A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Gulf (Full-Length)

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  2w

“As funny as it is powerful, as tender as it is passionate, The Gulf reveals a pair of volatile lovers whose relationship is as sharp as a fishing knife - pointed and dangerous.” – Broadway World

Full-length version of the 40th Annual Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival winner.

The Gulf (Full-Length)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Not Applicable
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2016 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award
    Nominee: The Charles McArthur Award for Outstanding New Play (Helen Hayes Award)
Also Available

Details

Summary

Winner of the 2018 Lammy for LGBTQ Drama.

The divide between Kendra and Betty mimics the very world that devours them: a vast and polarizing abyss. On a quiet summer evening, somewhere down in the Alabama Delta, Kendra and Betty troll the flats looking for redfish. After Betty begins diagnosing Kendra’s dead-end life with career picks from What Color is Your Parachute, their routine fishing excursion takes a violent turn. This is the full-length version of the 40th Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival winner, The Gulf.

History

The Gulf first premiered in August of 2010 as part of the Silver Spring Stage One-Act Festival in Silver Spring, MD under the direction of Chris Curtis. The full-length version of The Gulf premiered at Signature Theatre in Alexandria, VA in October 2016 under the direction of Joe Calarco. In the Summer of 2017, The Gulf made its Australian premiere in Sydney, and the play first appeared in London at the Tristan Bates Theatre in April 2018.

Cast Attributes

BETTY - 20s-40s. Any race. Any ethnicity. An optimist. A thinker. Restless and tender-hearted. 
KENDRA - 20s-40s. Any race. Any ethnicity. A woman of few words. A loner. Scrappy, dark, brutish and volatile. 

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting

    Present day. A fishing boat. Late afternoon. Alabama delta.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission, Stage Combat, Special Effects
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes
    • Nudity/Partial Nudity

Media

“A scorching two-hander character study.” - DC Metro Theater Arts

REVIEWS

“Cefaly, who has an ear for the cadence of the region... is invested with an assured, soulful intimacy... How refreshing to encounter a play that does not feel it has to document its sexual politics or suggest that the family’s or community’s reaction, in a part of the country not renowned for tolerance, is what drives a decisive wedge between the characters.” - The Washington Post, Read More 

“A scorching two-hander character study... The Gulf richly traffics in both silence and the abundant pent-up forces of two people past the first passions of love.” - DC Metro Theater Arts, Read More 

“As funny as it is powerful, as tender as it is passionate, The Gulf reveals a pair of volatile lovers whose relationship is as sharp as a fishing knife - pointed and dangerous.” - Broadway World, Read More 

RELATED ARTICLES ON BREAKING CHARACTER 

Writing the "Lesbian" Play: Audrey Cefaly Reflects on The Gulf 
by Audrey Cefaly
August 10, 2017

Videos

  • Audience reaction to Australian premiere of THE GULF youtube thumbnail

    Audience reaction to Australian premiere of THE GULF

  • Quotes and accolades for THE GULF youtube thumbnail

    Quotes and accolades for THE GULF

  • Audience reactions to the London premiere of THE GULF youtube thumbnail

    Audience reactions to the London premiere of THE GULF

  • The Gulf in performance at Signature Theatre youtube thumbnail

    The Gulf in performance at Signature Theatre

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Audrey Cefaly

Audrey Cefaly's plays include The Gulf (Edgerton, Lammy, Charles MacArthur Nominee), Alabaster (NNPN Record-Breaking RWP, Kilroys, Calicchio Prize), Maytag Virgin, The Last Wide Open, The Story Of Walter, Fin & Euba, Tell Me Something Good, The Believers and Love Is A Blue Ti ...

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