DESTINATION MOON
A young woman forms a relationship with a disembodied voice in the night; a veteran late-night radio personality. Music by John C. O'Leary.
NEW WORKS FOR THE STAGE BY JOSEPH REED HAYES
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BUCKET BOY
BUCKET BOY
A storyteller returns to her home town to recapture a relationship with the girl she loved in high school ... a relationship that may or may not have ever existed. Music by Mark Feinman.
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TOM WAITS FOR NO MAN: the ballad of bobby ace
Tom Waits For No Man
Bobby Ace; semi-professional third-rate road musician half-way between last call and last chance, playing the songs of Tom Waits in seedy saloons and half-empty roadhouses.
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SOLOS
Solos
A play about love, deception, the hardships and joys of the jazz existence and the fabulous, always-changing life of the music itself. Winner, BroadwayWorld Orlando Best Lead Actress in a Play.
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A LITTLE CRAZY
A Little Crazy
A contemporary play about two men — Avram, an 84-year-old Russian immigrant, and his great-nephew, Harry and their sometimes turbulent relationship. Winner, United Arts of Central Florida Artist Development Grant.
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If I Had My Way
The illogical logic of relationships and the threat of war in a small Florida citrus town. Winner, FDCA Individual Artist Fellowship; United Arts of Central Florida Professional Development Grant; Galati Research Grant.
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A Slow Ride
Three generations of women take a Sunday ride, with the humor, affection and near-demented discord that arises when family is in close proximity for more than ten minutes. Finalist, Warner International Playwrights Festival.
COMING TO TIMUCUA APRIL, 2019 -
West Farms
A worn man reminisces about an almost mythical drinking establishment from his childhood near the West Farms bus depot in the Bronx. Telly Award Winner.
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THE SHORT PLAYS See more
TELL IT TO THE BIRD
Checking into a swank hotel, Mr. Thompson finds more than your typical amenities, including individual climate control, on-site fitness center, Internet access ... and Ethel, the Pest Elimination Companion. The Beast Festival Triangle Theatre NYC -
IN PROGRESS
TEMPUS
The end of Swing. The birth of Cool. The Old World meets the Jazz Age.AFTER TWO
Ray loves Carly. Carly loves Darryl, but can't remember why. Sandi loves Bill. Bill loves the waitress. James loves his son. Sam hates everyone. Staged reading and workshop, Lake County Repertory Theatre, Lower Lake CA 2004: Brian Williams; Norman Winckler; Frank Perry: Hank Porter; Moira Harris; Frances Leuck; Max Oken Finalist, "Playing by the Lake" Script Writing Festival 2003BAND OF DRUNKS
They're young, wild and talented, hard-drinking, hard-living rock stars of their age ... Russia, in 1859.
MY WORK:
Chair, Alternative Programming, Timucua Arts Foundation.
UP NEXT:
A Slow Ride
April 28, 2019
Three generations of women take a Sunday ride, with the humor, affection and near-demented discord that arises when family is in close proximity for more than ten minutes.
"There's both poignancy and joy in the way [Hayes] has cleverly captured the essence of a family's dynamics." - Orlando Sentinel
In Five
Sep 22, 2019
A performance of a lifetime in five parts. Featuring nu-jazz ensemble La Lucha and special guests.
REVIEWS See more
"Joseph Hayes is one of the new voices that can bring the theater to new audiences. His sense of dialogue and structure, his wit and awareness of the foibles of our society and the humanism that fill the pages of his work make him a true dramatist."
David Amram
"It takes a particular mindset to be a Renaissance man, someone willing to wear the hats of playwright, music producer, freelance writer, radio personality, spoken-word performer, photographer and self-promoter. All those descriptions would fit Orlando arts advocate Joseph Hayes."
Jim Abbott Orlando Sentinel
"A play by Joseph Reed Hayes is a welcome oasis of cultured smarts."
Orlando Weekly
"The idea is to make the audience think about people other than themselves, to make them feel like they’re overhearing a private conversation,” Hayes says of his play that defies neat pigeonholing. “It’s a comic, tragic nonmusical musical,” he says. “It’s the way people are. It’s real life.”
Orlando Sentinel
"Writer Joseph Reed Hayes has two nuggets of gold in A Little Crazy, a quiet little two-man comedy inspired by memories of his Russian Jewish grandfather."
Orlando Sentinel
"The briskness of Hayes' comedy, A Slow Ride, belies the title — it's certainly not slow going for an audience."
Orlando Sentinel