Donald E. Baker writes historical plays that provide context for today’s American experience and other plays on the themes of racism and gay life. He has long been fascinated by the story of Ku Klux Klan dominance of Indiana in the 1920’s and two of his plays on that subject have been produced. Trade With Klan, on the choices forced on ordinary people by the Klan, received a full production by Southwest Theater Productions in Austin, Texas, in January-February, 2020 and has been published by Next Stage Press. A radio adaptation of his play Grand Dragon in Power, about the downfall of the Klansman who ruled Indiana, was performed by Radio Theatre Project in St. Petersburg, Florida, in March, 2018; the play itself received a staged reading by Panglossian Productions of Williamsburg, Virginia, in November, 2020, and has also been published by Next Stage Press.
Baker also writes shorter works. His monologue Intestate: A COVID-19 Monologue, was presented online by Talking Horse Productions (Columbia, MO) in May, 2021; and live by Magnolia Arts Center (Greenville NC) in February, 2022, where it was voted “audience favorite.” It was published online by some scripts literary magazine, Issue 4: “Outbreak” (July, 2021).
Two other monologues, Ice Box Cake and the Man from Lima and The Boys Across the Street were produced online by Stage Left Theater (Spokane WA) in 2021 and 2022 respectivly. His short play I Invited Your Mother for Thanksgiving, was produced by Chapin Theatre Company (Chapin SC) in 2022.
Baker’s plays may be found online on his website https://www.playsbydonaldebaker.com/, at the Playwrights’ Center, or at New Play Exchange at https://newplayexchange.org/users/13449/donald-e-baker.
Plays
Baker’s Dozen is a collection of 13 short comedies and dramas for 1, 2, or 3 actors. From a drama in which the same-sex partner and the homophobic sister of a dying man meet for the first time, to a comedy about a man summoning a demon on a dating app; from a monologue in which a man recalls the sexual abuse he suffered when he was thirteen, to the gentle humor of an older gay couple bickering about aging and flirtatious baristas—these pieces—and more—will remind you of the great variety of the gay experience. Published by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from which script copies and licensing may be obtained.
(Alternate title: "Back Home Again") FULL LENGTH. What do you do when people you love choose hate? Ordinary people must make life-altering choices when the Ku Klux Klan pits Protestant against Catholic in a small Indiana town in the 1920's. The religious prejudice and xenophobia of a century ago still echo in contemporary American society. Produced by Southwest Theatre Productions, Austin TX, 2020. Published by Next Stage Press (https://nextstagepress.com/trade-with-klan-a-play-about-choices/), from which full copies of the script and licensing may be obtained.
KKK Grand Dragon D.C. Stephenson becomes the political boss of Indiana in the 1920's. He is brought down after being convicted of raping and murdering his girlfriend. Suggested by true events, this tale of demagoguery, misogyny, and xenophobia resonates with echoes of today’s society and politics. Published by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/grand-dragon-in-power/), from which full copies of the script and licensing may be obtained.
KKK Grand Dragon D.C. Stephenson becomes the political boss of Indiana in the 1920's. He is brought down after being convicted of raping and murdering his girlfriend. Radio adaptation of the author's stage play.
SHORT PLAY IN TWO ACTS (60 minutes). Eddie and Danny are blue-collar small-town guys. In Act I (1975), Eddie questions his sexuality after an encounter in a public restroom. When he turns to his best friend Danny for help, the toxic nature of their lifelong relationship is revealed. In Act II (1985), both men discover they may have been infected with HIV/AIDS. Can that shared experience rekindle their friendship? STRONG LANGUAGE.
30 MINUTE DUOLOGUE. A man confronts his abuser 27 years later. This play has adult language and content. It references childhood sexual abuse although no abuse is depicted. A gun is seen onstage and there is the sound of a gunshot.
10 MINUTE HOOSIER PLAY. Flo’s son has not only rejected his parents’ plans for his future, he just might end up marrying outside his religion. Whether Flo likes it or not, she’ll get Aunt Nellie’s two cents worth of advice on the situation.
1 MINUTE. Robert has had it with Uncle Jake's annual Thanksgiving rant about "people like him." Published in "Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine: LAAFTRRRRR, An Anthology of One-Minute Comic Plays Volume I" (August, 2023)
6-MINUTE TWO-HANDER. 1M, 1Any. Roger's best friend is very concerned when they discover Roger met a demon on an online dating site. They're even more concerned when the demon turns out to be a personal injury lawyer. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
Ten-Minute Two Hander. Comedy. With their elevator not working, older gay couple Michael and Will find themselves trapped in their high-rise condo, discussing aging, flirtatious baristas, and the National Geographic. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
A straight(?) man suggests he and a gay co-worker share a hotel room at a business conference so they can “get to know each other a little better.” They may have different ideas about just what that means.
(20-minute two-hander) A pleasant father-son evening turns serious when the son mentions his best friend is considering suicide. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
FIVE-PAGE PLAY. One half of a gay couple is not pleased to find out his mother is coming for Thanksgiving. Produced by Chapin Theatre Company, Chapin SC, November, 2022. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
10-MINUTE TWO-HANDER. Ben, who never appears in the play, is in the hospital on life support following an accident. His lover of five years, James, and Ben’s homophobic sister, Sharon, meet for the first time to discuss what happens next. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
Gina and Dick discuss their son’s—and Dick’s—anxiety about not measuring up "down there." Does size really matter?
5 MINUTE PLAY. Struggling playwright Marvin fires his Muse, but will her hunky replacement prove to be more distraction than inspiration? Included in “Baker’s Dozen.”
2-MINUTE COMEDY for two actors of any age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender expression. The “Klutz of All Klutzes” explains to their long-suffering spouse why their failed attempt to take a box to the trash means a trip to the ER and the pet cemetery. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
5-MINUTE MONOLOGUE. Adapted from Everyday Monsters. A man describes the after effects of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
4-MINUTE MONOLOGUE. A racist, homophobic older white woman discovers an interracial same-sex couple is moving in across the street. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
7-MINUTE MONOLOGUE. An older man remembers what he saw spying through a knothole when he was thirteen. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
5-MINUTE MONOLOGUE. Adapted from Best Friends. A man fearfully questions his sexual identity. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
10-MINUTE MONOLOGUE. While preparing to host her ladies’ bunco club, a white woman of a certain age is shocked to see a person of color walking down her street in the 1950's. The play uses humor to show the casual racism of the time and to demonstrate that fear of young Black men is nothing new in American society. Produced by Stage Left Theater of Spokane on Facebook and Vimeo, October 8, 2021.
7-8 MINUTE MONOLOGUE. Richard, a fifty-year-old gay man, has lost his partner (and everything else) to COVID-19. Performed in 2022 by Magnolia Arts Center, Greenville NC (awarded audience favorite) and in 2021 by Talking Horse Productions, Columbia MO. Published in Baker’s Dozen: 13 Short Plays and Monologues by Next Stage Press (https://www.nextstagepress.com/bakers-dozen/) from whom script copies and licensing information can be obtained.
5-6 MINUTE MONOLOGUE. In 1880 a mob attempted to take a Negro prisoner from an Indiana jail and lynch him for the crime of shooting a white man. Adapted from the sheriff’s own account the event.
9-10 MINUTE MONOLOGUE. A White man in his seventies recalls the childhood trip to Florida when the “saw” Black people for the first time and also experienced the first stirrings of sexual awakening. Included in “Baker’s Dozen.”
3-4 MINUTE MONOLOGUE. A teenager fears God will punish him for his masturbatory fantasies and the contents of his sex dreams.
Successes
Next Stage Press published my collection Baker's Dozen: 13 Gay Plays and Monologues on July 1, 2023.
Coming Out to Uncle Jake was published in Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine: LAAFTRRRRR, An Anthology of One-Minute Comic Plays Volume I (August, 2023).
Intestate and The First Time were published in Monologues by LGBTQIA+ Writers for LGBTQIA+ Actors (July, 2023).
What Happened This Time? was published in Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine: Contemporary One-Minute Plays Volume III (November, 2022)
The Boys Across the Street was produced online by Stage Left Theater (Spokane WA) in March, 2022.