Being Darkly Humorous: Ten Short Darkly Comedic Dramas for Small Production Companies

Being Darkly Humorous

Ten Short Darkly Comedic Dramas for Small Production Companies

by Paul Ekert

A robot that wants to be alive
A stuffed penguin infused with true evil
A writer literally on the edge of life
A dead man realising his demise is just the start of his problems.

A sample pitch from ten plays collected in a book specifically aimed at theatre companies with small budgets. Each play has been written from the perspective of entertaining while minimising production stress. With that in mind, stage managers will be delighted to realise that each set requires a minimum amount of furniture and actors will be pleased to know that a minimum number of props are required. The tech crew will also be pleased to hear there is only a very sparse smattering of sound FX’s.

These plays have been performed in various venues around the world; the Henley Fringe, the Oxford Fringe, and the Camden Fringe, to name but a few. Yes, these plays are very fringe friendly, easy setup and minimal tear down, and work well if you pick four that can be performed by the same actors.

List of plays with cast details:

1. Being Married – two males, one female
2. Being Alice – one male, one female
3. Being Dead – two males, one female
4. Being Dumped – two males, one female
5. Being Saved – one male, one female
6. Being Evil – two males, one female
7. Being Human – one male, one female
8. Being Surprised – one male, one female
9. Being Arnie – two males, one female
10. Being Cold Called – one male, one female

Paul Ekert is also the author of Man of Violence, Ordinary Monsters, Next Best Prophecy and Dating by the Book. PaulEkert.com.