SHORTS AND BRIEFS

Gregory Fletcher and I shared a wonderful teacher, the late Howard Stein, though we knew him in different decades. Greg s book makes an interesting case about how the short play can be a valuable tool to learn how to write plays in general-10 minute plays, 90 minute plays, plays that last for days. And he includes several effective short plays that he has written as well, which certainly enhance his premise. -Christopher Durang, playwright (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Miss Witherspoon, The Marriage of Bette & Boo) A frisky show and tell about designing shorts and briefs. How to put them on, as well as take them off. -Tina Howe, playwright (Painting Churches, Coastal Disturbances, Pride s Crossing) Fletcher s Shorts are filled with nice surprises and stamina. His Briefs are filled with insight and clarity. The bar is raised high in this enviable package. -Charles Busch, actor, playwright (The Tale of the Allergist s Wife, Psycho Beach Party, Die Mommie Die) The plays evidence vitality, wit, and a theatrical mind at work. Used in class to introduce the process of writing plays, Shorts and Briefs is a labor of love and a vast wealth of wisdom, economy, and artistry. -Bruce Levitt, Professor of Theatre, Cornell University Shorts - a collection of short plays, offering roles for actors from the teens to the fifties. Visit an agency that offers once in a lifetime placements, a family errand that turns downright embarrassing, a subway ride that changes lives forever, a dog park for extended families, a breakfast nook that turns negative to positive, an unexpected war zone where a soldier is unprepared for battle, a double date where a surprise kiss topples everything, a last attempt to regain a romantic spark, and a staircase where two estranged siblings become reunited. Briefs - a collection of brief principles of playwriting, intended for students of theater, and new or established playwrights who would like to explore the short play genre._