Synopsis: (From The Herald-Dispatch [Huntington, W.V.]): "A political farce that follows the lives of two rural Kentucky State Senate candidates, one Republican and one Democrat, forced to pool their resources and travel the campaign trail together.

"Two rural senate candidates, a Republican and a Democrat, are waiting on the endorsement of a legendary congressman whose seal of approval will push the election to one side or another. Then there is a twist. The Republican congressman is the father of the Democratic candidate and the best friend of the Republican candidate. Fed up with what politics has turned into and of what both of them are doing, he arranges for them to pool all of their resources and to travel to all of the outlying counties together. He will endorse the one who he feels has learned his lesson.

"There is, of course, a woman involved, and the two candidates wind up competing for her affection, the election, and for power in general. Like the Bush and Gore battle of 2000, a lot of drama takes place at two lecterns. The play, which uses minimal sets, also takes place at the Republican candidate's office, a bar that the Democrat hangs out, a diner and the candidates' hotel room, which they also have to share."

About the Playwright: Jonathan Joy is theatre artist-in-residence at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky. Annually, he works with over two thousand students (K-12) in educational theatre classes at the Paramount and at the Huntington Museum of Art and Huntington Renaissance Center in Huntington, West Virginia. His first play, Simply Selma, was published in 2003 by the One Act Play Depot. A Match Made in Heaven is now available at Brooklyn Publishers. His full length, American Standard, won two regional awards for playwriting including the 2003 Wallace E. Knight Excellence in Writing Award. His written work will also be included in three upcoming theatre books: Millennium Monologues 2, Shakespeare Festivals Around the World, and 60 Seconds to Glory: 220 Monologues for Women. His new play, The Princess of Rome, Ohio, was a 2004 Finalist for the Seven Devils Playwriting Conference in McCall, Idaho and a Semi-Finalist at the Dayton Playhouse Futurefest. Professional acting and directing credits include work with the Phoenix Theatre Circle in Columbus, Ohio; Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk, Virginia; Huntington Rep in Huntington, West Virginia; and the Backstage Players in Ashland, Kentucky. Since 1998, Mr. Joy has served as Director/Manager of Free Spirit Productions, a regional theatre troupe located in Kentucky and West Virginia. He holds an MA in English (Drama/Creative Writing emphasis) and a BFA in Theatre (Acting/Directing emphasis) both from Marshall University, where he is currently an adjunct professor teaching Theatre Appreciation.

American Standard was first produced by Free Spirit Productions at the Joan C. Edwards Center for the Performing Arts, Huntington, West Virginia in 2002.