About Me
John David Westby is a Chicago playwright, screenwriter, actor and director. His plays have been developed and produced at various theatres in Chicago and environs.
John’s plays have had staged readings at Victory Gardens, Canongate Theatre, Borealis Theatre, Steel Beam Theatre, as part of the New Voices Festival and Saturday Series at Chicago Dramatists, and in New York City at the American Theatre of Actors.
During COVID, John wrote, directed, and produced an adaptation of the letters of John and Abigail Adams called Dear Abigail/Dear John: An Incandescent Match. It streamed on Youtube in 2021 when theatres were still shuttered.
Most recently his 10-Minute Play Just Checking In was featured in “Hilarity Ensues” a night of Short Plays at Steel Beam Theatre.
A graduate of the University of Illinois with a BA in English and Rhetoric, John was a nominee for the J. Kerker Quinn Award for Fiction as an undergrad. He is currently at work on his MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen at Lesley University.
Why I Write
Possibilities and potential make art.
I craft works that reveal secrets, heal wounds, nurture growth, bring insight, and explore the unknown with characters we want to love in spite of – or because of – their choices. I bring passion to the stories I tell and strive to excite audiences to participate with their hearts and minds. I want them to “lean forward” and lean into the characters and actions from first moment to last.
Nothing intrigues me more than a doorway, especially one slightly ajar, which creates a suspense and an invitation to some other place. To me, this ordinary occurrence sets up tension – and drama – between what we know on this side versus what could be possible once we step through this portal.
Whatever lies beyond the threshold offers so much possibility. Will you become the participant in the tale of the other room? Or will you simply observe the characters there or the setting there and record it?
Or, do you close it? And that leads to another story entirely.
full length WORKs
PLAYS
Comedies, dramedies, thrillers, dramas and adapted works.
Visit New Play Exchange for a full list of plays.
Random Theft & Other Acts
Three college-educated, under-employed, and unlikely bank robbers find themselves where no suburbanites should – a seedy run down motel in the middle of nowhere – where their plans spin widely out of control and they must grapple with suspicion, kidnapping, and the universal laws of cause and effect. This “Fargo-esque” comedy thriller has been produced multiple times to audience and critical acclaim. 2W, 5M.
Christmas Makeover: A Modern Christmas Carol
This update of Dickens’ classic finds Ms. CC Scrooge, an ambitious woman with a popular QVC Heart of Stone jewelry line and a heartless online payday loan business, grinding out profits. Her ex-partner Marlene chooses this year to pay a long-delayed visit to give her former friend the Christmas makeover she deserves. A female-focused ensemble. Cast 7-10 doubling/tripling possible.
Dear Abigail/
Dear John – An Incandescent Love Story
John and Abigail Adams were the original power couple of the American Revolution. Their correspondence shines a bright light on their incandescent relationship. The play covers the years 1774 – 1776 up to July 4th and the Declaration. Adapted from the letters of John and Abigail Adams for the stage. The play was filmed and streamed during the pandemic in 2021. See the production here. 1W, 1M
The Ultimate Christmas Carol
This ensemble-driven, modern adaptation of the classic Christmas Carol puts Charles Dickens on stage with an ensemble cast of mismatched locals. Mayhem ensues when Dickens must take one of the roles in the play, the Ghosts play hooky, and Tiny Tim won’t stop rapping in church. Doubling, tripling – and even quadrupling roles adds to the fun.
Person or Persons Unknown
When a sensational multiple murder rocks a community, past and present collide as a media firestorm forces an estranged daughter to return home and confront her past and the amoral reporter who seeks to capitalize on the coverage. They seek the truth but become infamous in their own rights. This play premiered at Wing & Groove Theatre in Chicago. 4W, 4M.
Directly Into the Sun
A mother and daughter learn to deal with loss, love, and new discoveries when a not-so-brilliant private investigator brings to light the secrets long hidden by a diligent – and dead -insurance adjuster. When the family reluctantly takes a road trip in a mad chase to resolve its conflicts, all the claims from past disasters finally come due and must be paid one by one. This dramedy has had several staged readings. 3W, 2M
SHORT WORKS
PLAYS
10 Minute Plays
Working Hard, Hardly Working
A collection of short plays where the denizens of the modern office avoid, bully, and kiss ass in the absurd confines of the modern technology company.
The collection includes “Just Checking In” and “Back to the Office” 2 characters any gender.
Elevated
A 10-minute play set in a high-rise office elevator as two former super heroes report to human resources about an alleged incident of world-shaking proportions. No judgements! 2 characters any gender.
Sky Full
A 10-minute play about two environmentalists who find the best sunset and then battle over who gets first dibs on it. 3 characters any gender.
Learn more about my work.
Explore My Blog:
A Midwest Playwright
Empty Bucket Syndrome
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Last week I entered a phase of my process I will call terra incognita, a strange place of indescribable[…]
Self Promotion
Why do so many artists cringe when they hear “self promotion?” I sit with all my words around me,[…]
Coming up
More Possibilities
I will be adding a section here on the site where you will be able to download portions of – or full versions – of the plays,