Playwright and Author
Martin A. Follose
Unpublished Plays and Musicals
If you are interested in producing or reading the full script of any unpublished work, contact me!
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Rapunzel, the True Story
Rather than a high tower in the middle of a forest, our Rapunzel is raised in a hayloft by The Old Hag in the town of Dusty Flats. Rather than a handsome prince our hero is a back country bee keeper. And rather than a beautiful maiden, Rapunzel is downright ugly!
Randal, our prince, is accused of robbing the bank and he hides in a hayloft and encounters the not so fair Rapunzel. After a rocky start, they hit it off. Randal only returns to Rapunzel between The Old Hag’s visits and when he is not being pursued by the Sheriff.
Meanwhile, there is another pursuit. Lester, the town poet, longs for hand of the Sheriff’s daughter, Suzy. He is later accused of hitting the Sheriff on the head with a frying pan. He is caught and jailed with Randal, who is also caught.
Rapunzel to the rescue! She cuts her hair off (something she has refused to do) and escapes from the hayloft to search for Randal. With the help of the Sheriff’s daughter, Rapunzel and Suzy free Randal and Lester. Together they prove that neither Randal nor Lester are guilty of the crimes they are accused.
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Click here to read a preview.
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Don't Eat the Meatloaf
Lisa is a senior in high school who is also a waitress at a run down dinner. She is tormented by not know what she wants to do after she graduates. Chloe, who has worked at the same dinner for over 30 years, tries to comfort her. Then Lisa’s subconscious shows up and helps her experience a few possible careers, only confusing Lisa more. But the one man who helps her the most is a homeless, speechless man with a little red book. From him Lisa is set on a path to her future.
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Once Before A Time
Before Ella slept in a corner by the fireplace, before her stepmother’s hatred of her, and before her stepsisters nicked named her Cinderella, she was a happy child living with her widowed father. As the story goes, Ella asked her father to bring her the first twig that brushes his hat on his way home from a business trip. Ella planted the twig on her mother’s grave, her tears fell upon the twig and it grew into a beautiful tree. This is where Ella’s “before the story” begins.
The tree warns Ella of her father’s impending danger. Ella’s father was again on a business trip so Ella decides that she will journey north, find her father, and warn him of the danger. Along the way she meets Henry, a young boy running away from his boarding school. Together they find out that there are three men, led by Captain Reese, out to kill her father. Reese kidnaps Henry and tries to trade him for the location of Ella’s father, but Ella and her new friends Bay and Jesse are able to rescue Henry and escape. The journey rapidly becomes a dangerous adventure. They must travel through a dark cave, the Black Forest, and survive the rapids of Locksley River. Reese and his men are able to find Ella’s father first, leaving Ella with only one chance left to save him. The adventure is filled with hilarious thrills, scary moments, and enough physical theater to keep young and old wondering what will come next!
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Snapped!
Just think what would happen if you could snap your fingers and stop time. Everything frozen except you! For Lester Lopkins of Lincoln High School, it’s a dream come true when he discovers he has this super-hero power. Lester now feels that he is someone. He dresses, talks, and acts differently, which doesn’t sit well with his friends. He even has enough confidence to ask a girl to the Spring Dance.
Things come to a peak when the school bully, Austin, is after him, as well as the FBI. Snapping seems to have gotten Lester into more trouble than ever. In the end, Lester learns that wearing fancy clothes, taking what isn’t yours, and even bullying the bully isn’t the way he wants to be. He just wants to be himself. With the help of his friends who stand by him, he learns to stand up for himself, without snapping.
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Fading Gray
The first of April, 1865 – The sunset of the American Civil War. In a ravine, following a battle near Petersburg, two soldiers lie next to each other: one Union, one Confederate. Cullen is from West Virginia and fights for the North. He is wounded and unable to make it out of the ravine. William is a Southern Rebel from Chapel Hills, North Carolina and is near death. As they wait to be rescued, they share their lives beyond the battlefield. As barriers are broken, these once enemies quickly form an unlikely bond.
Before he succumbs, William gives a letter to Cullen to deliver to his fiancé, Ellie. Cullen is so impressed by William’s devotion to Ellie that he stands determined to fulfill his new friend’s final wish. He makes his way with the letter to Chapel Hills. But as soon as Cullen meets Ellie, he is unable to give her the letter or to tell her the truth about William. Ellie’s mother is from the North and convinces her husband to allow Cullen to stay until his leg is healed. His presence however, does not please everyone in the family nor the community of Chapel Hills. But Cullen’s biggest fear is not the people of Chapel Hills, but Ellie’s foreknowing aunt who knows Cullen is hiding a terrible secret. Ellie still hopes for William’s return, while Cullen hopes his secret will never have to be revealed.
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Click here to watch a promo of Fading Gray
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Click here to watch Fading Gray performed by UACT Theater in Roseburg, OR
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Click here to read a preview.
In One Take
In One Take follows the exploits of Maxwell Stinnett, a producer, director, and silent movie studio owner of 1915. After four flop films, his studio has gone into bankruptcy. He then discovers that he still has Lillian Harper, a famous female actress, under contract. This gives him one final chance to make a blockbuster hit and save the studio. The problem is he has very little time, no money, no other actors, and no script. After forcing the reluctant Lillian Harper to be the lead actress in his abridged version of Romeo and Juliet, he convinces once famous actor, Richard Clancey, to be Romeo. It just so happens that Richard and Lily were once married and have a deep hatred of each other. It won’t be easy for Maxwell to overcome the bickering and fighting between the two, not to mention Miss Hash, who is there taking inventory and always popping up in front of the camera. This version of Romeo and Juliet may not be Shakespeare approved, but in spite of the off camera drama, Maxwell is determined. The production also includes silent movie “live” scenes and even a silent movie clip.
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Click here to watch the silent movie that was created for In One Take by Riddle High School.
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Click here to read a preview.
A Brothers Grimm Adventure
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The Grimm Brothers were well-known collectors and publishers of fairy tales during the 19th century. But as they were writing down the story of Little Red Riding Hood, things went wildly wrong. Jacob Grimm mistakenly rewrites the story allowing a witch to take control. This forces his younger brother, Wilhelm, to enter Fairy Tale World and confront the Witch. On his journey, Wilhelm meets Little Red Riding Hood and together they fight off wolves, seven-turned to the dark side-dwarfs, as well as the Witch. But Wilhelm becomes admired by Little Red Riding Hood and is determined to help her fulfill her story and travel to grandmother's house. Jacob and storyteller, Madam Viehmann, fearing that Wilhelm may change Little Red Riding Hood's story, enter Fairy Tale World only to discover that many fairy tales have been changed. They must quickly find Wilhelm before he becomes part of Little Red Riding Hood’s story and is trapped in Fairy Tale World forever!
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Email me for more information.
Coming soon:
Petunia's Hoedown (Musical)
Me Jungle Man, You Jane (Musical)