Playthings, Playthings II and Playthings III are a collection of short, irreverent plays exploring human nature, our place in the world, and our connection with the cosmos. Whimsical, comic, absurd and farcical, this collection of plays says, "Life stinks! But it’s funny."

Although I’m better known for full-length poetic dramas (Disobedient Woman, The Scald and The Blind Man’s Horse), humor is my childhood crush. Just as laughter lurks in my high dramas, so too does a kernel of truth live in each play in Playthings, Playthings II and Playthings III. If you’ve ever had the delight of working with actors you will recognize their irrational mix of ego and compassion set forth in The Actor. One Dead Texan explains Satan’s slant on telling the truth, while we all know someone like Chip in The Measure of a Man, who can’t be what he wants, so he settles for the next best thing–taking it away from everybody else! The Good Man is the irritating self-important bean-counter we always seem to share a desk or foxhole with and the Artist in Stealing Thunder is the ultimate victim of sibling rivalry. Because most of the plays were written while working with a parochial theater group, some mildly feminist plays such as The Vote have crept in, but they are painless and have, in my experience, acted as excellent vaccines against sexism. Laughter seems to be the natural needle for the "Aha!" reflex. You will also notice a good sampling of parts written for women and minorities. This too was in response to the small theater group and a deliberate, albeit failed, effort to open our small country stage to those actors. Most parts can as easily be played by any race or either gender. The plays are mainly minimalist in nature, and do not require elaborate sets in the interest of plain old cheapness.

I anticipate some hurt feelings with regard to some of the topics of the plays. Let me assure you, if I mention a disorder, I have it; if I mention a social class, I am it; if I laugh at anyone, I laugh at myself. Note should be made of the different form of styles in this book which identify whether the play is written as a stage play, teleplay or screenplay.

Finally, I would like to thank my parrots for not squawking while I was working.

–Sal Norris, Editor

Many of these plays are great little audition pieces for Actors. If you use them, let us know how you did!