Selected Full-Length Plays
Playwrights Local/Dobama production of Down by Contact
Down by Contact (3M/1F)
DOWN BY CONTACT tells the story of a former pro quarterback who in retirement struggles with the debilitating effects of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). The play is based on the lives of former football players and their families. REVIEWS:
Mark Horning, “Down by Contact,” Talkin’ Broadway. August 22, 2018. “After the cheering throngs have departed…what does a battered 11-season quarterback do to pass the time? This is the question posed by Les Hunter’s captivating drama Down by Contact.”
Christine Howey, “The Potential Damage Done to Football Players is Explored in Down by Contact” Scene Magazine. August 22, 2018. “Playwright Hunter manages [the play’s] revelations with admirable subtlety.”
HISTORY:
Full production, Dobama Theatre/Playwrights Local co-production. Dir. Dale Heinen. Aug-Sept, 2018.Reading, Dobama Theatre Playwrights Gym, Cleveland. Dir. Jocelyn Prince. May, 2016.Reading, Convergence Continuum Theatre, Cleveland, OH. Dir. Les Hunter. Dec., 2015.Reading, Dobama Theatre, Cleveland. Dir. Al Heartley. May. 2014.
NPX member? Read the script here.
To the Orchard (2F/2M)
In TO THE ORCHARD, college student Rachel Bergman is propelled to reveal her sexual identity to her Orthodox Jewish father, who has hidden his own past for years. An Orthodox rabbi, a queer studies professor, and the spirits of Robert Plant and Virginia Woolf inhabit this slightly magic-realist play about family, making mistakes, retribution and coming clean.REVIEWS:
Bob Abelman, “Engaging To the Orchard Pits Tradition Against Desire,” Cleveland Jewish News. May 30, 2016. “Hunter’s words seem to fly from the page and are as poetic as they are poignant.”
Mark Horning, “Playwrights Local Brings Fascinating ‘To the Orchard’ as their Inaugural Work,” AXS. June 13, 2016. “An excellent balance of pathos and humor that makes for a delightful evening of solid entertainment.”
HISTORY:
Full production, Playwrights Local, Cleveland, OH. Dir. Dale Heinen. 2016.Selected from over 200 international submissions to be a Top-Ten finalist, Jewish Play Project, 2016
Staged reading, National Comedy Theatre, NFJC. NY, NY. Dir. Jamie Winnick. 2008.Staged reading, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Boston, MA. Dir. Fran Weinberg. 2007.Staged reading, ARTNY!, Brooklyn Playwrights’ Collective. Dir. Jamie Winnick. 2006.
Workshop reading, Building Bridges Festival, Brooklyn College Drama Dept. Dir. Jamie Winnick. 2006.
Read the NPX script here.
Courtney Brown* as Tammie and Jennifer Ruth as Kate in Rubber City Theatre’s production. Photo: Hazen Tobar, 2022.
Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People: A Rust-Belt Adaptation (4F/4M)
An adaptation of a classic for the Trump age, set in Rustbelt America. REVIEWS:
Christine Howie, “Enemy of the People at Rubber City Theatre,” Cleveland Scene Magazine. “With attacks on science and journalism, (Hunter’s) adaptation of 'An Enemy of the People' at Rubber City Theatre feels as timely as ever.”
“Enemy of the People,” Theatre Reviews Kura Hashi. “The Rubber City Theatre Company’s An Enemy of the People, an adaptation of Ibsen’s work by Les Hunter, directed by Lana Sugarman is a powerful show that asks you a simple question–what you are: Peter or Tammie?”
Kerry Clawson, “Rubber City's Version of Enemy of People Chilling Look at Right vs. Might in Trump Era.” Akron Beacon Journal. May 2022. “Highly thought-provoking (and) … a chilling modern-day version.”
Mark Horning (formerly of Talkin’ Broadway), “Rubber City Theatre’s Enemy of the People is a Bitter but Needed Pill to Swallow.” Mister 215. May 2022. “Good theatre!”
PRODUCTION HISTORY:
Commission and full Equity production with Rubber City Theatre. Dir. Lana Sugarman. 2022.