Writing

The year is 1982. Jersey City, New Jersey. On the hottest day of summer, psychologist, Dr. Silvia, sits in her office with a broken air conditioner waiting for her next appointment to arrive: Vincenzo and his mother Patti. But unbeknownst to Dr. Silvia, Vincenzo is a high ranking member of a northern New Jersey crime family and he’s not just quiet… he’s a bubbling volcano of rage just waiting to erupt. Because today, Vincenzo Ruggeri has had enough of his mother’s antagonizing remarks… and he’s ready to administer his own brand of therapy.

Details

Genre: Comedy, Dark Comedy

Style: Realism

Duration: One Act

Runtime: 30 Minutes

Cast: 4 – 2 Male, 2 Female

On a cold rainy October night in the year 1985, Gabrielle, a former ballet dancer turned waitress, sits in her Bronx studio apartment waiting for her boyfriend Rob to return home from the bars. Rob, may be a downtrodden musician but he’s also a big dreamer looking for the next spark that will somehow ignite his life. And tonight, both of their lives will be changed forever… whether they’re ready for it or not.

Details

Genre: Comedy, Dark Comedy

Style: Realism

Duration: One Act

Runtime: 40 Minutes

Cast: 5 – 2 Male, 3 Female

The year is 1982 in New York City and Michael Boyd, a nuclear engineer fresh out of college, is eager to make a name for himself in the world of science. But suddenly, a stranger comes into his life telling him just how much of a name he’s already made for himself in the future. Is this stranger right about all his predictions and warnings? Or are they nothing more than the ramblings of a crazed mad man. Which begs the question: if you could go back in time and talk to a younger version of yourself, what exactly would you say? And more importantly, would you believe it?

Details

Genre: Comedy, Dark Comedy

Style: Realism

Duration: Short Play

Runtime: 10 Minutes

Cast: (4 characters) – 3 Male, 1 Female

The year is 1961 in Sing Sing Prison and Edward Egan, a convicted murderer, thief, and arsonist is a mere 15 minutes from being taken to the electric chair. Edward sits patiently in his cell until the priest he’s requested, finally arrives. Inside Father Murphy’s heart, is a bottomless well of patience and hope that *any* man can be saved. But as these two men get to know one other, there’s always a hidden truth lurking beneath the surface. A truth, that once revealed, might just haunt one them for the rest of his life.

Details

Genre: Dark Drama

Style: Realism

Duration: Short Play

Runtime: 10 Minutes

Cast: (4 characters) – All male  

On a Thanksgiving night in 2018, John Lund, a proud infantry veteran of the Vietnam War, sits alone in his rent-controlled apartment in Greenwich Village drinking a beer and listening to his favorite song on the radio.

Everything about this night seems normal until an unsuspecting Asian delivery man arrives to bring John his food order. Suddenly this oh-so-normal night quickly erupts into an evening filled with torture, violence, and truth.

And amid the darkness and pain we’ll find out that just because you leave a war, it doesn’t mean the war has left you.

Details

Genre: Dark Drama

Style: Realism

Duration: Short Play

Runtime: 10 Minutes

Cast: (3 characters) – All male

In a high-end Portuguese restaurant in downtown Manhattan, Michael Ruggeri, a waiter and struggling actor, is printing out the final check for his last table of the night. So far, it’s been a typical Saturday night here at La Fama Ristorante when suddenly, Miguel, the owner, asks to speak to Michael alone in his office. Michael has no idea what he’s walking into, and for that matter, neither does Miguel. Because in that cramped little office, housed just under La Fama Ristorante, both men will realize a very simple and unspoken truth: You never truly know who you’re in the room with… until it’s too late.

Details

Genre: Dramedy, Thriller, Dark Comedy, 

Style: Realism

Duration: Short Play

Runtime: 10 Minutes

Cast: (4 characters) – All male

The year is 1977 in NYC. On a snowy Christmas Eve at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, a 15-year-old young man named Oliver, is desperately trying to make his way home to Fall Hills, NJ. Besides being lost in the labyrinth that could only be the Port Authority, Oliver is also very lost in life. Wearing a heavy backpack, that pinches into his suit jacket, he wanders around like a lost lamb trying to figure out which bus will take him home. Oliver has never felt more alone in his life… that is until he stumbles across, Shakespeare, a homeless man who’s taken up residence on a bench inside the Port Authority. As they begin to get to know one other, some unique truths rise to the surface: Why is Oliver alone? Where are his parents? And perhaps most importantly, what the hell is a kid doing at the Port Authority alone at 2 in the morning on Christmas Eve? Perhaps these two lonely souls have more in common than they think.

Details

Genre: Comedy, Dark Comedy

Style: Realism

Duration: Short Play

Runtime: 14 Minutes

Cast: (3 characters) – 2 Male 1 Male or Female

Present day in a Jersey City courtroom, Dr. James Ruggeri is a board-certified forensic psychiatrist who’s seen a lot in his 34 years on the job. Maybe too much… as he sits next to Malcolm Gonzalez a 29-year old construction worker who stands accused of murdering his girlfriend. What follows next is a powerful aside, as Dr. Ruggeri discusses all the things he’s seen in his line of work and the lottery of evil that exists within us all. Because anyone can see a monster… especially when it’s standing right in front of you with handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit…but it’s not so easy to see the monster that lurks inside each and every single one of us. A monster waiting to be released with the perfect sequence of words arranged in a certain order that could drive anyone to kill. Even you. And all it takes is…just words.

Details

Genre: Drama

Style: Realism. Aside. 

Duration: One Act 

Runtime: 10 Minutes

Cast: (3 characters) – 2 Males; 1 Female (The audience will act as the jury)

Present day in New Jersey State Penitentiary. A hopeful prisoner with a violent past has the chance to see his family again. So far, his final parole hearing is going surprisingly well…that is until a mysterious man from his past suddenly walks into the room. Everyone has to face their demons. But it’s not every day that your demons show up at your parole hearing, ready to sink their teeth and claws into you one last time.

Details

Genre: Dark Drama, Thriller

Style: Realism

Duration: One Act

Runtime: 30 Minutes

Cast: (4) – 4 Males

It’s June 1^st 2020, in the Bronx, NYC. One week after the brutal murder of George Floyd. Every night in the streets there have been protests, rioting and looting. A married couple desperately tries to get some sleep when suddenly, an intruder breaks in. What follows next is a collision of violence and truth that will change the trajectory of everyone in that apartment for the rest of their lives.

Details

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Style: Realism

Duration: Short Play

Runtime: 10 Minutes

Cast: (3 characters) – 2 male, 1 female

It’s an eerily quiet night on August 20^th, 1990 as Elizabeth Avery and her assistant Jessica drive on a forgotten backroad somewhere in the dense woods of New England. The women decide it’s getting late and start looking for rest stops when suddenly they see a strange orange glow in the distance. Is it a fire? Or something worse? And who’s the man they see standing in the middle of the road as Jessica suddenly slams on the breaks! It’s just then that Elizabeth and Jessica realize this bewildering night of tension and horror is just beginning.

Present day in North Bergen, New Jersey. Two estranged brothers are thrust together to clean out the final remains of their late father’s apartment. It’s been 5 years since they’ve seen or spoken to one another, and their forced reconciliation is far from joyous.

Filled with tension, the brothers do their best to sort through their father’s belongings until the memories of the past eventually begin to tumble out.

It isn’t long before some secrets begin to be revealed. With one secret in particular that will change the dynamic of their already strained relationship, forever.

Details

Genre: Drama

Style: Realism

Duration: One Act

Runtime: 30 Minutes

Cast: (2 characters) – All male 

It’s March 2020, and the entire world has been shut down due to the coronavirus. Yet, despite the anarchy of what’s currently happening in the world, it’s yet another beautiful day here in Southampton, NY where Marty, Vivian and their teenage daughter Sarah reside. It seems like another boring day in quarantine when suddenly Vivian notices a post on Facebook that Julie’s old college roommate is on the verge of homelessness. Julie, her husband Dutch, and their teenage son Danny all reside in Bayonne, NJ and the thought of her friend having no place to go, absolutely breaks Vivian’s heart. Through some arm twisting, Vivian convinces her husband Marty to let Julie and her family stay with them in their Southampton mansion during quarantine until they can all get back on their feet. What ensues next is a comedy of errors like never seen before as these two vastly different families are thrust together and forced to co-exist in the middle of a never ending lockdown. It isn’t long before Benjamin Franklin’s wise words finally hold true: “Fish and Visitors have one thing in common. After 3 days they both stink.”

Michael is a successful stand up comedian who just started opening for major acts across the country. His latest tour brings him back to his old college stomping grounds of Monroe, Connecticut where he decides to visit his old fraternity buddy Beau. Michael is eager to catch up with Beau, who he hasn’t spoken to in nearly 10 years but it isn’t long before Michael realizes just how much they’ve grown apart. Soon hidden resentments begin to emerge along with a disturbing secret that will place both of these old friends in a precarious situation that will change the dynamic of their already strained friendship forever.

Present day, Kate and her boyfriend Chris live together in their small apartment in Bayonne, New Jersey. It seems like a typical Saturday morning until Kate suddenly wakes up after having an all too vivid dream about Jesus. Now with a sudden renewed sense of “faith”, Kate feels she must change everything in her life…including her boyfriend. But to Chris, this is all coming out of left field as he thinks to himself, “What is this all about? What are all these new rules? Is she even serious?” What follows next is a tale that explores the fine line between love, and ultimatum.

Asleep at the Wheel is a compilation of comedic monologues that sidestep the idea of being ‘clever’ and instead, push firmly into the unforgiving blade of truth. Whether you’re hearing the melancholic words of an airline pilot telling his life story over the airplane’s PA system or the hum-drum experience of a suicidal computer programmer going to his first orgy in Westchester, Asleep at the Wheel, pushes the boundaries of comedy, tragedy, darkness, and absurdity – while still, very much, keeping grounded in reality and letting the comedic chips fall where they may.

Details

Genre: Comedic monologues.

Style: Realism.

Duration: 50 comedic monologues for both men and women. 

Runtime: Each monologue ranges from 1-3 minutes

A daughter of Italian and German immigrants, Rose Castaldo (or “Auntie Ro” as she was affectionately known), was born in 1924 in the Bronx, New York.

A veteran of life, Rose has seen it all. From working in a factory during World War 2, to taking care of her family and her neighborhood through thick and thin.

In her 95 years of living, Rose has a lot to say.

So join us, and hear the pearls of wisdom from a warm, loving and outspoken Bronx resident who’s lived through the Great Depression, numerous wars, the invention of the internet, and a litany of laughs, sorrows and everything else in between.

It’s these life experiences that have helped give Auntie Ro a unique perspective that is sure to make you laugh, smile, and touch your heart.

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ALL PROCEEDS GO TO ST. JUDE’s CHILDREN RESEARCH HOSPITAL