On this page you will find a list of my completed works – or those works of which I am sufficiently proud as to consider them 1) “completed” and 2) worthy to publish on this website. I have arranged my plays in alphabetical order so as not to offend any of my plays by implying favoritism of any kind. Feel free to contact me for more information about any of the works below if you are interested.
“THE BEGGAR OF BETHESDA”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“The Beggar of Bethesda” is a two-act Biblical drama about the lame man two-thousand years ago who was famously healed by Jesus Christ at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. The beggar is not only lame, but jaded, cynical, apathetic, spending his days conning passersby out of money in the great Temple of Jerusalem. This all changes when a mysterious man appears from out of nowhere and commands that the beggar rise and walk – and, lo, he is cured. This great miracle, however, is not as welcome as expected – not to the temple authorities, not even to the beggar himself – and so he is banished from the city and forced to wander aimlessly. Then, suddenly, a second chance at living comes the beggar’s way – perhaps the only chance he will ever have – but is he faithful enough to take it? “The Beggar of Bethesda” is a play about our relationship with God – the chances He gives us, the overtures we spurn, and the self-destructive role we play in our lives without the strength to believe in something greater than ourselves.
“DEAR MR. WHITEFIELD”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“Dear Mr. Whitefield” is a two-act historical drama about the cantankerous, troubled preacher George Whitefield, whose populist rhetoric swept the Anglican establishment by storm in the 1740’s, and his personal and professional resurrection at the hands of the patrician, determined Countess of Huntingdon. The play follows the Countess’s quest – sometimes touching, sometimes troubled, but always inspiring – to defy the prejudices of her day and support the flawed Whitefield in his ministry… that is, if she can only stop him from running away from his past, from his demons, but most ultimately from himself. At its core, the play is an allegory of Christ and His relationship with sinful man.
“ENCORE, ENCORE”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Tragicomedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes
“Encore Encore” is a bittersweet comedy-drama about the turbulent relationship between Dorothy Parker and her first husband, Eddie Parker, who became addicted to morphine and alcohol after serving in the First World War. “Encore Encore” traces Dorothy’s tense relationship with her husband and how she sheltered herself from the pain inflicted by that relationship through the meteoric rise of her career as a dramatic critic. The shelter, however, is a costly one, positioning Dorothy to live in public denial of her painful personal life and stapling her inexorably to a witty, unabashed, unashamed public persona that is not allowed the luxury of emotion.
“FEW THY VOICE”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“Few Thy Voice” is a Hitchcockian drama about the past deeds that haunt us and how we try to liberate ourselves from them, embrace them, or else fall prey to them. The story itself concerns a former movie actress, of delicate mental state, whose guilt at the abandonment of her now-deceased father leads her to take care of elderly, senile men abandoned by their families in rundown nursing homes. A guilt-ridden, well-meaning husband, coupled with a sleazy nursing home proprietor and a sharp-tongued social-climber enable the actress’s caretaking needs to be met. The story quickly turns more than eerie, however, when the newest fatherly focus of the actress’s affection begins to reveal a story of murder in his family – but is his ranting the liberating cry of a male Cassandra or an invention on the part of his mentally delicate caretaker?
“FIFTEEN MEN IN A SMOKE-FILLED ROOM”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Full-Length One-Act Tragedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
“Fifteen Men In A Smoke-Filled Room” is a full-length tragedy detailing the events surrounding the presidential nomination of Warren G. Harding at the Republican National Convention of 1920. Harding could care less about being president and longs for the day when he can return to life as a small-town newspaper editor – but that option appears remote. An ambitious campaign manager, a paralyzingly superstitious wife, and a starstruck young mistress are propelling Harding towards the presidency. Could it be that he is doomed to be president? “Fifteen Men In A Smoke-Filled Room” explores the extent to which fate controls our lives and the self-defeating role we play in our own destinies. The play is a dense, subtle, heavily character-driven piece – devoid of frills and finery – in the Arthur Miller style of drama.
“A FLOWER OF THE FIELD”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Full-Length One-Act Drama
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
“A Flower of the Field” is a drama set in 1349 Ireland when the Black Death is stalking the land and all signs of hope have been cruelly ripped from the world – all, that is, except in the city of Kilkenny, where, despite the death and destruction, a gentle friar named John Clyn single-handedly takes care of the infected and the dying in his abbey. One night, however, a sinister woman and her traumatized maidservant come calling and violently turn John Clyn’s world upside down, threatening to destroy the hope and faith he has worked so very hard to build. Haunted by this sinister woman, as well as a mysterious mendicant and a vengeful bishop – and faced with what appears to be pure evil – how can Clyn possibly emerge triumphant… and who and where is the real John Clyn?
“THE FOOTSTEPS OF GOD”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“The Footsteps of God” is a historical drama concerning the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the precarious nature of their early existence, focusing especially on the close relationship between Governor William Bradford and the native Squanto. Having recently arrived in the New World, the Pilgrims are in a sorry state, until they find friends in the Pokanoket tribe, chief among them Squanto, who teaches the English how to navigate the local soil and wildlife. However, Squanto is just as much an emotional crutch for the lonely Governor of the colony – and, indeed, vice-versa. Together, Bradford and Squanto form a strong bond, until accusations against Squanto turn the Pilgrims’ world upside down and potentially mean the demise of everything they have built. At its heart, “The Footsteps of God” is a story about faith, broadly defined – faith in God, faith in man – and the strength of that faith in the face of adversity.
“HARRIMAN-BAINES”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“Harriman-Baines” is a psychological tragedy about a painfully reclusive composer (Carter Harriman) who finds his fragile world of self-imposed isolation shattered when he grants an interview to a cocky and fame-hungry reporter. The resultant dialogue exposes the odd ménage à trois between Harriman, his musical collaborator (the caustic poet Melody Baines), and the poet’s sister Minnie. Melody is dead – but, fortunately, Minnie is psychic and can channel her deceased sister from beyond the grace so that Harriman can still speak with her…. or can he? “Harriman-Baines” is an eerie and morbidly unsettling piece about the causes and consequences of loneliness and the fantasies our minds manufacture to free ourselves from the cruel reality of our own isolation.
“I AND THE EMPEROR”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“I and the Emperor” is a two-hour historical drama about the unlikely relationship between the 16-year-old Betsy Balcombe and the aging Napoleon Bonaparte during the latter’s exile on the island of St. Helena. Betsy makes it a point to know the Emperor – first as a harmless, petulant child and second as a misunderstood man of heart and soul – until, one day, a stranger arrives who makes Betsy wonder whether the Emperor really could be the monster everyone claims. At its heart, “I and the Emperor” is a dramatic, droll, but ultimately touching and thoughtful coming-of-age tale – the story of Betsy herself, who comes to understand life, with all its peaks and valleys, through understanding the complexity and tragedy of the exiled Emperor in her backyard.
“THE LAST FLIGHT OF THE ELECTRA”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Full-Length One-Act Drama
Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes
“The Last Flight of the Electra” is a full-length, one-act play set in December, 1968 about the self-contented, intensely private millionaire Aileen Craigmore, whose life is turned upside down when her obsessive secretary, Sandra Houser, accuses her of being Amelia Earhart, the famous aviatrix who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in July, 1937. Obsessed by Earhart, Sandra has long been a fan of the aviatrix and, to Craigmore’s increasing horror, like a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat, produces more and more “evidence” that Craigmore is really the living, breathing Earhart, freed from Japanese captivity after World War II by the United States government. A tense, manic game of cat-and-mouse follows as the increasingly determined Sandra seeks to corner the increasingly desperate Craigmore into admitting her “real” identity… whatever that may be. “The Last Flight of the Electra” is an exciting, even haunting play about the nature of identity – who we truly are and who we choose to be – and, indeed, the extent to which there is any difference between the two.
“LEAVE IT TO MS. MINOR”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“Leave It to Ms. Minor” is a two-act drama about the odd relationship between an aging television star and his ambiguous, headstrong, controversial companion. Life is winding down for former sitcom great Radley Chappin when he meets the domineering, debatable, if brilliant Caitlyn Minor in his twilight years. It isn’t long before Minor becomes a fixture in the old man’s life and takes over seemingly all aspects of his existence – for good and for ill. Her growing dominance is recounted by four people in Chappin’s life – his television friend, his estranged daughter, his dutiful manservant, and Minor’s long-time lover – all of them with different opinions about the relationship itself. It is a controversial one, either way, bringing Chappin to new heights of glory, but also chipping away at his remaining hours of life and his diminishing shreds of dignity – and, for Caitlyn Minor, the toll may be an even greater one. Ultimately, we must ask – is she sinner or saint… mastermind or manipulator… advocate or abuser?
“THE MAN FROM MORONE”
Screenplay by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Full-length Historical Drama
Runtime: 2 hours, 30 minutes
“The Man From Morone” is a full-length screenplay about the hermetic mystic Peter of Morone, who, in the late 13th century, was elected and briefly served as Pope of Christendom. The screenplay details the brief and tumultuous papacy of the old man as he tries to steer his booby-trapped way between the Scylla and Charybdis of an unscrupulous king and a craftyprelate. The new Pope soon finds himself drowning in a political whirlpool and serving as the meek pawn of unscrupulous others – until he finally stands up for what he knows is right… but, by then, is it too late? “The Man From Morone” is a story about the tragic timidity of the good and the just when they are confronted by the unrelenting forces of evil and ambition – and the human consequences that follow from that timidity
“MARGO ASHER DIED HERE”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“Margo Asher Died Here” is a two-hour drama about the controversy and chaos that ensues when two elderly residents of a nursing home engage in a sexual relationship. As the relationship deepens, it quickly impacts those around the couple, creating a civil war among the nursing home’s staff and tearing asunder the romantic relationship between the old man’s son and the old woman’s daughter. Over time, the controversy grows greater and greater, the battle lines grow deeper and deeper, and the questions become ever starker… Are the old man and the old woman using sex to express some great burst of freedom and life – or is this something darker? Could it be rape – and if so, what role does the head nurse really play in all of this… and what might be her motivations? “Margo Asher” is a moving, sometimes droll, sometimes bitter, more often reflective look at how human beings grapple with powerlessness, either those who are powerless themselves or who witness powerlessness in others.
“PHILOSOPHUS”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Farce
Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes
“Philosophus” is a screwball comedy about the egregiously self-righteous philosopher Voltaire and the bizarre escapades surrounding his flight from the court of Frederick II, King of Prussia, from whom he stole a sensitive, personal manuscript of poems. Determined to embarrass the monarch in revenge for an unfortunate falling-out, Voltaire finds his journey to France rudely halted in the city of Frankfurt by the intriguingly Hitlerian Baron von Freytag, representative of the Prussian King. Before too long, the Baron’s over-eagerness to obey his master’s wishes and the enormity of Voltaire’s ego combine to create a purely comedic kind of chaos, which becomes all the more ludicrous by the addition of a money-hungry German shrew, two slightly dim-witted, look-a-like servants, and Voltaire’s buxom, sex-obsessed niece, who fancies herself an ingénue.
“RESPECTFULLY YOURS, JULIA SAND”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Full-Length Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“Respectfully, Yours, Julia Sand” is a brisk-paced, two-act drama – funny in parts, heartfelt in others, and even tragic in some – about hope and redemption – and specifically, the hope and redemption of the unlikeliest people from the unlikeliest sources. Set in 1880’s America, it centers on Chester Alan Arthur, who has just been elected Vice-President of the United States. A creature of the New York political machine and a participant in the rankest corruption – and a devotee of soirees above all – Arthur is content to remain in his new, largely ceremonial role – until, that is, the actual President is shot and killed. Propelled into history, Arthur must choose between feeding the corrupt impulses of his friends and doing what is right for the country. He waffles, he wavers – and then suddenly he receives an inspiring letter from a mysterious woman who gives him the courage to stand up for himself and for what he knows is right.
“SHADOWS OF MEN”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
“Shadows of Men” is a full-length historical drama about the tragic loss of human individuality and dignity in a maddening morass of ideologies and man-made abstractions. The story takes place against the dramatic backdrop of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and concerns the true story of novelist John Dos Passos and his determined search for his friend José Robles. Robles was working for the Republican government of Spain when he mysteriously vanished one night. Dos Passos pledges to find out the truth and puts aside the political aspects of a high-profile sojourn in Spain to get to the bottom of his friend’s disappearance. This passionate dedication to humanity puts the novelist at odds with more ideologically inclined individuals around him – especially the great Ernest Hemingway. Is José Robles really the “friend” that Dos Passos believes him to be? Is there something more behind his disappearance than meets the eye? The rumors are many, but the truth is even worse – and Dos Passos will learn it as his peril.
“WHIT(E)MAN”
Script by Colin Speer Crowley
Type: Two-Act Satire
Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes
“Whit(e)man” is the story of Wally Whitman, a good-looking, professional African-American male who, despite all appearances, insists that he is, and has always been, a white man. Born into the wrong race, Wally relates to us his prolonged journey of self-discovery, aided by a flashy, transgender girlfriend, a Delhi-based customer service representative from Time Warner Cable, a crass, ambulance-chasing trial attorney, a white hobo with blond dreadlocks and abstruse wisdom, and a kooky white psychiatrist, who, like Wally, was born into the wrong race (she is, in fact, Mongolian). A contemporary, quirky satire, “Whit(e)man” puts a whimsical, comedic spin on over-used stereotypes (especially of a racial nature) and pokes fun at various aspects of a politically correct society. More than that, it is a story about identity and about what makes us who we are – what we can change about it, what we can’t – and what we perhaps shouldn’t.