Tricks of the Trade is a full-length romantic thriller by Sidney Michaels. The gripping story of New York psychologist Dr. August Browning and his beautiful, but possibly very ill, patient Diana. During this compelling game of cat and mouse, we learn that neither the doctor nor Diana is necessarily who they seem to be, which leads to a surprising and shocking final twist.

Tricks of the Trade is a cold war spy story set in a New York psychiatrist's office. Nothing is as it first appears in this gripping story of a New York psychologist and his female patient. Something is wrong about the therapy sessions between Dr. August Browning and the beautiful but possibly very ill Diana Woods. Just when we are about to wring our hands at August's tricks of the trade, we learn that, in addition to being a psychologist, he is a spy for the CIA. Or is he? Is he perhaps a smuggler? Why is he so suspicious of Diana? Could she be Nadia, a Russian agent who has already finished off three of his associates and is after the microfilm in August's possession? During this strange and compelling game of cat and mouse which takes place during Diana's therapy sessions, love rears its tender head. As in all good thrillers, there is a surprising and shocking final twist.

Tricks of the Trade opened in 1980 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in New York City, starring George C. Scott and his real-life wife Trish Van Devere. Since then the play has been successfully staged at several professional theatres across the US.

Cast: 1 female, 1 male

What people say:

"Does a young woman named Diana Woods need psychotherapy? Is Dr. August Browning's unorthodox treatment what she needs? In Tricks of the Trade by Sidney Michaels, a comedy-romance-thriller, these initial queries are only the beginning of a long list of questions spun together like a dramatic spider web ... Nothing is quite as it appears, and as the title suggests, something is afoot. But whether it is fair or foul, and who is on which side, are all part of the mystery." — New York Times

About the Playwright:

Sidney Michaels (1927-2011) was an American playwright and screenwriter. His work drew Tony nominations in three seasons running during the 1960s. He also wrote the 1968 film The Night They Raided Minsky's.