Jan Henson Dow

Life's starkness and beauty are revealed in this provocative drama about a modern woman's search for self-understanding through memories and dreams of her past. At a time of crisis in her own life, Jennifer learns of the death of her high-school best friend, Christine. As Jennifer reminisces, her reflections relate to later events in her own life and aspects of her teenage relationship with Christine. Reliving the tragedies of Christine's parents and Christine's reaction to them forces Jennifer to confront her own lack of understanding and compasison toward those she loved. But Jennifer discovers that, despite the pain of the past, her dreams and reflections have helped prepare her for the future through the discovery that joy is inseparable from a sharing of sorrow and human compassion.

It is the dawn of the 20th century, and infamous magus of black magic Aleister Crowley and poet William Butler Yeats contend for control of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Their confrontation, based on real-life events, draws in Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, famous Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne, celebrated Victorian actress Florence Farr Emery, and mysteriously veiled author Fiona MacLeod, who is much more than she seems. Magic, seduction, and ambition collide as each strives to achieve his or her desires and dreams, until Fiona, in a prescient trance, confronts each of the others with their inner motivations and passions, sealing their fates.

During the early decades of the nineteenth century, Shaka Zulu was one of the few African tribal leaders to unite the Zulu tribes and inflict defeat upon the British Army. In their majestic play, Shaka, Jan Henson Dow and Robert Schroeder bring Shaka and those surrounding him to life as he rises from obscurity to become one of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu Kingdom. Thwarted love, constant war, witchcraft, and court intrigue fomented by his own power-hungry brothers eventually drive Shaka to the brink of madness, until he finally turns the scorched-earth policy he uses against his enemies upon those he loves most.

As the last day of WWII unfolds inside the Sulphur Spring Inn, confused mayhem whirls around proprietor Sarah Robinson. Sarah drives her family crazy, but her ditzyness disguises a kindness big enough to cement her family together despite the heavy-handed approach of her temperamental husband, Evan, who is running for congress. To make matters worse, Evan can't stand the idea of his older daughter being courted by a soldier, but she is, and the young couple plans to wed that very day. Mixed up in the confusion is a younger daughter infatuated with a cosmopolitan older sergeant, a mischievous boy, and a wisecracking custodian. And when Sarah throws in a few bottles of Dr. Snaketoe's Lightnin' Elixir, watch out

The Bronte sisters-Charlotte, Emily, and Anne-are famous for their romantic novels and poetry, but their lives were anything but enchanting. Sequestered in a lonely hamlet far from London, they and their brother play freely with the imagination until reality and the outside world intrude on their idyllic solitude, wreaking havoc with their lives. In their award-winning drama, The Moorlark, Jan Henson Dow and Shannon Michal Dow bring the Brontes to vibrant life, exposing the restrictive home life and dark environment that forbid them happiness and claimed them at early ages.

4m, 3f / Comedy / Unit Set Fortune 500 business tycoon Roger Cabot has given up his power and possessions for a bohemian life in a loft in New York City to become the artist he always wanted to be. But not everyone is happy with Roger's new lifestyle. Richard Borman (Roger's business protege) is convinced that Roger's surreal, erotic paintings, his frolics with female models, his cultivation of a Zen rock garden, and, worse, his development of a strange ability to see sounds amounts to evidence of insanity. Persuaded by Richard, Rebecca (Roger's only child and Richard's fiancee) agrees to a plan designed to return Roger to the man he once was. In the end, schemes and dreams are revealed, and everyone gets what they deserve in this farcical comedy that is fast and furious and great fun along the way. This play was a finalist in the McLaren Memorial Comedy Competition.

As winners and judges in playwriting contests, this team knows what sets award-winning plays apart from those that end up in the rejection pile. Let two national award-winning playwrights direct you through the playwriting process with this fun, yet vital guide that details the essentials judges, producers, and other theatre professionals are looking for in a play. For beginning playwrights and intermediate playwrights who wish to improve their work, this is a witty, easy to follow book filled with practical information designed to give your play an edge.Developed through personal experience as playwrights and play contest judges, and through their playwriting workshops, Writing the Award-Winning Play covers writing and developing your play; what to do with your play once it's written, utilizing readings, playwriting groups, and workshops; entering contests; getting produced; writing the synopsis and query letter; promoting your work; legal matters; and more.