NJ Writer Presents 6 Short Plays Written During Daily NYC Commute

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Ever wonder what the commuter seated next to you is typing on his computer? You know the guy—the one hunched up over his laptop on the train, feverishly tip-tapping away on his keyboard. Is he catching up on work emails? Updating a PowerPoint? Balancing a budget? Not Robert Scott Sullivan of Brick. He was, in fact, busy writing plays. And, now, a compilation of these original dramas titled Love & Liquor will be performed August 9, 10, and 11 at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in Princeton, NJ.

The anthology of plays was written by Sullivan several years ago when he endured a daily 3+ hour commute to and from NYC, where he worked. While thousands of his fellow commuters were scanning newspapers or sleeping, Sullivan was toiling away developing passionate, character-driven stories. Ironically, only one of the six plays in this compilation of short dramas, "Destinations"—which has been performed in theatres throughout the United States and Canada—deals with travel. The remainder explore life, love, liquor, family, fidelity, sex, secrets… and everything in between.

"These aren't big stories, they're human stories," Sullivan says. "Personal dramas are the most interesting and compelling as far as I'm concerned. As a playwright, my job is to try to reflect the human condition—to have the audience see themselves or their loved ones in the characters on stage. I think I was inspired by all the people I'd see on the train everyday. Everyone has a unique story—a personal history with both happy and tragic chapters. If you've ever commuted to NYC by train, who knows, you may have been my inspiration and you don't even know it!"  He continues, "As the director, I've assembled a really great group of NJ actors to showcase these stories and we're really excited to welcome audiences to our theatrical showcase."

Love & Liquor is 6 plays within one—a compilation of different stories including:

Destinations—a slice-of-life tale that questions why some relationships can survive an affair, but others cannot.

Eve—on the eve of a mother's operation, a son comes to visit and opens up to her for the first time.

The Love of Your Life—a young woman learns a few life lessons from her recently widowed grandmother.

The Trouble With You Is—when a famous actress visits her nebbish, younger sister, personalities collide and pent up frustrations come to a boil.

Secret—a young woman's ex comes to visit and secrets about the true nature of their relationship are revealed.

Rewarding Constance—a sweet southern waitress shares the story of her very bitter upbringing.

Performance Dates:
Friday, August 9 — 8pm
Saturday, August 10 — 8pm
Sunday, August 11 — 3pm

Performance Location:
Paul Robeson Center for the Arts 
102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542

All Tickets are $15.00
609-945-1803
www.loveandliquorshow.com

Written & Directed by
Robert Scott Sullivan (of Brick)

Featuring:
Maria DeAngelo (of Freehold) • Stephen Dobbins (of Howell) •
Dorothy Dobkowski (of Clifton) • Dave Duncan (of Asbury Park) •
Vince Fay (of Matawan) • Laura Herr (of Fair Haven) •
Michelle Joralemon (of Toms River) • Jill Mesonas (of Edison) •
Candy Predham (of Spring Lake) • Maggie Rogers (of Howell) •
Gina Shuster (of Toms River) • Mary Sullivan (of Freehold) •
James Walsh (of Leonardo)

Technical Direction:
Jeff Schneider (of Brick)