Pluck by Jan Rosenberg

Fourteen year-old Cleo and Bea are twins. Cleo can't stop running away from womanhood. Bea can't stop running away, period. A play about gender dysphoria, twins, and (as always) monsters.

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Pluck

Recommended by

  • Abraham Johnson:
    2 Nov. 2022
    “ Dark, dangerous, sharp, and just scandalous enough to keep us on our toes, I adore this monstrous play. The twins are fascinating in their toxic, razor's edge intimacy. Cleo's relationship with gender dysphoria is refreshing, subtle, and expertly buried underneath the scandal of the chatroom scenes. Those chatroom scenes, too, feel at once dangerous and dramaturgically thrilling. Jesus, I'll be thinking about this play for a while. Excellent, excellent, excellent. ”
  • Nick Malakhow:
    24 Aug. 2022
    “ Beautifully done coming of age play that explores gender, gender identity, self image, body image, and the intersection of those things with adolescence. Jan Rosenberg mixes realistic and potent and poignant scenes with some fantastical and theatrically heightened elements to create an aesthetically cohesive and original play. Eager to see the development trajectory of this piece and a production of it up on its feet! ”
  • Shaun Leisher:
    16 Aug. 2022
    “ Rosenberg has a gift for writing teenagers. Loved this coming-of-age, horror play.
    ”
View all 5 recommendations

Character Information

CAST
CLEO: 14. Non-binary (but doesn't know it yet). Questioning her/their gender. Bea’s twin.
BEA: 14. Female. Cleo’s twin.
FOX: 14. Male.
LENNY: Early 30s Male. Guidance counselor. Also plays DADDY SAYZ, CIRCUS FREAK, and TYLER. Queer.
JESSIE: 35. Female. The twins’ mother.

Note on casting:
-There should be diversity in casting. This goes for ethnicity, gender, and body size.
-CLEO and BEA may be either fraternal or identical. I’ve purposely left it ambiguous.
-LENNY and the other characters portrayed by this actor are queer. He’s the only character whose sexuality I feel is truly defined and it would be great to cast a queer person in this role.
-To be perfectly honest, I don’t think any of these characters are straight. Take that as you will when casting.

  • Lenny
    30s-40s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Guidance counselor. Also plays DADDY SAYZ, CIRCUS FREAK, and TYLER. Queer.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Jessie
    35,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    The twins' mother.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Fox
    14,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Super nerdy, super smart.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Cleo
    14,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Can be played by AFAB non-binary performer. Questioning her/their gender. Bea’s twin.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Bea
    14,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Cleo's Twin.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary

Awards