Breakfalls by Gina Stevensen

At a struggling karate dojo in a small U.S. city, five adults meet each week to learn not only how to punch and kick but how to navigate the world. In charge is the stoic and powerful Martha, who struggles to keep the dojo, and her pupils, afloat. Romance blooms between Summer, a prickly but sensitive brown belt, and Charlie, a timid new student searching for her strength. Ideologies clash at the arrival of the...
At a struggling karate dojo in a small U.S. city, five adults meet each week to learn not only how to punch and kick but how to navigate the world. In charge is the stoic and powerful Martha, who struggles to keep the dojo, and her pupils, afloat. Romance blooms between Summer, a prickly but sensitive brown belt, and Charlie, a timid new student searching for her strength. Ideologies clash at the arrival of the blundering and accidentally toxic Joe, who pulls Sean – a dude reckoning with his capacity for violence – into a perpetual masculinity contest. As each character grapples with the hopes and fears that bring them to the mat, BREAKFALLS asks: how do we stay safe in an unsafe world?
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Breakfalls

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  • Premiere Stages:
    5 May. 2023
    “ Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize “Breakfalls” by Gina Stevensen as a Semi-Finalist for the 2023 Premiere Play Festival. “Breakfalls” rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 40 Semi-Finalists out of 701 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the organic weaving of plot, character, and environment, as well as the piece’s poetic mingling of intimacy and violence. Our congratulations and thanks to Gina. ”
  • Vita Patrick Morales:
    29 Nov. 2022
    “ I am fascinated by the setting of this play. Who would think that a martial arts school would be the setting for such tender sentiment? ”

Character Information

  • Summer
    30's or 40's,
    AFAB nonbinary
    Lots of tattoos, mostly stick-and- poke. Believes they are alone in the world, so they have carefully constructed many walls to protect their gentle heart. Hotheaded and wounded, an anarchist and artist with no patience for assholes – and the way they see it, the world is full of assholes. They have a tendency to self- sabotage, and feel most free when they can let their body lead, like at the dojo or in a mosh pit. Begins and ends the play as a brown belt.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Charlie
    30's or 40's,
    Cis Woman
    No tattoos. Bubbly but timid, she cares a lot more about what other people think of her than what she thinks of herself. Her tendency is to shrink away from conflict and apologize for literally everything, but she's determined to make a fresh start. Deeply compassionate. She's brand new to town and the dojo, and has zero confidence in her martial arts ability, but who knows, maybe she'll surprise herself. Begins the play as a white belt, ends as a yellow belt.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Martha
    50's,
    Trans woman, AFAB nonbinary, or Cis Woman
    Several tattoos from different points in her life (razor wire, roses, a cartoon alien, probably more... she keeps them well concealed). Stoic and distant, but not because she doesn't care – quite the opposite. The founder and owner of the dojo, Martha holds the weight of the world on her shoulders and will never ask for help, even if all that weight is quietly crushing her. Oh, and you might not know it from looking at her, but she can absolutely kick your ass. Fourth degree black belt.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Sean
    30's,
    Cis Man
    Old tattoo of an eagle that he is really starting to regret. Quick to anger and struggling with his capacity for violence, he is newly awake to the script of masculinity that’s been conditioned into him. He’s impatient with himself, and does not believe he is worthy of much – in fact, his self- loathing makes it difficult for him to see the deep well of tenderness that could be his superpower. Begins the play as a yellow belt, ends as an orange belt.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • Joe
    50's,
    Cis Man
    Faded tattoo of a mermaid with a woman's name. Well-intentioned but blundering, an old-fashioned man with old-fashioned values. A talker, a showman, always trying to be the big guy in the room, plays up his martial arts experience but in reality he only took, like, seven Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes and that was fifteen years ago. Underneath it all, he's sensitive and confused, reckoning with his place in the world and desperate to connect with his increasingly distant teenage son. Begins the play as a white belt, ends as a yellow belt.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History

  • Commission
    ,
    Vermont Arts Council / National Endowment for The Arts
    ,
    2023

Production History

Awards