As a playwright, what's your MO?
In writing a play, I coax our common demons to come out and, well, play in broad daylight where we can all see them. The plot provides the playground; the conflict determines the game. The outcome could be sad, funny, or usually a combination of the two. Whatever the case, I strive to provide an audience with a riveting ride to the story’s end.
My plays have been produced from New York to LA, where my drama CAFFEINE SOCIETY won an LA Drama-Logue award for Best Play. Regional production credits include I GOT SHOES (commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville and produced by Summerworks/U Mass at Amherst, MA); INEZ & ALICE CONSORT (Itinerant Theatre, Lake Charles, LA); TRY THIS AT HOME (Aery Theatre Festival, Garrison, NY); FREE SHIPPING EVERY DAY (Axial Theatre, Pleasantville, NY); DESIGNATED DRIVER (New Deal Arts Center, Poughkeepsie, NY); THE RUNNING OF THE DEER (Occupy the Stage’22/NWTF, Raleigh, NC); GETTING BACK TO SWITZERLAND (Theatre Left, Spokane, WA); and SUNDAY.new/jersey (Depot Theatre, Garrison, NY). My work has also received staged readings and workshops in venues such as American Place Theatre, The Lambs Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, and Circle Repertory Theatre. A former member of The Women’s Project in New York, I’m a three-time finalist for the Heideman Award and a finalist for the FDG/CBS New Plays Award. My plays have been published by Smith & Kraus, Next Stage Press, and Off the Wall Plays.
Select Work
Sunday.new/jersey
Inspired by an iconic episode of The Sopranos, the aged parents of Romeo and Juliet prepare to make their final exit from a New Jersey nursing home imperiled by climate change.
Production: Aery 20/20 Theatre Festival, Garrison, NY
Production: New Deal Arts Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
All Things Bright
Cash-strapped dad works way too many hours. Unemployed mom harbors a debilitating secret. Disaffected daughter is failing to launch. From the shock waves of the 2008 financial crisis to the storm surge of Election Day 2016, an American family struggles to find safe harbor. When did it get to be so hard just to get by?
Published by Next Stage Press:
https://www.nextstagepress.com/all-things-bright-2/
“All Things Bright moves back and forth in time between 2008 and 2016, demonstrating the concerns of a small, middle-class, Republican-voting family as they deal with external crises (such as the bank bailout), and internal crises (drug abuse, family members dealing to family members, deteriorating health, etc.). These crises (personal and political) exist side-by-side, allowing the reader to see how the one has a deep impact on the other; thanks to the talent and care of Jill Maynard the piece never falls into a kind of "writer editorializing" or melodrama” – John Patrick Bray, NPX
The Running of the Deer
Ambitious but conflicted, a Latinx PR associate spins a social media campaign for a fossil-fuel magnate convicted of a heinous environmental crime.
Production (Virtual): Occupy the Stage ‘22/National Women’s Theatre Festival
“This skillful piece succeeds solidly on two levels: as a tale of corporate corruption and greed exposed, deflected and (temporarily) managed, and as a story of four determined and intense characters on a personal and passionate collision path. Clever, bitingly satirical while also deceptively relaxed, this one packs a real punch.”
– Christine Foster, NPX
Designated Driver
Judith and her wife, Daphne, befriend their neighbor Tommy – a young man with fetal alcohol syndrome – little suspecting the pivotal role he will shortly come to play in their lives.
Production: New Deal Creative Arts Center, New Hyde Park, NY
“Wow, a ten minute nonlinear and beautiful play of three very distinct and unique characters. These characters are so strong, they could carry a full length play for sure! What a powerful short play unlike any I have ever read before.” – Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn, NPX
“A superbly written short play about love and loss, with an ending that is truly unexpected. Wonderful characters for actors to portray. Highly recommended!” – John Kelly, NPX
Getting Back to Switzerland
A server channels patrons past in a restaurant shuttered by Covid19.
Production: Stage Left Theatre, Spokane, WA
Published by Off the Wall Plays:
Inez & Alice Consort
March 3, 1913. Alice Paul wants her Woman Suffrage Procession to proceed as planned, but lead attraction Inez Milholland presents last-minute complications.
Production (Virtual): Spark Creative Works, Huntington, NY
Staged Reading: Itinerant Theatre, Lake Charles, LA
Featured in 365womenayear.wordpress.com
"...Historical, yet so relevant and lively … I was reading it with my jaw hanging open. Maynard has such a way with language – and I love the way her dialogue hovers between poetry and the one-two punch."
– Rachel Carnes, NPX
Free Shipping Every Day
At the height of the Christmas season in an Amazon super-warehouse, a new hire gets a crash course in workplace survival.
Production: Axial Theatre, Pleasantville, NY
Staged Reading: Westchester Collaborative Theatre, Ossining, NY
Try This at Home
Polly wants weekly sex with Mel. Mel wants something more. Mel’s wife wants something altogether different.
Production: Aery Theatre Festival, Garrison, NY
Finalist: Stray Kats Theatre Still Crazy After All These Years
“Polly is a 68 year old firebrand of a woman who knows what she wants from men ... all six of them - just sex. This is a fast, funny character-driven romp that will have you in stitches. Pour yourself a Jack, rip into a bag of Doritos and enjoy the read”
– Vivian Lermond, NPX
Caffeine Society
An ex-drunk casts a lifeline to a newcomer hitting bottom before an AA meeting.
Production: Powerhouse Theatre, LA
Production: Actors Conservatory Ensemble at the Lex Theatre, LA
Workshop: Chal Productions, NY (Al Pacino, producer)
“…a searing tale of emotional wreckage and redemption."
– LA Reader
“... a sparkling gem … a major home run.” - Sober Times
“Be sure to get a front-row seat for the next scheduled gathering of Caffeine Society at the Powerhouse Theatre.” - DramaLogue
- LA DramaLogue Best Play Award
