Plays Written by Zak Berkman
THE HARASSMENT OF IRIS MALLOY
BEAUTY ON THE VINE
SUCH THINGS AS VAMPIRES (co-author and co-composer)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (adapter and composer)
Synopses:
The Harassment of Iris Malloy – One night in Atlantic City a single mother places a bet on a new life after an intimate encounter with a decorated Senator. This suspenseful political drama explores the different ways women and men try to win in today’s jackpot culture.
Beauty on the Vine – From mixed-race identities to extreme plastic surgery, Beauty on the Vine is a modern fable exploring the power of the human face in hothouse America. When a young female star of right-wing radio is brutally murdered, her husband and father investigate the reasons behind the violence. They discover a world where young women transform themselves to look like their idols, and mothers lose their daughters to the illusion of popularity and power.
Such Things as Vampire (Conceived and Created by Zak Berkman, Stuart Carden, Jessie Fisher, and Mary Tuomanen) – Infused with lilting ballads, rock anthems, and melodious love songs, this concert-theatre event is an irreverent, bloody, and wickedly fun retelling of Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic masterpiece. At the forefront of Such Things as Vampires are The Preventers, a traveling band of musicians who arrive in town with a mysterious mission. They share “The Book of Mina” to ward off an encroaching, malevolent presence. The Book chronicles the great love between two young women, Mina and Lucy, and their encounter with The Beast, Dracula. Listen to Zak’s music here.
A Christmas Carol (Adapted with original music) – Callous Scrooge, shackled Marley, and the haunting spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future spring vividly to life in this fresh adaptation of a favorite yuletide ghost story. Featuring a vibrant mix of original songs and newly arranged nineteenth-century English carols, this music infused retelling captures the magic, joy, and generosity of Dickens’ beloved classic. Listen to Zak’s music here.
Bio:
Zak is a playwright, director, dramaturg, and former soap opera writer with twenty-five years of experience producing theatre and developing new plays and musicals. Zak recently adapted and composed original new songs for A Christmas Carol, which premiered at People’s Light in November 2021. His full-length plays include The Harassment of Iris Malloy, Beauty on the Vine, and A Breath Short of Breathing. He also is a co-author/composer of Such Things As Vampires, which received a Barrymore Award for original music. Finalist for the National New Play Network’s Smith Prize, The Harassment of Iris Malloy, received its world premiere at People’s Light with an extended run June-July 2016; this was followed by a production at Detroit Public Theatre in Spring 2017. The play was developed at the 2016 Alley All New Festival along with previous readings at The Public Theatre, The Lark Play Development Center, Next Theatre in Chicago, and Epic Theatre Ensemble. Beauty on the Vine received productions Off-Broadway (directed by David Schweizer, starring Olivia Wilde and David Strathairn) and in Chicago. It was optioned by Dirty Rice Pictures to be turned into a film, and has been published by Dramatist Play Service. A Breath Short of Breathing was produced by Epic Theatre Ensemble (starring Daniel Sunjata) after being developed as part of New York Stage & Film and Soho Rep summer festivals.
Zak was recently appointed Producing Artistic Director at People’s Light in Malvern, PA. Zak joined the company in 2011 as Associate Artistic Director and was promoted to Producing Director in 2013. He has led the company’s landmark New Play Frontiers Commission & Residency program that helped birth acclaimed new works by Dominique Morisseau, Karen Hartman, Steve H. Broadnax III, Eisa Davis, as well as Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor. Previously, Zak was Associate to Broadway producer, Margo Lion, and the Founding Executive Director of Artistic Programming with Epic Theatre Ensemble in New York City. During his ten years of leadership, Epic gained a distinguished reputation for developing new work in tandem with cultivating diverse, new audiences. An OBIE, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, and Amnesty International Award-Winning company, Epic’s Off-Broadway premieres during Zak’s tenure include Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play, No Child… by Nilaja Sun, Palace of the End by Judith Thompson, and Kate Fodor’s Hannah and Martin.
Zak is a graduate of Oberlin College. He is and his wife, Teri Lamm, live in Swarthmore, PA with their two sons: Eliot and Theo.
You can find his articles for Howlround here.
* 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.