?
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Funny as a Crutch.
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Comedy
Short, 9-11 minutes
1 female, 2 males
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Foreign Affairs.
In Buenos Aires, an American who professes to be open to anything willingly accepts a German couples' invitation to join them in their hotel room. But he isn't prepared for the surprising suggestion this kinky couple has in store for him.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Foreign Affairs.)
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Comedy
Short, 12-15 minutes
2 females, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
In this hilarious parody of A Streetcar Named Desire, Stella and Stanley get a new neighbor who keeps poking her nose into their business.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy
Short, 5-8 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
A male vegetarian has trouble getting aroused, until his girlfriend comes up with a meaty solution.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Theatrical documentary
Full-length, 120 minutes
5 females, 6 males (8-40 actors possible: 4-35 females, 4-36 males)
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book
Vietnam 101: The War on Campus is a documentary theater piece about one college community's journey during the Vietnam War years. Based on recollections of over one hundred students at Oberlin College in Ohio, the play recreates a time when people were asking the same questions that are being asked today about our government and our responsibilities. Combining monologues with Story Theater-type scenes, the play covers the years 1964 to 1970, from Lyndon Johnson's promise not to expand the war (and early, well-behaved protests) to Kent State (when the entire campus shut down), and finally an epilogue from the present.
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| "A thoughtful, impassioned look at one of the most divisive eras in American history. [The play] gives the audience a 'you are there' feel for the times." |
| --The Daily Sentinel (Colorado) |
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Vaudeville routine
Short, 5-7 minutes
1 female, 1 male
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Romantic Fools.
A combination wedding and funeral planner has unusual suggestions for a woman's future.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play Romantic Fools.)
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Comedy
Short, 12-15 minutes
2 females, 4 males (5-6 actors possible: exactly 2 females, 3-4 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
Will creating an artificial man solve the problems of a 29-year-old loser still living at home? When do things ever work out according to plan?
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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Comedy
Short, 45-50 minutes
1 female, 1 male, 4 either (6 actors possible: 2-4 females, 2-4 males)
$40.00 per performance; $7.99 per book
This play asks the question, "What if the entire universe was just some nerd's science project?" In a classroom in a dimension far beyond ours, a student striving for a "Master of the Universe" degree gives an oral presentation on an unusual thesis -- the creation of the heavens and the earth. Two professors and a dean interrogate the student and his two visual aids, a "typical" man and woman. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length collection HA!)
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| "Rich Orloff's charming and whimsical comedy about the creation of the universe delivers impish fun, along with a thoughtful and provocative message. Orloff brings a witty and engaging innocence to the excellent script." |
| --Variety |
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Comedy
Short, 20-25 minutes
3 females, 1 male
$35.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called Incredible Sex.
When three young women from Ohio vacation in Key West, two of them have extreme (and extremely different) responses when they learn about an erotic adventure the third had the night before. When a man from that night presents all three of them with a daring offer, the women realize they're not in Ohio anymore. (This play can also be performed as part of the full-length collection Incredible Sex.)
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| "Very funny. Orloff asks what women want and for his hilarious bonus, answers that question while finding out what (some) men want, too." |
| --Columbus Dispatch |
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Comedy
Short, 5-7 minutes
5 either (5 actors possible: 0-5 females, 0-5 males)
$30.00 per performance; $9.99 per book
NOTE: This play is part of an anthology called OY!
A non-Jewish employee joins a Jewish company and fears he doesn't have the chutzpah to fit in. His boss and co-workers offer him an education.
(This play can also be performed as part of the full-length play OY!)
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