Published Works

This play by Kennedy Center national award-winning playwright Mahonri Stewart "exceeds the tweet, elevates the senses, and enlarges the mind" (Andrea Johnson, Front Row Reviewers). William Shakespeare has come home—but is he welcome back? Having traveled between London and Stratford-Upon-Avon his entire professional life as England's premiere playwright, he has missed significant events in the life of his family; most tragically, the death of his son Hamnet. Now his daughter Judith hates him, his daughter Susannah distrusts love, and his wife Anne grows ever more distant. To make matters worse, a vengeful, but complex Thomas Quiney plots to tear down all that Shakespeare holds dear and raise himself up in its place. Shakespeare must confront the mistakes of his past, or risk losing what’s left of his future. The volume also includes an Afterword essay by the author that explores the connections between Shakespeare's family and his work that Stewart discovered during his "Year of Shakespeare."

“THE WRITING OF THIS PIECE IS REMARKABLE. Stewart has taken great pains to stay true to Elizabethan language and verbiage, even down to the beauty of the soliloquy. Devotees of Shakespeare will enjoy the high language, the verbal sparring, and the witty repartee ... Lovers of words will find themselves immersed in language that exceeds the tweet, elevates the senses, and enlarges the mind.”
- Andrea Johnson, Front Row Reviewers

“A DELIGHTFUL PLAY.”
- Harlow Clark, A Motley Vision

“I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS WATCHING A PLAY THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD HAD BEEN WAITING 400 YEARS FOR ... Stewart weaves a rich tapestry that even the Bard would delight in ... I felt like I was encountering a long-lost and newly rediscovered Shakespearean play ... the true magic of Stewart’s play is that he successfully replicates Shakespeare’s uncanny ability to peer into and convincingly play with timeless human nature.”
- Hillary Stirling, AML/Dawning of a Brighter Day

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Edition/Licensing), Prospero Arts and Media (Print Edition)

Ichabod Crane has come to Sleepy Hollow to replace the former school mistress Emily, who died under mysterious circumstances. At first it is all flirtations and laughter for Ichabod as he garners the attention of the town's single ladies, including the vivacious Katrina Van Tassel and the humble Alice Hudson. Yet Ichabod's tale darkens as his rival Brom Bones threatens him and the Headless Horseman and other supernatural legends bubble to the surface. What is really happening in Sleepy Hollow? And what does Ichabod truly need to fear: supernatural ghosts and demons, or the all too natural evil lurking in the human heart?

WINNER OF THE RUTH AND NATHAN HALE COMEDY PLAYWRITING AWARD

"A WONDERFUL, HAUNTING CLASSIC."
- Windy Hinks, The College Times

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Edition/Licensing), Prospero Arts and Media (Print Edition)

They thought that Georgiana Highett was invincible. Yet, after the death of her father, the return of a childhood friend, and the entrance of a mysterious and dangerous man, her secure protections are crumbling. Georgiana must draw on reserves of strength to confront threats from outside and threats from within. This award-winning period drama has won praise for its complex characterization, rich language, and stunning plot twists.

WINNER OF THE KCACTF NATIONAL STUDENT PLAYWRITING AWARD (Second Place)

WINNER OF THE KCACTF NATIONAL SELECTION TEAM FELLOWSHIP AWARD

"One of the best original plays I've seen."
-- Greg Henry, KCACTF Artistic Director

" One of the best plays I've read in a decade."
-- Gary Garrison, KCACTF Playwriting Chair

"A thought provoking experience for anyone who catches Farewell to Eden.”
- Russell Warne, UTBA

"A finely crafted play ... Farewell to Eden is a uniquely rewarding character study that is so splendidly played as to make it highly recommended."
- Blair Howell, Deseret News

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Edition/Licensing), Prospero Arts and Media (Print Edition)

Never in a thousand years would Jimmy Stewart have considered being an actor…that is until he met the lovely actress Margaret Sullavan. She inspired a new direction for his wonderful life. As the subject of one of the great, unfulfilled love stories in Hollywood history, Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan had a complicated, but beautiful relationship. Jimmy owed much of his career to the feisty, yet secretly tender Margaret. She not only believed in Jimmy’s talent…but also in the goodness of his soul. Jimmy would need her faith in him as he faced an uphill battle against naysayers, manipulators, and a corrupt studio system that felt like it had little room for a starry eyed, stuttering yokel from Pennsylvania.

"We can’t stress enough how you really are missing out if you don’t come see this touching, insightful, entertaining play about one of movie’s true icons.”
- Chelsea Benjamin and Robert Craig, Front Row Reviewers

"I found myself engaged from beginning to end thanks to [Mahonri Stewart's] well-crafted script. Stewart’s natural and conversational writing style accentuated many of these great moments in [Jimmy] Stewart’s life... It was very evident that Stewart had done a lot of research in order to create such a detailed story.”
- Johnny Hebda, UTBA

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Edition/Licensing), Prospero Arts and Media (Print Edition)

After the fall of Troy, a group of refugee children are delivered by the goddess Hestia. Yet Ares, the god of war, will not give up his spoils so easily and sends the Titan Lelantos to retrieve them. Trying to escape their pursuer, as well as stave off other creatures and dangers, the children must either stand together or fall divided. Included in Noorda Theatre Youth Plays: Five Age Appropriate Scripts for Young Actors.

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals

A post-apocalyptic fairy tale where mythical creatures have re-entered the world and become the new ruling class. As the fiery and brave Madeline, her blind mother Ebony, and the thoughtful Shasta confront sphinxes, griffins, fairies, and goddesses, they must prepare for the ultimate confrontation with the lord of all the carnage that has come upon the world... the Emperor Wolf.

Now optioned as a stop-motion animated film by Motion Foundry Studios!

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Edition/Licensing), Prospero Arts and Media (Print Edition)

In this evocative and meaningful play, the meaning and life of humankind is explored through a series of stories from myths and folk tales adapted from across the world.

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Edition/Licensing), Prospero Arts and Media (Print Edition)

A bio-play about the early life of one of the 20th century's most beloved authors C.S. Lewis, the creator of The Chronicles Narnia. The play tells the story of Lewis's time as a soldier in World War I, the adoption of his fallen friend Paddy's family as his own, his conflicted relationship with his father, and his meeting Hugo Dyson and J.R.R. Tolkien (author Lord of the Rings) who challenge and change his whole life trajectory and worldview. The volume also includes Stewart's speech about C.S. Lewis: "It is the Myth That Gives Life."

“STEWART IS A MASTER WRITER of rich dialogue, clever and scintillating in the style of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. This is a very good play, befitting a fascinating, worthy protagonist in the historical C.S. Lewis.”
- Nan McCulloch, Irreantum Magazine

“THIS IS A PLAY BUILT ON THE TENSION BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AND SECULAR APPROACHES TO LIFE. And the playwright pulls no punches ... Stewart doesn’t gloss over such things but allows them to find their own level. He lets the audience decide what to think ... I liked even more the notion that writers and playwrights are no longer giving us ‘dual versions’ of religious souls — one version where the subject can do no wrong and a ‘revisionist’ version where he or she sins at every turn. Artists have finally begun to offer us fully fleshed out, rounded portraits of spiritual souls.”
- Jerry Earl Johnston, Deseret News

“STEWART ALSO HAS A DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF THE WRITINGS AND BIOGRAPHY OF C.S. LEWIS … This accuracy is an authorial choice that respects the people and that ultimately adds to the believable and unique characterization and setting of the plays.”
- David Allred, AML Reviews

“WELL-WRITTEN, FUNNY, AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING.”
- Scott Hales, The Low-Tech World

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Edition/Licensing), Prospero Arts and Media (Print Edition)

Mystical Plays of Magic, Meaning, and Romance

A self-exiled man finds himself in a mythical Australia. A Victorian woman has closeted herself in her home to hide herself from an ancient secret. A woman stumbles into a shop whose glassware contains more than she bargained for. The Greek Eurydice wakes up on a boat with a mysterious man. The Lady of Shallot is discovered in an ancient castle by a ragtag group of adventurers. A trio of post-apocalyptic survivors faces a changed world that contains sphinxes, fairies, griffins, goddesses, and the fearsome Emperor Wolf.

In these plays, national-award-winning playwright Mahonri Stewart explores his enchanted side.

"[Evening Eucalyptus] does a good job of weaving together several storylines with a sense of magic . . . the last lines of the play linger in the mind long after curtain call . . . an exciting climax and compelling resolution. There is a lot to recommend Evening Eucalyptus for a night of thought-provoking entertainment."
- Kristin Perkins, Front Row Reviewers

"[A] shining achievement . . . Retellings that bring to light new ideas in ancient stories . . . are some of my favorite things in the world, and Stewart pulls this off beautifully!"
- Bianca Dillard, Utah Theatre Bloggers Association

"Mahonri Stewart is a masterful writer . . . and it is always a pleasure to grapple intellectually with what his clever mind produces time after time."
- Marilyn Brown, AML/Dawning of a Brighter Day

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Editions/Licensing), Zarahemla Books (Print Edition)

Saints on Stage is the most comprehensive and important work on Mormon drama ever published. This volume anthologizes some of Mormonism's best plays from the last several decades, many of them published here for the first time. Several of these plays have won honors from institutions as varied as the Kennedy Center and the Association for Mormon Letters.

This volume includes historical backgrounds and playwright biographies, as well as an introduction that provides an extensive overview of Mormon drama, written by Mahonri Stewart. The following plays are included:

Fires of the Mind, Robert Elliott
Huebener, Thomas F. Rogers
Burdens of Earth, Susan Elizabeth Howe
J. Golden, James Arrington
Matters of the Heart, Thom Duncan
Gadianton, Eric Samuelsen
Hancock County, Tim Slover
Stones, J. Scott Bronson
Farewell to Eden, Mahonri Stewart
Martyrs' Crossing, Melissa Leilani Larson
I Am Jane, Margaret Blair Young

PUBLISHER: Zarahemla Books

Saints on Stage has been used as a university textbook at Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University.

NEW RELEASE! STEWART'S FIRST PUBLISHED NOVEL!

Joseph Smith would grow to become one of the most influential and controversial figures in American religious history, a person who millions would come to call a prophet of God, while other called him a fraud. Yet, he was once just a young teenager in a large family of poor farmers and laborers, a barefoot boy seeking his own personal salvation. The story he got caught up in--one that claims angels, seer stones, new scripture, religious contention, treasure digging, visions, and a magical, spiritual world striving to emerge in 19th century America--is a tale that strains credulity while it inspires the spiritual imagination. Could so much have really happened in a world that was striving towards modernity?

PUBLISHER: Prospero Arts and Media

National-award-winning playwright Mahonri Stewart continues to explore the contours of spirituality in an increasingly complicated world. This volume includes:

• A Roof Overhead—The Fielding family's Mormon values conflict with their tenant's atheistic beliefs. Can mutual tolerance be found, or will tragedy ruin their chances for finding common ground?

• Friends of God—This play dramatizes the history of Joseph Smith's martyrdom and the controversies and dangers that led up to it.

• "White Mountain" and "The Prince's House"—These two short plays explore the light and dark sides of the spiritual world.

• Yeshua—The New Testament Gospels are explored in new and beautiful ways.

"Stewart's skill at dialogue and characterization, mingled with just the right amount of humor, drama, and pathos, anchors us to the play—we become more than mere observers. . . . What [A Roof Overhead] says to Mormons is, 'We are not alone in the world. We need to learn to get along with others of different or, sometimes, no faith.'"
- Excerpt from the AML Award Citation for Drama, 2012

"With A Roof Overhead, and Other Plays, Mahonri Stewart has given an invaluable gift to those of us who have not seen these plays in production. And while producing the plays in your own head, and reading all the parts yourself, is not an ideal theatrical experience, it is one you should not miss. Not with these plays... I expect more great plays from his pen."
- Dennis Clark, Dawning of a Brighter Day

PUBLISHER: Leicester Bay Theatricals (Acting Editions/ Licensing), Zarahemla Books (Print Edition)