Represented by Mary Alice Kier Cine/Lit Representation Dramatic/Film/Literary Management 310.413.8934 makier@att.net
Full Length Plays
FOOTPRINT
(85 minutes; 2 women, 2 men) Click Here for PDF Copy
Anna is suddenly having difficulties navigating her life in LA—is it being without a car or being stalled by a “Denver Boot of Sorrow?” And then there’s that body following her around, in a new reality where death gets up close and virtual in ways we might not expect.
Footprint is a play about loss, mystery and leaving one’s mark.
Finalist, 2022 Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival & 2019 O’Neill Playwrights Conference. Semi-Finalist, 2019 Athena Project. EST/LA Launchpad October, 2019 (Laura Stribling, Director & Lauren Campedelli, Dramaturg). Road Theatre Summer Playwrights Festival August, 2018 (Michelle Gillette, Director); MADlab First Look Reading Series October, 2017 & Playwrights Union First Peek June, 2017 (Laura Stribling, Director & Elyse Griffin, Dramaturg). Heather Helinsky, Dramaturg.
DEAD PEOPLE’S DISHES
(90 minutes; 5 women, 1 man, 1 non-binary) Click Here for PDF Copy
A play about what we hang onto, what we let go of and the weight of our losses, Dead People’s Dishes is made up of stories which move through Los Angeles history to look at how we get through things, over and over again.
The WORD at the Road Reading June, 2022; EST/LA Winterfest Reading March, 2022; Playwrights Union First Peek June, 2021 (Margaret Shigeko Starbuck, Director).
adaptation.resilience
(90 minutes; 3 women, 1 man) Click Here for PDF Copy
Jess and Bev have been together longer than either of them thought they would be. And in their respective fields—Climate Change and Emergency Management—things are heating up, affecting them in ways they didn’t see coming.
“adaptation.resilience” is a play about sustaining love and navigating grief in times of extreme disruption.
Road Theatre Under Construction 1 Workshop & Readings 2019-2021 (Susan Vanita Diol, dir). Mickey Birnbaum, Dramaturg
NOT CAKE
(110 minutes; 6 women and/or non-binary) Click Here for PDF Copy
Set in 1924 and 2024, Not Cake is the story of a singular woman in a multi-cultural Los Angeles neighborhood who’s determined to use her gifts to help other women. But after 100+ years of fighting for change, doesn’t she deserve a break?
Not Cake is a new play about privilege and class, appropriation and agency.
Written and developed as part of Rogue Artists Ensemble’s inaugural Rogue Lab, Reading June, 2019 (Estela Garcia, Director); Rogue Lab Workshop October, 2022 (Margaret Shigeko Starbuck, Director). Heather Helinsky, Lindsay A. Jenkins & Rebecca Ojeda, Dramaturgs.
INTO THE GOBPILE
(95 minutes; 5 women) Click Here for PDF Copy
Unsettled by the LA riots, a young woman goes “home” to heal in a place she’s never lived: a small town called Perseverance, in the heart of Southern Illinois Coal Country.
Into the Gobpile is a play about lost connections and shifting landscapes.
Road Theatre Summer Playwrights Festival August, 2019 (Laura Stribling, Director); The WORD at The Road Workshop November, 2018 & Reading October, 2019 (Laura Stribling, Director); Playwrights Union First Peek June, 2018 (Laura Stribling, Director). Heather Helinsky, Dramaturg.
THE BIG RED NAUGAHYDE BOOTH (OR, WOULD-BE ELKS)
(75 minutes; 5 women, 1 man) Click Here for PDF Copy
A comedy about negotiations, acceptance and belonging, The Big Red Naugahyde Booth (or, Would-be Elks) tracks the cocktails and confessions of a group of women who regularly meet to drink and dish.
But on this particular evening of excess, a girls’ night out becomes a surreal exploration of female bonds in a changing world.
Road Theatre Summer Playwrights Festival July, 2021 (Laura Stribling, Director); EST/LA Winterfest March, 2014 (Matthew Elkins, Director); Theatricum Botanicum Reading November, 2005 (Louis Fantasia, Director). Semi-Finalist, 2009 O’Neill Playwrights Conference.
JILT
(90 minutes; 3 women, 1 man, 1 trans or any gender presenting female) Click Here for PDF Copy
In the not-so-distant future, the .1% is ensconced in the Ivory Towers of Academia, having broken off from the Center States. There, a privileged few pride themselves on creating a culture of fluid gender identity, filled with celebrity and free of sexual violence. A young woman named Aika may have something to say about that. Except that no one can hear her. Of course. So who will tell her story in a world that’s lost the words to deal with unspeakable crimes?
Jilt is a play about power, beauty and justification set in a post-rape culture.
Great Plains Theatre Conference May, 2017 (Colleen O’Doherty, Director); Blank Theatre Living Room Series Reading April, 2017 (Rachel Berney Needleman, Director); Playwrights Union First Peek June, 2015 (Randee Trabitz, Director). Semi-Finalist, 2016 Trustus Playwrights Festival. Heather Helinsky, Dramaturg.
SPACE AVAILABLE
(80 minutes; 4 women, 1 man) Click Here for a PDF Copy
This is the story of Jane, who’s managed to survive an absurd litany of profound misfortunes in a world where the words “womanhood” and “motherhood” are used interchangeably. But when she comes face to face with a surreal future that no one should have to live with, she takes a closer look at what it means to have options.
Space Available is a play about a woman’s place and what (& who) we let define us.
The WORD at the Road Reading March, 2021 (Mia Y. Anderson, Director); Max K. Lerner Playwriting Fellowship & Inkwell Theater LAB Workshop November, 2019 (Judith Moreland, Director & Rosie Glen-Lambert, Dramaturg); Rogue Machine Dramaturg’s Table, 2012 (Henry Murray, Dramaturg); Playwrights Union First Peek May, 2012 (Jen Bloom, Director). Heather Helinsky, Dramaturg.
CURRENCY
(85 minutes; 3 women, 2 men) Click Here for PDF Copy
Currency is a love story set in changing times of overextended trust and inflated intimacy. After sharing a night of unexpected romance, a 40/50-something couple is waylaid by even more surprises and left searching for value in a world that’s moving way too fast.
But in today’s surreal age of virtual connections, hyper-consumption and financial meltdowns, who’s got a way of getting through life that still works? What truly has worth and meaning anymore? Is the only real thing we have left to hang onto, each other? And is that enough?
“Jennie Webb’s hilarious new play Currency, is a sly commentary on modern relationships… Webb’s comedy zips along at a fast pace while her dependable authorial voice purrs throughout like a sweetly-tuned engine.” —ArtsBeatLA
“Taking a very contained situation and expanding it into a very dramatic and funny one… Currency is very much about learning to embrace the moment, as crazy as it may be, and the importance of genuine human connection in an overwhelming world.” —On Stage & Screen
World Premiere April 15, 2016, an Inkwell Theater Guest Production at VS. Theatre, directed by Annie McVey. Max K. Lerner Playwriting Fellowship & Inkwell Theater LAB Workshop December, 2015 (Annie McVey, Director); The WORD at The Road Reading October, 2014 (Jen Bloom, Director); Playwrights Union First Peek May, 2014 (Holly Derr, Director). Semi-Finalist, 2015 PlayPenn Conference. Heather Helinsky, Dramaturg.
CRAZY BITCH
(80 minutes; 4 women) Click Here for PDF Copy
Crazy Bitch is play about jellyfish and genealogy and rogue taxidermy. In a world where unbelievable brutality happens every day, three women in Los Angeles find themselves suspended between the extraordinary and real life expectations.
After Eva, a respected scientist, is savagely attacked late at night when walking in LA, the women in her life—her ex-lover, her sister and her cousin—try to assemble a picture they can live with: of the events surrounding Eva’s attack, of the nature of Eva’s work with the immortal jellyfish, and of their future, where “forever” may be a real possibility and evil really exists.
EST/LA Long Term Dramaturgy June, 2018 (Jen Bloom, Director & Lauren Campedelli, Dramaturg); EST/LA Winterfest Reading March, 2016 (Jenny O’Hara, Director); Santa Monica Rep Reading August, 2014 (Jen Bloom, Director); Road Theatre Summer Playwrights Festival July, 2014 (Courtney Buchan, Director); Great Plains Theatre Conference May, 2014 (Judith K. Hart, Director); Playwrights Union First Peek May, 2013 (Jen Bloom, Director). Heather Helinsky, Dramaturg.
BLOOD REPLACEMENT
(60 minutes; 3 women) Click Here for PDF Copy
A comedy about drama and authenticity and finding stand-ins, Blood Replacement finds three women waiting for a rugby match to begin. Only there’s something a bit off about this particular playing field. And are they there to heal old wounds or rip them open?
All sorts of lines are crossed in this somewhat ruthless exploration of women’s relationships—to men and to each other—and our sometimes desperate need for connection and validation, to not be alone.
Rogue Machine Theatre Virtual Workshop October, 2020 (Victoria Hoffman, Director); EST/LA Winterfest February, 2013 (Shaina Rosenthal, Director); Playwrights Union First Peek June, 2011 (Eric Bloom, Director).
MEN & BOXES
(90 minutes; 3 women, 1 man) Click Here for a PDF Copy
A dark comedy about a big, messy basement and the siblings in it, within Men & Boxes are three sisters who have returned home to move their aging mother out of their family’s digs. With a fast and furious tone, the play explores family dynamics, and looks at what is revealed—what develops—in times of change and crisis.
As the women search through long-forgotten relics and pack up their collective history, they are forced to examine their individual responsibilities—to themselves, to each other, and towards a commitment to furthering and owning options. And although they’ve enlisted their brother to move the boxes, it is the sisters who must take action in order to deal with their bodies and their choices and their legacy.
EST/LA Winterfest March, 2015 (Chuma Gault, Director); Ripe Read July, 2012 at Lounge Theatre (Shaina Rosenthal, Director); Circle Reads development June, 2012 (Jami Brandli, Dramaturg). Winner in the 2001 Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights (ALAP) New Plays Competition, New Works Company Reading (Danny Leclair, Director). Finalist, Robert J. Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence.
YARD SALE SIGNS
(85 minutes; 5 women, 1 man) Click Here for PDF Copy
A dark retail comedy about mothers and daughters and other things that imply some sort of responsibility, Yard Sale Signs is set in unmistakably female terrain: a discount clothing store’s communal dressing room. Yet on this shopping trip, the characters find themselves examining much more than their fashion choices.
With an absurdist edge, the sometimes ruthless journey throws light on the stuff we accumulate as we move through life, and the rather circuitous paths we follow to convince ourselves we’re rid of it.
“The setting of Jennie Webb’s latest work Yard Sale Signs is nothing short of brilliant… a perfect microcosm to explore women’s issues.” —World of Stage
“Webb’s writing is easy, right, moving and funny, all at the same time…” —Beverly Press
World Premiere September 25, 2010, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater directed by Elina de Santos. Rogue Machine Reading June, 2008 (Barbara Kallir, Director); Theatricum Botanicum Workshop Reading November, 2007 (Randee Trabitz, Director). Semi-Finalist, 2007 O’Neill Playwrights Conference.
REMODELING PLANS
(100 minutes; 5 women, 2 men) Click Here for PDF Copy
It all started with the fridge…
Remodeling Plans is an absurdist domestic comedy built around significant changes. In it, an independent woman’s kitchen remodeling project turns her very safe world upside down… thanks to a little help from her friends. With every step of the remodel—and every change in the plans—her carefully-constructed reality shifts dramatically. Until she realizes that the chain of unexpected architectural events is spinning completely out of control, and it all makes her long for her old Formica.
So what’s a woman to do? Trapped inside of a life that’s not hers, told to set up house in a place she doesn’t recognize with a family that appeared out of nowhere…
Well, perhaps she’d better take another look at her relationship with major appliances. And commit to some choices of her own.
“Playwright Jennie Webb is Erma Bombeck after three glasses of Charles Shaw Chardonnay. Her wonderfully silly comedy… is filled to the brim with nonstop caustic humor and inventive situations.” —Backstage West
“Jennie Webb is a bright new voice with a wicked comic sense and considerable verbal wit.” —Random Lengths Newsmagazine
World Premiere March, 2004 at El Portal Theatre directed by Randee Trabitz. Theatricum Botanicum Reading February, 2003 (Emily Chase, Director).
ANTICIPATING LEFTOVERS
(80 minutes; 3 women, 2 men, 1 any gender) Click Here for PDF Copy
A play about lingering and moving forward, Anticipating Leftovers is a freewheeling funereal comedy which takes an absurdist look at family ties, the weight of shared memories, and obligations at large–particularly the large obligations that come with marriage. At least for women. Some women. Who may or may not be safely married.
Playwrights Union First Peek, May 2010 (Casey Stangl, Director).
TILTING
(90 minutes; 4 women, 3 men) Click Here for PDF Copy
A most absurd comedy, Tilting provides a shamelessly agit-prop look at America’s changing political and social landscape pre- and post- 9/11. The play examines the media’s role in manufacturing leaders, tests our religious tolerance for blind faith and challenges the power of the almighty dollar.
Commissioned by The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum as a work to be created specifically for the scenic, outdoor amphitheatre and repertory company members by its first playwright-in-residence, the bold comedy draws from the history of the “Living Newspaper Plays” originated by the WPA, as well as the unique legacy of the Theatricum itself as a long-standing LA arts institution with its roots in the McCarthy era blacklisting.
Theatricum Botanicum Workshop November, 2003 (Ellen Geer, Director).
THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE WAR
(75 minutes; 2 women + 2 male voices for a textual score) Click Here for PDF Copy
The Complete Story of the War is a dark, dense play set in a place without walls where unseen forces are at work. In it there are two women who support, betray, condemn, love, and really, really hate each other. Together, they grapple with memories and engage in all too familiar battles; but are they fighting as one, or against one another? The play is an absurd yet powerful exploration of women’s relationships to the volatile world we live in, to cultural expectations, to men, and—of course—to other women.
Layered upon a score pulled from the fabric of American life, The Complete Story of the War taps into raw emotions and uses cutting humor to mine dangerous territory: the perpetuating cycle of abuse and violence against women.
Selected by The Playwrights Center in Minneapolis for its 2001 PlayLabs; winner in the 2000 Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights (ALAP) New Plays Competition, reading at 24th Street Theatre (Denise Gillman, Director).
GREENHOUSE
(75 minutes: 4 women, 2 men, 1 any gender) Click Here for PDF Copy
GreenHouse is an entropic comedy focusing on the absurdities of a non-nuclear family, the Greens, who serve as a somewhat distorted model for an even more distorted global situation. The family’s “Ozzie and Harriet” display of normalcy is hard to keep up when “modern science” gets out of hand and power is projected upon an unseen enemy. Soon, everyone is propelled into a surreal world with climatic shifts of planetary proportions, as unnatural acts of nature are intensified by the overzealous reach of government. As a theatrical metaphor for the Greenhouse Effect, within GreenHouse is a time and place where our ability to acknowledge, implement and embrace radical change as well as our own responsibility is the key to our survival.
“Somewhere between the Simpsons and John Guare.” —Los Angeles Times
Pasadena Playwrights reading, 1999; Stage One Reading by A.S.K. Theater Projects, 1996; reading at Theatricum Botanicum (1995). One-act version produced in 1990 at Theatre/Theater and various site-specific venues as part of Runyon Canyon Festival for L.A. Open Festival (Brent Morris, Director).
UNCLAIMED ASSETS
(70 minutes; 8 women) Click Here for PDF Copy
In these connected monologues, or “pieces of a play,” eight women try to figure out what is valuable, and by whose standards. Always with a seriously comic tone, the women at the center of Unclaimed Assets are very much part of a lost generation. But they feel compelled to search for the missing pieces in their individual and very disparate lives, and in their conversations with the audience, much is revealed . . . about the overlooked and the underestimated in ourselves, and our surroundings.
“With bitter-sweet humour throughout, the women’s anecdotes come across like soul-searching for cryptic clues to the other side of their personas . . . This emotional exploration . . . never tries to be overly symbolic but pulls no punches.” —Edinburgh Evening News
“Witty thumbnail sketches of eight confused, over-packaged American women . . . showing comic flair and sophistication, Webb charts well how American women feel, and how US society makes them feel.” —The Scotsman
World Premiere August, 2001 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Alan Hubbs, Director). Selected pieces performed as part of arts festivals including “Summer Nights in Silverlake,” 1994; L.A. Fringe Productions’ “24 HOURS OF ART” and “Runyon Canyon CAMP*SITES,”1991; televised by Studio Z, Chicago, 1992.
KILLING MISS AMERICA co-written with Brent Morris
(60 minutes; 3 women, 2 men)
“The standard of ideal womanhood” is held hostage in this commercial comedy, and it’s a crisis of major proportions: a battle for women’s rights, the search for personal identity, and the futility of ordering Chinese food at 3 am. Killing Miss America examines the Nation’s fascination with beauty pageants, as well as the individuals who condone and condemn them. Backstage in Atlantic City, the former Miss Idaho is about to get the surprise of her life as an avenging ex-anchorwoman and a desperate actress plot and wait until all of America is watching to greet America’s Miss onstage with a crown… and a gun.
“The satire is genuine, riddled with wicked wit.” —Los Angeles Times
Rough Theater production staged at Powerhouse Theatre, 1988 (Brent Morris, Director); subsequent productions at Hollywood Actors’ Theatre, 1990; Orange Coast College, 1989; Thousand Oaks Arts Council Center, 1991.
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