Twenty-Seven by David Hilder

16-year-old-ish Stef and Oyster are siblings with a problem: Their wealthy mother’s new boyfriend has just moved in, and he’s sure to come between them and their easy lifestyle. As they plot and scheme, they discover their agita may in fact be covering something else, far more disturbing. Stef ends up confronting the history of that disturbance years later in an effort to come to grips with the unfathomable.
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Twenty-Seven

Recommended by

  • Giulianna Marchese:
    27 Mar. 2024
    “ Strong, clear, and at times very funny dialogue. I think this script is excellent for actors. ”
  • Greg Mandryk:
    6 Mar. 2024
    “ This is brilliant. The dialogue right from the start is crisp and outrageously hilarious, pulling you in right away, with characters who are both repulsive and wildly entertaining. The second act allows the humor to slip a notch, permitting us to see the tragic and malformed humanity of the play's central character beneath the quips and punchlines. Some taboos get broken, true, but David Hilder handles it all so skillfully, I never once wanted to hit the eject button and walk away. Extremely well done! ”
  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    15 Feb. 2024
    “ I love what David Hilder does with dialogue. This dark sex comedy about a pair of wealthy, shallow siblings during those teenage years when one knows everything is fantastic. It hooks you from the very first (angrily shouted) line, and the twists and turns and cringes and comedy which follow are a terrific ride. I especially enjoyed how the rapid fire dialogue would stop every so often and a character would speak directly to the audience, allowing us to see a new and different side of them. ”
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Character Information

Four actors (2W, 2M) playing different roles in Act I than in Act II.

  • Stef (Act I)/Anya (Act II)
    16/Nearly 18,
    Female
    Stef is remorseless, vicious, hilarious. Anya is remorseless and vicious, but less hilarious.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Oyster (Act I)/Oscar (Act II)
    16/Nearly 18,
    (assigned male at birth - plot relevant) Male
    Oyster is weak-willed but striving to be stronger, while also striving not to be gay. Oscar is quieter than his sister Anya, and deeper also.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Gordon (Act I)/Dr. Strib (Act II)
    50s
    Gordon is deeply tanned from hours on the golf course, and he's kind of crass (more New Money than Inherited Wealth), but his loyalties run deep. Dr. Strib is a calm psychiatrist in a mental hospital who, um, does something he really shouldn't do with a patient (I'm betting you can guess what it is).
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Flossie (Act I)/Stef (Act II)
    40s/50ish
    Flossie is a veritable flibbertigibbet, sexually voracious, silly, but under all of that is a bone-deep pathos. Stef (in act II) is worn down by years of insecurity and unhappiness.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female