Smaller Floods
Synopsis
Against the arid backdrop of the Dust Bowl, Abital digs in the farmland soil for a hidden lake prophesied to her in a dream—her last-ditch effort to reclaim water after growing concerns that the nearby river basin is soon to run dry. Meanwhile, her brother Gabriel charts weather patterns in hopes to predict the next rainfall. Inside their generations-old house, the children’s sheltered and skeptical mother—a frontierswoman and a barkeep—washes away the myths spun to her at the saloon as she searches for her missing acquaintance. Over one long night, at the arrival of a Western outlaw, the children are forced to reckon with the deadly potential of the dust that their mother has kept hidden from them, as they decide whether to leave their land or if they’re too indebted, owing too much to ever leave.
Production History
2018 - Workshop Production
National Theatre Institute
Dir. Abbey Burgess
2019 - Workshop with Jessica Huang
2020 - Workshop with Ludmila de Brito
2022 - University Production
Susquehanna University
Dir. Bruce Gomez
Merkur and Venera
Five astronauts are trapped inside a spaceship en route to terraform a distant planet, unable to let go of the memories they're leaving behind. When a technical misstep results in death in one of their own, the remaining astronauts start to reconsider the nature of the mission and what it means to exist in the throws of loss.
Production History
2016 - Minnesota Fringe Production
Dir. Emily Wrolson
2018 - Augsburg University Thesis Reading
Dir. Ash Kaun
Development support from Sarah Myers
Snow Over Atlantis
It snowed so much that the city shut down. It snowed so much that nightmares crept out of their respective crawlspaces on the coldest of December nights. On two nights separated three years apart, Genevieve and Matthew have to come to terms with their hesitations, regrets and fears for the security of their daughter. That word "security" has shifted so much that neither of them really know what it means anymore. But soon they will, as their fears become manifest in impossible ways. Is it nothing but a fever dream? Maybe. But it will all be over by morning.
Production History
2016 - Workshop Reading
Facilitated by Christina Ham
2018 - University Production
Dir. Shanna Frasier
The Liars Club
In 1897 in a small Kansas town, Alexander Hamilton (no, not THAT Alexander Hamilton) witnessed one of his cows being abducted by aliens. Because Hamilton is a member of the local Liars Club, no one is inclined to believe him. But he knows what he saw and can feel it in the air what whatever took his cow is coming back. A short musical minimally influenced by historical events.
Production History
2018 - National Theatre Institute
Dir. Ella Chen
Secret Heart
Hefty storms. Sacred histories. Diner grease.
Leslie has spent her entire working life at the same Montana diner. Coney Island hot dogs and cheap wall-to-wall memorabilia. Over the years, she's been filled with growing regrets of never moving away from the same town, but when her estranged daughter arrives unexpectedly, she has an opportunity to make amends to her mistakes. A play about roadside America, disappearing nostalgia, small town inescapability, unrealised ambitions, Canadian indie rock music, mountains, and lots and lots of cheese curds.
Development History
2017 - Workshop, The Playwrights’ Center
Facilitated by Alayna Barnes
2017 - Showcase Reading
Dir. Daisuke Kawachi
