Bandera, Texas by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

FULL LENGTH. A dramedy about marriage, motherhood, and the women who came before us and paved our way. Liz, a native New Yorker, is forced to relocate to the Texas Hill Country for her husband’s job. She is visited by her long-dead grandmothers, who help her adapt to her new life and remind her that an uprooted woman can grow wherever she is replanted when she knows who she is and carries the people and places she loves inside her.
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Bandera, Texas

Recommended by

  • Christopher Soucy:
    20 Apr. 2022
    “ Feriend is an alchemist who transforms strings of words into gold. I loved this play. Perfectly paced and hypnotically theatrical. It awakened the actor in me, wanting to deliver these lines and tell this story. Kudos. ”
  • Daniel Prillaman:
    31 Jan. 2022
    “ Moving, inspiring, and filled with the literal perfect amount of sass, Feriend's play is just beautiful. A brilliant meditation on so much, from the multiple meanings of home, collaboration amongst romantic partners, matriarchal generational legacy, what happens to our dreams as we age, and everything in-between. The staggering feat is how tightly focused it is. The dialogue here will sneak up on you, strike you from underneath like the rattlesnakes under the trailer. Have I even mentioned the "Texas" jokes, yet? Like, really, there's so much here. And it even has great roles for some older actors. Highly recommend. ”
  • Aly Kantor:
    16 Jan. 2022
    “ This hilarious, heartfelt, effortlessly theatrical play is full of stunning roles for women that put motherhood at the forefront of the story. I'm amazed by how much I knew and understood about these quirky, lovable, and realistically flawed characters on page one! As always, Lisa's dialogue is smooth, realistic, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the specificity of the worlds that she creates continues to blow my mind. The piece comes full circle in such a beautiful and satisfying way. I was laughing and tearing up at the same time by "end of play." Someone produce this already, dangit! ”
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Character Information

3 women and 1 man, with the man playing every male role

  • Liz
    30s,
    White
    ,
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Mary
    Any adult age,
    White
    ,
    Female
    Liz's Italian grandmother; Mary and Genevieve can be any age, but they should both be around the same age - either both are young women, both are middle aged, or both are seniors
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Genevieve
    Any adult age,
    White
    ,
    Female
    Liz's Irish grandmother; Mary and Genevieve can be any age, but they should both be around the same age - either both are young women, both are middle aged, or both are seniors
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Dave
    30s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Liz's husband; the actor must be able to do a convincing Kennedy impression
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

Production History

  • Community Theater
    ,
    Prism Theatre Company
    ,
    2022

Awards

Selection
,
Spotlight on... Women Writing
,
Prism Theatre Company
,
2021
Semi-Finalist
,
Meet The Artist Series
,
Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre
,
2021
Semi-Finalist
,
Seven Devils Playwrights Conference
,
Seven Devils New Play Foundry
,
2021
Semi-Finalist
,
New Works Festival
,
Garry Marshall Theatre
,
2020
Finalist
,
NEWvember Dublin Festival
,
AboutFACE Theatre
,
2020