Great Scenes

We've compiled the following brief list (though we try to add to it when we get a chance) of scenes you may want to check out... these are scenes which pack an emotional wallop... the juicy ones... the ones you'll want to do before anyone else in your acting class, or that agent you're trying to impress.

Gotta scene you think should be on our list? Then send an email, and if we agree we'll add it to our list and give you thanks.

American Buffalo by David Mamet

More than just a scene or two, this whole play is fantastic... in case you're new to The Actor's Bone, I love David Mamet's plays. This is my favorite. Two lowlifes and their junkie accomplice are planning a heist. Intense, in your face, emotional... what can be said? Two guy actors should be all over this!

Oleanna by David Mamet

Yup, Mamet again... great man-woman scenes here... yeah... three of them stick out. Not for the beginners... you'll want to save this one for when you won't cut yourself on the sharp dialogue. Maybe next year little ones. Think you're ready? Go for it!

Speed-The-Plow by David Mamet

Mamet? You guessed it! Two slick Hollywood producers and one even slicker secretary go for each other's throats in this one. Three acts, each with plenty of spots to grab a chunk and get busy. Mamet comedy guy-guy, sexual guy-girl and intense guy-guy-girl scenes.

A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller

Surprise! Not Mamet... See? We do have range here. Robert Duval showed what a great actor does with great writing when this play opened... he was Eddie Carbone, the longshoreman with a few problems. Great guy-guy and guy-girl scenes here.

Minor Demons by Bruce Graham

Minor demons... not minor by any stretch... and neither is this plays intensity... "major" all the way. Chief Delgado makes a not so by the book arrest and his pal, Deke, has to call him on the mistake... or does he? Guy-guy and guy-girl scenes here.

Buck Fever and Other Plays by Bill Bozzone 2M

Here's a chance for you to stretch your funny-bone. Ray has come back from hunting to find his buddy Ernie somewhat disheveled after having caught his wife and Ray's in bed with each other and up to no good. This is a hilarious scene. A goofy play that by the end will have you rolling with these two bone heads. Bonus, the play comes in a collection, hence the word "Other," in the title. They too are all worth a look.

The Baby Dance by Jane Anderson M&W, 2M, 2W

Here is a play about two different world's being thrown together and then torn apart again. An upper middle-class couple who are adopting a not yet conceived baby from a poverty-stricken couple who cannot afford having another. A perfect situation it would seem. This is a gripping play, with a couple of great man/woman scenes. The L.A. Times wrote, "Explosive. A stunner. It's funny as well as perceptive." How true.

6 Award Winning Plays by Norman Beim 2M

The six plays in this collection are:

On a Darkling Plain
Dreams
Inside
Jewel Thieves
The Deserter
Shakespeare Revisited

This is a drama in one act, with 2 excellent 2 man scenes that get progressively more wrenching. A great play to put up with only 1 interior. It was also winner of the Third Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. In the darkened room of a deserted chateau somewhere in France a young deserter (read Private Slovik, the only American soldier shot for desertion during World War II) awaits his execution. The sergeant guarding him taunts the soldier and the young man speaks of his misguided childhood and how his love for his wife gave his life a new direction. A priest arrives to give the prisoner the last rites and the deserter tries to explain that he was taught that killing, no matter what, was wrong.

"A moving and compassionate play by a most gifted playwright."
-Horton Foote.

"A powerful, moving piece of art...heart-wrenching portrayal of the soldier is sensitive but not maudlin...the audience is enveloped in the tense emotional drama."
-The Targum, Rutgers University

New York Stories by Jason Milligan

Dese two Brooklyn bums are hanging out in a bar... and ... well.. it don't sound like much... but if dat's what you think... you'd be dead wrong, pal... Nights in Hohokus is just one of the five New York stories. Get ready for character work and make any of these short shorts something everyone will remember.

Italian American Reconciliation by John Patrick Shanley M&W, 2W, 2M

The greatness of Mr. Shanley's writing goes without saying. Another great play with a couple of good spots for both actors and actresses to sink their chompers into. A play about love and utter confusion. Huey's heart is twisted and confused. He wants his friend Aldo to help him get back his X-wife, Janice, who tried to shoot him once, and also help him break up with his girlfriend, Teresa, at the same time. Sound confusing? Try living it out; it's a blast!

Everything in the Garden by Edward Albee M&W, 2W

A bizarre and interesting play with a great explosive scene for a guy and a girl. Is the money a little tight? Are you having trouble making ends meet? That's what this play is about, only the solution is prostitution. At least that's what she thinks. He's not too thrilled with the idea. The outcome is, Everything In the Garden. Highly recommend.

Pvt. Wars (1 Act) or Pvt. Wars (Full-Length) by James McLure 2M

Woodruff Gately, Silvio, and Natwick all in a veteran's hospital, all slightly off kilter. Gately's a little brain damaged from head injuries. Silvio had his testicles blown off by shrapnel and is a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Then there's Natwick, well, you'll just have to grab the play. It's pretty much a riot. Throw all these nuts into the same bag, and you have some great quirky two guy scenes filled with hilarious mischief and mayhem.

Key Exchange by Kevin Wade M&W, 2M

It's just so typical, isn't it? Why does life have to be so complicated? Because that's what life is, and that's what this play is about. At some point during a relationship, exchanging keys is all part of the natural progression of things, or is it? That "key," is Philip's last morsel of freedom, but not if Lisa has anything to say about it, which she does! Key Exchange is a slice of life worth living out.

Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie by Don Peterson M&W, 2M

This play made its first debut with Al Pacino February 25, 1969 at the with Belasco Theatre in New York City, as "Bickham." This is a great and intense play about incredibly disturbed kids in a drug rehab center located on an island in New York. There a number of good scenes. The two in particular that stand out are a scene between Bickham, a disturbed young junky, and Mr.Winters, a teacher who truly cares about the kids. The other is an extremely intense scene between Bickham and his shrink, Dr.Werner. Also there is a great girl and guy scene between Conrad and Linda, two kids who are junkies. These are scenes that will make you dig for their reality.

Split second - a play in two acts by Dennis McIntyre M&W, 2M

Val Johnson, a black New York City street cop chases down William H. Willis, a white petty thief, after having tried to steal a car. Willis tries to talk his way out of being arrested by pleading, but when he realizes it is to no avail, he taunts Val beyond the brink. Val's rage consumes him and he withdraws his revolver and blows Willis away. The N.Y. Post said, "A taut, intelligently-conceived police story that raises genuine Black/White questions." "One of the evenings major surprises is how a work of such excellence managed to elude all our major institutional theatres," said the N.Y.Times. This play has both a couple of great scenes for both a man and a woman and also 2 man scenes.

A Hatful of Rain by Michael V. Gazzo M&W, 2M

Johnny and Polo, are brothers. One is a junky, the other trying to do the right thing to hold it all together. A neglected wife looking to fill a void. A disappointed father. Life is filled with tough choices which this play manages to catch brilliantly. Somebody once said to me, "It's not a Hatful of Sunshine, it's a Hatful of Rain." And that's where you have to go if you want to do scenes from this play. There are powerful scenes for both 2 men, and also a couple for a man/woman. The N.Y. Times wrote, "Horrifying and true. There is no resisting the pathos and terror of the most illuminating scenes."

Labor Pains by Michael Palermo M&W

For those who aren't quite ready to step into the true shoes of parenthood, Labor Pains offers an excellent substitute to play around and live out this somewhat confusing slice of life for a man and woman. Things get a little heated when Emily and Robert are caught slightly off guard by the early onset of her labor. The outcome, moments that are comical and touching. An award winning comedy about the dubious honor of being a parent. Might as well practice while you can for that big day; coming soon to a human near you.

Hurlyburly by David Rabe M&W, 2M

Here is a play chalked full of scenes for two guys, and a couple for a man and a woman. This play packed a whollup taking NYC by storm with an award-winning cast consisting of William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Judith Ivey, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, and Jerry Stiller. A disturbing play filled with character's pursuing the American Dream through a distorted vision induced by weed, cocaine, and alcohol. "A powerful permanent contribution to American drama...Riveting , disturbing, fearsomely funny...Has a savage sincerity and a crackling theatrical vitality. This deeply felt play that deserves as wide an audience as possible," Newsweek. I can't argue with that!

Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet 2M

Ahhh, the life of a salesman. Sucks if your not the "top dog," which is what this wonderful play is about. Real estate salesman and again, the crackling dialogue of David Mamet and the cut throat live's the folks in this play lead. Shelley Levene is running an unbelievable streak of bad luck, and is desperate to get back on top again...at any cost, eventually. This play has a number of great scenes for men (sorry girls). The N.Y. Times wrote, "Crackling tension...ferocious comedy and drama." And I wrote, "Mamet's dialogue is tough to negotiate because of his unique and wonderful style, but once you've got the music committed to memory, these scenes kick ass!

Face Divided by Edward Allan Baker M&W

This is a killer little one-act, to be found in a collection of three plays under I believe "A Dead Man's Apartment," if you go Sam French. A great visceral scene! Freddy and Debbie are the lowest of the low in the ranks of society. Freddy's trying to do the right thing to get up and out of the trenches of poverty. Debbie, jealous of the changes she sees in her husband, and frightened takes her aggressions out on their little baby girl, by slapping her so hard, it becomes the name of the play. A great gut-wrenching scene that will allow you to play around with some serious character work. Two Bone's way up here!

Cash Flow by D.B. Gilles 2M

A father's company that is flopping, and Casey a man who is pushing his years and is anxious for some kind of success in his life. This was his last chance and now they are going to file chapter 11? Not if Casey can help it. This would ruin his reputation. He would rather see the company burn to the ground. Arson? Isn't that illegal? Why, yes it is! Elliot, the son, is caught up in the middle of all this, and is torn between the words of a snake and what's "right." These are some of the elements that make for a good scene to live out.

Romantic Comedy by Bernard Slade MW

Jason Carmichael, the famous and successful playwright, meets his match in his new writing partner Phoebe Craddock. Their "break-up scene" allows you to live out an incredibly fierce fight yet show a witty comedy throughout. Jason has an affair with the lead actress of their new production and when Phoebe finds out she walks out on him. Phoebe is not Jason's wife and although she has a mad crush on him, he's too arrogant to know.