Plays written by John Wooten
FADING GRACE
DUCK CROSSING
HAPPY HOUR
HANNAH SENESH – THE MISSION HOME
THE STICKS
Synopses:
Fading Grace (Cast 3 – Genre: drama) – Since moving his mother Grace to a senior living facility, Danny has never broken his promise to visit her on her birthday. As a gathering snow storm threatens to prevent him from making his yearly visit, Grace prepares for the journey home. 2021 Winner of the top cash prize awarded by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation/NJSCA.
Duck Crossing (Cast: 6 · Genre: comedy, docudrama/historic) – In this comic take on history’s most famous river crossing, George Washington has just set out to cross the Delaware to surprise attack the Hessians and turn the tide of war. One small problem…the river freezes when George and his men are only halfway across. The colonists are forced to contemplate their escape from the icy abyss, knowing full well that the future of the country hangs in the balance.
Happy Hour (Cast: 5 – drama) – From The New York Times “Welcome to the Desert Cocktail Lounge, a temple of sleaze, booze and frozen dreams on a dusty highway somewhere between New Mexico and Texas. The year is 1979; the month September. Jenn, the sexy young waitress with the requisite low-cut blouse, scruffy cowboy boots and soulful expression, is wiping out ashtrays and lining up the Johnnie Walker in preparation for happy hour. Written in real time, with a wall clock solemnly marking the hours, the play is a well-crafted, gritty view of an American Dream gone sour. Mr. Wooten’s snappy dialogue and cutting asides are tossed skillfully among the crew of losers who make the lounge their home.”
Hannah Senesh, The Mission Home (Cast: 8 · Genre: docudrama/historic, drama) – Based on actual events, The Mission Home tells the story of freedom fighter and poet Hannah Senesh, who parachuted behind enemy lines during World War II to help Jews escape from Nazi occupied Hungary. The play is a moving and powerful portrayal of a young woman’s fearless commitment to making the world a better place. Nominated for a American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award.
The Sticks (Cast: 4 · Genre: drama) – What begins as a simple dinner party soon spirals into a dangerous game of Cat and Mouse as two couples collide in an increasingly divided America.
Bio:
John’s plays have been produced commercially Off-Broadway, internationally and in regional theaters across America. Published plays include: Trophies (Dramatists Play Service), Humbug (Concord), The Role of Della (Playscripts, Inc.), and Kiss the Bride (Dramatic Publishing Company). John is also published in numerous anthologies including Plays for Actresses and Playing Scenes. Awards: two NJSCA Playwriting Fellowships, including one in 2021 for his play Fading Grace, and a Best New Play Nomination from the American Theatre Critics Association for his play Hannah Senesh – The Mission Home. John wrote the screenplays for The Role of Della (Toronto, Ft. Lauderdale, Cleveland and DC Film Festivals) and Cat in the Pan (Montreal Film Festival) and his screenplay Savage Act was semi-finalist for an Academy Nicholls Fellowship. Historical dramas include Hannah Senesh – The Mission Home (King’s Head Theatre in London); Duck Crossing (Premiere Stages); and UnCivil War (Theatre at Lime Kiln). John teaches Playwriting at Kean University, where he also serves as the producing artistic director of Premiere Stages.
* Please note that some titles are handled by Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French, Dramatic Publishing, Broadway Play Publishing, and Playscripts.com. Please ask if you don’t see a particular play.