Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes

“Developed in The Lark's Playwrights' Week, New York City."

"Developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference Foundry Project, 2020"

An examination of the inmates within a system trying to discover meaning in the face of isolation and doubt in one's own worth over a 25 year bid. The play explores familial ties, love, race, inmate-correctional officer...
“Developed in The Lark's Playwrights' Week, New York City."

"Developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference Foundry Project, 2020"

An examination of the inmates within a system trying to discover meaning in the face of isolation and doubt in one's own worth over a 25 year bid. The play explores familial ties, love, race, inmate-correctional officer relations, the passing of time, and the succeeding generation of individuals who deal with the challenges of trying to avoid a life of crime or resigning oneself to becoming a part of the system that swept up previous generations.
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Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes

Recommended by

  • David Beardsley:
    19 Oct. 2021
    Franky Gonzalez doesn't just write plays. He writes experiences. The theatrical and immersive nature of this show pulls you in, and once he's got you, Gonzalez doesn't let you go. From the pre-show moments collecting your "visitor pass" and watching guards subdue an "escaping prisoner" to the time-bending transitions between scenes, the theatricality of Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes amplifies the power of this unflinching examination of the U.S. Injustice System and the dehumanizing effects of incarceration. As with so many of his plays, the complexity of family relationships fuel the moments of deepest pain and greatest hope.
  • Daniela Gonzalez y Perez:
    8 Oct. 2021
    Compelling. An experience that begins before you get into your seat and continues when you leave it. An observation and exploration of the oppressive systems put in place, that are presented to us as rehabilitation, but are a disguise for our demise. Franky Gonzalez's "Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes" is a beautifully written play with heart, strength, wonder, discovery, and heartbreak, as it takes us on this journey that many lives have gone through, still go through, and that some don't want us to see. A piece that not only motivates change within the system, but within ourselves.
  • Allyson Dwyer:
    12 Aug. 2021
    You will feel this play, and feel it again, and again later, when you remember moments, or characters, or phrases. Franky has such a command of theatricality, the play begins to feel almost cinematic in its grasp of the characters and the soft, subtle windows into their worlds and the way he isn't afraid to break from patterns or form. His writing is deeply emotional, visceral, pulpy and pulsing with life, to the point that you feel as trapped and confined as Prisoner. I cannot recommend this play enough.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Stages Repertory Theatre
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Ojai Playwrights Conference
    ,
    2020
  • Workshop
    ,
    Illinois State University School of Theatre and Dance
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Teatro Vivo
    ,
    2019
  • Workshop
    ,
    LAByrinth Theater Company
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Repertorio Español
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    Great Plains Theatre Conference
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    The Lark
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    The Aviary
    ,
    2017

Awards

Winner
,
Judith Royer Award for Excellence in Playwriting
,
Association for Theatre in Higher Education
,
2021
Winner
,
The Crossroads Project: Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative Award
,
Illinois State University
,
2020
Selection
,
Sin Muros Latinx Theatre Festival
,
Stages Repertory Theatre
,
2020
Selection
,
Foundry Project
,
Ojai Playwrights Conference
,
2020
Finalist
,
Ashland New Play Festival
,
2019
Selection
,
Script Competition Second Rounder
,
Austin Film Festival
,
2019
Finalist
,
Stage Play Competition
,
ScreenCraft
,
2019
Finalist
,
NAPSeries
,
Normal Ave
,
2019
Selection
,
Austin Latino New Play Festival
,
Teatro Vivo
,
2019
Selection
,
Great Plains Theatre Conference
,
Metropolitan Community College
,
2018
Winner
,
MetLife Nuestras Voces Playwriting Competition
,
Repertorio Español
,
2018
Honorable Mention
,
87th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition
,
Writers Digest
,
2018
Selection
,
Playwrights' Week
,
The Lark
,
2018
Finalist
,
Dennis & Victoria Ross Foundation Playwrights Program
,
Dennis & Victoria Ross Foundation (DVRF)
,
2018