Stand and Wait

by Eliana Pipes

In three acts that descend from broad comedy, through realism, into an antebellum dreamscape, “Stand and Wait” follows a seasoned black actress named Carla who bonds with a naïve white actress in an audition waiting room, only to be handed a script that caters to America's worst racial instincts. After a flurry of satirical twists and turns, they book the job - but on the day of the show Carla learns the set...

In three acts that descend from broad comedy, through realism, into an antebellum dreamscape, “Stand and Wait” follows a seasoned black actress named Carla who bonds with a naïve white actress in an audition waiting room, only to be handed a script that caters to America's worst racial instincts. After a flurry of satirical twists and turns, they book the job - but on the day of the show Carla learns the set was a plantation site, and starts to see ghosts. When she steps out to perform, she finds herself in a cotton field, forced to confront the history that’s haunting her, and her inability to understand her place within it.

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Stand and Wait

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: Stand and Wait by Eliana Pipes
    “

    A powerful look at racism in America and the history that continues to haunt. Well done.

    A powerful look at racism in America and the history that continues to haunt. Well done.

    ”
  • Premiere Stages at Kean University: Stand and Wait by Eliana Pipes
    “

    Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize “Stand and Wait” by Eliana Pipes as a semifinalist for the 2019 Premiere Play Festival. “Stand and Wait” rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 23 semifinalists out of 659 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the play’s enormously ambitious structure, relentless interrogation of race and creative agency, and profoundly theatrical sensibilities, which pack many layers of meaning...

    Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize “Stand and Wait” by Eliana Pipes as a semifinalist for the 2019 Premiere Play Festival. “Stand and Wait” rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 23 semifinalists out of 659 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the play’s enormously ambitious structure, relentless interrogation of race and creative agency, and profoundly theatrical sensibilities, which pack many layers of meaning into a single gesture. Our congratulations and thanks to Eliana.

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    ”

Development History

  • Reading, The Fire This Time Festival , 2018
  • Reading, The Wagner New Play Festival, UC San Diego, 2018

Awards

  • Rosa Parks Playwriting Award
    Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF)
    Honorable Mention
    2018
  • Seymour Brick Memorial Prize in Playwriting
    Columbia University
    Winner
    2018
  • Dr. Floyd Gaffney National Playwriting Competition
    University of California San Diego (UCSD)
    Winner
    2018