Fabulous Monsters

by Diana Burbano

*Kilroys' List 2020* *Featured in Steppenwolf's "The Mix" Music by FEA
When punk rock exploded in L.A., Sally and Lou were there: feminists, Latinas, queens of noise. One went pop, one stayed punk, but sparks from their tumultuous friendship remain. Decades later, they try overcome old wounds, forgive each other, and rock as hard as they ever did.

A new work from this South Coast Repertory teaching artist...

*Kilroys' List 2020* *Featured in Steppenwolf's "The Mix" Music by FEA
When punk rock exploded in L.A., Sally and Lou were there: feminists, Latinas, queens of noise. One went pop, one stayed punk, but sparks from their tumultuous friendship remain. Decades later, they try overcome old wounds, forgive each other, and rock as hard as they ever did.

A new work from this South Coast Repertory teaching artist, developed in Latino Theatre Alliance/LA's Playwrights Nest Festival.

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Fabulous Monsters

Recommended by

  • Conor McShane: Fabulous Monsters

    Hell yeah. As both a music geek and a lover of great playwriting, this play checked all the boxes for me. I loved how the past and present are always in dialogue, as we are always communicating with who we used to be and who we hope to be. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

    Hell yeah. As both a music geek and a lover of great playwriting, this play checked all the boxes for me. I loved how the past and present are always in dialogue, as we are always communicating with who we used to be and who we hope to be. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

  • Ky Weeks: Fabulous Monsters

    The characters in this play, in every sense of the word, rock. They're as mesmerizingly flawed, intriguing, appalling in their actions, and yet overall so cool that Burbano's writing, with all the poetically gritty style contained within, lands and hits hard. Paints wonderful images of both the spectacularly mythic quality of fame, and the less idealized truth of what goes into it. Hard and thoughtful.

    The characters in this play, in every sense of the word, rock. They're as mesmerizingly flawed, intriguing, appalling in their actions, and yet overall so cool that Burbano's writing, with all the poetically gritty style contained within, lands and hits hard. Paints wonderful images of both the spectacularly mythic quality of fame, and the less idealized truth of what goes into it. Hard and thoughtful.

  • The Workshop Theater: Fabulous Monsters

    The Workshop Theater is pleased to recognize Diana Burbano as a playwright selected out of a competitive pool of applicants for our Fall 2020 Writer’s Intensive. The Writer’s Intensive is an eight-week long, playwright-driven process geared towards revising an existing play. Fabulous Monsters is a visceral exploration of the overlooked legacy of Latinas in punk rock; the play moves in bursts of energy as the scenes take on the form of punk music, while giving space to women who thrived in a male-dominated world and are now questioning their part in that movement. Our congratulations and thanks...

    The Workshop Theater is pleased to recognize Diana Burbano as a playwright selected out of a competitive pool of applicants for our Fall 2020 Writer’s Intensive. The Writer’s Intensive is an eight-week long, playwright-driven process geared towards revising an existing play. Fabulous Monsters is a visceral exploration of the overlooked legacy of Latinas in punk rock; the play moves in bursts of energy as the scenes take on the form of punk music, while giving space to women who thrived in a male-dominated world and are now questioning their part in that movement. Our congratulations and thanks to Diana.

View all 27 recommendations

Character Information

An onstage combo, guitar, drums and bass is ideal and fun!
  • Nigel
    Ageless. British or pretends to be. Punk rock royalty at least in his own mind. Dying of liver cancer. Can be cast from Bowie to Prince and everything in between.
    Character Age
    Ageless
    Character Gender Identity
    Gender-fluid
  • Sally
    Punk rock girl. Androgynous. Would be great if she could shred the guitar.
    Character Age
    16-26
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Latinx,
    Latina,
    Mexican,
    Chicana,
    Chicano
  • Slade
    Sally, older. Still angry. Still punk. Joan Jett type. Great if she can shred a guitar.
    Character Age
    40-50
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Latinx,
    Latina,
    Chicana,
    Chicano,
    Mexican
  • Lulu
    Very pretty. Ambitious. feminist.
    Character Age
    16-26
  • Luisa
    Lulu, older. A rock icon. Steely, icy. Lovely. Linda Ronstadt type.
    Character Age
    40s-50s
  • Kady
    Luisa’s pretty, complicated and ambitious teen age daughter. Can double Lulu.
    Character Age
    Teen
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Mixed

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Barefoot Theatre Company/ bareNaked Reading series, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization Festival51, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization Fullerton College Playwrights Festival, Year 2015
  • Type Reading, Organization Playwrights Nest at Los Angeles Theatre Center, Year 2015
  • Type Workshop, Organization Chapman College Oc-Centric Playwrights Festival, Year 2015

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization The Public Theater of San Antonio, Year 2023

Awards

  • Bret Adams & Paul Reisch Foundation Covid-19 Grant
    2020
  • Festival51 Woman's Playwrighting Competition
    Festival51
    Finalist
    2016