runners up of the 2020 submission period
Alexandria by Vince Gatton
Upon first read, the moment that truly grabbed our attention is the one you can read in the excerpt, linked below, in which Ray bemoans not being invited to Brenda and Pam’s wedding. He gives Brenda a whole speech about how even though she is a dear friend to him, he cannot support her gay marriage. Her response is simple, you weren’t invited. Their friendship is put under further tension when Pam reveals to Brenda that Ray is keeping a homophobic blog. Gatton gives us these relatable characters to root for, and asks challenging questions about what it means to love someone when their beliefs are fundamentally different from your own, but he also starts his piece with a loaded gun that we know will go off. When faced with apocalyptical signs, how will our behaviors change to protect what’s most important to us?
Upon first read, the moment that truly grabbed our attention is the one you can read in the excerpt, linked below, in which Ray bemoans not being invited to Brenda and Pam’s wedding. He gives Brenda a whole speech about how even though she is a dear friend to him, he cannot support her gay marriage. Her response is simple, you weren’t invited. Their friendship is put under further tension when Pam reveals to Brenda that Ray is keeping a homophobic blog. Gatton gives us these relatable characters to root for, and asks challenging questions about what it means to love someone when their beliefs are fundamentally different from your own, but he also starts his piece with a loaded gun that we know will go off. When faced with apocalyptical signs, how will our behaviors change to protect what’s most important to us?
A Shonda by Wendy Graf
This is a piece we tread into lightly since none of us here at Theatre Viscera are Jewish or know too much about judaism, and we were blown away by the presentation of Jewish religious practices. They were clear for us to understand, and felt intrinsic to the story, never falling into the trope of simply including prayers for inclusions sake. The set up to the story is as old as time, two lovers from differing backgrounds want to be together but are torn apart, but this telling felt fresh. Graf gives us two men whom no one would necessarily put together, from two very different orthodox religious backgrounds, and by the end of the first scene we were rooting for them. This play is not only thoughtful, it’s very methodical without losing its naturalist feel.
This is a piece we tread into lightly since none of us here at Theatre Viscera are Jewish or know too much about judaism, and we were blown away by the presentation of Jewish religious practices. They were clear for us to understand, and felt intrinsic to the story, never falling into the trope of simply including prayers for inclusions sake. The set up to the story is as old as time, two lovers from differing backgrounds want to be together but are torn apart, but this telling felt fresh. Graf gives us two men whom no one would necessarily put together, from two very different orthodox religious backgrounds, and by the end of the first scene we were rooting for them. This play is not only thoughtful, it’s very methodical without losing its naturalist feel.
B is for Bullshit by John Mabey
Biphobia is one of the big not-talked-about-enough problems in the queer community, and with B is for Bullsh!t, John Mabey dives headfirst into it. The two main characters are themselves figuring out what it means when your sexuality is different from what you originally thought, and everyone around them dissolves into chaos over the possibility that they might be bisexual instead of gay. Mabey writes with a very deft hand and uses his piece to tackle the issues of what happens when your own identity is tied up in someone else’s, what happens when your identity is questioned or dismissed by the very community meant to support you, and what happens when your relationship is treated as a twisted experiment.
Biphobia is one of the big not-talked-about-enough problems in the queer community, and with B is for Bullsh!t, John Mabey dives headfirst into it. The two main characters are themselves figuring out what it means when your sexuality is different from what you originally thought, and everyone around them dissolves into chaos over the possibility that they might be bisexual instead of gay. Mabey writes with a very deft hand and uses his piece to tackle the issues of what happens when your own identity is tied up in someone else’s, what happens when your identity is questioned or dismissed by the very community meant to support you, and what happens when your relationship is treated as a twisted experiment.
Flood by Alicia Margarita Olivo
This is another play that starts with a fairly simple setup and does something amazing with it. Alicia Olivio writes in a very naturalist style, their characters read like people we know well, and this makes it very easy to get invested in the story they’re telling. A family faces an oncoming natural disaster, but they also face disaster from within since Salomé isn’t being accepted or supported by their parents. This is a story that’s happening all over the world right now, as queer people are forced to Shelter in Place with families that don’t understand or accept them, and Olivio has achieved an amazing sense of balance between the micro and macro problems going on for this family.
This is another play that starts with a fairly simple setup and does something amazing with it. Alicia Olivio writes in a very naturalist style, their characters read like people we know well, and this makes it very easy to get invested in the story they’re telling. A family faces an oncoming natural disaster, but they also face disaster from within since Salomé isn’t being accepted or supported by their parents. This is a story that’s happening all over the world right now, as queer people are forced to Shelter in Place with families that don’t understand or accept them, and Olivio has achieved an amazing sense of balance between the micro and macro problems going on for this family.
Mediocre Heterosexual Sex by Madison Wetzell
There’s a lot to love about this play, starting with the title. Madison Wetzell takes us on a journey of heartbreak and discovery after Erin breaks up with her girlfriend. Wetzell isn’t afraid to be raunchy, and the play starts with a box of dildos sitting on the bed. She meets up with a Tinder guy, Aaron, and they hook-up, a new experience for long time lesbian Erin. She ends up turning to her straight friends, Violet and Jeremy, while they’re in the middle of a kink scene, to ask advice about her recent hetero hook-up. This play is a lot of fun, but it deals with some heavy topics and isn’t afraid to bolding make assertions.
There’s a lot to love about this play, starting with the title. Madison Wetzell takes us on a journey of heartbreak and discovery after Erin breaks up with her girlfriend. Wetzell isn’t afraid to be raunchy, and the play starts with a box of dildos sitting on the bed. She meets up with a Tinder guy, Aaron, and they hook-up, a new experience for long time lesbian Erin. She ends up turning to her straight friends, Violet and Jeremy, while they’re in the middle of a kink scene, to ask advice about her recent hetero hook-up. This play is a lot of fun, but it deals with some heavy topics and isn’t afraid to bolding make assertions.
O the Wild Charge by Gwen Flager
In this piece about love, loss, and moving on, Gwen Flager takes us down a hard to navigate dark path of grief and moving on. O the Wild Charge focuses on the relationships between those who are left behind after someone has passed on, and asks the question of “Who is the keeper of the memories?” In the wake of Alice’s death, both her sister Lana and her friend Peggy are left with their versions of her, which of them is correct? Who is the teller of the true versions of the stories, and how will Alice affect things from beyond the grave?
In this piece about love, loss, and moving on, Gwen Flager takes us down a hard to navigate dark path of grief and moving on. O the Wild Charge focuses on the relationships between those who are left behind after someone has passed on, and asks the question of “Who is the keeper of the memories?” In the wake of Alice’s death, both her sister Lana and her friend Peggy are left with their versions of her, which of them is correct? Who is the teller of the true versions of the stories, and how will Alice affect things from beyond the grave?
(un)Documented by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj
In this moving piece, Maharaj draws from interviews conducted with undocumented immigrants from Haiti, Sudan, Syria, and Mexico in pursuit of the American Dream. Rooted specifically in Theater of Witness, this distinct and unique theatrical form of storytelling is anchored in testimonial performance by people sharing their personal and collective stories of suffering, transformation, grace, enlightenment, and peace. The characters in the play bear witness to the trauma, marginalization, oppression, strength, faith, heart, grace, and the complexity of the human experience to address some of society’s most challenging issues from a multitude of perspectives. These themes include immigration, faith, human-trafficking, LGBTQ+ rights, identity, history, legacy, parenting, tradition, family, and the pursuit of the American Dream for all.
In this moving piece, Maharaj draws from interviews conducted with undocumented immigrants from Haiti, Sudan, Syria, and Mexico in pursuit of the American Dream. Rooted specifically in Theater of Witness, this distinct and unique theatrical form of storytelling is anchored in testimonial performance by people sharing their personal and collective stories of suffering, transformation, grace, enlightenment, and peace. The characters in the play bear witness to the trauma, marginalization, oppression, strength, faith, heart, grace, and the complexity of the human experience to address some of society’s most challenging issues from a multitude of perspectives. These themes include immigration, faith, human-trafficking, LGBTQ+ rights, identity, history, legacy, parenting, tradition, family, and the pursuit of the American Dream for all.
