Cost of Living

by Martyna Majok

What is the road that brought us here? Unemployed truck driver Eddie sits at a bar alone, recalling his final moments with wife, Ani, when a car accident turned the focus of their relationship from divorcing to caregiving. Overworked, under-qualified, and nearly homeless, Jess takes on another job to make ends meet – this time, as a personal caregiver for a wealthy and beautiful graduate student named John, who...

What is the road that brought us here? Unemployed truck driver Eddie sits at a bar alone, recalling his final moments with wife, Ani, when a car accident turned the focus of their relationship from divorcing to caregiving. Overworked, under-qualified, and nearly homeless, Jess takes on another job to make ends meet – this time, as a personal caregiver for a wealthy and beautiful graduate student named John, who has cerebral palsy. The histories, influences, and challenges of four lives converge in the meeting of two strangers in a small, empty apartment in Bayonne, NJ.

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Cost of Living

Recommended by

  • Daphne Macy: Cost of Living by Martyna Majok
    “

    One of the best plays I’ve ever read. As a playwright, it transformed my thinking about storytelling and taught me so much. It is such a poignant, thought-provoking, powerful play. What a masterpiece.

    One of the best plays I’ve ever read. As a playwright, it transformed my thinking about storytelling and taught me so much. It is such a poignant, thought-provoking, powerful play. What a masterpiece.

    ”
  • Megan Ann Jacobs: Cost of Living by Martyna Majok
    “

    This piece blew my mind in all of the best ways. It was full of every ounce of heart you can muster and a story that truly felt like a window into the daily lives of everyday people. Rather than focusing on disabilities, it focused on the people, and their struggles with staying afloat in a world where anyone individual moment can hurdle you into personal and financial ruin. The story brought tears to my eye and launched so many conversations within my household. An INCREDIBLE show!

    This piece blew my mind in all of the best ways. It was full of every ounce of heart you can muster and a story that truly felt like a window into the daily lives of everyday people. Rather than focusing on disabilities, it focused on the people, and their struggles with staying afloat in a world where anyone individual moment can hurdle you into personal and financial ruin. The story brought tears to my eye and launched so many conversations within my household. An INCREDIBLE show!

    ”
  • Jennifer O'Grady: Cost of Living by Martyna Majok
    “

    Words can't do justice to how much I love this play and how much I was moved and just blown away by it. Haunting and masterful. (Not downloadable because published but I'm so glad I purchased it!)

    Words can't do justice to how much I love this play and how much I was moved and just blown away by it. Haunting and masterful. (Not downloadable because published but I'm so glad I purchased it!)

    ”
View all 14 recommendations

Development History

  • Workshop, Dorset Theatre Festival, 2015
  • Reading, Lark Play Development Center, 2015
  • Workshop, LAByrinth Theater Company, 2015
  • Workshop, Apprentice Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, 2014

Production History

  • Professional, Williamstown Theatre Festival, 2016
  • Professional, Manhattan Theatre Club, 2017

Awards

  • Pulitzer Prize
    Winner
    2018
  • Women's Invitational
    Ashland New Plays Festival
    Winner
    2016
  • Jean Kennedy Smith Prize
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
    Winner
    2016