(Note: As a playwright, I write under the penname Simone Marie Martelle)
FULL-LENGTHS
Mouse in the Wall (One Act) After a couple loses their child at birth, they struggle to put their lives (and their relationship) back together.
Damaged (Two Acts) Fine wine, finger foods and silly affairs: this is what occupies the lives of Richard and Kathy as they entertain friends for their own self-interests. Meanwhile upstairs, a secret will fester and grow, threatening to leave nothing left but stale appetizers.
The Three Bears (Two Acts) “What’s For Dinner…?” Set in a remote French village, The Three Bears follows the spiraling disintegration of an American ex-pat family struggling to do the right thing: stick it out for the kid.
…Pro Patria Mori (Three Acts) is about a soldier at war; a sister protesting and asks: what happens when a family member becomes the enemy? Is it possible to separate the personal and the political? …Pro Patria Mori follows a Midwestern family as they are torn apart by their beliefs and actions concerning war.
Kill is collection of monologues that explore the act of killing in deadly conflicts around the world.
Shorts
Fugue for the Condemned chronicles the final minutes before the execution of a guilty man.
Adieu my Sunshine now turned into a full-length play (Mouse in the Wall)
Runs in the Family explores what happens when parents discover their only son is a rapist.
Le Café Américain is about the encounter of an expat American and an old man and an exploration of patriotism, imperialism and the loneliness of human beings.
Why Not is an adaptation of Camus’ ‘L’Etranger.‘
Not Figs is inspired by the Netherlandish Proverb from Bruegel’s painting.
371 Days is a little girl's monologue telling the devastating story of her father’s return home after fighting in the war.
We Wait a short play about love, marriage and the end of the world.
L’Esprit de Porphyria is an abstract piece adapted from Robert Browning’s poem and inspired by Carolyn Carlson’s choreography.
Screenplays
Leaving Wadena is set in the dead of winter, in cold snow-covered Minnesota. When Margaret, a middle-aged housewife, gets a glimpse of life outside Wadena, MN, she decides to leave her husband and try to start over in the big city.
“… She is a wonderful, disciplined, hard working writer… Her plays are emotionally honest, ambitious, and full of political consciousness and a sense of humanity….At the root of her work there is a theme that explores the dynamic of authoritarianism, in personal and political life, it’s an authentic exploration that reaches to every level, emotional, intellectual and historical. I believe that she will continue to blossom, and greatly deserves recognition and support.”
“Simone Marie Martelle’s writing combines subtlety, ruthlessness and humor. Simone isn’t afraid to let her characters be cruel and loving to each other at the same time. She writes with real complexity. Her characters are funny one moment and brutal the next. Her structures turn on a dime between a traditional structure and a theatrical one. Simone doesn’t shy from complicated characters, real conflict and she also has a great sense of humor.”
“I have been honored to work with Simone; she is incredibly talented, intelligent, motivated, and generous… She considers the cost of seeing something onstage and continually plays with different styles in order to investigate theatricality…. Simone is always incredibly involved and present with her productions, and I really admire that she directs her own work. She can switch from playwright to director seamlessly; she is very humble. Simone is open and collaborative with the entire cast and creative team. Her tireless dedication to the theatre and her incredible focus leads to very rigorous rehearsals. I always look forward to working with Simone; she is patient, professional, and poised.”