Dark comedy/ 3 Characters, 2 Men, 1 Woman/ One Act
Synopsis:
Cowgirl is addicted to beef. She and Cowboy, her boyfriend, lie in wait for the world’s last cow, Betty the Bovine. When Shepherd, Betty’s companion, arrives, Cowgirl tries to make Shepherd reveal her meal-in-waiting’s location. Instead, he reveals that Betty is pregnant.
When Cowboy begins to have second thoughts, Cowgirl blackmails him — if Cowboy doesn’t help her, her people will kill the last salmon, which is his favorite fish. Will Cowboy cave? It’s one species against another in this dark look at our dwindling resources.
A portion of Beef Junkies may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button. To obtain a complete reading copy, please see the Contact Information on this page.
“It manages to [convey to] the audience a snapshot both of the dizzying highs and unfathomable lows of addiction and delivers a pertinent message about the unsustainable use of limited resources . . . A thoroughly enjoyable black comedy.”
– Jules van Cruysen, Salient, the magazine of Victoria University (Wellington, New Zealand)
Amateur and professional rights:
YouthPLAYS
7119 W Sunset Blvd #390
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Ph: 424-703-5315
E-mail: info@youthplays.com
Publisher’s website: www.youthplays.com
About the Playwright:
Jonathan Dorf has had his plays produced across the United States, as well as in several foreign countries, including stagings of his work by Walnut Street Theatre, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Ensemble Studio Theatre – LA and the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Mr. Dorf is the co-chair of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, the former managing director of the Philadelphia Dramatists Center and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. He has also written several produced short screenplays and a number of feature scripts.
In addition to writing for stage and screen, he serves as the resident playwriting expert for Final Draft: he created “Ask the Expert” Playwriting for their scriptwriting software and also writes a column about playwriting for their website. He is resident playwriting expert for The Writers Store, for whom he created Playwriting 101.com, and he also contributes regularly to their e-zine. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a degree in dramatic writing and literature and holds an MFA in playwriting from UCLA. He is available to playwrights and screenwriters as a script consultant.
Beef Junkies premiered at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.