Strong Female Characters: Juliet Capulet. During the sixth lesson, Lily reveals a closely guarded secret -- she is terminally ill -- and Michael shares his greatest gifts -- loyalty and compassion. Enter Freddie Luna, a high school basketball superstar with a troubled past. But how can this be? The dark secrets of a Catholic school come to the surface in this deep, moving contemporary play from John Patrick Shanley. Playwright: Branden Jacobs-JenkinsLicensing: Dramatists Play Service, 47 Best Modern Musicals (Written After 2000). Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl (US/UK)(Comedy / 3f, 4m)Art imitates Life. In a truly remarkable feat, Suzan-Lori Parks wrote one play every day for a full year. Blithe Spirit by Nol Coward (US/UK)(Comedy / 5f, 2m)Fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine is re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting happy medium, one Madame Arcati. February 6, 2016 jowritesstuff. A savagely funny drama featuring a glorious ensemble of Judy Garland hits and infused with the glamour and the melancholy of stardom. Header image: Broadway production of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson (Julieta Cervantes). When youre in the right headspace, its a rich and rewarding journey. Single Black Female by Lisa. 18. Lots of modern plays tell war stories, but they usually use a human perspective. When Hannahs sister appears on their doorstep, she brings with her a renegade attitude and an illicit package that send David and Hannah on a 12-hour odyssey into the heart of their deepest fears. In the end Annies choices propel her onto an irreversible path in this story that combines wit, poetry, and hope. Baby Taj by Tanya Shaffer (US)(Comedy/ 6f, 5m)The legendary Taj Mahal is the next assignment for Rachel, an American travel writer whose failed romances have led her to ask: Why not have the baby she craves on her own? X-23 (Dafne Keen) in Logan. With comments by those who reviewed their productions, here are our updated picks for the Best Plays of the 21st Century.so far. Will her nana get arrested or worse evicted? Who knows perhaps they were gathered in the Lower Room. Letts infuses the script with subtle, brilliant insights a few scenes in, your laughter will be tinged with heartbreak. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. His younger sibling has come out as transgender, and the two are on a mission to take down the patriarchy. Goldas Balcony by William Gibson (US)(Drama / 1f)This tight-knit story of war and peace opens in 1973, on the eve of the Yom Kippur War, and uses flashbacks to let Golda tell the story of her life: her journey from her birthplace in Russia to the United States where she settled in Milwaukee, became a school teacher and married. The racist, xenophobic, and misogynist dialogue is uncomfortably familiar. Tucker green is an award-winning playwright, having established herself in the world of theatre by 2004 with Born Bad, which scooped the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer Play in that year. A young girl, Mick Kelly, stands out from her companions as she chooses to search for beauty to fight her loneliness, unlike the others. The show was a smash hit when it premiered in Portland in 2004, but when it transferred to the off-Broadway Daryl Roth Theatre in 2006, it lasted just one month. Its one of those modern plays thats so easy to watch that the raw moments hit you that much harder. Right now, she's at the "read everything" stage, and has asked for good contemporary plays to read with strong females roles. This madcap comedy is laugh-out-loud funny. Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:41pm. Each of our picks was written after 2000; youll find the date after each title, as well as a link to the license. oppressed and dismissed. Nanas Naughty Knickers by Katherine DiSavino (US/UK)(Comedy / 5f, 3m, 1m or f)Bridget and her grandmother are about to become roommates. Though the script dives into racial issues and prejudice, it does so with a deft hand; Norris manages to create a riotously funny, deliciously witty story. The Flick is a monster of a play; it runs for 3 hours. It's on top of my to-read pile, so this is a big of a blind recommendation but I think Simon Stephens'. Performer Stuff Monologues, Audition Cuts, and Sheet Music 10 of the Best Monologues from Characters Who Are People of Color : PerformerStuff More Good Stuff It appears that you are outside of North America. Three interracial couples attend an Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy workshop at the McGregor Plantation. by Crystal Skillman (US/UK)(Comedy / 4f, 2m)With pissed-off Pikachus, steam punk armies, stood-up Sailor Moons and roller-blading monsters on the prowl, it's easy to get lost in the Inferno-esque anime convention where the fans, the otakus, and the geeks prowl. about something other than a man. saving. Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood by Adam Szymkowicz (US/UK)(Comedy / 4f, 4m, 6 any gender)A gender-bending, patriarchy-smashing, hilarious new take on a classic tale. Push through the discomfort, and its not hard to see why this play was a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2009. She runs a brothel that takes in women who have been ruined by soldiers. Siblings (and roommates) Vanya and Sonias dull Chekhovian life is tossed upside down when their famous sister Masha comes to visit with her much younger (and much dumber) boyfriend Spike. But when a beloved computer science professor suddenly disappears, can Doreen trust her friends with her inner squirrel so she can save the day? Role of women in The Merchant of Venice. This contemporary play is equal parts funny and tragic, revealing the wild passions and anger that flow beneath a seemingly civilized middle-class life. Complex psychological and philosophical ideas about the nature of consciousness are explored here, but it is the Major's badass fighting that makes this cyberpunk thriller such a delight. If you want a hard-to-find contemporary play, look no further than On Every Link a Heart Does Dangle; or Owed. The reason? I don't know if they're recent enough to be considered contemporary, but the plays of Jane Martin (a pseudonym for a never-revealed playwright who may or may not be Jon Jory) are great for interesting female charcters. Navigating new relationships and inevitable temptations, Kens supposedly missing faith is tested. People who grow up in a family with an unbalanced power dynamic often wonder what it would be like if the hierarchy was inverted. You might remember Quiara Alegra Hudes from her play Eliot, a Soldiers Fugue; in this follow-up, she again tackles the struggles of soldiers returning from war. To make matters worse, Rachel is in love with Stanley, her brothers killer. Ariane Lange 4.. A hilarious evisceration of the blind eye we all turn to climate change and the bacchanalian catharsis that awaits us, even in our own backyards. Sale 2,895 Reviews Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Caryl Churchill cleverly uses four chatty, retired British women as the voice that warns of the coming apocalypse. Stage Kiss captures Sarah Ruhls singular voice. "If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't . The Younger familys heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. A summer tea party on the brink of doom is how one production of Escaped Alone described the play. Energetic and fast-paced, this modern play follows CEO Jeffrey Skilling through the companys wild rise and fall. Acting scripts for two actors. A Very Rich Woman by Ruth Gordon (US)(Comedy / 8f, 7m)Ruth Gordon played the part of a Boston widow with a rather common background, who together with her husband built an enviable fortune the hard way. Playwright: Gina GionfriddoLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. The play has ghosts, prosthetic hands, and gold toilet seats what more could you want? Martin needs names, names like film legends Sylvia Glenn and Leatrice Monsee, for the leads. The true magic of this play happens in the staging, which utilizes puppets with cage-style construction. Its a big, lively masterpiece of storytelling thats just as enjoyable on the page as it is on stage. Two nuns, a priest, and the mother of a young student tell the story of potential abuse and the doubt that surrounds the accusation. Playwright: Suzan-Lori ParksLicensing: Concord Theatricals. The ingenue has her time and place, but women's stories extend beyond tales of young innocents. End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter (US)(Drama / 1f, 3m)A musical drama of Judy Garland's "come-back" concerts Christmas 1968: with a six-week booking at London's Talk of the Town, it looks like Judy Garland is set firmly on the comeback trail. Agnes of God by John Pielmeier (US/UK)(Drama/ 3f)Summoned to a convent, Dr. Martha Livingstone, a court-appointed psychiatrist, is charged with assessing the sanity of a novice accused of murdering her newborn. Playwright: John Patrick ShanleyLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. A Feminine Ending by Sarah Treem (US)(Dark Comedy / 2f, 3m)Having recently graduated from a major conservatory, and with a rocker boyfriend on the brink of stardom, aspiring composer Amanda Blues extraordinary life seems to be all mapped out. Bring these stories to your community start exploring below! Running barefoot in the park would be a start. Antagonism between a gay man and the wife of a Southern Baptist minister gives way to profound compatibility as they swing dance, tango, foxtrot, and cha-cha while sharing barbs and intimacies along with the dance steps. Licensing, publishing, recording & producing company comprising R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark & The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. . With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. Kincaid. Down-on-his-luck Francis takes jobs with a gangster named Roscoe and a snooty man named Stanley. It's dark, wickedly funny, and brimming with tension. Vrooommm! Nemesis The Diabolic by S.J. SBF 1, an English literature professor, and SBF 2, a corporate lawyer, keep each other balanced as they face their fears of rejection, hopes for romance, and reminisce about black girlhood wounds. The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder (US/UK)(Comedy / 4f, 4m)Meet George and Maggie Antrobus of Excelsior, New Jersey, a suburban commuter-town couple (married for 5,000 years); the two Antrobus children, Gladys (perfect in every way, of course) and Henry (who likes to throw rocks and was formerly known as Cain); and their garrulous maid, Sabina (the eternal seductress), who takes it upon herself to break out of character and interrupt the course of the drama at every opportunity (I dont understand a word of this play!). She is feminist not just for Shakespeare's standards but for also for today. These details form an intriguing backdrop for a dramatic look at idealism, power and the strength it takes to shape the destiny of a nation. Ugly Lies the Bone by Lindsey Ferrentino (US/UK)(Drama / 3f, 2m)Newly discharged soldier Jess has finally returned to her Florida hometown. This debut play from playwright-of-the-minute Jez Butterworth (Jerusalem, The Ferryman) is a dream for a university aged actors. These monologues are from published plays and movies as well as from both contemporary and classical time periods. Its a fascinating reimagining of the Oedipus Rex story. Playwright: Martyna MajokLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Macs signature absurd realism style contributes nicely to this dark comedy. She certainly exercises power over her husband, Macbeth, in the first half of the play, as she encourages him to murder Duncan. Painting Churches 4. What would we remember, and what would we forget, if given the chance? Its an intense, uncomfortable look at the way women are treated, both in this sort-of futuristic place, but also in our modern world. Wrights Pulitzer-winning play celebrates von Mahlsdorfs remarkable life she dressed in drag and collaborated with the Stasi to survive in a sensitive and ultimately affectionate manner. After reviewing their escapades in past relationships and confessing their own mounting anxieties about commitment and the possibility of motherhood, the pair realize their best chance at love may be found closer than they ever imagined. (Maybe a little too sentimental, but that can be forgiven considering the source material.) Inspired by Lynn Nottages interviews with real-life survivors in Africa, the story explores the impossibly complex and questionable decisions that women must make to survive in a world destroyed by men. The power of the writing was clear from the start; August: Osage County won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for drama and ran for nearly two years on Broadway. Euripides was one of the most well-known playwrights of ancient Greece. Alive with the sounds and colors of a remarkable country, this bittersweet comedy of mischievous matchmaking raises provocative questions about love, friendship, family, and what it means to be ready to be a parent. It seems her sweet grandma is running an illegal boutique from her apartment, selling handmade naughty knickers to every senior citizen in the five-borough area! (And it doesnt stop there.) Playwright: Sarah RuhlLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Its not uplifting the characters anger and bitterness jump off the page but its certainly illuminating. NANCYDREW4LYFE. "Fefu and her Friends," Mara Irene Forns (1977) "Fefu and her Friends" features Fefu and seven of her female friends during a day in the spring of 1935. Two, Three and Four Person Scenes From Plays Popular Types: Dramatic Comedic Classical Contemporary 2 Person 3 Person Search Scenes Style # of Male Characters # of Female Characters Time Period Only show scenes with video examples FILTER Scenes COLE Wouldn't it be great if--- I just. Part autobiography, part history lesson, part social commentary, What the Constitution Means to Me is one of the most unusual contemporary plays on our list. Looking for more? A monologue from the play by Nora and Delia . Take the Netflix series Unbelievable, which is based on a distressing true story. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (US)(Drama / 1f) In this dramatic adaptation of her award-winning, bestselling memoir (which The New York Times called "an indelible portrait of loss and griefa haunting portrait of a four-decade-long marriage), Joan Didion transforms the story of the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband and their only daughter into a stunning and powerful one-woman play. 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