Murray Plays
Plays by Stephen Murray
It is the spring of 2020. Humans are staying home, practicing social distancing to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The pets of these humans are confused. Their lives have been changed by the sudden constant presence of their human companions. Eight pets tell their stories of confinement. This play is designed to be performed online. Actors can portray the animals with their faces visible on conferencing software or choose an avatar image of the animal they are playing.
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School's out for the summer, and the teenagers of Ocean View High are ready to surf, sun and have some fun. Their favorite hangout is Barnacle Betty's Surf Club, which happens to be right next door to the evil Ivana Ratnik's nuclear power plant. But ooops! Cindy Sue, the head cheerleader, accidentally gets some nuclear slime on her hot dog instead of pickle relish, and soon the beach is overrun with pom-pom wielding zombies! Her all-American boyfriend, the beatniks, the nerds and a tough girl gang named the Barracudas rally their forces to save the beach from the atomic attackers. A sci-fi spoof of those bubbly beach blanket flicks of the '60s.
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The students of Hilltop High are excited! They're going to put on a performance of "Romeo and Juliet." But the drama director, Miss Peggy Donahue, pressed into service by a principal eager to please his superintendent, is horrified. Twenty years before, when she was a student at Hilltop High, she starred in a disastrous musical version of Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," and she believes the curse lingers on. Sure enough, everything that can go wrong does. The set for the balcony scene collapses, the actress playing Juliet breaks her leg in a freak accident, her understudy develops laryngitis, and the semi-deaf costumer arrives with cowboy outfits - she thought the show was called "Rodeo and Lariat." Add a hysterical playwright, a stage mom from hell, and a mysterious cult of techies who pledge allegiance to their favorite "tool," duct tape.
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Here is a collection of humorous sketches which explore the world of travel and transportation, and answer the timeless question that has plagued mankind from the beginning: "Are we there yet?" Whether walking, on wheels, with wings or by water, performers and audience alike will embark on a rollicking, hilarious adventure about the human need to get from one place to another. Travel way back in time to when walking was the only way to get somewhere. Then came the discovery of the wheel, and things really started rollin'! Soon mankind conquered the sea, the sky, the plains, outer space, and the newest frontier, cyberspace!
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Hold on to your tumbleweeds 'cause here comes the legendary Katastrophe Kate, the most dangerous woman in the West! Whaddaya mean you never heard of her!!? Didn't ya know that Texas has a panhandle on accounta she was such a great cook?! This Tex-Mex tall tale begins when Katherine, a mild-mannered, Eastern-born and bred protege of world-famous chef, Madame Julia Enfant, must transform herself into Katastrophe Kate in order to conquer the Wild West with her chili recipe. In a steamy cook-off at Miss Lillian's Saloon, Kate also has a little romance simmerin' on the back burner with her arch rival, Jose Habañero, who claims to have the hottest chili in the Southwest. Into the melting pot, throw some dancin' girls called the Fosse Posse, add a dash of international outlaws for spice, and pepper it with a prying reporter named Penelope Penmore, and you have a recipe for one red-hot, Texas chili party!
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Mother Goose and the Brothers Grimm have been in competition for over 200 years and the friction between them doesn't seem to be abating. When Mother Goose takes off on vacation leaving Simple Simon in charge, the Goose employees go on strike. The only way Simon can bring them back to work and get the company out of the red is to agree to appear on a fairy-tale TV special with the Brothers Grimm employees. But they plan to sabotage the presentation on the live broadcast, destroying Mother Goose's company once and for all! But Mother Goose finds a way to bring her company back better than ever.
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Here is a hip, contemporary version of "The Emperor's New Clothes," complete with election politics and news media spin. President William Lee is too busy with international politics to worry about whether his striped tie clashes with his plaid pants and argyle socks. His devoted wife is understanding but the media sure take a stab at his wardrobe, as does his election opponent, Horace Grinchley, and Horace's overly-ambitious campaign manager, Myrna Snerd. The two get several people to pose as wardrobe consultants to strip President Lee down to his "bare" essentials, and have him deliver a nationally-televised debate in a suit visible only to loyal constituents. Add to the campaign fever a salami-hoarding terrorist, an environmental fanatic, plus a patriotic, chaotic bevy of reporters, White House staff, and secret service agents. This fun-filled, satirical comedy takes an old tale and, "dressed up in new clothes," reveals a surprising relevance for our media-driven times.
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This happenin' history lesson presents a fresh perspective as to who, what, where, when and how this crazy planet and its people came to be. From dinosaur extinction to space exploration, they're all rediscovered in this clever, chaotic, comical cataclysm of creativity. Doing their best to contribute to the world's development are the solar system (each planet has his or her own personality); the dinosaurs (the herbivores are higher class than the lowly carnivores); the first humans (totally clueless!); and the daring, early explorers including Columbus with his first Earth-o-rama (a globe!). Even war among the plaids, the stripes and the polka dots has a place in this crazy, hour-long play.
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Confusion and fun are the business of the day at Kamp KAOS, a summer camp that boasts its own 12-watt radio station. It's opening day at the camp and director Wally Schneider is already in trouble: the mortgage is due; the world's wealthiest woman wants to buy the land the camp sits on; the county health inspector is coming; and the mysterious weather phenomenon El Gordo has brought a migration of mice! It's up to the wacky gang of counselors and campers to save the day when Wally eats cheese laced with sedative. This hour-long, one-set comedy can easily expand or contract to the number of actors available.
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From the day we're hatched to the day we spread our wings and fly on our own, there are requisite, riotous rites of passage that must be experienced. This collection of humorous scenes explores the innocent squawk of infancy, the terrible twos, the treacherous teens and everything in between. There are survival courses on how to handle any kind of baby-sitter - from the perfect to the perfectly insane. There are tactics for dealing with those who endeavor to shape, stretch and warp our minds and bodies - like gym teachers, substitute teachers and those cafeteria culinary queens, the "Little Lunch Ladies." From the angst of adolescence and part-time jobs, to the dangers of driver's ed. and dealing with the dreaded kid sister, this is a hilarious, high-flying adventure. Whether you're a feather short of adulthood or have a bird's-eye view of growing up, this play soars with laughter.
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