Writer

Alex McFarlane: Playwright “Throughout my long career I have progressed from sculpture, to industrial construction to narrative painting. Given the source of my inspiration in the visual arts, it is not surprising that my next step was to explore the world of theater. In the last ten years, I've written a number of plays, from short one act plays to full length three act plays. They tend to be humorous and satirical in nature- in my first play, 'Birds Should Fly Free', a parrot became the president of the United States. The play appeared in the 2014 NY International Fringe Festival and received a featured article in the NY Times theater section. 'Alex' was performed at the 2016 Thespis New York Theater Festival, 'The Annual' was performed at the 2017 New York Take Ten Festival, 'Janet & Joyce' was performed at the 2018 Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival, 'BIG BROTHER, mon amour' was performed at the Summerfest 2019 New York Theater Festival and 'Edwin Farnsworth' was performed at the 2020 Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival".

Birds should Fly Free Polly wants more than a cracker. Megalomania erupts when the line between animals and humans is blurred. Can we all get along together or will the law of the jungle prevail? When a Harvard scientist dies mysteriously in her home and her constant companion Alex – an acronym for Avian Learning Experiment – is missing, the fun begins. This dark comedy boldly goes where no humanity has gone before.

Alex A Harvard educated parrot? Yes, but it’s a real parrot. No longer animal, yet not quite human, Alex wants more than a cracker and will do anything to escape from his ivory tower jail. Using his newly acquired skills, Alex plots a strategy that boldly goes where no parrot had gone before. Discover how devious and treacherous academia can be. It’s the law of the jungle all over again.

The Annual We’ve all had to deal with someone like Leo Schlemowitz. He has an obsessive need to engage and entertain anyone he meets, even during his annual physical. The overwhelming urge to tell jokes and make people laugh masks a deep-seated insecurity. His obsession reaches a crescendo during the examination. At that moment, Dr. Carson Rutherford McKenzie takes charge.

Janet & Joyce Janet and Joyce are a mother and daughter who actually like each other. During a memorial service for a loved one, their mixed-up understanding of sex, gender, family relations and religion is revealed. Intimate feelings and unexpected confessions rise to the surface. Blood is thicker than water, but it may not be the case when “mummy” confesses her deepest secret.

Big Brother, mon amour During the latter stages of a totalitarian regime, Joseph Blank is torn between his bureaucratic position of authority and technological advances that threaten to topple his domain. His frustration is compounded by the regime’s unique method of insuring its own survival. The resolution is unexpected, but when it happens, it is obvious because nothing ever changes.

Edwin Farnsworth Do you love him or do you hate him? He has done everything he was brought up to do. He has obeyed all the rules of his childhood, but he finds that his training and his status in American culture have been slowly eroded. It’s easy to sympathize with Jeremiah Blackwell Washington, the steward at his club, but can we sympathize with Edwin Farnsworth?

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