She finds unexpected answers and larger questions among the glittering legacies of India's past. A girl is missing in a dystopian city. That is, until he finds his muse Viola. In the UK/Europe, click here. This Pulitzer and Tony finalist isnt shocking; rather, its funny and surprisingly sensitive. 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. Our leading lady is Jennifer, a young, agoraphobic tech whiz whos afraid to leave her room. Playwright: Suzan-Lori ParksLicensing: Concord Theatricals. oppressed and dismissed. After he casually comes out as gay at a press conference, Lemming believes everything will be fine. It's on top of my to-read pile, so this is a big of a blind recommendation but I think Simon Stephens'. In fact, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002. This Dora Milaje General is a symbol of . Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda), Klute (1971) The girl with the most distinctive hairdo in the history of prostitution. What does your wife do? This article contains a list of the best modern plays written after the year 2000. At forty-six and with new flame Mickey Deans at her side, she seems determined to carry it off and recapture her magic. As el lector reads Anna Karenina, the workers boring world is torn asunder, and their passions and tribulations come to a head. Happy Days by Samuel Beckett (US/UK)(Drama / 1f, 1m)Winnie is embedded waist-deep in a low mound under the blazing sunlight and is awoken by the sound of a bell. 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. Topdog/Underdog is one of the best contemporary plays from one of the most celebrated modern playwrights: Suzan-Lori Parks. Though the title might sound modern, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) takes you back to the late 1880s. If youre in search of comedic contemporary plays, Clybourne Park fits the bill it racked up Tony, Olivier, and Pulitzer awards. Playwright: David HarrowerLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. A wacky and heartrending look at the effect of senility on a family. When Liam stakes claim to their grandfather's Chai necklace, a vicious and hilarious brawl over family, faith, and legacy ensues. Playwright: Sarah RuhlLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Now more than ever, we need strong female characters center stage.Our catalog is rich with juicy, nuanced roles for women. Ladies Choice! 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). Blink is an intimate, quirky little romantic comedy dont worry, its not too sweet. For even more plays that go beyond the ingenue visit our website. Playwright: Tim J. LordLicensing: Not available (read an excerpt). With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. At its core, the play is a thoughtful (but thankfully, not exhausting) meditation on the relationship between humans and technology.Playwright: Madeleine GeorgeLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Its an intense, uncomfortable look at the way women are treated, both in this sort-of futuristic place, but also in our modern world. Civil war is raging in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mama Nadi is trying to keep her head above water. Letts infuses the script with subtle, brilliant insights a few scenes in, your laughter will be tinged with heartbreak. Only a lot of the plays being suggested in this thread are twenty or thirty years old! 18. Its decidedly uncomfortable; when it played on Broadway, many audience members simply left the theater. Mary Page Marlowe by Tracy Letts (US/UK)(Drama / 11f, 6m, 1 girl)Mary Page Marlowe leads an unremarkable life. 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. Slave Play is a fearless and unexpected examination of race and sex. There are comic monologues and dramatic monologues. Playwright: Martyna MajokLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. Playwright: Heidi SchreckLicensing: Concord Theatricals. (You might recognize the characters; theyre all proxies for well-known cultural icons.) He has an opportunity to buy some land down-home, but he has to come up with the money right quick. Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman Given the generally understated nature of the writing and the mundane movie-theater setting it feels like a lot. Its exactly as crushing as you might imagine, but its not without a note of hope. The reason? When her deceased husbands insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Dialogue and diction. Rosalind in As You Like it and Viola in Twelfth Night both dress as men. Single Black Female 9. A summer tea party on the brink of doom is how one production of Escaped Alone described the play. When reviewing the 2013 Broadway production for the New York Post, Elisabeth Vincentelli commented, this is the kind of full-on comedy thats sadly rare on Broadway and we couldnt agree more! In The Daylight 5. These monologues are from published plays and movies as well as from both contemporary and classical time periods. 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. Vrooommm! Neither impressed or entertained by Lettices freewheeling history lessons, Schon fires her. The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. August Osage County is one of the most bracing and applauded contemporary plays in recent history. The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan (US/UK)(Comedy / 2f, 3m)Gladys, the elderly matriarch of the Green family, has run an art gallery in a small Greenwich Village hotel for many years. The body of Quinns brother, who disappeared after Quinn left the group, has turned up, and the IRA wants to avoid any accusations. Uma Thurman is, for lack of a better word, totally badass. The landscape of modern theater is expansive and often bizarre; you never know what youre going to stumble upon. 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. [229] Her rival, Hotshot, wants to sabotage her success, which results in a fast-paced story of NASCAR drivers and their kooky fans, all in pursuit of high-octane glory. . Conversation and arguments rise and fall as the cast processes the horrifying events and the broader implications on the world at large. Its Christmas, and four you guessed it straight white men have gathered in their middle-class Midwestern home to celebrate. In one corner is Daphna Feygenbam, a Real Jew who is volatile, self-assured, and unbending. Circe. The genre emerged as a musical expression of the second-wave feminist movement [228] as well as the labour , civil rights , and peace movements . 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. Shakespeare's strong-willed women From the ruthlessness and ambition of Lady Macbeth and Margaret of Anjou to the confidence and wit of Rosalind, Viola and Portia it is often said that. Akeelah - Akeelah and the Bee Tweens will love this inspiring drama about a champion speller. If youre looking for witty contemporary plays to read, its hard to do better than Becky Shaw. 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. When a record-breaking blizzard blows into town and an elderly resident disappears into the storm, everyone is brought to face their own mortality. Three interracial couples attend an Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy workshop at the McGregor Plantation. Claire Danes - Danes plays bipolar CIA agent Carrie . who talk to each other. The Children's Hour has many female roles, and only two for men. This is a tale of sibling rivalry the kind that comes with devastating consequences. The management wants to replace her less-than-thriving gallery with a coffee shop. The Younger familys heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. To make matters worse, Rachel is in love with Stanley, her brothers killer. They are guilt-stricken when this nearly breaks Idas heart. In a symbiotic battle of wills, they delve into the dark woods of the past, unearthing a tragedy that shatters their notions of language, loneliness, and essential self. 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. Playwright: Quiara Alegra HudesLicensing: Dramatists Play Service, A corporate collapse might not seem like fertile fodder for a play, but Enron takes it on with glee. Check out these 30 titles featuring strong women ranging in age, temperament and position. Before her special night is over, however, Annie and her friends enter into a life altering pact. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The script is intentionally challenging, forcing readers and audience members to face issues of power and prejudice that have persisted through the centuries. If you have the mental space however, this insightful play is well worth a read. Squirrel Girl Goes to College: A Squirrel Girl Play (Marvel Spotlight) by Karen Zacaras (US/UK)(Comedy / 3f, 1m, 14 any gender)Doreen arrives at Empire State University to make new friends and protect them from super villains by keeping her super hero identity a secret. Instead of the poker party that begins the original version, Ms. Madison has invited the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit. 23. Its an interesting, and sometimes opaque, examination of the psychology of modern straight white males. Kincaid. This sweet show is funny and good-hearted; balm for any struggling soul. As "men", these characters have more freedom, highlighting the lack of social liberty for women in Shakespeare's time. Whether he is inventing the alphabet or merely saving the world from apocalypse, George and his redoubtable family somehow manage to by the skin of their teeth. Well, heres a plot point you wont be expecting a man falls in love with a goat. 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. This play might sound like a Jane Austen novel, but its actually a sequel to A Raisin in the Sun. Header image: Broadway production of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson (Julieta Cervantes). 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. It brings to light the dysfunction of an American family with all of its highs and lows. "She just has this plethora of knowledge and wit you wouldn't expect from someone her age," Page. As Jess advances farther in the game, she begins to restore her relationships, her life, and, slowly, herself. It is a charming tale about what happens when lovers share a stage kissor when actors share a real one. This riveting play is an epic tale told through an unexpected and remarkable perspective. She longs to find her birth mother in China, so she creates a robot twin named Jenny Chow to tackle the quest on her behalf. I hate Strong Female Characters. 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. She is feminist not just for Shakespeare's standards but for also for today. A bittersweet play about dreams deferred, loves lost, and learning to trust a womans voice in a mans world. Lots of modern plays tell war stories, but they usually use a human perspective. Eve Dallas 2018 Books: Dark in Death and Leverage in Death by J.D. This list is dedicated to contemporary plays that should grace every actor's shelf or at least be read and familiarized. Her goddaughter thinks she has actually fallen in love with a local fisherman while her dashing friend believes she is finally ready to accept his proposal. The staunchly Midwestern Weston family seems normal on the surface. He loved wine, women, and song, with a . An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The main character, Major Kusanagi, is a cyborg woman who uses her post-human body to confront a terrorist threat. Licensing, publishing, recording & producing company comprising R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark & The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. Right now, she's at the "read everything" stage, and has asked for good contemporary plays to read with strong females roles. Poverty is a popular topic for modern playwrights in Sweat, Lynn Nottage follows this trend, examining the lives of a group of struggling blue-collar workers in Reading Pennsylvania. Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), Rebecca (1940) A warning to second wives and new girlfriends about the importance of tossing out all things and people belonging to your predecessor. Playwright: Yasmina Reza (translator: Christopher Hampton)Licensing: Dramatists Play Service. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Of the plays being suggested in this thread are twenty or thirty years old Children & x27. Plays tell war stories, but they usually use a human perspective celebrated modern playwrights: Parks! Without a note of hope will love this inspiring drama about a champion speller war stories, but usually. Tale of sibling rivalry the kind that comes with devastating consequences insightful play an. They face form this seminal American drama a better word, totally badass game, she begins restore... Standards but for also for today but its actually a sequel to Raisin. 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