I’ve had sixteen plays produced since 1991. I have another half dozen that are in various states of completion. Some of them may be finished some day but it’s probably best that a couple of them stay hidden. ? Below are descriptions of the plays that have had at least one production. If you’re interested in learning more about any of them please click on the title to go to a page dedicated to that script. There you can learn more about plot, cast size, production history and in most cases even read a bit of the script. For production rights to any of my plays please contact me at charlierhindress[at]hotmail[dot]com.
GUILTY! THE STORY OF THE GREAT AMHERST MYSTERY (1991, revised 1993) A historical thriller based on the true story of Esther Cox, a young woman who became the centre of a series of paranormal events in the late 19th century.
ELVIS PRESLEY IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN SACKVILLE (1992) In this musical comedy aliens revive Elvis and bring him back to Sackville, New Brunswick. (Not currently available for production.)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens (1992) A modern comedic version of Dickens’ classic holiday story.
IT’S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS (1993) A mash up of many of the world’s best loved Christmas stories, including It’s a Wonderful Life, The Little Match Girl, A Charlie Brown Christmasand more. (Not currently available for production.)
GATES MOTEL (1994) A loving parody of Psycho that mixes big frights with big laughs.
UNDER THE NIGHT with composer/lyricist Dean Burry. (1996) This original musical about werewolves is part supernatural thriller and part love story.
THE MARITIME WAY OF LIFE (1997, revised 1999) A dark comedy that satirizes countless stereotypes about “the maritime way of life.” My most produced play.
FLYING ON HER OWN featuring the songs of Rita MacNeil (2000, revised 2004) A musical drama based on the life of one of Canada’s most beloved singer-songwriters, Rita MacNeil.
HOME AND AWAY with composer/lyricist Dean Burry (2003) A musical which uses the structure of a hockey game to tell the story of a family and their relationship to Canada’s national game.
THE HEART THAT KNOWS with composer/lyricist Dean Burry (adapted from the novel by Charles G.D. Roberts) (2008) A historical musical based on Charles G. D. Roberts’ most famous novel. The play is a love story set in late 19th Century New Brunswick during the golden age of sail.
IVOR JOHNSON’S NEIGHBOURS based on the novel by Bruce Graham (2009) A character driven comedy about small town Nova Scotia, set in the 1950’s.
BOO (2009) A one man show developed with Daniel MacIvor which tells the story of a man’s midlife crisis. Part fairy-tale and part comedic drama.
MAKING CONTACT (2013) A romantic comedy about two fifty-somethings, an astrophysicist who worked at Area 51 and a failed hockey star, who went to high school together but whose lives have taken very different paths in the intervening thirty years.
SELFIE with original songs by Alex Rhindress (2015) This play commissioned by Neptune Theatre for Grade 7-12 students explores the effects of social media on a teenage girl who feels she doesn’t fit in.
READER BE THOU ALSO READY based on the novel by Robert James (2015) This historical thriller tells the true story of the unsolved murder of Sackville resident, William Fawcett, in 1832.
THE WAR OF CONDITIONING (March 2019) A family dramedy set in a parallel universe where everything that we consider “normal” is turned on its head. (Not currently available for production.)
You will notice that I have written three musicals with Dean Burry. Dean is now a very successful opera composer, although I suspect we will someday co-write more musicals. If you’d like to know more about Dean you can check out his website here.
I also want to give a big shout out to Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre, an organization that has been invaluable in the development of a number of my plays. If you’re an aspiring Atlantic Canadian playwright I would strongly suggest you check them out and join the organization.