About the Play:

Pitching to the Star and Other Short Plays brings together in one collection five short works from one of the finest and most provocative voices in contemporary American theatre, Donald Margulies, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Dinner with Friends. These five short plays cover a wealth of emotions and introduce us to zany and soulful characters. Love, longing, family and, of course, Hollywood, fill the lives of writers, actors, would-be actors, office workers and music mavens.

Featured in this volume is the hilariously satirical one-act play Pitching to the Star: When up-and-coming writer Peter Rosenthal finally gets a good break, he finds himself pitching his script (and blood, sweat, and tears) to glamorous star Dena Strawbridge and sellout producer Dick Feldman. Promised control over something he's worked long and hard on, he finds his integrity and his storyline attacked every time the star makes a suggestion to completely change his script and make the lead character exactly like herself. (3 female, 2 male, flexible casting).

Pitching to the Star was first presented in 1990 at the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar, featuring Robert Sean Leonard (known by most as Dr. James Wilson on House) in the role of Peter, and Lewis Black (known as the comedic king of the "rant") in the role of Dick. It can be – and often is – performed as a stand-alone one-act (popular choice for high schools), but has been performed together with Women In Motion to create a full evening of entertainment.

Other titles include:

• In L.A. a washed-up young movie star explains to a willing fan in a bar how he went from a happy, married young novice to a wealthy, gambling, overnight sensation and back to a hungry, divorced wanna-be who only wants to recapture his original dream of having "enough" and being married for life. (1 female, 1 male)

The Space in this play of the same name covers what comes between couples, what is out in the universe and even time spent between friends. Relating the story of his break-up with his girlfriend, one friend reveals to another how space – in whatever form – invades all his thoughts about himself and his world. (2 male)

Two Women In Motion work together and take a tropical vacation together, surveying the territory and the men. When Monica reveals to Libby her crush on a co-worker, Mike, Libby takes little interest, but when Libby's island date sours, she interrupts Monica's fling to tell her Mike has no interest in Monica and, in fact, he gave Libby a long passionate kiss by the copy machine right before this trip. The women travel home in silence. (2 female)

We meet Zimmer in the record store where he advises young buyers about the real rock and roll, before their time. He knows it all, and imparts his storehouse of knowledge while relating his experiences growing up: the expectations, his family, the friends who freaked out, the expectations, where he was when Kennedy died, his Bar Mitzvah, his girlfriend, and maybe a few more expectations. Always there is the music to tie it together, and tide him over. (1 male)

What people say:

"Pitching to the Star ... takes wickedly penetrating potshots at producers, executive assistants and stars, exposing the rampant ignorance, egomania and manipulation that precede acceptance of any script." — Variety

"...amusing play about a bemused New York playwright suffering through his first Hollywood "pitch" session." — Los Angeles Times

About the Playwright:

Donald Margulies is an American playwright, screenwriter, and a professor of English and Theater Studies at Yale University. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2000 for his play, Dinner With Friends. Other plays include Pulitzer Prize finalists Sight Unseen and Collected Stories. He has also developed screenplays for HBO, NBC, Paramount, Propaganda, Touchstone, Warner Bros., TriStar and Universal.