Curious or Insecure in Odessa (a backwards love story)

by Cristina A. Bejan

"Curious or Insecure in Odessa" is a backward love story told backwards. It begins with the final conversation held between Rose, an Ukrainian-American PhD student, and her lover, Stellan, a Swedish ex-pat short story author living in Odessa. This play as an attempt to better understand what makes us take the destructive leap of faith necessary to fall in love. the overarching question 'Curious or Insecure?' is...

"Curious or Insecure in Odessa" is a backward love story told backwards. It begins with the final conversation held between Rose, an Ukrainian-American PhD student, and her lover, Stellan, a Swedish ex-pat short story author living in Odessa. This play as an attempt to better understand what makes us take the destructive leap of faith necessary to fall in love. the overarching question 'Curious or Insecure?' is relevant to both Rose and Stellan when considering why the two were drawn to each other, as an unlikely pair of misfits in an East European barren urban landscape. The play does not aim to give an answer, but does suggest that Rose is mainly curious, whilst Stellan is primarily insecure, and that we all are, when it comes to love, a bit of both. SETTINGS : Washington D.C. and Ukraine (Odessa and surrounding areas).

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Curious or Insecure in Odessa (a backwards love story)

Character Information

  • Rose (Raisa)
    Ukrainian-American PhD student
    Character Age
    26
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Stellan
    lone wolf expat Swedish author living in Odessa, pessimist
    Character Age
    41
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Viktor
    Rose’s Ukrainian father
    Character Age
    60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Ukrainian
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Luka
    Rose’s Montenegrin-American suitor
    Character Age
    33
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Montenegrin
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Grandma
    Rose’s maternal grandmother, American
    Character Age
    82
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Nicole
    Rose’s closest girlfriend, American
    Character Age
    27
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Rough Draft Playwrights (Colorado), Year 2019