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

  • 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... ”
  • Shaun Leisher:
    28 May. 2021
    “ By exploring the relationship of Stella Kowalski and Blanche DuBois through a modern, queer and disabled lens, Brenner has crafted a piece of theatre that deserves to be studied and produced alongside Streetcar. This play is a cry in support of a theatre that investigates the "classics" and not just keep them protected in wax museum productions. By centering BIPOC, queer and disabled actors, this play makes a case for not just inclusive casting of these older plays but re-writing them entirely. ”

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