Find a Play
These plays have characters dealing with a significant change, either personally or in their environment. See also: Coming of Age Getting Out by Marsha Norman (2 Acts) Arlene is granted parole after serving eight years for the murder of a cab driver. She moves into a dingy Kentucky apartment, intending to start a new life. Bennie, […]
These plays have characters who betray people, institutions or ideals. See also: Affairs A Soldier’s Play by Charles H. Fuller (2 Acts) A drunken Sergeant Waters, a black man, is killed by an anonymous shooter. A black investigator, Davenport, arrives to interview the men. He is warned that his authority won’t be respected. A Doll’s […]
These plays have characters who are in conflict with an authority figure or the entire system. In The Pipeline by Gary Owen (1 Act) The residents of a village get a letter saying a gas plant is being built nearby. The pipeline linking it to the main grid is going to run through their area. We […]
In these plays, appearances are deceiving in some way. Some are more obvious in their depiction of unreality, but all demonstrate a contrast between how things are and how they seem to be. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (2 Acts) Willy Loman is a 63 year old traveling salesman. He returns home early after […]
These plays about the American Dream have characters who are pursuing the American Dream of upward mobility and improving the lives of themselves and their families. Some will give insight into the lives of characters who are seemingly living it already. Others show people who have failed to achieve the American dream. Plays About the […]
These plays can all be interpreted as allegories, parables or fables. Often, that was the playwright’s intention. Also included are plays that can reasonably be given that type of reading, whether it was intentionally done or not. The Man Who Had All the Luck: A Fable by Arthur Miller (3 Acts) David is a mechanic […]
Starstruck by Roy Williams Dennis, a young man, is at a Kingston Bus Station. Another young man arrives carrying several bags. Dennis starts talking to him, but the man is suspicious. His mother warned him about thieves. Dennis assures him he only wants to help. He calls a cab for the man. Dennis hears from his […]
These plays all have a character who cheats on their spouse or significant other, whether secretly or openly. The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl (2 Acts) Matilde, a Brazilian woman, is hired to clean the house of Lane, a doctor in her 50s who’s married to Charles, also a doctor. Matilde has stopped doing her job […]
These plays all feature actors or actresses. The first section are plays within a play. The second section has plays about actors or actresses. They could include scenes where the character is acting as their hobby or profession, or they might not. Plays Within a Play Noises Off by Michael Frayn (3 Acts) The cast of […]
These plays about domestic violence or abuse all include some form of abuse in the home. For other plays with violence or an assault, see: Violence Plays About Domestic Violence or Abuse Getting Out by Marsha Norman (2 Acts) Arlene is granted parole after serving eight years for the murder of a cab driver. She moves […]