WITH A SHRUG
an Upstate Story
by Nicholas Priore
Shelley is cleaning out her old childhood home after the death of her estranged and reclusive father, Richard, when Chris, a teenage boy from up the street, comes by to retrieve something he had let her father borrow before he died. The object in question belongs to Chris’ father, Tom, who will be furious when he finds out that it’s gone missing, so Chris is absolutely desperate to return it before that happens…but when Shelley finds out what this particular item is, things take a dangerous and dreadful turn. Together, they must come to terms with matters of the unimaginable.
- Cast Size: 2M 1W 1M/W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
Order Digital Download (Will NOT download to phones, cannot be printed)
About the Playwright
Nicholas Priore was born and raised in Utica, NY, where he endured a Catholic education and graduated from Notre Dame High School. He studied fiction and poetry for four years at SUNY, Purchase, earning a BA in Creative Writing, and went on to study playwriting at the Actors Studio Drama School, where he graduated with an MFA in Theatre. His thesis play kicked off the 2010 Repertory Season at Dance New Amsterdam. He was a member of the Actors Studio Playwright Directors Unit and Workshop, where he developed his work. Nicholas taught at St. Francis College in Brooklyn and was the director of their theatre group, The Troupers. One of his acting students was Pete Davidson. He also taught Theatre at Utica college. His plays have been featured in such festivals as FringeNYC, the American Globe 15 Minute Play Contest, and the Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival. He is the Writer in Residence at the historic Players of Utica, where his work continues to go up. During quarantine, he founded Theatre of the Great Puppeteer, a horror collective that brought digital content to audiences at home. He has monologues in various anthologies from Smith and Kraus and Applause Books…and now, he is honored to finally have his material published in its entirety by Next Stage Press…
Review With a Shrug.