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Joey (Full Version) by Joe Swenson

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  • Samara Siskind:
    21 Apr. 2024
    “ I have never wanted to save a character more, as much as I wanted to save Joey. As a parent, this play destroyed me, breaking my heart into a million pieces. The fact that the story is true devastated me even more. Ingeniously crafted, each quiet yet complex scene can stand perfectly alone but together form an opus. The horror is in its depicted abuse. The beauty is in the bravery and resilience of our protagonist and playwright. ”
  • Scott Sickles:
    30 Mar. 2022
    “ “If you get a story out of it, you win.”
    That a personal credo of mine.

    Joe Swenson has won a sweepstakes!

    Recounting his seven-year abduction between the ages of 5 and 12, this highly theatricalized memoir is gripping, terrifying, complex, and heartbreaking. It's a journey of strength and miraculous forgiveness.

    Most scenes are between Joey and his Imaginary Friend, a familiar trope used uniquely and brilliantly. Neither conjured nor omniscient, it's our window into this hell, blindsided and powerless as we are.

    The scenes are succinct and complex as life itself.

    It's an essential masterwork. ”
  • Christopher Soucy:
    26 Mar. 2022
    “ Breathtaking. A tragedy that harkens to every child you see. Safety is not guaranteed to any of them. Normalcy is not promised. Whenever I forget the necessity of theater, a piece like this one comes ringing the alarm. We must pay attention. We must know the darkness, recognize the shadows. Kudos to Swenson for not only facing his demon, but capturing it for us all to bear witness. ”
  • Morey Norkin:
    26 Mar. 2022
    “ Others have used the word “heartbreaking” to describe this play, and it certainly is. It’s one thing to read/see a play about a character that is subjected to this level of abuse and be moved but quite another experience to know that “Joey” is the true story of the playwright, Joe Swenson. I can’t even begin to imagine the strength to survive such an ordeal let alone share it in such a coherent, moving drama. Please read this. ”
  • Paul Donnelly:
    23 Mar. 2022
    “ This is a harrowing, urgent and heart-breaking story. All the more shocking for being true. The ways a child can be manipulated and endure abuse are rendered with shattering clarity. The lingering trauma from such long term abuse is also painfully illuminated. Joey and his story will stick with me for a long time to come. ”
  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    2 Feb. 2022
    “ What a heartbreaking story, so beautifully told. It's all the little details that got me, like the description of nice footsteps vs angry footsteps, or the teacher mentioning alien abduction, tentatively trying to probe. This would be a very powerful play to see live, and it serves as an important reminder that there are kids like Joey hidden in plain sight everywhere, and we have a responsibility to keep an eye out for them and try to help. This plays is devastating but ultimately hopeful, as life so often is. ”
  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn:
    1 Feb. 2022
    “ I'm so glad Joe made all of his short Joey pieces available as a full length. This has the potential to open a lot of eyes to children who may be hiding deep hurt. This is a brave script. I am glad I was given the opportunity to witness it's growth. ”
  • Doug DeVita:
    1 Feb. 2022
    “ Devastating, filled with ugly truths and heartbreaking personal revelations – but somehow beautiful in its bravery – JOEY is an incredibly difficult but incredibly necessary read. Bravo, Joe. BRAVO. ”
  • Adam Richter:
    30 Jan. 2022
    “ "Joey" is a masterful memoir. The episodic scenes are each horrifying and heartbreaking in their own way, and the epilogue brings a kind of uplift that I never saw coming. This is an important and powerful play that needs to get onstage in front of an audience. Just amazing. ”
  • Philip Middleton Williams:
    28 Jan. 2022
    “ Having read all of these scenes one by one, it is only right that Joe Swenson brings this complicated and devastating story to its conclusion. What I was left with was a sense of how strong the human spirit can become in the face of crushing adversity. That Joey not only survives but grows up with his battered soul intact is worth being told and shared, even if it is hard to see. The dimensions of the characters is testimony to his ability to make us care about each of them. And the ending is a monument to strength. ”