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"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 COLD RAIN, of SYD, or of BRUTE FARCE, please visit NEXT STAGE PRESS. Licensing and royalty information for all other works are available upon request through CRAIG HOUK directly.

Very happy to announce the publication of LOU's "Peanut M&Ms" monologue from my one act play, RADIATOR, 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. And a very special thank you to the enormously gifted Debbie Lamedman for her ongoing dedication to and support of playwrights.

Joshua Prescott as André Cooper and Matty Griffiths as Lou Brunazzi

Additionally, from the very questionable mind of Craig Houk and inspired by the very true events of a woman who was stalked and ultimately fed on by a very large black bear in the very small mountain community of Downieville, California, comes… BIG BASTARD.

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 more recent works include THE RELUCTANT HEN, HERB CLEARY MEANT NO HARM, COOLER, and LOST SOLE. LOST IN PLACE: RHONDA & DANIELLE 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 will have 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.

ARTISTIC STATEMENT

While my writing has been generously compared to Pinter, Beckett, Albee, Shaffer and even 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 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.

Purchase

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.

Purchase

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.

Purchase

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.

Purchase

Lost In Place: Rhonda & Danielle 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.

Purchase

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.

Purchase

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.