Blanche & Stella: A Sequela by A.A. Brenner

A modernized queer, Disabled new play inspired by Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE with no cis white men and one Gentleman Caller who is not a gentleman, BLANCHE & STELLA explores and reimagines the central complex female relationships at the heart of Williams' play and canon.

In this retelling, Blanche DuBois and Stella Kowalski are two only-children and childhood best...
A modernized queer, Disabled new play inspired by Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE with no cis white men and one Gentleman Caller who is not a gentleman, BLANCHE & STELLA explores and reimagines the central complex female relationships at the heart of Williams' play and canon.

In this retelling, Blanche DuBois and Stella Kowalski are two only-children and childhood best friends ("sisters") who end up living together after Blanche goes through a cataclysmic breakup and shows up unannounced on Stella's doorstep in Washington, D.C. Now adults, the pair must navigate mismatched expectations and their own maladaptive coping mechanisms as they question what to do when the people they love aren't quite who they appeared to be.
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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... ”
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Character Information

Please cast an actor with an "invisible" Disability—and/or lived experience with anxiety—as Stella.

Please cast a transmasculine / nonbinary masculine-of-center person with multiple marginalized identities as The Gentleman Caller. Ideally, one would cast an actor who is both transmasculine and physically Disabled. Should this not be the case for your specific production, please adapt the lines on page 90 as needed. Additionally, this Gentleman Caller will be referred to in the script with he/him pronouns, but could easily use they/them; feel free to accommodate the script as necessary to the pronouns of the actor playing the role.

  • Blanche DuBois
    late 20s-early 30s,
    White
    ,
    Cis female
    White. A trust-fund baby who lost it all. Mother died when she was young. Uses charm and attraction to establish her identity, give herself meaning, and mask her deep chasm of internal emptiness. Has a personality disorder, but is not aware of this and does not consider herself Disabled.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Stella Kowalski
    late 20s-early 30s,
    White
    ,
    Cis female
    Blanche's childhood best friend. Deeply closeted and "married" to her job. Believes her goal in life is to make others happy—even at her own expense. Secretly loves writing and dance. Has an anxiety disorder, is aware of this, but doesn't view herself as Disabled.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Arman Sultan
    late 20s-early 30s,
    Pakistani-American
    ,
    Cis male
    Pakistani-American. Student at Georgetown Law. Cerebral, sensitive, but also a bro; very much identifies as a "Nice Guy." From Maryland; parents are from Pakistan. Has an anxiety disorder, is slightly aware of this, but does not view himself as Disabled.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • The Gentleman Caller
    late 20s-early 30s,
    Any
    ,
    transmasculine, Nonbinary
    Moderately 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. Disabled.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Breaking the Binary Theatre
    ,
    2023
  • Reading
    ,
    The Lark
    ,
    2021

Production History

  • University
    ,
    Columbia University School of the Arts
    ,
    2022

Awards

Honorable Mention
,
The Leah
,
Leah Ryan Foundation
,
2022
Finalist
,
Roundabout@Columbia New Play Reading Series
,
Roundabout Theatre Company
,
2021