A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Nice Fish

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  1w, 4m

Mark Rylance, Louis Jenkins

On a frozen Minnesota lake, the ice is beginning to creak and groan. It’s the end of the fishing season, and two old friends are out on the ice, angling for something big; something down there that is pure need.

Nice Fish

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Experimental
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy

Details

Summary
On a frozen Minnesota lake, the ice is beginning to creak and groan. It’s the end of the fishing season, and two old friends are out on the ice, angling for something big; something down there that is pure need. Something that might just swallow them whole. In Nice Fish, celebrated actor Mark Rylance draws on his own teenage years in the American Midwest in a unique collaboration with critically-acclaimed Minnesotan contemporary prose poet Louis Jenkins. 

History

Nice Fish premiered at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, MN in April 2013 under the direction of Mark Rylance and Claire von Kampen.

Keywords
Performing Groups
ERIK - Married. Unemployed. An ice-fishing enthusiast. Around 50 in age. Old high school friend of Ron’s. From Minnesota.
RON - Single. Employed. Knows little about ice fishing. Around 50 in age. Old high school friend of Erik’s. From Wisconsin.
FLO (Florence) - An independent woman. Wayne’s Granddaughter.
WAYNE - A devoted spear fisherman. A widower, retired, mid 60 to mid 70 in age. Flo’s Grandfather.
DNR MAN - An Officer from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting A frozen lake somewhere in northern Minnesota. Late Winter. Early Spring.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Gun Shots
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

REVIEWS

"Mr. Jenkins’s seemingly modest writing, attuned to close observation of everyday experience, contains, beneath its homely surfaces, larger meanings that glide softly into your mind and heart, like those elusive fish swimming beneath the ice." - The New York Times, Read More

"Nice Fish is a great catch [...] its whimsical observational humor is consistently amusing." - The Hollywood Reporter, Read More 

"It's a compact, unpretentious play [...] But it’s Jenkins’ poetry - that laconic voice, extending provocative thoughts and unexpected insights - that hangs in the air at the end of the show." - Variety, Read More 

"Nice Fish is a whimsical, ultimately resonant portrait of lost souls waiting to hook or be hooked." - Time Out New York, Read More 

“Brilliant […] The writing is stunning […] The language is just gorgeous.” - The Observer

Videos

  • Interview with the creative team of Nice Fish youtube thumbnail

    Interview with the creative team of Nice Fish

  • Nice Fish audience testemonials youtube thumbnail

    Nice Fish audience testemonials

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Author

Mark Rylance

Author

Louis Jenkins

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