Dear Anna by Audrey Lang

Anna is Mallaigh's lifeline--her big sister, her best friend, the one person she trusts more than anyone else, the only one who can calm her down and understand her. But as Anna grows up, she starts to pull away from Mallaigh in favor of other relationships. Liz, a teacher at Anna and Mallaigh's high school, becomes the fulcrum in a delicate balancing act of secrets.
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Dear Anna

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher:
    17 Jun. 2020
    “ Such a gut-wrenching depiction of a unique relationship featuring very messy and honest characters. What Lang is saying here about the sacrifices we must make for those we love is something that is going to stick with me for a long time. ”

Character Information

  • Anna Callaghan
    ages from approx. 14 to 20 over the course of the play,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    Outgoing and often outspoken, athletic, the life of the party. After graduating high school, she stops communicating with her family because she has a big secret that she feels she needs to keep. Despite seeming like just a typical extroverted jock, Anna has a lot of really big dreams for how she wants her life to turn out.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Mallaigh Callaghan
    ages from approx. 11 to 17 over the course of the play,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    A major introvert and a deep thinker; she has social and general anxiety. Her older sister Anna is the only one who is consistently able to understand her and get through to her, and Mallaigh has been depressed and angry at the world since Anna stopped talking to their family. 
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Liz Carson
    ages from approx. 21 to 27 over the course of the play,
    Any
    ,
    Female-identifying
    A gym/health teacher and the volleyball coach at the high school Mallaigh attends and Anna attended. She was cut off by her family when she came out to them (she is from a Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic background). She is conflicted between keeping Anna's secret and having to see Mallaigh, and how the secret affects her, in school every day. 
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Ithaca Theatre Collective
    ,
    2016
  • Workshop
    ,
    MCC Theater Youth Company FreshPlay Festival
    ,
    2016