Take My Hand And Wave Goodbye by Tammy Ryan

When Stef is killed in a random act of gun violence, her niece, Cassie, begins dreaming her back into existence. In the months after the shooting each family member is confronted with the question: “if they had done one thing differently would Stef still be alive? An examination of grief, told with humor and heart – Take My Hand And Wave Goodbye is about the impact of gun violence on one family in America –...
When Stef is killed in a random act of gun violence, her niece, Cassie, begins dreaming her back into existence. In the months after the shooting each family member is confronted with the question: “if they had done one thing differently would Stef still be alive? An examination of grief, told with humor and heart – Take My Hand And Wave Goodbye is about the impact of gun violence on one family in America – and what it means to move forward.
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Take My Hand And Wave Goodbye

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  • Premiere Stages:
    7 Apr. 2022
    “ Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize TAKE MY HAND AND WAVE GOODBYE by Tammy Ryan as a Semi-Finalist for the 2022 Premiere Play Festival. TAKE MY HAND AND WAVE GOODBYE rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 35 semifinalists out of 655 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the provocative images and discourses throughout the play that work to support an emotionally stirring and intimate portrait of an urgent cultural issue. Our congratulations and thanks to ”
  • Bill Crouch:
    12 Mar. 2021
    “ How do I write about one of the best plays of the last decade? A brilliant, heartbreaking family drama that couldn't be more prescient? No worries, I'll just leave the beauty of the writer's craft to Tammy Ryan. If you have the good fortune to see this play, or enough self-love to commit yourself to reading this play, you will be forever changed. ”
  • Playwrights Foundation:
    7 Apr. 2020
    “ Playwrights Foundation enthusiastically recommends this play, TAKE MY HAND AND WAVE GOODBYE, as a Semi-Finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2020. We were moved by the quality of the writing and the relevant and compelling themes that spoke to the mission of our festival. It excelled in a competitive process of 735 plays submitted this year and rose to the top after a six month long process discussing its merits with both national and local Bay Area readers, and we hope it moves swiftly towards production. ”

4 W, 1 M

Cast includes:
2 teenagers aged 18 and 15 (but should be played by actors in their 20s)
3 white characters in their 40s-50s
1 woman of color, preferred, 30s-40s

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Orlando Shakes - Playfest
    ,
    2020

Awards

Haas Fellow
,
Playpenn Conference
,
2020
Playfest
,
Orlando Shakespeare Festival
,
2020
Semi-Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
,
Playwrights Foundation
,
2020