SHORTS AND BRIEFS: A Collection of Short Plays and Brief Principles of Playwriting

Shorts and Briefs is a collection of short plays and brief principles of playwriting. The first part "Shorts" consists of a nine short plays, offering roles for actors from the teens to the fifties. Visit an agency that offers once in a lifetime placements (Eight Times Around), a family errand that turns downright embarrassing (Family of Flechner), a subway ride that changes lives forever (Hangman), a dog park for extended families (The Moon Alone), a breakfast nook that turns negative to positive (The Nine-Month Fix), an unexpected war zone where a soldier is unprepared for battle (Not Tonight), a double date where a surprise kiss almost topples everything (Roast Beef and the Rare Kiss), a date that hopes to regain a romantic spark (Robert Mapplethorpe's Flowers), and a staircase where two estranged siblings become reunited (Stairway to Heaven).The second part "Briefs" consists of brief principles of playwriting, intended for students of theater, new or established playwrights who would like to explore the short play genre. Topics include producible short plays, the short play versus a sketch or scene, the difference between playwriting and stenography, a character's vocabulary, why dialogue isn't talking, treating emotion like sweat, filling up the trunk, formatting the manuscript, revising, participating with the rehearsal process, things to avoid, play submissions, surviving showbiz, and knowing theater vocabulary. In addition to playwrights, the book is intended for actors, directors, and producers of the short play genre, both in and out of the classroom. The first edition has been used by Alfred University, Cornell University, CUNY-Kingsborough Community College, Lock Haven University, Marshall University, Niagara University, University of Oregon, University of Central Arkansas, and many others. This revised and expanded edition has added two new briefs, revised several of the plays, and expanded the glossary, which will serve and inspire many more drama students and aspiring playwrights.