Since plays shouldn't end when the curtain comes down, each episode finishes with a question mark, a dissonant chord—an unresolved something-or-other that invites further thought. |
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The Maiden and the Nation: Joan of Arc at Orléans Does a higher power take sides in human conflict, including war? How can a religion of peace foster a warrior saint? What is the distinction between divine revelation and madness? This playlet, taking place after Joan of Arc's victory over the British at Orléans in 1429, puts these questions in sharp focus. While comforting a dying English soldier, Joan finds herself at odds with her own mystical voices when the the spirit of England's St. George speaks through the soldier's lips. Download The Maiden and the Nation in a reproducible PDF file: $5.00 |
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| God's Substitute: Elizabeth and Shakespeare After the Essex Rebellion The divine right of monarchs is a long-discredited notion. But has democracy supplied a viable alternative? This question comes to a head in "God's Substitute," set in 1601 after William Shakespeare's acting company stages a production of Richard II at the request of the rebellious Earl of Essex. In this fictional episode, Shakespeare is brought before Queen Elizabeth I and faces possible execution for the performance of his play. To save his life, Shakespeare engages the Virgin Queen in a stimulating conversation about Machiavelli, the crafts of playwrights and princes, and the duties of the creative artist. See video. Download God's Substitute in a reproducible PDF file: $5.00 |
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The Gateway of the Soul: Christina's Last Lesson with Descartes |
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Talking Leaves: Sequoyah and the Conjurors What is the power of the written word, as opposed to oral tradition? What compromises must an oppressed culture make to preserve its identity? No Cherokee was ever more militant than the brilliant Sequoyah, who devised a syllabary for writing his native language during the early 1800s. But was his innovation a wicked emulation of the White Man's ways? In this play, based on real events, Sequoyah defends his syllabary—and his life—against accusations of witchcraft by Cherokee conjurors. Download Talking Leaves in a reproducible PDF file: $5.00 |
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In the Belly of the Fish: Bryan and Darrow After the Scopes Trial What is the conflict between science and religion? How might it be resolved? Can it be resolved? One of the most famous historical debates on these questions took place at the Scopes trial of 1925, in which the star participants were the fundamentalist politician William Jennings Bryan and the agnostic lawyer Clarence Darrow. The 1955 play Inherit the Wind, often taught in schools as a more-or-less accurate account of the trial, is extravagantly fictionalized and distorted. Wim has written a fictional post-trial dialogue between Darrow and Bryan, representing the viewpoints of these two decent men in startling new ways. Download In the Belly of the Fish in a reproducible PDF file: $5.00 |
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Plays on Ideas: short, royalty-free plays for reading and performance; suitable for readers theater, school, workshops, communty performance, and as literature.