Shorts And Briefs: A Collection of Short Plays and Brief Principles of Playwriting

Visit an agency that offers once in a lifetime placements, a family errand that turns downright embarrassing, a subway ride that changes lives forever, a dog park for extended families, a breakfast nook that turns negative to positive, an unexpected war zone where a soldier is unprepared for battle; a double date where a surprise kiss topples everything, a last attempt to regain a romantic spark, and a staircase where two estranged siblings become reunited. You’ll find these and more in this sparkling collection of nine “shorts” – short plays, with roles for actors from their teens to their forties -- including the award winning Stairway to Heaven, and the award nominated Roast Beef and the Rare Kiss, as well as Eight Times Around, Family of Flechner, Hangman, The Moon Alone, The Nine-Month Fix, Not Tonight, and Robert Mapplethorpe’s Flower. The Shorts are followed by Briefs: fifteen brief essays or discussions on the elements of short drama, intended for students of theater, new playwrights, and established writers who would like to further explore the short play genre. The first edition of Shorts and Briefs has been used by Alfred University, Cornell University, CUNY-Kingsborough Community College, Lock Haven University, Marshall University, Niagara University, University of Oregon, University of Central Arkansas, and many others. This revised and expanded second edition will introduce hundreds more drama students and aspiring playwrights to the delight and challenge of the Short Play.