Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  5w

Jen Silverman's hilarious play, which The New York Times called “a fult-tilt lesbian/bi-curious/genderqueer/Shakespearean comedy for everyone," explores anger, sex, love and the “thea-tah” through the the experiences of five women named Betty.

Image: 2018 MCC Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: 2019 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Play

Details

Summary
Betty is rich; Betty is lonely; Betty’s busy working on her truck; Betty wants to talk about love, but Betty needs to hit something. And Betty keeps using a small hand mirror to stare into parts of herself she’s never examined. Five different women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger, sex, and the “thea-tah.”
History
Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC in September 2016, under the direction of Mike Donahue. The play premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on September 12, 2018. Produced by MCC Theater and directed by Donahue, the off-Broadway production featured Dana Delany, Adina Verson, Ana Villafañe, Lea DeLaria and Chaunté Wayans.
Cast Attributes
BETTY 1 – Femme, probably (but not necessarily) white. Rich, uptight, fueled by secret rage.
BETTY 2– Femme, any ehtnicity, rich, uptight but coming undone.
BETTY 3– Femme, Latinx, charismatic and pretty, kind of a know-it-all.
BETTY 4– Butch lesbian, any ethnicity, great tattoos, gently melancholic, is too often ignored.
BETTY 5– Genderqueer (masculine-of-center), any ethnicity, great tattoos, owns a hole-in-the-wall boxing gym.
  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting New York? Now.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission, Play with Music
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Straight-up funny.” – New York Magazine

Critic's Pick! “A fult-tilt lesbian/bi-curious/genderqueer/Shakespearean comedy for everyone... If you're wondering whether you'll enjoy the revolution, Collective Rage makes an excellent (and hilarious) test case.” – The New York Times

“Anger, love and loneliness are comedically but honestly rendered in this occasionally absurd, stylized, queer-centric play... With hilarity and poignancy, Collective Rage offers a broad spectrum of queer voices rarely seen on stage.” – Variety

“Told with a singular, wholly original voice that evokes Albee, Suzan Lori-Parks, and even the poetic lyricism of Ntozake Shange. And it is very, very funny.” – DC Metro Theatre Arts

★★★★★“This evocative and explosive exploration of women, relationships, love, and above all— p***y— will rock your world from the time the first of the quintet of Betty Boops are introduced through to the sentimental, albeit bizarre, ending.” – Theatre Bloom

“A perfect balance between the really absurd and the absurdly real.” – Broadway World

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

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Videos

  • New York Premiere of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties youtube thumbnail

    New York Premiere of Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties

  • Collective Rage - Woolly Mammoth Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Collective Rage - Woolly Mammoth Trailer

Photos

  • Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties

    Image: 2018 Southwark Playhouse Production (Tristram Kenton)

  • Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties

    Image: 2018 MCC Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

Music

Song Samples

Song by Betty 2's P***y

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
  • Mandatory Music/Media Fee: £32 per performance

Scripts

Available Formats:

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Authors

Jen Silverman

Jen Silverman (they/them) is a playwright, novelist and screenwriter. Plays include: The Roommate (Broadway: The Booth Theatre; Regionally: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival, Steppenwolf, South Coast Repertory Theatre, etc.); Highway ...

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