October 30, 1938. The members of Farlowe's Mystery Theatre Hour are in rehearsal for their weekly radio show when they hear an alarming announcement come over the radio - Martians have landed! The actors fly into hysterics, barricading themselves in the studio, not expecting to live to see the next day. Passions ignite, secret identities are revealed and slapstick mayhem ensues when a washed-up director, his drama queen Ex, a wanna-be war hero, a ditzy actress, and a German sound effects wiz all think they are about to annihilated by men from Mars. Honesty and hilarity erupt as truth and loyalty square off against fear and paranoia. Winner of the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and nominee for the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association Award!

It Came From Mars: A Play

Literature & Fiction

Zettelmaier, Joseph

Dramas & Plays

Sordelet Ink

A Christmas play. It’s a cold Christmas Eve in London, and Ebenezer Scrooge sits in a hospital room. 15 years have passed since his miraculous transformation by the Ghosts of Christmas. Now renowned for his generosity and selflessness, his spirit still yearns to bring cheer to the world, but his flesh is weak. Such a little thing isn’t likely to stop the old man, though, for he has a plan up his sleeve that he hasn’t shared with his two troubled companions – Miss Poole, the nurse assigned to his care, and Tim Cratchit, recently returned from war in America.  Over the course of the evening, these two lost souls bear witness to events they do not fully understand as the spirit of Christmas descends on Ebenezer once more.

Ebenezer: A Christmas Play

A gothic drama inspired by Mary Shelly's classic novel. Set in the late 1700s, in one of Bavaria's forgotten cemeteries, a lone gravedigger discovers a hideously scarred man hiding in a fresh grave. What the gravedigger doesn't know is that the man is none other than the legendary monster created by a mad doctor. What the scarred man doesn't know is the gravedigger's hand in his creation. And what neither men know is that they are hunted by their shared past.

The Gravedigger: A Frankenstein Play (Stage Fright Collection)

Having declared an uneasy truce in England’s war with France, King Edward III and his nobles celebrate in Nottingham Castle. Unbeknownst to the king, a murder plot is being hatched in the kitchen by the lowliest of his servants. Miriam the scullery maid has long blamed Edward for the death of her father, and she will see the king dead this night, even if it costs another life - her own.

The Scullery Maid

Collecting the World Premiere plays from the first decade of The Williamston Theatre, this anthology celebrates life in the American Midwest. Over the course of its first 10 seasons, Williamston Theatre produced 60 plays, 14 of which were home-grown premieres. Included in Volume One are the first 7 of those plays, including the critically acclaimed “Voices From The Midwest Trilogy”. Plays included are: FLAP by Annie Martin, MAIDENS, MOTHERS, AND CRONES by Annie Martin and Suzi Regan, FLYOVER, U.S.A. by Dennis North and Joseph Zettelmaier, HOME by Annie Martin and Suzi Regan, IT CAME FROM MARS by Joseph Zettelmaier, NORTHERN AGGRESSION (formerly titled AND THE CREEK DON'T RISE) by Joseph Zettelmaier, and OEDIPUS by Sophocles, adapted by Tony Caselli and Annie Martin. FLAP “Playwright pens hilarious romp: Bat attack, motherhood inspires Michigan writer” – The Noise “…filled with one delightful twist after another… A fun and funny conclusion to Williamston Theatre’s first season…” ~ Between The Lines “…wildly funny farce.” ~ Lansing State Journal MAIDENS, MOTHERS AND CRONES “Martin and Regan (the latter also serves as director) have created a striking work with a true relevance for women all over our nation, and also for the men in their lives.” ~ EncoreMichigan. ”This anthemic extravaganza of American womanhood must be seen to be believed.” ~ Lansing City Pulse. FLYOVER, U.S.A. “Flyover is a rich array of thoughtful, colorful stories about fathers and their sons, grandfathers and their garages and men and their tools, cars and campfires of years past… most importantly, there is also a tender vulnerability, evoking held-back tears and a sense of what many boys give up to support families and become men." ~Lansing City Pulse OEDIPUS "Passionate Oedipus succeeds in simplicity" ~ EncoreMichigan.com "Tony Caselli and Annie Martin’s adaptation approaches the investigation with desperate severity and an appreciation for the agonies of discovery." ~ The Rogue Critic "The writing is crisp and contemporary (but not too contemporary), and they succeed in making this 2,500-year-old epic tale as personal and accessible as it can be." ~ Lansing City Pulse IT CAME FROM MARS “Laugh-out-loud comedy” ~ The Oakland Press “Attacks the funny bone! ~ Lansing City Pulse AND THE CREEK DON’T RISE “Delightfully daft CREEK will make you shriek with laughter” – Lansing City Pulse “The beauty of Joseph Zettelmaier’s And the Creek Don’t Rise lies somewhere in its wonderful simplicity. The playwright’s fish-out-of-water premise and intricate trio of relationships touches on a kind of real-world uncertainty, giving warmth as well as benign enmity to a skirmish between neighbors.” ~ The Rogue Critic HOME “Elements of comedy and drama complement each other well, and the success of this script is in making both feel equally vital to the work.” ~ The Rogue Critic “Heart-felt…Heart-wrenching…Poignant. I lost count of the total of stories after the 10th one, not because they were decreasingly interesting, but rather because they became more compelling, more expansive in characterizing the breadth and depth of families.” – Lansing State Journal

Williamston Anthology: 10 Years of Original Theatre

Martin, Annie

Caselli, Tony

Regan, Suzi

North, Dennis

A comedy. A group of life-long friends &amp; Star Wars enthusiasts attempting to steal a fortune in collectible merchandise. Their meticulous planning falls to chaos as their loyalties are put to the ultimate test.

All Childish Things

The tingle of fear down your spine, the catch in your breath when suspense takes hold, the inescapable sense that something dangerous is lurking just outside your vision…Horror. Horror theatre has a long and bloodcurdling history, from Shakespeare’s Macbeth to the penny dreadfuls of the Grand Guignol. This compilation collects three modern horror plays by Joseph Zettelmaier, award-winning playwright and life-long fan of all things eerie. In this collection, you will find… Dr. Seward’s Dracula, a re-examination of Bram Stoker’s bloody vampire novel, featuring Stoker himself! Set after Dracula’s murders, the survivors attempt to put together their lives, while Dr. John Seward struggles to determine fact from fantasy. The Gravedigger: A Frankenstein Story, a gothic drama inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! In this play, a lost chapter of the book as it were, Frankenstein’s creature finds itself drawn back to the cemetery from whence it came. There, a bizarre friendship is formed, but can it last when the creature’s sins come back to haunt him? Campfire, a modern fright-fest and homage to the classic anthology horror movies! When Marcus Carver brings his few remaining kin back to the family farm, a stranger finds her way into their circle. Tales are told around the campfire, in an old forest that holds many sinister secrets, both past and present.

Stage Fright: Horror Anthology, Volume 1 (Stage Fright Collection)

A Gothic drama. In the 1800s, the wilds of France were stalked by a fearsome creature. Over three years, the Beast of Gévaudan claimed over one-hundred victims. Then, an outcast forester killed a hideous wolf-like creature and presented its corpse to King Louis for a rich reward. However, the story he told may not have been the entire truth. He certainly didn't mention a strange woods-witch and her involvement in his great hunt.

The Man-Beast: A Horror Play (Stage Fright Collection)

Dr. Seward's Dracula: A Gothic Drama (Stage Fright Collection)

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Books by Zettelmaier, Joseph