Plays
To license Doug's plays, contact woldry@woldry.com.
Above: Sydne Nielsen, director, and Steph Gildone ("Marguerite") showing the scripts from the premiere production of Fight Nice.
Below: The premiere cast of Fight Nice, with the playwright.
Fight Nice
"No two children grow up in the same household." -- Mitch
In Fight Nice, an original play, estranged adult sisters struggle to care for their aging mother. After Olivia, a social worker, is arrested on a drug-related charge, she reluctantly agrees to stay with her attorney sister Margo and Margo's wife Kendrah. Their brother takes drastic steps to protect the family--sparking revelations about the past and spurring the sisters toward an uneasy truce. This stark drama explores how conflicting perspectives inform our approaches toward love and caring.
CW: Strong language; discussions of religion, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, dementia, and suicide.
Directed by Sydne Nielsen and Eric Slayton, Fight Nice premiered at Arlene's Broadway on Buffalo in Conneaut, Ohio, on Friday, August 25, 2023. The cast included:
Heather Harrison as Margo Bell-Jenkins
Stephanie Gildersleeve as Kendrah Jenkins-Bell
Josie Elizabeth as Olivia Bell
Justin Kyle as Mitchell Bell
Stephanie Gildone as Marguerite Bell
One-Act Plays
Doug has written a number of one-act plays, all of which have been produced at venues in Northeast Ohio. A selection of available plays:
Charades. Boggle. The Mind. A most unusual game of charades at a party full of geniuses.
College Admissions. Mr. Lahti visits the College Admissions office to admit a few things.
Cute - Can men be called cute? As Isaac waits for his date to pick him up, he and his coworker debate.
Dade - Dade's girlfriend just died in a horrible accident. Who is the first person he calls?
Don't Get the Reference - tales too fantastical to be fictional, from the daily life of a reference librarian.
Mr. Real - Nearing 30, Kevin has an uncomfortable conversation with his childhood imaginary friend.
Raising Your Spirits - Casey comes out to his parents--but it's not the coming-out you'd expect.
Roomie Day - What happens when you buy a Christmas present for your roomie--but your roomie doesn't buy one for you?
Soldier of Fortune - a young soldier in Czarist Russia asks a fortuneteller to help him contact a fallen comrade.
The Stolen Child - inspired by the William Butler Yeats poem, an aging woman confronts her long-lost brother--who's still a child.
Ten Hours to Topeka - Kevin's husband ignores him. But a chance meeting with Kevin's straight ex-roommate gives all three of them a fresh perspective.
Dr. Prosper's Devices
Ever wondered what Shakespeare's The Tempest would look like, reimagined as a sapphic steampunk romantasy? Well, wonder no more!