Small Wonders
ten new short comedies
by Rich Orloff
SMALL WONDERS is Rich’s newest collection of short comedies, which have all been produced to acclaim in short play festivals, theaters and schools throughout the United States and in England, Mexico and South Korea.
The plays include:
I WAS FINE UNTIL YOU CAME INTO THE ROOM – A man and a woman meet in an art gallery and don’t know what to say to each other, but their conversation has ramifications that last generations. Grand Prize winner, Stage Door One-Act Festival, and Audience Favorite, SUNY Brockport Festival of Tens (2 m., 2 w.)
THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE PRIMORDIAL OOZE – A couple finds themselves at a crossroads when one of them is evolving more than the other – literally. Voted Audience Favorite at the Acme New Works Festival in Boston. Chicago Reader called it “a well-written joy”. (1 m., 1 w.)
I WISH THE VOICES IN MY HEAT WOULD STOP YELLING LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO SAY “I LOVE YOU” – As the senior prom approaches, three unusual high school students struggle to overcome their fears in order to get a date. (2 m., 1 w., 1 either – Although three of the characters are high school students, this is the type of “over the top” comedy where the actors can be much older.)
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION (or THE IMMEASURABLE DISTANCE BETWEEN HERE AND THERE) – When two co-workers who live in different cities connect during a company conference, they learn that although they desire each other, their passions reside in very different places. (1 m., 1 w.; ages can vary, although the two should be roughly the same age.)
THE TOTAL SPIRITUAL – A very confused and newly deceased person finds that the entrance exam to the hereafter is filled with trick questions. Published in the anthology, Go Play Outside! (3 either)
DEFENDERS OF THE TENDER GENDER BENDER – Parents of a child who transcends easy categorization are flummoxed about how to deal with a request from the child’s new school. Published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2021. (1 m, 1 w, 1 not easily defined)
THE CRASS MENAGERIE, OR WHY AMNESIACS SHOULDN’T WRITE MEMORY PLAYS – In this outrageous spoof of THE GLASS MENAGERIE, nobody is quite as refined. When the Gentleman Caller admits he finds the young disabled woman quite appealing, he gets surprising responses from both her and her mother. 3rd place winner, Snowdance Comedy Festival (2 w., 2 m.)
MERCURY’S IN RETROGRADE, AND YOU SUCK – The fate of the planet is in the President’s hands when he faces two squabbling and, shall we say, Mercurial emissaries from the planet Mercury. (1 human, 2 Mercurians)
THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN OF FORGIVENESS – Who is the injured party? That’s the question when a wife admits a shameful secret to her husband and gets a surprising response. Smithtown Matters called the play “rat-a-tat funny” and filled with “side-splitting hilarity.” Published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2020. (1 m., 1 w.)
WHEN I GROW UP, I WANT TO BE A CHRISTMAS TREE – A child realizes what the best possible adulthood would be… and transforms in the process. (Primarily a monologue for someone playing the child, but with other actors assisting in the theatricality of the piece.)
