cessair:
how ireland was born
According to Irish legend, when Noah - yes, that Noah - tells his granddaughter that there is no room for her or her people on the ark, Cessair decides she'll take matters into her own hands. After a tumultuous journey aboard a discarded fleet, thirty-nine women and one lone man land on what is now known as Ireland. This musical-in-progress chronicles their struggles to build a new home in an unforgiving landscape, aided by determination and a dose of Irish magic. Music and Lyrics by Holly Richards, Book and Lyrics by Lolly Ward.
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Act I was presented on 4/19/24 at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, OR as part of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Work.
welcome to zion
This new musical follows one Mormon family who, upon learning their son is gay, must confront the beliefs that have been the foundation of their faith. Maya and Jason are devastated when their son, Tyler, lets them in on his long-held secret. Jason goes into denial, Maya seeks solace in her art, and Tyler must find a way to navigate the world of both hate and love that his coming out has introduced—a world where, sometimes, suicide feels like the only option.
tale of a girl
Long ago, somewhere in the countryside, the wind brought a girl into the world and called her their own. Things were going swimmingly until a boy walked by one day...
This short, mythical piece examines the difference between familial love and romantic love - and how we must allow room for both in our lives.
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Both comedic and sincere, this wistful show is part of the anthology Go Play Outside with LineStorm Playwrights, published by Applause Books.
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hey, you -
well, me
Two college roommates are getting under each other's skin - until they receive text messages from themselves in the past. Their former selves remind them of all the reasons why they have been - and forever will be - best friends.
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Written for Portland Center Stage in conjunction with Roosevelt High School's 2020 24 Hr. Plays Project.
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Music by Holly Yurth Richards
Lyrics by Sara Jean Accuardi and
Holly Yurth Richards
Book by Sara Jean Accuardi
no more in darkness
Inspired by the horrific events that occurred at West Nickel Mines School on October 2, 2006, this short musical follows three mothers and their young children as they go about their day, innocent and unaware of how their lives are about to change forever.
pop! goes the bubble
What happens when a wonderfully naive, single Mormon woman leaves Utah for the very first time to take a trip to New York City? The Mormon Bubble gets POPPED!
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Cumorah, late 20s and newly graduated from BYU, decides to use her leftover student loan money to realize her dream - a theatre trip to New York. She meets some characters along the way, including herself - her real self.
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This one-hour, one-woman show was part of the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival in 2017.
plays
handwash only
Shun, a thirty-nine year old chef's knife, and Lil' Goblet, a nineteen-year-old wine glass, face their destruction when they get placed in the dishwasher by their aging owner.
faded glory
A meeting is set up between a rising talent in the Underground Color Guard world (like Fight Club, only fancier and set to electronica music) and a former UCG star who faked her own death and is now pretending to live as her twin brother in a trailer park in the country.
animalerica
A robin, a snail, and a yellow jacket come together to mourn the loss of their country as they know it. Trigger warning: onstage barf (substance, not the act of) and the word "moist."
novels
Part thriller, part mystery, and part romance, the Seed Series examines through a not-so-distant fictionalized lens what could happen if the world continues on its current trajectory in regards to food security, food production, and the patenting of life.
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Co-written by Derek and Holly Richards (DH Richards)
