ALLIGATOR by Hilary Bettis

Emerald and her twin brother, Ty, are orphaned ‘gator wrestlers living in the backwoods of the Florida Everglades. One night a doe-eyed runaway, Lucy, shows up on their porch with promises of unlimited whiskey. As her desperation to win Emerald over intensifies, she will do whatever it takes…even if it leads to murder. The only hope left rests on Emerald who must face the demon that haunts her every waking...
Emerald and her twin brother, Ty, are orphaned ‘gator wrestlers living in the backwoods of the Florida Everglades. One night a doe-eyed runaway, Lucy, shows up on their porch with promises of unlimited whiskey. As her desperation to win Emerald over intensifies, she will do whatever it takes…even if it leads to murder. The only hope left rests on Emerald who must face the demon that haunts her every waking moment. Alligator is a play that weaves together sex and enemies, blood and whiskey, hope and murder. It is a play that asks the question: How do we truly love one another in the face of our deepest, darkest monsters?

For a copy of this play, please contact agent or playwright directly at hilarybettis@gmail.com
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ALLIGATOR

Recommended by

  • Cavan Hallman:
    18 Jun. 2020
    “ We produced a reading of "Alligator" for Mirrorbox Theatre's "Out the Box" series, and wow. I'd ask... what if Tennessee Williams kept pushing boundaries another 30 years by continuing to explore Southern characters living on the edges of society? That's where this play is. Lyrical and unflinching in its depiction of brutality, this piece gives discarded members of society an almost operatic kind of elevation. Check it out, the play is worth it!. ”
  • Emma Goldman-Sherman:
    23 Oct. 2018
    “ I loved this play at New Georges! It still haunts me to this day - the language and the world, but mostly the characters and their desperate straits, the needs, thirst and longing in the play, but mostly how the women exist in spite of every possible reason not to, their will to go on was unforgettable. ”
  • Britton Buttrill:
    20 Feb. 2018
    “ I saw this production at New Georges and was absolutely blown away. A Southern Gothic magical realism wrestling match of family and longing. And the audience gets splashed by alligator wrestling. ”
View all 9 recommendations

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
    ,
    2012