Showing posts with label gay theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay theatre. Show all posts

Thursday, June 5, 2025

21 Plays for Pride Month

Pride Month is the perfect time to spotlight stories that reflect the richness and diversity of the LGBTQ+ experience—and at Blue Dasher Press, we’re proud to share a vibrant collection of plays that center gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters. Whether you're seeking a poignant 15-minute piece or a full-length production that celebrates love, identity, and resilience, this curated list offers something meaningful for every stage and every audience. Each script is available as a printable PDF in our digital store, and best of all, every play can be produced royalty-free. Because at Blue Dasher Press, we believe theatre should be bold, inclusive, and accessible to all.

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BABY IN THE BASEMENT
Story: In this gritty and urban drama, two homeless teenagers meet while seeking refuge in the basement of an abandoned building. What begins as a friendship sadly evolves into a mutual suicide pact. 
Highlight: Official selection for the NYC 15-Minute Play Festival.  
Highlight: Adapted into an award-winning short film. 
Length: 15 Minutes
Cast: 1f, 1m; both characters are teenagers
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language; contains content related to sexual assault; contains content related to suicide













BETTER PLACES TO GO
Story: A horrendous storm looms overs a rundown truck stop diner in Grand Island, Nebraska, bringing together ten people who start to reveal damaging secrets as the night goes on. 
Highlight: The Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance awarded the world premiere with two awards: Best Original Script and Best Original Production. 
Length: Full Length (90 minutes)
Cast: 7f, 3m
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language; depiction of violence on stage; suicide














BOXCAR
Story: Unable to attend their high school dance together, Austin and Harley decide to skip Homecoming and seek refuge in an abandoned boxcar. There, they dream of escaping the ultra conservative small town they live in, hoping to discover a place where they can exist and love without fear. 
Highlight: Adapted into the award-winning Dutch film Wagon.
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2m; both characters are teenagers
Audience: Contains adult subject matter


CRUMBLE
Story: As the end of the world draws near, two men who were once in love reunite after a decade apart to spend the last night together.
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2m; both characters are in their 40's
Audience: Contains adult subject matter 


DEFENSELESS
Story: After their relationship is discovered by their classmates at school, Alberto and Justin are being separated by their parents and the school’s administration. In the morning, Alberto is being sent to a military school in Utah. Realizing the chance to say good bye is now, they meet in the night.
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2m; both characters are teenagers
Audience: Contains adult subject matter 

FRACTURED
Story: In 1965, a young college student named Anthony befriends a classmate out of sympathy because she's struggling to fit in at their school. In an attempt to deny his homosexuality, Anthony spends a night with Wendy, causing her to become frighteningly obsessed with him. After Anthony reveals to Wendy that he's transferring to another school in the morning, Wendy reaches her breaking point.
Highlight: Featured in The Best Women's Stage Monologues
Length: 15 Minutes
Cast: 1f, 1m; both characters are in their late teens to early 20's
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language; contains content related to suicide












FROZEN STARS
Story: This Latin-flavored coming-of-age stage drama explores the lives of several young people as they struggle with personal and religious beliefs, peer pressure, family relationships, and the overwhelming power of love and friendship.
Highlight: Featured in The Best Women's Stage Monologues
Highlight: Adapted into a feature film
Length: Full Length (90 Minutes)
Cast: 8f, 8m; most of the characters are teenagers
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language; depiction of violence on stage

GROUP PROJECT
Story: Meeting to work on an assigned group project, three college students explore the boundaries and perceptions of labels related to sex when one of the students shares that he identifies as bisexual. 
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 1f, 2m
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language













HELL WITH THE LID OFF
Story: On the hottest day of the year, five people suffering from different types of addiction each reach their breaking point while attending a healing retreat in the middle of nowhere. 
Length: 15 Minutes
Cast: 3f, 3m
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language


JOHNNY RAMIREZ REALLY WANTS TO KISS ME
Story: When star student Johnny Ramirez is selected to be the math tutor for the always-misunderstood Alex Wilde, the two young men discover love for the first time.
Highlight: Official Selection, DC Queer Theatre Festival (Washington, D.C.)
Highlight: Off-Off Broadway Production, Short Play Lab, Roy Arias Studio Theatre
Highlight: Winner, Slam Boston Award, Boston Center for the Arts, Best Stage Play
Highlight: Official Selection, Stage This, Too! (New York City)
Highlight: Official Selection, Queer Shorts, Stage Q (Madison, Wisconsin)
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2m; both characters are teenagers
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language

JUST BEFORE THE DROP
Story: Moments after her husband of 24 years leaps to his death from a 12 story building, a woman comes face-to-face with a man who claims to have been her husband's lover of five years. On the rooftop, sorrow, regret, and anger culminate in a second tragedy in this chilling short play. 
Highlight: Official Selection, Short Plays & Contemporary Dance, Firehouse Theatre (Virginia)
Highlight: Featured in 105 Five-Minute Plays for Study and Performance
Highlight: New York Premiere, Short Stories 8: Urban View, Native Aliens Theatre Collective
Highlight: Adapted into an award-winning short film
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 1f, 1m
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language

LAST DANCE
Story: While attending their senior prom, Spencer and Camden seek a quiet moment together, away from the crowd and away from their dates. Sitting on a bench outside of the ballroom, the two young men reveal why the night has been such a miserable experience - because they really just want to dance with each other.  
Highlight: World Premiere, Spectrum: LGBT New Play Festival, Funky Little Theater Company 
Highlight: Featured in The Best 10-Minute Plays
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2m; both characters are teenagers
Audience: Contains adult subject matter


OST UND WEST
Story: Shortly after the start of the Gulf War, a young American traveler is being questioned at an embassy before he’s allowed to board a plane back to the United States because of a brief relationship he had with a man from East Germany. 
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2m
Audience: Contains adult subject matter

RELOCATIONS
Story: Inspired by Alix Smith's photograph States of Union #3, this short play is about two women who - as mothers and partners - realize how important geography is in America.
Highlight: World Premiere, Rough Writers Festival, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2f; both characters are in their mid to late 30's
Audience: Contains adult subject matter
Printable PDF













SLOE GIN FIZZ
Story: On a rainy night, two male co-workers, Marco and Christopher, are drawn together out of loneliness. Marco is married to a Korean woman whom he does not love. Christopher is suffering from a broken heart after another failed relationship. In the course of one night, the two men emotionally confront the expectations of a new relationship, the pressure of conforming to society, the traditional roles expected of men, and the powerful and consuming feelings of love. 
Highlight: Official Selection, Fifth Annual Lavender Footlights Festival (Miami)
Highlight: Featured in The Best Men's Stage Monologues
Highlight: Featured in Audition Arsenal for Men in Their 20s 
Length: Full Length (90 Minutes)
Cast: 2m
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language















SYRUP
Story: To bring an end to their longstanding feud, the daughters of two former First Ladies convince their mothers to appear as special guests in a charity fashion show.
Highlight: Featured in The Best Women's Stage Monologues
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 5f
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language















THERE IS NO 'D' IN REVENGE
Story: Fed up with the cruel antics of a lip gloss-stealing mean girl named Brenda, fifteen-year-old Jenessa is faced with the opportunity to seek revenge by outing her nemesis to their entire school when she discovers Brenda has carefully hidden the truth that she's a lesbian.
Highlight: Featured in 222 More Comedy Monologues 2 Minutes & Under 
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2f; both characters are in high school
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language










TROPHY
Story: Georgina, a self-admitted trophy wife, tries to murder someone’s husband at a dinner party she’s a guest at. With the police on the way, Georgina turns to Toby, a new trophy husband, to help determine her next move.
Highlight: Featured in The Best Men's Stage Monologues
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 1f, 1m both characters are in their late 20's
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language










THE TRUANTS
Story: When Marc, Sandi, Ethan, Jana, and Chad decide to cut school and spend the day together hanging out in Marc’s basement, many truths are revealed that threaten to change their friendship forever. Set in Sacramento in 1989, this award-winning dramatic play explores the lives of five young people living on the edge. 
Highlight: Winner, Best Stage Script, Script and Storyboard Showcase (Los Angeles)
Highlight: Nominee, Best Stage Play, Woodbury Film Festival (Salt Lake City)
Highlight: Finalist, Storyline, DaVinci International Film Festival (Los Angeles)
Length: Full Length (90 Minutes)
Cast: 2f, 3m; all characters are in high school
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language; contains content related to suicide













TWO OF HEARTS
Story: Deciding to skip gym class together, high school students Donovan and James pass the time by playing a card game but end up revealing their true feelings for each other. Set in 1986, this nostalgic short play and homage to the iconic Stacey Q dance hit explores the complicated feelings connected to discovering your first love.
Length: 10 Minutes
Cast: 2m; both characters are in high school
Audience: Contains adult subject matter









WE NEVER MADE IT TO PARIS
Story: We Never Made it to Paris is a creative fusion of language, music, movement, dance, photography, and light. The story spans over the course of eighteen years in the lives of two men: Eros, a former model, and Bird, a former actor. Fearing real love doesn't exist, Bird sabotages their young affair, only to realize years later they are soul mates. 
Highlight: Off-Off Broadway Production, The Producer's Club
Length: Full Length (60 Minutes)
Cast: 2m
Audience: Contains adult subject matter and adult language
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Friday, January 17, 2025

Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me: A Play for Young Gay Audiences Finding Love

At Blue Dasher Press, we believe that stories have the power to transform lives, and few plays embody this belief as strongly as Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me by Wren Valentino. A poignant and heartfelt exploration of first love, identity, and the complexities of young gay relationships, this play has resonated with audiences across the country and continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many. For young gay individuals navigating the turbulence of adolescence and self-discovery, the play provides both validation and hope—showing that love is not only possible but beautiful and worth pursuing, even in the face of societal challenges.

The Story: A Love to Remember

At its core, Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me tells the story of two high school students who embark on a journey of discovery and intimacy. Johnny Ramirez, a bright and ambitious student, is selected to be the math tutor for Alex Wilde, a seemingly misunderstood and socially isolated peer. As they spend time together, they begin to form a bond that deepens into something much more powerful—an unexpected and tender first love.

Set against the backdrop of high school, a time fraught with confusion, self-doubt, and the yearning for acceptance, the play captures the raw emotions of falling in love for the first time. Johnny and Alex's relationship develops with a mixture of humor, vulnerability, and hesitation, reflecting the uncertainty many young gay individuals experience as they come to terms with their sexual orientation. The play offers a refreshing narrative that not only portrays the excitement and sweetness of a blossoming relationship but also the anxiety and fear of expressing one’s true self to the world.

"As a playwright, I wanted to create a story that reflects the joy and complexity of first love, especially for young people discovering who they are," says playwright Wren Valentino. "Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me is a celebration of vulnerability, tenderness, and the courage it takes to embrace love in all its forms. For those who see themselves in Johnny and Alex, I hope this play serves as a reminder that no matter the challenges, love is always worth seeking and always worth fighting for." 

Significance to Young Gay Audiences

For many young gay individuals, Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me is more than just a play—it's a mirror reflecting their own experiences, feelings, and dreams. The characters of Johnny and Alex are relatable and authentic, with their fears, desires, and joys mirroring those faced by countless young people discovering their identity and navigating the complexities of their first love.

The play speaks directly to the struggle of finding acceptance, both from others and from oneself. The awkwardness and uncertainty in Johnny and Alex's relationship are grounded in a universal experience for young people coming out—balancing the need for connection with the desire for personal safety. As Johnny and Alex venture into their love story, they not only confront their own feelings but also grapple with the societal pressures and expectations placed upon them as young gay individuals. In this way, the play serves as a beacon of hope for those who may feel isolated or afraid, showing them that love—genuine, tender, and transformative—is always worth pursuing, no matter the obstacles.

Additionally, the representation of diverse gay characters is critical for young gay audiences who often struggle to find themselves reflected in mainstream media. The characters of Johnny and Alex defy stereotypes, offering a refreshing departure from the traditional portrayals of gay characters. Through their nuanced and multi-dimensional personalities, the play highlights the beauty and complexity of young gay love, making it an essential work for audiences seeking to see their own experiences validated.

A History of Impact

Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me has had an impactful and diverse production history since its world premiere at Stage Q in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 22, 2006. Directed by Erik Weinke, this debut production was well-received and was selected to be part of the Queer Shorts Festival, highlighting its significance within the broader LGBTQ+ theatrical community.

The play's reach extended to New York, where it premiered at the 78th Street Theatre Lab in December 2007 as part of the Stage This, Too! festival. Directed by Jon Michael Murphy, this production featured Chris von Hoffmann as Alex and Bobby Abid as Johnny, capturing the tenderness of the characters' relationship with striking emotional depth. Later, in April 2008, Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me was performed at the Boston Center for the Arts, where it won the 2008 Slam Boston Award for Best Play, further solidifying its significance in the LGBTQ+ theatrical landscape.

Subsequent productions continued to bring the play to new audiences, including a second New York performance in 2010 at the Roy Arias Studio Theatres as part of the Short Play Lab. The play’s journey culminated with its official selection for the 2013 DC Queer Theatre Festival, where it was directed by Alvin Ford, further proving its enduring relevance to the queer community.

A Lasting Legacy

As Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me continues to be staged and celebrated in different regions, its impact on young gay audiences remains profound. The play is a reminder that love is universal, that coming out is a journey filled with both joy and fear, and that self-discovery is a beautiful, sometimes difficult process that deserves to be seen and celebrated. The play offers young gay people the opportunity to see themselves as the heroes of their own stories and reminds them that love, in all its forms, is worth cherishing.

For those of us at Blue Dasher Press, Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me represents more than just a theatrical production—it is a testament to the power of storytelling to shape and reflect the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth. Through the poignant and heartfelt journey of Johnny and Alex, the play gives voice to the emotions, struggles, and triumphs of young gay love, offering a sense of connection and belonging to all who watch.

If you haven't had the chance to experience Johnny Ramirez Really Wants to Kiss Me, we highly encourage you to seek it out. Whether on stage or in your own heart, Johnny and Alex’s story is one that stays with you long after the curtain falls.


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