Plays by Michael Halperin

A Chair By the Wall

Rabbi Yotsifel and Shamus Israel must resolve a difficult question. Which twin son of the late Rabbi Shimson will inherit his coveted chair by the eastern wall of the synagogue? They engage in a hair-pulling, beard tugging battle until Yotsifel comes up with an idea that satisfies no one but results in a surprising solution to sibling rivalry.
4 M, one set, interior, approximately 15 minutes

All Steps Necessary

An 80 minute one-act inspired by a true incident. On November 12, 1938, two days after Kristallnacht, Hermann Göring calls a meeting of the Nazi elite who meet over coffee and pastries to determine the fate of all the Jews of Germany. During the meeting a battle of personalities rages between Göring, Goebbels and Gen. Reinhard Heydrich. 8 men 1 woman - one set interior.


Dancing with William Blake

Drama - 90 min After fifty years of marriage, how does a man cope with the death of his wife and the dream of recapturing a lost moment from his youth? 1 man/4 women

"It speaks with poetry, feeling, and a genuine sense of the human character." John McDonald, Director, First Stage

The Spark of Reason

Drama - Two acts Based on a true story. Revenge, love, betrayal, and religious intolerance intertwine with the dramatic events leading up to the excommunication of 25 year-old Baruch Spinoza. 8 men/2 women.

Bed and Breakfast

Comedy - Two acts
A disillusioned screenwriter and his therapist wife are conned into buying a bed and breakfast only to discover that the pastoral life isn't pastoral and not much of a life. 4 men/5 women

Mela

90 min
A Catholic-Polish woman recounts the harrowing true story of her family’s rescue of three Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto and keeping them safe for four and a half years under the constant threat of exposure. 1 woman

A Chair by the Wall

Comedy - 15 minutes
Adapted from a story by Sholem Aleichem. Twin brothers battle over
custody of their father's synagogue chair next to the eastern wall. 4 men.

Desert Stories

Two one-acts on a common theme.
Freud at Sinai Comedy - 50 Min.
A remarkable encounter between Moses and Sigmund Freud at the foot of Mt. Sinai leads to an argument between the great leader of the Exodus and the father of psychiatry about the wisdom of giving the Ten Commandments to the world. 2 men/2 women

Poor Timing Comedy - 30 min.
Three determined angels attempt to convince Moses that he must die before reaching the Promised Land. He refuses to obey the dictates of God and the battle escalates until the angry Creator intervenes. 2 men/1 woman

Contact: michaelhalperin@ sprintmail.com