COOLER
by Craig Houk
Aging Oscar-winner Jack Dunn emerges from years of self-imposed exile in Alaska to reconnect with his oldest friend – and fiercest rival – Wade Henry, a Tony-winning stage actor weathering his own uncertain season in a well-appointed Connecticut home. What begins as a late-night poker game fueled by expensive whiskey and shared history gradually exposes old resentments, professional jealousy, and the lingering shadow of a woman who once stood between them. As talk turns to a highly anticipated new play that could redefine (or quietly diminish) a legacy, the evening slips from nostalgic to volatile. With egos bruised and memories distorted, Jack and Wade find themselves trapped in a dangerous game where performance and reality blur, alliances shift, and the stakes extend far beyond the cards on the table.
- Cast Size: 2M 1W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
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About the Playwright
Craig Houk is an award-winning DC based Playwright and proud Dramatists Guild Member. He is also a Producer, Actor & Director. Houk’s plays include Cold Rain (published by Next Stage Press, winner “Best Drama” and “Best of Festival” at Capital Fringe 2018), Syd (published by Next Stage Press), Brute Farce (published by Next Stage Press, 2021 The Loom New Works Festival Finalist, 2022 Dominion Stage Playwrighting Competition Full Length Winner), Cooler (published by Next Stage Press), Lost In Place Anthology (2022 Dominion Stage Playwrighting Competition One-Act Honorable Mention), and Radiator (2020 Dominion Stage Playwrighting Competition One-Act Honorable Mention). His other works include Herb Cleary Meant No Harm, The Reluctant Hen, Big Bastard, The Keeper’s Quarters, Lost Sole, Dinner Dance, Old Money, Smoking Fags On A Rooftop, and Chum and Get It!. Lost In Place: Rhonda & Danielle (now titled The Corpse Flower) has been included in Smith & Kraus’s “The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2022”. Brute Farce has two monologues included in Smith & Kraus’s “Best Women’s Stage Monologues 2023” and “Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2023” 2023. Radiator has one monologue included in Smith & Kraus’s “Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2024”. Syd has two monologues included in “The Best Women’s Stage Monologues 2025” and “The Best Men’s Stage Monologues 2025”. Many of Houk’s plays can be found at The Drama Book Shop in New York City.
ALSO BY CRAIG HOUK
Houk tackles toxic masculinity here with his accustomed caustic wit and singularly off-kilter view of the world, and proves once again he can write straight male characters with strength, heft, and grit while being unforgiving of their sometimes idiotic foibles. And be hilariously funny while doing so.
Review Cooler.