Playwright Portrait, Nilo Cruz, Excerpt from Anna in the Tropics

The Playwright Nilo Cruz, 2006

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Anna in the Tropics.

Marela:

Everything in life dreams. A bicycle dreams of becoming a boy, an umbrella dreams of becoming the rain, a pearl dreams of becoming a woman, and a chair dreams of becoming a gazelle and running back to the forest.

Clown, at Home, circa 1977

Clown at Home, circa 1977

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Will, My Nephew and Godson

Will

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The Playwrights Lee Blessing and Melanie Marnich, 2008

The Playwrights Lee Blessing and Melanie Marnich,  2008

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BLUR by Melanie Marnich
 

Scene: Apartment. DOT and JOEY. JOEY has a present for her.

DOT: What is it?

JOEY: Open it! Open it! Open it!

(DOT tears into the package and pulls out a beautiful globe. In relief. So she can feel the continents, borders, countries.)

JOEY: It’s in Braille, in relief, so you can feel the places.

(JOEY spins the globe and her fingers travel.)

DOT: Kiss me. I’m through the roof.

Kiss me, I’m crossing the river.

I’m climbing the Empire State.

I’m on the Blue Ridge.

I’m swimming the channel.

I’m crossing the parallel.

I’m over the Great Wall.

(They kiss.)

A Body of Water. by Lee Blessing

AVIS: . . . this morning when I was getting dressed, I thought . . . I

might be up here trying to get you to marry me . . . But then

I found out we were married. And we have all this. For a

moment, anyway . . . And we have a lovely daughter too,

who does so many things for us . . . apparently.

. . . And you know what else I was thinking? I was thinking

that maybe this is what happiness looks like. If we could see

it, I mean. Does that make sense? Perhaps we're simply

caught in . . . a state of happiness. And there's no need to get out.

Playwright Portrait, Nilaja Sun, Excerpt from No Child...

The Playwright Nilaja Sun, 2007

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No Child...

MS.SUN. Hi. I’m Ms. Sun. Take your seats now. And as of today and for the next six weeks, when I’m in this classroom, you will not be using the word faggot or bitch or nigga or motherfucker or motherfuckerniggabitchfaggot. Anymore, Dominicans shall not be called and will not call each other dumb in a cans or platanos.

COCA. Ah, y pero quien e heta? Esa prieta?

MS. SUN. La prieta soy yo, senorita (Coca is speechless)

BRIAN. Shrimp fwy why? Shrimp fwy why! (no one else laughs)

MS. SUN. We will respect our teacher’s ethnicity.

BRIAN. Shrimp fwy why??? (no one else laughs.)

MS. SUN. Ladies will not call each other heifers or hos.

SHONKRIKA. Shoot! That whay I’m talkin’ about.

MS. SUN. We will start class on time. We will eat our breakfast beforehand. And from now on we are nothing but thespians.

XIOMORA. Lesbians? I ain’t no Rosie O’Donnell.

MS SUN. No no! Thespian! It means actor, citizen, lover of all things great.

XIOMARA. I love that hard cash bling-bling.

MS. SUN. Say it with me class, thespian.

XIOMARA (Bored) Thespian.

Playwright Portrait, Bekah Brunstetter, Excerpt from Oohrah!

The Playwright Bekah Brunstetter, 2010

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Oohrah!

SARA

Regina from my pilates class, her husband makes real good money, he works for Krispy Kreme, he’s a regional manager. (Beat.) You could do that, you could work there.

RON

You want me to fuckin sell doughnuts, Sara?

SARA

They’re not JUST doughnuts RON, they’re best doughnuts ever!

Sides, You love doughnuts! It’s a good job!

Playwright Portrait, Tommy Smith, Excerpt from Sextet

The Playwright Tommy Smith, 2007

pswb©2011

 

SEXTET
 

NINA: I'm so afraid when you're gone.
TCHAIKOVSKY: Why are you afraid?
NINA: The last couple nights. I've been having these terrible dreams about you. I'm in the concert hall playing the violin. I don't play the violin, I know, but in the dream I could play very well. And no one's there, just space filled with sound and I play louder and louder and faster and faster and the strings break off, just whip right off the instrument, and they cut my forearms and I try to brush it away,brush the blood away like dirt but the cuts grow bigger and I call out but the space swallows the sound. But then I can hear you. I can her you in the silence. I'm coming. I'm coming. But you never do. You never come.