A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Alabaster
Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w
Image: 2019 Florida Repertory Theatre Production (Nick Adams)
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Cast Size
4w -
Duration
105 Minutes -
Subgenre
Fantasy, Romantic Comedy -
Target Audience
Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Nominee: 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Listed: Kilroys List 2020
Winner! David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize
Details
Summary
After a tornado barrels through town leaving nothing but death and destruction, only June and her pet goat Weezy live to tell the tale. When a prominent photographer visits to take pictures of June's scars, both are forced to reconcile the pain of loss and recovery. This all-female, darkly comic southern drama explores the meaning and purpose of art and the struggle of the lost and tortured souls that seek to create it.
Alabaster is about an artist who lost her entire family (and nearly died herself) in an Alabama tornado. Three years since the devastation, June has isolated herself, along with her goats Wezzy and Bib, on what remains of her family farm. June, who suffers from agoraphobia and crippling PTSD, is covered, from head to toe... with scars. She gets up every day and feeds the goats, weeds the garden, and picks up her paintbrush. Alice, a world-renowned photographer, has come to take pictures of June for a series on women with scars. But Alice, a lesbian photographer from New York, is carrying scars of her own and is desperately trying to outrun her own pain. The sexual tension between June and Alice is immediate and ever-present. But what they need from each other transcends the physical. What does it mean to be truly "seen?" How do we pick up the pieces? How do we move forward? A play about women. About art. About healing.
History
Alabaster by Audrey Cefaly was first produced by Florida Repertory Theatre (Greg Longenhagen, Artistic Director; John Martin, Executive Director) in Fort Myers on December 20, 2019 (directed by Jason Parrish) as the first of an eleven-theatre National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
- Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
- Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Fantasy Costumes
- Additional Features Special Effects, Multimedia
- Duration 105 Minutes
- Cautions
- Intense Adult Themes
- Strong Language
- Mild Adult Themes
- Nudity/Partial Nudity
Media
“A nuanced, darkly comedic play… that examines how people cope with trauma and what recovery can look and feel like.” – Chicago Tribune
“This is one of the most unique, heartbreakingly beautiful shows Florida Rep has ever done, and it was an honor to see such a new and momentous production. You'll laugh, cry, and everything in between.” – Broadway World
“Alabaster’s intricately woven elaborate character textures make for ideal stage pyrotechnics in a live theatrical production. The robust magnitude of kinetics practically leap off the page of Cefaly’s script.” – The Utah Review
“A stunningly vulnerable new play.... Alabaster is a one-of-a-kind play: at once a bittersweet comedy that’s filled with surprises and a soul-searchingly honest depiction of the joy and the terror of letting yourself be truly seen.” – Behind the Curtain, Cincinnati
“Incredibly special.” – Broadway World
“Simply powerful.” – League of Cincinnati Theaters
“It's easy to see why theaters from Oregon to Illinois to Texas are all lining up to stage this new play. With her writing, Ms. Cefaly rips your heart out of your chest, shatters it, then mends it. She’s not afraid to give voice to our hidden fears and flaws.” – Florida Weekly
“After seeing Kitchen Dog’s Alabaster, you will have no questions as to why this script has been chosen by a record number of theaters for production. It's a play that will grab you from its first moments, and hold fast 'till its healing conclusion.” – The Column
“A nuanced, darkly comedic play… that examines how people cope with trauma and what recovery can look and feel like.” – Chicago Tribune
“With her writing, Ms. Cefaly rips your heart out of your chest, shatters it, then mends it. She's not afraid to give voice to our hidden fears and flaws.” – Fort Myers Florida Weekly
MORE INFO / REVIEWS / PHOTOS at audreycefaly.com.
Videos
Alabaster - A Record-Breaking NNPN Rolling World Premiere
Photos
Image: Nick Adams
Image: Nick Adams
Image: Nick Adams
Image: Nick Adams
Image: Nick Adams
Image: Nick Adams
Image: Nick Adams
Image: Nick Adams
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
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 ...