Sean David DeMers
Plays
Great Emergencies
In 1881, an assassin's bullet changed the course of American history. Could it be that Julia Sand was the only one to foresee the destiny of the country? Familiar with now President Arthur's exclusionary politics, Julia writes and urges the President to reform his ways and unite the Republican Party. Based on a true story, Great Emergencies shows how one voice can make a difference, even if that voice is ultimately lost to history.
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30 + Characters acted by 13-18 actors. Gender fluidity among the characters encouraged, but a cast of 9W and 9M works nicely.
Workshop Production at the University of Iowa New Play Festival
Ben Alley and Rubina Vidal. Photo by R. Eric Stone.
Faculty Portrait
A year after a school shooting claimed the life of his wife, Mr. Y finds himself teaching in the same classroom where the tragedy occurred. As he is interviewed for the school yearbook, Mr. Y revisits the true horrors of the shooting with three students tied to the event. As their memories flash back to the shooting and the events leading up to it, their shared guilt is in turns heightened and assuaged until they accept the mistakes of the past.
4W and 2M.
Workshop Reading at Last Frontier Theater Conference
Workshop Production at the University of Iowa New Play Festival
Sasha Hildebrand, Taylor Edelle Stuart, and Adam Phillips. Photo by R. Eric Stone.
Four Movements
The death of her Aunt Rose brings Grace face to face with her own mortality and human existence. Is the chocolate eclair the benchmark of humanity?
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3 W, 4 pantomime (any gender)
Workshop Productions in Aspen, CO and New York City with Theater Masters 10 minute play festival
To be published in Theater Masters' Take Ten: Vol. 2 by Samuel French.
Wendy Perkins and Eileen Seeley. Photo by Naomi McDougall Jones
Off Tackle Glide
With the potential to make large amounts of money and achieve instant fame, Adam takes a detour into a church to explore his choices for the future. When Father James helps talk through his options, Adam considers subverting expectations by taking the road less traveled.
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2M
Workshop Productions in Aspen, CO and New York City with Theater Masters 10 minute play festival
Published in Theater Masters' Take Ten: Vol. 1 by Samuel French.
Bob Jaffe and Jelani Alladin. Photo by Naomi McDougall Jones
Tina takes a leave of absence from the planet, orbiting earth in a solo capsule designed by a new Space start-up. But is her goal to find some peace from a put upon life, or restructure her DNA to cut off a disgraced twin?
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4W, 2M
Production at Plaxall Gallery in NYC by The Navigators.
Directed by Ariel Francoeur
Photo by Jesse Kane-Hartnett
You Love Myself
Welcome to Richard's world, where every moment is a reminder of the past and a portent of the future. Through sarcasm and questionable decisions, he finds himself in the middle of a romantic hurricane of his own creation. As he passes back and forth through the timeline of his various girlfriends, Richard attempts to find if he is truly meant to be with anyone in this romantic comedy set in modern day New York City.
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4W, 2M
Workshop Production at Shetler Studios in NYC.
Stacy Ann Strang, Ariel Francoeur, Chelsea Cipolla, and Michael Indeglio. Photo by Yolanda Suarez.
Mortal Instruments
Mortal Instruments is a comedy about mortality that was devised during rehearsals. The play is performed by four actors in a way similar to Almost, Maine or The Dining Room. The throughline is Robbie's journey to and from the Occupy Wall Street movement and the life choices that led him there.
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2W, 2M
Workshop Production at University of Iowa.
Return to Mongoose Island
Colleen is a disillusioned painter who is probing her memory and imagination for where she lost her passion and creativity. The structure of the play follows three periods of her artistic development starting with child’s paintings, then landscapes, and finally abstract art. Surrounded by her memories, Colleen attempts to once again become inspired by the power of her imagination as she attempt the Return to Mongoose Island.
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5W, 2M
Workshop Production at University of Iowa.
The Suicide of Mark Twain
Samuel Clemens wrestles with two personas after returning to San Francisco from the Hawaiian Islands. The notoriety he has recieved from articles about a Pacific shipwreck makes him re-think his destiny. Based on a notorious moment in his life when he claimed to hold a gun to his head, the play examines the public and private life of the writer.
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6M, 1W
Festival Production at The Harvest Theater Festival.
Aaron Matteson. Photo by Ariel Francoeur.