I'm excited to announce that Edgar: A Ghost Story has been published in its one-act competition version by Stage Partners! I've been busily writing new plays for the last three years, and this is my first to be published -- hopefully the first of many. All rights to produce the play can now be obtained at the site www.yourstagepartners.com, and that site can also be used to purchase the rights to make copies of the play, say, for example, if you want to do classrooms readings and hold discussions, but not exactly mount a production. Stage Partners is an innovative online-only publisher, in keeping with the industry trend, so there are no "book" copies to purchase as one-offs. The script is rendered in standard published format, and the school simply prints its own copies after purchasing the rights. Stage Partners also allows registered readers to peruse the entire script online, so no more having to pay to finish the play a week later with a purchased, mailed copy. You will find many of America's most popular scholastic playwrights represented by Stage Partners.
Edgar is the play that Lakeside High School used as a vehicle to win the state Thespian one-act competition, and later showcased to a standing ovation at International Thespian Festival. (Many thanks for the play's first two directors, Sarah Haman and Olivia Dunwoody!) The play has a full-length, 70-minute version as well, and that is also available from Stage Partners. It is easy for a school to move back and forth between the two versions, and both Lakeside and Biloxi High School of Mississippi have done so successfully. For reviews/teacher comments about the play, and other plays of mine, please visit my NPX site at https://newplayexchange.org/users/20191/john-haman
In other important news, Sarah Haman and I have just co-written a new play for virtual, streaming productions called The Breakout Room and Other Tales. As with Edgar, the play will debut at Lakeside, and a one-act version will be be submitted for festival. Sarah and I are now seeking a loving school for the second production! The Lakeside production will be streamed in late November, and I will post a link here for streaming access. If you are a director and would like to evaluate the play's potential, I can get you a code to watch for free. I can also send you the script for The Breakout Room. The hallmark of that play is its flexibility, based on which scenes are selected. It can run from 36 to 77 minutes and offers massive gender flexibility. Here is some info, below:
The Breakout Room and Other Tales is a collection of funny, thought-provoking stories that depict Americans navigating the treacherous but still humorous landscape of 2020. Characters struggle to "break out" of their limitations in search of love, happiness and security. Vignettes in this "dramedy" include:
"The Breakout Room," Three high-school kids in a online-meeting breakout room figure out how to break out of their stereotypes, then turn the tables on their teacher.
"Zooming with Boomers": Two grandparents try to speak to their grandchild in a series of three online meetings, with hilarious results.
"Bad Radio Play" A flexible idea for a student-written scene that will bring attention to the talents of your home-grown writer!
"Doorbell Camera" and "Boogerman": Cameron, an odd, paranoid, superstitious homeowner with an overused doorbell camera hides a mysterious package belonging to a neighbor, setting off a neighbor war that plays upon Cameron's most powerful phobias and delusions.
"Inclusion": A comedy skit about a group of earnest, enthusiastic people meeting to support and protect people of color, only to realize that their super-woke group contains nothing but white people.
"Duologue" and "Duologue Meeting:" Two girls -- one struggling, one privileged -- find their troubled worlds collide when they both warrant a trip to the principal's office.
"When I Grow Up": A wild-eyed middle-school theater kid dreams of taking the acting world by storm by defying the standard limitations of gender.
"Trio with Dog": Three women of various ages search for their souls, meeting in a park to discuss the mysterious person they have in common.
"Hey Dad": In a powerful story of redemptive love, a college freshman in a major time of need is compelled to call her estranged Dad for help.
The script outlines several performance scenarios and alternate scenes. For more information, email johnkhaman@gmail.com