Plays By, For and About Women by Zackary Ross
I
began writing this column during Women’s History Month, and I found myself thinking about both my favorite female playwrights and the common struggle I encounter as we begin planning our next theatrical season. My theatre program, like many across the country,
has many more women than men in the casting pool, and we often struggle to find material that addresses this disparity. While modern plays tend to be more equitable in their gender representation than their historical peers, I too often find myself struggling to find texts that not only feature enough roles for women but also present these characters in interesting, nuanced ways and offer a story told from a female perspective. What follows is a collection of newly-published plays from major play publishers that address these points. Following each description, you’ll find information about the cast breakdown and a referral to the publisher who holds the rights. Hardball, by Victoria Stewart
coming to terms with their own biases and
ones. To her surprise, she is met with
Set in early 2005 just after George W.
the roles they are expected to play, offering
guardedness and hostility due to her
Bush won his second term in office,
a fresh perspective on teen angst, the
absence and the havoc that comes from
this play tracks the transformation of
feeling of rootlessness often tied to being
reawakening the past.
budding journalist Virginia Eames, who
a 30-something, and the sense of having
Cast breakdown: 4 females; 3 males
was recently fired from her newspaper
lost something as we slide into middle age.
Publisher: Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
job, into a celebrity pundit known for her
Cast breakdown: 3 females; 3 males
www.broadwayplaypub.com
provocative political views. Timely and
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
thought-provoking, Hardball examines the
www.dramatists.com
Scissoring, by Christina Quintana Hired by a conservative Catholic school,
sacrifices that follow when those entrusted to report the news turn their politics into a
Napoli, Brooklyn, by Meghan Kennedy
Abigail Bauer feels forced to hide her
vehicle for attaining stardom.
In Brooklyn in 1960, three Italian-American
sexuality, creating an intense conflict with
Cast breakdown: 4 females; 2 males
daughters of immigrant parents struggle
her longtime partner Josie. Throughout
Publisher: Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
against the patriarchal family structure.
the play, Abigail struggles to reconcile her
www.broadwayplaypub.com
When the unthinkable happens in the form
personal and public lives and ultimately is
of the infamous 1960 Park Slope plane
confronted with a series of hallucinations
Somebody’s Daughter,
crash, the secrets of the family bubble to the
that challenge her choices, including one
by Chisa Hutchinson
surface, some relationships form and some
featuring one of history’s most famous
Alex is a 15-year-old Asian American
crumble, and the women of the Muscolino
closeted pairings, Eleanor Roosevelt and
girl, model student and constant
family find their voice in the wreckage of
Lorena Hickok.
disappointment to her parents, who
what was once their lives.
Cast breakdown: 6 females; 1 male; 1 n/s
wanted a boy. Kate is a 30-something
Cast breakdown: 6 females; 2 males
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
Asian American guidance counselor whose
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
www.dramatists.com
frustration with her family’s judgment of
www.dramatists.com
her is now threatening the relationship she has built with her African American
Local Story, by Kristen Palmer
boyfriend Reggie. Structured around Alex
After walking away from her life several
and Kate’s college counseling sessions, the
years ago, D’Lady returns to her hometown
play depicts three generations of women
and tries to reconnect with her loved
4 x Southern Theatre x Summer 2019
Zackary Ross, an assistant professor of theatre at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, also works regularly as a director and a dramaturg.
