Plays

My first love was theater; my first major was, too. Then writing called. Luckily, I've been able to combine both.

I've written my own plays and I've been commissioned to write scripts for: the Looking for Lincoln Coalition, Lincoln's Home National Historic Site, Clayville Historic Site, the Springfield, Illinois Visitors and Convention Bureau, Wilcox School, and Firefly, Inc. I have also received a playwriting grant.

Below is a partial list of my plays.

                "Ms. McAndrew has proved herself not only an accomplished historical researcher...but also an accomplished writer of comedy."

-James L. Seay, MFA, Pamphlet Press

 

Farewell to Lincoln

The Looking for Lincoln Coalition commissioned me to write this one-act play for the bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 2009. The play chronicled Lincoln's last days in Springfield, Illinois before assuming the presidency. It was performed for 5,000 at Springfield, Illinois' Prairie Capital Convention Center and is now in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library archives.

The Lighter Side of Springfield History

First produced in 2011, this full-length comedy about our state's and central Illinois' past focuses on the loony parts: the pioneers' beloved whiskey obsession, corruption (it's a tradition in the Prairie State),  the fatal political pole wars of the 1830s, and more Illinois insanity.

"In this work, Ms. McAndrew has proved herself not only an accomplished historical researcher...but also an accomplished writer of comedy. The sold-out house laughed uproariously virtually from beginning to end."

–James L. Seay, MFA, Pamphlet Press

Yearning to Breathe Free

 

Freedom wasn't easy. This full-length play follows European immigrants' struggles when they escape to America in 1905.

"Watching 'Yearning to Breathe Free' is like dusting off an old family scrapbook and seeing brought to life the faded, yellowing documents or black-and-white photographs through which many of us know our immigrant ancestors."

– Elaine Spencer, State Journal-Register

Prairie Dreams

Clayville Historic Site, an original stagecoach stop and inn in central Illinois, commissioned me to write this site-specific, full-length play which tells the history of the inn and the family who built it. The play is held outside every other year at the site and includes a stagecoach, wagon, and animals.

"The past comes alive" – WUIS

Agatha Christie: Woman of Mystery

Christie was not only a proflic mystery writer, but a mystery herself. This dramatic, one-act presentation about the famous British writer portrays her surprising entry into writing, her personal life, and the greatest mystery surrounding Christie herself. It's been performed several times for groups and at First Night celebrations.

The Grimke' Sisters: Turning the World Upside Down

This one-act production tells the story of Sarah and Angelina Grimke, the first two female abolitionist agents in the U.S. It has been produced twenty times: at historic sites, museums, schools, and other venues between Chicago and St. Louis.

"If you ever needed proof that not all the important stories of American history have been told, the lives of Sarah and Angelina Grimke provide ample evidence."
–Will Burpee, Illinois Times
 
"What a treat, both educational as well as entertaining."
–Paul F. Sullivan, State Journal-Register