This Not That

by Gemma Cooper-Novack

Daniella and Marshall, a longtime couple, have recently gotten engaged. Neither can admit that Jessica, Daniella's best friend, serves as a distant object of love for them both. As the wedding draws closer and a devastating event at the charter school Daniella founded and where Jessica teaches disturbs both women, all their relationships are disrupted.

Daniella and Marshall, a longtime couple, have recently gotten engaged. Neither can admit that Jessica, Daniella's best friend, serves as a distant object of love for them both. As the wedding draws closer and a devastating event at the charter school Daniella founded and where Jessica teaches disturbs both women, all their relationships are disrupted.

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This Not That

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  • The Depot for New Play Readings: This Not That

    “This Not That” tells an intimate story about ambiguity and fidelity. In finely tuned dialog, Gemma Cooper-Novack reveals the intersecting and conflicting emotions that connect Daniella, Marshall, and Jessica, a charter school principal, fantasy writer, and teacher respectively. Feelings of loyalty, fear, and desire threaten to disrupt Marshall and Daniella’s wedding plans while offering the possibility of a less-contested partnership between Daniella and Jessica. Cooper-Novack’s restraint in language and plotting produces a drama whose delicate tremors intimate the cruelties of living in a...

    “This Not That” tells an intimate story about ambiguity and fidelity. In finely tuned dialog, Gemma Cooper-Novack reveals the intersecting and conflicting emotions that connect Daniella, Marshall, and Jessica, a charter school principal, fantasy writer, and teacher respectively. Feelings of loyalty, fear, and desire threaten to disrupt Marshall and Daniella’s wedding plans while offering the possibility of a less-contested partnership between Daniella and Jessica. Cooper-Novack’s restraint in language and plotting produces a drama whose delicate tremors intimate the cruelties of living in a world where one must choose either this or that.

  • Sawyer Quinn Brown: This Not That

    This play crackles with energy between its three characters. Beautiful, realistic dialogue combines with well-fleshed-out characters for a truly engaging play. All in all an excellent read and something I would love to see staged.

    This play crackles with energy between its three characters. Beautiful, realistic dialogue combines with well-fleshed-out characters for a truly engaging play. All in all an excellent read and something I would love to see staged.

  • Lainie Vansant: This Not That

    This romantic, mysterious play is beautifully written and includes a lot of good scene work options for college-age and older students. Cooper-Novack has made a couple of complex worlds and she follows characters who have diverse but strong wants and needs. Check it out!

    This romantic, mysterious play is beautifully written and includes a lot of good scene work options for college-age and older students. Cooper-Novack has made a couple of complex worlds and she follows characters who have diverse but strong wants and needs. Check it out!

View all 4 recommendations

Character Information

  • Daniella
    Charter school founder. Tends to be brash, domineering, felled by the wedding-industrial complex and the uncertainties it brings to the surface.
    Character Age
    Early 30s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Marshall
    Daniella's fiancé. A fantasy novelist. Nerdy with an edge.
    Character Age
    Early 30s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Jessica
    Daniella's best friend, a teacher at Daniella's charter high school. Quirky and somewhat enamored of her own quirkiness. Centered. Bisexual. Not interested in needing anyone. (Note: the play works best if at least one of Daniella and Jessica is played by a WOC.)
    Character Age
    Late 20s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization The Depot for New Play Readings, Year 2021