Playwriting
Thank you to Cleveland Public Theatre, John Busser and Mindy Herman, and all of the playwrights and actors through Dark Room who have helped me debut my pieces and develop my voice, as well as others throughout Cleveland including David Hansen, Eric Mansfield, Eric Coble, Greg Mandryk, Kari Barclay, Jonathon Morgan, and so many others writers, actors, and producers who have encouraged me to explore this beautiful new world of playwriting.
Upcoming Productions
Whatever You Conceive Him to Be @ Valdez Theatre Conference
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A woman sits, alone, at a bar, world-weary. An old man enters and takes the stool next to her. Things get quite personal, quite fast, between these two strangers as they seek their own healing. This piece asks whether forgiveness is possible, and if not, what is?
"Whatever You Conceive Him to Be" is headed to the Valdez Theatre Conference! You'd have to attend the conference and fly to Valdez, Alaska, to see it, so if you're not John Busser, Barb Dragony, Greg Mandryk, or Jonathon Morgan, you're out of luck. But I'm psyched to see it mounted, get valuable feedback from playwrights, actors, and directors from around the country, and see a lot of other great work while we're there. And hike a glacier! And cuddle some puffins! Okay, I'm not sure if that last one is going to materialize, but I'm working on it. |
Completed Works + Past Productions
So, What Are You Looking For?
MicroTheater CLE / Arts at the Abbey @ The Hermit Club, February 2026
Synopsis | You're on a first date, maybe your hundredth first date, and the seemingly harmless but utterly asinine query is posed: 'so, what are you looking for?' God. How do you even answer that question? How do you even know what you're looking for when you've been dating for eight (8) (VII) years? How do you keep going on these dates? How many more men can you possibly sit across and do this intolerable song and dance before you give up and get a parrot? This monologue answers these burning questions.
Runtime | 10 minutes
Characters | 1-2
Fun Facts
- Self-directed and self-performed; produced by Mindy Childress Herman
Synopsis | You're on a first date, maybe your hundredth first date, and the seemingly harmless but utterly asinine query is posed: 'so, what are you looking for?' God. How do you even answer that question? How do you even know what you're looking for when you've been dating for eight (8) (VII) years? How do you keep going on these dates? How many more men can you possibly sit across and do this intolerable song and dance before you give up and get a parrot? This monologue answers these burning questions.
Runtime | 10 minutes
Characters | 1-2
- Woman - Female, any age, ethnicity
- Man - Could be cast or a line given to an audience member. One line at end of piece.
Fun Facts
- This really happened. There was no second date.
- I am now happily in a wonderful relationship and, God willing, growing old with him. He's lovely.
Soft As It Began (2025)
convergence-continuum, October 2025
Synopsis | Maddie and Jason are building a future in a new home despite his terminal illness. Living with a chronic, terminal illness means facing down the possibility of death every day; being loved unconditionally by a partner means hoping for more time with them. They discover an attic that holds more than dusty relics: it harbors the lingering spirit of a young man with his own unfinished story. As love and loss intertwine under its stained glass skylight, the attic plays quiet witness to unthinkable grief, abiding love, what it means to let go.
Runtime | 120 minutes
Characters | 5
Fun Facts
- Directed by Jonathon Morgan
- Featuring Keith Kornajcik, Carolyn Demanelis, Sarah Kunchik, Perry Reed, and Sam Dee; lighting design and stage management by Rob Wachala
Synopsis | Maddie and Jason are building a future in a new home despite his terminal illness. Living with a chronic, terminal illness means facing down the possibility of death every day; being loved unconditionally by a partner means hoping for more time with them. They discover an attic that holds more than dusty relics: it harbors the lingering spirit of a young man with his own unfinished story. As love and loss intertwine under its stained glass skylight, the attic plays quiet witness to unthinkable grief, abiding love, what it means to let go.
Runtime | 120 minutes
Characters | 5
- Jason - early 40's, male, any ethnicity
- Maddie - late 30's, female, any ethnicity
- El - late 30's, any gender, any ethnicity
- Andrew - early 30's, male, any ethnicity
- Sandra / Realtor - any age, any gender, any ethnicity; role of Sandra may played in drag or as queer
Fun Facts
- I set out to write a ghost play and came up with something very different. But there's still a ghost. Or two.
- A friend of mine has lived with cystic fibrosis (CF) his whole life. He helped me with some of the nuance and medical details for this piece.
Welcome to the Club (2025)
Borderlight International Theatre and Fringe Festival @ The Hermit Club, July 2025
Synopsis | Tucked inside the historic Hermit Club, a band of lovable misfits gathers to make something beautiful, ridiculous, and real. Part play, part cabaret, part community ritual, Welcome to the Club blends theater, storytelling, music, and dance to explore how creative people find each other — and what happens when they do. It’s about the joy of being a little too much, the courage of making noise when you’ve been told to stay quiet, and the magic of discovering a place where you belong. Set in and inspired by the Hermit Club itself — a 100-year-old hideout for artists, musicians, and theatrical oddballs — the show features professional performers from Cleveland’s vibrant performing arts community alongside actual members of the Club, whose stories and talents help shape the performance. Come as you are. Clap too loud. Cry if you need to. This one’s for the weirdos, the wallflowers, the wanderers — and anyone who’s ever wished for a space to be unapologetically themselves.
Runtime | 40 minutes
Fun Facts
- Co-written with Jonathon Morgan; directed by Jonathon Morgan
- Featuring Joe Milan, Sarah Kunchik, Mike Frye, Matt Zitelli, Sarah Parr, Nick Eaton, and Kadijah Wingo
- Original music by Joe Milan and Zach Palumbo; lyrics by Joe Milan and Samantha Cocco
Synopsis | Tucked inside the historic Hermit Club, a band of lovable misfits gathers to make something beautiful, ridiculous, and real. Part play, part cabaret, part community ritual, Welcome to the Club blends theater, storytelling, music, and dance to explore how creative people find each other — and what happens when they do. It’s about the joy of being a little too much, the courage of making noise when you’ve been told to stay quiet, and the magic of discovering a place where you belong. Set in and inspired by the Hermit Club itself — a 100-year-old hideout for artists, musicians, and theatrical oddballs — the show features professional performers from Cleveland’s vibrant performing arts community alongside actual members of the Club, whose stories and talents help shape the performance. Come as you are. Clap too loud. Cry if you need to. This one’s for the weirdos, the wallflowers, the wanderers — and anyone who’s ever wished for a space to be unapologetically themselves.
Runtime | 40 minutes
Fun Facts
- The Hermit Club, and the Hermits within, are very real and very cool.
Ista and Her Garden (2025)
Talespinner Children's Theatre, May 2025
Synopsis | A wise and thoughtful gardener, Ista, leads audiences (written for ages 2-7) through an immersive exploration of her larger-than-life garden, full of plants native to Northeast Ohio who call the Cuyahoga Valley 'home'. This full-sensory performance will feature ways to smell, touch, taste, hear, and see all of the wonders of our local ecosystem, as plants, bugs, and animals are brought to life.
Runtime | 40 minutes
Characters | 1-4
Fun Facts
- Commissioned / World Premiere!
- Directed by Kari Barclay
- Featuring Lynna Metrisin and Andrea Belser; production design by Ren Twardzik; stage management by Jill England
Synopsis | A wise and thoughtful gardener, Ista, leads audiences (written for ages 2-7) through an immersive exploration of her larger-than-life garden, full of plants native to Northeast Ohio who call the Cuyahoga Valley 'home'. This full-sensory performance will feature ways to smell, touch, taste, hear, and see all of the wonders of our local ecosystem, as plants, bugs, and animals are brought to life.
Runtime | 40 minutes
Characters | 1-4
- Ista - female, any age, any ethnicity
- Monarch Butterfly - a puppet operated by Ista or a separate puppeteer
- Hummingbird - a puppet operated by Ista or an separate puppeteer
- Bumblebee - a puppet operated by Ista or an separate puppeteer
Fun Facts
- I spent much of the winter of 2020 hiking every trail in the Cuyahoga Valley - over 120 miles!
Temptation of Adam (2024)
Productions
Synopsis | It's the end of the world; what would you do for love? The onset of World War 3 forces a select few to move underground to top secret missile silos. In one such bunker we find Adam, a nuclear scientist given a grave responsibility; his loyal friend Danny, grappling with his family's health; and Marie, the strong-willed object of Adam's affection. While Danny and Marie worry about the survival of their loved ones and the world, Adam's trepidation lies with whether his budding relationship with Marie would survive above ground. Temptation of Adam examines the toll that isolation takes on our lives and relationships and what we might do when desperate for love and connection.
Runtime | 90 minutes
Characters | 3-4
Fun Facts
- Cleveland Public Theatre, March 2024 (Test Flight festival / 90 minute version)
- Directed by Mike Frye
- Featuring Casey McMann, Katherine Nash, and Perry Reed; Production design by Rob Wachala
- Cleveland Public Theatre, September 2023 (Pandemonium festival / 15 minute version)
- Directed by Kari Barclay
- Featuring Michael Montanus, Katherine Nash, Greg Mandryk, and Assad Khashigi; props and costume assistance by Mindy Childress Herman
- Directed by Kari Barclay
Synopsis | It's the end of the world; what would you do for love? The onset of World War 3 forces a select few to move underground to top secret missile silos. In one such bunker we find Adam, a nuclear scientist given a grave responsibility; his loyal friend Danny, grappling with his family's health; and Marie, the strong-willed object of Adam's affection. While Danny and Marie worry about the survival of their loved ones and the world, Adam's trepidation lies with whether his budding relationship with Marie would survive above ground. Temptation of Adam examines the toll that isolation takes on our lives and relationships and what we might do when desperate for love and connection.
Runtime | 90 minutes
Characters | 3-4
- Adam - late 20s/early 30s, male, any ethnicity
- Marie - late 20s, female, any ethnicity
- Danny - 30s-50s, any gender/ethnicity
- Transmission (recorded voiceover or off-stage) - any gender/ethnicity
Fun Facts
- This piece is a fleshing out of the song The Temptation of Adam by Josh Ritter (2008). I saw Josh in concert at Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom and fell in love with this song - now one of my all time favorites.
- The narrator’s name in the song isn’t explicitly stated, but I always felt it was Adam based on the title, which is obviously a play on the Biblical temptation of Eve and the Garden of Eden. I believe it's also a double entendre - if you read it as The Temptation of Atom, as in the atomic bomb. A responsible playwright would have done more research on this.
A Couple More Hours (2023)
Readings
Synopsis | An exploration of how the body stores trauma.
Runtime | 5 minute monologue
Characters | 1 woman, mid-30s
Facts (they're not fun):
There's a Don*ld Tr*mp reference in here. See if you can find it and cringe when you do.
- September 2023: reading at CWRU's Survivor Speak-Out
- October 2023: reading at Cleveland Public Theatre's Dark Room
Synopsis | An exploration of how the body stores trauma.
Runtime | 5 minute monologue
Characters | 1 woman, mid-30s
Facts (they're not fun):
There's a Don*ld Tr*mp reference in here. See if you can find it and cringe when you do.
Whatever You Conceive Him to Be (2023)
Productions
Synopsis | A woman sits, alone, at a bar, world-weary. An old man enters and takes the stool next to her. Things get quite personal, quite fast, between these two strangers as they seek their own healing. This piece asks whether forgiveness is possible, and if not, what is?
Runtime | 20 minutes
Characters | 2-3
Fun Facts:
- Valdez Theatre Conference, June 2026
- BorderLight Theatre Festival, July 2024
- Directed by Kari Barclay; assistant directed by Ariana Starkman
- Featuring Bob Keefe / Rodger Govea, Samantha Cocco, Ariana Starkman
Synopsis | A woman sits, alone, at a bar, world-weary. An old man enters and takes the stool next to her. Things get quite personal, quite fast, between these two strangers as they seek their own healing. This piece asks whether forgiveness is possible, and if not, what is?
Runtime | 20 minutes
Characters | 2-3
- Woman - late 30's/early 40's, female presenting, any ethnicity
- Man - late 70's/early 80's, male and male presenting, same ethnicity as woman
- Bartender - any age, gender, ethnicity. If performed in an actual bar, can utilize actual bartender. No lines. Pours drinks and delivers check.
Fun Facts:
- The title of this piece comes from The Desiderata, a poem by Max Ehrmann that has significance to me.
Foots Foots Foots (2023)
Readings
Synopsis | Loren returns home from work to their partner Jo as well as a severed... limb... in the bedroom. Jo, who works from home, has no explanation and seems strangely unbothered by its presence. What was the limb, you ask? Well, the answer to that question is exactly the problem.
Runtime | 10 minutes
Characters | 4-5
Fun Facts:
- August 2023: workshop staged reading at Cleveland Public Theatre's Dark Room, starring Stuart Hoffman, Katherine Nash, Sam Dee, John Busser, and Greg Mandryk
Synopsis | Loren returns home from work to their partner Jo as well as a severed... limb... in the bedroom. Jo, who works from home, has no explanation and seems strangely unbothered by its presence. What was the limb, you ask? Well, the answer to that question is exactly the problem.
Runtime | 10 minutes
Characters | 4-5
- Loren - under 40, male, any ethnicity
- Jo - under 40, any gender/ethnicity
- Sergeant Hall - over 40, any gender/ethnicity
- Officer Perelman - under 40, any gender/ethnicity
- Siri (recorded voiceover or off-stage) - female-sounding
Fun Facts:
- The title of this piece is a nod to the line 'words, words, words...' from Shakespeare's Hamlet, which is uttered in response to the question, 'what do you read, my Lord?' indicating that what he is reading is meaningless. This piece pokes fun at people, often straight men, who simply must be right about things that are meaningless. ACTUALLY, I'm referring to mansplaining. I've been going on first dates with men for years and my personal data indicates that 84% of all straight men possess this tendency. This piece is for them.
Straight Play (2023)
Readings
Synopsis | Lark and Vaughn, quintessentially Midwestern self-appointed connoisseurs of all things culture, are excited to be in the audience for the local premiere of a new musical when things start to feel... off.
Runtime | 10 minutes
Characters | 3-10
Fun Facts
- May 2023 - workshop staged reading at Cleveland Public Theatre's Dark Room, starring Liz Huff, Joe Milan, and Matthew Thompson
Synopsis | Lark and Vaughn, quintessentially Midwestern self-appointed connoisseurs of all things culture, are excited to be in the audience for the local premiere of a new musical when things start to feel... off.
Runtime | 10 minutes
Characters | 3-10
- Vaughn - 30-50 y.o., male, white
- Lark - 30-50 y.o., female, white
- Raven - any gender, preference for trans/nonbinary, under 30, non-white
- Optional: 2-7 additional actors (non-speaking, essentially for dramatic effect, on stage for last 2 minutes)
Fun Facts
- Lark is my mom's name, and Vaughn is named for a friend she had in my childhood I was convinced she was having an affair with. Turns out he's just fabulous and they were best friends. Vaughn always carried an air of importance and snootiness that I thought was hilarious - though, real life Vaughn was doing it for the bit.
- This piece was inspired by a conversation with playwright J.C. Pancratz, who wrote a beautiful piece called Seahorse I was cast in in April 2023. After the show, which he flew in from New York to see, we were talking about how people don't want to see real, raw theatre - they just want flashy musicals and dance numbers, which I would argue is often times masks good acting - and came up with a scenario where we would trick people into seeing Seahorse by telling them it was a musical. Seahorse is about as raw as it gets, following the story of a trans man attempting to inseminate himself with the sperm of his dead husband's brother. No flashy dance numbers there.
- Some of the inspiration for Raven’s piece came from this SNL skit. Long live Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon.