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Jack and Algernon use fictional identities to escape their social obligations. When both pursue women who are determined to marry a man named Ernest, their deceptions begin to unravel. Oscar Wilde’s comedy of manners turns engagements, family secrets, and respectable society into a game of verbal mischief.
Tom Wingfield recalls life with his mother Amanda and his shy sister Laura in their St. Louis apartment. Amanda hopes that a gentleman caller will secure Laura’s future, while Tom longs to escape. A dinner invitation brings their competing dreams together in Tennessee Williams’ memory play.
Vladimir and Estragon pass the time by a lonely tree, talking, arguing, and considering whether to leave. They are waiting for Godot, though the purpose and timing of the meeting remain uncertain. Visitors interrupt their routine in Samuel Beckett’s tragicomedy about companionship, repetition, and the search for meaning.
Blanche DuBois arrives in New Orleans seeking refuge with her sister Stella and Stella’s husband Stanley. Her manners and romantic illusions clash with the life of their crowded apartment. As Stanley questions her past, the tensions between desire, dependence, and vulnerability become increasingly difficult to contain.
Willy Loman returns home exhausted, still measuring himself and his sons against an elusive idea of success. Memories of better days intrude on the present as his family confronts disappointment and painful secrets. Arthur Miller’s drama examines work, self-worth, and the distance between ambition and love.
Witchcraft accusations turn Salem into a place of suspicion, fear, and opportunism. Farmer John Proctor tries to protect his family while confronting a secret that threatens his credibility. Arthur Miller’s drama places private guilt against public hysteria and asks what a person will sacrifice to keep their integrity.
Servants Sam Samela and Willie Malopo, both in their mid-forties, are practicing ballroom steps in preparation for a major competition, while maintaining Hally's mother's tea shop on a rainy day. Sam is the more worldly of the two. When Willie says his ballroom partner and girlfriend is lacking enthusiasm, Sam points out that Willie beats her every time she makes a mistake. Seventeen-year-old Hally Harold arrives home from school, and cheerfully asks about the dancing progress. Sam mentors the boy, wishing to guide him through adolescence into manhood, while Willie is the "loyal black"; who calls the white boy "Master Harold". The conversation between the three moves from Hally's school-work, to an intellectual discussion on "A Man of Magnitude", where they mention various historical figures of the time and their contribution to society, to flashbacks of Hally, Sam and Willie when they lived in a boarding house. Hally warmly remembers the simple act of flying a kite Sam had made for him out of junk. Hally wishes to write a story about the two of them flying the kite for school, but he feels the ending was too simple, as he recalls how he had sat on a park bench to watch the kite fly, while Sam quietly went back to work. Conversation then turns to Hally's 500-word English composition, where they describe the ballroom dancing floor as "a world without collisions"; a transcendent metaphor for life. Almost immediately, despair returns: Sam had early on mentioned why Hally's mother is not present; the hospital had called about his father, who has been there receiving treatment for complications from a leg he lost in World War I, to discharge him, and she had left to bring him home. However, Hally, indicating that his father had been in considerable pain the previous day, insisted that his father wasn't well enough to be discharged, and that the call must've been about a bad turn, rather than a discharge notice. A call from Hally's mother at the hospital confirms that Hally's father is manipulating the hospital into discharging him, despite the fact that his condition hasn't improved, so it's still unofficial, and Hally remains hopeful that the discharge won't happen. A second call from Hally's mother later reveals that the discharge is official, and she has brought Hally's father home. Hally is distraught about this news, since his father, who in addition to being crippled, is revealed to be a tyrannical alcoholic, and his being home will make home life unbearable with his drinking, fighting, and need for constant treatment, which is more than Hally and his mother can handle, and includes demeaning tasks of having to massage his stump, and empty chamber pots of urine. Hally vents to his two black friends years of anger and pain, viciously mocking his father and his condition. But when Sam chastises him for doing so, Hally, although ashamed of himself, turns on him, unleashing vicarious racism that he learned from his father, creating possibly permanent rifts in his relationship with both Sam and Willie. For the first time, apart from hints throughout the play, Hally begins explicitly to treat Sam and Willie as subservient help rather than as friends or playmates, insisting that Sam call him "Master Harold". It all comes to a head when, in a moment of blind rage, Hally spits in Sam's face. Sam is hurt and angry about this, and both he and Willie come very close to physically attacking Hally, but they both stop themselves, coming to understand that Hally is really causing himself the most pain. There is a glimmer of hope for reconciliation at the end, when Sam addresses Hally by his nickname again and asks to start over the next day, and maybe fly another kite, harkening back to the simple days of the other kite. Sam recalls the reason he had made that kite in the first place: Once, Hally's father had passed out from drunkenness at a hotel bar, and young Hally and Sam had to fetch him, as Hally's mother was unavailable to do so. Sam had to literally carry Hally's unconscious father home on his back, while young Hally miserably followed, carrying his crutches. Sam took pity on young Hally's shame and humiliation, and wanted to give Hally something to be proud of. In the present, Hally, horrified about what he's done, is barely able to face Sam, responds without looking up "It's still raining, Sam. You can't fly kites on rainy days, remember," and asks Willie to lock up the tea shop. Sam then gives Hally a twist ending to the kite story: the reason Sam left, to go back to work, was because the bench Hally had sat on to watch the kite, had said "Whites Only" but young Hally had been too excited to notice it, but now, he can (figuratively) leave it at any time. Hally exits into the rain without response. The play ends with Willie promising to make amends with his girlfriend and stop beating her, and him and Sam consoling each other by using Willie's bus fare to play the jukebox, and they ballroom dance together.
Set in Paris, the play revolves around three friends—Serge, Marc and Yvan—who find their previously solid 15-year friendship on shaky ground when Serge buys an expensive painting. The canvas is white, with several fine white lines. Marc, appalled to hear that Serge had paid two hundred thousand francs, scornfully describes it as "a piece of white shit". Serge argues that the painting, created by a reputable artist, is worth its hefty price, but Marc remains unconvinced. Serge and Marc confide in Yvan about their disagreement. Yvan, who is engaged but conflicted over his forthcoming wedding, remains neutral and attempts to smooth things over. To Serge, Yvan comments politely on the painting but admits that he does not grasp the essence of it. To Marc, Yvan laughs at the painting's price but suggests that the work is not quite meaningless. Yvan's vacillations only fuel the disagreement as his friends criticize his timid neutrality. Several nights later the three meet for dinner, and an all-out argument rapidly develops with each using the painting as an excuse to criticise the others over perceived failures. Marc attacks Yvan for never expressing any substantial opinions, and for being an "arse-licker" in the ongoing conflict between his fiancée, his in-laws, and his mother. Marc and Serge argue that Yvan should call off the marriage, to which Yvan responds with lame excuses. Serge criticizes Marc's unwillingness to accept that his friends’ opinions differ from his own; and he reveals that he has for some time despised Marc's girlfriend. Marc finally admits that his true resentment is not the painting itself but the uncharacteristic independence of thought that the purchase reveals in Serge. He recalls that Serge used to share his own views on arts and culture, and he feels abandoned now that Serge has developed his own, modern taste. Marc says that friends must always influence each other, but Serge finds that view to be possessive and controlling. Yvan, at last defending himself, sobbingly explains that he tries to be tolerant and agreeable because he values companionship over dominance: their friendship is his only sanctuary in his burdensome life. After Yvan's outburst, the friends calm down. The argument wordlessly settles as Serge allows Marc to deface the painting using a blue felt-tip pen. Marc draws a person skiing along one of the white lines on the painting. Serge and Marc agree to attempt to rebuild their friendship, and they begin by washing the pen marks off the painting. Marc asks Serge whether he had known that the ink was washable; Serge replies that he had not. But he had indeed known that, and feels troubled about his lie. Marc concludes by describing his own interpretation of the painting: it is of a man who moves across the canvas and disappears.
In a London laundry, Amanda imagines that handsome client Horace is her sweetheart and tells co-workers elaborate stories about their supposed romance. When he arrives to collect his laundry, she admits the truth; he responds kindly, gives her a kiss and a jeweled tie pin, then leaves her alone with her broken fantasy.
Giovanni and his sister Annabella confess their mutual incestuous love. Annabella is pressured into marriage with Soranzo, who discovers her pregnancy and seeks revenge; after Annabella warns Giovanni, he kills her at a feast and reveals their affair, triggering a final massacre.
Tis Well if it Takes is a 1719 comedy play by the British writer William Taverner. It premiered at Lincoln's Inn Fields on 28 February 1719. The original cast included John Leigh as Loveless, William Bullock as Oldish, Lacy Ryan as Charles, James Quin as Careful, James Spiller as Prate, Robert Pack as Easy, Jane Rogers as Corinna, Frances Maria Knight as Wishit, Mary Willis as Isabella, Elizabeth Spiller as Beatrice and Jane Egleton as Lucy. Lewis Theobald wrote the lyrics for a song performed in the Third Act. It ran for five nights, a reasonable length for a new comedy in the era.
The play takes place over the course of a single evening in the living room/kitchen of an isolated house shared by Jessie and her elderly mother Thelma. This evening, Jessie has carefully organized the house and made other detailed preparations for the future while explaining the changes to Thelma, who does not immediately notice anything unusual. Finally Jessie asks where her late father's pistol is stored; Thelma tells her. Only after Jessie retrieves the pistol does Thelma question Jessie's strange behavior. Jessie explains that she intends to commit suicide at the end of the evening. Thelma, horrified, at first assumes Jessie is unhappy with their life together. Jessie calmly assures her that she is simply tired of living and has been for some time. Thelma speculates that Jessie's unhappy marriage, her divorce, her criminal son, the loss of her father, her epilepsy, or the pity and distaste other people feel toward her illness, are at the root of her depression; Jessie likewise dismisses these reasons, stating that her motives are purely her own and have nothing to do with other people, including Thelma. Gradually the two reveal long-hidden truths to one another: Thelma admits that Jessie's seizures began in early childhood, but went untreated for decades with Jessie herself unaware of her symptoms, while Jessie confesses the true causes of her failed marriage. Throughout it all, Thelma occasionally bursts into hysterics in which she attempts to reason with Jessie. Jessie deflects her mother's reasoning by continuing to calmly explain the mundane responsibilities that Thelma must assume once Jessie is dead including what to do in the immediate aftermath of her suicide. Thelma rejects all of it, believing that Jessie will give up her plans if Thelma refuses to cooperate, but Jessie says she will kill herself regardless. By the end of the evening, Thelma concludes that she has never really known her daughter and realizes that their long conversation has altered the nature of their relationship, but Jessie, stating that it is now time for her to go, says night, Mother," before locking herself in her room. As Thelma begs and beats the door, the gunshot rings out, shocking Thelma to silence. After a moment to collect herself, she begins to carry out the instructions Jessie left for her.
A solo performer inhabits multiple characters in a dark comedy about life, death, and the misfortunes that connect them. Interwoven voices examine the humour and cruelty of being human.
(I Am) Nobody's Lunch is a play with music produced by The Civilians, an investigative theater company in New York City. Based on interviews conducted in 2003, the play explores the compromised issues of trust and truth that arose between the American government and its people during the lead-up to the Iraq War. (I Am) Nobody's Lunch was written and directed by Steve Cosson from interviews by the company, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman.
On the Mississippi during the Civil War, a lynched Black man named Damascus is resurrected as Demeter, who has three days to find her daughter Po’em and pass on her song before returning to death.
Four characters find themselves in a mysterious void, where a Guide asks them to choose one memory in which to spend eternity. The play follows their memories and searches for self-knowledge.
Wilhelm Pederit, secretary to a German prince, discovers that the prince has agreed to sell twelve thousand subjects to Britain as mercenaries against the American rebels, including Pederit’s two brothers. He alerts Frederick the Great, whose emissary prevents their departure. The prince condemns Pederit, but Frederick protects him; Pederit and his brothers then leave for America as free men.
After a period of absence, John returns to preach an anti-war movement and becomes a Christ-like figure around whom a following gathers.
As news of Anne Boleyn's arrest and execution by King Henry VIII spreads across the country, the play follows Anna, Jane and Mariella, three friends reuniting in a field to share news and gossip, as the rumors become reality and begin to inspire the men of their village to mistreat women through force and manipulation.
Performers take the roles of traveling players in 1789, presenting the French Revolution while critically examining the historical figures they portray.
An 18-sketch Living Newspaper strings together events of 1935, using a Greek-like chorus rather than a single point of view.
Students at a residential school prepare a Shakespeare production for an anticipated royal visit. As they discover connections between the play and their own experiences, they challenge their teacher’s assumptions and reclaim the performance.
1984 is a 2013 play by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan based on the 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
A deputy sheriff in Eldon, Iowa, must enforce a law barring sex offenders from living near places where children gather. Forced to evict a neighbour’s son, he confronts the town’s fear and intolerance.
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