Plays co-authored with Andrew Black

Porn Yesterday

Two-act comedy, 5 m.

This romantic comedy explores the journey of an adult movie star on a journey of self-discovery. When Rex Everest decides he wants to act in the classic “Edward II,” he upsets the status quo in his relationship and fires up the acting coach who is hired to help him. MyDesert.com wrote: “[There is] just the right mix of poignancy and laughter in this saucy tale of one man’s struggle toward redemption.” “Porn Yesterday” has been produced in New York City, Phoenix, Memphis, Palm Springs, CA, and San Diego.

Photos

All photos by Paula Court, taken during the New York City premiere.

Strange Bedfellows

A screwball comedy in two acts. 5m, 2w

“Strange Bedfellows” is a gay screwball comedy set in the cutthroat world of Orange County, CA, politics. When the candidate for district attorney is killed in a freak accident six weeks before the election, the Democratic party is forced to run a free-wheeling gay candidate: leather-clad Nathan Zimmerman. Nathan’s campaign manager, Antonio Marquez, must decide whether to mount a campaign for this improbable, idealistic candidate, or sell out for a lucrative advertising career. “Strange Bedfellows” has a cast of seven and requires a single set, that of a campaign office.

This play won the 2005 SF Stage and Film Absolute Time Festival and has received a number of staged readings. It premiered in August, 2012, at Theatre Out in Santa Ana, CA. It was subsequently produced by Khaos Theatre in Indianapolis in November 2016.

“A wondrous ride. With its expert plot and engaging characters, this play is a winner.” (Ute Von der Hayden, CityPulse, Lansing, MI, 2011).

“Happily, ‘Bedfellows’ does poke fun at every political persuasion and sexual orientation around, both real and stereotypical. The result is a wacky comedy for the early 21st century . . . In lesser hands, the play’s succession of zany scenarios and zippy one-liners would be mere throwaways. Here, the jokes serve the story and  characters.” (The Orange County Register, August 2012)

 

It’s Murder, Mary!

A gay murder mystery comedy. 7m.

Commissioned by and premiered at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Center, 2008. Eight gay men of different types arrive at a creaky, old Russian River Resort. Each has a secret. One by one, they begin to be killed. Can the survivors solve the mystery and catch the killer before the group is completely wiped out? Dealing a sly poke at stereotypes and ageism in the gay community, this play had SF critic Lee Hartgrave raving, “Hilarious, high-spirited fun for everyone. . . Irresistible! Highest rating!” “It’s Murder, Mary!” has been produced by Emerald Theatre Company, Memphis, TN, Fall 2009 and by Stage Q Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI in June 2011. Read the San Francisco Chronicle article here.

 

 

Not Without Our Women

A large-scale musical.

Andrew and Patricia wrote the book, Caroline Altman composed the music, and we all collaborated on the lyrics. This musical explores the story of woman suffrage in Wyoming. It was a finalist in the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre Festival of New Plays, 2011, and was selected by the West Village Musical Theatre Festival in 2012. Visit the “Not Without Our Women” website for more information, photos, and to listen to sample songs.

 

To learn more about playwright Andy Black, please visit Andrew Black’s website.