Synopsis: John Doe, a gun salesman, arrives home to find his ten year old son, Johnny, already back from school and playing on the living room floor. Johnny tells his father that something "sad" has happened, but he can't remember what it is.

He tells John about a boy who was shot to death at school the week before. As he relates the story of the shooting and reconstructs his day-and as John explains the gun-happy family's own version of the "birds and the bees" -- Johnny remembers that his brother Jay has been "stung."

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". . . in heightened dialogue reminiscent of Pinter, Dorf shows quite effectively how a parent's attitudes can influence a child without either of them knowing it . . . The most interesting and stimulating work [of the evening]."
- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Premiere One-Act Festival starts off with a bang with Jonathan Dorf's Foreplay . . ."
- Buzz Weekly (Los Angeles, CA)

A portion of Play's End may be read by clicking on the "Read It Now" button above. To obtain a complete reading copy, please see the Contact Information on this page.

Contact information:
Amateur and Professional Rights:
YouthPLAYS
7119 W Sunset Blvd #390
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Ph: 424-703-5315
E-mail: info@youthplays.com
Publisher's website: www.youthplays.com

About the Playwright: Jonathan Dorf has had his plays produced across the United States, as well as in several foreign countries, including stagings of his work by Walnut Street Theatre, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Ensemble Studio Theatre - LA and the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Mr. Dorf is the co-chair of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, the former managing director of the Philadelphia Dramatists Center and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. He has also written several produced short screenplays and a number of feature scripts.

In addition to writing for stage and screen, he serves as the resident playwriting expert for Final Draft: he created "Ask the Expert" Playwriting for their scriptwriting software and also writes a column about playwriting for their website. He is resident playwriting expert for The Writers Store, for whom he created Playwriting 101.com, and he also contributes regularly to their e-zine. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a degree in dramatic writing and literature and holds an MFA in playwriting from UCLA. He is available to playwrights and screenwriters as a script consultant.

Play's End was first produced under the title Foreplay at the Brick Playhouse, Philadelphia.