ANDREW BISS

Theatrical trade publisher Smith & Kraus has selected a monologue from “Carbon-Based Life Form Seeks Similar” for inclusion in its forthcoming anthology THE BEST MEN’S STAGE MONOLOGUES OF 2017, edited by Lawrence Harbison. Tentative publication date: 12/2017. In the play “Carbon-Based Life Form Seeks Similar,” Leslie’s decided to give love another try. But in a world of shameless self-promotion, prepackaged personalities, and artificial body parts, can someone still be loved simply for who they are, or do happy endings only exist in massage parlors? Smith and Kraus Publishers, founded in 1990, is the premier US publisher of contemporary trade theater books and associated digital resources. The publisher’s books enrich the theater experience for theatre students, theater professionals, and theater audiences alike.

I’m pleased to report that an abridged version of my play “Carbon-Based Life Form Seeks Similar” has been selected for publication in the forthcoming anthology “105 Five-Minute Plays for Study and Performance.” The book will be published by theatrical trade publisher Smith & Kraus, Inc. and is edited by John Capecci and Irene Ziegler. The publication date is tentatively scheduled for August, 2016. The play in its original form was first produced by The Independent Theatre Collective in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 2010. The play was subsequently produced the following year by The Curan Repertory Company at the American Theatre of Actors in New York, as part of its Notes From The Underground Festival. The popularity of the ten-minute play has risen exponentially over the past 15 years and is now the dominant format in most short play festivals, so it will be interesting to see how this further reduced configuration fares. A sketch or a skit, of course, can be as shor...

I’m pleased to report that my play “A Rebel Among the Wretched” has been selected for publication in the forthcoming anthology “The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2016,” published by Smith & Kraus, Inc., edited by Lawrence Harbison. The play itself was a Heideman Award finalist and is one of my personal favorites, so I’m hoping this additional exposure will lead to many more productions in the coming years. This will be the 7th edition of Smith & Kraus’ “The Best Ten-Minute Plays” anthologies I’ll have had a play of mine included in, with 5 already in print, and the 6th (“The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2015”) - which includes “The Craft” - due to be released next month.

I’m happy to report that “The Craft” has been selected for inclusion in the upcoming anthology The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2015, published by Smith & Kraus, Inc. , edited by Lawrence Harbison. The tentative date for publication: December, 2015. This will mark the sixth edition of this annual anthology that I’ve had a play of mine included in, and it really is an honor to have my work included alongside so many other great writers. In the meantime, the play is getting set to open at Studio Players in Lexington, Kentucky from August 8-10, so I hope all involved break a leg and have a lot of fun with it!

I'm very pleased to report that my short play "Filler" will be published by theatrical trade publisher Smith & Kraus, Inc. , the largest publisher of trade theater books in the United States. The play will be included in the upcoming anthology The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2014, edited by Lawrence Harbison. Photo courtesy of Olybrius "Filler" begins as a fairly standard mystery thriller, then soon meta-morphs into an exposé of both the play and the playwright, before finally turning into a rumination on the meaning and fleeting nature of life itself. All that in around 10-minutes! "Filler" is, of course, taken from "The Meta Plays," my short play collection that takes theatrical conventions on a metaphysical joyride. The compilation can be performed by as few as 4 actors or as many as 18, all with minimal set and prop requirements.