Collection of Sketches by Jean-Pierre Martinez
Stage Briefs is a collection of brief two-character sketches, written for the stage in a pared-down, rhythmic, and highly effective style. Each sketch highlights a minimalist exchange — often absurd, sometimes poetic, always profoundly human. The tone shifts between light humour, gentle irony, and existential reflection, in the spirit of an immediate theatre, at the crossroads of Beckett, Dubillard, or Devos, yet with a distinctly contemporary flavour.
The collection consists of self-contained scenes, designed to be performed as duos, where the dialogues often draw upon:
– misunderstandings and comic misinterpretations,
– playful mise en abyme on theatre itself,
– observations on daily life or the quirks of the acting profession,
– variations on language, memory, waiting, or identity.
List of sketches
- A Dramatic Entrance
- Incognito
- No Smoke Without Fire
- A Stupid Face
- Celebrity
- Dead for the Theatre
- A Little Corner of an Umbrella
- The Colour of a Kiss
- Polyglot
- Background Noise
- Not Like Roses
- What’s Happening
- Pickpockets
- Of Course
- Fire!
- Edge of the Stage
- The Unwilling Actor
- Full Moon
- Postal Delay
- Goldfish
- Prompting Isn’t Acting
- Dressing Room Drama
- Matinee Performance
- Waiting for Nothing
- The Film’s Title
- The Theatre Family
- Drama Class
- The End
All the texts available on this site can be downloaded for free. However, performance rights, which constitute fair compensation for the author’s work, are a legal obligation. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, you must request authorization to perform the play and pay the corresponding royalties for the production. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works: Contact form.
Download the entire collection free of charge (PDF)
