Visiting Hours by Jami Brandli

Visiting Hours; Part Four of Re-envisioned Greek Myth Cycle
A reclaiming of the Persephone myth, now set in a psychiatric hospital, Visiting Hours follows the arduous journey of Stephie Green, a middle-aged music teacher who must break free from her complicated past in order to be reunited with her family.

Reading at The Road Theatre Company as part of their 2020 Summer Playwrights Festival #11

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Visiting Hours

Recommended by

  • Aly Kantor:
    30 Sep. 2023
    “ This radical re-telling blends the starkly dark and grounded with the impossible and mythological to create a cracked-mirror look into mental illness and facing trauma. The heightened, manic theatricality of the play gives us a glimpse into Stephie's worldview, helping us relate and connect to her unique mindset and perspective. I loved discovering all the color symbolism and allusions to the Persephone myth! The integration of music would be a fantastic creative challenge for an artistic team. The stakes are high, the ticking clock adds a strong sense of urgency, and the characters are colorful and compelling. A spectacular play! ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    9 May. 2021
    “ A brilliant adaptation of the tale of Persephone brought to life that highlights mental health and breaking through in order to find freedom. Well done. ”
  • Stephanie Alison Walker:
    5 Sep. 2019
    “ Yet again, Brandli has given us another devastatingly truthful, endlessly entertaining, searingly poetic and dazzling reclamation of a Greek myth. This, like her others, is filled with wonderful roles for women. Visiting Hours is an intensely moving play about mental health and the long and lasting repercussions of abuse. We laugh because Brandli is brilliant at finding the humor in the darkness and we cry because Brandli writes characters that we love and care about immediately. ”

Playwright's Note: I strongly encourage diverse casting with the family and Nurse Brown/Doctor White. This is not only a "white" family story. This is an American story.

Character Breakdown:
There is a cast of 7 -- 4 Females and 3 Males. Family doubles as patients and one worker in the Psychiatric Unit. The youngest actress will play a third part of Stephie's Younger Self.

Stephie Greene: 55, re-envisioned Persephone
Hank: re-envisioned Hades; mid to late 20s, handsome and charming,
and very much trapped in and struggling with his own personal hell
Stephie's family
Donna: Stephie's mother, early 70s, re-envisioned Demeter Ben: Stephie's husband, mid 50s
Tommy: Stephie's son, early 30s,
Amanda: Stephie's teenage daughter, 16
The Psychiatric Unit
Silent Nurse: Male, 30s, (played by Hank)
Pearl: Stephie's roommate, early 70s,(played by Donna) Abe: mid 50s, (played by Ben)
Adam: early 30s, (played by Tommy)
Zoe: 18,(played by Amanda)
*One Actress will play both Doctor and Nurse
Doctor White: Female, 40s to 60s, head doctor of the ward who always wears a white doctor coat and glasses
Nurse Brown: Female, 40s to 60s, always wears brown scrubs
*Stephie's Younger Self: ages 13 and 15. This role is played by Amanda/Zoe and it is extremely important that the actress look completely different during these scenes. She, in no way, should be confused with being Stephie's daughter in these scenes.

Development History

  • Commission
    ,
    Humanitas PLAY LA
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    The Playwrights Union's First Peek Reading Series
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Humanitas/PLAY LA at Los Angeles Theatre Center
    ,
    2019