Absurd Short Plays: American Theatre in the Twenty-First Century

By Dylan Kinnett, Matt Brown, Andre Thespies and 2 more

Future Publishing House Anthology: Volume 1, Book One

The first eBook installment of this series brings four short plays to your device. American Theatre in The Twenty-First Century is a collection of absurd, symbolic, and poetic short plays.

In Book One of Volume 1, four absurd short plays are presented for your enjoyment. These plays are easy to read, and they are performance ready. This eBook includes a brand-new introduction by editor Shaun Vain, with special never-before-seen commentary from each playwright.

Learn more about each of the plays in this electronic collection:
- Dylan Kinnett's Party Planet is about a space expedition with surprise twists and turns.
- Melanie Coffey's Easy as Pie is a witty commentary on US politics.
- Cake Day by Alexander Scally is a farce in three scenes that takes place in an office.
- Love, Lust, Lyrics & Stamps by Matt Brown and Andre Thespies is a melodrama that takes place during the Cold War.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Future Publishing House
• Release date: Mar 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953818300

Book preview

Absurd Short Plays

Selections From American Theatre in the Twenty-First Century

Future Publishing House Anthology Series: Volume 1, Book One

Thank you for supporting the artists behind this project. This book is not for resale. Please do not share this file. Instead, visit Future Publishing House or a distributor to show your support; proceeds are shared among contributors and support future publications.

All rights reserved. Original copyrights retained by contributors. Cover design by Kiirstn Pagan. Compilation and introduction are properties of Future Publishing House (Copyright 2020).

No portion of this book may be reproduced, performed, or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher. For all permissions, contact Future Publishing House.

American Theatre in the Twenty-First Century is available in print, paperback and hardcover. Contact the publisher to order in bulk.

ISBN: 978-1-953818-30-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020922358

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication-Data

10 9 8 7 6 FPH e 4 3 2 1 Digital first edition. 03 15 25 24 23 22 21

A Future Publishing House Publication —Baltimore, Maryland

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living, dead, or imaginary are coincidental.

Look for more from Future Publishing House Anthology Series.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Cake Day by Alexander Scally

Party Planet by Dylan Kinnett

A Scene From Easy as Pie by Melanie Coffey

Love, Lust, Lyrics & Stamps by Matt Brown & Andre Thespies

Biographical Information

Performance Rights

Introduction

by Shaun Vain, editor

Due to the amount of strength it takes to resist breaking all devices and forms set forth by our predecessors, it sure is difficult to keep absurdist philosophy at bay for long enough time to write down the ideas that seemingly crumble, creep, and crash from an abyss of nothingness and everything, and the dread & hope of the human spirit is infinitely interspersed between words, spaces of breathing, and glorious punctuating feelings of emotion.

For those inundated with knowledge of theatre history in mid-nineteenth century Europe and America (i.e. Theatre of the Absurd as founded in Paris), we’re well aware of the work of Beckett, Ionesco, Camus, and their contemporaries. But what does it mean to write absurdist theatre today?

Melanie Coffey, author of two plays featured in our first anthology, shares her insight on writing theatre in this day and age:

I find it quite difficult to write absurdist theater these days living in a world where the most absurd and comical events have become our normal reality - not just our current political climate, but events like a press conference that would have been deemed too ridiculous to be a Veep episode.