In 1839, Harriet Powell, a young, mixed-race, enslaved woman, slips away from a hotel in Syracuse, New York, and escapes from the white Southerner who owns her. With the aid of a worker at the hotel, a mysterious free black man named Thomas Leonard, Harriet finds temporary safe harbor in an attic room at the home of impassioned abolitionist Gerrit Smith. With the slave catchers in pursuit, Harriet spends the hours before her nighttime departure on the dangerous journey to Canada in the company of Smith’s young cousin Elizabeth Cady, an outspoken advocate for women’s equality. Confronted with new and difficult ideas about race, identity, and equality, and with confusion, fear, and desperation multiplying, Harriet is forced to the precipice of radical self-re-imagining and a reckoning with the heartrending cost of her freedom.
Genre: Drama
The Happiest Man On Earth
Eddie Jaku’s story is one of unimaginable grief and tragic loss, yet it is also a testament to the indomitable spirit of the human soul. Defying all odds, he declared himself “The Happiest Man on Earth,” a testament to his resilience and determination to find light even in the darkest circumstances.
Bridge
Frances, Mary Todd and Janie, intelligent, sociable ladies, learn that Sally, the urbane new “fourth” in their bridge club, is transgender. The revelation prods Frances to address painful memories. Mary Todd, wrestling with moral issues, is challenged by her specially-abled son J-Pat. With wisdom and wit, Janie puts it all in perspective. And J-Pat provides a poignant unexpected insight. The bridge club survives: the three remaining members must search for a “fourth”—again. BRIDGE is a compassionate dramedy, that examines how people react when they encounter the new, the unknown or the misunderstood.
Apostrophe
At a prominent private high school, in the wake of a problematic encounter between a legendary teacher and her star student, what’s “best” for the girls is a matter of debate. One father believes in the healing power of dialogue, while the Headmistress is hell-bent on protecting the vulnerable with silence. Meanwhile, two friends lurch toward adulthood, interrogating the absent, searching for healing, and asking the question: How can we protect ourselves from the people we love?
TRW Presents: Men’s Monologues, Volume 1
TRW is pleased to offer this exceptional and diverse collection of monologues, thoughtfully selected from the rich tapestry of plays we are proud to publish.
These outstanding monologues come from an eclectic group of contemporary playwrights, each with distinctive voices and styles — comic and dramatic, experimental and naturalistic, traditional and innovative — and written for a wide array of characters.
In this book, we know you’ll find monologues that are perfect for your auditions and theater classes.
TRW Presents: Women’s Monologues, Vol. 1
TRW is pleased to offer this exceptional and diverse collection of monologues, thoughtfully selected from the rich tapestry of plays we are proud to publish.
These outstanding monologues come from an eclectic group of contemporary playwrights, each with distinctive voices and styles — comic and dramatic, experimental and naturalistic, traditional and innovative — and written for a wide array of characters.
In this book, we know you’ll find monologues that are perfect for your auditions and theater classes.
Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground
Summer 1962, and Dwight Eisenhower, two years out of office, discovers that The New York Times has published the first historians’ ranking of American presidents in order of greatness—relegating him to the “Mediocre” class. Furious, but fearful they may be right, he looks back on the lessons of his Kansas youth, his military life, and his presidency, to question their definition of political and American greatness—and his own. A human and often humorous solo drama, EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND is a highly entertaining piece of theatre, and a compelling reminder of what lies at the heart of democracy.
The Night Climber
When a #metoo op-ed piece about his affairs with female students goes viral, a beloved ivy league college professor faces an impossible dilemma: save his job by coming clean, or save his relationship with his daughter, whose future is at risk over his admission of one particular long ago affair—her mentor.
Turning Night in the Dying House
In the waning twilight of his acclaimed career, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright grapples with the insatiable nature of desire and his elusive quest for fulfillment. When he meets an idealistic young writer who seeks affirmation from his mentor, they embark on a dangerous exploration of their intertwined fates, where longings yearned for by one are held tightly by the other. Their relationship begins with a meeting that oscillates between provocation and playfulness, laying the groundwork for a dynamic that defies the boundaries of mentorship. As the years pass, their relationship shifts from reverence to rivalry and admiration to aggression, culminating in a haunting reckoning that leaves us questioning whether the pursuit of our desires or the fear of their attainment truly defines and fulfills.
Twelfth Night
Shakespeare’s comedy about the power of love follows twins Viola and Sebastian, who are washed ashore in a strange land after a shipwreck, each thinking the other has perished. Viola disguises herself as a man, to become a servant of the local Duke Orsino. She quickly finds herself in love with this duke, despite being recruited as messenger for his wooing of the countess Olivia. Not only is this wooing unsuccessful, but Olivia falls for the messenger. The subplot involves Olivia’s household revelers, who clash with her stern household steward, Malvolio. The wild knot of misunderstandings is untied at last, once Sebastian arrives on the scene.