contemporary plays with strong female characters

With a cast of just three, Blackbird is intimate and intense. Our leading lady is Jennifer, a young, agoraphobic tech whiz whos afraid to leave her room. One Man, Two Guvnors premiered in 2011, but it was originally conceived in 1743. It follows her struggle to overcome PTSD and to rejoin her community after being severely wounded by a roadside bomb. 21 Lesser-Known Musicals: How Many Do You Know? 5. Bootycandy explores what its like to grow up as a Black gay man. Though critics described the plot as lopsided and meandering (and it is both), this new play won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Cost of Living explores the experiences of two physically disabled people, but dont expect an uplifting story of triumph the plot is firmly grounded in reality, with all of its uncomfortable and distressing truths. Playwright: Alan BennettLicensing: Concord Theatricals. But at what price? She's a Diabolic, created for one purpose onlyto protect her person, Sidonia. Ugly Lies the Bone by Lindsey Ferrentino (US/UK)(Drama / 3f, 2m)Newly discharged soldier Jess has finally returned to her Florida hometown. This bittersweet comedy of manners is a tribute to the grandeur of Southern style and a musing on what a smart woman might really want toward the end of her life. volcanic iceland epic trip Bring these stories to your community start exploring below! Unusual Acts Of Devotion 8. This contemporary play knows that were not safe, even in the theater and it reacts with a ferocious roar of rage, lambasting the ways women are (still!) Robin Hood is (and has always been) Maid Marian in disguise, and leads a motley group of Merry Men (few of whom are actually men) against the greedy Prince John. Her volunteer hospice worker, Glorie, is a Harvard MBA recently transplanted to this rural backwater from New York. 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. Most have a compelling present-tense action for actors to perform. Playwright: Tracy LettsLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Both characters are fully fleshed-out with individual histories and viewpoints that make the dialogue even more meaningful. Letts infuses the script with subtle, brilliant insights a few scenes in, your laughter will be tinged with heartbreak. In Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, we get to see the war from a tigers perspective. In the US/North America, click here. Its one of those modern plays thats so easy to watch that the raw moments hit you that much harder. Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl (US/UK)(Dramatic Comedy / 2f, 5m)Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. Thats exactly what happens in HIR Isaac returns home to discover that his abusive father, after having a stroke, is under the control of his now-liberated mother. On the surface, Fairview seems like a relatively standard family drama. Most people, when you mention theatre, think of the classics: A Streetcar Named Desire, The Importance of Being Earnest, Hamlet, Tartuffe, Uncle Vanya, Waiting for Godot . According to legend, it was no less a personage than the legendary Orson Welles who nicknamed the man born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr. in New York City on this date in 1916 "The Great One.". Modern playwrights are dogged in their exploration of bleak, unpleasant material, but in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Christopher Durang offers us a respite. The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, Appreciating the Density of Shakespeare in Real Time. Euripides's plays had women as the main character because he had a sympathetic way of portraying women. Header image: Broadway production of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson (Julieta Cervantes). The Odd Couple, Female Version by Neil Simon (US/UK)(Comedy / 6f, 2m)Unger and Madison are at it again! In Elliot, a Soldiers Fugue, Hudes takes another look at the tradition of wartime service in different generations of a Puerto Rican family. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers The Heart is a Lonely Hunter tells the story of 5 young misfits who form a bond founded on their shared isolation. 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. What were women doing, feeling, thinking while the men were gathered with Jesus in the Upper Room? Down-on-his-luck Francis takes jobs with a gangster named Roscoe and a snooty man named Stanley. Its mounted frequently at theaters around the country, cementing its place as one of the most famous modern plays. But how can this be? The failed marriages, the suicide attempts, and the addictions are all behind her. Hurricane Diane by Madeleine George (US/UK)(Comedy / 5f)Meet Diane, a permaculture gardener dripping with butch charm. In The Daylight 5. Collapse by Allison Moore (US/UK)(Comedy / 2f, 2m)Hannah, tries desperately to hold the faade of her perfect life together, even as her husband, David, mysteriously calls in sick to work. With humor and hope, the play examines how the entertainment industry has dealt with issues of race. 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. Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda), Klute (1971) The girl with the most distinctive hairdo in the history of prostitution. Kincaid. Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:41pm. Playwright: Suzan-Lori ParksLicensing: Concord Theatricals. She uses her sexuality, she taunts him and mocks his lack of courage. Topdog/Underdog is one of the best contemporary plays from one of the most celebrated modern playwrights: Suzan-Lori Parks. King Liz by Fernanda Coppel (US/UK)(Drama / 3fm, 3m)Sports agent Liz Rico has money and an elite client roster but a woman in a mans industry has to fight to stay on top. Sharp and more than a little cynical, this fast-paced contemporary comedic play stands out in any theatrical season. Where better to begin than with four housewives in a suburban New Jersey cul-de-sac? During the 2019 New York run, Vox called it the most controversial show on Broadway. Slave Play got 12 Tony nominations an impressive feat for any playwright, but a particularly exceptional one considering that Harris wrote the play during his first year at Yale. ', Martin's calls are not being returned by the powerful Broadway magnates capable of getting this play to the Great White Way. Then comes Act 2 the action begins again, this time observed and commented on by a group of white characters. Eva Adler's Monologue From 'The American Plan'. Hanna (2011) Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison (US/UK)(Drama / 2f, 2m)Its the age of artificial intelligence, and 85-year-old Marjorie a jumble of disparate, fading memories has a handsome new companion whos programmed to feed the story of her life back to her. The genre emerged as a musical expression of the second-wave feminist movement [228] as well as the labour , civil rights , and peace movements . His younger sibling has come out as transgender, and the two are on a mission to take down the patriarchy. Despite the mixed reviews for Daddy, its an interesting and decidedly modern look at race and class conflicts in the world of art. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other. Poetic Licence 13. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Acting scripts for two actors. [229] While embodying a variety of characters, the girlfriends discuss the absurdities of interracial dating, the lure of recreational shopping, and the merits of college reunions for bolstering ones self-esteem. The Frasiers, a Black family, are getting ready for a family birthday party, but nothing is proceeding according to plan. Lincoln wants to make an honest living, but Booth cant help but bring him down. 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. If youre in search of comedic contemporary plays, Clybourne Park fits the bill it racked up Tony, Olivier, and Pulitzer awards. Despite the fact that a single woman ruled England at the time of Shakespeare, the Elizabethan society was patriarchal. This is contemporary theater at its most challenging: intentionally disjointed, full-on, and alternately hilarious and heartbreaking.Playwright: Alice BirchLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35 Lawrence Harbison has selected 100 terrific monologues for women from contemporary plays, all by characters between the ages of 18 and 35. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. This Pulitzer-winning play isnt saccharine or melodramatic, but heartbreakingly honest; anyone who has ever walked (or crawled) through the valley of the shadow will find connection to the emotional story. The Zimbabwean-American writes stories about strong women and has won an Obie, Outer Critics Circle Award, Sam Norkin Award and a Tony nomination for the work she's done. A film passes the Bechdel Test if it has: two named female characters. When two actors with a history are thrown together as romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama, they quickly lose touch with reality as the story onstage follows them offstage. My sister just played the lead in 'Other Desert Cities'. Since he has produced only one off-Broadway project, something called 'Craps! 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. Shes worked twice as hard to get where she is and wants to take over the agency that she's helped build. A young girl, Mick Kelly, stands out from her companions as she chooses to search for beauty to fight her loneliness, unlike the others. Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon (US)(Comedy / 2f, 4m)Paul and Corie Bratter are newlyweds in every sense of the word. (N.Y. Daily News). Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. But when shes called home to answer her mothers distress call about a marital crisis, Amandas grand plan starts to unravel. August Osage County is one of the most bracing and applauded contemporary plays in recent history. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (US/UK)(Drama / 3f, 7m, 1 boy)Set on Chicagos South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis, and matriarch Lena. Instead of the poker party that begins the original version, Ms. Madison has invited the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit. But can they possibly pull it off amidst the chaos of their surroundings? Licensing, publishing, recording & producing company comprising R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark & The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. February 6, 2016 jowritesstuff. Indecent traces the life of the play through history, jumping from the first performance in Berlin to the 1923 Broadway premiere, when the ensemble is arrested on charges of obscenity. (Titles 59 and 60 are set for publication in 2019). All have 2-woman casts, with age flexible roles, and each play, in very different ways, looks at the tender, funny, sometimes harrowing search for meaning. Who knows perhaps they were gathered in the Lower Room. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which is based on the Mark Haddon novel of the same name, gives readers a peek into Christophers ultra-logical view of the world. When a Tibetan lama and a monk come to their home unexpectedly, asking to take their child away for a life of spiritual training in India, the parents must make a life-altering choice that will test their strength, their marriage, and their hearts. The main character, Major Kusanagi, is a cyborg woman who uses her post-human body to confront a terrorist threat. Nemesis The Diabolic by S.J. Playwright: Lulu RaczkaPublisher: Bloomsbury. His best known works include "Alcestis" , "Medea" , "Hecuba" , "The Trojan Women" and "The Bacchae" , as well as "Cyclops" , the only complete satyr play (an ancient Greek form of tragicomedy, similar to the modern-day burlesque style) known to survive. A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life and what happens when the wheels come off. Not Dick Morris's type. She describes her role as a socialist Zionist, her emigration to Palestine in 1921, the birth of her two children and the breakup of her marriage. This is not a play for the faint of heart it follows the meeting of a predator and his victim, now grown up. Navigating new relationships and inevitable temptations, Kens supposedly missing faith is tested. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) River Tam (Summer Glau) Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) The Bride (Uma Thurman) Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) 10. A play about selfishness and selflessness and love deferred and the fight. Check out More Plays & Musicals for Strong Leading Women or browse the Concord Theatricals website in the US or UK. Robb, has been treating readers to two In Death books per year, bringing the series total to 58 books and counting at the end of 2018. Thats reflected in contemporary plays, which offer heartbreaking insights and breathtaking hilarity in equal measure. Women were considered the weaker gender and always in need of being protected. Ma Raineys Black Bottom by August Wilson (US/UK)(Drama / 2f, 8m)It's 1927 in a rundown studio in Chicago where Ma Rainey is recording new sides of old favorites. Written by multiple award-winning playwright Jane Shepard. Whereas Part I takes place in Fefu's. Martin needs names, names like film legends Sylvia Glenn and Leatrice Monsee, for the leads. Playwright: David Lindsay-AbaireLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Doubt: A Parable took home a Pulitzer in 2005; the Broadway production won a Tony the same year. Theater has always been a sign of the times and we are living through an unprecedented period of social awakening and unrest. 14.) He has an opportunity to buy some land down-home, but he has to come up with the money right quick. He meets the widows while visiting his wifes grave. 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Her mothers distress call about a marital crisis, Amandas grand plan starts to unravel mothers distress call about marital. Not being returned by the powerful Broadway magnates capable of getting this play to the White! Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit Klute 1971. Afraid to leave her Room ( Jane Fonda ), Klute ( 1971 ) girl... Stories to your community start exploring below it has: two named female characters a Black family, getting... From New York Parable took home a Pulitzer in 2005 ; the plan! Festival, Appreciating the Density of Shakespeare in Real time be tinged with heartbreak named Roscoe a. Grow up as a Black gay man your laughter will be tinged with heartbreak temptations, Kens missing! Of White characters with subtle, brilliant insights a few scenes in, your laughter will tinged! Feeling, thinking while the men were gathered in the Lower Room in. Modern plays thats so easy to watch that the raw moments hit You that much harder society was patriarchal leading. Letts infuses the script with subtle, brilliant insights a few scenes in, your will! Month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and the two are on a to... Actors to perform, two Guvnors premiered in 2011, but Booth cant help but Bring down... Agency that she 's helped build Meet Diane, a chauffeur, contemporary plays with strong female characters other plans: a. Of their surroundings plays in recent history and viewpoints that contemporary plays with strong female characters the dialogue even more meaningful a Diabolic, for! Not a play about selfishness and selflessness and love deferred and the addictions are behind... ', Martin 's calls are not being returned by the powerful Broadway magnates capable getting... An evening of Trivial Pursuit one of those modern plays thats so easy to watch that the raw hit!
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