Other Short Plays

 

A sampling of some of my shorter works:

 

Go, Fight, Win!

A diverse student body debates changing their high school’s team name and mascot from the Southern High School Rebels to something more politically progressive when a mental health crisis interrupts their meeting and causes them to think differently about their school spirit and each other. Commissioned by Orlando Family Theatre and University of Central Florida, this short play for teen actors and audiences is intended to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental health.  10-person ethnically and gender diverse cast. 15 min.  To be published by YouthPLAYS.

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Ginger America

MonoMyth Theatre, Seattle, March 2017; Western Washington University British Theatre Tour, 2016; Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga Around the World in Eight Plays Festival, Nov., 2015; T. Schreiber Theatre Short Play Festival, New York City, 2014; Badass Theatre 9x9 Short Play Festival, Portland, OR, 2013; Finalist, Estrogenius Festival, Manhattan Theatre Source, 2011. A young woman and her coach prepare for the Miss California pageant. One male, one female. Ethnic specific roles. 10 min. (Click here for video.)

 

The Care and Feeding of Wild Birds

Honorable Mention, Town Hall Theatre Playwrights' CageMatch, 2019; Finalist, American College Theatre Festival Region VII Ten-Minute Play Competition, 2010;  North Park Playwright Festival, San Diego, 2009. An elderly grandmother and her adult grandson learn  about love, death and aging by caring for birds outside their window. One male, one female (mature). 10 min. Very touching short play about death and making peace with the inevitable. I also LOVE that we have an older woman as the main focal point because that's so rare these days. -- playwright Sharai Bohannon

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Beyond Tucumcari

Production, ART WOW, Laguna Beach, CA, 2014, and at University of Idaho, 2016 and 2011. Beez and Bets are in the middle of nowhere, where all they have to talk about is sex and how to get cross-country in this short comedy that explores navigating relationships without a roadmap. One male, one female. 30 min. After spending a night in Tucumcari during a family summer roadtrip out west, it was easy for me to understand the wanderlust yearnings of Beez and Bets. Getting out. Breaking free. Unsticking from the past. And while the motivations for their cross-country trek are wildly different from each other's, the two find common ground. Gritty, yet sensual, the ending features a wonderful callback that is a perfect blackout cue. Well done. -- playwright Greg Burdick

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Plum Luck (TYA)

Published by YouthPLAYS. Written for ASSITEJ for World Day of Theatre for Children, 2018. River can't reach a plum high in a tree. He calls on passers-by for help, when a surprise happens. A very short play for very young audiences. Cast: 8+ actors, suitable for young performers. 10 min. I love Simon’s stories for young audiences. She can take the simplest presence and expand it using what is good in all living creatures. A plum feast is your reward for taking this play and bringing it to the young. (And there’s a gentle reminder for us adults - simple, sweet and surprises are always welcome.) -- playwright Claudia Haas . Plum Luck is a very good play for very young audiences: the goals and conflicts are clear, the cast of characters are varied, there is a lot of physical action and repetition, and there is a strong payoff for all characters. Not only could Plum Luck be performed for young audiences, but young actors could perform it themselves. -- playwright Steven G. Martin . This little play for elementary school kids is marvelous. And it ends with a moment of pure joy for new friends. The themes on sharing and cooperation, persistence and patience are great reminders for kids.-- playwright Asher Wyndham

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Hero Zero (TYA)

Published by YouthPLAYS. Online production, Wilber Wright Theatre Co., 2020. Big Bro is a war hero, whose life and death cast a long shadow over his younger brother. Hero Zero explores how a child deals with grief and pressure to fill the shoes of a lost sibling. The answers aren’t easy but are found in a playful and inspirational movie Big Bro leaves behind in this short play written for young actors to perform on an online platform. Cast: 11. Beautiful, sweet, lovingly crafted, this is a great play for children of all ages. I love the way Simon writes so tenderly about grief in a way that would help young people understand. I also love the beautiful theme of being a hero--and how heroes are those with love their hearts. Wonderful work. -- Playwright Emily Hageman

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Gorilla Ballerina (TYA)

Published by YouthPLAYS. Production, Marion Community School for the Arts, 2022; MoCo Arts, Keene, NH, 2021; Production, Kalamazoo Civic Theater, 2021. Amos the gorilla loves to dance ballet, but some jungle animals think Amos is too big and heavy to be a ballerina. How does Amos find the strength to pursue his dreams despite his size and the criticism of others? Find out in this short play for young performers. Cast: 15+ actors, suitable for young performers. 15 min.

 

Girlfriends

105 Five-Minute Plays for Study and Performance, Smith & Kraus, 2017; 2nd prize, San Diego Actors' Alliance One-Page Play Festival, 2006. Two retirees want to be loved again the way they used to be. Two females (mature). 10 min. A tiny but truly delightful tidbit. Simple but sublime. A wonderful work for two women 'of some age.-- playwright John Kelly. There is so much life and love held in the few pages of GIRLFRIENDS. The dialogue is rich and detailed, there are many character details to mine from their words. Really lovely and well written.-- playwright Rachel Bublitz

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Lipstick

Production, Cone Man Running Five-Minute Mile short play festival, Houston, 2019. Lovey cares for the wounded Sumaira in a war-zone hospital where hope may be the best healer. Two females. An intimate moment, packed with emotion and gesture, Simon's short play ripples with a timely and timeless narrative.-- playwright Rachael Carnes.

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Super Mythology Girl Tells a Scary Story

A girl and two sock puppets dramatize the Greek myth of Erysichthon. One actor, 10 minutes. Delightful and disturbing... I love the mixing of language throughout the script, the use of sock puppets is totally genius, and Simon gives any actor a gift by letting them take on this all-encompassing role.-- playwright Rachel Bublitz. This little play is a real treat. I love it when I read something that's spinning at a high velocity, where the imaginative world of the play and the relationships and conflict therein are enough to make an enjoyable and satisfying theater moment. It's like a play for three characters, played by one off-kilter person!-- playwright Rachael Carnes 

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Rock Paper...

Production, Creede Repertory Theatre 10-Minute Play Festival, 2019. How do two very different people come together when one is rock and the other water? Two actors, any gender/ethnicity. 10 min. A great romantic comedy! This short play had me laughing and my eyes glued to the page. Seeing these two opposite characters interacting with each other. It is a very unique story, I highly recommend Rock Paper! -- Zachary Tormey

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Batshit Crazy

Production, Ampersand 2.0 New Play Festival, University of St. Thomas, Houston, 2017; City Theatre, Miami, Finalist for National Award for Short Playwriting, 2014. Sasha and Brittany try to make sense of their lives in a crazy world of celebrity, random violence and sleepaway camp. Two females. 10 min.

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The Stranger

Reading, Tribal Humor 6, Temple Players, Stratford, Connecticut, June 2012. Kevin finds solace in Sam's religion, intruding on Sam's personal and emotional space in the fruit aisle of a Missoula grocery store. Two males. 10 min.

 

Don't You Think You Need a Sweater?

Production, North Park Playwright Festival, San Diego, CA, 2016. Sarah's as skinny as a broom, Michael's hair looks like a mop and Rebecca shows up at baggage claim dressed like a janitor. Arthur and Frieda barely recognize their grandkids anymore, but that doesn't stop them from trying their hardest to communicate with these Millennials. One female, two male. Two roles for mature actors. 10 min. Short and sweet. And heartbreakingly funny, with an ending that is devastating, but poignantly gratifying as well. -- Doug DeVita

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A Cut Above

Reading, San Diego Center for Jewish Culture Five-Minute Play Festival, La Jolla, CA, 2018. Two mohels compete for the title of America's Next Top Mohel. Two males, one female. 10 min.

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