ISBN 1-60513-107-5
JAC #2011-0012
The Mommy &
Me Fishing Trip
In the final, frantic moments of her life, a mother and her son set sail on
their last fishing trip. Mommy must demonstrate the proper way to fish so
that her son may set out and become a successful fisherman without her. As
waters turn rocky, fishing lines entangle to reveal secrets, regrets, and
empty promises that must be resolved before she takes her final breath.
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MOMMY
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SON
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GIRL
Two Boys & a
Balloon
Two boys compete with one another to see whose balloon will
fly the highest. Political undertones indicate that this competition may not
be just child’s play.
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FRANKLIN
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ARCHIBALD
When the
Bedbugs Bite
A dramatic look at the relationship between a loving father
and his young daughter during their bedtime rituals. While tucking Dolly
into bed, a mysterious clock echoes the sentiments of mortality and loss;
Daddy’s only hope is to keep his daughter awake, so the bedbugs don’t bite.
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DADDY
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DOLLY, his eight year old little girl
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PIERRETTE, a clown with melancholy expression
Duck Talk
While feeding the ducks, Miles and Margaret search for the secret to
sustaining a long-term relationship, crossing-paths with an older couple who
just might hold the answers to their dilemma.
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MARGARET, a girl in her mid-twenties
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MILES, a boy in his mid-twenties.
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THE ELDERLY MAN
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THE ELDERLY WOMAN
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Terry Sandler is a courageous playwright. He dives deep into his own creative well, and as he does this, he taps into the collective unconsciousness (and often the very consciousness) of us all. These four plays: The Mommy and me Fishing Trip; Duck Talk; When the Bed Bugs Bite…; and the curtain-raiser Two Boys, Two Balloons (A Political Satire) all inhabit the same world. It is a world where dreamscape and reality mingle, a world where off-center worlds and characters create a reality just a shadow away from our own. And in their quest to come to grips with their own inner conflicts, they reveal basic truths about ourselves
Some years ago (in the early years of the 21st century), Terry was a student in one of my Dramatic Writing classes at SUNY New Paltz. I immediately recognized a gifted writer, but soon, Terry became a good friend and colleague. In that class, we workshopped scenes and monologues and short plays on a variety of themes and subject matter. Terry always brought something unique to the table, delving into both personal and universal topics that made us all confront the demons that haunt our psyches. In that class, I lead a discussion about how all good stories are personal stories, political stories and mythic stories. Terry understood this from the beginning, and now as a professional writer and educator, has deepened these concepts in his work. He writes from self, from those difficult and often inaccessible places that others shy away from. Terry leaps into his past to bring out stories that, even if disturbing at times, will never fail to enlighten his audiences. This is the aspect of courage that I first mentioned. His stories are by their very nature political, not in the large “P” governmental sense, but in the idea that when more than two people are in a room or space, there will be a power struggle. This can be either comedic or serious, but whatever the tone, characters are there to present their side of the dramatic problem in the most passionate way that they can. This, of course, draws in the viewer and makes us ponder how we ourselves deal with those issues that playwright Sandler presents to us. Last, in our trilogy of dramatic concepts, Terry writes mythic plays; they deal with issues greater than our day-to-day, let’s-just-get-through-life moments. He makes us confront ideas that reveal who we are and what we are about in ways that both enlighten and challenge (The very thing that the theatre is best at.).
I had the pleasure to observe the development of two of these plays. Duck Talk was a short play that was workshopped in our SUNY New Paltz Dramatic Writing class. It had a heartfelt story in its early drafts and it has deepened its story since then through more workshops and productions. The Mommy and Me Fishing Trip was given to me in an early draft around this same time. I found it a haunting piece on the page, but honestly, didn’t know if it could sustain its powerful storytelling. I’m happy to say that these fears were allayed when I recently saw a production of the play in August of 2010 at the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, a beautiful jewel box of a theatre, in Poughkeepsie, NY. Terry directed the piece. The Mermaid was played by Nina Day, making the mythic a reality, and the son was played by Justin Van Voorhis, making us understand how silence onstage can be as powerful as words in creating a duet scene. Mommy was played Laura Love, who brought out every known color (and some yet to be named) to a demanding role filled with joy and heartache. It was a fine evening in the theatre, and I hope that I, and many others, will be able to see more of the works from the vision and voice of this American writer. .- Laurence Carr, Playwright and Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY New Paltz
About the Playwright
Terry
M. Sandler is a working actor, director, award-winning playwright,
filmmaker, visual artist, and educator. His plays have received staged
readings and productions throughout New York City, upstate New York, and
Cleveland, Ohio. Sandler has worked professionally as an actor for over
fifteen years, performing in roles on stage and screen. As a director, he is
known for his avant-garde style, and has won awards and honorable mentions
for his work. In 2000, Sandler, along with his brother (film editor, Todd
Sandler), wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short film, Corey.
Corey aired nationally on the Independent Film Channel, Bravo, and Women’s
Entertainment Channel; received wide-spread recognition at film festivals,
screenings, and on websites; and won Best Narrative Short at the Putnam Film
Festival, NY. As an educator, Sandler has taught theatre for numerous
colleges, universities, and performing arts centers, and currently teaches
dramatic arts at The Newburgh Free Academy, NY. He holds a Master’s degree
in Educational Theatre from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in
Performing Arts from the State University of New York at New Paltz. He lives
with his wife and two beautiful daughters in the Hudson Valley, NY. Sandler
is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and you may visit him at
www.terrysandler.com or on
Facebook.
 Cyndi Sciacca as Mommy; Harrison Garcia as Son |
 Laura Love as Mommy; Justin Van Voorhis as Son |
 Nina Day as Mermaid; Justin Van Voorhis as Son |
From When the Bedbugs Bite
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| Lexxie Lawlor (Dolly); Terry M. Sandler (Daddy) & Brittney Pierri (Pierrette) | ||
From Duck Talk
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| Keaton Weiss as Miles; Stephanie Sunderlin as Margaret |
Kurt Lauer as The Elderly
Man; Kathie Freston as The Elderly Woman |
Stephanie Sunderlin, Keaton Weiss, Kurt Lauer & Kathie Freston |
 ____________________________________ Chronogram Magazine Short Takes: September 2011 |
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| JAC Publishing & Promotions - P.O. Box 88, Burlington, MA 01803 | |||||
