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Nannuccio & his Fifteen Stepdaughters
by Annalena Odaldi (1600)

If you’re looking for a cousin of commedia with a razz on dads… Nannuccio & His Fifteen Stepdaughters by Sister Annalena Odaldi should do the trick. This short and bittersweet farce tells the tale of Nannuccio Di Pierone, a widower down on his luck, looking to remarry using the goods and riches his deceased wife left in her will. The only problem is, she actually left everything for her fifteen daughters’ dowries, and not to the avaricious, self-aggrandizing Nannuccio. What will happen if the law gets involved? This play is a wise-cracking, smart, almost tragicomedy about greed, inheritance, and the absurdity of male ego.

Annalena Odaldi (1572-1683) was born Lessandra Odaldi in Pistoia, Italy. In 1584, her mother passed, and her father married off the oldest daughter and sent Lessandra to the Franciscan convent of Saint Chiara, where she took the name Analena. While at Saint Chiara, Odaldi performed many tasks such as bookkeeping, overseeing liturgical celebrations, and assisting young nuns in their transition to religious life. Odaldi wrote five known farces that were staged during a celebration known as carnival. Odaldi wrote about the secular world, perhaps based on her own upbringing and/or curiosities about the world as it was while she was confined. It is of note that many of Odaldi’s male protagonists are named Piero in some way, the same as her own father.

Casting*: Written as 5W, 4M (can expand or double)
Production Considerations: Can include song and dance interludes, up to the discretion of the director, so could benefit from a choreographer and music director. Also, a judge enters and spends the duration of his stage time on a donkey. Do what you wish with this.
Licensing: Original Italian: Public Domain. Translation by Daniela Pastina: contact here.

The Falcon
by Marie-Anne Barbier (1719)

If you’re looking for a verse romcom with snarky sidekicks and a lover’s quarrel… look no further than Marie-Anne Barbier’s The Falcon. Federic has spent every penny on impressing Axiane – but she has remained unsure of his true affection. Their friends push and pull for them to see reason, yet fear and flirtation drive them to extremes. This quippy period piece asks, is love worth self-sacrifice? How much? And can we ever truly trust a lover’s meaning and intentions? Beatrice and Benedick but with Bridgerton vibes, this charming cat-and-mouse game of logic and love reminds its audience that personal insecurity is often our deepest romantic challenge.

Marie-Anne Barbier  (1660?-1742?) was strongly supported by French literary circles and deeply interested in being part of a female canon of writers. At the Comedie-Francais, four of her tragedies were performed, though her biggest successes were her opera librettos. Because women's works were rarely produced at the time, Barbier started editing and publishing the journal Literary Seasons around 1714, which often included theatrical criticism. In a frustrating moment connecting our historical writers:  both she and fellow ETC writer Catherine Bernard were slandered by Voltaire, who stole many elements from their plays and then claimed they were written by Bernard de Fontenelle. Rude. While we know little about Barbier’s personal life, we know her career successes made a mark on the French literary canon.

Casting*: Written as 2W, 2M
Production Considerations: A falcon puppet (or really good animal trainer…?)
Licensing:  Original French – Public Domain
Translation by Professor Perry Gethner – Contact Zach Byrne: Zach.Byrne@directsupply.com

Oh, These Times!
by Catherine the Great (1772)

If you’re looking for a satirical comedy where every character lives life in the panic lane and practices the opposite of what they preach… consider Catherine the Great’s Oh, These Times!  A maid attempts to help her naive lady marry the sweet Mr. Milksop, while dodging her grandmother’s fears of lower class social climbers. From catty gossips to sheltered virgins, no one seems happy with their station –– and their schemes and complaints pile up. Preempting Chekhov’s darkly yearning comedic sense by 100 years, Oh, These Times! is a searing reflection of our modern day social anxieties and the farces we put ourselves through to soothe them.

Famed Russian Empress Catherine the Great (1729-1796) was born on August 21, 1729 as Sophia Augusta Fredericka von Anhalt-Zerbst. As a young German princess, she was invited to the Russian court and married the Grand Duke Peter in 1745. The Grand Duke took the throne as Peter III in 1761 but was quickly deposed and murdered through Catherine’s own orchestration, at which point she took the throne and ruled Russia as Catherine II from 1762 - 1796. A patron to the arts and a prolific writer herself, Catherine encouraged the exchange of ideas and creation of art to flourish under her reign. She started literary magazines and wrote a number of novels, plays, operas, and essays. Catherine encouraged the use of theatre in particular as a social platform and as proof of Russia’s sophistication.

Casting*: Written as 5W, 2M
Production Considerations: No more than Shakespeare!
Licensing:  Original Russian – Public Domain. Translation by Lurana Donnels O’Malley: email us

The Mannequin
by Germaine de Staël (1811)

If you’re looking for a snappy satire of the sexist dating scene… consider this tight one-act from literary luminary Germaine de Staël. Although he’s always lived in Germany, Monsieur de la Morlière glorifies all things from France as the pinnacle of culture –– and therefore secured a noble French suitor for his daughter, Sophie. However, our clever heroine is ready with a deliciously silly scheme to reveal the pompous French Count for the fool he is. With both frothy fun and physical comedy, this short play packs a lasting punch with its sharp commentary on the hypocrisy in relationships cordial, familial, and romantic.

Germaine de Staël (1766-1817), born Anne-Louise-Germaine Necker, grew up in Paris and followed in her mother’s footsteps, hosting salons for the literary and political elite. A widely-published author throughout her life, “Madame de Staël” wrote novels, plays, literary criticism, and was best known for her political and philosophical essays. As she supported the French Revolution but not its violent excesses, de Staël later became famous for her vocal resistance against Napoleon and was considered his “personal enemy.” She was then banished “a distance of 40 kilometers from Paris” from 1803-1813. Her writings, as well as her patronage as a salonnière, shaped the emerging ideology of Liberalism and the art movement of German Romanticism.

Casting*: Written as 1W, 3M
Production Considerations: A well-dressed mannequin
Licensing:  Original Russian – Public Domain. Translation by Vivian Folkenflik: Columbia University Press

A Reflection in Disguise (Qiaoying 喬影)
by Wu Zao 吴藻 (1825)

If you’re looking for a one-person piece that grapples with the legacy of women writers and the artifice of gender… consider this sharp short by Wu Zao. In A Reflection in Disguise, a writer grapples with her inner idealized artistic self and the boxes society has placed her into. She poses before a portrait of herself cross-dressed as a male scholar and sings to the portrait about her frustrations as a woman of talent. Can she ever truly reconcile the two selves and win the acclaim she deserves? Through lush Chinese poetry, this monologue yields searing insight into the artifice of gender and the psyche of women in literature in the 19th Century.

Wu Zao 吴藻 (1799-1863) was a wildly prolific poet, eventually becoming known as one of the first great female Chinese poets. She was born to a merchant family in the Zhejiang province and found support for her writing from her parents and siblings. When she married at 22, her husband built her an office in their home to encourage her to continue her literary pursuits. This support led her to write 85 poems, 309 song lyrics, 1 aria, and a play over the course of her life.  It was this play - A Reflection in Disguise - that led her to widespread acclaim and brought her into an elite circle of female poets. There are some scholars who claim that many of her poems are lesbian coded and interpret lesbian desire and queer erotic longing from her writing. She would eventually also go on to publish several volumes of poetry (both her own and other poets’ work) and become a priestess before dying at age 64.

Casting*: Written as 1 actor
Production Considerations: There are several songs in the show that could require composition and a music director.
Licensing: Original Chinese – Public Domain. Translation by Sophie Volpp: University of California Press

Pleasure (Volupté)
by Rachilde (1896)

If you’re looking for a play that reveals how the pursuit of sensuality can both liberate and ensnare… then Rachilde’s Pleasure is the two-hander of your dreams. An intimate, delicate, and emotionally charged conversation between two young lovers, Pleasure offers feminist undertones with a dangerous and erotic edge. The play’s themes of sexual politics, youthful desire, and the consequences of indulgence are as timely today as they were in its origins in the Belle Époque. Fans of Sarah Kane, Sam Shepard, and Edith Wharton alike will delight in its dark twists and lush poetry, making this a standout choice for a contemporary or a classical season.

Rachilde (1860-1953) born Marguerite Eymery in rural France, became one of the most audacious literary figures of the late 19th century. Her journey into writing began at an early age, fueled by a deep sense of rebellion against the rigid societal roles prescribed to women. A novelist, playwright, and critic, Rachilde embodied the French Decadent movement through her fearless explorations of desire, gender fluidity, and societal taboos. While her adoption of the male pseudonym “Rachilde” was indeed a form of gender subversion, her exploration of gender fluidity extended far beyond her pen name. In her writings, Rachilde often blurred the lines between masculine and feminine identities, portraying characters that resisted easy categorization. Rachilde’s oeuvre fell into relative obscurity after her death, however, feminist and queer scholars in the late 20th century began to rediscover her work, and today, Rachilde is celebrated as an essential figure in both literary and gender studies.

Casting*: Written as 1W, 1M
Production Considerations: There is a pool of water in the center of the stage that is a crucial symbol of the characters’ evolving desires, which the characters interact with in various ways.
Licensing: Original French – Public Domain. Translation by Kiki Gounaridou and Frazer Lively (contact: kgounari@smith.edu and flively@wesleyancollege.edu)

Rain of Ice
by Hasegawa Shigure (1926)

If you’re looking for the character-driven naturalism of Strindberg through the lens of intersectional poverty… consider this one-act drama from the mother of Japanese realism. In her final hours, the terminally ill Tamayo wrestles with delusions of the past as well as anxieties of the present. A former sex worker, she now contends with the role transactionality has played (or not played) in her relationships, interrogating her friends’ true loyalties and fearing for her own daughter’s naivete. Through heartfelt prose and raw, naturalistic dialogue, Hasegawa Shigure digs into the grim realities facing impoverished women, telling an intersectional story of depth and intimacy.

Hasegawa Shigure (1879-1941) is widely regarded as Japan’s first female playwright and was a staunch supporter of other women writers. Born Hasegawa Yasuko, she selected the pen name “Shigure” from the term for cold, late autumn rain. Beginning with her breakthrough contest-winning play Kaicho’on (Ocean Tide) in 1905, she became a prolific writer and producer of kabuki theatre. As the co-founder and editor of Women’s Art (Nyonin Geijutsu) magazine in the 1920s, she went on to launch the careers of many female authors. In Rain of Ice (amongst other contemporary plays), Shigure began to experiment with naturalism in contemporary theatrical settings, for which she has been credited as the first playwright to innovate modern realism in Japanese drama.

Casting*: Written as 5W
Production Considerations: Scenic needs call for a hanging model of a Western-style sailboat, about two feet in length.
Licensing: Original Japanese – Public Domain. Translation by M. Cody Poulton: email us

Plumes
by Georgia Douglas Johnson (1927)

If you are looking for a piercing drama about family, poverty, and access to healthcare redolent of “August: Osage County”… consider this raw, tender one-act. In Georgia Douglas Johnson’s Plumes, mother Charity grapples with whether she can afford medical treatment for her ailing daughter. Unsure if the treatment will be successful, Charity must decide whether it would be better to honor her daughter’s life by way of an extravagant funeral instead. This play is a moving exploration of grace and dignity under the obscene circumstances of poverty and inadequate access to healthcare.

Georgia Douglas Johnson (1880-1966) was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and became a prominent member of the Harlem Renaissance. She completed degrees at Atlanta University Normal College and went on to study music at Oberlin College and the Cleveland College of Music. She published her first poem in 1916 in the NAACP magazine Crisis. She went on to publish a weekly column with the magazine from 1926-1932. She wrote many plays including Blue Blood (performed 1926) and Plumes (performed 1927). Georgia Douglas Johnson spent much of career living and working in Washington, DC where her home became a hub for many poets and artists involved in the Harlem Renaissance.

Casting*: Written as 2W, 1M
Production Considerations: None more than Shakespeare
Licensing: Public Domain

Soldadera
by Josefina Niggli (1936)

If you’re looking for a wartime story about the choices women must make when fighting for their rights… Soldadera is the play for you. Tasked with safeguarding a stockpile of weapons, the play follows a group of women soldiers trying to protect their own sense of honor – and their lives. An expansive and yet intimate story of gendered oppression, Niggli’s claustrophobic drama traces the parallels between global conflicts and our personal lives. In our ever-tense political climate, this exploration of revolution and the ways political ideals play out at home is as relevant today as it was in 1936.

Josefina Niggli (1910-1983) was born in Mexico to Anglo-American parents. As a young child, Niggli was sent away from her birthplace to live in the United States due to the ongoing Mexican revolution. As violence spread throughout the country, Niggli was only able to intermittently visit the land of her birth throughout her childhood before being sent back to the United States again. Influenced by her upbringing, much of Niggli’s works centers on the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution and her reflections on not belonging to one place or another. After returning to Mexico as an adult, she remained dedicated to portraying authentic Mexican narratives to American audiences. Niggli died in 1983, but left behind a legacy of writing that included 3 novels, 16 plays, screenplays, and countless poems. She is the only Mexican-American woman to have a theater named after her. Niggli’s full length play, Singing Valley, is on the 2022 List!

Casting*: Written as 7W, 1M
Production Considerations: A fight director (a bomb goes off, there are firearms present, and active injuries incurred throughout the play)
Licensing: Concord Theatricals

Florence
by Alice Childress (1949)

If you’re looking for an elegant, subtle, and subversive blend of heart and politics… Alice Childress works her magic again with Florence. Set in a train station in the Jim Crow south, Mama waits to board to New York City, planning to bring her daughter Florence home from trying to “make it” as a stage actress. A jaded white actress awaits the same train, and though first seeming to help, it becomes clear she thinks nothing of Florence’s prospects –– and Mama has to decide if she'll support or deny her daughter's dreams. This sinuous story holds the tension of rebellion and heartbreak, painting a vivid picture of the so-called white northern ally erasure of Black joy, worth, and humanity. 

Alice Childress (1916-1994) was born Louise Henderson to a father who worked in insurance and a mother who worked as seamstress in Charleston, South Carolina. When her parents separated in 1925, Childress moved to Harlem and was subsequently raised by her grandmother. Encouraged by her grandmother to study and write, Childress educated herself by frequenting the New York Public Library. Childress did not finish her secondary education, but her independent studies prepared her to become a force in dramatic literature. Childress and her husband, Alvin Childress, joined the American Negro Theatre (ANT) in 1939.  Childress wrote her first play, Florence, overnight for ANT. Childress gained a reputation as a “Liberation Writer” and her efforts for equality on and off stage made her a target for FBI surveillance. Childress continued to write plays into the 1960s and 1970s. Her dramatic works through many decades include Trouble in Mind, The Wedding Band (featured on the 2020 List!), Wine in the Wilderness, and String.

Casting*: Written as 3W, 1M
Production Considerations: No more than Shakespeare
Licensing: SLD Associates: Sarah Douglas

Three Women
by Sylvia Plath (1962)

If you’re looking for an achingly lyrical play probing the complex beauty and pain of pregnancy… consider this dramatic poem that brings Sylvia Plath’s raw emotionality to the stage. Interweaving three contrasting perspectives, this piece wrestles with childbirth, loss, and motherhood as perceived by a trio of women. One welcomes a wished-for and beloved child; another comes to terms with a miscarriage; the third gives her child up for adoption following the trauma of sexual assault. The resulting chorus paints a sharp and unflinching portrait of having, or losing, a child. Three Women is a daring piece to engage a community in conversation around the choices and agency of reproductive rights arcing towards glimmers of hope and healing.

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) is best known for her turbulent life and viscerally emotional poetry, which captures the perilous position of women in mid-20th-century America in its themes of alienation and self-destruction. Plath struggled with depression and bipolar disorder throughout her life, as explored in her landmark novel The Bell Jar, and tragically took her own life at the age of thirty. In the final three years of her life – and in particular following the birth of her son in early 1962 – she wrote prolifically and unrestrainedly, crafting many of the poems that would form her iconic collection Ariel (1965). Written as a radio play in 1962, Three Women marks the beginning of Plath’s focus on poems to be read aloud.

Casting*: Written as 3W
Production Considerations: an Intimacy Coordinator could be beneficial to rehearse sensitive material
Licensing: HarperCollins: USA, Faber: outside USA

Tango Palace
by Maria Irene Fornés (1963)

If you’re looking for a play that leverages the existentialism of Beckett but ratchets up the stakes through erotic powerplay… you’ll love Maria Irene Fornés’ Tango Palace. Isidore, a genderfluid bon vivant, has trapped their lover, the earnest and noble Leopold, in a room. The space becomes the pair’s entire universe and the stage on which they dance, dissect, and detonate their desires. The dangerous co-dependence of their erotic relationship spills over as they tango, driving them towards death in this searing and sensual examination of masculinity and destructive desire. 

Maria Irene Fornés (1930-2018), often hailed as the mother of Latine playwriting, was born in Havana, Cuba as the youngest of six children. Following her father Carlos’s death in 1945, her mother Carmen relocated the family to New York and Fornés would call the city home. She created over 50 works for the stage including full length plays, opera libretti, musicals, site specific works, devised pieces, and short plays, while also maintaining a presence as a sought-after teacher, collaborator and mentor. Throughout her long and daring career, Fornés intentionally resisted categorization as a Latine playwright, a female playwright, a lesbian playwright, etc. While those aspects of identity were critical to her own experience and at the heart of her advocacy for Hispanic, queer, and feminist creators, she refused to allow her work to be defined by a single marker of identity. Instead, as Scott Cummings writes, “a Fornés play insists on being taken on its own terms” and being understood through a multiplicity of perspectives.

Casting*: Written as 1 GNC person, 1 man. Both characters use masculine pronouns.
Production Considerations: Dance/Intimacy coordinator recommended for extended movement sequences and sequences of violence
Licensing: Contact Katie Gamelli - katiegamelli@paladinartists.com

The Inheritance
by Kim Ja-Rim 김자림 (1968)

If you’re looking to mix the drive for wealth accumulation with layered family dynamics...  consider Kim Ja-Rim’s The Inheritance. Against the uncertainty of a post-war political and economic backdrop, Tosup, his sister, and their respective partners quarrel over their father’s trunk, eagerly waiting to learn the details of their inheritance. This short work riffs on the genre of the living room play and delves into the changing gender roles in a traditional society, marriage, what we owe to our families, and how striving for prosperity affects them all. Chekhovian in its anticipation and containment, The Inheritance pulls back a family’s metaphorical curtains and offers a peek into their sometimes uncouth attempts to realize their dreams.

Kim Ja-Rim 김자림 (1926-1994) was the first female playwright to receive a production from the Korean National Theatre. Kim was born in Pyongyang, and went south to Busan when Korea was divided. That’s where she met her poet husband Yang Myeong-mun and they were known in the literary world as a “lovebird couple.” She worked as a teacher before launching her playwriting career in 1959, when her first one-act ‘돌개바람 [Dolgae-baram]’ (The Whirlwind) got an honorable mention in Chosun Ilbo’s New Year’s literary contest. Her play ‘이민선’ [Yi- min-sun](The Emigrant Ship), which received the production at the national theatre, was written in 1966 and is considered a classic. Many of her plays examine the restrictions on women’s agency, exploitation of labor, and the political constraints on the dreams of individuals. About her work, Kim has said, “No matter how busy I am with other things, playwriting has always been my heart’s hometown, desire, and passion.”

Casting*: Written as 2W, 2M
Production Considerations: None more than Shakespeare
Licensing: We’ve made best efforts to get in touch with both the writer’s family and translator’s family – please email info@hedgepigensemble.org if you have further insights, but for now, we’re considering this public domain.

The Guitarrón
by Lynne Alvarez (1983)

If you’re looking for the hot queer drama and dreamy magical realism of Angels in America set against the beaches of Veracruz… look no further than The Guitarrón by Lynne Alvarez. During a cataclysmic fishing drought, six members of the local village fight to find their way out. Underscored by a mysterious cellist with a mesmerizing instrument, in this play each member of the community tries to save the ones they love while navigating the transactional nature of their own relationships. A story about the drought in our souls when the cruelty of reality keeps us from the seas of our dreams, The Guitarrón would be a fabulous addition to any season.

Lynne Alvarez (1947-2009) was born in Portland, Oregon to immigrant parents from Córdoba, Argentina. Alvarez was wildly artistic from a young age, deciding she would be like a poet, studying dance, and playing cello, flute, and piano. She was mentored by Fred Hudson, who was instrumental in bringing her into the New York theatre scene, and her work was heavily inspired by Lorca. She wrote three plays in the three years she spent with the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, including Graciela and The Guitarrón, the latter premiering at St. Clement’s in 1983 and winning Alvarez an NEA fellowship and a New Dramatists membership. She went on to be consistently produced and lauded in New York and beyond. Mac Wellman wrote, “Lynne Alvarez’s theatre is something altogether different; it is complex without being nihilistic. It is both for and against the world, it is true, but the mood is far more light-hearted and sophisticated.”

Casting*: Written as 1W, 6M
Production Considerations: We recommend an intimacy coordinator and fight choreographer. A cello or music consultant would also be helpful.
Licensing: Broadway Play Publishing

Screens
by Dolores Prida (1987)

If you’re looking for a satirical critique of the blinding effects of media and consumerism… look no further than Dolores Prida’s Screens. In Prida’s masterful work, three telenovela stars reenact the highlights of their career while trapped in their house. As an ominous apocalypse looms outside, they continue to restage these scenes. The lines between life and art start to blur to disastrous outcomes. Blending sharp political insight with an accessible comedic edge and wrapped together in a love triangle, this play offers a powerful critique of modern identity and environmental disaster in the face of mass media’s demands.

Dolores Prida (1943-2013) was a groundbreaking Cuban-American playwright, poet, and columnist. Born in Cuba, Prida immigrated to New York City in 1961 where she became a prominent voice for Latinx communities through her plays and columns, exploring the intersections of gender, race, and cultural identity. Her most notable works include Beautiful Señoritas (1977), Coser y Cantar (1981), and Botánica (1991). Throughout her career, Prida infused her writing with humor, sharp wit, and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized communities. Her plays often satirized societal expectations and the media’s portrayal of women, making her a powerful feminist voice in the theater world. She was also a columnist for El Diario and Latina magazine, where she continued to champion issues of social justice and cultural representation. Prida’s legacy remains influential today, with her works continuing to be performed and studied as vital contributions to both feminist and Latinx theater.

Casting*: Written as 1W, 2M
Production Considerations: An Intimacy Director and a Fight Director would be supportive. Productions can update songs and soap opera names to fit the times.
Licensing: Bilingual Press, Hispanic Research Center, Arizona State University: email us

The Girls from the Five and Ten (Les filles du 5-10-15)
by Abla Farhoud (1987)

If you’re looking for the darkly vulnerable drama of Suburbia told through the lens of two sisters… The Girls from the Five and Ten gets to the heart of what it means to be overlooked as an immigrant in a new country. Trapped in their father’s variety shop with never-ending work and rude customers, Sisters Amira and Kaokab sacrifice their personal lives in the hopes of someday selling the store and returning to Lebanon. But as their escape seems further and further away each day, the two must decide whether their dream of going home is actually worth the cost. Defiance, sisterhood, rebellion, and oppression are all at the forefront of Farhoud’s heartbreakingly tender sister story.

Abla Farhoud (1945-2021) was a Lebanese-born Canadian writer and actor known for both her work in theater and for her outspoken writings of immigrants struggling to find a voice and home in their new surroundings. Her family moved to Canada from Lebanon when she was 5. In Canada, she had to drop out of school to work at her family’s store - much like the girls in her play. At 17, she began acting with Radio-Canada and began her career in theater. Three years later, she returned to and spent a few years in Lebanon before moving to Paris to study theater. She returned to Canada to receive a masters degree in Theater Arts at the Université du Québec à Montréal where she also wrote her first few plays. In 1987, The Girls from the Five and Ten premiered as part of Ubu’s International Women’s Festival. In addition to her theatrical writing, Farhoud also published 7 novels. Her expansive, global work focuses on the overlooked migrant experience and that of women caught between the culture they are learning and the one they have left at home.

Casting*: Written as 3W, 2 M, 1 Girl, Multi of Any (up to production): Window Shoppers
Production Considerations: Lead women are of Middle-Eastern Descent and should be able to speak Arabic. The shop is set ablaze at end of show.
Licensing: Contact the Farhoud estate (Mathieu Farhoud-Dionne) for either version; for translation by Jill Mac Dougal, contact P. Stanley Yoder

Le Favori (The Favorite Minister)
by Marie-Catherine Desjardins (1664)

If you’re looking to explore the transactional nature of relationships when status is on the line… consider this tender-hearted hilarious romp complete with gossip, political intrigue, and romantic complications. Social prestige and customs maintain the delicate ecosystem that is the royal court, but when Moncade, the King’s sensitive and widely beloved favorite, is cast out, chaos ensues. As Moncade reckons with his status, the courtiers around him scheme to advance their own agendas using witty prose and undeniably shady tactics. With themes of inner beauty, integrity, and finding meaning within the ordinary, Le Favori calls into question our social ties and asks us what it means to truly value friendship.

Marie-Catherine Desjardins, aka Madame de Villedieu (1640-1683) was the first woman to have her plays professionally staged and reviewed in the French capital. Following the divorce of her parents in 1655, the teenaged Marie-Catherine moved to Paris with her mother, where she quickly garnered wealthy benefactors through her literary prowess. She became known in the leading salons for her poetic talent – enough to hire a literary agent. The Favorite Minister was first performed for King Louis XIV and his court in 1665, breaking barriers and legitimizing dramatic writing as a pursuit for French women. A prolific writer, she produced 20 novels as well as a poetry collection and several plays over her lifetime.

Casting*: Written as 3W/6M – could be doubled as 3W/5M or played as 5W/4M.
Production Considerations: No more than Shakespeare
Licensing: Public Domain.

Adelinda
by Hannah Brand (1796)

If you’re looking for an irreverent class comedy featuring a gritty female lead… consider this romp of mistaken identities by the 18th century master of dialogue, Hannah Brand. The willful and mischievous Adelinda is set to marry the wealthy Count D’Olstain – much to her weary parents’ relief. The only problem – Adelinda is already secretly married to a lowly servant! Schemes and mistaken identities abound, lost children are returned, and some snooty parents get a rightful scolding in this comical and quippy caper about the lengths we go to for a happily ever after. 

Hannah Brand (1754-1821) was an English actress, playwright, and poet. She began her career running a prestigious girls’ school with her sister, but by her late 30s, had decided to leave teaching and pursue a life in the theater. She published a book of poetry and plays in 1798, including Adelinda, which seems not to have been performed in her lifetime. In 1794, Brand retired from the stage and returned to the world of education, working as governess. Though her work was tragically overlooked in her time, she is considered by many modern historians as a pioneering figure in eighteenth century drama.

Casting*: Written as 5W/3M
Production Considerations: No more than Shakespeare
Licensing: Public Domain

New System of Freedom; or the Conspiracy Against Love
by Charlotte von Stein (1798)

If you’re looking for a madcap Comedy of Errors with chaotic Gen-Z wit…consider this arch, rollicking take on love and freedom from German dramatist Charlotte Von Stein. Once upon a time, Menonda was happily in a relationship – until her brother, bent on destroying all romantic love, got between her and her beloved. Now, due to a mistaken kidnapping and several misplaced identities, she finds herself held captive under the same roof as both her jilted lover and her bumbling brother. Will the lovers reunite? Will the kidnapping be avenged? Does anyone know what’s going on? A confetti of comedy’s favorite pleasures served up with a healthy dose of camp, this is the perfect piece for any theater looking to engage a younger crowd in the classics.

Charlotte Von Stein (1742-1827) was a prominent figure in the Weimar Court and enjoyed moderate literary success in her later life. She had a decade-long affair with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the most influential writers in the German language. Goethe composed several poems in Charlotte’s honor and modeled characters in his works after her. Charlotte wrote at least four plays, only one of which was published during her lifetime. (However, the piece’s second publication was incorrectly attributed to her peer and acquaintance Friedrich Schiller. Rude.) 

Casting*: Written as 7W/8M with potential for doubling
Production Considerations: No more than Shakespeare, but may benefit from a production dramaturg
Licensing: Public Domain - Translator David Clauson (dmclauson@gmail.com) allows companies to produce this text with no fee, but please contact him to let him know you’ll be producing it.

The Sons of Erin; or Modern Sentiments
by Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu (1812)

If you’re looking for a plot-twist-filled farce with bold schemes to fight prejudice… consider this comedy from the elusive Irish playwright, Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu. When the eldest daughter of an upper-class English family marries an Irishman, she is cast out and the whole family is thrown into disarray. But what if that Irishman comes back to prove himself to the family… disguised as a distinguished secretary? What secrets does he uncover? Can the family ever look past their own bias and reconcile? Full of comedic mix ups and shocking plot twists, Sons of Erin shines a light on the nonsensical nature of prejudice.

Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu (1753-1817) was a major influence in the Dublin artistic community. Even so, not much is actually known about her. Le Fanu was born and married into two prolific artistic families. Her father was an actor; her mother was a novelist and playwright; her sister published two novels; and her niece, Alicia Le Fanu (commonly mistaken for Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu), was a prolific writer. Many more in the Sheridan-Le Fanu families wrote and published - men and women alike. The family was known for their support of women’s education and writing. For example, when Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu could not be present for the last few rehearsals of Sons of Erin, her nephew took her place to see the process through.

Casting*: Written as 6W/6M
Production Considerations: No more than Shakespeare, but a dialect coach could be helpful
Licensing: Public Domain

The Verge
by Susan Glaspell (1921)

If you’re looking for a tragi-comedy where the lyric insight of Virginia Woolf meets the electric cruelty of Hedda Gabler… consider this post-war portrait of a woman created and creating through destruction. Claire Archer attempts to transcend the constraints of modern life through the breeding of new plants, despite a literal Tom, Dick, and Harry trying to stop her. As the blossoming of her latest creation approaches, her sanity is called into question and tensions around her unique way of life explode. A piece that is by turns devastating philosophical portraiture, droll farce, and scathing feminist cry, The Verge comes together in a pressure cooker analysis of prescribed womanhood.

Susan Keating Glaspell (1876-1947) got a degree in philosophy, then began her career as a reporter and columnist. She joined a radical social group, The Monists, and met her future husband, George Cram Cook, while protesting a book banning with them. They became prominent artists in Greenwich Village, and started The Provincetown Players. The company featured the talents of Edna St. Vincent Milay, Louisa Bryant, and Sinclair Lewis, and launched the career of Eugene O’Neill. Glaspell was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Alison’s House, and briefly directed the midwest bureau for the Federal Theatre Project.

Casting*: Written as 5W/4M, doubling possible
Production Considerations: 2 potentially elaborate sets; a fight director for the final scene
Licensing: Public Domain

Heaven Challenges
by Li Man-kuei (1943)

If you’re looking for a dramedy about reframing your life and learning to fall in love (with yourself) again… consider this powerful Chinese play about love, loss, and artistic identity. Taking place in West China during the Sino-Japanese War, Heaven Challenges centers around Shih Kun-Yi, a housewife who has given up her love of painting to serve her husband. When he divorces her in an attempt to climb the social ladder, Shih Kun-Yi must discover how to fall in love all over again: with herself, her art, and her friends who are just as lost as she is. If the confrontation of gender roles in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House speaks to you, dive into this striking tale.

Li Man-kuei (李曼瑰) (1907-1975) was a trailblazing politician, educator, and dramatist, who has been described as “the mother of modern Chinese drama.” After studying in China, she became a Hopwood Award-winning writer at the University of Michigan, winning the award the year before Arthur Miller. She worked at the Library of Congress and Columbia University before returning to China in 1940. A member of the Kuomintang, she was elected in 1948 to the parliament of the government it established in China. Like many Kuomintang supporters, she relocated to Taiwan, and there leveraged her political influence to reinvigorate local theatre. Li organized drama festivals, introduced Western performing arts styles via the Little Theatre Movement that she established in 1960, and led two universities’ drama departments. She wrote about 30 plays in English and Chinese.

Casting*: Written as 4W/3M
Production Considerations: trigger warning for suicide content
Licensing: Public Domain

Day of the Swallows
by Estela Portillo-Trambley (1971)

If you’re looking for a lush, poetic drama with a powerhouse queer heroine and an intersectional view of indigeneity… consider this moving piece from an eminent Chicana dramatist. Josefa is a pillar of her rural community - unflappable, benevolent, formidable, respected. Why then is there a fresh bloodstain on her floor? As the rest of the village women gather for a ritual to find husbands, Josefa is trapped in her house, frantically trying to prevent her secret from being revealed. This play is a harrowing, verdant exploration of the creation and keeping of a queer utopia, and what it costs to protect it. Capturing the poetry and cultural interrogation of Tennessee Williams with a distinctly feminist viewpoint, Day of the Swallows examines the secrets we’re forced to keep and the lengths we go to hide them.

Estela Portillo-Trambley (1926-1998) was a writer, teacher, and talk-show host from El Segundo Barrio of El Paso, Texas. She taught English throughout El Paso public schools, taking a two-year break to host a radio talk show, Stella Says. The show frequently addressed political and controversial matters, and she was asked to write for a local TV station. In 1968, Portillo helped establish the first bilingual theater in El Paso, Los Pobres Bilingual Theater. She wrote eleven plays, and published novels, a novella, and a collection of stories, for which she became the first woman to receive the Premio Quinto Sol Award. She continued writing and teaching until her death in 1998.

Casting*: Written as 4W/6M, could be 4W/4M with doubling or recording
Production Considerations: Use of two ethnic slurs. Features some text in Spanish. Would benefit from a production dramaturg or community associate. Features characters of mixed Spanish-Indigenous heritage; contemporary language (and Portillo herself) would describe this community as Chinana.
Licensing: Send a written request to Tracey Trambley: contact us for the address

The Mother of 1084 (Hajar Churashir Maa)
by Mahasweta Devi (1973)

If you’re looking for a whirling political drama centering a mother’s feminist awakening… consider this dreamlike exploration of familial ties and civic responsibility. Nearly two years after the killing of her son, Sujata continues to struggle with his involvement in the uprising that resulted in his death. She embarks on a journey to understand her son and in doing so comes to recognize her own oppression as a mother, wife, and woman. Reminiscent of Brecht’s The Mother, this powerful and deeply human play examines grief, love, and the cost of revolution.

Mahasweta Devi (1926-2016) is one of India’s foremost literary figures. Devi was also an activist: she traveled frequently, often embedding herself in the communities she was writing about and organizing with them to protest the injustices they faced. Many of her 100+ novels and short stories were focused on the lives of tribal communities, the lower classes, rebels and revolutionaries, sex workers and nomads. She received India’s most esteemed literary recognition, the Jnanpith Award, and was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for her “compassionate crusade through art and activism to claim for tribal peoples a just and honorable place in India’s national life.”

Casting*: Written as 9W/9M, could be doubled
Production Considerations: Large cast of Indian characters. A cultural consultant and/or dramaturg for pronunciation and historical context.
Licensing: Seagull Books - contact naveenatseagull@yahoo.in or info@seagullbooks.org

Spell #7
by Ntozake Shange (1979)

If you’re looking for an ensemble-lead choreopoem that explores the Black experience in the entertainment industry… consider Spell #7 by celebrated playwright Ntozake Shange. Set in the late 70s in St. Louis, Missouri, the play welcomes us into a world not too far from our own, forcing us to reckon with the realities of the “isms” in creative spaces. The play takes us through the lives of 9 characters who are fighting to discover themselves as artists in a society that sees them as one dimensional after-thoughts. Using a mixture of lush poetry and stylized choreography (and guided by a literal magician), the ensemble explores the effects of blackface and violence against Black women in the entertainment industry and beyond. 

Ntozake Shange (1948-2018) moved to St. Louis, MO, soon after the Brown v. Board ruling, and her experience as the first Black student in her class heavily influenced her work. Equally influential were her supportive parents: to support their daughters’ artistic education, they befriended the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Chuck Berry, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Josephine Baker. Shange taught Humanities, Women’s Studies, and Afro-American Studies at California colleges. Her most famous work, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, brought her fame during its two years on Broadway, and was adapted into a feature film.

Casting*: Written as 4W/5M
Production Considerations: 9 Black triple-threat actors, Music Director, Musicians, Choreographer, Dramaturg, Large Black-face mask that looms over the audience
Licensing: Concord Theatricals

The Lucky Chance
by Aphra Behn (1686)

If you’re looking to gamble on love with this multi-generational comedy featuring headstrong heroines and aging Romeos… consider this raunchy Restoration Comedy about sex, marriage, and consent. The ripened, spry, and sometimes lecherous Sir Cautious Fulbank and Sir Feeble Fainwou’d used their money and status to land young wives. But both wives had young suitors they already loved… who are trying to win them back! While the old men gamble, bribe, and swindle, the young suitors assume double identities, dance with a Devil(!), and put their livelihoods on the line –– with plenty of help from their crafty ladies. Delight in this unapologetic critique of capitalism and patriarchy while asking: are our motives in love and partnership ever truly altruistic?

Aphra Behn (1640-1689) is known as the first woman in the world who made her living solely off of writing. She was a novelist, a playwright, and a spy for the King! Much of Aphra Behn’s early life cannot be known for sure – some believe she obscured the details of her early life intentionally. Her husband passed away in 1665, leaving Behn in need of ways to support herself– so she turned to writing. One of her most notable works was The Rover (1681), which was one of the most successful plays of her time. She passed away in 1689, and is buried in Westminster Abbey. 

Casting*: Written as 4W, 9M
Production Considerations: We strongly encourage hiring an intimacy coordinator. Requires a “devil costume” and perhaps some songs, which are cuttable.
Licensing: Public Domain

Laodamia
by Catherine Bernard (1698)

If you’re looking to blend the political intrigue of Shakespeare’s histories with the visceral drama of a Greek tragedy… consider Catherine Bernard’s tight verse play featuring a moral yet conflicted Queen trapped in a tragic love quadrangle. Caught between her heart and her sense of place, Laodamia, the Queen of Epirus, has always lived a life of self sacrifice– until she falls in love with her sister’s betrothed. Set against the backdrop of an impending revolution, this tragic love story is as much about deep sisterly bonds as it is about political intrigue. As her feelings conflict with the world’s expectations and the whole court is thrown into chaos, Laodamia must decide whether to follow her heart or her sense of duty. Tense, vibrant, and a true vehicle for a powerhouse female actor, this play will keep you in suspense until the last climactic second.

Catherine Bernard (1662-1712) was one of the most successful female playwrights of the 17th century. Despite her success, little is known about her life – not even the dates of her birth. Also an acclaimed novelist and poet, she is perhaps best known for setting the aesthetic foundations for the French fairy tale genre. Bernard achieved widespread critical and commercial success, even though it was considered scandalous for a woman to write tragedies. However, despite the outward success of her plays and novels, she still relied primarily on money received from competitions and patron nobles in Louis XIV’s court to survive.

Casting*: Written as 4W, 4M
Producing Considerations: optional - Because much of the most dramatic actions take place offstage, if dramatized, some of those moments would likely need a larger ensemble cast and a good fight choreographer. 
Licensing: Public Domain

The Mésalliance
by Luise Gottsched (1743)

If you’re looking for a farcical skewering of the aristocracy that evokes an Arrested Development for the 18th century… consider this contemporary roast of old-money values. The notable Von Ahnensoltz family deigns to allow a bourgeois gentleman to marry their noble daughter… and pay off all their debts, of course. However, their daughter isn’t sold, instead creating delicious chaos with her formerly affianced… and delicately, sort of, sticking it to the man. Dusty heraldry, fashionable hypochondria, and, of course, debt abound in this frothy class commentary that would elevate the Tartuffe or Imaginary Invalid slot of any season.

Luise Gottsched (1713-1762) is remembered as “the mother of modern Germany comedy.” She was a German-language poet, playwright, essayist, and translator. Encouraged by a highly educated mother and raised in the progressive circles of the Polish royal court, Gottsched began to write poetry when she was only twelve years old. She went on to garner literary acclaim from her translations and original comedies created for The German Stage (one of which was The Mésalliance). She passed in 1762, leaving behind an indescribably extensive canon of translations and a number of influential plays.

Casting*: Written as 4W, 6M
Producing Considerations: Three very minor line changes should be made to update older, offensive language.
Licensing: Translation - Camden House, an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Inc.

The Uncle
by Princess Amalie of Saxony (1835)

If you’re looking for the German Jane Austen’s riff on a marriage plot where the impressionable ingenue turns out to be a shrewd strategist… consider this fresh, delicate romantic comedy. Löwenberg needs his Uncle’s approval for his intended marriage to Anna, but he knows he’ll never get it from such an avowed bachelor... unless he can trick his Uncle into falling in love with his beloved himself! But the plan works a little too well. After ridiculous miscommunications, deceptions, and delightful physical interludes, Anna emerges as a self-possessed agent of her own fate and Princess Amalie ensures that her leading lady has the last laugh.

Princess Amalie of Saxony (1794-1870) was forced to flee her home at age 12, when Napoleon occupied Saxony. Her time as a teenager in exile shaped her writing, and she returned to Dresden and her royal role with a new perspective. Amalie was then exposed to Italian operas, shortly after beginning to compose operas under a pseudonym, which were performed during family celebrations and for the court’s inner circle. When she began writing plays, her first comedy, Falsehood and Truth, was produced at the top theater in Berlin. In 1842, many of her plays were published together as “Essays for the German Stage,” all the proceeds for which she donated to a charity in Dresden. Princess Amalie’s works express inherently feminist positions, specifically on a woman’s right to consent.

Casting*: Written as 4W, 6M
Producing Considerations: None particularly. But it requires two locations, which could be wonderfully lavish if the production budget allows.
Licensing: Public Domain

The Stone Host
by Lesya Ukrainka (1912)

If you always wished you could see Lady Macbeth take on Don Juan… consider this reimagining of the Don Juan myth from a celebrated Ukrainian author. Donna Anna is looking to transcend her position in society, and an ineffectual Don Juan might just be her ticket out – inciting an impassioned game of cat and mouse. Told in the Spanish Golden Age tradition, this play’s masquerade balls, moody cemeteries, and sword fights will keep an audience in joyful suspense until its surprising conclusion. With complexity, romance, and modern-sounding verse, Ukrainka examines the power struggles that still hold sway in our relationships today.

Lesya Ukrainka (born Larysa Petrivna Kosach; 1871-1913) was a Ukrainian writer, translator, and activist. During her childhood, her mother submitted Ukrainka’s work to literary journals under the pseudonym ‘Lesya Ukrainka’ (meaning approximately ‘Ukrainian Woman’) to protect her identity in the wake of suppression of the Ukrainian language under Russification. Ukrainka was a devoted Marxist and remained politically opposed to Russian tsarism for her entire career. Her revolutionary activities and controversial publications led to her arrest in 1907, and she remained under tsarist watch for the remaining six years of her life. She died in 1913, leaving behind an impressive portfolio of work and a legacy of activism that cemented her as one of the most significant literary figures in modern Ukrainian history. She is featured on the 200 hryvnia banknote.

Casting*: Written as 7W, 3M (with a few additional ensemble members that can be doubled)
Producing Considerations: Some music and dancing, some stage violence, and some clever stage craft as one character steps out of mirror.
Licensing: Public Domain

The Singing Valley
by Josefina Niggli (1936)

If you’re looking for an atmospheric romance where the truest love story is one with home and community… consider this heartfelt struggle between new and old. After 30 years in the Big City, Antonio Lozano returns with his adult children to his village in Mexico, focused on innovating farming practices in his rural home. The cosmopolitan meets the pastoral, conflict abounds, and the entire valley must decide whether to adapt to a modernized future or to stick with traditions steeped in history. Addressing globalization, romanticized change, and our relationship to the environment, this sensitive story asks us what it truly means to return home.

Josefina Niggli (1910-1983) was among the first to write in English about Mexican topics, focusing in particular on gender, race, and ethnicity. She was born in Mexico to Anglo-American parents. Forced to flee during the Mexican Revolution, she spent much of her childhood unhappily in Texas, desperate to return to Mexico. Themes of displacement, lack of belonging, and return to a homeland would later permeate her works. Niggli received a master’s degree in drama from University of North Carolina and spent several years writing and teaching there until moving back to Mexico. After the success of her novels, Niggli became a stable writer for Twentieth-Century Fox and MGM studios where she worked anonymously on films like The Mark of Zorro. Niggli died in 1983. Her work has been recently acknowledged as radical and trailblazing, particular for the Chicanx literature movement. She is recognized for laying the foundation for Chicana feminists like Gloria Anzaldúa, Ana Castillo, and Sandra Cisneros.

Casting*: Written as 5W, 8M (includes one child)
Producing Considerations: While the music is noted at the end of the script, you may need a musical director.
Licensing: The University of Wisconsin Press

Dust to Earth
by Shirley Graham Du Bois (1939)

If you’re looking for a live-wire take on fossil fuel and the American labor system… consider this incendiary drama exploring the intersection of racism, capitalism and environmentalism. Set against the backdrop of a rural coal mine, a young Black man struggles to confront his heritage when his white father arrives to survey the mine his white daughter is set to inherit. A tack-sharp look at systemic violence and ultimately a plea towards empathy, it is a perfect drama for the Miller or O’Neil slot in your season.

Shirley Graham Du Bois (1896-1977) was an American playwright, composer, biographer, educator, and activist. After her father was named president of Monrovia College in Liberia, Du Bois moved to Paris to study music at The Sorbonne. She then studied at Howard University, and eventually obtained her BA and MA in music from Oberlin College. Du Bois was later named director-supervisor of “Chicago Negro Unit” of the Federal Theater Project. Political associates in the 1940’s and peers since her childhood, Du Bois married famed sociologist and activist W.E.B. Du Bois in 1951. The couple, frustrated at their continued mistreatment and lack of progress in America, renounced their citizenship and became citizens of Ghana. She died of breast cancer in Beijing, China in 1977. Du Bois' expansive life demonstrated a tireless commitment to social and artistic activism, Black history, and education.

Casting*: 10 W, 12 M - racially specific
Producing Considerations: An on-stage mine-shaft, large multi-ethnic cast including a lead actor who reads as a mixed-race redhead, intimacy coordinator, fight director.
Producing Opportunities: The comparison (or perhaps integration) of SGD’s Coal Dust, an earlier iteration of the play, which further fleshes out characters and themes.
Licensing: Odell Murry

Las Pascualas
by Isidora Aguirre (1957)

If you’re looking for an ethereal folk story about the perils of love and loneliness… consider this elusively modern take on a traditional Chilean folktale. Legend has it that long ago, three lonely women lived in harmony alongside a lake – until their lives were altered forever by a mysterious stranger with whom they each fell in love. Driven to extremes by forbidden love and the gendered constraints of their world, the women struggle with their new worldviews and each other, leading this tightly wound story to its haunting climax. Aguirre’s elegiac masterpiece is grounded by its portrait of the realities of female loneliness in a patriarchal society, making it as raw and intimate as it is otherworldly.

Isidora Aguirre (1919-2011) was a prolific Chilean playwright who wrote more than 30 plays and multiple novels. At the age of 21, Aguirre married a refugee from the Spanish Civil War and moved to Paris, where she made her living as an illustrator. Upon her return to Chile, she ran into actor and theater director Hugo Miller on a trolley ride that altered her trajectory in life – their interaction sparked her interest in theater, and she enrolled in a dramaturgy course of his at the Ministry of Education. Her works covered many styles, but she consistently investigated the social norms of her country. She is considered one of the foremost Chilean dramatists of the 20th Century.

Casting*: written as 6W, 2M
Producing Considerations: None particularly. Multiple playing spaces, some complex props if desired.
Licensing: Public Domain

And the Soul Shall Dance
by Wakako Yamauchi (1976)

If you’re looking for a wistful story about immigration, identity, and the American dream… then dive into the powerful yet sparse world of Wakako Yamauchi’s And the Soul Shall Dance. Set in Great Depression Era California, this play follows two Japanese immigrant families and their young daughters as they struggle to make ends meet, integrate into US society, and survive the whims of nature and each other. United by circumstance, the women find solace in each other, building bonds despite their differing impressions and traumas, and savoring the art that makes their souls dance. Intimately specific yet universally felt, this historical family drama illuminates the realities of immigration, labor struggles, and gender inequities that still resonate today.

Wakako Yamauchi (1924-2018) was a groundbreaking Japanese-American writer, poet, and painter. Born in California in 1924 to two immigrant parents working as itinerant farmers, Yamauchi grew up in a rural community with a house just big enough to fit on the back of a truck. At the age of 17, she and her family were sent to an internment camp, where she would remain for the next year and a half. While there, Yamauchi started her artistic career, working on the camp newspaper as a cartoonist. After the war, she wrote And the Soul Shall Dance, which won the 1977 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for the best new play and was later produced for public broadcast. In 1980, Joseph Papp, the founder of The Public, produced a successful run of Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson as a response to the backlash about lack of opportunities for Asian-American artists in the theatre. Yamauchi never stopped writing, publishing works into her 70s and 80s.

Casting*: written as 4W, 2M
Producing Considerations: While this play has universally relevant themes, they were written by a Japanese-American woman who lived through an internment camp. We encourage producers to thoughtfully investigate that historical and cultural context and to take it into serious consideration when making casting choices.
Licensing: Japanese American National Museum

Valor, Agravio y Mujer (Valor, Outrage and Woman)
by Ana Caro (1640)

If you want a scorned heroine who is determined to live in a revenge tragedy but accidentally finds herself in a comedy… consider this Spanish Golden Age play. With cross dressing, love triangles, swordplay, and soaring verse, this is a celebration of women’s agency. Doña Leonora dresses like a man and crosses Europe to get revenge on her ungrateful ex who left her unmarriageable. Along the way, she manipulates others in her sphere (often through the clever use of funny voices) causing confusion and antics – and ends up with a triumph that she deems better than any murder.

Ana Caro Mallén de Soto (1590?-1660?) was a prolific and widely-praised Spanish poet and playwright. Some evidence suggests that she was enslaved at birth in Granada and was later adopted by an officer of the High Court of Justice. She was one of the first female playwrights to earn money for her writing. Only two of her plays survive.

Casting*: Maximum 13 Actors // Minimum 9 Actors – Written as 4W, 9M
Production Considerations: Nothing beyond a typical Shakespeare play. Some strong cuts may help a contemporary audience move through abundant monologues.
Translations: The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs by UCLA’s Diversifying the Classics; Valor, Outrage, and Love by Amy Kaminsky (heightened language)
Licensing: Diversifying the Classics translation | Amy Kaminsky translation

The Frolicks, or the Lawyer Cheated
by Elizabeth Polwhele (1671)

If you’re looking for a Restoration play with even more hijincks than Merry Wives of Windsor… consider this energetic, bawdy comedy that centers around the tricksy courtship of the clever Clarabell and the rakish Rightwit. Through a series of deceptions, plots, pranks, and manipulations, they find a way to be together – and manage to marry off everyone else in the cast as well. Complete with doltish country suitors, deceitful women, trusting husbands, untrusting fathers, and trendy dances, this play covers all the best staples of the Restoration. The plot itself is simple, and yet the events that lead us along the way are delightfully frothy, foolish, and fun.

Elizabeth Polwhele (1651?-1691?) is our mystery woman playwright. She’s English and wrote three plays, one of which is lost. She was likely the daughter of a vicar, and married a minister… but if so, she would have been 20 and unmarried when she wrote this bawdy play, which wasn’t her first production. All we truly know is she considered herself “an unfortunate young woman haunted by poetic devils.” And, The Frolicks—whether actually performed in her time or not—is the first comedy by a woman playwright for professional production in England. The image we have included here is “Portrait of an Unknown Woman,” which seemed fitting.

Casting*: Maximum 25 Actors // Minimum 16 Actors – Written as 5W, 11M
Production Considerations: This production calls for a large cast. We suggest some shrewd cuts (including our cut available to your left.) We also recommend having a fight director and intimacy coordinator for this play.
Licensing: Public Domain

The Beau Defeated
by Mary Pix (1700)

If you’re looking for a fun rom-com where your wingman is a flock of wingwomen… consider this witty Restoration comedy. A rollicking, hilarious, and touching tale of Mrs Rich, the wealthy widow of a banker, who wants to marry a Lord to improve her social status. She listens to all the wrong people for advice– eventually leading her straight into the arms of a notable rogue. Through sparkling discourse, interwoven with a moving subplot, Mrs. Rich’s friends and brother-in-law come to her rescue in the nick of time and prevent their friend (and a few other women) from throwing it all away for an undeserving man.

Mary Pix (1666 -1709) joined up with her intellectual gal pals, forming a trio of early female (some might say feminist) playwrights. Delariviere Manley, Catherine Trotter, and Mary Pix rose to fame at the same time with their works. They gained so much public attention that they were parodied in an anonymous satirical play The Female Wits (1696). Mary wrote seven plays total, with an additional four published anonymously but attributed to her.

Casting*: Maximum 19 Actors // Minimum 15 Actors – Written as 10W, 9M
Production Considerations: Heavy props and costumes needed (if keeping the play in its period)
Licensing: Public Domain

The Fatal Falsehood
by Hannah More (1779)

If you want a high-octane alternative to Two Gentlemen of Verona… consider this tight rollercoaster of a poetic play instead. Here, two of the closest friends fall deeply in love with the same woman. Spurred on by an Iago-like character, the plot careens toward a tragic end – yet each character reflects on the ramifications of their actions, which makes it all the more impactful. Fall in love—and out—with this epic tale of romance and duty. Undeniably, the poetry of this play is one of its biggest strengths, so be careful of confusing it with the Bard! Bonus: with some minor cuts to avoid a puzzling suicide, this tragedy could easily be presented as a dark comedy!

Hannah More (1745-1833) was a moralist, practical philanthropist, poet, and playwright. She was deeply involved in the campaign to end slavery. Often mocked by her male literary counterparts, she persisted, writing many pastoral plays and Percy (a play which was found among Mozart’s possessions in 1791). The Fatal Falsehood was her final play before shifting her focus to promoting accessible education for girls and poorer children. (Fun ETC gossip moment: More stopped writing for the stage after a pamphlet-duel with Hannah Cowley, from our 2020 list, about who was plagiarizing from whom!)

Casting*: 6 Actors – Written as 2W, 4M
Production Considerations: None more than a Shakespeare play (and fewer costumes!)
Licensing: Public Domain

Françoise
by George Sand (1856)

If you’re looking for something a bit lighter in your Ibsen or Shaw slot… consider this deft comedy where the girl finally learns to stand up for herself. An enjoyable romp through Bourges, France, this play speaks to anyone who has gotten stuck in a relationship with someone truly selfish. Henri, the idealized love of Francoise, is “a central role without precedent in French literature” – yet whom is easily recognized in contemporary life. Ahead of its time, George Sand delivers this delightful, snide jab at the aristocracy that seems a precursor to Oscar Wilde’s cutting humor. Join us in rooting for Françoise as she gains the self worth to say adieu. 

George Sand (1804-1876) is a well-known writer of novels and was perhaps one of the most famous writers in France – even beyond her contemporary Victor Hugo. Noted for her gender fluid persona, Sand often wore men’s clothes in public – which required a permit at the time. By the age of twenty-seven, she had built an empire out of her words. Sand was extremely popular, becoming an icon of the literary movement during the Romantic era, and leaving behind an impressive legacy.

Casting*: 8 actors – Written as 3W, 5M
Producing Considerations: Similar to producing an Oscar Wilde play. Three settings and period costumes, depending on your vision.
Licensing: SUNY Press

Forging the Truth (杨绛)
by Yang Jiang (1940)
translated by Amy Dooling

If you’re looking for a clever class comedy by a Noel Coward contemporary… consider this zany play that takes on tradition, marriage, and capitalism. The spoiled but sweet Wanru has a watchful father… who she is desperate to avoid when sneaking in her hot new boyfriend. In this story, family is often run like a business and financial prospects are important across the board – but not everyone is clearly showing their cards. Wanru’s Dad keeps trying to run her love life like a business, Yanhua gets the world’s worst proposal, and everyone’s trying to keep up the face of tradition... even if it’s just a show. Chinese comedic playwright Yang Jiang brings light, love, and clarity to this relatable family situation.

Yang Jiang (杨绛) (1911-2016) was a Chinese playwright, author and translator. She is best known as the first Chinese person to produce a complete Chinese translation of Miguel de Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote. A Chinese, French, English and Spanish speaker, she translated materials from many cultures. During the Cultural Revolution, she and her husband were sent to labor camps due to their status as cultural figures and educators – and after, she returned again to writing. Contradicting a Chinese saying that it is impossible for a woman to be both a chaste wife and a gifted scholar or talented artist, her husband once described her as “the most chaste wife and talented girl” in China.

Amy Dooling (translator) is a scholar of modern Chinese literature. She has published books on 20th century women’s writing and feminist literary culture. Dooling’s scholarship focuses on the intersections between political activism and cultural expression in modern China. She has written extensively on the subject of radical women writers and early twentieth-century feminism.

Casting*: Maximum: 13 Actors // Minimum: 11 Actors – Written as 7W, 6M
Producing Considerations: Three sets.
Licensing: Contact the translator; Contact the estate

Foriwa
by Efua T. Sutherland (1962)

If you’re looking for a story about a small community and love akin to Our Town... consider this play about how an overlooked outsider and two powerful women can shake a community out of a slump. Set in a small Ghanaian village, a love story emerges, challenging the town to reconcile tradition with modernity. Relatable across the globe, this sweet yet brave look into a slice of Ghanaian life shows what it takes to rebuild a community — hope, courage, and open hearts.

Efua Sutherland (1924-1996) was a beloved playwright, author, and child advocate. After completing her studies in Ghana, she pursued higher education in England, where she was one of the first African women to study at Cambridge. Upon her return, she founded the Ghana Experimental Theatre, which later became the Drama Studio. Based around Ghanaian tradition and storytelling methods, her work helped introduce the study of African performance tradition at a university level.

Casting*: Maximum Unlimited // Minimum 10 Actors – Written as 7W, 13M
Producing Considerations: The playwright notes that this could be done as a site specific piece or in a traditional theatre with symbolic scenic pieces. The production requires consultation with someone knowledgeable about Ghanaian rituals. While it is a potentially large cast, there are doubling opportunities.
Licensing: Click here to email the estate.

A Happy Country (Un País Feliz)
by Maruxa Vilalta (1964)

If you’re seeking a play about revolution where the family drama is the political drama… consider this powerful portrait of love, protest, class, and voyeurism. This play follows the recently impoverished Jiménez family in an unnamed Spanish-speaking country as complex conversations are brought to the foreground by the arrival of a tourist staying in their home. How do you balance your activism with your desire to just live? Do you fight for your family, or your country? And how do you be an ethical tourist in a culture that is not your own? This play leaves an audience asking all the right questions and drawing their own timely parallels.

Maruxa Vilalta (1932-2014) is a highly acclaimed Catalan-born, Mexican playwright, novelist, and director. She was born to two lawyer parents in Barcelona – where her mother was the first woman to graduate from the law school. They moved to Mexico at the beginning of the Spanish Civil war. She wrote numerous novels and plays, and won Mexico’s national prize for Arts and Sciences in 2010.
Edward Huberman (translator) worked on translating a number of Maruxa Vilalta’s plays.

Casting*: 7 Actors – Written as 2W, 5M
Producing Considerations: Simple set, one setting, no major changes. Here is a wonderful opportunity to commission a new translation. We are including the Spanish text in hopes that it may inspire such treatment.
Licensing: Translation by Edward Huberman, contact the Latin American Literary Review

Les Blancs
by Lorraine Hansberry (1970)

If you’re looking to tackle race, imperialism, and the prejudice of the Western world towards African countries… consider this mesmerizing masterpiece. Set in a rural Christian mission in an unnamed African country, this play explores the complexities of navigating personal relationships across racial divides when every decision you make is inherently political. Intricate, atmospheric, and shimmering with emotional truth, this play is as relevant to our modern world now as it was fifty years ago.

Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965) was a playwright, author, activist, and visionary. Best known for her work, A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry was the first Black woman playwright produced on Broadway. She won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award at the age of 29, making her the first African-American, the fifth woman, and the youngest writer in history to do so. She was a vocal proponent of the Civil Rights movement, gender equality, and queer liberation. She died in 1965 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 34. At her funeral, the priest read a message from James Baldwin and Martin Luther King Jr., which said, “Her creative ability and her profound grasp of the deep social issues confronting the world today will remain an inspiration to generations yet unborn.”

Casting*: Maximum 20 Actors // Minimum 11 Actors – Written as 3W, 8M
Producing Considerations: The cast calls for a number of non-speaking roles, some of which can be doubled, and a child. There are some gunshots fired onstage, and a building is blown up by a grenade. There is also some ritualistic African dance, so bring on a great choreographer!
Licensing: Concord Theatricals

Los Empeños de Una Casa (House of Desires)
by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1683)

If you wish Twelfth Night’s love triangle was a love octagon… meet this passionate and thrilling comedy. House of Desires is a romantic farce about two siblings involved in a variety of romantic entanglements. Lock everyone in the same house, sometimes turn off the lights, and watch the sparks and antics ensue! Originally written in Spanish, it is a wonderfully witty comedy of errors full of clear-sighted female protagonists, clever servants, and the folly of ambitious men.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695) was born in Mexico to a Spanish father and Mexican mother. She later sequestered herself in a convent, the only way for a woman to pursue her thirst for knowledge and gain instruction in the arts. During that time, she used her works to comment on the socio-politico-economic landscape of Mexico in the 17th century and condemn the sexism of the church.
Catherine Boyle (translator) is a professor of Latin American Culture at King’s College in London. She has translated numerous other works for premier theaters in Europe and wrote “Chilean Theater: 1973-1985” which looks at theater in Chile and the impact this story telling had on the medium.

Casting: Maximum: 3W, 7M (10) // Minimum: 3W, 6M (9)
Producing Considerations: There is an original song performed by musicians that only appears in one scene. This could be pre-recorded or adapted. The action primarily takes place in one locale with many doors. Although this play has universally relevant themes and characterizations, it was originally written by a Mexican woman for Spanish speaking audiences. We encourage producers to thoughtfully investigate the historical and cultural context and to take it into consideration when making casting and production staff choices.
Translations: We recommend Catherine Boyle’s House of Desires.
Also: Michael McGaha’s Pawns of a House; Anadina Saladino’s Trouble at Home; David Pasto’s The House of Trials.
Licensing: Concord Theatricals (for Boyle’s translation)

Bold Stroke for a Wife
by Susanna Centlivre (1718)

If you’re looking for a restoration play that tackles the patriarchy (comedically, of course)… you’ve met your match. A star vehicle for a charismatic actor, this Moliere-esque comedy deftly ridicules hypocrisy, greed, hubris, and the absurdity of women’s position as property. Anne Lovely has not one but four bizarre male guardians who must give consent to her marriage, and Colonel Fainwell is determined to win each over through the clever use of disguises. With insightful satire, physical comedy, and modern humor, this tight plot keeps an audience in joyful suspense until the final moment.

Susanna Centlivre (1669-1723) is perhaps the most successful English playwright after William Shakespeare by number of performances before the twentieth century.

Casting: Maximum 4W, 15M (19) // Minimum 3W, 9M (12)
Producing Considerations: No more than any Shakespeare production; exciting opportunities for a costume designer.
Licensing: Public Domain

Bold Stroke for a Husband
by Hannah Cowley (1783)

If you’re thinking of producing The Taming of the Shrew… consider this play, featuring five bold women with strength and agency instead. While Olivia takes on various unattractive qualities to un-suit her various suitors (despite her frustrated father’s attempts to marry her off), Laura and Victoria are wooing each other – yet competing with each other – both in an effort to best Don Carlos. Bold Stroke for a Husband has the levity and hijinks of a Shakespearean comedy with the feminist attitudes of a much more modern piece, combining the best of Shrew and Twelfth Night in one tight, funny, uplifting narrative.

Hannah Cowley (1743-1809) is best known for writing The Belle’s Stratagem. Her first play – which she wrote in a day, was supposedly inspired by going to the theatre and telling her husband, “Well I could write as well myself!”

Casting: Maximum: 7W, 8M (15) // Minimum: 5W, 6M (11)
Producing Considerations: No more than for any Shakespeare play.
Licensing: Public Domain

Anima (Her Soul)
by Amelia P. Rosselli (1898)

If you put The Seagull, A Doll’s House, and Mrs. Warren’s Profession in a blender… you get this thoughtful dramedy about a woman’s true value. Our charming protagonist, Olga, is a successful painter, a wit, and, it turns out, a victim of sexual assault. Revelations of her past subvert her romantic future and ultimately lead her to end up with a kind man who values her soul rather than her body. Anima (or Her Soul) reminds us of the negative implications of patriarchal norms on both men and women. Step into this quirky, disarming, and award-winning play for an examination of who we’re really seeking.

Amelia Pincherle Rosselli (1870-1954) was born in Venice to a prominent Jewish family and later lived in Florence where she was active in promoting social justice and women’s causes. She gave up writing after her sons, Carlo and Nello, founders of the antifascist movement Justice and Liberty, were assassinated in 1937 on Mussolini’s orders. She left Italy, lived in the USA, but ultimately returned to Florence.
Natalia Costa-Zalessow (translator) is Professor Emerita in the Department of Modern Languages at San Francisco State University. She is the author of Scrittrici italiane dal XIII al XX secolo: Testi e critica;  Amelia Pincherle Rosselli: Her Soul and Anima: Dramma in tre atti;  Francesca Turini Bufalini: Autobiographical Poems;  Margherita Costa: Voice of a Virtuosa and Courtesan Selected Poems; and 31 articles on various Italian writers.

Casting: Maximum 6W, 9M (15) // Minimum 5W, 5M (10)
Producing Considerations: Three locales.
Licensing: Contact Natalia Costa-Zalessow (email in script) for performance rights.

Rachel
by Angelina Weld Grimké (1916)

If you’re looking to engage a white audience in BLM conversations… consider this heartbreaking yet love-filled family portrait. This play was “the first attempt to use the stage for race propaganda in order to enlighten the [white] American people relative to the lamentable condition of the millions of Colored citizens in this free republic,” according to the program for the first production in NYC in 1916. Rachel, a young Black woman in love, wonders if she could endure having kids of her own given the racism she and the children in her neighborhood face everyday. Though certainly a tragedy, this play also shows Black love and Black joy in this historically important piece.

Angelina Weld Grimké (1880-1958) is one of the first African American women to have her play produced in 1916 and published in 1920. She is the descendant of the Grimké sisters, two abolitionists, and the niece of Francis J. Grimké who helped establish the NAACP. Thought of as a predecessor of the Harlem Renaissance, she inspired the likes of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. It is also rumored that she was gay--she wrote many poems focusing on queer love and romance.

Casting: Maximum: 3W, 3M, 9 children (15) // Minimum: 3W, 3M, 2 children (8)
Producing Considerations: As written, the script calls for no less than 8 children under 10 years old. However, with some easy cuts, the play can be (and has been) done with 2 children (Ethel and Jimmy).
Licensing: Public Domain

The Drag
by Mae West (1927)

If you thought LGBTQ+ culture was invented in the 1960s, think again… Witty, tragic, and vibrant, The Drag is an exquisite portrait of the existing LGBTQ+ community of the 1920s. Mae West crafts an eloquent history lesson mixed with joyful celebration. The Drag shows the perils of “conversion therapy” and the criminalization of homosexuality, while simultaneously presenting in delightful clarity the same joys, losses, warmth, and transgressive counter-culture that our LGBTQ+ family feels to this day.

Mae West (1893-1980) was one of the most multi-disciplinary and controversial artists of the 20th century, known for her comic chops, fearless sensuality, and toeing the lines of censorship. An icon of the sexual revolution, she proclaimed “I was the first liberated woman, you know. No guy was going to get the best of me.” When she was arrested for the “indecency” of her plays, she took a limo to jail.

Casting: Maximum 4+ W, 14+ M (18+) // Minimum 3W, 9M (12)
Producing Considerations: There is a full blown, queertastic, magical, drag show/dance party scene at the top of Act Three. (You’re welcome.) We encourage producers to consider casting outside the bounds of gender binary casting listings and to make special efforts to consider LGBTQ actors for LGBTQ roles.
Licensing: Public Domain: the agency that represented Mae West is now defunct.

One-Acts or Restless Night in Late Spring & A Hell of Her Own
by Fumiko Enchi (1928)

If you’re interested in the intersection of art and politics… consider these one-act plays! In Restless Night, two college students debate the virtues of creating art or abandoning it all to become a political activist -– both coming close to understanding each other, though not seeing eye to eye. A Hell of Her Own delves into similar questions: is rebellion more virtuous than being… well, virtuous? Women are at the center of these two beautiful, thoughtful slices of life – and both have the exact same breakdown of actors to make doubling easy.

Fumiko Enchi (1905-1986) is a celebrated Japanese writer. Despite suffering from multiple serious health conditions, Enchi was a prolific writer. She won multiple literary prizes for her novels and wrote around 20 plays – though very few of her works have been translated into English (yet!).
Ayako Kano (translator) is a professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Acting Like a Woman in Modern Japan: Theater, Gender and Nationalism, and Japanese Feminist Debates: A Century of Contention on Sex, Love, and Labor. 

Casting: Maximum (2 separate casts): 6W, 2M (8) // Minimum: 3W, 1M (4). The plays cast well in repertory.
Producing Considerations: As of September 2020, these translations have yet to have their world premiere. Each short play is 15-35 minutes in length. Restless Night in Late Spring could stand alone in a digital experience. While these plays have universally relevant themes and characterizations, they were originally written by a Japanese woman for Japanese audiences. We encourage producers to thoughtfully investigate that historical and cultural context and to take it into serious consideration when making casting choices.
Licensing: Contact the Wylie Agency & Ayako Kano (translator) for performance rights.

Spunk
by Zora Neale Hurston (1935)

If you’re dreaming about a combination of the musical folklore of Hadestown and Oklahoma… Spunk is a theatrical event (with music). An expansion of her well-loved short story (but with a more joyous ending), this play centers on the relationship between a married woman and a loveable wandering musician named Spunk. It is a humorous, moving portrait of a small-town Black community in the 1930s. Filled with music, magic, and folklore, Spunk manages to be epically theatrical whilst remaining grounded and endearingly quotidien. It is a love letter to small towns, the Black communities in the South, and the wanderers and romantics in us all.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was one of the most influential, inspired, and well-known writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Her writing is characterized by her authentic portraits of contemporary African American and Black culture and communities, lyrical writing style, and roots in folktales and magical realism.

Casting: Maximum 5+ W, 12+ M (17+) // Minimum 4W, 8M (12)
Producing Considerations: This play requires a composer/music director knowledgeable about Black music traditions and at least one strong actor/musician (singer/guitarist). This is a star vehicle for the actor playing Spunk. Casting can swell beyond the maximum if desired. Additionally, there is a conjuring scene that includes the stage direction of a man unzipping his skin onstage and stepping out of it while “cat men” dance around him. However, Hurston herself notes that this scene “cannot be fully put on paper. Must be done in direction.” Please note: There is potential confusion with another adaptation of Hurston’s short story also entitled “Spunk” by George C. Wolf. These are different plays with similar spirits.
Licensing: Public Domain

Wedding Band: A Love Story in Black and White
by Alice Childress (1962)

If you want to take on the pandemic, privilege, and systemic racism with grace and heart… then you need to look to Alice Childress. A compassionate yet candid look at the complexities of prejudice, Wedding Band focuses on love and the forces that try to tear it down. The play follows Julia, a Black woman, through the complexities of an interracial relationship in 1918 Charleston, South Carolina. This generous community of Black women navigate an Influenza outbreak, war abroad, and war at home.

Alice Childress (1916-1994) is known to be the only Black woman to have written, produced, and published plays for four decades. She turned to playwriting, after eleven years of acting, to engage more directly with her audience. She dedicated her work to representing the Black experience as honestly as possible.

Casting: Minimum/Maximum: 8W, 3M
Casting Consideration: Casting is race specific: 4 Black women, 2 white women, 1 white girl, 1 Black girl, 1 Black man, 2 white men
Producing Consideration: One location, 105 minutes.
Licensing: Concord Theatrical

The Curation Team

Triza Cox, Director of Outreach & Engagement for Hedgepig (2024)
Gagarin, Actor/Ensemble Member of Hedgepig (2023-2024)
Kalina Ko, Literary Assistant of Roundabout Theatre Company (2023-2024)
Emily Lyon, Director/Dramaturg/Artistic Director of Hedgepig (2020-2024)
Skye Pagon, Actor/Director/Producer (2020-2024)
Shannon Corenthin, Actor/Producing Director of Hedgepig (2020-2023)
Mary Candler, Founding Artistic Director of Hedgepig (2020-2022)
Katherine Bischoping, Lead Research Associate
Natalie Kane, Research Committee Coordinator

The Reading Committee