Two immigrant Romanian sisters struggle to make ends meet as they attempt to capture a piece of the American Dream. Kara is the provider. She has been working in a factory sending money home for her younger sister Mia, making it possible for her to come to America to finish up her PhD in biochemistry. Everything is working according to their plan. They have a nice house. Mia is making remarkable progress with her research on ants under the guidance of her professor, Adam Kohn. Kara spends her fr

Various Authors

One of Manhattan's most established play festivals, the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival fosters the work of emerging writers, giving them the exposure of publication and representation. The festival resulting in this collection was held July 13th-18th, 2010 at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in New York City. From the initial pool of over 850 submissions, the Final Forty plays were chosen to be performed over a period of one week. A panel of judges comprised of celebrity playwrights, theatrical agents and artistic directors nominated one or more of each evening's plays as finalists. The final round was then held on the last day of the festival. Out of these plays, six winners listed below were chosen by Samuel French, Inc. to receive publication and licensing contracts.

Winning plays and playwrights for this collection include: Skin Deep by Mary Lynn DobsonThe Pigskin by Gabriel Jason DeanWhite Embers by Saviana StanescuThe Bear (A Tragedy) by EJC CalvertDance Lessons by Josh Koenigsberg The Mud is Thicker in Mississippi by Dennis A. Allen II

Dramatic Comedy / 2m, 2f, 2 either m or f A dark comedy about a clown from the "unhappiest country in the world", Moldova, who pins her hopes on a US work visa. Chased by Homeland Security, a deportation letter deflates Nadia's enthusiasm and a pair of spike heels might be all it takes to burst her American Dream (or turn it into a nightmare...). New York City, with its special energy, seems like the perfect solution for her problems, but is it really? Luckily, Nadia is not alone in her journey: A Russian illegal immigrant, Borat, her fellow clown, tries to find his own path in the Big Apple, by working as a cab driver. Lupita, her Latina roommate, an exotic dancer and wanna-be actress, shows Nadia the tough side of the city. Meanwhile, Bob, an American washed-up musician finds himself in the relationship with the Moldovan girl. Aliens with Extraordinary Skills is based on true stories of immigration explored and fictionalized by a playwright who tries to understand her own story. The moral of the "fable" might be that - regardless our passport and native language - we are all "aliens" in search for love, understanding and a place to call "home". "Saviana Stanescu's Aliens With Extraordinary Skills is an enchanting piece of theater...Ms. Stanescu's dialogue is flawlessly observant...the energy people talk about as New York's essence comes from all those newcomers' hopes and dreams in the air. Aliens pays tribute to that energy and at the same time radiates tons of its own." -The New York Times "Saviana Stanescu introduces us to two remarkable, resilient young women; it's gratifying to find a smart and intriguing play like this one, not only created by females but also focused on a pair of memorable heroines...Stanescu takes the audience into territory that will be uncharted for most of them: the immigrant experience is presented here with candor and without a shred of romanticism." - Martin Denton, www.nytheatre.com "A native Romanian, [Stanescu's] writing in English has more scrupulous care, more pure attention than someone to the grammar born. Aliens with Extraordinary Skills may feel just like a lark-there's understated silliness, a set of adorable strugglers and just the right thread of romance. But it's also a triumph of listening." -Time Out "Whatever your stance on immigration, Stanescu's upbeat mood overwrites it...In a craigslist conversation, spoken smiley faces and all, we are all equal, and dressed up like a hamburger or soda, we are meant to be together, for we are all--especially this play--extraordinary. " - Kul - That Sounds Cool

Three of US-based Romanian playwright Saviana Stanescu's most daring, comic plays are collected in this volume with an introduction by John Clinton Eisner. Waxing West, Lenin's Shoe and Aliens with Extraordinary Skills are exciting new plays for the US and world stage.

In "Waxing West", Daniella, newly arrived in the US from Romania, is haunted by the ghosts of the deposed dictator Ceausescu and his wife Elena until she experiences 9/11. Thida San in "Eyes of the Heart", cannot rid herself of the horrific memory of her daughter's execution during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. In "My Political Israeli Play", Miriam Bloom, a young Israeli woman living in the US, is asked by her agent to write a political play. "America Dreaming" juxtaposes a professor discussing the policies governing American colonists with the experience of a young Japanese woman in the US during World War II. "The Black Eyed" skewers traditional views on sex, family and terrorism as four Arab women from different periods wait at the 'Gates of Martyrs.'