←Recommendations of seal boy

seal boy by Ken Weitzman was a finalist for NNPN's 2020 National Showcase of New Plays.

A highly original, extremely theatrical piece that explores the complex experience of parenting a child who doesn't meet societal expectations. The play treads this unique line between parable and dark satire and, all along the way, it manages to feel aesthetically coherent in all its beautiful chaos. Weitzman's use of language mirroring amplifies the themes of nature vs. nurture, social conditioning, and parental control anxieties. Watching the, at turns, hilarious, poignant, and disturbing development of seal boy provides theatrical and sharply observed commentary on the social, emotional, and psychological pressures on young folks to conform and be "normal."

In an unexpected twist of events, one learns how to mother a child different than one was accustomed to. A story of learning to be of service to his development while wanting to protect him and contending with that anxiety. The deep love and pride a mother has in her unique creation is beautifully shown. Great work.

It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Ken Weitzman and their play seal boy as a finalist for our 2017 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one of 55 finalists out of more than 1,300 submissions, the strength of its writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process. Our readers responded to the play’s absurd, fast-paced approach to universal experiences, resulting in an utterly unique character study.