Aaron Adair      
P L A Y W R I G H T

Welcome. I'm glad you're here!

At a time when many schools are cutting or eliminating funding for arts programs, I believe it’s important to contribute as many resources to students and teachers as possible. Therefore, most short 10-minute and one-act plays posted on this Web site are available, royalty free, for classroom exercises, forensics, readings and public productions.

E-mail or contact me via this Web site for more information. Please indicate your school affiliation, the play requested and how you would like to use the play.

"Reconstructing Julie" St. Mary's Hall 2010

Notes on Content

Profanity is, to my ear, rather ho-hum and rarely sounds genuine on the stage. Therefore, I don’t use it much-- at least not in my writing. Also, I’ve yet to find an occasion to make a character disrobe. However, many of my plays explore subject matter some educators may find difficult to present.  None of my plays are written for children in lower grades (K – 8).

Here’s a quick guide to help you identify plays that may best suit your needs.

Ten-minute Plays

Another Play about the Baby is a G-rated play and humorous look at an anxious young couple with a baby on the way. CAST: 1 M, 1 F

Night Train is a drama about a war profiteer and a young woman who meet on a subway ride. This play contains gun violence. CAST: 1 M, 1 F

Buried in the Bahamas, presented by St. Albans and National Cathedral Schools in Washington, DC, is a darkly comedic play dealing (lightly) with mental health and suicide. An optional lesbian version of this play is available. CAST: 2 F, 1 M  or 3 F

The Trouble With Brandon is a family-friendly play about a couple pondering why their young nephew has stopped attending family events. The couple is gay. Presented by New York's NativeAliens Theatre Collective, as part of Short Stories 9, Queer Prime. CAST: 2 M

Glad Tidings & High Waters is lighthearted, family-friendly play about two best friends grappling with decidedly different economic circumstances. One of the friends is gay. Produced in June 2010 in Madison, WI, as part of StageQ's Queer Shorts 5. CAST: 3 M

Corn Flakes is the story of a condemned man’s last meal and his attempts to wrap-up his life and legacy in a less than sympathetic environment. Semi-Finalist, Lakeshore Players' 8th Annual Ten-Minute Playwrighting Contest (2012)
CAST: 2 M and 1 M or F. 

Reconstructing Julie is a G-rated play about an intelligent young woman with “mother issues” who receives an unorthodox diagnosis from her therapist. St. Mary’s Hall drama teacher James Venhaus said of the play, "Reconstructing Julie was a huge hit in our annual Spring Shorts 10-minute play festival. The play is smart, witty and provided a great challenge to our actors. Audiences loved the play, and it was the highlight of our festival." This play requires royalties and is available from Brooklyn Publishers. CAST: 1 M, 1 F

Short One-act Plays (15-20 minutes)

The Everlasting God Stopper, a humorous play about the absurdities of modern-day health care in the year 2084, is just plain silly and G-rated. Finalist, 2010 D.C. Source Festival. CAST: 2 F, 2 M 

Room 124 is about a young couple, Manprasad and Madhuri, who experience a difficult night in a roadside motel. This one-act play deals with schizophrenia and suicide. CAST: 1 M, 1 F