With Love and a Major Organ

by Julia Lederer

In an act of courage and rash emotion, Anabel gives her heart to a stranger she meets on the subway.
He disappears with it and her limbs begin to fall asleep. She needs to get it back.
George is on the run, but keeps getting distracted by romantic comedies and feelings he's never had before. Not all of them are his own. Mona is online speed-dating and seeking therapy from GoogleShrink to feel more connected to...

In an act of courage and rash emotion, Anabel gives her heart to a stranger she meets on the subway.
He disappears with it and her limbs begin to fall asleep. She needs to get it back.
George is on the run, but keeps getting distracted by romantic comedies and feelings he's never had before. Not all of them are his own. Mona is online speed-dating and seeking therapy from GoogleShrink to feel more connected to the real world. Then a stranger appears on her doorstep in search of a missing heart.

Whimsical, funny, and wildly original, With Love and a Major Organ is a unique exploration of love in the age of technology. Why is it that we are ever more connected and yet we have never felt more alone? A modern day fable about what it costs to give your heart away, and what happens when you discover you actually have one.

"[A] show that stands out above the others... just about perfect... rises to a rare level of universal truth, all while making us laugh. A lot.”
- NewCity Stage, Chicago

"Lederer’s dialogue is laced with sophisticated poetry and wry insight into the isolation faced by a generation.”
- The Los Angeles Times

"A brash, poetic and fiercely original voice that's equal parts pee-your-pants funny and get-out-that-Kleenex poignant." - NOW Magazine, Toronto

* There are 2 versions-- the published 60 minute version (link to book below), and the newer 85 minute version that premiered at the Theatre @ Boston Court, October 2017. Both are available. The attached pages are from the longer version.

* Age, gender, and enthicity are open. With the adjustments of pronouns, this play has been performed with three women. Other combinations are also possible.

* Adapted (by the author) into a feature film, premiered at SXSW 2023. Currently streaming.

read more
  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

With Love and a Major Organ

Recommended by

  • Cassandra Rose: With Love and a Major Organ by Julia Lederer
    “

    I saw Strawdog Theatre Company's 2015 production of this play and was immediately taken by the script's sincerity. This is not a play that pushes past the awkward or indecisive moments. Instead, it lets us sit in them and examine them. How do we connect in a world of missed connections?

    I saw Strawdog Theatre Company's 2015 production of this play and was immediately taken by the script's sincerity. This is not a play that pushes past the awkward or indecisive moments. Instead, it lets us sit in them and examine them. How do we connect in a world of missed connections?

    ”
  • Greg Romero: With Love and a Major Organ by Julia Lederer
    “

    I feel so fortunate to have seen this play at The Last Frontier Conference in 2017. I was so impressed with the writing-- lots of fun surprises, expansive moments, delightful humor, playful theatricality, and some emotional moments that felt very truthful. I think this play is a lovely work of theater.

    I feel so fortunate to have seen this play at The Last Frontier Conference in 2017. I was so impressed with the writing-- lots of fun surprises, expansive moments, delightful humor, playful theatricality, and some emotional moments that felt very truthful. I think this play is a lovely work of theater.

    ”
The play has been performed with casts of a variety of age ranges. As long as Mona is George's mother, it doesn't matter. Ethnicity is open for all characters with diversity highly encouraged. With Love and a Major Organ has also been produced with a cast of three women. Pronouns are easily changed. Other gender switches are also possibilities. The play is about the story, the characters, and their relationships -- how that looks and works is open.

Development History

  • Reading, TheatreKairos writers' circle, 2011

Production History

  • Professional, Here For Now Theatre, 2024
  • High School, Rosedale School for the Arts, 2021
  • Professional, Boise Contemporary Theater, 2018
  • Professional, Last Frontier Theatre Conference (Valdez, Alaska), 2017
  • Professional, The Theatre @ Boston Court (Los Angeles) , 2017
  • High School, Northern Secondary School, 2016
  • High School, Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute (Toronto, Canada), 2015
  • Professional, Strawdog Theatre, 2015
  • Fringe, Next Stage Theatre Festival (Toronto, Canada), 2013
  • Fringe, Toronto Fringe Festival, Best of the Fringe (Extended run), 2012
  • University, Cedar Crest College (Allentown, Pennsylvania), 2012

Awards

  • Best Production
    Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle
    Finalist
    2018
  • Ovation Award Recommended
    LA Stage Alliance
    2017
  • Outstanding New Play (at the Toronto Fringe Festival)
    NOW Magazine
    2012
  • Patron's Pick
    Toronto Fringe Festival
    Audience Choice
    2012