You Have To Promise

by Audrey Lang

Seventeen-year-olds Maeve and Nessa have been best friends their entire lives. Three months ago, they discovered what they had was more than a friendship. When they decide to come out to their families together, Nessa's father kicks her out and the girls scramble to come up with a solution, all the while lying to Maeve's stepmother Rachael and trying to dream their way to being grown-up.

Seventeen-year-olds Maeve and Nessa have been best friends their entire lives. Three months ago, they discovered what they had was more than a friendship. When they decide to come out to their families together, Nessa's father kicks her out and the girls scramble to come up with a solution, all the while lying to Maeve's stepmother Rachael and trying to dream their way to being grown-up.

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

You Have To Promise

Recommended by

  • David Hilder: You Have To Promise by Audrey Lang
    “

    Golly moses, this play is almost too beautiful. The intensity of feeling inside these young women is palpable at every moment, and though Maeve's fear often leads her to make poor choices I was entirely rooting for her best self to emerge -- which it does. Four wonderfully full characters inhabiting a deep world I couldn't get enough of. Hooray.

    Golly moses, this play is almost too beautiful. The intensity of feeling inside these young women is palpable at every moment, and though Maeve's fear often leads her to make poor choices I was entirely rooting for her best self to emerge -- which it does. Four wonderfully full characters inhabiting a deep world I couldn't get enough of. Hooray.

    ”
  • Rose T.M.: You Have To Promise by Audrey Lang
    “

    This is a gut-wrenching, earnest love story with powerful representations of both queer youth and the allies who stand by them. As the story progresses, Lang cleverly doubles down on her characters' most frustrating traits, as they build walls to divide themselves instead of reaching out for help; tension is built until the dam breaks, and when one character finally extends a hand to the other, our whole hearts pour out for them.

    This is a gut-wrenching, earnest love story with powerful representations of both queer youth and the allies who stand by them. As the story progresses, Lang cleverly doubles down on her characters' most frustrating traits, as they build walls to divide themselves instead of reaching out for help; tension is built until the dam breaks, and when one character finally extends a hand to the other, our whole hearts pour out for them.

    ”
  • Jeff Perlman: You Have To Promise by Audrey Lang
    “

    Beautifully written

    Beautifully written

    ”
View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

  • Maeve
    17
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American,
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Nessa
    Maeve's best friend and more recently, girlfriend.
    17
    Latino -- Cuban
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Rachael
    Maeve's stepmother and Darcy's mother.
    late 30s to mid 40s
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American,
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Darcy
    Maeve's half-sister.
    8
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child,
      Teens
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American,
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman

Development History

  • Workshop, PRIDE PLAYS, Dir. Jenna Worsham, 2020
  • Reading, Actors’ Rep New Works Nite, 2020
  • Reading, New York City, Dir. Rachael Langton, 2018
  • Workshop, Ithaca College, Dir. Rachael Langton, 2018
  • Reading, Ithaca College, Dir. Rachael Langton, 2017

Awards

  • Epiphanies New Works Festival
    Wild Imaginings
    Honorable Mention
    2026
  • Bloom: A Collection of New Queer Voices
    Stay True Theatre Company
    Finalist
    2021
  • Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award
    Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
    Finalist
    2021
  • 21st Century Voices New Play Festival
    American Stage Theatre Company
    Finalist
    2020