About the Plays:

Some great pieces for scene work or performance.

The acclaimed Samuel French Off Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival in Manhattan (commonly referred to as OOB) is America's leading short play festival. The annual OOB Festival originated in 1975 and has since attracted US and international short plays that may be up to 15 pages in length from countries like Canada, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Off Off Broadway Festival Plays, 24th Series is a collection of short plays selected by a panel of judges that included New York playwrights, artistic directors, and industry leaders as the most important plays of the 24th OOB Festival. Winning authors include: Louis Felder, Steven Fechter, Frances Galton, Nira Lipner, Jean Reynolds, Arlene Hutton, and Le Wilhelm.

Flight of Fancy is a short drama by Louis Felder: A romance. At an airport cocktail lounge a pretty MBA on her first marketing trip receives advice from an old pro salesman while awaiting their separate flights. She just lost a big account on the first call of her career and dreads flying home a loser. The customer wanted sex and she can still make the sale if she gives in. The salesman isn't looking forward to another week on the road or to flying back to an unhappy home. They hear a boarding announcement for a tour to Hawaii, Bora Bora, Fiji and Samoa. They both gaze off gaze off dreaming "if only..." (Cast: 1 female, 1 male).

The Last Cigarette is a one-act dramatic comedy by Steven Fechter: In the last smoking bar in Santa Monica, a beautiful woman in a green evening dress sits alone, smoking and drinking martinis. She has a past, a secret, and no future. Watching her from the bar while he drinks doubles is a man with little to lose who will stop at nothing to win her. Drinks are downed, stories are told, strangers dance and kiss. As they are leaving together, she reveals her secret. This funny, heartbreaking tale is told in the evocative language of film noir. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male).

Nothing in the World Like It is a short drama by Frances Galton: Here is a sympathetic look at college students caught in a universal dilemma. Edie, a junior from a broken home, meets Doug in the cafeteria to tell him she is pregnant and wants to get married. A senior intent on graduating, he maintains that they are not ready for marriage and offers to help pay for an abortion. Edie refuses, they argue, Doug walks out, and she contorts in pain. A cafeteria worker attempts to comfort Edie by expounding on the joys of motherhood, but this only confuses the younger woman. Doug returns and the three strike a tableau, each in a solitary world. (Cast: 2 female, 1 male).

Ophelia is a short drama by Karen Sanford: In this graphic example of the eternal struggle between good and evil, a young girl's lonely rural existence is interrupted by an exciting stranger on the run. He is compelled to win her confidence; she would gladly trust him if he would accept Jesus. As he attempts to lure her into his truck, she tries to lure him toward heaven. Frustrated, he reveals his intentions, only to be shown the evil within himself. Years later, he remembers her offer of salvation while she survives to sing at his funeral. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male).

Pearls is a short drama by Nira Lipner: Seven years after her husband's death Ruth, now in her sixties, invites her nemesis, the younger other woman, for a visit. A verbal chess match ensues as each tries to claim the deceased man's love, until they face the truth about their lives, understand their pain and move on. (Cast: 2 female).

Physical Therapy is a short comedy by Jean Reynolds: Is physical therapy the answer? The term takes on new meaning when Beulah contacts a male escort service and gets more than she bargained for. Over gin, Beulah attempts to persuade a friend facing a medical crisis that physical therapy solves most problems. As the alcohol flows and edges blur, Beulah's powers of persuasion escalate and the friend's resolve wavers. (Cast: 2 female).

The Price You Pay is a short dark comedy by Arlene Hutton: Two of the wealthy women in this absurdist comedy about those who marry older men find themselves in a power struggle when a stranger enters their odd world. (Cast: 3 female).

A Significant Betrayal is a short drama by Le Wilhelm: Hoping to find answers about her life, Dorry slips into the swamp to meet an uncle who was cut off from the family after a mysterious incident before she was born. She delves into his sexual past and her family's hidden secrets to confront her future and universal questions about the nature of love, forgiveness, betrayal and the assumptions we make about other's suffering. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful companion piece to Meridian, Mississippi Redux. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male).