WAITING

by Donna Kaz

"Waiting," is a parody of Broadway and the New York City restaurant business. It is set in the early 80’s, when men harassed young women without consequence. The play begins as a young actress from a small Midwestern town named Lucy steps off the bus in Times Square ready to pursue her dream of being an actress. She immediately lands her first job on Broadway - waiting on tables in a restaurant. All of the...

"Waiting," is a parody of Broadway and the New York City restaurant business. It is set in the early 80’s, when men harassed young women without consequence. The play begins as a young actress from a small Midwestern town named Lucy steps off the bus in Times Square ready to pursue her dream of being an actress. She immediately lands her first job on Broadway - waiting on tables in a restaurant. All of the waiters at The Great White Café are actors too, each one desperate to land a job in the theatre, yet unconsciously addicted to the performative aspects of waiting on tables. Who needs a part in a play when you have a job at which you “perform” with energy and speed combined with sincerity and pathos? To make matters worse the manager, Howard, is a sexist bully who despises artists with dreams and does everything he can to make sure his team never escape into a world where actors earn respect. "Waiting" is set during a not-so-long-ago-era when women had to buck up to being harassed or lose their jobs and asks the question: Can actors who are New York City waiters ever play any other part?

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

WAITING

Recommended by

  • Kate Danley: WAITING

    It's like if Caryl Churchill and Christopher Durang got together and wrote a 1930s screwball comedy that skewers Broadway dreams with harsh reality, while set in 1980s New York restaurant culture. Brilliantly crafted with sparkling dialog and unlike any other play I've ever read before. This is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered!

    It's like if Caryl Churchill and Christopher Durang got together and wrote a 1930s screwball comedy that skewers Broadway dreams with harsh reality, while set in 1980s New York restaurant culture. Brilliantly crafted with sparkling dialog and unlike any other play I've ever read before. This is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered!

  • Donna Hoke: WAITING

    Kaz takes the trope of the actor-as-server and marries it with *Kitchen Confidential* to serve up a non-stop frenetic comedy that skewers the restaurant industry. Actor, customer, or industry insider, you'll not only recognize the people who populate the Great White Cafe who can't seem to decide if they're actors who serve or servers who act, but also feel their pain. Truth and pain: that's the definition of humor.

    Kaz takes the trope of the actor-as-server and marries it with *Kitchen Confidential* to serve up a non-stop frenetic comedy that skewers the restaurant industry. Actor, customer, or industry insider, you'll not only recognize the people who populate the Great White Cafe who can't seem to decide if they're actors who serve or servers who act, but also feel their pain. Truth and pain: that's the definition of humor.

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization American Renaissance Theatre Company Jerry Kaufman AWARD for excellence in playwriting, Year 2018

Production History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Force Ten , Year 2017

Awards

  • Jerry Kaufman Award
    American Renaissance Theatre Company
    Runner Up
    2018