"Craig's work never fails to surprise and delight me. He crafts some dark and often unsettling worlds populated with some of the most delightfully unlikable characters. Despite the darkness, he still finds humanity in his characters, opening them up for both our censure and our empathy. Similar to Pinter and Beckett (though far more approachable), Craig's plays capitalize just as often on silence as they do bombast, utilizing the theatrical space (and the spaces between) in unexpected ways to build tension and disarm the audience. If you find the darker side of life delicious, then look no further." -Eric Webb, Dramaturg and Director of Creative Development at The TheaterMakers Studio
By downloading any of the plays below, you hereby acknowledge that Craig Houk is the sole owner of all rights in and to these plays. None of these plays may be produced or reproduced in whole or in part unless permission is granted by the playwright or his designated agents. For License Application & Fees Information or to Purchase a Copy of Brute Farce, of Syd, of Cooler, or of Cold Rain, please visit NEXT STAGE PRESS. Licensing and royalty information for all other works are available upon request through CRAIG HOUK directly. 
Thrilled to announce that my original two-act play, COOLER, will receive its world premiere production with Lab Theater Project as part of their 10th Anniversary Season. 
A very special thank you to Owen Robertson for his incredible support. And so excited to have Katie Calahan at the helm, directing! The stellar cast will include Jason Hoolihan as Jack Dunn, Kyle Stone as Wade Henry and Denise Mestanza-Taylor as Delia Sabatini/Judith Williams.
May 15th, 2025 through June 1st, 2025
LAB Theater Project
812 E Henderson Ave, Tampa, FL 33602
​TICKETS
​​​Excited to announce that two monologues from SYD will be included in Smith & Kraus's The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2025 and The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2025. Thank you to Gene Kato (Next Stage Press) and to Owen Robertson (Lab Theater Project) for their incredible support.
 
Additionally, Lou's "Peanut M&Ms" monologue from RADIATOR is now available for purchase as part of Smith & Kraus's The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2024. ​Thank you to the Anacostia Playhouse for including RADIATOR in their 2023 Theater After Dark/Art All Night program. Thank you also to Joshua Prescott (André Cooper) and Matty Griffiths (Lou Brunazzi) for sharing their time and talents. 

​And a very special thank you to the enormously gifted Debbie Lamedman for her ongoing dedication to and support of playwrights. 
BIO
Craig Houk is an award-winning DC based Playwright and proud Dramatists Guild Member.  He is also a Producer, Actor & Director. Houk’s plays include Cold Rain (published by Next Stage Press, winner “Best Drama” and “Best of Festival” at Capital Fringe 2018), Syd (published by Next Stage Press), Brute Farce (published by Next Stage Press, 2021 The Loom New Works Festival Finalist, 2022 Dominion Stage Playwrighting Competition Full Length Winner), Lost In Place Anthology (2022 Dominion Stage Playwrighting Competition One-Act Honorable Mention), and Radiator (2020 Dominion Stage Playwrighting Competition One-Act Honorable Mention). His other works include Cooler, Herb Cleary Meant No Harm, The Reluctant Hen, Big Bastard, Lost Sole, Dinner Dance, and Old Money. Lost In Place: Rhonda & Danielle (now titled The Corpse Flower) has been included in Smith & Kraus’s “The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2022”. Brute Farce has two monologues included in Smith & Kraus’s “Best Women's Stage Monologues” and “Best Men’s Stage Monologues” 2023. Radiator has one monologue included in Smith & Kraus's "Best Men's Stage Monologues" 2024. Many of Houk’s plays can be found at The Drama Book Shop in New York City. 
ARTIST STATEMENT
While my writing has been generously compared to Pinter, Beckett, Albee, Shaffer, Shepard and the Coen brothers (all have greatly influenced my work), I am neither profound nor prolific. I describe my style as dynamic realism, wherein my works are generally rooted in reality, but I’m always trying to push beyond that, to challenge it, to redefine it. I don’t want the audience to settle in, I want them to buckle up. As a rule, I write to entertain. And in the process, I do my best to write strong characters with compelling stories to tell, characters that actors might yearn to play, and stories that audiences might yearn to see and hear. ​
MESSAGE TO MY FELLOW ARTISTS
Find your safe space and tuck in tightly, because safe spaces are in very short supply these days. We live in a world where you’re no longer measured by your accomplishments or by what you’ve done to elevate your fellow creatives, but rather defined solely (and harshly) by your missteps. Challenging others is off limits. Admitting your errors, making amends, or striving to mature in an effort to stay relevant and engaged are no longer options. None of that is enough, not anymore, because any minor stumble, real or perceived, will assuredly seal your fate. So, please take care of yourself first and foremost. Be authentic, be kind, stay as grounded as you can, and have faith that those who know and love you best will stay aligned. The rest of it doesn’t matter.​
Next Stage Press Podcast - Episode 35 - On Location in Tampa/St. Petersburg
Gene is on location in Florida with Next Stage Press playwrights Owen Robertson, Craig Houk, and Doug DeVita discussing Lab Theatre Project and celebrating the World Premiere of FABLE at FreeFall Theatre
Next Stage Press - Episode 22 - Craig Houk
Gene talks to Washington D.C. playwright Craig Houk about his plays COLD RAIN, SYD, and BRUTE FARCE.
Enter "N/A" if not applicable. 
NOTE: To License Brute Farce, Syd​, Cooler, or Cold Rain, please visit Next Stage Press.
Brute Farce is available for purchase and licensing through Next Stage Press. 
​
Synopsis: Four vengeful, narcissistic actors, with the assistance of a brutish stage manager and a cynical stagehand, abduct and hold captive a theater critic notorious for shutting down productions and ending careers through his malicious reviews. To confound matters, they intend to carry their plan out during a performance of a show they’re all currently appearing in. Less than an hour before the curtain is due to rise, their scheme begins to quickly unravel as we discover that none of the conspirators are familiar with the actual plan or its designed outcome. Brute Farce is a satirical commentary on the perpetually symbiotic, oftentimes dysfunctional, and occasionally turbulent relationship between actors and reviewers.
Syd is available for purchase and licensing through Next Stage Press. 
​
Synopsis: Years before the horrific mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, thirty-two men perished in an arson attack at a gay bar in New Orleans on June 24, 1973, a fire set by one of their own. On that same evening, Sydney “Syd” Trahan, a young nursing student, is taken into custody for dancing at Brady’s, a notorious lesbian bar in the French Quarter nearby.  Immediately following her arrest, Syd’s parents, Bud and Helen, struggle to gain control over their lives and to restore normalcy.  At the same time, their neighbors, Beau and Beverly Larson, are hiding their own dark secrets that intertwine with both the fire and Syd’s arrest.  While Syd demands the chance to be the person she’s meant to be, the Trahans and Larsons are forced to face the truth.
Cold Rain is available for purchase and licensing through Next Stage Press. 
​
Synopsis: Carly Weekes and her sisters, Lolly and Shirley, are witches. Determined to find Carly a mate, the three cast a circle to summon a popular recording artist from Colorado. However, Shirley casts what appears to be a dubious and deadly spell. Worried that Carly and her new family might now be cursed, Lolly endeavors to reverse the hex, but fails, resulting in her expulsion to an alternate world. Years later, the Pacheco twins mysteriously drown. The case goes cold, but many believe Carly’s oldest son, Johnny, is responsible. Cold Rain is an account of a family bound by black magic, a dark and comical tale of ill-conceived machinations, misdirected resentment, and repressed desire.​
Cooler is available for purchase and licensing through Next Stage Press. 
​
Synopsis: Oscar winner, Jack Dunn, returns to Connecticut after being gone for nearly four years in McGrath, Alaska. His closest friend, Wade Henry, also an award-winning actor, has something Jack wants. After a long evening of drinking and poker with their pals, Jack and Wade, both eager to cement their legacies, face off one last time. Or so it seems.  
Lost In Place: Rhonda & Danielle (now titled The Corpse Flower) is available for purchase as part of Smith & Kraus's The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2022.
​
Synopsis: Two or more years into a world-wide pandemic, next door neighbors, Rhonda and Danielle, gossip with one another while dealing with the loss of their significant others. ​
Deirdre's Monolgue from Brute Farce is available for purchase as part of Smith & Kraus's The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2023.
​
Synopsis: Production Stage Manager, Deirdre Shepherd, is just about to announce “places” before walking into the disastrous aftermath of an entire cast that has turned on one another.​
Killian's Monolgue from Brute Farce is available for purchase as part of Smith & Kraus's The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2023.
​
Synopsis: Killian Black is shocked to discover that none of the other actors are familiar with his plan to murder Alistair McHugh, a theatre critic from the Daily Telegraph, during a production of the play they’re all currently appearing in.
Lou's Monolgue from RADIATOR is available for purchase as part of Smith & Kraus's The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2024.
​
Synopsis: Lou Brunazzo, with his customary offbeat sense of humor, opens up to his neighbor about his need for solitude.