FRIENDS WITH GUNS by Stephanie Alison Walker

You think you know your friends, your neighbors, your spouse, but what happens when you suddenly find out they have a garage full of guns? This new dark comedy explores the complicated issue of gun proliferation when two young liberal couples are forced to confront their assumptions about who should own a gun and why. The time of easy answers regarding this issue is long gone. In the wake of current events, we...
You think you know your friends, your neighbors, your spouse, but what happens when you suddenly find out they have a garage full of guns? This new dark comedy explores the complicated issue of gun proliferation when two young liberal couples are forced to confront their assumptions about who should own a gun and why. The time of easy answers regarding this issue is long gone. In the wake of current events, we are all forced to reexamine our strongly held beliefs about gun ownership. Friends With Guns explores the question of what we can compartmentalize…and what we can’t. It examines what happens when guns enter the conversation. It pulls the curtain back on liberals with guns. It asks what happens when suddenly one person in a marriage does a 180 on the gun issue. And it does all of this through a female lens.
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FRIENDS WITH GUNS

Recommended by

  • Franky Gonzalez:
    30 Aug. 2019
    “ What can I say that hasn't already been said about this amazing play by Stephanie Alison Walker? It has compelling dialogue, it calls for a very long--and difficult--look at the deeply held beliefs and their potential for warping into toxic obsession and masculinity. Both in seeing the play in production and in reading it, I was left wondering about some of my own deeply held beliefs and began analyzing what my positions were and whether I held those beliefs with sincerity or with more sinister purpose. It's a gut-check of a play that will leave you debating long after reading. ”
  • Patricia Milton:
    23 Mar. 2019
    “ With terrific, easy dialogue, and relatable characters, this play is smartly crafted to bring us to the edge of terror at the close. Powerful even in reading, and I imagine it will be even more in production. Well done. ”
  • Sarah Tuft:
    20 Mar. 2019
    “ FRIENDS WITH GUNS is a powerful portrait of progressive parents in the era of polarization and post-Trump panic. Especially poignant is its portrayal of a mother’s isolation, out of which grows her desperation for adult company. Equally truthful is the play’s portrait of that timeless need of married couples to “couple” with other married couples. FRIENDS WITH GUNS veers toward satire but only briefly as a sort of gotcha for what lies ahead. Because, there is an obstacle to all this kumbaya. It explodes, along with all the other carefully constructed tensions in this nail-biter of a play. ”
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Character Information

  • SHANNON
    late 30s/ early 40s,
    Any race / ethnicity.
    ,
    Female
    Stressed out mom to two young boys (2 & 5.) Liberal. Suffers from anxiety of the 'everything-needs-to-be-perfect-and-especially-I-need-to-be-perfect variety. She has a lot of fear that stops her in life. Wouldn't even know how to be begin to re-claim her power though she wants to. She's a great mom, but shackled by the expectations of what a "great mom" should be. So though she is one, she never feels like it. Realtor. Married to Josh.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • LEAH
    late 30s/early 40s,
    Any race
    ,
    Female
    Wicked smart hippie/boho/punk mom who surfs and does yoga, is a self-proclaimed mathlete and is handy with a table saw and knitting needles. She seems to know the secrets of the universe. She is an empath and a connector. She's a deep eye contact kind of woman who really sees you and doesn't judge. Truly.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • JOSH
    late 30s/ early 40s,
    White
    ,
    Male
    Liberal democrat. Married to Shannon. Father to their two boys. Is the main bread winner. Works a decent but boring job (Data scientist at Hulu.) Has a great sense of humor. Is pretty self-aware, for the most part. Fancies himself a feminist. Knows deep down that he has an unhealthy relationship with his smart phone but would never admit that to his wife. Everybody loves Josh.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • DANNY
    late 30s/early 40s,
    Any person of color
    ,
    Male
    Exudes a laid-back coolness that is ingrained in his DNA. This man was just born that way. He is a former shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays. Grew up in Montana. Owns his own old-fashioned printing press. Distills his own whiskey. Fly fishes. And can really rock a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He is cool and it comes easy. He is not trying, NOT ever trying to be cool. He just is. Some people might wrongly assume he's a hipster. He's not a hipster. Don't ever call him that. He's pre-hipster. He's DANNY.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Age: 
      Any actor of color
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Chapel Theatre Collective - Milwaukie, Oregon
    ,
    2019
  • Professional
    ,
    The Road Theatre Company - Los Angeles, CA
    ,
    2019

Awards

Winner
,
BEST PLAY OF THE YEAR
,
Valley Theatre Awards
,
2019
Semi-Finalist
,
Downstage Left Residency
,
Stage Left
,
2017