HUNG! is the final play of the Beltridge Trilogy.
HUNG! first hit paper in January of 2023, and was first produced by Ember Theatre Co. in Las Cruces, NM, in November 2024. That production of HUNG! can be seen here:
https://youtu.be/Zp5btY9fGBs?si=o52BPkWG3b1vT_uQ
If you're interested in reading or producing HUNG!, please reach out to me at VaWoCook@gmail.com.
A New Western Comedy
HUNG! is a roughly 90-minute chamber comedy with a cast of over 20 characters. Set in 1893, it follows the infamous outlaw, Putner Burch, the morning after his hanging. Somehow alive, Putner waltzes into a saloon for a drink, and gets himself trapped. As he attempts to relieve the pressures of his situation, everything escalates. Caught between lawmen, bounty hunters, climbing debts, and all sorts of other folks he's wronged, who knows if Putner will make it out.
By pitting humor against fatal stakes to create a rapid, farce-like comedy, this story aims to challenge the way the audience might view redemption without ever becoming too heavy.
Lasso Cave is the first play in the Beltridge Trilogy.
Lasso Cave begun its life in April of 2024. The original script was never finished before the story underwent massive changes. The final line of the original script, which was a stage direction, read: He begins. And "begin" I did. A year later, I finished the first full draft. Lasso Cave was recently produced as part of Ohio University's Fringe Festival. That recording can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJZV2jsGDR8
If you're interested in reading or producing Lasso Cave, please reach out to me at VaWoCook@gmail.com.
A Supernatural Western Thriller
Lasso Cave is a roughly 120-minute chamber play with a cast of 10 characters. Set in 1851, this play follows a group of 9 strangers who find themselves trapped in a cave, somewhere in the desert, during a violent thunderstorm. When it is revealed that this specific cave is the mythical Lasso Cave, our strangers are pitted against eachother. As per the legend, only two survive. Paranoia builds, secrets are spilled and revealed, and the magic of the cave just grows more and more apparent. Death arrives in ways that are impossible to anticipate, and as the play goes on, the living dwindle.
This play aims to use meta-elements, quick dialogue, plot twists, and clever staging in order to bring the audience deeper into the cave.
INK is the second play in the Beltridge Trilogy.
INK is currently being written.
INK dives into the supernatural nature of the town of Beltridge, and establishes the bizarre history that lies between HUNG! and Lasso Cave. Some familiar faces appear, and some faces grow unfamilar as the play goes on. While it is the second play in the trilogy, it is intended to be the finale. The correct watch order would be the order that the plays were released in. HUNG!, then Lasso Cave, then INK.
A Staged Western Study
This play is currently being written.
A Childhood Story
Dad Weekend follows two young boys who are headed to their Dad's trailer for the weekend. The relationships become clearer and the situation grows stranger as time goes on. Based on true events from my childhood, this play is the first I've ever written about myself and my own experiences. Through this play, I hope to explore some of the feelings I couldn't yet process, express love for my brother, and give the younger version of myself the space to be seen.
This play is currently being written.