Isabel by ruth tang

It's the staircase in the woods again. You know the one. Mysterious, abandoned, the one everyone says you shouldn't climb. Well—maybe if you did, everything would be different. Maybe you would become something else entirely. Something you've always feared you secretly already were.
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Isabel

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher:
    14 Oct. 2023
    “ A tender play about sibling relationships and gender exploration. Lots of potential for creative sound design in this play. ”
  • Jan Rosenberg:
    6 May. 2023
    “ Loved the sibling relationship in this play, loved the acceptance these characters had for each other as they lived their truths. I love a queer horror play in the woods! ”
  • Playwrights Foundation:
    28 Dec. 2022
    “ The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2022 enthusiastically recommends ISABEL as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We highly enjoyed this play's revolutionary vision of family and reflections on childhood. This is a piece that intentionally confuses and traps the reader within it through world-building. We were compelled by this play's promise in its sly humor, gender exploration, and non-traditional structure. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly towards production. #BAPF2022 ”

Character Information

Matt should not be played by someone who is cis; he is a nonbinary transmasc person early in transition. Harriet and Isabel may be played by cis or trans men. (If you want to get granular about it, Isabel is likely trans, and Harriet can be either cis or trans. But the impression/vibe they project is "man"—however achieved.)

Matt and Harriet should be played by Asian performers; Isabel can be any race but please don't default to casting white performers because I said that.

  • Matt
    late 20s,
    Asian
    ,
    transmasculine
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Isabel
    20ish,
    Any
    ,
    pronouns are: Isabel
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Harriet
    mid 20s,
    Asian
    ,
    cis (probably)
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    New York Theatre Workshop
    ,
    2021

Production History

  • University
    ,
    The New School
    ,
    2021

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
,
2022