SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
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I have been chosen to be part of the
LA MAMA THEATER COMPANIES
MASTER PLAYWRIGHT RETREAT!
I'll be staying in their Villa (on the left) in
Umbria, Italy! Going live, daily in AUGUST!
Follow my BLOG page for updates from ITALY!
GO TO BLOG ON www.tommycwrites.com
STAGEPLAYS
WRITTEN
by
TOM CAVANAUGH
PUBLISHED WORKS
INLAND EMPRESS
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Cast Size: 1M 5W
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Running Time: 90+ minutes
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Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
INLAND EMPRESS is a full-length play set in California’s High Desert or Inland Empire that deals with many contemporary themes and issues. Louise is a career criminal who finishes her seven year stretch in Chowchilla Women’s Prison and comes home to find that her position as head of the family and the family business has been filled by her niece. The family believes that Louise has come back to take her place, but Louise reveals to them that in prison she had a spiritual enlightenment, and her life has changed. Louise explains that she has converted to the Muslim religion and at the same time reveals the answers to many, deep, family secrets. Louise tries to make amends and help the girls through their personal problems, but must confront the eldest girl, Sierra, who believes that Louise is trying to dethrone Sierra and take away the power that she has held over the last seven years.
ADAM & YOSHI
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Cast Size: 1M 1W one offstage voice (his mother)
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Running Time: 90+ minutes
Trying to pick up the pieces while going through a divorce, Adam moves back in with his mother. The arrangement gives him the liberty and creative freedom to write, as he tries to come to terms with the loss of his other half which interestingly enough coincides with the appearance of Yoshi, his new girlfriend… kind of. Yoshi and Adam have a normal relationship; they met at a comic’s convention, she pops in through his window consistently dressed in the same superhero garb (mask included), they fight and talk and talk while fighting and then they make love in this award winning comedy-drama.
ADAM & YOSHI DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION HISTORY
2013 – Play Club West, Los Angeles, CA – Staged Reading
2013 – WINNER – The Make the House Roar Prize for Comedy, The Lionheart Theater of GA.
2013 – McKinney Repertory Theatre Festival, McKinney, TX – Finalist w/ Staged Reading
2013 – New American Playwrights Development Project at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Cedar City Utah – Finalist w/ 4 Workshop Production followed by audience Q&A sessions.
2015 – Special Workshop Production – The Flea Theater, NYC – Presented by the In-Residence-Director for consideration in the 2015 and 2016 Seasons for the Artistic Director and staff.
Silliman University Philippines, Philippines – 2022
WeDraman Group, Hong Kong, China – 2022
ADAM & YOSHI in BOSNIA
ADAM & YOSHI in CHINA
UNPUBLISHED WORKS
THE CHAIR LADY
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Cast Size: 1 M 7 W
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Running Time: 90+ minutes
The play is set in 1984 on the night Geraldine Ferrara accepts the nomination to run for Vice-President. Behind every political candidate that runs for office, a core group of women runs their campaign and gets the candidate elected. Cookie Donato is not just the group's leader but is also the Chair Lady of the political party in power. One week before Election Day, the campaign goes into a tailspin when Cookie realizes her files have been stolen and the press finds out that her candidate for Mayor has a "secret love child" with a special needs child that the candidate has been hiding for years! The same day, Cookie's daughter, a freshman in college, returns home after only a few months away, and never wants to return to school while revealing her secret! Cookie must figure out who leaked the secrets, wrangle and spin an election from a negative to a positive, and do what she can to get her daughter back on track in life and school, but can Cookie do it?
CHRISTMAS ON THE 552
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Cast Size: 1 M 1 W
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Running Time: 90+ minutes
The story follows a by chance meeting of two strangers on the N.J. Transit 552 Bus on Christmas Eve. Bob Hudak a sixty-five year old white man, places his things next to him on the last available seat on the entire 552 Bus and never offers the seat to Olivia Johnson, a twenty-three year old black, female, college student who calls him out on it. During this lengthy bus ride between Atlantic City, N.J. and Cape May N.J., Olivia and Bob discuss, white privilege, racism, life, love, happiness, their fears and bond when they both realize they are both on a journey of self-realization and homecoming.
Olivia is on her way to a Christmas Eve with her mother and mom’s new white husband after two years of avoiding the meeting and Bob is on his way to reconcile with the only family member he has left, his Aunt Ida, who he has not talked to after leaving town to get clean and sober in a halfway house out of state. The two learn that they have more in common then they thought when Bob nods off, Olivia secretly calls the Senior Living Facility that Bob’s Aunt Ida is supposed to be at and finds out that Bob’s Aunt is not there and that they don’t have a reason why she’s no longer at the facility. Bob awakes and Olivia tries her best not to tell him that his Aunt might be dead when they bond again and exchange phone numbers. Olivia offers Bob a place to spend Christmas with her and her family if the worst is true and once the bus stops at their final destination… they have become friends with a lot of potential that wish each other a Merry Christmas and hug before they both go off to live their Christmas Eves and exit the 552 Bus.
THE ZOMB-APOCS
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Cast Size: 1 M 3 W
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Running Time: 90+ minutes
Kate is married to Jason, and they are both on the verge of moving ahead in academia as they both work as professors at Rutgers University. Kate’s world erupts when she is teaching OEDIPUS to her Theatre History Class when the students get triggered and tell Kate she is a racist and a xenophobe. Kate fires back and possibly goes into a mental trauma when she starts to yell back at the class and calls them “Zombies of the Zombie Apocalypse!!!” Kate goes home that night and feels trapped and abused, but when her husband comes home, we see the onset of agoraphobia and Kate can no longer leave their apartment. The next day the Dean of the School summons Kate into a meeting with her husband, Jason there by her side, but again, Kate’s fear overwhelms her, and she cannot leave the apartment. Jason tries to get Kate help and things go more awry when a doctor tries a virtual session with Kate that makes it even worse, and Kate declares she will never leave the safety of her home again! Together they wait for THE ZOMB-APOCS?
It’s in the middle of this decision that the world makes the circumstances of life worse and COVID 19 hits. New Jersey goes on lockdown! Now Jason must stay home with Kate and all that time together starts to make them both climb on each other’s nerves. It looks like the couple is about to break up and destroy the marriage when the Dean calls with the perfect job for Kate, because she is agoraphobic and knows how to live in a small space without leaving the room, the Dean offers Kate a new job as an advisor to students that can’t cope with living in lockdown. Kate ends up sharing her experiences and feeling with students via the internet when she bonds with one of the students, she called a zombie in her classroom. Jason sees Kate’s star is rising and she’s becoming successful, but she is getting more and more distant from him. Jason overhears Kate say something about him to her student and it hurts Jason, but he sees an opportunity to get Kate out of the house and get over her agoraphobia. The real question in the end of the play is will love conquer mental illness or will Kate stay in the apartment and continue to wait for THE ZOMB-APOCS?
BEHOLD
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Cast Size: 3 M 2 W
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Running Time: 90+ minutes
A family confronts the tragedy of a teenage son's violent death in a school shooting, it seems that nothing could be worse. Until they are forced to face the issues of grief for the shooter's death, as well as the unthinkable possibility of their own child's cruelty as a bully.
SHORT PLAYS
THE CIRCUS STILL COMES TO TOWN
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Cast Size: 1M 2W
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Running Time: 15 minutes
A one-act play about two sisters who have lost their parents. Dolores is the older, resentful sibling caring for her sister, Rachel, a stuttering teen that falls in love with Joe, a circus roust-a-bout. The romance is soon blocked when Dolores tries to steal him from her. This fantastic complex drama deals with issues of self-worth, family, and independence. These are rich characters that will stay with you and actors will love to perform
OCEAN FRONT
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Cast Size: 2m
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Running Time: 15 minutes
A couple that has been married 17 years. When they go to the beach to find the bench with a commemorative plaque to celebrate the event, secrets and truths are told on their anniversary.
THE CHOCA
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Cast Size: 2F
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Running Time: 15 minutes
Two women meet in a bar and once they realize what's really wrong going on in their lives, they bond over vodka and toilet training.
RADIO 2025
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Cast Size: 1M 1F
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Running Time: 15 minutes
A young girl tries to listen to her radio, but all the stations are playing the same song and it never changes. That makes her sad and discouraged until a street performer encourages her to find her music within and sing it to the world!
WHEN THEY MET
A SHORT PLAY BY TOM CAVANAUGH
WHEN THEY MET
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Cast Size: 2M
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Running Time: 10 minutes
A young Army Staff Sargent, J.D. Salinger searches for his literary idol, Ernest
Hemingway and finds him in Paris. They discuss, life, death, war, peace and writing,
but it isn't until Salinger shares his novel, that later becomes CATCHER IN THE RYE,does Salinger ask the question that is burning inside of him. Inspired by the real meeting.
2023 PLAY LAB
FINALIST
CHEESE
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Cast Size: 1M 2F
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Running Time: 30 minutes
Cheese explores what happens when three wine counterfeiters get out of the bottle business and take up smuggling cheese into Canada.