Sunday Sauce

by Claudia Haas

75-85 minutes. Giancarlo has died. Anna and Emilia run to Tess’s side to help her through this difficult time. But Tess is amazingly calm. Is the make-up of a family blood? Bones? Pasta and opera? If you’re Italian – it probably is.

The play was written to address the waste of “fine wine” actresses (over 40) that are too often absent on the stage these days.

75-85 minutes. Giancarlo has died. Anna and Emilia run to Tess’s side to help her through this difficult time. But Tess is amazingly calm. Is the make-up of a family blood? Bones? Pasta and opera? If you’re Italian – it probably is.

The play was written to address the waste of “fine wine” actresses (over 40) that are too often absent on the stage these days.

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Sunday Sauce

Recommended by

  • Marj O'Neill-Butler: Sunday Sauce by Claudia Haas
    “

    Happily, I have known families like this who bring everyone closer through food when there is grief on the menu. You can smell and yes, almost taste what's cooking in that kitchen.

    Happily, I have known families like this who bring everyone closer through food when there is grief on the menu. You can smell and yes, almost taste what's cooking in that kitchen.

    ”
  • Rachael Carnes: Sunday Sauce by Claudia Haas
    “

    A beautiful ode to family and the recipe for facing grief, together. Haas’s masterful dialogue sings with humor and heart. This play made me long for homemade Italian food, no really - it’s mouthwatering in the way it depicts cooking - and it made me feel a soulful connection between older traditions and sustaining the future.

    A beautiful ode to family and the recipe for facing grief, together. Haas’s masterful dialogue sings with humor and heart. This play made me long for homemade Italian food, no really - it’s mouthwatering in the way it depicts cooking - and it made me feel a soulful connection between older traditions and sustaining the future.

    ”
  • Donna Hoke: Sunday Sauce by Claudia Haas
    “

    Such an authentic rendering of family sorority and the ways we carry on both in the face of loss and over time. Beautifully done and so relatable; you'll feel at home.

    Such an authentic rendering of family sorority and the ways we carry on both in the face of loss and over time. Beautifully done and so relatable; you'll feel at home.

    ”
View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

CAST: 5f
CAST: 5f ***
TESS (f): 60’s – who knows – 50’s? maybe even 70; the matriarch and the oldest
ANNA (f) 40-60 (probably, maybe) the youngest sister, harbors a grudge against Emilia - adores TESS, 8-12 years younger than her sisters
EMILIA (f) (50’s-70) – a little younger than TESS); lets go of nothing
ANGELA (f) (early- mid 30’s*) Emilia’s daughter; sure-footed even in deep emotion; may be just a wee bit like her mother - which she will deny; very fit.
CHIARA (f) (Late 20’s to early 30’s*) Anna’s daughter; insecure about all – her intake of carbs, her role in the family, her need to not be her mother.


*Ages can be played with as long as the order makes sense. The daughters should be 20-25 years younger than their mothers. So depending on the age of the sisters – the daughters could easily be in their 40’s. Even if the Sisters appear to be in their 70’s – the lines about their age should remain the same. They have lied so long about their age – they have no idea how old they really are.
  • Chiara
    Anna's daughter. Insecure about all: her intake of carbs, her need to not be her mother, her role in the family.
    late 20's, 30
    Any (but probably white)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Angela
    Emilia’s daughter; sure-footed even in deep emotion; may be just a wee bit like her mother - which she will deny; very fit.
    Early-mid 30's
    Any (but probably white)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Emilia
    A little younger than TESS; lets go of nothing - she's a dog with a bone.
    60's
    Any (but probably white)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Anna
    The youngest of the three sisters, harbors a grudge against Emilia - adores Tess, 8-12 years younger than her sisters
    50's
    Any (but probably white)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Tess
    The matriarch and the oldest. Recently widowed and grieving in an odd way.
    60's - who knows? maybe 70
    Any (but probably white)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

  • Reading, Sundog Theatre, Staten Island, NY, 2016
  • Reading, Little Lifeboats, Minneapolis, 2015
  • Reading, Houston Family Arts Center, Houston, Texas, 2015

Awards

  • AACT New Play Award
    American Association of Community Theatres
    Semi-Finalist
    2017