A Complicated Hope by John Mabey

FULL LENGTH PLAY: Marie and daughter Rose Marie are left adrift after their husband/father, Michael, passes away, leaving behind boyfriend Arnie to discover a family of his own.

Mirroring the erratic path of grief, A Complicated Hope flashes between the moments in time that changed them all. Their journeys explore the challenges of both finding a family of choice and letting yourself be found....
FULL LENGTH PLAY: Marie and daughter Rose Marie are left adrift after their husband/father, Michael, passes away, leaving behind boyfriend Arnie to discover a family of his own.

Mirroring the erratic path of grief, A Complicated Hope flashes between the moments in time that changed them all. Their journeys explore the challenges of both finding a family of choice and letting yourself be found.

HONORS
* PANOWSKI PLAYWRITING AWARD - 2021
* CHARLES M. GETCHELL NEW PLAY AWARD - 2022
* ESSENTIAL THEATRE PLAYWRITING AWARD – 2022
* SMITH & KRAUS BEST WOMEN'S MONOLOGUES - 2023

Available through Dramatic Publishing:
https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/a-complicated-hope
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A Complicated Hope

Recommended by

  • Matt Hoffman:
    31 Jan. 2024
    “ I saw this beautiful play during its 2022 run at Essential Theatre. It's a moving experience, drawing us into an exquisitely twisting-turning-tangling cat's cradle of love and grief. John creates so many moments of complicated tension and tenderness between characters. The nonlinear structure conjures grief's associative, out-of-time collage of emotion and memory, and also finally provides the complicated hope the audience yearns for. ”
  • Nora Louise Syran:
    18 Jan. 2024
    “ A lovely, moving piece painted with the delicate, deft hand of playwright John Mabey. "Glimmers of hope in the hogwash" captures this play beautifully--raw and real and yet lyrical. Understanding, compassionate. Mabey loves his characters: you will too. ”
  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn:
    23 Feb. 2023
    “ This play is like a beautiful painting. "Sunrise on the water." There is so much depth to it, the more you look at it, the more you discover. And the more you learn about yourself. I can see exactly why this won so many awards. I can actually hear the words out loud in my head. Engaging, heartbreaking...and yet, as intended, with a ray of hope. ”
View all 20 recommendations

Character Information

  • Marie
    40s/50s
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Rose Marie
    Early 20s
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Arnie
    40s/50s
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Kentwood Players, CA
    ,
    2022
  • Reading
    ,
    Fulton Theatre, PA
    ,
    2022
  • Reading
    ,
    Southeastern Theatre Conference
    ,
    2022
  • Workshop
    ,
    Northern Michigan University, MI
    ,
    2021

Production History

  • University
    ,
    Northern Michigan University
    ,
    2022
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Essential Theatre
    ,
    2022
  • Community Theater
    ,
    The Left Hand Productions
    ,
    2022

Awards

Winner
,
Charles M. Getchell New Play Award
,
Southeastern Theatre Conference
,
2022
Winner
,
Essential Theatre Playwriting Award
,
2022
Selection
,
Festival of New Works Selection: Stories of Diversity
,
Fulton Theatre
,
2022
Finalist
,
Stay True Theatre Company
,
2021
Winner
,
Panowski Playwriting Award
,
Northern Michigan University
,
2021