Sophia Naylor’s plays have been produced and/or developed by the Pear Theatre, Broad Horizons, Women in SOLOdarity, PCSF, MN Fringe Festival, and Local Color. Sophia co-founded the murder mystery theater company The Clue Collective, serving as CEO for six years, as well as writing and customizing shows. She is a member of the Pear Playwrights Guild. Her work has also been published in numerous literary journals, including Qu, Literature Today, and Fresh Words. She earned an Honors Theater degree from Swarthmore College, specializing in playwriting, dramaturgy, acting, and Shakespeare. You can find her online at sfnaylor.com.
Plays
It’s 1974 aboard a secret Soviet space station. Cosmonauts Dmitri and Yuri are discussing the best method to woo Pat Nixon when they are interrupted by an urgent radio message from the USSR: a Soviet ship near Cape Canaveral has seen unusual activity on one of the American launch pads. As they orbit Earth, the two men must do everything they can to find out whether the Americans have benign intentions or whether they are preparing to launch an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) tipped with a nuclear warhead.
Interrupting their work, besides the unstoppable urge to find joy in terrible circumstances, is the revelation of possibly unforgivable mutual betrayals. And, all the while, waiting for their report is the Soviet Union’s anxious leader Brezhnev. When Dmitri and Yuri reach Moscow, they must decide what to tell Brezhnev: their words could prevent—or start—World War 3.
In this freaky-deaky reimagining of Macbeth, Scotland is replaced by a 1960s cult. Written in verse, this adaptation follows the titular character as he plots to kill leader Guru Duncan. But Macbeth doesn’t only want the title guru, he wants to dominate his flock. Set in the shadow of the Vietnam War, is everyone forced to follow fate, or is destiny just politics?
Today is the opening of Nirvandraw’s weeklong seminar, which focuses on spirituality, fellowship, and how to make money teaching other people how to doodle. Nirvandraw co-founder Bethany will share the foundations of the method, which was built upon the strength of her now ended marriage. By the end of the week, all seminar attendees will become Certified Nirvandraw Instructors, joining a company that’s definitely not a multi-level marketing pyramid scheme.
Each night for the past millennia, four spirits gather to welcome the sun. They never wait to see if the sun actually rises, as seeing the sunrise is not part of their sacred duty. But this evening one of the timeless spirits is struck with the question: does the sun even exist?
After his sister’s death, Arthur attempts suicide by jumping onto train tracks, only for the train to be delayed. He is discovered by Felicity, who has ten minutes to convince him that life is worth living.
Jesus just finished his Sermon on the Mount, and his disciple Matthew has some “constructive criticism.” Faith and finances collide as the two argue about the future of the messiah business: idealism threatens to turn to greed, and authenticity teeters on the edge of cynicism. Funny and irreverent, this play shows the fallout when money mixes with religion. And maybe all along, the real miracle was Capitalism.
What counts as original? Play-Bot, a Natural Language Processor, assisted playwright Stephanie on her Shakespeare adaptation—until the machine became unhappy with her ideas and finished the play alone. After Play-Bot received rave reviews on Broadway, Stephanie is out for revenge. And she’s got a pair of scissors, ready to cut the cord.
In a not too far distant future, Hasbro has followed the NSA's lead and has begun spying on its customer's imaginary friend ponies. What's more, they think they can make money out of it.
MY LITTLE BIG BROTHER was included in All Terrain Theater's festival "Women in Solodarity: Digital Love," which is part of the Home Theater Festival at large.
Poster by Cody Rishell.
Phoebe and Minny have spent the last ten years searching for the name of a bizarre French film starring a man and a mannequin, so Minny buys Phoebe a mannequin as a joke. Although the two still can’t remember the name of the movie, aided by their new plastic friend, they start to remember the night that they watched it—a warm evening in Paris full of trysts and heartbreak. Phoebe, diagnosed with epilepsy two years ago, is afraid to love so freely again. Minny, on the other hand, only loves the world more. But Phoebe is the one with the boyfriend, so can Minny heal their relationship?