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Richard Maxwell

RICHARD MAXWELL

  (1967 - )
Nationality:    USA
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

Richard Maxwell is a playwright and director living in New York. Maxwell studied acting at Illinois State University. In Chicago, he was a founder of the Cook County Theater Department. He is now the artistic director of New York City Players and a resident playwright at New Dramatists. Maxwell has been selected for Guggenheim Fellowship, an OBIE Award, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. A volume of his plays, Plays, 1996- 2000: Richard Maxwell, has been published by TCG. His latest work, Neutral Hero, is currently on tour. Maxwell is also directing Early Plays by Eugene O'Neill for the Wooster Group, which will premiere at St. Ann's Warehouse in February.

Research:    Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)

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below is a list of Richard Maxwell's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Ads         Billings         Boxing 2000         Burger King         Caveman         Cowboys And Indians         Darkness Of This Reading, The         Drummer Wanted         End Of Reality, The         Feud Other, The         Flight Courier Service         Good Samaritans         House         Isolde         Joe         Neutral Hero         Ode To the Man Who Kneels         People Without History         Showcase         Showy Lady Slipper         Ute Mnos V Crazy Liquors         Whitney Biennial

Ads

Synopsis:
This is part of the Under the Radar Festival and the COIL Festival. Ads marks a new departure in the work of downtown auteur Richard Maxwell and NYC Players. Moving into and beyond traditional video screening, and projecting video into the realm of live performance, Ads stages three-dimensional video recordings in the theater as theatre. Recorded speeches make the appeal for independence, displaying ideas and beliefs held up to be essential. Are we humble? Are we great? Can we begin to claim back space?
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Coil Festival    06 Jan 2010

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  large cast

Further Reference:
-

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Billings

Synopsis:
chronicles a family move from Montana to Minnesota, whilst husband, wife and three movers ruminate on where/who they are, often to staticky samba.Br /> - Flight of Fancy, Village Voice, 1999

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Williamstown, Ma    1999

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boxing 2000

Synopsis:
Exposes the whispering fears and confusions which hide beneath the banalities of everyday conversation. It presents a compelling examination of the small preoccupations of everyday life; never condescending, poignant and often funny, it portrays disconnected characters who nonetheless contain elements that remind us of ourselves.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Present Company Theatorium, New York City, Usa    Sep 2000

Organisations:
Cultural Industry in Bite 2001

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
60 min one act

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXI (2001) Page 1222

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Burger King

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Ma    Jul 1997

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Caveman

Synopsis:
a aman and woman, a catatonic couple known as W and C, and another man, A, who shows up to upset their domestic balance.
- the Triangle Made Simple, In Stark Songs and Screams, the New York Times, 2001

Notes:
Soho Rep (workshop), New York City, USA (Dec 1999)

1st Produced:
Festival D'Automne, Paris, France    Oct 2000

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cowboys And Indians

Synopsis:
experiment into what audiences know about the nature of performance and how they kow it

Notes:
written by Richard Maxwell And Jim Strahs

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Darkness Of This Reading, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
video

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Drummer Wanted

Synopsis:
An adult man still lives with his mother. A motorcycle accident deepens the strain on their relationship. Using fragmented dialogue, restrained movement and hackneyed song, Maxwell paints a bleak picture of contemporary American suburbia, where soap opera-esque scenarios are blend of emotion and artifice to reveal a darker side of human nature.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
P.S. 122
150 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003    Nov 2001

Organisations:
New York City Players in Bite 03

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXIII (2003) Page 0274

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End Of Reality, The

Synopsis:
It takes place in a "lobby-citadel," where guards attempt to secure a vulnerable area against unidentified intruders. Confusion and conflict, community and containment erupt and become intertwined, as the heart is traced, tracked, and followed to a heretofore unknown place that is distinctly American.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Kitchen, NY    Jan 2006

Organisations:
the Kitchen and New York City Players

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
85 min one act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXVI (2006) Page 1342

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Feud Other, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Greene Naftali Gallery, NYC    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Flight Courier Service

Synopsis:
Flight Courier Service is a voyage to the bright lights of Kuala Lumpur through the dim light of a kitchen cupboard, a cartoonesque fantasy accompanied by karaoke and neon. This twisted comedy contains no nudity and no hero's.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ontological theatre
131 East 10th Street, New York, NY 10003    May 1997

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Good Samaritans

Synopsis:
Kevin a drunk homeless man is sent by the Courts to a shelter for the homeless in the hope that he will be reformed. He meets Rosemary who runs the shelter and they fall in love

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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House

Synopsis:
House is like nothing you've seen before on stage. A bare room in the suburbs. Four people. A white wall, a light and a telephone. Commonplace chatter about everyday subjects: community religion; rock music; DIY; selling the house. Talk, not communication. Until this workaday existence erupts into a revenge-fuelled frenzy which dislocates lives and redefines relationships. Forever.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ontological theatre
131 East 10th Street, New York, NY 10003    Jun 1998

Organisations:
Cultural Industry in Bite 2001

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
musical 60 min

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXI (2001) Page 1094

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Isolde

Synopsis:
Inspired by the legend of Tristan and Isolde, the marriage of Patrick and Isolde appears to be happy but is jeopardized by Massimo, an award-winning architect whom Isolde hires to help build her dream home.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Abrons Arts Center    2014

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama 85 min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Joe

Synopsis:
Five actors portray the life journey of Richard Maxwell's ordinary Joe everyman from pre-teen to senior citizen, and beyond. We feel the pained and poignant path he takes through a distinctly American dystopia, as adolescent dreams of football glory sour, and a lifetime of harbouring grudges and wayward wandering gets him nowhere. Each Joe takes his turn in a succession of monologues that detail his arrested development punctuated by heart-rending yet comic songs delivered under a canopy of stars.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
P.S. 122
150 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003    Oct 2002

Organisations:
the New City Players for BITE:05

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
musical

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  -            Other:  robot

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXV (2005) Page 0303

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Neutral Hero

Synopsis:
Neutral Hero assembles 12 people to tell the story of a young man searching for his Father in the American landscape - in and around gas stations and drive-ins, family routines, work schedules, small-town dreams and desires.the play employs the fundamental properties of theater - text, movement and song. Maxwell and NYC Players attempt the inherently impossible feat of neutrally portraying its hero and those who surround him.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels, Belgium    May 2011

Organisations:
New York City Players

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
musical play

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ode To the Man Who Kneels

Synopsis:
Maxwell's anti-style musical is about the violent quest for love, and a town called Grid where balladeers compete for the affections of beautiful women
- press release

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Belluard Bollwerk Festival, Fribourg, Switzerland    Jul 2007

Organisations:
New York City Players & Piece by Piece Productions, Inc.

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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People Without History

Synopsis:
People Without History is a new sci-fi comic musical by Richard Maxwell, set in the time and landscape of the 15th century Battle of Shrewsbury. This description is from the press release: "Trying to piece together shattered memories of a battle that left nameless lives behind, soldiers Owain, Mendace, and Rhobert march their prisoners Blunt and Sheriff through a war-torn landscape to a makeshift prison (an abandoned inn) on the border of England and Wales. Having forgotten most and suppressed nearly all, the men come upon Alice. Alice's unlikely appearance into this world puts her identity and courage to the test. Being at once one woman and all women, she confronts men who no longer want what she has to offer: true healing. Struggling to satisfy the men's desires, Alice nurtures them, is physically abused by them, threatened with rape, and seduced in vain. She struggles to maintain her autonomy and survives while the men wait for the next battle."
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Performing Garage, 33 Wooster Street, NY    Mar 2009

Organisations:
New York City Players

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Showcase

Synopsis:
In a hotel room high above London, a man lies naked on a bed with only his shadow for company. He is a businessman, who knows about the cut and thrust of the deal brokered in the public spaces of restaurants and bars. Cocooned in the cotton wool intimacy of the anonymous darkened hotel room, the city lights twinkling across the skyline, he gets dressed to go to a conference and reflects on his past.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
A.P.A.P. Hilton, New York City, Usa    Jan 2003

Organisations:
New York City Players

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
30 min piece One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXV (2005) Page 0366

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Showy Lady Slipper

Synopsis:
consists of the gossipy conversation of three female friends awaiting a visit from the alpha-girls's boyfriend

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
P.S. 122
150 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003    Oct 1999

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ute Mnos V Crazy Liquors

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Eden Arcade, NYC    Feb 1998

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Whitney Biennial

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
New York City Players rehearsed A new play written And directed by Richard Maxwell At the Whitney Museum from April 25 to 29 As part of the 2012 Biennial.

1st Produced:
Whitney Museum Of American Art, NY    25 Apr 2012

Organisations:
New York City Players

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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