When a violent encounter with a shoplifter leaves half of their team fired or in the hospital, the security guards of a downtown Chicago retail store find themselves under corporate investigation. Short-staffed, ill prepared, and faced with accusations that threaten to dismantle the crew, they’re forced to decide: do we give the higher-ups exactly what they want, or do we try to do what’s right – even if it means risking everything? PLAINCLOTHES is a story of tribalism and taking a stand set against the bright, boisterous backdrop of the holiday shopping season.
Honors:
Winner, M. Elizabeth Osborn Award, American Theatre Critics, 2019
Finalist, Harold & Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, 2019
Winner, Joseph Jefferson Award — Best Ensemble, 2019
Nominee, Joseph Jefferson Award — Best New Play, 2019
Productions:
Broken Nose Theatre — Chicago, November - December 2018 (extended!)
Press Quotes:
”[As written by] the hugely talented Davis... there is a rather delicious sensibility that anything might happen. This could be an entire television series.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
★★★★ “In his thrilling new play... playwright Spenser Davis makes the case for a kind of a washroom-sink realism. Energetic, funny and packed with emotion...” — Alex Huntsberger, Time Out Chicago
“This sharp and heartbreakingly honest text gives voice to a working-class world we’ve never seen before... messy, mistaken, engaged, whole-hearted, and figuring it out... Go see this show.” — Kelsey McGrath, PerformInk
“An explosive new play that explores the effects of our dividing ourselves... and the ways much of that division comes from those in power... it is a direct descendent of works like BLEACHER BUMS, E.R., and BALM IN GILEAD.” — Mark Larson, author of Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theatre
“There is nothing plain about PLAINCLOTHES. It’s messy. It’s a whirlwind. It’s life. Pulling any quotes without entire pages of flowing dialogue would be a crime. Instead I found myself reading the play in its entirety, twice. See the show.” — Amanda Finn, Newcity Stage
Assigned to an important cover story at the last possible second, two journalists travel halfway around the globe to uncover the tale behind one of the most recognizable pieces of pop culture in history. Their question: How did a single piece of software, created by one man in the heart of the Soviet Union, spark a high-stakes legal battle that split the Iron Curtain?
What they find scattered around the world isn't so much an origin story, as it is a mangled mass of varying accounts that’ll make piecing together the objective truth a particularly tall order. And they better hurry — because the clock is already running!
Fast-flying, hilarious, and packed with heart, A MILLION TINY PIECES examines the lengths people will go to get the credit they (or others) are owed, all told through a highly theatrical lens bursting with humor and humanity. This... is the story of Tetris!
Available for World Premiere.
Development:
Colorado New Play Festival, 2022
Pacific Playwrights Festival @ South Coast Repertory, 2022
Elizabeth George Commission from South Coast Repertory, 2020
In 1976, it was the fastest growing company in the history of the United States, a one-of-a-kind workplace fueled by pot smoking, jacuzzi parties and nobody wearing socks. But when its founders are forced to sell themselves to stay afloat, they quickly realize that corporate cash comes with baggage. And even worse? Socks are now mandatory. High-stakes and hilarious, MERGE is about a small band of programmers who stand up and fight back against the very company that saved them from bankruptcy, in a battle that threatens to crash their entire still-growing industry. This is the story of the rise and fall... of Atari!
Productions:
DMACC Ankeny Theatre — Des Moines, IA, November 2023
The New Colony — Chicago, IL, October - November 2016
Development:
The New Colony Writers’ Room, 2016
Press Quotes:
“MERGE is a really great play. If I worked for a Hollywood studio, I’d option this thing right now.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“THE SOCIAL NETWORK’s goofy, stoner cousin.” — Alex Huntsberger, TimeOut Chicago (starred review)
“Spenser Davis’ new play tells the tale in formidable, often fascinating detail...” — Tony Adler, Chicago Reader
When protesters smash in the front windows of a downtown Chicago retail store, this singular act of destruction sends a ripple through eight interconnected lives: two undercover security guards, three Cosmetics employees, a cop facing a crisis of the soul, a consultant seizing her moment, and a well-seasoned manager with zero f@%ks left to give. Set in the same fictional store featured in PLAINCLOTHES, this is a sharp and shattering satire that examines the danger of prioritizing property over people, presented as a thorny and complicated kaleidoscope of perspectives in the heart of the American city.
Available for World Premiere.
Productions:
Broken Nose Theatre — Chicago, IL, November - December 2021
(Audio Workshop Presentation)
Development:
Commissioned by Broken Nose Theatre, 2021
Press Quotes:
“Earth-shattering... [feels] as if a centuries-old, hope-filled dam had been burst…” — Annabelle Harsch, Picture This Post
”Highly Recommended! Uses humor and a hint of satire to question society’s priorities. [An] entertaining cast of characters... surveys bigger social questions from the point of view of ordinary, everyday people.” — John Arkelian, Around the Town Chicago
“Highly Recommended! Challenges us [and] shakes us from our preconceived notions. Davis’s dialogue crackles...” — Joe De Rosa, Chicago OnStage
At a time when politics are at a boiling point and Zoom calls are still the absolute worst, the Public Works Director of a major city confesses to a horrible crime. Cue the “Spin Doctors” — a team of ruthless PR professionals brought in at the last possible second to prepare the Mayor’s top aide for a crucial news interview, distance City Hall from the controversy, and point the public’s attention elsewhere. Oh, and do it entirely over video-conferencing. THE SPIN is an award-winning dark comedy written specially for the virtual medium of live-streaming.
Honors:
Winner, B. Iden Payne Awards — Best Live Digital Production, 2021
Winner, B. Iden Payne Award — Best Director (Spenser Davis), 2021
Productions:
Street Corner Arts — Austin, TX, April - May 2021 (extended 4 weeks!)
Interrobang Theatre Project — Chicago, October - November 2020
Development:
Commissioned by Interrobang Theatre Project, 2020
Press Quotes:
”My favorite online production since theaters began shuttering last March... Incredibly real and nail-biting... You simply will not want this highly recommended wonder to end.” — Tony Frankel, Stage & Cinema
”Wickedly satirical... As immersive as a pandemic show ever could hope to be and deserves to be remembered after the arrival of the vaccine that is just around the corner as a prima-facie example of off-Loop formative invention...” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
”Uses the framework of the online world better than many other Zoom productions I’ve seen... unfolds in real time [adding] a sense of urgency… crackling with snarky and sinister wit.” — Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
”A feat that is nothing short of miraculous. I was honestly watching the final moments of the performance with my jaw on the floor.” — Lynn Beaver, Broadway World Austin
”A searingly relevant, disturbingly hilarious, and incredibly tense story that manages to transcend both its medium and its subject matter. [I’m making] a genuine plea for a sequel.” — Aaron Lockman, Rescripted
”A spot-on satire for an image-obsessed era... So real, it’s almost scary.” — Anne Spiselman, Hyde Park Herald