Hairy & Sherri

FULL LENGTH: Hairy and Sherri (Sharon) are an “adorkable” interracial couple living in gentrified East Austin. When they very graciously and very publicly open their home to Ryshi, a 12-year-old former foster care youth with special needs, Hairy and Sherri are confronted with the horrifying realities of their marriage and “good” intentions.  
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Hairy & Sherri

Recommended by

  • National New Play Network:
    19 Jul. 2022
    Hairy & Sherri by Adrienne Dawes was a finalist for NNPN's 2022 National Showcase of New Plays, and we are pleased to recommend it.
  • Jerry Ruiz:
    19 May. 2022
    This play adroitly navigates themes of race and class with a biting sense of humor that keeps you guessing, while also packing plenty of emotional gut punches. Hairy and Sherri are a wholly believable and compelling couple who mean well, but often fall short of reaching those good intentions. The supporting characters, especially Ryshi's Latina caseworker, Vera, are very memorable.
  • Nick Malakhow:
    21 Mar. 2022
    A superb piece whose dark, biting, comedic thread is as well-realized as the conversations it provokes around adoption, privilege, identity, and more. Hairy and Sherri are a perfectly rendered misguided-and-"uber woke" couple whose relationship uncovers its warts as they "nobly" take on the challenge of fostering Ryshi. The convention of Ryshi's dual portrayal so brilliantly theatricalizes the "adultification" and othering of Black children in a highly original fashion that I won't soon forget. The bookending of the piece with Vera in her office provides heartbreaking and poignant punctuation to the rest of the darkly satirical play.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    KC Melting Pot Theatre
    ,
    2022
  • Reading
    ,
    The Fire This Time Festival
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Queen City New Play
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    TheatreSquared
    ,
    2019
  • Residency
    ,
    PlySpace Artist Residency
    ,
    2019

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Salt Lake Acting Company
    ,
    2023

Awards

Finalist
,
National Showcase of New Plays
,
NNPN
,
2022
Semi-Finalist
,
Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Playwriting Competition
,
2022
Finalist
,
New American Voices Playwriting Festival
,
The Landing Theatre Company
,
2020