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ALABASTER
by Audrey Cefaly
#AlabamaGoatPlay
Alabaster
Pulitzer-nominated, Kilroys-listed, all-female southern drama. Winner of the Calicchio Prize. 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.
Audrey Cefaly's ALABASTER Nominated for the Pulitzer
“Sometimes a piece just glues you to your chair, makes you laugh, rips your heart out, and when it's done you want to hold the people you love tightly and not let go. ”
TONY CASELLI, AD, WILLIAMSTON THEATRE
FEATURED PRODUCTIONS
Florida Rep, Brown/Trinity, Cap Stage, Kitchen Dog, Shrewd Productions, 16th Street Theatre, Know Theatre, Salt Lake Acting Co, Phoenix Theatre, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Williamston Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, UT Chattanooga, Catawba College, Hope College
RECENT & UPCOMING
Winona State University, Actors' Theatre Grand Rapids
IN THE PRESS
"it moved me to tears, more than once....two hours of Bechdel Test bliss" Artswave
"It's easy to see why theaters from Oregon to Illinois to Texas are all lining up to stage this new play....Ms. Cefaly rips your heart out of your chest, shatters it, then mends it." Florida Weekly
"You'll laugh, cry, and everything in between." Broadway World
"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
“Sometimes a piece just glues you to your chair, makes you laugh, rips your heart out, and when it's done you want to hold the people you love tightly and not let go. ” Tony Caselli, AD, Williamston Theatre
“Alabaster" is that one-in-a-thousand play that works both as a bittersweet comedy that's full of surprises and as a heart wrenching testament to what it means to be alive in an age of uncertainty.” Joel Stone, Literary Manager, NJ Rep
“Audrey's play is a beautiful character study. It has deep and flawed and human characters that keep you rapt for the duration.” Jason Parrish, AD, Florida Rep
“A stunning play about art, vulnerability, and taking that first step toward healing .” Brian James Polak, playwright, podcaster: The Subtext
“Scars of life. A talking goat! YES!!! This is theater at its best. ” Ann Filmer, Founding AD, 16th Street Theatre
READ MORE REVIEWS ON NEW PLAY EXCHANGE
SYNOPSIS
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.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
ALICE - a photographer
JUNE - an artist
WEEZY - a goat
BIB - an old goat
TIME
Now.
THEMES/KEYWORDS
lesbian, LGBTQ, queer theater, PTSD, grief, recovery, alcoholism, same-sex relationships, natural disaster, Alabama tornado, farm life, goats
ALABASTER has received generous support in the form of workshops, readings, and developmental funding from National New Play Network, Marin Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Theater Alliance, Florida Rep, and Contemporary American Theatre Festival. #alabamagoatplay
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