Storytelling
Robert Pierosh is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer whose work spans screenplays, stage plays, short films, essays, and narrative fiction. His storytelling blends a dark sense of humor with moments of quiet absurdity, revealing deeper emotional truths about queerness, memory, and power.
Whether on the page or the screen, Robert explores the subtle dynamics that shape our daily lives—especially when adults behave badly simply because they can. His characters often inhabit everyday spaces where the stakes seem small, until they suddenly aren’t. Through layered, emotionally rich narratives, he invites audiences into moments where tension quietly builds and humor slips in unexpectedly.
Get an overview of Robert’s storytelling style and project highlights below. Industry professionals seeking bold, emotionally layered work with a darkly funny edge are invited to get in touch.
A Thief for Grandma, featured in The New York Times’ Modern Love column, is a tiny love story that packs a surprising amount of heart into fewer than 100 words.
Format: Micro-memoir
Miss Guidance is a one-man play and short story that explores a high school encounter with a guidance counselor whose indifference left a lasting impression—told with humor, emotional honesty, and a nod to the absurd.
Format: One-man play (10-minutes), essay
In The Purse Situation, a disco-era teacher becomes an unlikely icon—ushering in lessons on style, rebellion, and the quiet power of being yourself.
Format: Memoir Essay
An introverted junior high boy steps out of his comfort zone to fulfill his deceased brother’s dream—and along the way, he may also uncover a way to help his scheming parents make a fortune.
Format: Feature screenplay (100 minutes)
Lost and Found is about an invisible office worker, Loretta, stumbles upon a mysterious gift-wrapped box that sets off a chain of events—one lucky coincidence that might just reshape her entire life.
Format: Short screenplay (15 minutes)
The Ashtray is a glitter-dusted queer dramedy play about grief, glamour, and getting unstuck, following a reclusive Marilyn Monroe fan who ventures out for one last chance to feel close to the icon who once helped him feel seen—armed only with martinis, memories, and a friendship that refuses to let go.
Format: Stageplay (30 mins, Two Acts)
In 1920s Hollywood, a small-town Kansas boy unexpectedly stumbles into a hidden world of silent film stars and bohemian artists, where secrets and desires intertwine, setting him on a path that will change his life forever.
Format: Feature Screenplay (90 minutes)
When a celebrity couple stages a fake wedding in the Mojave Desert, their fame-hungry photographer turns the shoot into something dangerously surreal.
Format: Short Screenplay (10-15 minutes)
In New York, where the absurd is routine, a brief subway encounter reveals just how ordinary the extraordinary can be.
Format: Short Screenplay (1-2 minutes)
A short documentary that captures a moving Father’s Day conversation between a son and his dad, revealing the power of storytelling, memory, and generational connection.
Format: Short Documentary (10 minutes)
A couple’s quiet dinner at a beloved, soon-to-close Italian restaurant takes an unexpected turn when someone sits a little too close — and listens a little too well.
Format: Short Literary Fiction (Humorous)
Beyond fiction, Robert is passionate about real-life stories. His documentary projects, created through personal interviews and lived experience, focus on memory, truth, and preserving human legacies. By telling these stories with care and nuance, he amplifies overlooked voices and meaningful experiences.
Many of Robert’s works blur the line between comedy and vulnerability, embracing contradictions: moments that are tender yet unsettling, funny yet haunting. Whether a stage monologue, short film, or memoir-inspired essay, his voice is curious, emotionally honest, and fascinated by what people hide—and what escapes anyway.
Robert’s storytelling favors complexity over tidy endings. His stories often leave room for reflection, empathy, and a bit of discomfort. Through his perspective, the personal becomes political, and the ordinary takes on a strange new life.