Arlene Hutton
c/o Patricia McLaughlin
Beacon Artists Agency
208 West 30th Street, Suite 401
New York, NY 10001
(212) 736-6630
(212) 868-1052 fax
E-mail:
newdramatists@newdramatists.org
LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC
Full-length Drama (90 Minutes) 1M, 1W
Minimal Set
An Appalachian wartime romance, 1940. Love blooms between two Kentucky
natives on a cross-country train carrying the coffins of Nathaniel West
and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
“The most perfect show on the Edinburgh Fringe…belongs to a genre that
nobody writes any more: the romance. Boy meets girl; and meets her again;
in three short scenes. It is set in [Kentucky] in the early 1940’s…Here is
romance without wisecracks, without craziness. The rural America that
these two people come from is one of good manners and honest-to-goodness
neighbourliness…Every line is a heartbeat…They make you believe in an
aspect of America we never see these days: the aspect we associate with
roles played by James Stewart and movies by Frank Capra.” – Financial
Times
“…you might think you could easily enjoy another few hours of this… – New
York Times
“[the] jokes are funny and its couple endearing because their emotional
struggles ring true.” – TimeOutNY
“…a gently calming little play, reminiscent of Thorton Wilder.” –
Associated Press
“Terrific…a sharply-written triumph.” – The Stage
“…a character study that has originality and charm.. wonderfully authentic
ear.” – BackStage
“It is reassuring to know that someone out there still knows how to write
a love story that tugs at our heartstrings with honesty.” – Berkshire
Eagle
“…as close to theatrical perfection as mere mortals can achieve. ” –
Charleston Post and Courier
“The romance at the heart of "Last Train to Nibroc" could hardly be
sweeter or more enchanting. The characters couldn't be more engaging.” –
Sacramento Bee
“…the most endearing couple since…Talley’s Folly.” – Detroit Free Press
“This subtle and beautifully written love story is the sort of gem that
surfaces not often enough these days…Everything in this carefully
restrained dramatic comedy matters a great deal, as we soon detect, not
because of what these two say, but because of what they don’t say. The
spaces between their dialogue are emotionally charged, filled with fragile
nuance and just the right balance of caution, truth and intensity.” –
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New York Drama League nomination for Best Play (2000); Finalist,
Francesca Primus Prize (1998); Douglas Fairbanks Theatre (1999); 78th
Street Theatre Lab (1999); The Barrow Group (2001/2002/2003). Regional:
ArtStation; B Street ; Circle; Coyote; Florida Studio Theatre; ManBites
Dog; Miniature Theatre of Chester, Nebraska Rep, People’s Light & Theatre
Company; Powerhouse; Riverside, Shipping Dock. Published by Dramatists
Play Service; Smith & Kraus (Women Playwrights: Best Plays 1999).
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Full-length Drama with a capella singing, 90 Minutes 9W
Minimal Set
“a moving portrayal of upheaval caused when the utopian existence of an
1830’s Shaker community in Kentucky is threatened by the arrival of
‘newcomers’ claiming to see angels …powerful and insightful…a
thought-provoking piece, the message being that often we need not look as
far as heaven to see angels here on earth..” – The Herald
“In a crowded field of disaffected and iconoclastic playwrights, Arlene
Hutton is a breed apart. One of the most richly humane voices in
contemporary theater, she drips balm, not acid, on the chafed psyches of
her grateful audiences…As stripped down and unpretentious as a Shaker
chair, the play is amusing, intellectually stimulating and moving -- a
beautifully crafted piece that will endure.” – Los Angeles Times
“Hutton deals even-handedly with her characters, viewing them all with
sympathy and respect, finding ample comedy in the tensions of their closed
community, yet offering no pat solutions or final answers.”
– LA Weekly
…rare, subtle and very fine.” – Financial Times
“…powerful musical drama….” – The List
“What Hutton does that is so fascinating is to show us people who
appear to be the very picture of goodness and brings out their
eccentricities and frailties. [She] is excellent at drawing comedy from
the situation….to its satisfying and inspiring conclusion.” –
theatremania.com
“Hutton asks some universal questions about the nature of community and
belief that are timeless and also prove to be good fodder for
story-telling on stage… Hutton, who is best known for her charming Last
Train to Nibroc, once again looks into a slice of Americana and a time
when things, seemingly were simpler while showing that even a ‘utopian’
existence such as the Shakers’ was not without complications. As It Is In
Heaven contains a story that deserves to be told.” – American Theatre Web
ArcLight Theatre (2002); 78th Street Theatre Lab (2001): Assembly
Rooms, Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2001); Actors’ Co-op (2003); Aurora
Theatre (2003). Cameron Macintosh Foundation Grant; Lippmann Award.
Published by Dramatists Play Service; Smith & Kraus (Women Playwrights:
Best Plays 2002).
CORBIN, KENTUCKY (working title)
Full-length Drama, 90 Minutes 1M, 3W
Minimal Set
A sequel to LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC.
Workshopped at the Australian National Playwrights Conference (2003);
78th Street Theatre Lab (2004).
I DREAM BEFORE I TAKE THE STAND
One-act Absurdist Drama (20 Minutes) 1M, 1W
Minimal Set
“A defense lawyer cross-examines a woman on her appearance in a sexual
assault case—so distorting a perfectly innocent walk in the park. This has
the makings of a feminist classic.” -- The List
“. . . a riveting piece of theatre. The writing is pithy and fierce.” –
New Jersey Independent
“This one has David Mamet overtones, but far more sympathy for the
female victim enduring a nightmare quizzing than Mamet ever musters.” –
New York Newsday
Winner, ATHE Lunchtime Theatre Award (1995). Alice’s Fourth Floor
(1994); Red Earth Ensemble (1995); InterAct (1996); Bloomington
Playwright’s Group (1997); The Journey Company: Edinburgh Festival Fringe
(1995), Piccolo Spoleto (1997), New York Fringe Festival (1997,
Philadelphia Fringe Festival (1998). Published by Playscripts.com and
Applause Books, Best American Short Plays 1998.
ACADEMIA
An evening of short pieces about university life, 90 Minutes 3M, 4W (or
more without doubling)
Minimal Set
POOH TAKES A SABBATICAL: An aging professor learns lessons for life from
his daughter’s dissertation topic. Written especially for Mason Adams and
Polly Adams.
OFFICE HOURS: Two office mates test their friendship.
CLASS DISCUSSION: A male colleague is warned about his liasons with
women students.
EURAIL PASS: On her way abroad a student discovers a lot about her
mother’s college days.
TENURE TRACKS: A committee tries to oust a colleague who hasn’t kept up
with technology.
REMEDIAL LESSONS: Both are victims of campus politics, but who is more
handicapped—a graduate student with cerebral palsy or her tightly-wound
professor?
Readings and workshops at Ensemble Studio Theatre (Ocotberfest, 2002);
The Barrow Group (2003); Drama Bookshop (2003)
women@work
An evening of short pieces, 90 Minutes 5W (or more)
Minimal Set
VERO BEACH: A humorous look at three women in a resort boutique, who
deal with beauty and ageism.
PUSHING BUTTONS: An absurdist nightmare. (Actors’ Theatre of Louisville
Heideman finalist).
IN THE MIND’S EYE: A quick glimpse at a power struggle over an eye
chart.
CUBICLES: A funny view of romance and co-workers. (Actors’ Theatre of
Louisville Heideman finalist).
TESTTIME: An absurdist monologue in which a teacher gives the wrong test
to the wrong class.
CAFETERIA: An observation of three friends threatened by layoffs.
A CLOSER LOOK: A study of backstage happenings at a TV talk show.
(Samuel French Short Play Festival winner).
“…an engaging collage of interwoven stories of women in the workplace.”
OOBR
“…brilliant…” Theatre Reviews Unlimited
Vital Theatre (2001). Developed at New Dramatists with the help of a
grant from Loyola Marymount University. A CLOSER LOOK is published by
Samuel French.
CLOSING COSTS
One-act Drama, 20 Minutes 1M, 1W
Bare Stage
A real estate broker gets more than the asking price.
Commissioned by The Barrow Group (2001); Vital Theatre (2002).
STUDIO PORTRAIT
One-Act Drama (25 Minutes) 1M, 1W
Minimal Set
A photography session exposes a woman to an opportunity that she once let
go by.
Winner of the Samuel French Short Play Festival, 1998. Produced at: The
American Living Room at HERE (1996); Edinburgh Festival Fringe (1996);
Piccolo Spoleto Festival, (1997); New York Fringe Festival (1997); Harold
Clurman Theatre: Samuel French Short Play Festival (1998). Hypothetical
Theatre (2000), Rude Mechanicals (2002). Published by Samuel French.
THE PRICE YOU PAY
One-Act Absurdist Dark Comedy (10 Minutes) 3W (over 40)
Park Bench
“Two proud mothers seem to be boasting about the abilities of their
sons, but after the arrival of the third woman it becomes clear that all
is not as it seems. Hutton’s talents for dialogue and humor are apparent
here.” – The Scotsman
Winner of the Samuel French Short Play Festival, 1999. The Journey
Company: Edinburgh Festival Fringe (1996, Piccolo Spoleto Festival (1997),
New York Fringe Festival (1997), Philadelphia Fringe Festival (1998).
Circle East: West Bank Downstairs (1997), Duplex (1998). Published by
Samuel French.
AT THE TONE
One-act, 15 Minutes 1W
Simple Set
A voice-over actress records cheery messages, as her life falls completely
apart—and then things get worse.
Alice’s Fourth Floor (1994); The Journey Company: Edinburgh Festival
Fringe (1995); Piccolo Spoleto (1997); New York Fringe Festival (1997);
Philadelphia Fringe Festival (1998).
HOUSEPLAY
One act, 10 Minutes 2W
Bare Stage
A recent widow negotiates a real estate contract with an unexpected
visitor, and discovers who really owned the heart of her husband.
Alice’s Fourth Floor (1994); The Journey Company: Edinburgh Festival
Fringe (1995, Piccolo Spoleto Festival (1997), New York Fringe Festival
(1997), Philadelphia Fringe Festival (1998).
FRIENDS FOR LIFE
One-Act Absurdist Comedy, 10 Minutes 2M of similar age (can be 2W)
Bare Stage
Two old friends meet by chance, but are they really friends? Indeed, do
they know each other at all?
The Journey Company: Piccolo Spoleto Festival (1997), New York Fringe
Festival (1997), Philadelphia Fringe Festival (1998). The LAB Theatre
Company: Circle-in-the-Square Downtown (1997); Neighborhood Playhouse
(1998).
MAN IN THE BASEMENT
One-Act Absurdist Farce, 10 Minutes 2M, 2W
Minimal Set
Comic paralysis sets in when a suburban couple realize that a homeless man
has settled into their fully-furnished basement. A satire on rich people’s
attitudes towards charity.
Alice’s Fourth Floor (1996); Edinburgh Festival Fringe (1996); Bloomington
Playwrights Group (1997).
CHOCOLATES ON THE PILLOW
One act, 10 Minutes 1M, 1W
One Set
A romantic weekend at a bed-and-breakfast is spoiled when Debbie insists
on sleeping with her stuffed monkey.
Nude Dramatists (1999)