Pursued by a Runaway Train

In the attempt to save his parents’ marriage by covering the money his father lost in gambling over the years, Jake searches for a legal way to make a lot of money quickly without gambling. He decides to hop a train and convinces his friend, Billy, to join him. His plan: Catch a serial killer who murders hobos and get the reward. But tragedy befalls Billy. After 40 years, the guilt still burns through Jake’s heart.

“I still have nightmares. In those horrible dreams, I’m a conductor on a train that is pursing myself. Sometimes, it’s Billy pursuing me. I can never seem to get off the tracks. If I try, the rail trips me, and I fall on the tracks looking at the train coming ever faster towards me. And the pursuit continues until I am about to be struck by the train. Then, I wake up. Nothing can calm me. I have to stay up.”

Will Jake ever find peace? Find out in this thrilling drama.

Cast Size: 15, 9M, 4F, 2 flexible with doubling possible.

Running Time: 75 minutes.

Royalty Rate: $50.00 per performance.

Appropriate for mature audiences.

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James Clevenger resides in St. Joseph Missouri, where he received his B.A. in Theater from Missouri Western State College. Before embarking on a playwriting career, he acted in around 20 different productions at the College and Community Theater level, including lead roles in Little Foxes, Equus, Much Ado About Nothing, Curse of the Starving Class, and others.

His writing has gained attention on the national level in prestigious story contests. In Theater, he has designed sets, directed, and designed lights as well. Those experiences gave him a grasp of what technical aspects of a production (costume change time, sight lines, etc..) need to be considered, even at the writing stage of a play. He has multiple published works available at Black Box Theater Publishing Company including Pursued by a Runaway Train, The Farm of Henry Kaiser and The Mice Plays as well as a collection of short stories.

Copyright © James Clevenger