"The life of a playwright is tough. It's not easy, as some people seem to think."
Wallace Shawn, My Dinner With Andre
The Metamorphosis
"As I awoke one morning from disturbing dreams, I found myself, in my bed, transformed into Franz Kafka." The Metamorphosis is a one-man exploration of personal identity, creativity, and transformation inspired by the life and work of Franz Kafka. The Metamorphosis has been produced in Prague, Budapest, and New York City, and was nominated for the Inspiration Award at the 2014 Prague Fringe Festival.
"A masterpiece." -- Austin Pendleton
@Vanek.cz
New York, 2019 -- When 29-year old Czech wunderkind Vanek Novak wins a prestigious fellowship to an American university, he finds a kindred spirit in African-American theater professor Angela Jackson. But will identity politics and political correctness thwart their mission to introduce the work of Vaclav Havel to the younger generation? @Vanek.cz premiered at the 2023 New York Theater Festival where it won Best Actress (Marcie Henderson) and was nominated for Best Production and Best Actor (Alexander Chilton). @Vanek.cz is inspired by the character of Ferdinand Vanek, created by Vaclav Havel.
Karlos Before the Law
In a darkened cell near the border, a silent prisoner stands accused. Why has he sought to infiltrate our country? And how has he slipped past our defenses? Who will prevail -- prisoner or guard? Or are they both merely characters in someone else’s story?
Karlos Before the Law premiered at the 2018 Prague Fringe Festival.
(with Antonio Vega)
Melting the ICE
Mark is determined to help his client reunite with her son, who was separated from her at the border. Finding he has a special relationship with the ICE agent in charge gives him hope. But loyalties are challenged in the face of red tape and bureaucracies.
Melting the ICE premiered in New York City, at the 2019 Art of Protest festival of Articulate Theatre Company. (Photo by emilyhewittphotography.com)
Hermann and Julie Kafka request the pleasure of your company as our son Franz is called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah, Saturday, the second of Tammuz, 5656, at 9.30 a.m. (corresponding to 13 June 1896 of the Common Era)
Prague, 1896 -- As their eldest child comes of age, prosperous merchant Hermann Kafka and his wife Julie plan a lavish celebration to show-off their material success to the cream of Prague's German-Jewish bourgeoisie. But is young Franz Kafka ready to become a subject of the Law?
The Magic Lantern
(in progress)
Prague, 1601 -- Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II rules over a sprawling kingdom in central Europe and, like his contemporary Elizabeth I, has become a great patron of the arts and sciences. When a new invention by astronomer Johannes Kepler appears to cause Rudolph to lose his sanity, a kingdom holds its breath as their ruler teeters on the edge of madness. Set in the midst of the scientific revolution, before the rigid separation between theology, magic, and science, The Magic Lantern explores the relationship between science and faith, still relevant in our times.
Kafka's Belinda
Berlin, 1923 -- A distraught child, a lost doll, and the healing words of a mysterious dark-eyed stranger from Prague. Kafka's Belinda has been produced in New York City and Prague, and was nominated for the Inspiration Award at the 2015 Prague Fringe Festival. (Co-authored with Bruce Kraemer.)
Three Sisters From Scarsdale
Three Sisters From Scarsdale is a re-imagining of Chekhov's masterpiece of failed loves and thwarted dreams, set in contemporary American suburbia. Three Sisters From Scarsdale received a staged reading at Polaris North in 2015.