This riveting play is an epic tale told through an unexpected and remarkable perspective. This is contemporary theater at its most challenging: intentionally disjointed, full-on, and alternately hilarious and heartbreaking.Playwright: Alice BirchLicensing: Concord Theatricals. Then there's Wilde's Lady Bracknell, Shaw's Mrs Warren and many characters by Michel Tremblay. Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda television series) Beka Valentine (Andromeda television series) Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie and television series created by Joss Whedon) Zoe . 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. In the end Annies choices propel her onto an irreversible path in this story that combines wit, poetry, and hope. 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. On the surface, Fairview seems like a relatively standard family drama. Will Martin be able to resolve this titanic dilemma? Miriam Ruth, the Mother Superior, determinedly keeps young Agnes from the doctor, further arousing Livingstones suspicions. Hmm. 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. 15 Contemporary One Act Plays with Powerful Female Characters 15 Best Short Plays with Strong Female Lead October 4, 2022 MB Team Here's 15 Best Short Plays with Strong Female Lead for auditions, workshops, actor reels, performances, castings and theatre productions. Well, they're all played by women! Set at a boys school in England, the plot follows a group of students as they prepare for exams, learning about the ramifications of history and the realities of life along the way. Below is a tip of the wonderful iceberg of plays by women. She certainly exercises power over her husband, Macbeth, in the first half of the play, as she encourages him to murder Duncan. Doubt: A Parable took home a Pulitzer in 2005; the Broadway production won a Tony the same year. (Maybe a little too sentimental, but that can be forgiven considering the source material.) What were women doing, feeling, thinking while the men were gathered with Jesus in the Upper Room? The curious structure is a surprisingly effective way to illuminate issues of racial disparity and prejudice. Shes worked twice as hard to get where she is and wants to take over the agency that she's helped build. August Osage County, by Tracy Letts. 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. In this play spanning 30 years and six presidential administrations, Hester Ferris throws Georgetown dinner parties that can change the course of Washingtons politics. There's Jekyll and Hyde, which has two major female parts (Lucy and Emma) plus several smaller ones (Lady Beaconsfield and another prostitute whose name I can't remember.) A young girl, Mick Kelly, stands out from her companions as she chooses to search for beauty to fight her loneliness, unlike the others. All these plays contain powerful monologues with leading female characters. Though critics described the plot as lopsided and meandering (and it is both), this new play won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play has ghosts, prosthetic hands, and gold toilet seats what more could you want? Its not meant to be an outrageous comedy; rather, Albee explores human proclivities with distressing honesty. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday by Sarah Ruhl (US/UK) (Dramatic Comedy / 2f, 4m)When Ann thinks of her father, she immediately remembers playing Peter Pan in her hometown theater in Iowa, particularly when he used to bring her flowers after her performance. Enter Freddie Luna, a high school basketball superstar with a troubled past. Day after day they struggle with infertility, and Hannah herself is on the verge of being laid off. 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. Ugly Lies the Bone - Lindsey Ferrentino (3w 2m) - Main character is a young woman who is a returning Afghanistan veteran. Playwright: Paula VogelLicensing: Dramatists Play Service. When Annie tries to make good on her promise to her friends, she is forced to take a good look at the world that surrounds her. This Pulitzer and Tony finalist isnt shocking; rather, its funny and surprisingly sensitive. Rest by Samuel D. Hunter (US/UK)(Drama / 3f, 4m)A retirement home in northern Idaho is being shut down, and only three residents and a bare-bones staff remain. The treatment? However, what Bridget saw as a unique opportunity to stay with her favorite Nana in New York for the summer quickly turns into an experience shell never forget. Omnium Gatherum not to be confused with the Finnish death metal band of the same name is a fast-paced, funny play. He meets the widows while visiting his wifes grave. As Jess advances farther in the game, she begins to restore her relationships, her life, and, slowly, herself. 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. 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. 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. He is financially strapped and taking to the road as a salesman. 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. A summer tea party on the brink of doom is how one production of Escaped Alone described the play. These are the best contemporary plays from the best contemporary playwrights of our time. Women's music (or womyn's music or wimmin's music) is the music by women, for women, and about women. Caryl Churchill cleverly uses four chatty, retired British women as the voice that warns of the coming apocalypse. 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. Its a big, lively masterpiece of storytelling thats just as enjoyable on the page as it is on stage. 5. 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog (US/UK) (Dramatic Comedy / 3f, 1m) And of course, I love all sorts of female characters who exhibit great resilience and courage. As the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, who will stand for the vulnerable if not Robin? Lots of modern plays tell war stories, but they usually use a human perspective. She is the older sister of Linus and Rerun. 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. 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." As the play opens, ne'er-do-well son Eddie deposits his two young sons on the old lady's doorstep. A film passes the Bechdel Test if it has: two named female characters. The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, Appreciating the Density of Shakespeare in Real Time. saving. Whether youre looking for famous modern plays or contemporary comedic plays, weve got you covered. The body of Quinns brother, who disappeared after Quinn left the group, has turned up, and the IRA wants to avoid any accusations. Eva Adler's Monologue From 'The American Plan'. Rabbit Hole explores the crushing effects of grief on a family. Many of the above suggestions are great, but very very tricky because they have been done so much, and often with really iconic performances that the judges will know. 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. Based on the wild life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, I Am My Own Wife is a one-person play about a German transvestite who lived from 1928-2002. 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. After everyone gets straightened out romantically, Vandergelder finds himself affianced to the astute Dolly Levi herself. In the UK/Europe, click here. The landscape of modern theater is expansive and often bizarre; you never know what youre going to stumble upon. With humor and hope, the play examines how the entertainment industry has dealt with issues of race. 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. 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. My wife is a theater major who is in an upcoming prestigious national scholarship competition and needs material to mine. Robb Since 1995, Nora Roberts, writing under the pseudonym of J.D. Men's Journal is a rugged and refined lifestyle publication covering the coolest new gear, luxury and adventure travel, food and drink, health and fitness, and more. Cited by many as the first feminist Western, Joan Crawford in the role of the saloon-owning Vienna presents a very strong female, to the degree that it confuses the men around her. . is an unexpected offering from Edward Albee. Robyn, also in her mid-fifties, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. Are you looking for new plays to read or perform? re: Plays with mainly female characters. Unfortunately, because of copyright restrictions, we cannot sell to persons in your country. Paul just doesnt understand Corie, as she sees it. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. People who grow up in a family with an unbalanced power dynamic often wonder what it would be like if the hierarchy was inverted. She begins her day, talking incessantly, with her daily prayer, brushing her teeth, drinking her tonic, and putting on her hat. _____ this 19th-century and Edwardian playwright whose plays foreshadowed modern plays _____ his strong-willed characters dominated his tragedies _____ showed new concerns about . After the British team loses, a group of fans in a pub let go of their filters. A Very Rich Woman by Ruth Gordon (US)(Comedy / 8f, 7m)Ruth Gordon played the part of a Boston widow with a rather common background, who together with her husband built an enviable fortune the hard way. Playwright: Roy WilliamsLicensing: Concord Theatricals (UK). 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. Rose and Walsh by Neil Simon (US/UK)(Comedy / 2f, 2m)At a beautiful beach house on the tip of Long Island, Rose, a celebrated but near penniless author, receives nightly visits from Walsh, the love of her life and a famous writer himself. Ida is sweet tempered and ready to begin a new life; Lucille is a feisty embodiment of the girl who just wants to have fun; and Doris is priggish and judgmental, particularly when Sam the butcher enters the scene. A loving look at a familys view of death, life, and the allure of never growing up. This remarkable and true-to-life scene is the premise for the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Anna in the Tropics. Painting Churches 4. She runs a brothel that takes in women who have been ruined by soldiers. 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood (US/UK)(Comedy / 5f)Its 1956 and The Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein are having their annual quiche breakfast. 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. Livingstones questions force all three women to re-examine the meaning of faith and the power of love, leading to a dramatic, compelling climax. The reason? Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other. Text Kim Cole #Matter 0 How will the widows respond as their idyllic town and lifestyle faces attacks? Strong Female Characters: Juliet Capulet. Well, heres a plot point you wont be expecting a man falls in love with a goat. Playwright: Yasmina Reza (translator: Christopher Hampton) Licensing: Dramatists Play Service 17. Playwright: Young Jean leeLicensing: Dramatists Play Service, The all-male Take Me Out tells the story of baseball player Darren Lemming. 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