A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN NOVEMBER ON THE BANKS OF THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT LAKES

by Kate Benson

DARK COMEDY UP TO 23 ACTORS

(GENDER-NEUTRAL CASTING ALLOWED)

A Thanksgiving play called by sports announcers. Every family holiday is full of tradition. Every family holiday is full of strife and joy. Where do our traditions come from? Why do we hold so tightly to them? Join the family at Wembley Stadium as they play the game called Thanksgiving Day: a day of gratitude in which we watch some people knock some other people down in order to get the ball over the line.

“Benson’s writing majorly impresses in its sheer tenacity. She expertly subverts our expectations of gender roles as she takes a world traditionally thought of as feminine (the cooking of a large holiday meal) and places it in a male-dominated idiom of sports.”

—Theatremania

by Kate Benson DRAMA

2 WOMEN, 3 MEN, 1 GENDER-NEUTRAL

A woman walks into a bar. Her name is Porto. She’s a regular. She likes this bar: serious food, serious wine, serious bartender—a staple in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood (perhaps Bushwick?) Her friends, her wine, and her artisanal snacks are there; her doubts about being a Modern Woman are put on snooze. A handsome stranger walks in and orders something special. Disruption ensues: an upside-down romantic comedy unfolds inside and outside her head. Desires of all kinds are awakened with a ferocious thump. A nice smile is a nice smile, but can we enjoy the sausage once we know how it’s made?

Kate Benson is a writer and actor living in Brooklyn. Plays include A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN NOVEMBER ON THE BANKS OF THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT LAKES (New Georges), [PORTO], and RADIUM NOW. She is a member of the Jam at New Georges, and a graduate of the Brooklyn College MFA Playwriting program. Her work has been seen at Dixon Place, 13th St. Theatre, and Jimmy’s No. 43, among others.