Playwriting

As a playwright, Alyssa writes about topics and characters that she deeply relates to in order to fill the gap in the canon for representation of people with disabilities. Many of her works focus on the experience of being invisibly disabled. Growing up as a chronically ill and disabled person, she didn’t see herself represented meaningfully in the media she consumed. She aims to create meaningful disability representation so that all children and adults can see themselves represented in the media they consume.

Her ten-minute play, Purgatory, was chosen as a Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Regional Award Winner in 2026.

Alyssa’s plays can be found on New Play Exchange.

Purgatory – A young, engaged couple navigate life together after a rough doctor’s appointment.
Purgatory was presented at The Mizzou New Play Series as a staged reading on 2/14/2026, directed by Sean Jaenicke. The rights to this play are held by Alyssa Durbin and any performances must be done with her permission.
CLARE – Izzy Maxwell
ALEX – Ethan Cole
STAGE DIRECTIONS – Ava Hutchison
Wake Up – A daughter-in-law has an uncomfortable conversation with her mother-in-law about their widening differences in politics.
The Treadmill Play – Two young people run into each other at the gym. Hijinks ensue.
The Treadmill Play was presented at The Mizzou New Play Series as a staged reading on 2/15/2026, directed by Thomas Czerkawski. The rights to this play are held by Alyssa Durbin and any performances must be done with her permission.
ISOBEL – Reagan Hamilton 
EVAN – Will Morris 
STAGE Directions – Hamza Abu

A Princess, A Pea, and ADHD – A whimsical retelling of The Princess and The Pea, this show follows a quirky, young princess as she races against the clock to overcome a monster-in-law of a queen to win a competition for the prince’s hand and break his curse.
STUCK! – A magical sword, a mysterious prophecy, and a race against time drive a disabled teen to prove that true strength goes beyond muscle to stop the kingdom from falling into chaos.