Truth/Dare

At 13, Ursa, Hannah, Linney, and Maeve live in their own world of basements, secrets, and backyard ghosts — until the last sleepover of the summer. High school looms, with the promise and threat of reinvention, and the group fractures when shifting beliefs and identities collide in a traumatic accident that none of them can explain. Four years later, questions and accusations fly as the survivors revisit the...
At 13, Ursa, Hannah, Linney, and Maeve live in their own world of basements, secrets, and backyard ghosts — until the last sleepover of the summer. High school looms, with the promise and threat of reinvention, and the group fractures when shifting beliefs and identities collide in a traumatic accident that none of them can explain. Four years later, questions and accusations fly as the survivors revisit the scene of the “crime” and try to understand what happened, what has been lost, and who they are now.
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Truth/Dare

Recommended by

  • Len Cuthbert:
    10 Apr. 2020
    Powerful. Captivated all the way.
  • Nick Malakhow:
    15 Feb. 2020
    Truth/Dare is funny, honest, painful, and haunting. All four central characters have compelling personalities and unique voices, and the way the desires, yearning for friendship, and identities of each girl collide with one another is believable and at times heartbreaking. Keenan-Zelt uses fluidity of time to unique theatrical effect. Time play in this piece serves to build tension, reveal information, and explore the lasting trauma and regret of grief. This would be an excellent vehicle for four (or seven!) young women to dive into complex and well-written roles that honor the complexity and humanity of adolescence.
  • Lia Romeo:
    17 Jan. 2020
    A beautiful, funny, and haunting coming-of-age story.

Character Information

  • Hannah
    13/18,
    Any
    ,
    Presents Female
    A sensitive, earnest, born-again Christian
  • Maeve
    13/18,
    Any
    ,
    Presents Female
    A petite, doll-like girl with the attitude of a body-building salesman
  • Ursa
    13/18,
    Any
    ,
    Presents Female
    A self-proclaimed sometime Wiccan who does not trust her own creativity. Wants to be charismatic and socially strategic but is neither.
  • Linney
    13,
    Any
    ,
    Presents Female
    An odd, sometimes off-putting dreamer, always half in a different world. Perceptive and unself-conscious.

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    American Southwest Theatre Company/New Mexico State University
    ,
    2016
  • Workshop
    ,
    Dixon Place
    ,
    2015
  • Reading
    ,
    Lark Play Development Center
    ,
    2014
  • Reading
    ,
    Pittsburgh Fringe
    ,
    2014
  • Reading
    ,
    Sanctuary Playwrights Lab
    ,
    2014
  • Reading
    ,
    NYU Tisch Asia
    ,
    2013

Production History

  • Fringe
    ,
    Project Y Theatre
    ,
    2018
  • Fringe
    ,
    Woven Theatre
    ,
    2018
  • University
    ,
    New Mexico State University
    ,
    2017

Awards

Finalist
,
Outstanding Original Full-Length Script
,
New York Innovative Theatre Awards
,
2019
Finalist
,
Princess Grace Award
,
Princess Grace Foundation
,
2015
Semi-Finalist
,
National Playwrights Conference
,
O'Neill Theatre Center
,
2014
Winner
,
Best Ensemble
,
Pittsburgh Fringe
,
2014
Selection
,
Kilroys List
,
The Kilroys
,
2014
Finalist
,
Jerome Fellowship
,
The Playwrights' Center
,
2014