About the Play:

Editor Craig Pospisil compiled this collection Outstanding Short Plays: Vol. 4. Inside these pages you will find authors from widely varied backgrounds, some well known, others less so, but all immensely talented. This collection of one-act plays represents some of the best writing in the American theatre today. They have been performed as "pop-up" fringe plays to spotlight local performers.

The collection Outstanding Short Plays: Vol. 4 includes the following plays:

Brown is a short play by Cherie Vogelstein. Peter is in the middle of a job interview at an advertising agency run by young up-and-comers. It's a little shaky at first, but the boss Ira, the animated Maurie, and the virtuous Mary seem to like him and to be impressed that he is a graduate of Brown University. But then they ask him to make a hypothetical decision – if he'd rather sleep with a dog or his mother. And that's when things get really – strange. Just how far will Pete go to get the job? (Cast: 1 female, 3 male)

Dog? is a short play by Kara Lee Corthron. A man being interviewed as a prospective dog-sitter is stunned when the dog turns out to be a young woman pretending to be a dog. He doesn't want to get involved, but then it seems this may be some role-playing game. Or is it something else? Just what's going on here? (Cast: 1 female, 2 male)

For Unto Us is a 10-minute play by Stephen Kaplan. Mary and Joseph are a pair of 5-year-olds playing with a doll. But before they can start, they'll need to debate gender stereotypes, the relative merits of Christmas versus Hanukkah, the nature of God, and what it means to have two dads. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)

Happenstance is a short comedy by Craig Pospisil. Cassidy, a conflicted and high-strung woman, is at a coffee shop with her husband, when she spots her ex-boyfriend Abe. Should she talk to him? Or not? Tell her husband? Or not? Abe approaches her, and in a midst the small talk he drops some bombshells about their past relationship. But Cassidy won't let him get away with that. Every time Abe starts taking a path she doesn't like, Cassidy makes a twirling motion with one hand and rewinds time, until things play out the way she wants. Or does it? (Cast: 2 female, 2 male)

Jack is a short play by Melissa Ross. Maggie and George are divorced. It's been six months, and they're dating other people. But they're in the middle of a huge argument outside the dog run in the park about why George didn't call Maggie about an emergency involving Jack, the dog they adopted together at the start of their relationship. A play about growing up, growing apart, and letting go of your first love. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)

Linus And Murray is a short play by Leah Nanako Winkler. Linus is a cat who's seen it all. Murray is a young dog, who's newly adopted and neurotic. They share a yard, but can they get past the antiquated idea that they are mortal enemies and become friends? Can they be more than friends? (Cast: 2 male)

The Presentation is a short play by Lia Romeo. Samantha, polished and professional, finishes a presentation on sexual harassment in the workplace to a very unusual audience, Vikings, and she opens the floor up for questions. Unfortunately, the three less-than-gentlemanly Vikings she's been addressing haven't gotten the point of her talk, especially where it concerns not raping and pillaging. (Cast: 1 female, 3 male)

The Sculpture Gallery is a short play by Aoise Stratford. As Kennedy, a young woman in an art gallery, sketches lifelike sculptures of women, a man several years her senior strikes up a conversation. Jack, trading on their shared love and understanding of art, breaks down Kennedy's barriers until she – and we – are no longer able to tell where the objectified artist's subject begins and the person ends. (Cast: 2 female, 1 male)

Shock And Awww is a short play by Dan Castellaneta and Deb Lacusta. Stewart and Patrick are roommates who agreed: No pets. So when Stewart comes home to find Patrick cuddling a kitten named Mr. Squiggy, he says the cat has to go. But Mr. Squiggy isn't going anywhere. In fact, he's already taken over Patrick's mind. (Cast: 2 male)

Waiting For The Matinee is a 10-minute play by Eric Coble. "Nothing to be done." Estelle and Vivian are audience members waiting for the start of a local theatre performance of Waiting for Godot, but nothing happens. They've read the whole program while waiting. But nothing happens. Should they go? Should they stay? Should they unwrap their candy? (Cast: 2 female)

About the Editor:

Craig Pospisil is a multiple award-winning American playwright and filmmaker. His work has been seen around the US, and in two dozen countries on six continents, and translated into seven languages.