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 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

- Every character in this play is Disabled, and each character is a member of a different part of the Disability community. Please cast actors who explicitly identify as with the diaspora of Disability to play the characters who explicitly identify as Disabled (Stella and the Gentleman Caller). The actors cast as Blanche and Arman need not explicitly identify as Disabled (as their characters do not consider themselves such), but must be able to relate to the diaspora of Disability in some way. Ideally, one would cast these characters as close to their aforementioned Disabilities as possible.

- Please cast a physically Disabled transmasculine / nonbinary masculine-of-center person as The Gentleman Caller. 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.

- Please cast an actor with an "invisible" Disability as Stella.

- The role of The Gentleman Caller can be double cast with Officer I, and the role of Arman can be double cast with Officer II.

Blanche DuBois

Late 20s,
White
,
Cis female

White. 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.
Can be played by:
- Age:
  20s, 30s
- Race/Ethnicity:
  White
- Gender:
  Female, Non-binary
Stella Kowalski

Late 20s,
White
,
Cis female

Light 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.
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.
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.
Can be played by:
- Age:
  20s, 30s
- Race/Ethnicity:
  Any race/ethnicity
- Gender:
  Male, Non-binary
Officer I

Any Age,
Any
,
Male
Can be played by:
- Age:
  Any age
- Race/Ethnicity:
  Any race/ethnicity
- Gender:
  Any gender
Officer II

Any Age,
Any
,
Female
Can be played by:
- Age:
  Any age
- Race/Ethnicity:
  Any race/ethnicity
- Gender:
  Any gender

Development History

Reading
,
The Lark
,
2021

Production History

University
,
Columbia University School of the Arts
,
2022

Awards

Finalist

Roundabout@Columbia New Play Reading Series

Roundabout Theatre Company

2021

New Play Exchange