Plays and Scripts
SCREENPLAY
Certain events in life are so rare that they can be freely dismissed as impossibilities. Getting struck by lightning, surviving a plane crash, or winning the lottery. When something shocking happens and doesn’t end in tragedy, we say it must be fate, destiny, a miracle, or simply God’s will.
On the night of August 28, 2000, Danny, my partner, discovered a newborn baby left at a New York City subway station. He didn’t uncover a tragedy. He uncovered a miracle. And although we didn’t know it yet, he had changed the course of all of our lives forever. Sometimes in life everything happens for a reason. But sometimes everything happens in spite of it.
FOUND is my family’s journey—from my husband finding an abandoned newborn at a New York City subway to the three of us finding ourselves in a forever family—and all the challenges and surprises along the way.
To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
FULL-LENGTH PLAYS
After their daughter died in a tragic accident, Florence and Edward found themselves raising young kids again, their grandchildren. For eighteen years they coped with the loss by stuffing the grief. But now, as Florence faces her own mortality, she is haunted by Edward’s reaction to their daughter’s death. Years of bottled-up pain and lingering resentment rise to the surface as Florence looks for a way to protect herself from her husband. Meanwhile, their grandchildren face their own mortal dilemma. And as the past and present converge, the family is ripped apart.
HATCH is a fresh, yet stark slice, of Americana that follows one family’s struggle with loss, mistrust, and what it means to die with dignity.
GENRE: Family Drama/Tragedy
LENGTH: 90 minutes – 2 hours
CAST SIZE: 5
CHARACTERS: 3 Male (1 mid 60s, 1 late 30s/early 40s, 1 early 20s); 2 Female (1 mid 60s, 1 19-years-old)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
- Reading: Angels Theatre Company, Lincoln, NE (2022)
- Semi-Finalist for the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) NewPlayFest (2017)
- Semi-Finalist for Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference (2014)
Northern New Jersey. Autumn 1993. The New York Giants are on Monday Night Football and Andrew and John are in a comfortable routine, doing what they always do: Talking back to the TV, second-guessing play calls, and drinking beer. Through his love of sports, along with the dissection of Bruce Springsteen song lyrics, Andrew is about to embark on a personal journey of self-discovery and acceptance that will take him to a places he’s never been before.
ANDREW REACHES THE OTHER SIDE is a different kind of coming out story.
GENRE: Heartfelt and comedic coming out story
LENGTH: 90 minutes – 2 hours
CAST SIZE: 6
CHARACTERS: 4 Male (3 early 20s, 1 mid 40s); 2 Female (1 early 20s, 1 mid 40s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Bank Street Theatre
Opened March 2000
“‘Andrew Reaches The Other Side’ is a very enjoyable post-liberation gay play.”
“Perfectly delightful with a strong cast, interesting characters, and a well-written script.”
“Peter Mercurio is a talented new playwright who has succeeded in writing a ‘different kind of coming-out story.’ He will make a substantial contribution to American culture in the 21st century. I look forward to following his progress over the next few years.”
— APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!
There’s a story behind every story. Read the backstory and history of ANDREW REACHES THE OTHER SIDE, including all the good, bad, and ugly moments from its development and production history.
All Steve and Larry had hoped for during their weekend getaway to Philadelphia was a break from the daily routine and responsibilities of being parents of an active tantrum-throwing toddler. But when they meet some “other guy” at the hotel, temptation strikes and threatens to fracture their relationship. What had begun as an innocent, quiet, relaxing trip somehow turns into a quest for redefining the rules of their relationship. Can they ever return to “normal” again in order to keep their family intact?
TWO SPOONS explores the line between–and the boundaries of–independence vs commitment, freedom vs responsibility, and fantasy vs reality.
GENRE: Heartfelt comedy
LENGTH: 90 minutes – 2 hours
CAST SIZE: 5
CHARACTERS: 4 Male (3 mid 30s, 1 early 20s); 1 Female (Late 50s, early 60s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Bank Street Theatre
Opened September 5, 2008
“Peter Mercurio’s splendid new comedy about a soon-to-be-wed gay couple shows us that with a little ingenuity, even the aphorisms of the old American sage Ben Franklin can avail us!”
“Two Spoons puts gay love into perspective as it poses poignant questions while delivering non-stop laughs and penetrating social commentary; besides a skillful examination into the psychology of same-sex relationships, the play is replete with throwbacks to Benjamin Franklin, his maxims and his rather unique way of living.”
“I give Two Spoons two thumbs way up!”
— HX Magazine (full review)
Suncoast Theatre
Opened April 27, 2007
“The script is wonderfully literate; the acting is superb; the design is attractive.”
“Mercurio’s dialogue is so polished that you can’t help but enjoy it for its efficiency and intelligence. You also have to like his many story-telling devices…”
“Trevor Keller’s direction is kinetic, as fluid as Mercurio’s script…”
Hoover-Leppen Theatre
Opened July 19, 2009
“With more gay couples taking on the challenges of parenthood, it’s nice — and rare — to see a play that looks honestly at the role kids can play in putting a damper on romance.”
— Chicago Tribune
“Two Spoons is a timely comedy that looks at the relationship between gay parents [and] does offer a thoughtful look at the pitfalls that gay marriage may present.”
— centerstagechicago.com
“Mercurio’s new comedy has real insights into gay marriage…”
— TimeOut Chicago
August 2013
Staged reading
May 2007
Finalist for the 5th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival
Gay brothers, one hoping to find “Mr. Right” and the other looking for only “Mr. Right Now,” compete in a year-long sibling rivalry that takes them through an unpredictable string of freaky dates, fix-ups, and flings.
As the brothers embark on a series of unforgettable hook-ups and dates, they tangle with guys who are closeted to boldly obsessed activists. Guys with eccentric fetishes, uncompromising genital issues, and bizarre fixations. Periodically, Tom and Rick meet up to spar, provoke, and offer advice, all the while comparing notes on their encounters.
GENRE: Lighthearted dating comedy
LENGTH: ~90 minutes
CAST SIZE: 4 (with role doubling)/5-10 (without doubling)
CHARACTERS: 4 Male (Twentysomethings)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Bank Street Theatre
Opened March 2003
“[Peter] Mercurio has an obvious affection for his characters, and he keeps the proceedings nicely non-judgmental”
—Off-Off Broadway Review
ANCHORS, TALK SHOWS, LOVE AND POETRY WITHOUT MOTION is a seriocom about two long-distance pen pals who grow up together communicating through handwritten letters, and how the repetitive exposure to sensationalized news programs and talk shows infiltrates their lives and turns their innocent relationship into a ratings-war casualty.
Written in 1991, ANCHORS takes a trip back to a simpler time, but also serves as a prescient warning of what’s to come in the future.
GENRE: Heartfelt comedy
LENGTH: 60-90 minutes
CAST SIZE: 6
CHARACTERS: 1 Male, 1 Female (both early 20s); 4 roles can be any age, sex, or gender
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Bank Street Theatre
Opened October 2000 (produced under the title, Yesterday’s News)
“Peter Mercurio has done a fine job writing.”
—Off-Off Broadway Review
There’s a story behind every story. Read about why I wrote ANCHORS, TALK SHOWS, LOVE AND POETRY WITHOUT MOTION, including all the good, bad, and ugly moments from its production history.
Short PLays
Champagne and tempers bubble up when two men on a first date share their New Year’s resolutions.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 2 Male (Early/mid 20s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Bank Street Theatre
UnityFest
“There are at least two good reasons to attend Unity Fest 2001. One is Tony Hamilton, talking to a man he has just met at a party — a man he thought he liked — and insisting loudly, ”I am not refreshing!”
“Mr. Hamilton, who manages an unusual number of emotions behind a single, play-length smile, is in Peter Mercurio’s two-man work ”Refreshments.”
September 1972. Madeline visits her childhood home in Kansas City to honor Wally, the last of her now deceased five brothers–and senses his presence through Lucas, a current resident of the house.
GENRE: Drama
LENGTH: ~25 minutes
CAST SIZE: 3
CHARACTERS: 2 Female (60-70s, early 20s), 1 Male (18 to 21)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Semi-Finalist
Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival
Mom and son are having a typical, routine morning preparing for their day when a telephone call changes their lives forever.
GENRE: Drama
LENGTH: 10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 1 Female (Mid 40s), 1 Male (18 to 20)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Semi-Finalist
Source Festival
George and Rick navigate their way through a paranoid and “terrorizing” coffee “date”.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 8-10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 2 Male (Early/mid 20s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
When Rick bumps into his new co-worker, Brad, in the break room after hours, he wastes no time trying to turn business into pleasure.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 7-10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 2 Male (Early/mid 20s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Tom breaks out of his comfort zone when an online hookup shows up in the flesh for some “fun” with cigars.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 2 Male (Early/mid 20s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Tom gets a handful during a hookup with Brad.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 8-10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 2 Male (Early/mid 20s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
A dinner date turns into an activist’s ramblings about the world, including the Pope being gay.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 2 Male (Early/mid 20s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Mark and Ricky argue about donating blood and getting married.
GENRE: Drama/comedy
LENGTH: 10 minutes
CAST SIZE: 2
CHARACTERS: 2 Male (Mid 20s/early 30s)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Monologues
On their way to “emerging” as Petra, the playwright formerly known as Pat Smith takes aim at the aggrandized value of MFA degrees, the insular world of academia, and the pimping-ways of Paula Vogel.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: ~10 minutes
CHARACTER: Gender non-specific
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Finalist
Left Out Festival
Alex, a teenager and “mean girl” who “can’t even,” shares what she did this past summer, including a family vacation to Walt Disney World, taking aim at all the overweight patrons riding motorized scooters.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: ~15 minutes
CHARACTER: Gender non-specific
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Finalist
Left Out Festival
Jamie, a weekly regular at the usually quiet Blue Saucer Cafe, daydreams lustfully about the waiter. When a boisterous “possé” enters, Jamie gets jealous, revealing some uncomfortable prejudices.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: ~12 minutes
CHARACTER: 1 Male
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
Finalist
Left Out Festival
Andrew reveals his feelings of being invisible and helpless.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 1-2 minutes
CHARACTER: 1 Male (Teenager)
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
He/she/they reveals the dark side of being at a creative dead end.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 1-2 minutes
CHARACTER: Gender non-specific
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.
A judge’s distracting thoughts come to light while hearing a case.
GENRE: Comedy
LENGTH: 2-4 minutes
CHARACTER: Gender non-specific
Script is free to read. Permission is required for any and all public performances or readings. To inquire about about obtaining rights, please use the contact form.