About the Play:

Theatrical Haiku: Seven Short Plays is a collection of six hilarious ten-minute plays by Mary Louise Wilson. This is a series of six playlets about the lives of stage actors under the umbrella title of Theatrical Haiku. Included are characters that range from forgetful ladies "of a certain age" trying to get to a lunch outing, to a fired, "over prepared" soap actor, to a reigning diva greeting her fans, each portrait hilariously and accurately drawn. They may be performed separately or as a laugh-filled evening in the theatre.

Written by Tony Award winning actress, Mary Louise Wilson (The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie, Nebraska), these plays about the foibles of stage actors will provide audiences with a glimpse into what happens backstage, in the Green Room, dressing room, and other areas privy only to actors and crew. She described each as a vignette or slice of time – not a full-blown one-act play, but a character study.

Lost is a slapstick comedy that follows two women of "a certain age." Hellen and Alice who have been friends forever are trying to go out for lunch. They are very forgetful and end up in an accident that ruins their chances of going out to eat, yet they forget about the accident practically as soon as it happens. (Cast: 2 female)

The Professional is about a seasoned stage actor who gains work as a soap opera extra, bringing a bit too much Method to the madness. (Cast:1 male)

Deer Play recounts the strange tale of a woodland creature's reign of terror in an aging actress' garden. The scene is about a longtime actress "between shows" who has become obsessed with gardening. Faced with deer nibbling away at her work, those pesky critters almost put her over the edge! (Cast: 2 female, 3 male, flexible casting)

In Tirade an actress finds herself eclipsed by a rival in the confessional. (Cast: 1 female)

Laughs details the challenges of a stage manager of a summer-stock theatre as he navigates the complicated relationship between two of his actors with competing egos. We see just how nasty a rehearsal can get. (Cast: 1 female, 2 male)

Road Work presents the whispered conversations of three cast members getting sick of each other during a touring production. (Cast: 2 female, 1 male)

In The Dressing Room is about people coming backstage and crowding into the dressing room and saying all the wrong things. We learn what chafes and what soothes the delicate ego of a "grande dame". (Cast: 3 female, 7 male)

What people say:

"These pieces – too brief to be considered one-acts, they are more like theatrical haiku – are slices of life and character studies shrewdly observed. In their brevity, they capture grand emotions, establish hilarious situations and offer each actor moments of brilliant delight." — New Orleans Times Picayune

"Sketch comedy that is both sophisticated and daffy." — Gambit (New Orleans)

About the Playwright:

Mary Louise Wilson is an award-winning American is a writer, playwright and actress. She has acted on and off Broadway and in films and TV for nearly fifty years. Roles include Vera Joseph in 4000 Miles at Lincoln Center (Obie Award), Big Edie in Grey Gardens (Tony Award), Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret (Tony nomination), and Diana Vreeland in Full Gallop (Drama Desk Award). Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker and The New York Times and she teaches acting at Tulane University. She lives in upstate New York.