SCRIPTS BY GARY KOTT
“And Then” -- A Stage Play
He’s either God or crazy -- whichever, he’s surely seen better days -- his ranting and babbling has his dedicated wife on the verge of leaving -- yet it’s clear from the people that come visit him that he’s had a profound influence on their lives -- helped them through unbearable crisis -- forgiven them for unforgivable sins -- yet here he is in his own unbearable crisis -- unable to forgive himself for his own unforgivable sin.
“Back Door Man” -- A Screenplay
The men don’t know but the little girls understand -- that’s a line from a song by Willie Dixon, Chicago blues master lyricist -- it couldn’t be more accurate in describing the wanton ways of devilishly handsome Zeke Blackstone, hero and rogue in this movie about love, lust, and romantic comeuppance.
“The Scent of Fresh Leather” -- A One-Act Stage Play
He’s driving his boss into a fury -- Noel Winston has just received a promotion that would make most men jump for joy -- yet typically nonplussed Noel just stands there in his typical nonplussed way. His boss simply won’t accept this lack of euphoria from his prize employee -- he’s determined to get Noel to show some excitement -- goddamnit, Noel Winston will learn to celebrate his promotion even if he has to fire him.
“Moonland” -- A Screenplay
Dean Jenson, celebrity entrepreneur, former zillionaire, is about to see his lifelong dream come true -- he’s built the first amusement park in outer space, attached to a drab, scientific space station on the moon -- threatening the grand opening is a series of gruesome deaths on several rides -- acts of sabotage by a ruthless mad man hell bent on stealing Jenson’s dream.
“& Sons” -- A Stage Play
Conceivably the worst three sons ever seen on stage, and possibly the worst father -- thrown together in a ghostly struggle for survival and vengeance. The boys, now grown men, are banded together in hatred and self-destruction -- the father, now dead, is ever present to administer further abuse. That the boys somehow succeed in not only surviving but thriving is a true miracle of human spirit, redemption, and outright treachery.
“Hackensack Magneto” -- A Screenplay
Somebody in this New Jersey town has a huge grudge against the local mob -- proof can be found in the ever-increasing number of dead bodies -- a notorious drug dealer, a sadistic hit man, a heartless loan shark. The normal suspects have all been cleared of wrongdoing -- fingers are pointing towards an unlikely group of seemingly harmless Jersey every-guys and every-gals.
“Him And His Last Night Of Sanity” -- A One-Man Stage Play
It’s his night of reckoning -- he’s going to open his veins and explore the core of his life so far -- he’s going to dig deep, to the center of the earth if need be -- he’s going to reach out, to very edge of the universe -- no stone will go unturned -- his killer days in the arena -- his lost opportunity as a crest rider -- his love, anger, total ignorance -- whether the journey leads him to understanding or madness is of no importance -- this is his night of reckoning.
“Ashtabula Punk” -- A Screenplay
Modern life has passed by this conservative neck of the woods -- certainly not a place you’d expect to find a bunch of young outcasts responsible for a music tidal wave that ripples clear to big-city meccas like Cleveland and Toledo. Yet here they are, a maniac rock group, a crazed stage performer, a poet goddess -- how long before they burn out is anyone’s guess.
“Happy Paradise Fields” -- A Stage Play
The war is raging as a suburban American woman tries to rebuild her bomb-shattered home during an enemy attack -- a man in a million-dollar penthouse tries to enjoy his luxury before rising poison gas seeps in through the air vents -- a downtown storyteller tries to ignore the shrieks of neighbors being tortured and killed by military death squads -- the mother of a Presidential Advisor tries to maintain her maternal love for a daughter whose political stand has led to this global mass destruction.
“As Is The Mother” -- A Stage Play
We all can imagine the horrific pain and suffering experienced by a young girl that’s been brutalized by her father -- but what horrors might also torment her when she faces the equally brutal fact that her mother did nothing to stand in the father’s way -- this play explores the consequences of failing to provide the most basic of motherly duties -- the mother herein is about to feel the wrath of a daughter ruined by devastating childhood betrayals.
