Truth/Dare

by Tori Keenan-Zelt

At 13, Ursa, Hannah, Linney, and Maeve live in their own world of basements, secrets, and backyard ghosts — until the last sleepover of the summer. High school looms, with the promise and threat of reinvention, and the group fractures when shifting beliefs and identities collide in a traumatic accident that none of them can explain. Four years later, questions and accusations fly as the survivors revisit the...

At 13, Ursa, Hannah, Linney, and Maeve live in their own world of basements, secrets, and backyard ghosts — until the last sleepover of the summer. High school looms, with the promise and threat of reinvention, and the group fractures when shifting beliefs and identities collide in a traumatic accident that none of them can explain. Four years later, questions and accusations fly as the survivors revisit the scene of the “crime” and try to understand what happened, what has been lost, and who they are now.

read more
  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Reading List

Truth/Dare

Recommended by

  • Len Cuthbert: Truth/Dare by Tori Keenan-Zelt
    “

    Powerful. Captivated all the way.

    Powerful. Captivated all the way.

    ”
  • Nick Malakhow: Truth/Dare by Tori Keenan-Zelt
    “

    Truth/Dare is funny, honest, painful, and haunting. All four central characters have compelling personalities and unique voices, and the way the desires, yearning for friendship, and identities of each girl collide with one another is believable and at times heartbreaking. Keenan-Zelt uses fluidity of time to unique theatrical effect. Time play in this piece serves to build tension, reveal information, and explore the lasting trauma and regret of grief. This would be an excellent vehicle for four (or seven!) young women to dive into complex and well-written roles that honor the complexity and...

    Truth/Dare is funny, honest, painful, and haunting. All four central characters have compelling personalities and unique voices, and the way the desires, yearning for friendship, and identities of each girl collide with one another is believable and at times heartbreaking. Keenan-Zelt uses fluidity of time to unique theatrical effect. Time play in this piece serves to build tension, reveal information, and explore the lasting trauma and regret of grief. This would be an excellent vehicle for four (or seven!) young women to dive into complex and well-written roles that honor the complexity and humanity of adolescence.

    read more
    ”
  • Lia Romeo: Truth/Dare by Tori Keenan-Zelt
    “

    A beautiful, funny, and haunting coming-of-age story.

    A beautiful, funny, and haunting coming-of-age story.

    ”
View all 8 recommendations

Character Information

  • Hannah
    A sensitive, earnest, born-again Christian
    13/18
    Any
    Presents Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Maeve
    A petite, doll-like girl with the attitude of a body-building salesman
    13/18
    Any
    Presents Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Ursa
    A self-proclaimed sometime Wiccan who does not trust her own creativity. Wants to be charismatic and socially strategic but is neither.
    13/18
    Any
    Presents Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Linney
    An odd, sometimes off-putting dreamer, always half in a different world. Perceptive and unself-conscious.
    13
    Any
    Presents Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary

Development History

  • Workshop, American Southwest Theatre Company/New Mexico State University, 2016
  • Workshop, Dixon Place, 2015
  • Reading, Lark Play Development Center, 2014
  • Reading, Pittsburgh Fringe, 2014
  • Reading, Sanctuary Playwrights Lab, 2014
  • Reading, NYU Tisch Asia, 2013

Production History

  • Fringe, Project Y Theatre, 2018
  • Fringe, Woven Theatre, 2018
  • University, New Mexico State University, 2017

Awards

  • Outstanding Original Full-Length Script
    New York Innovative Theatre Awards
    Finalist
    2019
  • National Playwrights Conference
    O'Neill Theatre Center
    Semi-Finalist
    2014
  • Jerome Fellowship
    The Playwrights' Center
    Finalist
    2014
  • Kilroys List
    The Kilroys
    Selection
    2014
  • Princess Grace Award
    Princess Grace Foundation
    Finalist
    2015
  • Best Ensemble
    Pittsburgh Fringe
    Winner
    2014