As I Was, Not As I Am

Laurel is sick. Her roommates want her to get better. How do you help someone who can't afford health care? Does it involve setting a car on fire? As I Was, Not As I Am is mainly about queer roommates, headaches, clubbing, upstairs neighbors, arson, and washing machines; but it's also about love: the kind that would make you do anything for each other.

Contact for full scripts and rights: august.hakvaag@gmail.com
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As I Was, Not As I Am

Recommended by

  • Alison Kozar:
    23 Mar. 2022
    This is such a sweet play filled with love, it's really a joy to read and all the characters feel like people you've known your whole life. It's comforting right up until the end where it rips your heart out, still beating.
  • Maggie Brennan:
    1 Aug. 2021
    Alice has a way of writing grounded, unique, goofy, and intense characters that is exciting on so many levels! This play is an absolute gut punch. Actors will have a great time pulling the text apart and audiences will be on their toes trying to put all the pieces together. I cried at the end. I can't wait to see where this play goes.
  • Meredith Bartmon:
    20 Aug. 2020
    It’s remarkable how developed August’s playwright voice is in relation to their journey. This mature instinct for how to tell stories mixed with youthful ‘fuck-it’ energy is exciting. The characters are relatable, especially the ‘antagonist’ - which feels honest. The play confronts how healthy young people deal with sickness and frailty when hit head-on by the reality of death. The final scenes of the play are so beautiful in their precision of character – Zarya flees, Melissa attacks, and steady Jeanine tries to hold on. While you’re here, I also highly recommend you read Acute Exposure.

Character Information

  • Laurel
    Mid 20s,
    Any
    ,
    Female / Female Identifying / Gender Nonbinary
    Sweet. Full of life, until it starts leaking out.
  • Jeanine
    Early-mid 20s,
    Any
    ,
    Female / Female Identifying / Gender Nonbinary
    Stone butch. The non-believer. Stuck.
  • Zarya
    Early-mid 20s,
    Any
    ,
    Female / Female Identifying / Gender Nonbinary
    Femme. Right hand woman. Logical. Desperate.
  • Melissa
    Early-mid 20s,
    Any
    ,
    Female / Female Identifying / Gender Nonbinary
    Suave. Magnetic. It ain’t over til the fat lady sings.

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Moxie Arts
    ,
    2023
  • Reading
    ,
    The Queens Theater
    ,
    2022
  • Reading
    ,
    Mad Cow Theatre
    ,
    2020
  • Workshop
    ,
    Elephant Room Productions
    ,
    2020

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Moxie Arts NY / WP Theater
    ,
    2023
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Temple Theatre Sidestage
    ,
    2021
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Elephant Room Productions
    ,
    2020

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship
,
,
2021
Finalist
,
Women's Voices Festival
,
Mad Cow Theatre
,
2020