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emilymcclainplays

10 MINUTE PLAY COLLECTION
Alphabetical by Title

All Roads Lead to Rome?
Cast:
2 W
Genre:
Comedy
Lesbian Roman Holiday? Yes please!
Kellie's wealthy family has offered to take her and her wife, Sarah, on an all-expense paid vacation to Italy. Sarah has never been on such an extravagant trip and is willing to look past some small personal "slights" about their lifestyle for a chance to go on a trip they would not be able to afford otherwise. Kellie, however, feels the trip comes with invisible strings attached and wants to refuse. While Kellie's parents have never been cruel, they have never been particularly supportive or accepting of Sarah and Kellie's relationship. How important are principles, really? Especially weighed against the offer of a free first-class vacation?

The Best Little Non-Denominational Winter Pageant Ever
Cast:
1 M, 3 W
Genre:
Satire
This war on Christmas is maybe well-earned?
Enthusiastic teachers Janet, Angela, and Wally find their creative vision for the Christmas Pageant stymied by Principal Emmons' demands that the show be less " aggressively religious."

The Castle, Half-Off
Cast:
1 M, 1 W
Genre:
Comedy
Aging, Nudity, and a Rude Conceirge
George Yoder believes he's gotten a great deal on a hotel for he and his wife's French vacation. Jeanie begins to notice that some of the other guests have a more "casual" approach to wearing clothing than she is used to, and she wants to leave. George doesn't see what the big deal is, and it reveals more about their relationship than naked shuffleboard would.

Drinking Shiraz With Strangers
Cast:
1 M, 1 W
Genre:
Drama
Wine Snobs and Class Warfare
Running to a fancy liquor store on the way to the firm's Christmas party should be. a quick stop on the way to a nice evening out, but for Ellis and Solaire it quickly reveals the difference in their backgrounds and potentially damaging their ability to move on from what they learn. It's not just about the label on the bottle, is it?

The Great Suburban Outback
Cast:
3 M, 3 W
Genre:
Satire
Reality TV vs MegaKaren
The Jacobson family is thrilled to find out they have been selected to be the host family for a foreign exchange student. What they don’t realize is that they are actually on a reality television show broadcast to so-called “Third World Countries” about Suburban American Culture.

Ground Control to Baby Tom
Cast:
2 W
Genre:
Comedy
Mommy Wars In Space
Two female astronauts, charged with the important mission of carrying the first pregnancy to full term in space, find themselves entangled in patriarchal nonsense, even 400 million miles away on a spaceship orbiting Jupiter's moon Io. Part of the Bowie Cycle, inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie's song Space Oddity.

The Judas Goat
Cast:
3 Any
Genre:
Dark Comedy
Slaughterhouses & Cigarettes
The job title “Judas Goat” refers to the practice of having one animal (usually a donkey or a goat) guide the other animals through a slaughter house from the holding pen to the kill floor because they trusted the guide animal and would follow it more readily than they would a human. In the early 20th century, these guide animals were rewarded with treats, including most notably cigarettes, which led to quite a few goats becoming nicotine addicts. So anyway, here's a weird little play about that job.

Mute Me Baby One More Time
Cast:
1 M, 1 W
Genre:
Romantic Comedy
Zoom Dating Hellscape Featuring A Spotted Gekko
When his plans for a first date are derailed by the "Shelter In Place" order due to the pandemic, Mark perseveres in a creative way to impress his crush, Amanda. The awkwardness of a first date meets the awkwardness of a Zoom video meeting.

Serious Moonlight
Cast:
2 W
Genre:
Comedy
Prom Night 1999, sponsored by Skyy Vanilla.
Grace makes a misguided attempt to console her cousin Margaret on prom night, but Grace has motives beyond just a desire to make Margaret feel better. Part of the Bowie Cycle, inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie's song Let's Dance.

Sure, Mary
Cast:
4 W
Genre:
Satire
Mommy Wars in Bethleham
Ruth and Hannah reach out to Deborah to see how she is holding up in the first few weeks with a new baby. The strain of motherhood, the pressure to be seen as a "good mother," and the lack of spousal support is wearing on her- as is her neighbor, Mary, who also has a brand-new baby boy and doesn't seem to be having any of the same issues Deborah is having.

Tangled Up
Cast:
2 W
Genre:
Drama
Music Industry vs. Family Secrets
Rap producer Fabienne needs permission from legendary blues guitarist Cy Harper's widow to utilize old recordings in some new tracks. But in dealing with Rosaleen, Fabienne encounters a woman who has endured so much to be with the man she loved, and when he died she was left with nothing. What is stronger: a desire to protect a legacy or a passion for creating something new?

The Thing About Names
Cast:
2 M, 2 W
Genre:
Comedy
Small Town Politics
The City Commission has been charged with the renaming of the Orville Hatch Library. It has been renovated at great expense and there is a lot of pressure to have a better, more prestigious name selected. As the three members discuss options, Molly, the head librarian, tries to provide some perspective and guide the decision as best she can.

When Cranes Cha-Cha
Cast:
1 M, 2 W
Genre:
Comedy
Slick Moves and Killer Birds
Margo the White Naped Crane needs to find a mate to help repopulate her critically endangered species. Her keeper, Alex, and Director of Zoo HR, Mallory, want to help her. The only problem is Margo's tastes run a little more exotic. Which is bad news for the zoo maintenence guy, Chris, who thought he was just innocently jamming to Prince on his headphones, but Margo saw something else altogether.
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