About the Play:

Lives Of The Saints contains nine one-act plays by David Ives, one of the contemporary theatre's brightest comic playwrights. Generally quirky comedies, ranging from a little weird to ridiculous to sublime, these short plays use clever language twists and situations to always amuse and occasionally enlighten. A sequel of sorts to his beloved collection All in the Timing, they may be performed separately or as an evening of entertainment.

The Goodness of Your Heart: If a friend's in need, friends help friends, no questions asked – right? But then, what does "need," mean, really? Does it extend to a $900 4-D surround sound television? (2 male)

Soap Opera: A washing-machine repairman falls in love with a picture-perfect washer. Should he tell his girlfriend Mabel? Is the washer two-timing him with a dryer? Stay tuned. (Cast: 2 female, 3 male)

Enigma Variations: Zany hijinks as a pair of lookalikes named Bebe W.W. Doppel-gängler solve an identity crisis with the help of Dr. William W. Williams and his nurse Fifi, who may or may not be Aphrodite the Goddess of Love. Or is she a male gym-teacher in a dress? (Cast: 2 female, 3 male)

Life Signs: Helen, Toby's mother, has just passed. An aloof woman in life, Toby feels he never truly knew the woman who birthed him, and now that she's gone, he'll never get the chance. Or will he? And will he regret it for the rest of his life? (2 female, 2 male)

It's All Good: Stephen got out of his hometown Chicago suburb, went to college, became a successful New York City writer, and has the girlfriend of his dreams. But a trip back to the old neighbourhood offers an all-too-vivid portrait of what his life could have been if he'd stayed. (2 female, 2 male)

Lives Of The Saints: A tender and gently comic meditation. Two women preparing a funeral breakfast in a church basement muse on life, death, and the meaning of Polish jokes – and along the way achieve a kind of sanctity. (Cast: 2 female, 3 male)

The Mystery At Twicknam Vicarage: A body on the carpet, three ridiculous Masterpiece Theatre-style suspects and a bumbling Scotland Yard detective solve philosophical quandaries as they investigate: Who killed Jeremy Thumpington-Fffienes? (Cast: 2 female, 3 male)

Babel's In Arms: Two blue-collar Mesopotamian construction workers are handed a provocative task: Build the Tower of Babel – or else. How many stones does it take to get to heaven, anyway? (Cast: 2 female, 3 male)

The End of Travel: A woman looking to make the trip of a lifetime talks to her travel agent, only to realize her destination – and the journey – might be beyond what she imagined. (2 female)

Lives Of The Saints premiered in 1999 at Philadelphia Theatre Company and was subsequently performed at the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This definitive version opened in 2015 at Primary Stages off-Broadway in New York City.

What people say:

"Sometimes it's nice to go out for an evening of tapas rather than a big three-course meal. In that spirit, David Ives has served up some scrumptious theatrical morsels with Lives of the Saints... Much like a tasting menu, there's something in this collection of one-acts to satisfy every theatergoing palate." — TheaterMania

About the Playwright:

David Ives is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist who was born in Chicago and educated at Northwestern University and Yale School of Drama. He is perhaps best known for his evenings of comic one-act comedies, a reputation which resulted in the The New York Times referring to him as the "maestro of the short form". A former Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting, he has also written dramatic plays, narrative stories, and screenplays. He lives in New York City.