Gary Corbin, Author at Gary Corbin Writing

MacBeth: A Dark Retelling

This “dark retelling” of the Bard’s classic is an uncomfortable look into the Macbeth story with a stark examination of domestic abuse and the culture that supports it. In a world not too unfamiliar with our own, Lady Macbeth strives to make the best of her unfortunate position, a woman locked in a society that…

Prefacing

Jane has an unconscious verbal tic that drives her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend, Mort, over the edge. Way, way over the edge. Length: 7 pages Cast size: 1M, 1W Production History: “Prefacing” was workshopped as part of the PDX Playwrights “Daisy Dukes Shorts Nights” during the 2016 Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, with two performances, all at…

Building Blocks

Abe and Maude have broken up, gotten back together, and now aren’t sure where they stand. Over a game of Jenga, they discover a new way forward. Length: 7 pages Cast size: 1M, 1W Production History: “Building Blocks” was workshopped as part of the PDX Playwrights “Daisy Dukes Shorts Nights” during the 2016 Fertile Ground…

Family Hardware

Finalist, 2019 New Comedy Festival, B Street Theatre, Sacramento, CA Willy is a man of a certain age, who has largely lost interest in sex. His younger wife Katherine’s appetite is as voracious as ever. When Willy’s doctor, Kyle Warren, informs him that his heart is no longer healthy enough for sex, Katherine convinces him…

Let’s make Umpqua the last one.

Heartbreaking. Sickening. Twisted. Sad. Another mass shooting – this one, close to home. A shooter has killed at least seven and wounded another 20 or so at Umpqua Community College in southern Oregon today. No reports yet explain why, or who did it, or who the victims are. I don’t need reports to explain why….

Pride goeth before the curtain

Tonight I’m attending a read-thru of my new (draft) play for Fertile Ground. It’s the second time in less than a week, and if this one goes like the first, a talented, experienced group of actors will ready my unfinished script and give me critical feedback. Probably very critical. I can’t wait. Some playwrights hesitate…

The City Club’s Street Fee Report

A committee of the City Club of Portland has released a report outlining the City of Portland’s dire need for street maintenance and repair funding, with funding recommendations that include a gas tax and a mix of other fees and reprogrammed revenues. The full membership will debate and vote on the report Friday, September 11,…

Lessons 14 and 15: Keep telling your story

I’ve spent a good part of the last decade or two helping people improve the technical quality of their writing, be it a novel, memoir, technical document or even just a chart or graph. Elsewhere on this website, you can download my top 13 tips to fix mistakes that good writers make and benefit from…

Welcome to my new site!

Welcome to Gary Corbin Writing! On this site, I’ll post articles, news and updates about my writing endeavors, be they of a technical, stage, narrative or other form. I’ll also post occasional bits about any other creative work I do, like acting or directing, or any cool projects I’m working on. If you like the…

KleptoFamilia

This family will steal your heart – and maybe your wallet. Cate, a divorced middle-aged woman, is in desperate financial straits – not only from her divorce, but from bailing herself and her daughter out of jail for stealing. Her control-freak boyfriend Edgar wants to take their relationship to the next level, but he’s too…

Happy Anniversary

Robert and Beth meet for dinner on the first, fifth, and tenth anniversaries – of their divorce. Still civil – though just barely – the couple tries to salvage a friendship from the ashes of their ruined marriage. Arguments over the choice of wine, whether to share their food and Robert’s playboy past turn the…

Threshold, by Redmond Reams

Exploring the world outside the safety of our families is one of the most exciting and scary activities we do. Threshold explores how it is for Mark, a five year-old boy previously abused as a baby in his birth home who found safety in a loving adoptive family at age 1. Mark is terrified of…

Papacino’s

What if family planning clinics were run like coffee shops? When a young woman finds an unusual clinic on the internet, she discovers that counselors act like baristas, her boyfriend is a regular customer, and pregnancy is just another item on a complex menu. Script length: 10 minutes Cast size: 2W, 1M Production History: Performed…

Lady .38

Veronica Dupree (Alyssa Roehrenbeck) is a down on her luck female detective in the 1940s. Will she sink or swim with the help of her long-time beau Eddie (Philip De Lorenzo), and friends, Dutch (John Branch), and the lovely Angela Wickfield (Lindsay Dibben)? With only a day to figure it out, Veronica must prove her…

The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa

An immigrant family struggles with assimilation and cultural identity in a California border town. “Gary Corbin’s cameo as a police officer makes the humor in this 45-year-old play seem fresh.” – Allison Hallet, Portland Mercury Role: La Jura (The Policeman) Author: Luis Diaz Director: Olga Sanchez Production Company: Miracle Theater Venue: Miracle Theater Performance Dates:…

Wit

In this Pulitzer-prize willing play, Vivian Bearing, Ph.D., expert on the brilliant and difficult metaphysical sonnets of John Donne, has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. During the course of her illness, Vivian comes to reassess her life and work with a profundity and humor that are transformative. Role: Dr. Kelekian/Mr. Bearing Author: Margaret Edson…

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