Zachary Olson's Blog

shape&form. — a poem

at night my thoughts are large &
shadows wrestle for elbow room
velcroing themselves in for the long haul

i much prefer the day when my
thoughts feel small & the silhouettes
hide in corner morning cabinets
or fold back into afternoon drawers
afraid the light might reveal thin &
dismantle their inconsistencies.

Photo by Erica on Unsplash[image error]

lead lines. — a reflection

I don’t remember the words, but I do remember the feeling.

A seventeen-year-old me sitting in the front passenger seat of a dark green Honda Accord in 2004 where it was parked in a farther-away spot than normal. The hallways of the Christian kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade school would soon begin to fill, but for now, I put my feet onto the surface of the glovebox where they didn’t belong and listened.

Emotion gurgled inside of her throat as she scrambled to keep the pieces where they belonged. Tears in her words, she continued the dissertation on the importance of conformity, the longest piece of grass being mowed first, and the question of a boy wearing eyeliner.

It was a question whose specific words didn’t matter. The impression lingered. God’s clear rules, the family name, an incorrect reflection.

I would revisit the moment a thousand times as the years went by and I added pronouns to who I was and unearthed colors that had been muddied by dirty stained glass windows.

Photo by Naira Babayan on Unsplash[image error]

nonbinario. — a poem

i’ve lived in this body
my entire life and
never once at peace
with how i am perceived
except in flashes

the company-provided packet
of instructions is written in
a language i can’t understand

i wish (not daily but
maybe twice a week)
for the evolutionary aptitude
of some deep sea creature
adapting to intense pressure
thriving with scraps of light
or none at all — able to be
absolutely bioluminescent
in the darkest of places

did you know anglerfish
have to find the glowy bits?
they’re not spawned like that
it’s symbiotic bacteria
who’s collected over time
brought on as part of the team
not an identity crisis but crafted
intentionally beyond the box(fish)

so too i to
take a breath
my gills impatient
with how this poem
is turning out
(i’m not sure why it took
such an aquatic turn)

in conclusion i
feel lucky i feel
at pieces with the corners
i’ve shaved off expectations
glowing up and out a little bit
nestled in the Mariana Trench
among the candy wrappers
they’ve found at the bottom

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash[image error]

a very short play by zachary olson

Production Fees: $0
Genre: Comedy, Dark, One Act

>> ACCESS FULL SCRIPT HERE <<

Free to read, print, produce (at the middle or high school level) with attribution to playwright.

If you would like to produce , please contact me for latest script version: thezacharyolson@gmail.com

[elevator]
“Three strangers. One stuck elevator. The timing’s all wrong.”

CASTING:

3 actors, any gender

SET/COSTUMES/PROPS:

No setModern costumes - a baggy jacket, a ski maskProps - Cardboard boxes, a backpack, a pair of brightly colored rubber kitchen gloves[image error]

zoopraxiscope. — a poem

when you step outside
of your little house with
shutters on hinges and
a red mailbox flag
it can feel scary like
why like
what but
there’s a moment when
you’re staring out the car
into a forest in a different
neighborhood or country
and the images flip in
rapid succession as if
you are the horse in motion
being breathed to life in a
neighborhood or country
where you could belong
if for some reason you
need a fresh beginning
away from what has been
and then home seems less
a destination and more of
a choice to feel at peace
because you deserve it

Photo by Avi Theret on Unsplash[image error]

tidal. — a poem

we are all a little
out of time and
no matter which way
this (everything) goes
we had a chance

but in the final moments
burning numbers ticking down
the sky a wick alight
wouldn’t it have been nice
pardon my assumption
if we’d all tried a little harder
to make it kinda work

i’m a stranger in the dugout next to you
it didn’t need to be that way but
*clickslide* too late to worry about it now
see you beyond the nuclear winter

Original photo by Aydin Hassan on Unsplash[image error]

collegamento misto. — a poem

nearly anonymous in
a city where i don’t speak
the language, but that’s my fault
with inconsistent inspiration
to be known beyond
the passing press of thin lips
a slow motion blink, a nod

i’ve never been one to seek
connection, preferring instead
the self-cast enigma to
circumvent awkward moments
by freezing time itself from
the safety of the observation tower

the arc of storytelling would suggest
a /therefore/ an /and so/ a /but maybe/
but maybe it’s not my place to say
what’s the right approach to happy

Photo by Matias North on Unsplash[image error]

sweat pants. — a poem

my most marketable skill
is that i get homesick like
a hundred meters out the door
i can’t wait to get back
and hit that mat running
to shed the outside world
slide into cozy comfortable
a sheep in sheep’s clothing
the demon baa-rber of bleat street
notorious
for the way i lounge
infamous
in the pillow pilfer game
better watch your back
before i cull the cushions
out from under you

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash[image error]

Theatre Play Script by Zachary Olson // Science Fiction Adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest

Production Fees: $0
Genre: Comedy, Adaptation, Shakespeare

ACCESS SCRIPT HERE
Free to read, print, produce (at the high school level) with attribution to playwright. If you would like to produce , please contact me for latest script: thezacharyolson@gmail.com

Splinter Wind
“A sci-fi adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (written in modern language), set on a barren, post-apocalyptic planet. Prosper, a once-powerful star fleet captain, has been exiled with his daughter Miranda and now uses his magic to control the desert wasteland, aided by his energetic servant Ariel and cantankerous hostage Caliban. When a starship carrying his enemies, including his treacherous sister Anton, crash-lands nearby, Prosper sets in motion a plot to reclaim his past. Meanwhile, two malfunctioning robots, Sprocket and Trinket, are drawn into Caliban’s rebellious schemes. As Miranda falls in love with Ferdinand, a young survivor from the crash, Prosper must decide between vengeance and forgiveness — and ultimately what cost he is willing to pay to set things right again.”

CASTING:

4F, 5M, 2 NB (written as, but flexible)11 unique charactersVery flexible genders

SET/COSTUMES:

Flexible costumingTwo settings (as simple or complicated as desired): spacecraft control room & a post-apocalyptic desert planet[image error]

Theatre Play Script by Zachary Olson // Troubled High School Production of “Our Play” (Our Town-esque)

Production Fees: $0
Genre: Drama with Comedy, Coming of Age, High School, Theatre, LGBTQ+

ACCESS SCRIPT HERE
Free to read, print, produce (at the high school level) with attribution to playwright. If you would like to produce , please contact me for latest script: thezacharyolson@gmail.com

Just Chalk (Or Fire)
A play in three acts
“Caitlin Gutierrez, a high school sophomore, harbors a secret from her well-meaning but overbearing family — she has auditioned for the school play. When the cast list is posted, her world takes an unexpected and life-altering turn. A story of self-discovery, teenage ambition, and the liberating power of letting go.”

CASTING:

11 F, 7 M, 1 NB (written as, but flexible)19 unique charactersExpandable castFlexible gendersDoable with a minimum of 14 actorsRecommended 16+ actors or moreLGBTQ+ inclusive

SET & PROPS:

A high school auditorium and character’s homesFlexible complexity based on resources

COSTUMES:

Easy, modernSome simple 1900s costumes

CONTENT:

Some strong (optional) languageBrief mention of illegal substances[image error]