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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.

MR. JAMMERS

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                            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

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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
Marion Civic Center; Marion, Indiana; February 2018
TACAPS, East Toowoomba, QLD, Australia, March 2018
Covenant Christian School; Palm Bay Florida; May 2018
Raymond-Knowles Elementary School; Raymond, California; May 2018
Lakeland Elementary School; Baltimore, Maryland; May 2019
Highland Middle School Summer Drama; Anderson, Indiana, June 2019
New Hope Elementary MERIT; Columbus, Mississippi; 
February, 2020



Production rights to CRIMES AND RHYMES are currently available through YouthPLAYS.


                                                             SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

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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

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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"


                                           Dream A Little Dream

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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.


NATIONAL WINNER — Sept. 2018 — Voted “Best of Fest” at Minnesota Shorts Play Festival 2018 — Best of the Decade — Chosen from all the previous national plays submitted over the 10 years of the Minnesota Shorts Play Festival, 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.

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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!
CLICK HERE TO WATCH "DREAM A LITTLE DREAM"
And other plays from the Minnesota Shorts Festival

                                     CONVERSATIONS IN A MALL

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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
Davis County High School, Bloomfield, Iowa, March 2017


For production rights for CONVERSATIONS IN A MALL contact JAMES GROB directly.


                                                 WHAT'S IN A NAME?

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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.
Nashua High School; Nashua, Iowa, November 2018

For production rights for WHAT'S IN A NAME contact James Grob directly.


                             THE GOODCHEER HOME FOR BROKEN HEARTS

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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
DuBois Area High School; DuBois, Pennsylvania; March 2018
​Davis County Middle School; Bloomfield, Iowa; March 2019
Plants and Pillars Homeschool, Elwood City, Pennsylvania, May 2019
Swamp Fox Stage; Summerville, South Carolina; April 2020
Ambassador Christian Academy; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; April 2020


Production Rights for "The Goodcheer Home for Broken Hearts" are available only through YouthPLAYS


                                  Bytes, Bats AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN

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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.

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                                              CHECKERS

Picture
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

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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

Picture

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.
Davis County High School, Bloomfield, Iowa, 2017


For production rights for LADYLIKE contact JAMES GROB directly.


                                                MORNING PEOPLE

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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

Picture
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

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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?

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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.
Davis County High School, Bloomfield, Iowa, March 2017


Production rights for Soul Mates? through JAMES GROB directly.


                                           TWO-RUN TRIPLE

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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

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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

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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

Picture
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 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.

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