Daniel Guyton



Full-Length Plays





On this page, you will find information on all of the full-length plays written by Daniel Guyton. First, you will see poster art. Below that are the descriptions of each. Please click any image or description for more details.



01


The Darker Places Trilogy




4M,2F (or 3M,3F). Full-Length (90 min). A collection of 3 one-act plays about William, a troubled teenager, boy, and man, as he descends further and further into madness. Each act takes place in a separate room in William's house, and symbolically, his mind. The titles are ATTIC, BASEMENT and CRAWLSPACE.

  • ATTIC won the Kennedy Center/ACTF Short Play award, 2004

"If you like psychological thrillers, you REALLY need to see THE DARKER PLACES TRILOGY. With a tight script by Daniel Guyton, spectacular direction by David Crowe, and an amazing, talented cast. I was blown away." (Rachel Jones, The Alliance Theatre, 2012)


For more information, please click here.


02


I'm Not Gay!




6M,1F. Full-Length (80 min). Gary is a homophobe. The play explores his prejudices in one of the funniest, most shocking tragedies of all time. Loved and hated by critics across the globe, this play nearly caused someone to choke to death on opening night in Iceland. Some say it was from laughter. Others say it was the bile in the back of her throat. Regardless, you'll never forget the experience as Gary tries to prove how "not gay" he truly is. Mature audiences only.

  • Winner of the Best Comedy Award from Author’s Playhouse New Author Festival, 2005

"Artistically flawed... morally repugnant... I'M NOT GAY! [belongs in] a category of its own - the theatre of the obnoxious." (Grant Tyler Peterson, offoffonline.com, 2005)


For more information, please click here.


03


The Legend of Steel City: A Steampunk Adventure




6M.4F. Full-length (2 hrs). When a metal shortage threatens the infrastructure of the mythical land of Steel City, scientist Isabella McGleetch goes on a quest for the infamous Brass Banyan - a tree that grows as solid brass. Meanwhile, a group of political dissidents and saboteurs have been disrupting the daily life of the city, and making things very different for Mayor Gunson - a half-man, half-machine dictator whom the citizens fear.

  • Semi-Finalist - AACT NewPlayFest, 2018

Unproduced


04


The Mother of God Visits Hell




7M,7F (flexible gender). Full Length (90 min), Based on a poem described in The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and written in rhyming Iambic pentameter. The Virgin Mary travels to hell to comfort the souls in torment. While there, she condemns her own soul to save those of all mankind - much to God's dismay. What erupts is a war between Heaven and Hell, with all of our souls in the balance.

  • Winner of the Helen-Jean Play Contest Literary Creativity Award, 2015
  • Honorable Mention in Triad Shakes New Play Competition, 2017
  • Official Selection of Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, AK, 2014
  • Semi-Finalist in the Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship, 2014

"THE MOTHER OF GOD VISITS HELL has my strongest recommendation. It holds out the hope that American playwrights will move above realism. What's more, Mr. Guyton's talents as a poet and a dramatist are stellar, and the script is a model for other dramatists." (Steve Capra, The Living Theatre in NYC, 2009)


For more information, please click here.


05


Three Ladies of Orpington




2M,3F. Full-length. Story idea by L Marcus Williams. Three high-borne women in Victorian Era England must face a brutal reality when the patriarch of the family passes away, leaving them with no money and with little hope for the future. When a strange man appears at the doorway, it seems that hope may be restored. Or will it?

  • Winner of 7 Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre Awards for Best Overall Performance of a Play, Best Director, Best Ensemble Acting, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Costume Design, and Best Lighting Design, 2018
  • Top Ten Semifinalist in Stanley Drama Award Competition, 2017
  • Finalist in Kitchen Dog Theatre's New Works Festival, 2017

"THREE LADIES OF ORPINGTON brings belly laughs in a smart, poignant small cast play. It has all the fun of The Importance of Being Earnest, but with a little fantasy, a little sex, and much more empowered women. I highly recommend this for open-minded groups who want to work on a challenging and hilarious play." (Joelle Re Arp Dunham, Circle Ensemble Theatre, 2018)


For more information, please click here.


06


We reckon: a southern chronicle of 2020




2M,2F. Full length (90 min). Co-written with Hank Kimmel, Amina McIntyre, Maranda DeBusk, Mia Kristin Smith, Stefnie Cerny, Bridgette Burton and LaDonna Williams. This is a devised play based on interviews with over 30 southerners about their life experiences during the chaotic year of 2020. The interviews and play cover topics such as Covid-19, George Floyd, the presidential election, and many other life experiences that occurred during 2020.


Produced by Out of Hand Theatre in Atlanta, GA 2021


Article by Broadway World Atlanta, 2021



07



Where's Julie?





5M,4F. Full length (90 min), 15-year old Julie runs away from home to escape her abusive father, her delusional mother, and her autistic younger brother, only to find herself "knocked up" by her drug dealing boyfriend, harassed by her selfish older sister, and shunned by her Born-Again Christian friend. But, when she contemplates abortion, that's when the play gets really funny. Mature audiences only.

  • Winner of Kennedy Center/ACTF Region II Playwriting Award, 2001
  • Winner of Northwest Zone High School Drama Festival's Best Production, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Sound Awards, 2008

"Daniel Guyton has done a fantastic job of creating likeable characters out of what may at first appear to be less than desirable stereotypes. WHERE'S JULIE? may at times be offensive, crass, and in your face. But that’s the point. Sometimes life is exactly that. If you only take one thing away from this performance, let it be this: sometimes life can be downright miserable, but there’s always room for laughter if we don’t take ourselves too seriously... If you like dark, offensive comedy (think South Park or Family Guy), with a good deal of wit and character, then this is your kind of theater!" (Richard Sagendorf, Mostly Harmless Productions, 2012)


For more information, please click here.



08


YOUR PRIVILEGE IS SHOWING




5M,5F,1T. Full length (120 min), A gay, black inner-city detective arrives at a rural ski resort for some much-needed R&R, but instead discovers racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, sexual assault and murder. Can he figure out whodunit before there's another victim?

  • Winner of International Independent Film Festival Feature Script Award, 2023
  • Winner of New York International Film Awards Best Dark Comedy Script, 2024
  • Winner of Los Angeles Film Awards Best Dark Comedy Screenplay, 2024
  • Winner of Thing in the Basement Horror Fest Best Mystery Screenplay, 2024
  • Ranked 92/100 at Georgia Comedy Film Festival, 2024

"This script is so artfully done. The comedy moments are smashed right up against the discomfort and disgusting moments." (Chris Kuebler, Merely Writers, 2023)​


For more information, please click here.




Daniel Guyton