New Plays Festival, Volume One

The one-act plays in this collection were first performed in the inaugural presentation of the New Plays Festival at Gardner-Webb University in 2003. The Festival is an initiative of the theater program at GWU dedicated to developing new plays and encouraging early-career playwrights. "DUELality" is an historical parody of the famous Hamilton-Burr duel. "Milking Success" details the eccentricities of two success-ridden filmmakers. "The Cure" is a riotous "battle of the sexes" where nirvana reigns over reason. "Social Etiquette" is an absurd farce about a dysfunctional family living in a closet. "The End of the Road" is an existential comedy about two travelers who have been everywhere and seen everything. "Six Soldier Junction" (the editor's own play) is a serious exploration of the experiences of six American soldiers in the first Gulf War. The mounting of this postmodern play corresponded with the American invasion of Iraq, proving its timeliness.