Plays by James Grob, AKA Iowa Scribe
Note: All content on this Web site is the property of James Grob and/or the publishers of the content. Please contact James Grob to secure production rights for any of these plays.
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MR. JAMMERS
CHARACTERS
DANIEL Widower, just turned 40 MYLISSA Daniel's daughter, 13 RUNNING TIME: 15-20 minutes TIME AND PLACE A meadow. Five years after Daniel’s wife died. QUOTED “I don't want to pray.” -- MYLISSA SYNOPSIS: A funeral for a cat, with just two mourners -- DANIEL, a single father, and MYLISSA, his teenage daughter. With laughs and tears, we learn why MYLISSA's mother -- who was the one who gave the stupid cat his silly name in the first place -- isn't there. As DANIEL struggles to help his daughter remember, MYLISSA tries to help her father forget. PRODUCTIONS Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009. Production rights to MR. JAMMERS are currently available through JAMES GROB directly.
CRIMES AND RHYMES
the mother of all goose stories
a one-act children’s play in two acts 5 male characters, 5 female characters, 5 either RUNNING TIME: 50-70 minutes TIME AND PLACE The present in Storyland QUOTED "I scared the rhyme right out of them." -- THE BIG BAD WOLF SYNOPSIS: Strange things are afoot in Storyland. Can the world's greatest special agent get to the bottom of this Fairy Tale Mystery? When Mother Goose is missing, and The Big Bad Wolf is the main suspect, the President of the Untied States sends his top special agent to Storyland to help solve the mystery. Several characters from well-known nursery rhymes and fairy tales help the special agent and the local sheriff get to the bottom of things. What happens is delightful, for children and adults alike. PRODUCTIONS: Davis County Children's Theatre, Bloomfield Iowa, July 2010 SCS Drama Group, Georgia, Spring 2011 MACA Drama Group, Opelousas, La., Spring 2011 Brevard Little Theatre Group, Brevard, N.C., Spring 2011 Shady Side Middle School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Nov. 2011 South Junior High School, St. Cloud, Minn., Feb. 2012 Evangelical Free Church of Hershey Home School Co-op, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, March 2012 Children's Theatre Company, Goderich, Ontario, Canada, June 2012 First Agape Home School Co-op, Litchfield, N.H., July 2012 Two Boards and a Passion CIC, Dukinfield, Cheshire, U.K., July 2013 Cherokee Civic Theatre, Rusk, Texas, July 2013 Community Roots, Strong, Maine, May 2015 Stewarts Creek Middle School, Smyrna, Tennessee, May 2016 Hornby Island Community School, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada, June 2016 Production rights to CRIMES AND RHYMES are currently available through YouthPLAYS.
SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
a one-act play about freedom
CHARACTERS GINA A middle-aged woman in her 50s or 60s CAROLYN A young reporter in her 20s STEVEN A police officer, 24 JOSH A free-spirited rich boy, 30s LINDA A soldier, late 20s or early 30s RUNNING TIME: 45-55 minutes. TIME AND PLACE Mid-Afternoon on a sunny, summer day on the city square in front of the courthouse in a medium-sized Midwestern city QUOTED "Freedom means freedom is all I have." --GINA SYNOPSIS: A middle-aged woman plants herself in front of a courthouse holding a sign which simply says "FREEDOM", and is investigated and examined by a series of allegorical characters who, in the process, do their best to define freedom before the cops break up the party at the request of local businessmen unhappy with the disruption. The events raise interesting questions about how the overuse of a word or symbol can confound its meaning to the individual, and illuminate the ways in which people can be pitted against each other by real or prescribed roles, though they may actually be in agreement. PRODUCTIONS Selected for production by Dreamwell Theatre in Iowa City, Iowa as part of their Writer's Joust, July 2012 READ A REVIEW OF SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. Contact James Grob for production rights to SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. THE END OF THE AFFAIR
a kiss is just a kiss
CHARACTERS SHELLY An executive vice-president. HANK An accounts manager. RUNNING TIME: 10-15 minutes TIME AND PLACE The present. A freaking low-rent mall eatery chain restaurant. QUOTED “This is a clear case of sexual harassment. A CLEAR case.” --HANK SYNOPSIS: SHELLY believes HANK wants to have an affair with her. When the two co-workers find themselves alone on a business trip, SHELLY tries to push things along by taking matters into her own hands – and lips – much to HANK’s surprise and dismay. A spirited discussion about forbidden inter-office romance follows. PRODUCTIONS Selected for production by Theatre Cedar Rapids in Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a part of their Underground New Play Festival in November, 2011. Contact James Grob for production rights to THE END OF THE AFFAIR. Watch a Video Of "THE END OF THE AFFAIR" |
Buy Video Of James Grob'S "Voices Carry"
Buy Video Of James Grob's "Voices Carry"
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Dream A Little Dream
that's the stuff
a short choral reading adventure CHARACTERS WOMAN ONE Dreams about musicians WOMAN TWO Dreams about athletes WOMAN THREE Dreams about movie stars WOMAN FOUR Dreams about washing clothes RUNNING TIME: 10 minutes TIME AND PLACE The edge of consciousness, when you close your eyes QUOTED "Everything goes quiet, and just like that, it's just him and me." -- WOMAN ONE SYNOPSIS: Four women. Four VERY sexy and very romantic dreams. But what's the deal with WOMAN FOUR? She's not playing this game right. Her dream is just a little bit TOO realistic. PRODUCTIONS NATIONAL WINNER at the 2013 Minnesota Shorts Play Festival, Sept. 6, 2013. One of eight plays selected out of more than 400 nationally, voted "Best In Fest" by the audience, West Mankato Theatre, Mankato, Minnesota. Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009. Discovery Coast Theatre Group, Agnes Water, Australia, Summer 2012 High school forensics team, Lodi, Wisconsin, Spring 2012 M.L. Little Theatre, Ocala, Florida, Spring 2013 For production rights to DREAM A LITTLE DREAM contact James Grob directly. 
Dream A Little Dream
WATCH VIDEO OF "DREAM A LITTLE DREAM!"
It is the second of three plays in this video file. A National Winner -- it won "Best In Fest!"
I was in the audience and got the pleasure of watching this live. Those ladies were brilliant! So thrilled with the quality of their performance. Just watch this, and I KNOW you'll want to perform it at your theatre! CONTACT ME DIRECTLY! The other plays are really good, too. I laughed especially hard at the third play, "Button Pushers." Those two actors were hilarious! Pleasantly surprised that my play won over that one! CONVERSATIONS IN A MALL
three scenes, three conversations, three moments
CHARACTERS SCENE 1: Finding Grace PHILIP "Doesn't remember things so good anymore" JANET A busy shopper SCENE 2: Ringtones KEVIN On his third date with Teri TERI On her last date with Kevin SCENE 3: Turquoise MARTIN Shopping for ties SHERYL Shopping for a sweater RUNNING TIME: 15-20 minutes TIME AND PLACE SCENE 1: Finding Grace A lonely bench. Yesterday morning SCENE 2: Ringtones A mall eatery. Around noon yesterday SCENE 3: Turquoise A clothing store. Late afternoon yesterday QUOTED "It feels like I'm all alone." -- PHILIP SYNOPSIS: A mall on a Saturday afternoon. Three separate, random conversations. Some funny, some sad, but each time something profound and significant happens. One person steps into another person's world -- and a connection is made, or missed. PRODUCTIONS Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009. Western Kentucky University forensics team, Spring 2010 St. Leduc Composite High School Theatre, Spring 2013 For production rights for CONVERSATIONS IN A MALL contact JAMES GROB directly. WHAT'S IN A NAME?
or "names will never hurt me,"
a short one-act play CHARACTERS PENNY Carrying her first child, showing just a little SHAWN Penny's husband. Makes toast RUNNING TIME: 25-30 minutes TIME AND PLACE Last week, a young couple's apartment QUOTED “Why don’t you have your good friend Beth the hooker pass you the cream and sugar?” -- PENNY SYNOPSIS: Most people are nervous when they're expecting their first child, but SHAWN and PENNY are terrified -- of each other. And the audience is quite amused. How hard can it be to agree on a name? For SHAWN and PENNY, it is painfully, frighteningly, hilariously difficult. PRODUCTIONS Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009. For production rights for WHAT'S IN A NAME contact James Grob directly.
THE GOODCHEER HOME FOR BROKEN HEARTS
a modern melodrama CHARACTERS 95-105 minutes. 7-30+ females, 4-30+ males (14-40+ performers possible). Suitable for middle school and older performers and audiences of all ages RUNNING TIME: 95-105 minutes TIME AND PLACE The village of Wetwater, a town in the present but trapped in the past. QUOTED "Please, just call me Charity. It’s more than a name. For me, it’s a way of life." -- CHARITY GOODCHEER SYNOPSIS: Audiences get to boo, hiss, cheer and sigh in this spoof of the classic American melodrama. As the villainous Severus C. Snackwell takes aim at the Goodcheer Home for Broken Hearts, the sweet and matronly Charity Goodcheer, the smart, beautiful and great smelling Shasta Bellflower and indeed the entire backwater town of Wetwater, can the strong and sincere but soft-witted Steele Manly stop his nefarious plot? PRODUCTIONS Davis County Children's Theatre, Bloomfield, Iowa, June 2012 Joondanna, Western Australia, Australia, September 2014 Brookside Middle School, Mahwah, New Jersey, November 2014 Fraser Academy, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, January 2015 East Stroudsburg High School South, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, April 2015 Flomation High School, Flomation, Alabama, October, 2015 Derby USD 260, Derby, Kansas, March 2016 Ottumwa Community Children's Playhouse, Ottumwa, Iowa, April 2016 Production Rights for "The Goodcheer Home for Broken Hearts" are available only through YouthPLAYS
Bytes, Bats AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Rachael and Bridgette's internet research
a two-act play for young people CHARACTERS 5 female, 3 male, 6 either RUNNING TIME: 55-65 minutes TIME AND PLACE The present. A 12-year-old girl’s bedroom on one part of the stage. The rest of the stage will be utilized to dramatize all that is seen, heard and read on the 12-year-old girl’s computer screen. QUOTED "I freed the slaves and preserved the union! What's more cool than that? --ABRAHAM LINCOLN SYNOPSIS: The plot of the two act-play revolves around the Internet research of the two main characters, RACHAEL and BRIDGETTE. As the two 12-year-old girls look online for information for a report they have to write about Abraham Lincoln they find themselves distracted by all the things, good and bad, one can possibly come across while “surfing the net.” Everything they see on their computer screen is dramatized on the stage, including songs and music downloads of pop stars, chats and emails from friends and a grandma, and viral videos of people chasing bats and other people mixing up strange concoctions in a blender. There are incidents with a cyber-bully, tech problems with the computer and even a little actual historical research. The dramatization is at times very funny, at times outrageous and at times thoughtful and touching. The two girls are eventually guided through the research process – and through the difficulties in their lives -- by an online version Abraham Lincoln himself. PRODUCTIONS Davis County Children's Theatre, Bloomfield, Iowa, June 2011 Contact JAMES GROB for production rights to Bytes, Bats and Abraham Lincoln. 
CHECKERS
a game for two
CHARACTERS LLOYD An older gentleman. TINA A sophomore in high school. RUNNING TIME: 15 minutes TIME AND PLACE The present. A room in a retirement home. QUOTED "My son is a liar! And I miss him a lot. -- LLOYD SYNOPSIS: In order to pass her confirmation class, TINA needs to read a passage from the Bible to LLOYD, but the task is much more difficult and challenging than TINA had anticipated. PRODUCTIONS Davis County Summer Shorts Play Festival, August 2011. Contact JAMES GROB for production rights to CHECKERS. DIAMONDS AREN'T FOREVER
a love story
CHARACTERS JULIE A young woman in love with ROMAN. ROMAN A young man in love with JULIE. CLERK A clerk. RUNNING TIME: 20-25 minutes TIME AND PLACE The present. A jewelry store. QUOTED "This is the ugliest ring I have ever seen." -- JULIE SYNOPSIS: Two young lovers run into some hilarious trouble as they look for the perfect wedding ring. PRODUCTIONS Spring play, Davis County senior high school, Bloomfield, Iowa, 2012. Contact JAMES GROB for production rights to DIAMONDS AREN'T FOREVER.
LADYLIKE
don't blow it by talking too much
CHARACTERS ELAINE Prim and proper and very ladylike LOUIS Not quite as prim or proper RUNNING TIME: 15-20 minutes TIME AND PLACE A quiet spot in the park. Maybe late August. QUOTED "There aren't enough Zs in crazy to describe you." -- LOUIS SYNOPSIS: When these two octogenarians meet for the first time in the park, LOUIS takes an immediate liking to ELAINE. But ELAINE wants absolutely nothing to do with LOUIS, she just wants to finish her crossword puzzle. Who comes out on top in this battle of wills? And when ELAINE sees LOUIS flee from that angry bumblebee that's after him, will she find it endearing or pitiful? PRODUCTIONS Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009. St. Leduc Composite High School Theatre, Spring 2013. For production rights for LADYLIKE contact JAMES GROB directly. MORNING PEOPLE
what if you couldn't remember last night?
CHARACTERS JACK Kathy's husband CHRISTIE Richard's wife RUNNING TIME: 45-55 minutes TIME AND PLACE The Moonlight Inn. Saturday morning. QUOTED “So at least neither one of us drove drunk. So that’s one less thing to be guilt-ridden about.” -- CHRISTIE SYNOPSIS: JACK and CHRISTIE are friends -- but married to other people. They can't explain how they woke up together in a cheap motel, and can't recall how they got there. All they know is that someone was buying them shots last night. What if their spouses find out? What if their spouses already know? As they unravel the mystery, they also reveal secrets about each other and together, they face some serious questions about love, friendship, marriage, sex and nasal strips. PRODUCTIONS Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009. St. Leduc Composite High School Theatre, Spring 2013. Production rights for MORNING PEOPLE are available through JAMES GROB directly.
OUR LITTLE COFFEE SHOP
a short one-act
CHARACTERS REX Makes good hamburgers ERIN Makes great desserts RUNNING TIME: 10-15 minutes TIME AND PLACE: A coffee shop. Recently. QUOTED “You know, courage is an overrated thing.” -- REX SYNOPSIS: REX and ERIN may have just made the biggest mistake of their married lives. What the hell were they thinking? They sold their house and opened up a little coffee shop -- and so far they're their only customers. Now what? Will this tear them apart or bring them closer together? PRODUCTIONS Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009 St. Leduc Composite High School Theatre, Spring 2013. Production rights for OUR LITTLE COFFEE SHOP are available through JAMES GROB directly. SOCCER DADS
and why they're hot
CHARACTERS GLENN A soccer dad ROGER Another soccer dad LISA A soccer mom RUNNING TIME: 15 minutes TIME AND PLACE A soccer field. This past autumn. QUOTED “So yeah, there’s the double standard. Because the thing is, if the soccer moms are so hot, why aren’t the soccer dads?” -- GLENN SYNOPSIS: GLENN and ROGER are pissed off. If the soccer moms are so hot, why aren't the soccer dads? It would make sense. After all, they've got the pills to keep "things" working efficiently from your local news at five all the way through Letterman. And what's the deal with that young punk "pretty boy" soccer referee? GLENN and ROGER will pound him with verbal abuse. But will that machismo last when a soccer mom shows up and puts GLENN and ROGER in their place? PRODUCTIONS Produced by The Davis County Players as a part of Voices Carry, a production of one-act plays produced by the Davis County Fine Arts Council in Bloomfield, Iowa, in March of 2009. Production rights for SOCCER DADS are available through JAMES GROB directly.
SOUL MATES?
some things weren't meant to be
CHARACTERS SHERI Moving into her new house DOUG Doesn’t believe in mumbo-jumbo RUNNING TIME: 15 minutes. TIME AND PLACE The present. A quiet small-town or suburban neighborhood. QUOTED "Oh my! Are you an angel?" -- SHERI SYNOPSIS: DOUG has seen into the future. He knows every single little detail about his “soul mate.” Every single little detail, that is, except one. PRODUCTIONS Davis County Summer Shorts Play Festival, August 2010. St. Leduc Composite High School Theatre, Spring 2013. Production rights for Soul Mates? through JAMES GROB directly. TWO-RUN TRIPLE
a short one-act
CHARACTERS JASON A minor league baseball player, 30 MISSY 30, JASON’s wife RUNNING TIME: 15-20 minutes. TIME AND PLACE The present. A living room in a small, run down apartment. QUOTED "I don't know how to do anything, except play baseball." -- JASON SYNOPSIS: After 10 years in the minor leagues, JASON has had it with playing baseball. So now what? PRODUCTIONS Davis County Summer Shorts Play Festival, August 2012. Contact JAMES GROB for production rights to TWO-RUN TRIPLE. THE HAWKEYE LADIES
in heaven there is no beer
CHARACTERS BREANNE A middle-to-senior aged female Hawkeye fan. MADDIE A middle-to-senior aged female Hawkeye fan. CHANDRA A middle-to-senior aged female Hawkeye fan. RUNNING TIME: 20-25 minutes. TIME AND PLACE A bar somewhere in Iowa during a fall football Saturday. QUOTED "If there's one thing America needs, it's farmers." -- BREANNE SYNOPSIS: Three middle-to-senior aged women sit in a sports bar and watch an Iowa Hawkeye football game on television as they converse. It becomes hilariously clear that the three have absolutely nothing at all in common, and really cannot agree on anything at all in the world, other than a love for Iowa Hawkeye football. In fact, were it not for Iowa Hawkeye football, the three women would likely be mortal enemies. PRODUCTIONS O-town Talent Show, at Bridge View Theatre, Ottumwa Iowa, March 2012. Contact JAMES GROB for production rights to THE HAWKEYE LADIES.
HOUSE SITTING FOR HENDERSON
why can't we be more like Jerry and Colleen?
CHARACTERS SCOTT Looks after the Henderson’s house while they’re away. JENNY Married to SCOTT. Takes care of the Henderson’s cat. RUNNING TIME: 15-20 minutes TIME AND PLACE The present. The living room of a beautifully-decorated home. QUOTED "What did you do?" -- JENNY SYNOPSIS: SCOTT and JENNY want to move up the social ladder and be more like their wealthy, intriguing neighbors, the Hendersons. When the Hendersons take a trip to Europe and ask SCOTT and JENNY to look after their house and take care of their reclusive cat, SCOTT and JENNY make the worst of the opportunity. PRODUCTIONS Be the first to produce HOUSE SITTING FOR HENDERSON! Available through JAMES GROB directly. IN THE BLOOD
a tragicomedy, in two acts
CHARACTERS MEGAN Woman in her 20s, college grad student KIM Woman in her 20s, nurse COLT Man in his 20s, good-looking, folds boxes for a living BIANCA Woman 30 years old, well-endowed waitress at a truck stop KYLE Man in his 20s, writer of poetry RUNNING TIME: 90-100 minutes. TIME AND PLACE The present. Act II is one year after Act I. An apartment in an unnamed university town in Iowa. QUOTED "Pee in this cup for me?" -- KIM SYNOPSIS: Things turn from funny to tragic when a nursing student needs a stranger's pee to help her pass a drug test. PRODUCTIONS Be the first to produce In The Blood! Contact James Grob. |
