WINNERS

FULL LENGTH 2024 O'Neill SemiFinalist, WINNERS is a quirky, queer comedy about a clueless, competitive family. With Mom in Limbo and Dad absent the past 8 years, Fran and Cali fail to connect until a late diagnosis of autism changes everything. WINNERS celebrates the possibilities of queer, nonbinary/trans and autistic authenticity!

FULL LENGTH 2024 O'Neill SemiFinalist, WINNERS is a quirky, queer comedy about a clueless, competitive family. With Mom in Limbo and Dad absent the past 8 years, Fran and Cali fail to connect until a late diagnosis of autism changes everything. WINNERS celebrates the possibilities of queer, nonbinary/trans and autistic authenticity!

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WINNERS

Recommended by

  • Donald Loftus: WINNERS

    A bold and emotionally charged drama, Winners blends sharp humor with raw family tension to explore grief, identity, and the need for connection. Emma Goldman-Sherman crafts vivid, complex characters whose clashes feel both authentic and theatrical. The dialogue crackles with wit and urgency, while the play’s inventive structure keeps it dynamic and engaging. A compelling, fearless work that resonates.

    A bold and emotionally charged drama, Winners blends sharp humor with raw family tension to explore grief, identity, and the need for connection. Emma Goldman-Sherman crafts vivid, complex characters whose clashes feel both authentic and theatrical. The dialogue crackles with wit and urgency, while the play’s inventive structure keeps it dynamic and engaging. A compelling, fearless work that resonates.

  • Morey Norkin: WINNERS

    Emma Goldman-Sherman presents us with a family so dysfunctional you might feel guilty for laughing, but sometimes you can’t help yourself. And that seems to be the case with these characters. They can’t help being who they are because they don’t understand themselves or each other. But as we move forward in time, at least one of them has come to recognize themselves and find acceptance. This play presents a tremendous opportunity for neurodivergent people to perform or see their stories told and for others to become more aware. Game, set, and match.

    Emma Goldman-Sherman presents us with a family so dysfunctional you might feel guilty for laughing, but sometimes you can’t help yourself. And that seems to be the case with these characters. They can’t help being who they are because they don’t understand themselves or each other. But as we move forward in time, at least one of them has come to recognize themselves and find acceptance. This play presents a tremendous opportunity for neurodivergent people to perform or see their stories told and for others to become more aware. Game, set, and match.

  • Paul Donnelly: WINNERS

    This urgent drama of unique family dysfunction, individual and societal rituals, the vagaries of grief, and the hard road to self-acceptance is populated with four distinctive and compelling family members. Fran's ultimate acceptance of her authentic self offers a path to liberation and relief to the other family members. I can only imagine how vivid it would be to see this play with the stim behaviors fully realized. However, just reading it is a powerful experience.

    This urgent drama of unique family dysfunction, individual and societal rituals, the vagaries of grief, and the hard road to self-acceptance is populated with four distinctive and compelling family members. Fran's ultimate acceptance of her authentic self offers a path to liberation and relief to the other family members. I can only imagine how vivid it would be to see this play with the stim behaviors fully realized. However, just reading it is a powerful experience.

View all 6 recommendations
FRAN - she then they 19 - 29 lesbian or bisexual or evolving queer
CALI - she 15 - 25
RHODA - she 44 (does not age) could be played by a trans female actor (could also be played much younger)
STU - he 40s - 50s could be played by a trans masc actor
All characters are neurodivergent and Jewish, script leaps 10 years so they start 1 age and end another (except Rhoda)

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization New Circle Theatre Company, NYC, Year 2024
  • Type Reading, Organization The Tank, NYC, Year 2024

Awards

  • O'Neill
    Semi-Finalist
    2024