Ten Short and Short-Short Plays


Fiction - Drama
133 Pages
Reviewed on 11/09/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Tom Hendricks is an American eccentric Dallas-based musician, painter, writer, and creator of a zine called Musea.
Once upon a time
In a Prairie Town
On the edge of a pine forest
In the hot summer of 1992...

I, Tom Hendricks,
A Musician, Painter and Writer,
Was slipping into nowhere
At a steady pace - then...
An idea...a fantabulous idea-
Musea was born...

Readers, welcome! I encourage you to explore not only my books and blog, but the Musea zine website (for decades of back issues); and the hunkasaurus music site, or read my wikipedia entry.

Since 1992, I've tried, through my monthly zine Musea, and my music, to give an alternative to generic corporate arts. That means brand new music, art, writings, film, fashion, and much more. Want an alternative to what we have now? Explore Musea, and let me know what you think

- Tom Hendricks, (Art S Revolutionary, Hunkasaurus and His Pet Dog Guitar).

    Book Review

Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite

For those of us readers who enjoy short works of fiction, author and playwright Tom Hendricks has provided us with an intriguing new entry in the field. Ten Short and Short-Short Plays is exactly that, a compendium of ten finely worked plays that can each be read in a very short period of time. From a play featuring two bewitching wood nymphs, to one based on a classic ballet, to yet another featuring two porcelain collectibles dueling it out on a mantle, each feature is certainly unique, creative and highly entertaining.

One of my very favorite genres is that of short fiction. Having a book where one can quickly read through an entertaining piece, then set it aside and not come back to it for hours, days or months, just to start anew with something completely fresh; that is simply a delightful option for me. However, sometimes I run across a writer that, even though the works are short, they are so compelling they keep me reading right through. That was certainly the case with this book.

Playwright Tom Hendricks must have an incessantly creative mind, and this comes through in each of his unique and playful works. Each of these plays would be fun to act out for novice actors or for ones much more skilled. I recommend Ten Short and Short-Short Plays to readers who enjoy short works of fiction, those interested in fun short plays, or actors looking for new work. Tom Hendricks' work is definitely worth watching out for.

Raanan Geberer

Community theater groups are booming across the U.S., but inevitably audiences get tired of seeing the same old familiar plays. That’s where Tom Hendricks’ Ten Short and Short-Short Plays can come in handy. Hendricks takes some old plays and rewrites them with his own twist, but also has some totally new ideas. For example, in his “William Tell: The Play,” a group of actors are doing the original play when the actor playing Tell, after receiving a head injury, shoots a real arrow at his stage victim. Some of his plays are based on works unfamiliar to the modern audience — for example, his “Manikin and Minikin” is based on a 1918 play by the same name by Alfred Kreymborg – so viewers will likely be seeing the story for the first time. He also presents his own take on Shakespeare’s comedies, Greek myths, and the Book of Job.

Hendricks obviously is a good writer and also knows the theater well, since his plays can easily be produced by small theater companies without the aid of elaborate scenery, large casts, etc. He also knows how to make things concise and easily understood. In my opinion, his best ideas are those that are original, for example the “short-short” play “Larry’s Sugar Pills,” in which Larry is put on trial for selling sugar pills for “whatever ails you” and presents a unique defense. All in all, fans of short plays will be sure to enjoy Tom Hendricks’ Ten Short and Short-Short Plays.