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Hippos of the Eastern Enclosure

Short Play, Comedy  /  5w, 1m

Jen Silverman

Jen Silverman's absurdist short comedy, set in a zoo on Thanksgiving day, explores fame, power and menstruating pachyderms.

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Hippos of the Eastern Enclosure

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    30 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary

On Thanksgiving, a nervous male zookeeper is overwhelmed by three female hippos, who all get their periods. While the zookeeper, his girlfriend, and his co-worker decide who is on clean-up, the hippos interrogate the nature of ambition.

Hippos of the Eastern Enclosure appears in the collection Real American Dinner Party & Other Short Plays.

History
Hippos of the Eastern Enclosure was commissioned by Clubbed Thumb under Artistic Director Maria Striar. It was produced in the 2017 Winterworks Festival and directed by Christina Roussos as part of Clubbed Thumb’s Directing Fellowship led by Anne Kauffman and Ken Rus Schmoll. The cast included Renata Friedman, Layla Khosh, Polly Lee, Heather Simms, Paco Tolson and Kristin Villanueva.
Performing Groups

ELLY – (female) socially strange but very candid
JACOB – (male) sweet but skittish
SYLVIA – (female) curious and unafraid
LARGE (A HIPPO) – (female, thirties-plus) fierce and driven
SMALL (A HIPPO) – (female, thirties-plus) also fierce, scared of Large
SPOTTY (A HIPPO) – (female, thirties) meek, she got bullied as a baby hippo

These characters can be played by actors of any race or ethnicity. But please avoid any casting scenario where all the humans are played by actors of one race and all the hippos are played by actors of another.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting A zoo: the front office, and the hippo enclosure.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Duration 30 minutes

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £30 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

Jen Silverman

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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