Definitely a lot to chew on in that role. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Unfortunately, because of copyright restrictions, we cannot sell to persons in your country. Stage Kiss captures Sarah Ruhls singular voice. Bootycandy explores what its like to grow up as a Black gay man. Inspired by the real childhood of playwright Robert OHara, the script is simultaneously funny and poignant. His death sparks a conversational wake that includes everything from arguments over politics to when each sibling realized that they grew up. Playwright: David HarrowerLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks by Richard Alfieri (US/UK)(Comedy / 1f, 1m) Lily, an aging but formidable retiree, hires Michael, an acerbic dance instructor, to give her dance lessons in her condo in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. 15 Best Short Plays with Strong Female Lead DAMAGED GOODS And for the sexism of these chauvinist drivers? The club is run by a gang of misfits, who . Nilo Cruz shows off his magical, almost lyrical, grasp of language in this lovely play. 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. With this reality hanging over the gathering, each family member begins to spin their tale. Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. In this richly spare, wondrous new play, Jordan Harrison explores the mysteries of human identity and the limits if any of what technology can replace. She is the older sister of Linus and Rerun. She befriends Malik, who promises a bright future, and Keera, whose evangelical leanings inspire Annie in a way her young parents have not been able to do. People Who Voted On This List (88) Mary 816 books Lucy is characterized as a "fussbudget", crabby, [1] [2] bossy and opinionated girl who bullies most other characters in . 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. Playwright: Tracy LettsLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. The script is based on a childrens novel, and it shows; its simple, emotional, and undeniably moving. Akeelah - Akeelah and the Bee Tweens will love this inspiring drama about a champion speller. A play about selfishness and selflessness and love deferred and the fight. Its not meant to be an outrageous comedy; rather, Albee explores human proclivities with distressing honesty. Ariane Lange 4.. infusing her plays with strong mythic, chimerical elements, and using folkloric Scottish Women Playwrights Against Zero Visibility Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. She uses her sexuality, she taunts him and mocks his lack of courage. Are you looking for new plays to read or perform? As she attempts to care for and comfort the cantankerous Grace, the sophisticated Glorie gains new perspectives on values and life's highs and lows. This unusual and witty play jumps around in time, showcasing four different Watsons (both real and fictional, human and computer) and their Holmes-inspired counterparts. And Betty keeps using a small hand mirror to stare into parts of herself shes never examined. Photo: 2018 Playwrights Horizons production of Dance Nation (Joan Marcus), More Plays & Musicals for Strong Leading Women. Well, they're all played by women! Youll meet Andre, a wealthy older art collector, and his much younger lover and protege, Franklin. Playwright: Lynn NottageLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Robyn, also in her mid-fifties, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. More goes down in the session than music in this riveting portrayal of rage, racism, the self-hate, and exploitation. This is a contemporary play set in Victorian times, when male doctors lavished the diagnosis of hysteria on female patients. He meets the widows while visiting his wifes grave. Single Black Female by Lisa. Despite the fact that a single woman ruled England at the time of Shakespeare, the Elizabethan society was patriarchal. The script, which is designed to feel improvised, has a bit of a Leslie Knope vibe. After a six-day honeymoon, they get a surprise visit from Cories loopy mother and decide to play matchmaker during a dinner with their neighbor-in-the-attic, Velasco, where everything that can go wrong, does. 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. Down-on-his-luck Francis takes jobs with a gangster named Roscoe and a snooty man named Stanley. As you work long hours at this tedious job, a man called a lector reads aloud to you from the front of the room. Its Christmas, and four you guessed it straight white men have gathered in their middle-class Midwestern home to celebrate. The racist, xenophobic, and misogynist dialogue is uncomfortably familiar. Will Martin be able to resolve this titanic dilemma? Uma Thurman is, for lack of a better word, totally badass. 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. (And it doesnt stop there.) 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. Since the men have failed the city, Mellie and the other women must become its saviors. I particularly like. 23. Life imitates Art. The ingenue has her time and place, but womens stories extend beyond tales of young innocents. 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. This contemporary play is equal parts funny and tragic, revealing the wild passions and anger that flow beneath a seemingly civilized middle-class life. Livingstones questions force all three women to re-examine the meaning of faith and the power of love, leading to a dramatic, compelling climax. Playwright: Gina GionfriddoLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties by Jen Silverman (US/UK)(Dark Comedy / 5f)Betty is rich; Betty is lonely; Bettys busy working on her truck; Betty wants to talk about love, but Betty needs to hit something. (N.Y. Daily News). Playwright: Martyna MajokLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. The play is set at a Catskills resort in 1960, where the widowed Eva Adler is vacationing with her 20-year-old daughter, Lili. Acting scripts for two actors. Shes got supernatural abilities owing to her true identitythe Greek god Dionysusand she's returned to the modern world to gather mortal followers and restore the Earth to its natural state. A play about ambition, growing up, and how to find our souls in the heat of it all. 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. The young lover is equally certain she really wants to marry him. As someone who spends a fair amount of time complaining on the internet that there aren't enough female heroes out there, this may seem a strange and out of character thing to say. The premise of The Hot Wing King is simple; Cordell is out to win an annual hot wing competition in Memphis. You might recognize Quiara Alegra Hudes name she wrote the book for the musical In the Heights. But it was all about to change. If you love sports and controversy doesnt hurt to love British football, too Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads is an interesting contemporary read. And now Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) in The . One Man, Two Guvnors premiered in 2011, but it was originally conceived in 1743. After premiering at the Edinburgh International Festival, this play went on to win the Olivier award for Best New Play and the Tony for Best Revival of a Play. Always the fight. Playwright: Sarah RuhlLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Doubt: A Parable took home a Pulitzer in 2005; the Broadway production won a Tony the same year. But she has two lacquered daughters, her own Regan and Goneril, who are covetous of the family fortune and resent the manner in which she is enjoying it. Oedipus isnt the central figure; instead, the story focuses on Mellie, a woman with a disability that has alienated the gods and the town of Thebes. [229] 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! In one corner is Daphna Feygenbam, a Real Jew who is volatile, self-assured, and unbending. Check out these 30 titles featuring strong women ranging in age, temperament and position. bisexual, angry, sad, strong, sensitive, scared, fierce, talented . Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon (US/UK)(Comedy / 2f, 2m)The night after their grandfathers funeral, three cousins engage in a verbal (and sometimes physical) battle. Last Dance by Marsha Norman (US)(Comedy / 2f, 2m) Claiming that she is tired of love, an aging but still beautiful poet from the American South who now lives on the coast of France has decided to give away her young lover. 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. It is a charming tale about what happens when lovers share a stage kissor when actors share a real one. Women were considered the weaker gender and always in need of being protected. As they grew to become the cultural icons we know today, their movements collided and their friendship was severely tested. After killing her father (a prominent Nazi) with a rolling pin, von Mahlsdorf went on to survive some of the most difficult decades in recent history. What is the competition? Eleven ( Millie Bobby Brown) in Stranger Things . Playwright: Paula VogelLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. By sophia mcdougall. 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. 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. Theater has always been a sign of the times and we are living through an unprecedented period of social awakening and unrest. Vrooommm! And of course, I love all sorts of female characters who exhibit great resilience and courage. 3. Breadcrumbs by Jennifer Haley (US/UK)(Drama / 2f)A reclusive fiction writer diagnosed with dementia must depend upon a troubled young caretaker to complete her autobiography. Hanna (2011) There are comic monologues and dramatic monologues. Right now, she's at the "read everything" stage, and has asked for good contemporary plays to read with strong females roles. But the hilarity remains the same. Its 1981, and the Carney family is celebrating the harvest at their farm in Northern Ireland. 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. Playwright: Christopher DurangLicensing: Dramatists Play Service, Madeleine George explores the Watsons of the world as in Sherlock Holmes trusty assistant and the roles they play in the most important developments in human history. On the surface, Fairview seems like a relatively standard family drama. However, it is choices, both mundane and gripping, and where those choices have taken Mary Page Marlowe that make her life so intimate and surprisingly complicated. Three interracial couples attend an Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy workshop at the McGregor Plantation. Being a very spirited widow, she now decides to have a fine old time with her money, giving away "diamonds, paintings, and taxi-cabs with fierce abandon, and buying an oversize yacht as if it were a boat for the bathtub." There is also an interesting trend of plays depicting older career women taking stock of things . Our leading lady is Jennifer, a young, agoraphobic tech whiz whos afraid to leave her room. 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 . But lasting happiness always eludes some people, and there was never any answer to the question with which Judy ended every show: "If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why, can't I?" The TV industry seems obsessed with the silent-but-deadly female archetype. Here's 15 Best Short Plays with Strong Female Lead for auditions, workshops, actor reels, performances, castings and theatre productions. Kincaid. saving. Hmm. Without being heavy handed or boring, Schreck tackles everything from abuse to the people who are ignored by the Constitution (hint: its most of us). When the patriarch disappears, however, the crew gathers, and the truth bubbles hilariously to the surface. Romance With Strong Contemporary Females. The play has ghosts, prosthetic hands, and gold toilet seats what more could you want? Boy Willie tries to persuade his stubborn sister that the past is past, but she is more formidable than he anticipated. If youre in search of comedic contemporary plays, Clybourne Park fits the bill it racked up Tony, Olivier, and Pulitzer awards. The dark secrets of a Catholic school come to the surface in this deep, moving contemporary play from John Patrick Shanley. The title might be pithy, but A Girl in School Uniform (Walks Into A Bar) is anything but a comedy. Eve Dallas 2018 Books: Dark in Death and Leverage in Death by J.D. All these plays contain powerful monologues with leading female characters. Jeremy O. Harris shot to fame with Slave Play; with Daddy, he seems determined to shock audiences. After an unthinkable tragedy, the Corbetts struggle to survive, each on their own way. These are the best contemporary plays from the best contemporary playwrights of our time. A Feminine Ending by Sarah Treem (Dark Comedy / 2f, 3m) . My sister just played the lead in 'Other Desert Cities'. Playwright: Robert OHaraLicensing: Concord Theatricals. 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. Omnium Gatherum not to be confused with the Finnish death metal band of the same name is a fast-paced, funny play. 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