SHORTS AND BRIEFS, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded

A Collection of Short Plays and Brief Principles of Playwriting

"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, 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 estranged siblings reunite.

"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.

The first edition has been used by Alfred University, Cornell University, CUNY-Kingsborough Community College, Lock Haven University, Marshall University, Niagara University, University of Oregon, University of Central Arkansas, and many others. This revised and expanded edition will serve and inspire hundreds more drama students and aspiring playwrights.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gregory Fletcher is a native of Dallas, Texas, a resident of New York City, a graduate of California State University at Northridge with a BA in Theater, a graduate of Boston University with a MA in Playwriting, and a graduate of Columbia University with an MFA in Directing. Off-Off Broadway playwriting credits include Edenville, My Sister the Cow, Eight Times Around, Stairway to Heaven, Roast Beef and the Rare Kiss, Robert Mapplethorpe's Flowers, and The Moon Alone. Awards include the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting and the National Ten-Minute Play Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Fletcher was a playwriting grantee at the Sundance Theatre Lab, a nominee for Outstanding Original Short Script for the New York IT Awards, and a national finalist for the Heideman Award and the Reva Shiner Comedy Award. Check out www.amazon.com/author/gregoryfletcher or visit www.gregoryfletcher.com.