Thumper (Matt Kelly) grabs Keenan (Brian Pugach) at
StillSpeaking Theatre (San Marino, CA).

Dramedy. 10 minutes. 2 males. Minimal or suggested set, and suitable for high school actors (or possibly skilled, mature middle school actors) or older.  First performance:  $25.  Each additional performance:  $15.  Forensics license:  $12.50.  All licenses include permission to make copies of the script as necessary for production/competition.  Professional rights should be negotiated directly with YouthPLAYS at info@youthplays.com.

Premiered at NativeAliens Theatre Collective (New York, NY). Originally developed with the assistance of Rosie Best and the students of Toledo School for the Arts, and then read as part of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights / City of West Hollywood Lesbian & Gay Playreading Festival.

"Jonathan Dorf's writing soars above the typical fare we've looked at for young actors. In The Cooking Gene he takes what can be a challenging subject and manages to make it funny and touching and genuine at the same time. Our audiences were moved by this lovely piece of work." - Donald Shenk, Artistic Director, StillSpeaking Theatre (San Marino, CA)

"The Cooking Gene was awesome!  If I were a teacher, I would definitely put it into my forensics rotation... I think it poses a rewarding challenge for young actors because the characters are so candid and well drawn. It's just the sort of material I wish more teachers and students would take a risk on." - Bradley Hayward, professional playwright

Prefer to print your perusal script?  YouthPLAYS is happy to provide printable PDF files of our plays for customers who would prefer to evaluate material offline.  Just click the Place an Order button above and select the Printable Perusal option.  A printable copy of this play is $3.50.  Our non-printable perusals will, of course, continue to be free.

Thumper (L; Matt Kelly) squares off with an unhappy looking
Keenan (Brian Pugach) at StillSpeaking Theatre (San Marino,
CA).

When a high school home economics family budgeting assignment requires each student to choose a pretend spouse, a gay teen chooses his boyfriend to be his husband.