The Hall of Final Ruin by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos

Finalist - Stowe Story Labs
Semi-finalist - Princess Grace (twice), BAPF Playwrights Foundation, Garry Marshall

FULL LENGTH 97 pgs - Someday, the ‘madrina’ of 19th century Santa Fe would like to die a good Catholic death and be buried in her beloved church, La Parrochia. But Death is coming sooner than she thinks and the arrival of a needy Protestant, a fortune in gold, and the invasion...
Finalist - Stowe Story Labs
Semi-finalist - Princess Grace (twice), BAPF Playwrights Foundation, Garry Marshall

FULL LENGTH 97 pgs - Someday, the ‘madrina’ of 19th century Santa Fe would like to die a good Catholic death and be buried in her beloved church, La Parrochia. But Death is coming sooner than she thinks and the arrival of a needy Protestant, a fortune in gold, and the invasion of the American Army complicate her perfect exit into Purgatory. In order to save her family from ruin and earn her way into Heaven, the gambler must orchestrate a final, high-stakes card game in which all is both lost and won.
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The Hall of Final Ruin

Recommended by

  • Doug DeVita:
    19 Oct. 2021
    “ I’m late to the party reading this, but Oh. My. God: Better late than never. McBurnette-Andronicos grabs you from the opening monologue, and you willingly let her take you wherever she wants you to go; from high comedy to dark despair and all points in between, her script is a masterclass in story, structure, and characterization, and is whopping good fun to boot. A funny play about death? Absolutely. And oh, how I want to see it staged. So many wonderfully theatrical possibilities. ”
  • Rachael Carnes:
    1 Jun. 2021
    “ Irreverent, humane, profound and profane, McBurnette-Andronicos' play takes us on a sweeping journey through the history of the American Southwest, swinging us into an impasse, the introduction of settler-colonial assimilation over a tight-knit community. With rich detail and historical investigation, balanced by humor and theatricality, this piece resonates with the dynamics of community survival across the ages. ”
  • Ellen Struve:
    1 Jun. 2021
    “ This funny historical, fast-witted play celebrates its story and its audience! This all-female comedy about death and legacy is also about how we care for one another. Its compassion has absolutely everything to do with making us laugh. It's exactly the kind of play I want to see produced! ”
View all 16 recommendations

Character Information

  • DOÑA SEBASTIANA
    Any,
    Mexican
    ,
    Female
    The fantastical, whimsical death cart driver on a mission to collect La Tules’ soul. Not bound by time, she is stylized and both traditional and modern.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • LA TULES
    40s-50s,
    Spanish
    ,
    Female
    Professional gambler, monte dealer, entrepreneur, business woman. Elegant, stoic and calculating, she loads and unloads pistols out of habit. She wants to die well.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic, White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • CARMELITA
    Late teens,
    Hispanic
    ,
    Female
    The adopted granddaughter of La Tules, a moody teenager with a penchant for Goth and vintage clothing. She wants to build a ventilated cemetery.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • RALLITOS
    Teens,
    Hispanic
    ,
    Female
    The other adopted granddaughter of La Tules. Younger, naïve, and apparently pregnant. She wants a world of infinite romantic possibility.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • PILAR
    40s-50s,
    native american
    ,
    Female
    La Tules’ assistant, confidante, and ears in the community. Trafficking in the lucrative trade of information and gossip, she wants a business of her own.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • SISTER JANE
    40s-50s,
    White
    ,
    Female
    A hustler and charlatan masquerading as a Protestant missionary, she’s bent on retrieving her lost fortune. Severe appearance, superior attitude, Puritanical sense of right and wrong and dresses the same.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Great Plains Theatre Conference
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Women Playwrights International Conference
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Teatro Vivo
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    The Bechdel Group, New York
    ,
    2015
  • Workshop
    ,
    Something Marvelous Festival of Magical Realism, Chicago, IL
    ,
    2015

Production History

Awards

Winner
,
Playwriting Award
,
Stage Raw
,
2022
Semi-Finalist
,
Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship Award
,
, Princess Grace Foundation
,
2021
Semi-Finalist
,
Garry Marshall Theatre New Works Festival 2020
,
Garry Marshall Theatre
,
2020
Semi-Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
,
Playwrights Foundation
,
2016
Finalist
,
Activate: Midwest New Play Festival
,
Western Michigan University
,
2016
Finalist
,
New Play Festival
,
Tennessee Stage Company
,
2016
Semi-Finalist
,
Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship Award
,
Princess Grace Foundation
,
2015
Finalist
,
Northeast Indiana Playwrights Festival
,
Fort Wayne Civic Theatre
,
2015
Winner
,
Br!nk Award
,
Renaissance Theaterworks
,
2015