Blanche & Stella: A Sequela
Recommended by
- Dani Stoller:9 Jan. 2023“ This. Play. Holy cr*p this play! I was so incredibly surprised, excited, heartbroken, and put back together again. I am just...the level of creativity here is off the charts. You should 1000% read this play. And then read it again to pick up on all the stuff you missed. ”
- Dave Osmundsen:1 Jan. 2023“ A thoroughly entertaining and devastating play that works on multiple levels. There is much overlap and conversing with Tennessee Williams’ seminal classic. However, A.A. Brenner has created unique, compelling characters here that stand on their own apart from “Streetcar.” More importantly, this play explores with keen insight the impacts of visible and invisibility on our lives without the characters being solely defined by their disability—they are rich, flawed, and complex human beings with the desire to be seen for who they are. The beauty of this play is that it gives them that space. ”
- Riley Elton McCarthy:14 Jul. 2021“ Oh gosh, where to begin? First off, the choice to call this a "sequela", or "an aftereffect of a disease, condition, or injury", or "a secondary result"... just hits every single beat of this play all the way through. This play is not just about chosen sisters, it is a SISTER play to Streetcar down to the fiber of its being while being irrevocably original, unique, and bitingly painful. And that ending! I'm going to be thinking about this play for a while. How badly I want to see it staged... ”
Character Information
- Blanche DuBoisLate 20s,,WhiteCis femaleWhite. A trust-fund baby who lost it all. Mother died when she was very young and was raised by an absent, yet rich, father. Uses charm and attraction to establish her identity, give her life meaning, and mask her deep chasm of internal emptiness. In other words: a shape-shifter.
- Stella KowalskiLate 20s,,WhiteCis femaleLight or white. Blanche's childhood best friend. A deeply closeted Military brat "married" to her job. Hardworking, sweet, empathetic, and repressed. Believes her goal in life is to make others happy—even at the expense of her own health and wellbeing. Secretly loves poetry and dance.
- Arman SultanLate 20s/Early 30s,,Pakistani-AmericanCis malePakistani-American. Student at Georgetown Law. Cerebral, sensitive, but also a bro; very much identifies as a "Nice Guy." From Maryland; parents are from Pakistan.
- The Gentleman CallerLate 20s/Early 30s,,Anytransmasculine, NonbinaryModerately successful novelist and minor celebrity. Cocky, confident, charming, but deeply sensitive underneath. Surrounds himself with beautiful women in order to mask his own internal insecurity.
- Officer IAny Age,,AnyMale
- Officer IIAny Age,,AnyFemale
Development History
- ,Reading,The Lark2021
Production History
- ,University,Columbia University School of the Arts2022
Awards
Finalist
Roundabout@Columbia New Play Reading Series
Roundabout Theatre Company
2021