Yes, you read that right: Most of my scripts are royalty-free.

Why is that?, you might wonder.

Glad you asked!

Here’s why: First, being a playwright isn’t a paying gig. Fortunately, I do have a day job (which sometimes is a night job, too, but that’s another story.) So I’m not trying to make a living at this.

My psychic payment comes from seeing my work performed (or at least knowing it’s performed, in the case of distant venues.) And I know most theatres don’t have piles of cash sitting around.

But also . . . My ultimate goal is to see my scripts published (which means they’ll get performed more often, and publishers do want to be paid, which means I get royalties there.) But most publishers won’t consider work unless it’s been produced (sometimes more than once.)

So it’s in my interest to get scripts produced — royalty-free — so I can more quickly get them in front of publishers.

If you’re a high school or community theatre looking for scripts but dreading royalty payments, this is your lucky day!

I invite you, of course, to patronize my publishers. I’ll even include a list of my published scripts. But all the rest — and believe me, I have many more — are available royalty-free. So browse through the “scripts” category to see if there’s something that strikes your fancy. If so, let me know, and we’ll see if we can do business, without any money changing hands.

* Big Dog Plays: The one-acts “Red, Ripe and Round” and “Santa Claustrophobia.”
* Brooklyn Publishers: The one-acts “The Fruitcake,” “The Kissing Consultant,” “Mac and Beth” and “The Weird Sisters Go On Holiday.”
* Eldridge Plays and Musicals: The full-length “Fairweather Friends,” the one-acts “Code 40 Verona,” “Hit the Books,” “Macbeth Goes Hollywood,” “My Girlfriend’s Stupid Talking Parrot,” and the collections “24/7” and “Animal Instinct,” the latter of which includes the one-act “Spiders.”
* Heuer Publishing: The one-act “The Fruitcake” (in conjunction with Brooklyn Publishing, a corporate cousin.
* Playscripts:The one-acts “Hamlet on Spring Break” and “Jenna and Her Prize-winning Pig Change the Course of History.”