James Venhaus
PLAYWRIGHT
James Venhaus is the author of 18 plays including The Temple of Dionysus and Weird Sisters published by Playscripts, Inc. and, Stocking Stuffers, a collection of holiday themed 10-minute plays published by Original Works Publishing. His Shakespeare adaptations for young actors, Romeo and Juliet at Verona High, and A Great Big Deal Over Nothing, also published by Playscripts, Inc. have been produced over 100 times in schools and theatre across the country and in nine other countries.
Bitterroot
based on The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Commissioned by Orphan Girl Children's Theatre, Butte Montana
Weird Sisters
Three social outcasts decide to stoke the ambitions of the star football player, Mac, and his uber-popular girlfriend to see how far they will go to make sure Mac is made captain of the football team. Events unfold just as these students are assigned to read Macbeth and they soon become aware that their lives have an eerie resemblance to the classic play.
Ugly People
"They say that Washington is just Hollywood for ugly people." A biting political satire in which the audience determines who wins and who loses.
Click here for more information
Broken Record
If you could go back and play your entire failed relationship over again, would you? Should you? Would it make a difference? Ben and Cynthia's relationship is replayed from its bitter end back to its sweet beginning.
The Happy Couple
A young lawyer and his wife return to the house that they rented while he attended law school. A lot has changed in ten years. Squatters now occupy the house and won't let the happy couple leave. By the time the sun comes up, no one's life will be the same.
Stocking Stuffers
A collection of five holiday themed 10-minute plays that are bold, edgy, and ultimately heartwarming.
Published by Original Works Publishing
Masquerade
Set in a comic shop and on a drag show runway, "Masquerade" tells the story of an unlikely group of friends that develops when the worlds of comic book cosplay and drag collide. Masks, alter-egos, and secret desires both hide and reveal the truth about each of them.
The Temple of Dionysus
To return to earth, Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility, must convince one man to follow him. Steve has lost it all: his job, his wife, his house, and his faith in the world. Together, they plan a full-blown publicity blitz promoting Dionysus' religion of excess. Using a top-notch marketing firm and a slew of celebrity and corporate sponsorships, The Temple of Dionysus becomes a pop culture phenomenon. But can Steve live with the world he has created?
A Great Big Deal Over Nothing
or, Much Ado About Nothing at Camp Messina
Mistaken identities and romance run rampant at Camp Messina, where campers hope to have their secret crushes realized in time for the big dance. Clark likes Holly, but he's too shy to admit his feelings. Meanwhile, Ben and Bea hate each other, but their friends think they're meant to be together. Add a duo determined to cause trouble and an inept security guard, and this modern retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing guarantees camp will never be the same.
Romeo and Juliet at Verona High
Romeo and Juliet at Verona High updates Shakespeare's tragedy to a modern-day high school. Romeo is the captain of the football team and Juliet is the president of the Chess Club. Can the rival teams resolve their brutal differences? Who will triumph at the grudge chess match? At the end of the play, the audience votes on which ending they would like to see: the comic or the tragic version.
Get in touch at jamesvenhaus@gmail.com