Böcker av Melvyn Chase

Teachers of the Theatre Arts will find this unique collection of twelve one-act plays ideally suited for classes in acting and directing. Most of the pieces are two-handers, some serious, some comedic. By design, the format is simple and flexible, allowing for effective classroom performances without sets or props, and with a minimum of stage business. Importantly, each play can also serve as the foundation for a variety of creative interpretations-an excellent starting point for classroom discussions and critiques. Beyond the classroom, the collection is a valuable resource for community theater and off-Broadway groups planning an evening of one-act plays. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when theaters went dark, there were live readings of each of these plays on Zoom. Filling the gap, this online medium attracted playwrights, actors and audiences worldwide, from Europe and North America-via South Africa-all the way to New Zealand. Melvyn Chase wrote these plays for readings on Zoom. As a special feature, this collection also includes Chase's full-length drama, "Home Bodies," which had a live reading in Paris.

Lucas Murdoch isn't what he seems to be: a successful New York City salesman, retired at the age of 53, and searching for his roots in the quiet New England town of Pennington. But Lucas is a man with an obsession that governs everything he says and does. With subtle skill, he inserts himself into the lives of the townspeople, coldly analyzing the weaknesses of everyone he meets: Henry Smythe, a seminary drop-out who sees himself as the town's religious leader; Leo Sage, a loner with a mysterious past; Fay Geneen, a librarian who has learned to live without love; Sarge Schreiner, a policeman who had to leave the force; and Emily Schuyler Grant, the wealthy dowager who rules the town and her teen-aged granddaughter, Jeanette, with an iron hand. By the time he leaves Pennington, Lucas has forever changed their lives--and his.

Love: Tender. Spiritual. Lustful. Liberating. Suffocating. A different truth, a different quest for each of these lovers, dreamers and schemers. Katherine McKenzie, a young woman living in Boston in 1918, yearns for love but is afraid of it. When tragedy sets her adrift, she returns to her rural Kansas roots where she rediscovers her past and confronts her fears. In a second story, a lonely and discouraged man finds new hope in the mystical message of an inspired dreamer who reached for the heavens. Is music truly the food of love? A pair of cautionary tales warns that no matter how sweet the song, one must always ask, "e;Who is the singer?"e; The dark side of love lurks here too-in those who love only themselves and pay the price for their wicked dreams. And there is a bittersweet tale of love remembered on the threshold of death. The final pages, sadder still, speak of love forgotten when remembrance of things past has faded. These are eternal tales of Love-its many faces, its many meanings. Includes Readers Guide

It's the autumn of discontent for David Berger--a season of mixed emotions. Retired after a lucrative but unfulfilling career, he lives alone by choice in a modest, sparsely furnished cottage in affluent Fairfield, Connecticut. True, he's proud of finally becoming a published author--a lifelong dream--although he will admit good-naturedly that fame has eluded him. True, he still loves his wife, Mandy--but a decade ago, a tragic loss drove them apart. And now he watches with regret as their married son, Philip, is manipulated by a possessive, mercenary wife. Still, David hasn't lost his sense of humor or his humanity. And he is determined to transform his autumn into spring--to reignite his romance with Mandy and rebuild their relationship with Philip. Surprisingly, the key to this transformation is a new friend, a fascinating, audacious, unpredictable lesbian author who insists on being the Muse for his latest novel. With her prodding encouragement, David's book leads him on an intense, emotional journey through the sometimes funny, sometimes sad memories of his life and loves toward a better new day. After a thirty-five-year career in public relations, MELVYN CHASE Chase retired from corporate life, but continued to work as a consultant. He also began to write fiction. In 2005, Sunstone Press published his first collection of short stories, THE TERMINAL PROJECT AND OTHER VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY--a finalist in the 2007 New Mexico Book Awards--and in 2008, his first novel, THE WINGTHORN ROSE. Chase was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a B.A. in English Literature at Brooklyn College and an M.A. at New York University. He and his wife, a retired editor and publicist, live in suburban Connecticut, only a short drive from their son and daughter and four grandchildren.

Lucas Murdoch isn't what he seems to be: a successful New York City salesman, retired at the age of 53, and searching for his roots in the quiet New England town of Pennington. But Lucas is a man with an obsession that governs everything he says and does.

A weekend vacation rekindles the joy and pain of youth. A search for historical truth reveals a hundred-year-old secret. A quest for new life redefines loneliness. A search for meaning unlocks the awesome power of a single word. A decades-long Cold War in the vast reaches of space suddenly heats up. A New Garden of Eden unleashes a new kind of Serpent. A mournful journey becomes the beginning of hope. These are some of the stories, some of the voyages, some of the discoveries, in this collection by Melvyn Chase. Sometimes you will travel no further than the next town. Sometimes the journey will take you far across the reaches of time and space. But don't be too sure that you know where you are headed. Your destination may not be what it seems to be. And getting there is all about discovery.