Description
Ten narratives, each in a different setting from the Oval Office to County Cork, yet all speak to our relationship to truth and each other.
From its inception, playwright Arthur Keyser has had an unwavering vision to write and express himself without boundaries. Though he had been a writer for most of his life, and a retired corporate lawyer, Arthur began writing plays when he was 80 years old.
This play collection, which puts the creative genius of Arthur front and center, are not “easy” plays. Each one has at least a hint of the darker side of human nature, providing a spark for discussions about honesty, manipulation, and authenticity.
Once you decide to perform:
– Four of these plays are available as individual scripts and it is possible to purchase permission to perform and production copies on our website.
– For all other plays in this book, please contact us, we’ll be delighted to help.
10 Plays Without Boundaries contains:
Everybody Lies Sometimes
10 minute dark comedy, 1 man, 1 woman
Finalist in the Theatre Odyssey Ten-Minute Play Festi
It’s Chester’s first time as a kidnapper and Samantha, his victim, with hopes of joining in on the proceeds, has suggestions for making Chester’s plan more lucrative. Is Samantha too smart for her own good?
We Interrupt This Program
10 minute drama, 1 man, 1 woman, 1 off-stage voice
A couple’s routine life is interrupted by an alert of the emergency broadcast system. And that’s just the first of unexpected announcements.
Molly’s Secrets
10 minute drama, 3 women
Molly’s been keeping secrets from her friends Beth and Fran. What she tells them when she returns from her month’s-long trip is truly shocking.
Cutting the Cord
12 minute drama, 2 women
A forty-six year old woman decides it’s time to stop living with her mom. Her mother, however, it’s not as eager to cut the cord.
A Brief Encounter
1 man, 1 woman, 1 either
Susan leaves work late on a Friday and makes one of those once-in-a-lifetime connections with someone in the elevator. The encounter is brief, yet holds so much promise.
In Whom We Trust
30 minute comedy, 4 men
A “what if” recounting of a meeting in the Oval Office between Richard Nixon and three of his advisors on the night of the infamous Watergate break-in. This inventive story will have your audiences laughing, non-stop. Disclosure: parental discretion required because of language in the play.
That’s What Friends Are For
10 minute comedy, 2 women
It’s 431 BCE and Medea has a serious problem. The kind that can only be solved by wine and the advice of her closest friend, Jocasta. Or maybe, things are a bit more complicated.
Quiet Desperation
12 minute drama, 1 man, 1 woman
Eleven years of marriage have left Diane quietly desperate, looking for an exit from the relationship. An interesting counterpoint to many of our more rosy plays focusing on the theme of what it means to be an ideal mate.
Switching Sides
10 minute, 1 man, 1 woman
Martha is a world-class inflictor of guilt. She has sharply developed her skills of manipulation and uses them on her son, David. Will Martha succeed?
A Wee Bit a’ Blarney
35 minute comedy, 2 men, 2 women
Ireland is a land of myth and magic, and Blarney Village is one of its most iconic sites. Set in a pub in in this historic village, this play casts a loveable rogue and a gullible victim in an ensemble cast. Your audience will suspend all disbelief in this allegorical comedy.
What they’re saying!
- When you enter the playwriting world of Arthur Keyser you will meet a genuine 21st Century Renaissance Man face to face. The keyboard is his brush, the computer screen is his canvas, and the pages of words his printer brings forth are imbued with the color of his characters. Your challenge as reader, or director, or actor will be to breathe life into his plays, either on the stage or into the theatre of the mind, with only his words as your guide. ~ Robert Ennis Turoff, Executive producer/director of the internationally renowned Golden Apple Theatre
- Arthur Keyser took up playwriting late in his life and we are all richer because of it. As an actor, his plays are fun to perform; as a director his plays are a delight to direct and as a fellow playwright he is a pleasure to read. ~Ann Morrison, Professional actor, playwright, teacher, director, and Artistic Director of SaraSolo Productions
- When people ask me who or what inspires my own writing, they are surprised to learn my inspiration comes from playwrights like Arthur Keyser. He’s had two anthologies and so many productions and he only started playwriting at the age of 80. This most recent anthology is a remarkable achievement for any writer of any age. The icing on the cake? The plays are dramatic, fun and wise. ~ Gary Garrison, playwright, screenwriter, educator, and former Executive Director of Creative Affairs for the Dramatists Guild of America
Click here to see more plays by Arthur S. Keyser
