Drama/ Flexible cast of 12-50, 7-25 males, 5-25 females/ Full Length, about 120 minutes

Synopsis:
A young African-American girl takes an epic fantasy journey set against the backdrop of the busing movement, as two families, one on each side of the racial divide, grow to discover their love for each other.

The audience experiences the landmark Swann v. Board of Education case that completed the integration of American schools through her dream. With Jim Crow appearing in the guise of a giant trickster bird to battle the forces of progress, this award-winning epic begins at World War II and journeys to the moment when two innocent children can sit side by side en route to a new era in our nation’s history.

A portion of A Stranger on the Bus may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button above. To obtain a complete reading copy, please see the Contact Information on this page.

Published by arrangement with YouthPLAYS

A Stranger on the Bus was commissioned and produced by Charlotte Children’s Theatre (Charlotte, NC), 1997.

Drama/ 6 Characters, 3 Women, 3 Men/ Full Length, Two Acts

Synopsis: (from Absolutearts.com): “In Betterland, a veteran schoolteacher, faced with dismissal, discovers that her principles are no longer valued by the institution she serves. Her enlightenment is triggered by the arrival of the first genuine student she’s had in years. The other high schoolers, catching the subversive scent of curiosity, set into motion events that compel the teacher’s final act of defiance. Finally, defeated, she is nonetheless set free by her realization that neither she nor the student is welcome in a system devoted to the unexceptional.”

From Show Business: “As the play opens, Miss Vanderhoff is being pressured into transfer or early retirement by school administrator Stiles due to a single ‘incident’ marking an otherwise officially acceptable career . . . . The story of an intimate relationship that develops between Miss Vanderhoff and Lafayette, a transfer student placed in her High School English class, is renacted as Vanderhoff relates it to Stiles.

“Lafayette epitomizes everything popular culture has led us to believe characterizes ‘inner city youth.’ He’s black, he’s hostile, he’s done time in juvenile detention for car theft. But much more than a menace to society, Lafayette turns out to be the first ‘real student’ Vanderhoff has ever had. He begins to show a personalized enthusiasm for critical thinking that contrasts the years of resistance or passionless, grade-focused ambition she has come to expect from her students.

“In spite of her continual claim not to ‘love children,’ which she sees as a prevailingly sentimental and unrealistic reason to pursue the needed job of teaching, Vanderhoff develops a concern and interest in Lafayette’s well-being that eventually alienates her other students — especially Billy. Out of resentment for the new teacher’s pet and a fear of summer school, Billy pushes both student and teacher to points of no return through manipulation of Lafayette’s insecurities and a brutal attack upon Miss Vanderhoff’s already harried defenses. Supported by a cabal of students, administrators, and parents, Billy then engineers the downfall of both.”

“Raises a host of difficult questions about education in general, and shows the precarious balance between politics, ethics and practicality . . . . When the cast came out for their final bow, it took me a long moment to remember that I had not been again sitting in a classroom, led by the type of teacher whose commitment I’d remember gratefully for the rest of my life.”
– Show Business

His work has received awards in competitions such as New Century Writers’ Competition, Riverside Stage Company’s Founder’s Award Competition, Harvest Festival of New Plays at the Sonoma County Rep, the 1998 Writers’ Digest Writing Competition, the 1999 Writer’s DigestWriting Competition, and the Generic Theater Company’s Dog Days Festival. For three years, David has been a voting member for TheatreLA’s annual Ovation Awards. He has been a member of the Dramatists Guild since 1982, and recently joined the Play Selection Committee at the Long Beach Playhouse.

Betterland was first produced by the Long Beach Playhouse, Long Beach, California in 1999.

Drama/ 4 Characters, 3 Men, 1 Woman (teens)/ Full Length, 85 minutes

Synopsis: Set in a suburban community of eastern Pennsylvania, Crystal takes place in an abandoned woodshed, circa 1981. Andy, 17, has left the body of a 16-year-old girl under the floor. Hoping to gain status with two close friends, Ralph and Joey, he brings them to view the body. When they return the next day, however, the hole under the floor is empty, and Crystal, the girl, appears soiled and livid from outside.

What follows is an intense and gritty character study of teens whose behavior is a mirror of the chaotic world outside the shed. Overweight and insecure, Andy takes out his frustrations on the women around him; Ralph hides his pain at his brother’s death behind a thickening emotional wall; Joey will do almost anything to dispel his all-American boy image; and Crystal’s search for love leads instead to violence. Insightful, compassionate, Crystal provides a startling glimpse into four desperate young lives.

Crystal was first produced by The Latino Experimental Fantastic Theatre (L.E.F.T.) at The Clemente Solo Velez Cultural Center, New York City in January, 2001.

Drama/ 4 characters, 2 males, 2 females/ One Act

Synopsis: Trey has been doing poorly in his Spanish class, so his father has hired Ofelia to be his tutor. Throughout the course of many weeks, Trey slowly finds himself becoming attracted to Ofelia, despite his recent and rocky relationship with his girlfriend, Jackie. But when Trey confronts Ofelia about her cousin Jesús’s lack of English, they must grapple with the issues of multiculturalism, Americanism, and language. And when a hate crime is committed against Jesús at school, everyone must examine their own feelings of racism in this bilingual drama.

A portion of ESL may be read by clicking on the “Read It Now” button above. To obtain a complete reading copy, please see the Contact Information on this page.

ESL was frst produced by Creede Repertory Theatre (Creede, CO), 2005.