The Tenants

Winner of the Best Play Or Musical award for the New York Winterfest 2020: In a New York apartment, the restless spirits of Albert and Lillian linger, trapped in an endless cycle of bickering and confusion. Neither can recall much about their past lives, only that they are bound to this place and to each other. Their days blur together in a haze of forgotten memories and half-remembered arguments, until the...

Winner of the Best Play Or Musical award for the New York Winterfest 2020: In a New York apartment, the restless spirits of Albert and Lillian linger, trapped in an endless cycle of bickering and confusion. Neither can recall much about their past lives, only that they are bound to this place and to each other. Their days blur together in a haze of forgotten memories and half-remembered arguments, until the arrival of a new couple, Jackson and Anne, disrupts their routine.

As Jackson and Anne settle into the apartment, their relationship begins to unravel, marred by tension and escalating conflict. The ghosts, observing this, start to see eerie similarities between the young couple’s struggles and their own forgotten history. Gradually, fragments of their past begin to surface. Albert and Lillian, initially bemused by the parallels, slowly come to a chilling realization—they are reliving their own tragic story through Jackson and Anne. As the young couple's relationship mirrors the ghosts' own destructive past, Albert is forced to confront the truth he has long suppressed: the apartment is not just their prison, but Albert's personal purgatory, where he is condemned to relive the torment of the abuse he inflicted on his wife.

"The Tenants" is a tragedy that explores themes of regret, the cyclical nature of abuse, and the haunting persistence of guilt. Through its spectral lens, the play examines the lasting impact of toxic relationships and the inescapable shadows they cast on the human soul.

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The Tenants

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: The Tenants

    A visceral experience that makes you confront the human condition as life and death meet. Do we want to know what will happen to us? What would we do differently if we did? Excellent.

    A visceral experience that makes you confront the human condition as life and death meet. Do we want to know what will happen to us? What would we do differently if we did? Excellent.

  • Jean Koppen: The Tenants

    This is an excellent play. It begins with an interesting premise, and ends in a surprise twist that left me emotionally gutted. The Tenants stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Bravo!

    This is an excellent play. It begins with an interesting premise, and ends in a surprise twist that left me emotionally gutted. The Tenants stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Bravo!

Albert- 60 +, jovial but forgetful older man. Has fun bickering with his wife. Confused about why they are where they are. Married to Lillian.

Lillian - late 50s/60s - Married to Albert, has a sharp wit and a bitterness to her that can come off as hilarious or mean depending on her mood.

Jackson - 30s, ambitious young professional who is consumed by his successful career and the new city they just moved to. Married to Anne.

Anne - late twenties/ early 30s - fun loving wife who sacrificed her own career and identity for her husbands success. Feels lost and isolated in this new city. Married to Jackson

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization IATI Theatre's Cimientos Play Development Program, Year 2018
  • Type Reading, Organization NEC & Signature Theatre New Works workshop, NYC, Year 2017
  • Type Reading, Organization Waterwell Theatre , Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization Stillwater Writer's Group, NY, Year 2016

Production History

  • Type Workshop, Organization New York Theater Festival, Winterfest, Year 2020

Awards

  • Best Play or Musical - New York WinterFest 2020
    New York Theatre Festival
    Winner
    2020