Lipstick Lobotomy by Krista Knight

LIPSTICK LOBOTOMY imagines a friendship between JFK’s little sister Rosemary Kennedy and the playwright’s great aunt Ginny at an exclusive high-end sanitarium for women in the fall of 1941. The women undergo the peculiar cutting-edge treatments on offer by a society desperate to find the cure for womanhood. When Rosemary is selected by the famous surgeon Dr. Walter Jackson Freeman II for an exciting new...
LIPSTICK LOBOTOMY imagines a friendship between JFK’s little sister Rosemary Kennedy and the playwright’s great aunt Ginny at an exclusive high-end sanitarium for women in the fall of 1941. The women undergo the peculiar cutting-edge treatments on offer by a society desperate to find the cure for womanhood. When Rosemary is selected by the famous surgeon Dr. Walter Jackson Freeman II for an exciting new procedure, Ginny will do everything in her power to take control of her own future.
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Lipstick Lobotomy

Recommended by

  • Shelby Seeley:
    2 Jan. 2023
    “ Fascinating and terrifying. Lovely characters. ”
  • Noel VanDenBosch:
    28 Nov. 2020
    “ Lipstick Lobotomy is both tender and frightening. Two great roles for female actors to dive into that explore class, true friendship, and mental health. ”
  • Becca Blackmore (she/her):
    23 Jan. 2020
    “ I couldn't put this play down. It was enlightening, terrifying, hilarious, and heartwrenching. ”
View all 5 recommendations

For a cast of 6 to 13+
***
Suggested doubling for a cast of 6 (4W, 2M):
Ginny
Rosemary
Dotty/Sue/Female patient
Reggie/Rose/Female patient
Dr. Berman/ Joe Jr./ Carl/Dick
Jack/Dr. Freeman/Stuie

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Multi-racial, race-conscious casting. Neither these Kennedys nor the versions of my relations depicted here are the real people – so they needn’t look like what we’d expect.

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Juilliard

Awards

Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
Kilroys List
,
The Kilroys