Selected Plays
for the fish
FULL LENGTH: ‘for the fish’ sets out to explore the experience of growing up alienated and queer in the countryside. How can we find (and keep) safety as queer people? What even is ‘safety’? Do fish have feelings? Somewhere deep in rural Massachusetts in the 70s, 13-year-old Susanna goes fishing with her non-binary Uncle whenever she gets bored. Or overwhelmed. Or terrified. Susanna’s big heart and quick temper keep her precariously perched between normalcy and disaster. Her Uncle, grappling with their addiction and Susanna’s math homework, finds themselves caught up in this wave of teenage turmoil. As 1974 comes to a close, Susanna and her Uncle draw closer, bonded by an understanding very few in their town will ever hold. (CW: heavy drinking, homophobic language, vomiting)
PRODUCTION HISTORY
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Workshop, Moonbox Productions, 2022
DEVELOPMENT
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Residency, Great Plains Theatre Commons, 2023
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Reading, The Depot for New Play Readings, 2023
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Reading, Moonbox Productions, 2022
HONORS AND AWARDS
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Selection, New Play Conference, Great Plains Theatre Commons, 2023
THE DEAD DADZ CLUB
FULL LENGTH: It is the early 2000s in suburban America, and there is nothing more important to the members of The Dead Dadz Club (Vee, Brooke, Lulu, Ethan, Natalie, and Lucas) than their dead dads…And maybe the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Middle School Talent Show. As teenage hormones rage, Queer romances blossom, and life-altering secrets come to light, 'THE DEAD DADZ CLUB' examines the cost of belonging, the impacts of trauma, and our collective, intrinsic need to be understood and in control.
DEVELOPMENT
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Reading, Working Title Playwrights, 2023
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Reading, TC Squared Theatre Company, 2023
10-Minute Plays
A selection of unproduced 10-minute plays.
'Linda's Donuts': Steph and Leo's morning shift at Linda's Donuts just became 10x worse than it usually is. A ten-minute play exploring privilege, mental health, queerness, and the oppressive confines of capitalism. (CW: homophobic language, transphobic language, vomiting)
'Seven Minutes': Lucy, Abby, and Jamie (BFFLs for LIFE) thought they'd just have a normal sleepover: playing MASH, painting nails, sacrificing teenage boys to Satan...normal 'girl stuff', ya know? But when Jamie secretly invites Kyle over to play 'seven minutes in heaven', everyone's world is completely blown apart. (CW: discussions of sexual assault)
'Untitled Turkey Day Play': Mah is smoking weed at 7 in the morning, Donny is rage-making a quiche, and Lola...Is Lola really even there at all? A family play of (specifically) Boston proportions, 'Untitled Turkey Day Play' dives into the failure of memory and the systems we build to keep ourselves (and our "histories") safe. (CW: heavy drinking, discussions of genocide & colonialist violence)
'Bridget & Liz': Lizzie Borden took an axe...But she'd like you to stop talking about that, goddamnit. Navigating historical speculations of lesbian trysts, abusive parents, and greed-fueled rage, 'Bridget & Liz' enables these two (semi-)famous women to advocate for themselves and to play a couple of board games. (CW: discussions of murder)
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For script requests and to get in touch with me, please send an email: surreyhoulker@gmail.com