The Sunrise from the Moon

by Hannah Manikowski

After years abandoned in isolation, a young refugee woman from a defunct lunar colony is brought to Earth, where she's housed in the jellyfish room of the Georgia Aquarium. Her story stuns the world, and she's touted as a flicker of hope for the previously disgraced space program. The scientist assigned to her case sees beyond her story - but, as their bond strengthens and lines between the personal and the...

After years abandoned in isolation, a young refugee woman from a defunct lunar colony is brought to Earth, where she's housed in the jellyfish room of the Georgia Aquarium. Her story stuns the world, and she's touted as a flicker of hope for the previously disgraced space program. The scientist assigned to her case sees beyond her story - but, as their bond strengthens and lines between the personal and the professional fade away, all involved will be forced to make impossible decisions between integrity, career advancement, human progress, and love.

The Sunrise from the Moon is an exploration of lesbian loneliness. (Know that when I say that, I mean that lesbian loneliness is baked into the fabric of the world, and it would pervade even if every character in the play were heterosexual.) Sunrise interrogates where and why we situate our love and the profound suffering inherent in living in a world that was not made to accommodate your fullest self.

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The Sunrise from the Moon

Recommended by

  • Chandler Hubbard: The Sunrise from the Moon by Hannah Manikowski
    “

    Lovely, full of darkness and yearning and lightness and hope. Bitterly funny and bitingly sad.

    Lovely, full of darkness and yearning and lightness and hope. Bitterly funny and bitingly sad.

    ”
  • Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: The Sunrise from the Moon by Hannah Manikowski
    “

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Hannah Manikowski and their play The Sunrise from the Moon as a finalist for our 2020 National Playwrights Conference. This particular work emerged from a highly competitive, anonymous, and multi-tiered selection process to become one of 63 finalists out of more than 1,500 submissions. This enthralling piece galvanized the hearts and theatrical imaginations of our reading teams and is fully championed by our offices. We are honored to put our enthusiastic support behind this writer and their ongoing contributions to the American...

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Hannah Manikowski and their play The Sunrise from the Moon as a finalist for our 2020 National Playwrights Conference. This particular work emerged from a highly competitive, anonymous, and multi-tiered selection process to become one of 63 finalists out of more than 1,500 submissions. This enthralling piece galvanized the hearts and theatrical imaginations of our reading teams and is fully championed by our offices. We are honored to put our enthusiastic support behind this writer and their ongoing contributions to the American Theater.

    read more
    ”
  • Julia Toney: The Sunrise from the Moon by Hannah Manikowski
    “

    A compelling sci-fi story in a world so expertly crafted you can taste the Vanilla Coke! I had the privilege of participating in a reading of this play, and I have been hooked ever since. Manikowski bolsters her work with complex, relatable characters, the real human concerns of desolate loneliness, stifling claustrophobia, and search for a sense of purpose, all against the stunning backdrop of the jellyfish room at the Georgia aquarium. In Sunrise, Manikowski constructs a captivating atmosphere you never want to leave, suffused with queer love, the ethereal Billie Holiday, and the far-away...

    A compelling sci-fi story in a world so expertly crafted you can taste the Vanilla Coke! I had the privilege of participating in a reading of this play, and I have been hooked ever since. Manikowski bolsters her work with complex, relatable characters, the real human concerns of desolate loneliness, stifling claustrophobia, and search for a sense of purpose, all against the stunning backdrop of the jellyfish room at the Georgia aquarium. In Sunrise, Manikowski constructs a captivating atmosphere you never want to leave, suffused with queer love, the ethereal Billie Holiday, and the far-away warm saltwater of California.

    read more
    ”
View all 4 recommendations

Development History

  • Reading, The MACH 33 Festival (Pasadena Playhouse x Caltech), 2020

Awards