Leslie Bramm

lesliebramm@gmail.com 917-859-7207
lesliebramm.org myspace/brammleslie

“One of the most important and provocative playwrights on the indie theatre scene”. Joe Williams, Joe William, Inc. Teacher, critic, agent, fan.

Personal statement: Earn the respect of your peers. Entertain your audience. Master craft. Having something to say.

Big Ball (An American Grotesque) - One set. 3 men, 2 women. 60 minutes. Black comedy.
Synopsis- It’s Billy’s 18th birthday party. Mom is obese, Dad molests sally the step-daughter, and they keep uncle Wade, the poet, locked in the closet. The typical American, Leave it to Beaver family, turned inside out.

2005 Invited reading plus Playwrights Horizon Theatre School. Hot Ink Festival. (Scott RC Levy, dir.)
2005 Published by JAC publications.
2002 Excerpts published by SUNY Potsdam.
2001 Last Frontier Conference. Edward Albee Playwright's Festival.
2000 Produced at the New York International Fringe Festival. (Pamela S. Butler, dir.)
2000 Present Company Writer’s Lab.
2000 Recipient of a Tennessee Williams Literary Award.

Islands of Repair - One set. 1 man, 1 woman. 30 minutes. Melodrama.
Synopsis- A long married couple are trapped in a rubber raft, lost at sea. They battle sharks, the elements and each other. Can they survive?

2008 EAT Fest NYC (Melissa Atteberry Director.)
2005 Published by J&C Publications and Promotions.
2003 NICU’s Spoon (NYC) Reading Series.
1999 Smith and Kraus Publishing. Excerpts.
1998 Produced at the New York International Fringe Festival. (Lisa Berger, dir.)
1998 Read as a radio play on National Public Radio. 90.5 WJFF (Leslie Bramm, dir.)
1997 Published by the University of Louisiana, chap book.
1996 Winner of A Paul T. Nolan Literary Award.

Oswald’s Backyard - One set. 4 men, 2 women. 105 minutes. Black comedy.
Synopsis- Leo Oscar has his big break on television. He’s a wanna-b revolutionary. The arrival of two unexpected guests threaten to ruin his big shot. He reacts violently.

2004 Published by J&C publishing.
2004 Present Company production at the Beckett, NYC. (Scott RC Levy, dir. Elena K. Holy Producer.)
2004 Present Company production at the Lucille Lortel Theater, NYC. (Scott RC Levy, dir. Elena K. Holy Producer.)
2003 Present Company, workshop reading. (Scott RC Levy, dir)
2003 Playwrights Horizon Theatre School (reading series.) (Scott RC Levy, dir.)
2001 A recipient of the Stanley Drama Award.
2001 Produced by Three Crows Theatre at the Theotorium, NYC (Pamela S. Butler, dir.),

Real Beatlemaniacs-One Set. 1 man, 1 woman 10 minutes. Comedy.
Synopsis- A boy meets his girls friends sister story. Both drawn by a love of the Beatles. They share a passion and an intimacy in the music and with each other that they cannot continue.

2004- Barebones Festival. North Carolina (producer’s pick)
2004- Drama-Rama Festival. Up State New York
2004- New England Alliance Theatre. Connecticut.
2004- Published by Brooklyn Publishers.
2003- Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. (festival finalist)
2003- Published by One Act play Depot
2003- New Plays Now Festival. L.A. California.

A.B.C. (or the man in the red suit.) 3 w 90 minutes. Black comedy.
Synopsis- 2 women are held up in a room. Their mission to assonate Santa Clause in the Macy’s parade. The arrival of a 3rd woman throws their mission into chaos and threatens the future of the world.

2002- Nicus Spoon, reading series. New York. (Eva Burgess, dir)
2001- Banned from the curriculum of a SUNY College New York.
2000-Reverie Productions, reading series. New York. (Leslie Bramm, dir)
2000- Excerpts published by Smith & Kraus publishing.
1998-Shot as an independent feature length film by Pick Up Sticks Prod. Under the title Be My Oswald.
1997-Three Crows Theatre and the Present Company Inc. New York International fringe Festival. @ Nada. (Leslie Bramm, dir)
1997-Three Crows Theatre. Todo Con Nada. New York (Leslie Bramm dir)
1995-Mint Theatre., 2nd stage. New York.
1996-New Mercury Theatre. Hudson Guild Theatre. New York.
1994-Shelter Theatre Group. Currican Theatre. New York. (Kernan Bell, dir)
1993-Theatre for a New Voice. Brocket productions. C.B.'s 313 New York. (Leslie Brockett, dir)
1993-"Gay and Lesbian Festival". Festival finalist. Love Creek Productions. Nat Horne theatre. New York. (Daniel Surret, dir)

Mexican Cleaning Lady (or how I almost offended the Dalai lama 3 m,3 w 30 minutes. Black comedy.
Synopsis- Judy Winkleberg has the Dalai Lama as anew client, or does she.

2007- New York Cringe Festival. (Kris Holz dir.)

Lovers Leapt 1 m 1 w 20 minutes. Drama.
Synopsis- New lovers hold hands as they leap from the burning towers. We see the love they might have shared, had they not hesitated in the past.

2004 part of an Oxford doctorial dissertation.
2002 Present Company’s 9/11 Response series.

The Minute Man 9m 1 w 120 minutes. Farce
Synopsis- Tommy Paine is the leagues highest rated quarter back. He’s also gay. His hubris and risk taking land him into a blackmail plot. Will he come-out, and thus change the face of the game, or stay quiet and secure his place in the hall of fame?

Marvelous Shrine 2m 1 w 80 minutes. Black comedy.
Synopsis- Peter McNaughtin is desperate to make his son the hero he never became… …His son Marvelous wants to be a transgender rock n’ roll star. Peter takes a series of desperate action that force his son into the Marines, just in time for war.

2007- Published by Nytheatre Experience.
2007-FringeNYC. Produced by Three Crows Theatre. (Pamela S. Butler dir.)

In development

Venus or Mona 2 w 1 m 80 minutes. Black comedy.
Synopsis- Venus and Mona are identical twins. Mona is a Movie star and has returned to the trailer park where she grew up to deal with the pending death of her mother. The sisters battle it out, in graphic novel style, trying to beat the truth out of each other.
Winds and Letter Boxes
14 play short play cycle each based on an event connected to the Beatles.

Residence

2008- Emerging Artists Theatre
2007- The Pool. The Present Company’s writer’s lab.
2007- Literary Director Nicus Spoon Theater Company
1992- Dramatist Guild, member.
1999- Artistic Associate, The Present Company.
1994-2000 Three Crows Theatre, writer in residence.
1995- 1997 Shelter Theatre Group, writer in residence.
1993- 1996 Gallery Players, Board of Directors.
1987- 1989 Tuesday’s Group founding member.

Awards

2004 Edward Albee Last Frontier Finalist. (Big Ball)
2003 Heideman Award Finalist. (Real Beatlemaniacs)
2002 Producer’s Pick bare Bones Fest. (Real Beatlemaniacs)
2001 Recipient of a Stanley Drama Award. (Oswald’s Backyard)
1999 Recipient of a Tennessee Williams Literary Award. (Big Ball)
1997 Paul T. Nolan Literary Award. (Islands of Repair)

Publications

Marvelous Shrine-Best Women’s stage monologs 2008 Smith and Kraus
Marvelous Shrine- NY Theatre Experience (nytheatre.com)
Islands of Repair- J&C Publishers and Promotions.
Big Ball- J&C Publishers and Promotions.
Oswald’s Backyard- J&C Publishers and Promotions.
Real Beatlemaniacs- Brooklyn Publishers.
Real Beatlemaniacs- One Act Play Depot.
Islands of Repair- University of Louisiana, Chap Book.
A.B.C. – Best Woman’s Stage Scenes 1999 Smith & Kraus.
A.B.C.- best Woman’s Monologs 1999 Smith & Kraus.
Islands of Repair- Best Woman’s Monologs 1998 Smith & Kraus.
The Hummingbird’s Response- Best Woman’s Monologs 2004 Smith & Kraus.
Insight for Playwrights 2001-2002. 23 Gripe Columns written for playwright’s magazine.

Gun for hire projects:

A Christmas Carol- Adaptation
• 2005- Sold out run at the Bangor Opera House, Penobscot Theatre. (Scott R.C. Levy dir.)
Uncaring Dog.
• 2002- Commissioned as part of the 9/11 Response Series, by the Present Company, The Theotorium. (Virginia Scott dir.)
This is Not Here
• Screen play co-written with Kevin Corrigan (about John Lennon) based on the memoir by Fredrick Seaman.

Education

1884-1989 Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Studied on a work study scholarship. Intensive training in acting, stage craft, directing, script interpretation, show case production, and movement. N.Y. C.
1963 - Etude de vie. (revolving dojo)

Special

I played guitar and was lead singer for the indie rock band Diz Dam. We gigged and recorded all around NYC. I’ve had numerous poems published in magazines, chap books, anthologies, etc.

Blurbs

“Smart. A Full Play.“ Martin Denton, nythetare.com- Oswald’s Backyard

“Proves that life’s not fair”. The Village Vocie- Response Series

“A glint of gold”. John Chatterton. OOBR- A.B.C.

“Bramm deftly balances a deeply-felt family drama with significant political content”. Martin Denton, Nytheatre.com- Marvelous Shrine

Bio

Leslie Bramm’s plays have been produced regionally all over the U.S. including; The Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, The Penobscot Theatre, The Barebones Theatre, and in NYC at The Kraine, Currican, Theatre Off Park, Todo Con Nada, The Theotorium, The Lucille Lortel, The Beckett and CBGBS 313. He is a recipient of a Stanley Drama Award (Oswald’s Backyard), a Tennessee Williams Award (Big Ball) and The Paul. T. Nolan Award (Island’s of Repair.) Which was also read as a radio play on NPR-WJFF. Big Ball was a finalist in the Edward Albee Last Frontier Playwrighting Competition while A.B.C. (or the man in the red suit) was shot as an indie film by Pick UP Sticks Productions. It was also banned from performance by an upstate SUNY. His plays are published by Smith and Kraus, One Act Play Depot, Brooklyn Publishers ,JAC Publications and Nytheatre.com. The 9/11 duo Lovers Leapt and the Uncaring Dog are part of an Oxford doctoral dissertation. Leslie Bramm is a five time Fringenyc vet and wrote 23 gripe columns for Insight for Playwrights. Leslie co-authored the screen play This is Not Here (about John Lennon) with Kevin Corrigan. Bramm was the lead singer and played guitar for Diz Dam. Leslie is a member of the Dramatist Guild, the Present Company’s “Pool” and just took over as Literary Director of Nicu’s Spoon Theatre Company.