ALEXANDRIA

by Vince Gatton

[FULL LENGTH] In a small town library in the Deep South, two librarians share an unlikely close friendship, despite being on opposite sides of the culture war. But when a young queer runaway, ominous global events, and the Sweep of Human History come crashing through their front door, what will it take for that friendship to survive?

Alexandria is a play about relationships that cross deep divides of belief...

[FULL LENGTH] In a small town library in the Deep South, two librarians share an unlikely close friendship, despite being on opposite sides of the culture war. But when a young queer runaway, ominous global events, and the Sweep of Human History come crashing through their front door, what will it take for that friendship to survive?

Alexandria is a play about relationships that cross deep divides of belief and conviction: what those relationships are worth, and what they cost.

*** Winner - Sanguine Theatre Company's Project Playwright Festival
** Semi-finalist, Princess Grace Award

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ALEXANDRIA

Recommended by

  • John Minigan: ALEXANDRIA by Vince Gatton
    “

    A powerful play that is such a gut-punch, especailly in the time we're in and the times we're entering. There is rage, there is compassion, there is acknowledgement that conversations can only take us so far. But most of all there is the essential question of how we will survive our times and our fragmentation--and what, if anything, will survive with us. A necessary play that should be produced all over in 2025

    A powerful play that is such a gut-punch, especailly in the time we're in and the times we're entering. There is rage, there is compassion, there is acknowledgement that conversations can only take us so far. But most of all there is the essential question of how we will survive our times and our fragmentation--and what, if anything, will survive with us. A necessary play that should be produced all over in 2025

    ”
  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel: ALEXANDRIA by Vince Gatton
    “

    What a devastating, resonant clash of friends and neighbors. The plot gorgeously zooms in on each individual, and then out to the global ramifications, in a way that feels both shocking and inevitable. The final scene will break your heart and glue it together again.

    What a devastating, resonant clash of friends and neighbors. The plot gorgeously zooms in on each individual, and then out to the global ramifications, in a way that feels both shocking and inevitable. The final scene will break your heart and glue it together again.

    ”
  • Nora Louise Syran: ALEXANDRIA by Vince Gatton
    “

    There's much to unpack in this powerful piece. The realistic yet symbolic setting, the meal motif, the well-drawn characters...everything comes into sharp focus as forces pull them from their "decadence on an unprecedented level" and they are left with humanity's "stored knowledge" and fragile, newly won liberties in literal and figurative ruins. Rising up and ultimately winning? Let's hope so. Gatton teaches (without being didactic) and it is a powerful lesson.

    There's much to unpack in this powerful piece. The realistic yet symbolic setting, the meal motif, the well-drawn characters...everything comes into sharp focus as forces pull them from their "decadence on an unprecedented level" and they are left with humanity's "stored knowledge" and fragile, newly won liberties in literal and figurative ruins. Rising up and ultimately winning? Let's hope so. Gatton teaches (without being didactic) and it is a powerful lesson.

    ”
View all 20 recommendations

Character Information

  • Brenda
    Head librarian at a small town library and a local, born and bred. Southern. Lesbian. Brenda has a jagged, unavoidable scar on her face. She flows like a wide river, calm, steady, and always forward.
    50-ish
    White
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Pam
    Lesbian woman in her mid-40s to 50s, any ethnicity. From Chicago, and you can tell it from the sound of her. Loud, and with a low tolerance for bullshit.
    40s to 50s
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Ray
    Southern white man anywhere in his 30s – 40s. Looks like a bespectacled hipster, or as close to a hipster as you can get in this small Southern town. Smart, funny, warm, and hyper-verbal. Works at the library. His people go way back.
    30s - early 40s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Ol’Mo
    Southern African-American male, no one knows how old exactly, but old. The library equivalent of a barfly, he’s always around, always carrying a violin case. An antisocial loner, he’s reserved, protective, and full of opinions he keeps to himself.
    60s - 70s
    African American,
    Black
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Monté
    Teens or 20s to play teens. A Southern Black queer boy, he is uninterested in and incapable of gender-conforming. Determined, smart, and intuitive, he holds on to his self-worth like a treasure and a weapon.
    Teens
    Black and/or Latinx,
    African-American or Latinx
    Male,
    gender non-conforming
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

  • Reading, Bunbury Theater, 2020
  • Reading, Project Y Theatre, 2017
  • Reading, Luna Stage, 2017

Production History

  • Professional, Sanguine Theatre Company, 2018

Awards

  • Hidden River Playwriting Award
    Hidden River Arts
    Finalist
    2019
  • Project Playwright Festival
    Sanguine Theatre Company
    Winner
    2018