Full-Length Plays
PLATTSBURGH
A lot can happen in a supermarket over the course of a night. Items can be stocked. Things can be stolen. Ice cream can be bought. A man can beat his wife for buying too much Easter candy with food stamps. A threat on one’s life could be made. Police could be called. And at the end of the night, when it’s time to lock the doors, lives may be changed.
Readings:
Ya Bird? Productions, The Democracy Center, Cambridge, MA, 2017
Generic Theater, The Players’ Ring Theatre, Portsmouth, NH, 2016
Playwrights’ Platform, Lasell College, Newton, MA, 2016
Review: “Plattsburgh by Greg Hovanesian has a real-vibe to it and an odd assortment of average Joe characters like an early full length by Richard Maxwell. Believable dialog and intense exchanges between strangers (including one at knifepoint) elevate this short full length set in a supermarket (a microcosm of the world itself) to a philosophical level — raising the question of what it means to be courageous in a shitty world. You get some Hegel with Spicy Diablo mac ‘n cheese.” –Asher Wyndham
PLATTSBURGH on New Play Exchange:
THIRSTY
Jeremy, a down-on-his-luck member of the online dating community, takes a chance when he’s offered a free download of a dark-web based dating app by a mysterious stranger on the street. When he meets Vanessa, who he sees as the perfect woman, on his first date using the Thirsty app, he’s thrilled beyond belief. But as their relationship progresses, it becomes clear that Vanessa maybe something more powerful than an ordinary woman…she may be a vampire bent on his destruction.
Production:
Ya Bird? Productions, The Rockwell, Somerville, MA, 2016
Review: “What a delight to watch this play on YouTube. Thanks first for sharing this production on NPX so that we can all see it. Vampires, dating apps, dildos. The mix is dramatic and comedic and sweet to see live, but what makes this play sing is the writing by Hovanesian which I’ve grown to admire and be inspired by with each and every piece. He brings to the stage a new voice that’s exciting and fresh and to every writer out there, add one (if not all!) of his plays to your reading list today!! You won’t be disappointed.” –Lee Lawing
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svbw-yIieAw&list=PLWZhYjn9AFKOE6NRafloKqI2SD-HZAUwl
TRUTH
In the back room of a presidential campaign, where Republican staffers drink stale coffee and sling barbed emails, a storm is brewing. It concerns security. It concerns privacy. It concerns racism. It concerns sex. It concerns a loss of innocence, a lack of ethics, and the threat of violence. But most importantly, it concerns ‘Truth’, a word that has been abused, scandalized, misrepresented, and torn apart in recent years. As four campaigners work to cover up a scandal deep into the night, decisions will be made that change the lives of them all. And as they work, the meaning of the word ‘Truth’ will take on forms that they never thought imaginable.
Readings:
Ya Bird? Productions, Make Shift Boston, Boston, MA, 2017
Playwrights’ Platform, Lasell College, Newton, MA 2017
Review: ” This is a powerful, clear, disturbing trip through multiple levels of truth and lies. Set in the campaign office of a Trump-like presidential candidate, the play quickly blows apart the difference between truth and the convenient lies we believe, and then goes deeper, looking at issues of race, conservatism, liberalism, media–and deconstructing the meaning of truth in each area it approaches. The play is relentless, totally compelling, and important for its unflinching look at how we seem to have decided that a lie is almost always better than the truth. ” – John Minigan
FAT UGLY PIGS ON CAMERA
Sue has some problems. In a world where women, as opposed to men, run the internet porn industry, she’s a successful producer. But that success has bred enemies: the courts, the FBI, and of course, her own child. As her world unravels, and as people who she love become irrevocably damaged, the cameras continue to roll, capturing scenes of love for millions to see. There may be only one thing that can save her, and everyone else, from the madness…an act of violence, a piece of salvation, for all the world to see….
Reviews: “People kill what they love. It’s what they do. … It’s the curse of being human.” This line! THIS LINE! It perfectly sums up Hovanesian’s provocative play with the equally provocative title. Playing like a modern-day Jacobean tragedy, with all of that genres high emotions, high stakes, and high body count perfectly in place, this is a fascinating, if somewhat sordid and tawdry, look at the internet porn industry, with 3 juicy roles for women, and one juicy hunk.” –Doug Devita
“I liked this play as an indictment of the misogynist system in which America finds itself. Hovanesian uses role reversal to good effect. There are some solid female parts in it. The play is about human dysfunction [no, not that kind] and the accumulation of bad choices. Definitely worth a read.” –Bryan Stubbles
Interview with Bryan Stubbles at Unknown Playwrights featuring FAT UGLY PIGS ON CAMERA
Readings:
Playwrights’ Platform, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2018
FAT UGLY PIGS ON CAMERA on New Play Exchange:
DOWN THE PARK
DOWN THE PARK is about friendships: old and new, weak and strong. It’s about the drugs that seized the cities surrounding Boston in the early 2000s, the pills that made their way into the pockets of countless kids. It’s about dealing with the pain of death. It’s about the Opioid Crisis in America: the people who have died, and are still dying, because of it. It’s about two friends who can’t seem to meet, who don’t even know why they’re trying to meet. And the park bench where one of them sits, waiting for something that will never come.
Productions:
Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Company, 2021
DJ Shattine and Nicky Lowney in DOWN THE PARK. Photo courtesy Jakespeare Virtual Productions.
Readings:
Ya Bird? Productions, Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA, 2019
Playwrights’ Platform, Lasell College, Newton, MA, 2017
Reviews:
“‘Down The Park’ is heart-wrenching, compelling theatre that feels absolutely necessary.” –Jackie Martin
“I had the honor of seeing an early reading of Down the Park. It is a powerful play by a really talented writer. Greg Hovanesian writes about about the pain and loss of addiction with unflinching honesty. This is a timely play that deserves to be seen.” – –David Beardsley
DOWN THE PARK on New Play Exchange:
ROSES
Frances loves her guns. Loves ‘em. Loves to hold them, shoot them, aim them, keep them. Frances loves her guns, and that’s fine for Frances, because they keep her safe. Until the day they don’t. Until the day that bullets rain down from the gun of a stranger, killing those that stand in the way. Until the day that her closest friend leaves her, walking away to start a new life. Until the day that it’s impossible to tell if she’s living or dying, alive or dead. Frances loves her guns…but do they really love her? And will they keep her safe…when she’s face to face with someone she can’t shoot?
Readings:
Playwrights’ Platform, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2018
Review: “With haunting dreamlike logic and cinematic precision, Hovanesian’s “Roses” plays with time, perception, and perspective with effortless and shattering skill. A lot of questions are raised, very few of them are answered, but nonetheless the play is a completely satisfying and moving experience; it lingers in both the mind and the heart for quite some time after having read it.” –Doug DeVita
One-Act Plays:
WILDERNESS
Late at night, in a dark and remote forest, two men find themselves alone with only the stars and a telescope to keep them company. As they watch the stars above, they discuss the things that friends often discuss: life, actions and consequences , the reasons people do the things they do. But as one sentence connects to another, and as the sky above continues to darken, the words spoken by the two begin to take on sinister meanings. And as the light completely fades away, the words themselves dissipate, leaving only the animal instincts of the two to guide them through the night.
Productions:
Ya Bird? Productions, The Players’ Ring Theatre, Portsmouth, NH, June 2019
Readings:
Ya Bird? Productions, Trident Booksellers and Cafe, Boston, MA, 2017
Playwrights’ Platform, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2017
Reviews: “Spooky, mysterious, slow, and tense, WILDERNESS strikes a rare balance of sparse dialogue and rich, deep characters. Hovanesian unveils details so meticulously, allowing the reader/audience to dig up piece after piece of the puzzle.” –Jordan Elizabeth Henry
“The thing I love about Hovanesian’s work is the element of surprise with every play I read and WILDERNESS does not disappoint. I was caught up in this tale of murder and jealousy till the very end. As humans, we are always patting ourselves on our backs at how far we’ve come through time and space and we try so hard to hide the basic animal we’ve stepped away from but WILDERNESS brings us back to the reality of how far we have to go before we can actually celebrate our evolution.” –Lee Lawing
“We are all just animals with evil intentions… Wow, even though I knew what was going to happen because of the structure, I was still scared for what was going to happen. The play is the cup of tea that I needed for tonight, and this tea was satisfying. Truly brilliant dialogue that just creeps me out and leaves me horrified.” –Matthew Alan
“[Hovanesian] gives us a sight to remember, in a dark forest.” –Donna Gordon
WILDERNESS on New Play Exchange:
WATER
In an alternate, yet familiar, universe, two white business men try to have a meeting in a conference room. When a problem with the drinking water arises, the meeting is put on hold, and solutions are offered to fix the water problem. But things quickly go from bad to worse.
Productions:
Playwrights’ Platform, 44th Annual Playwrights’ Platform Festival of New Plays, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2016
Awards:
Best Play, 44th Annual Playwrights’ Platform Festival of New Plays
Best Director, Haris Lefteri, 44th Annual Playwrights’ Platform Festival of New Plays
Best Actor, Greg Hovanesian, 44th Annual Playwrights’ Platform Festival of New Plays
Publications:
The 44th Annual Playwrights’ Platform Festival, A Collection of New Plays, Playwrights’ Platform Publishing, 2016
Reviews: “A taut, terrific one-act about privilege and power, and with a deliciously surprising plot twist. Hovanesian is expert as showing us a situation that seems ordinary but isn’t, and then gradually infusing it with an increasing sense of menace until the rug is suddenly pulled out from under us.” –Jennifer O’Grady
A BEDTIME STORY
A woman is fighting for the rights of another human being while telling a fairy tale: a child is trying to find safety. And though children may not understand the concept of fighting for their rights, they can understand that successfully escaping a land of oppression is sometimes the only way to survive.
Productions:
River’s Edge Arts Alliance, Pop-Up Play Festival, The Landing at Hudson Mills, Hudson, MA, 2018
Boston Actors Theater, Summer Play Festival 2017: Fight For Your Rights, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2017
Awards:
Finalist, Old Library Theatre 8th Annual Once Act Play Festival, Old Library Theatre, Fair Lawn, NJ, 2018
Reviews: “This is a frightening tale of looking for refuge, looking for safety, looking for help. The menace is everywhere but the black and white aura of the fairy tale blends into each other and we are left in the shadow. The play is timely (too timely) but there is hope in the bottom of Pandora’s box and as the play ends, you cling to that sliver of hope. Imaginative, poignant and gut-wrenching, this would be very effective on stage. ” –Claudia Haas
“I directed this play approximately 1.5 years ago, and even now the writing still sticks with me. One of the ways you know this is a great work is that it continues to gain dimension with each successive read. For a director, that’s a remarkable feat; a living, growing thing, not just words on a page. Further, there are so many different ways to take this story that has one of my favorite storytelling frames: magical realism. As a playwright myself, it’s the kind of show I wish I’d written.” –Jake Lewis
A BEDTIME STORY on New Play Exchange:
Short Plays
Sex
A man and woman lie in bed. As they lie, they talk. As they talk, they travel. Not physically, but verbally, mentally: their minds and voices intertwine with one another. At times their words are silly, frivolous: but as the minutes pass, the words become heavier, take on different meanings. And as they approach some other place, perhaps the world of sleep and dreams, devoid of conversations, they may begin to wonder: do I really know this person lying next to me?
Productions:
Gallery Players 23rd Annual Black Box New Play Festival, January 2020, Brooklyn, NY
Review: “Just saw this at the Gallery Players and what a delight it was! While the characters can be played by any man and woman believable as a married couple, I think it enhanced the piece to have actors in their 60s/70s. The play itself is a fresh take on the age-old debate about the differences between men and women. The dialogue is frank without being coarse, even during a discussion of flatulence. There’s a wonderful rhythm to it, as the conversation bobs and weaves. Best of all, the relationship created is genuine, funny, and beautiful.” -Scott Sickles
Download on New Play Exchange:
The Bull
A man sees a deer in his garden: a buck, a large male. A woman sits nearby, reading the news, trying to make sense of a world gone mad. When they talk, they find themselves miles apart, despite their sharing of a home together.
Productions:
Boston Theater Marathon XXII, Zoom Edition, sponsored by Target Stage Company, April 19, 2020
Publication: The Boston Theater Marathon XXII Anthology – Special Zoom Edition
Review: “The image of seeing a deer in a backyard and reading the news weave in so brilliantly in this play. What first seems to be a miscommunication between a couple turns into a metaphor and the angst underneath the news, politics and the world we are currently in. The Bull builds beautifully. So glad I got to watch this intense play during the Boston Theatre Marathon Zoom edition.” –Cassie M. Seinuk
School
Liz and Erica love each other as deeply as two friends can. At times they don’t, can’t, understand the other. But they try, even if they can’t. They sit together, sharing some tea, talking. At times, there are tears. There is also laughter. Friendship can be a struggle, a puzzle for two to figure out, together.
Productions:
The Nora Theatre Company, Boston Theater Marathon XXI, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston, MA 2019
School at New Play Exchange:
Marriage
Two women discuss life and marriage over jasmine tea and try to ignore the masked and naked husband chained to the floor and screaming.
Productions:
Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Company, 2021 Annual Summer Shorts Festival, Zoom, 2020
Sara Freia, Ali Crowley, and Rocky Graziano in ‘Marriage’,
Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Company,
2021 Annual Summer Shorts Festival, 2021
Review: “Had a chance to catch this piece as part of Jakespeare VTC’s Summer Shorts Play Fest. MARRIAGE is the epitome of a playwright thinking outside the box.” -David Lipschutz
The Most Beautiful Story
4-Minute Play: An ancient grudge involving arsenic-coated balloons leads to a horribly tragic act against two lovers.
Reading:
Romeo & Juliet themed 48-Hour Bake-Off, The Huntington Theatre Company, Huntington Avenue Theatre, Boston, MA, 2019
Reviews: “A fable, a folk tale, a morality play, a revenge tragedy, a romantic drama… call it what you will, “The Most Beautiful Story” is indeed beautiful. Intensely theatrical, intensely horrifying, intensely sad, and intensely… beautiful.” –Doug DeVita
“This play certainly lives up to its title, especially if you believe in the yin/yangs of love and hate, darkness and light, beauty and ugliness. Hovanesian packs a gorgeous, epic tale of young love, ancient myths, duty and guilt, blind revenge, and eternal longing in a few short pages. The production demands should inspire tremendous creativity on a small play budget; the design meetings would be joyous! It could also be staged quite simply as the script provides a pervasive sense of menace amid a vivid world. All one has to do is trust the material. It’s beautiful.” –Scott Sickles
Read at New Play Exchange:
Hope
One-Minute Play: A group of people see ‘hope.’
Productions:
The 9th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2020
One Moment In Time One-Minute Play Festival, Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Company, 2022
Reviews: “I got to see this very short play produced at the One Minute Play Festival and it made me cry then. Somehow, it feels even more potent now (yup, I cried a second time upon reading). Poetic and beautiful.” –Jackie Martin
“Just perfect. Read, read again. Read a third time. Thank you.” -Rachael Carnes
“A wonderful, uplifting, one minute treasure of a play!” -Vivian Lermond
“I read this tonight because I guess the universe was telling me I needed to read this tonight. Beautiful. Necessary. And BEAUTIFUL!” -Doug DeVita
“I remember this piece from the Boston 2020 One Minute Play Festival, it stood out to me amongst the plethora of [fast] paced short plays. Now reading on the page, in this time in our world, I find the play even more potent, hopeful, and eloquent. When a 1 minute play makes you feel this much, you know it’s exceptional.” –Cassie M. Seinuk
“Our company member Lindsay Eagle directed this perfect little 1-minute play for the 9th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival in January 2020, and it was an absolute pleasure to work on. Poetic but still very accessible, clear, concise, and deeply inspiring. Actors loved performing it and audiences were pretty universally moved by it. Highly recommended.” -Flat Earth Theatre
Hope at New Play Exchange:
Soup
One-Minute Play: A man is questioned, a woman answers.
Productions:
The 8th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2019
Soup play at New Play Exchange:
Gentri-Fried Chicken
One-Minute Play: A man and woman try to order french fries at a restaurant.
Productions:
One Moment In Time One-Minute Play Festival, Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Company, 2022.
Reviews: “A satirical snapshot of insular, blinkered individuals who would dismiss any genuine environment or experience with a sneer and snide comment. Hovanesian’s one-minute comedy will make audiences shake their collective heads in disbelief.” –Steven G. Martin
“This play makes you laugh until it hurts, and BECAUSE it hurts. In one minute, we get the hard truth about gentrification and trendy foodie obsession, all dusted lightly with purple sage and hilarity.” -John Minigan
“I love this play for so many reasons, chief among them the satirical stance it takes on millennials, and the pointedness of gentrification. Hovanesian proves he’s a master at any playwriting form.” -Jake Lewis
RoboTeacher
A teacher sits alone in a classroom. A student enters the room and puts his phone to the side of the teacher’s temple. Suddenly, the teacher comes alive. The lesson begins. The teacher gives the lesson based on a deep database of school subjects. But as the teacher and student converse, something goes amiss. Communication lines are broken down. Connections are missed. And, as the lesson nears its end, and the student begins to power down the teacher, the question of ‘what education truly is’ remains, floating unanswered in the air.
Productions:
Playwrights’ Platform, 46th Annual Festival of New Plays, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, 2018
Jake Crowley and Anita Harkess Photo Courtesy Playwrights’ Platform
RoboTeacher on New Play Exchange:
The Look
Monologue: A playwright wrestles with his new job as a screenwriter.
Productions:
Image Theater, The Old Court, Lowell, MA, 2018
Jacklyn Thrapp LLC, The Davenport Theatre (Off-Broadway), New York, NY, 2018
Photo Courtesy Jacklyn Thrapp LLC
Publications: A Solitary Voice: A Collection of Epic Monologues, New World Theatre Publishing, 2018
Audio Book: A Solitary Voice: A Collection of Epic Monologues, New World Theatre, 2023
A Pleasant Evening….
One-Minute Play: Some friends go out to dinner…with their phones….
Productions:
UAE Theatre Festival, One:1 Festival, Dubai Community Theatre, Dubai, UAE, 2018
Alfira Photography
One-Moment In Time One-Minute Play Festival, Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Company, 2022
A Pleasant Evening…. on New Play Exchange:
The Shovel Who Saved The Day!
24-Hour Marathon: A magical shovel saves some citizens from the horrible cold of the winter!
Productions:
Hovey Players, 24 Hour Play Marathon, Waltham, MA, 2018
Left to Right: Courtney Closson (actor), Kristen Fischer (actor),
Yefim Somin (actor), Haris Lefteri (director), Greg Hovanesian (playwright).