The PlayFinder™

This collection of socially distant shorts is designed to be performed on the internet as well as the stage. Playful and inventive, TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES taps into the delights and frustrations of staying connected.

HEY STRANGER by Steph Del Rosso. Years after a messy breakup, Eve and Gideon reunite. What could go wrong? Possibly everything. A comedy about mixed signals and bad internet, loneliness and autonomy. And one very precocious high schooler. (1M, 2W.) OYSTE... Read more

Alexander the Great consults two of his most loyal soldiers about the decision to slow down and stop all the conquering. Julie, a playwright, consults her six-year-old son about writing a play about Alexander the Great. Whose ideas will prevail?... Read more

Alone in her apartment in the wake of her ex-husband’s move out, Taani thinks she's logging into a virtual event via the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yet when she winds up being in conversation with the art, the dialogue turns out to be much more personal than she ever could have imagined.... Read more

After one act of police brutality too many, one man decides to do something. But in trying to get “street justice,” he threatens his life, his brother, and his job.... Read more

When you’re stuck at home during a global pandemic, everything happens online—even therapy. Harper is suffering, and can’t reconcile feelings about the terrifying disease with the monotony of lockdown. Jess tries to be a sympathetic ear, but the session goes off the rails.... Read more

Mabel makes lists, a lot of them, especially during these desperate times. Her current list details some of the less heroic stuff on her mind but still…it’s on her mind…and maybe something not too terrible will come of it.... Read more

When John Cameron Mitchell was invited to attend Russia’s first queer film festival in St. Petersburg in the fall of 2008, he was prepared for trouble: The hosting cinema had pulled out after a national film figure derided the event as a “festival for child molesters.” Inspired by the courage of the organizers, Mitchell agreed to attend, bringing his Russian friend Sasha along for the trip. This monologue is derived from his diary.... Read more

When you’re stuck at home during a global pandemic, everything happens online—even high school reunions. Richard and Julia are old friends who happily reconnect at their fortieth reunion—until Lizbeth, a younger woman, appears onscreen. Despite being a different class, Lizbeth won’t leave, infuriating Julia, who demands she go. But Lizbeth’s desperate plea to stay leads to an admission and uncovers an old secret about Richard and Julia.... Read more

Years after a messy breakup, Eve and Gideon reunite. What could go wrong? Possibly everything. A comedy about mixed signals and bad internet, loneliness and autonomy. And one very precocious high schooler.... Read more

When six feet feels more like six thousand miles, a child and a parent try to figure out how to connect in the age of social distancing.... Read more

During virtual office hours, a professor discusses his student’s latest short story. Her characters feel too close for comfort for the professor. Teacher and student must both reckon with how to write a good ending.... Read more

Kath was the last visitor to leave a major amusement park before the pandemic lockdown. While reminiscing online about life pre-Covid, two roommates challenge each other’s experiences and ideas of what truly makes a person happy.... Read more

Marisela finds the pearl that is herself as she negotiates a potential opportunity in a border world where kids live, in captivity, in government cages and being bilingual comes at a price.... Read more

THE PARTY HOP takes place on a Saturday night three years into quarantine. Three college sophomores, Ava, Emma, and Nancy, bounce from virtual party to virtual party in what is now a typical night *out.* However, when Emma and Nancy discover that Ava has not yet had her first kiss, they insist that tonight must be the night. Their given circumstances complicate this, but sometimes… it's nice to have a dream.... Read more

Are you in the market for a new home, and with that home, a new you? Would you like that new home-slash-you to be a charming saltbox Cape? Audience votes guide this interactive tour and auction, complete with special guests, updated appliances, and a realtor’s long-hidden secret.... Read more

THE SECRET by Crystal Skillman. Over months of quarantine, we follow Luna, a housecat trying to piece together what is going on. She watches with concern as her human dons a mask, leaves at odd hours with protest signs, reads newspapers with long lists of names, and becomes more anguished by the day. When Luna encounters a special visitor, she is given the key to resilience during pandemic. But can she make her human truly understand The Secret?... Read more

Bozz and Banjo, best friends and fellow puppets, are feeling the separation of a Zoom existence. Frustrated, Bozz wants to talk on the telephone—but Banjo senses that the request has more to do with their friend's growing existential despair. Ever the eternal optimist, even Banjo begins to wonder about the hands at work in their lives.... Read more