FEAST.

by Megan Gogerty

In this vivid reimagining of the Beowulf story, Grendel’s mother has thrown a dinner party at the end of humanity to seek justice for her son’s murder at the hands of a brutal strongman, only to confront her own complicity in his death and the subsequent spread of authoritarianism. Immersive, heightened high fantasy crashes into our contemporary political moment, asking us to consider our own responsibility to...

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FEAST.

Recommended by

Shaun Leisher: FEAST. by Megan Gogerty

“

What a unique take on the Beowulf legend. A play that looks at all of our complicity in the rist of authoritarianism. If you aren't inspired to stand up and fight back after reading this play then I don't know if you are awake at all. My heart breaks for Grendel's mother as she recounts the pain she has had to endure at the hands of the "strong man." Our world is full of strong men that take and take and take. This play is a call to action that I can't wait to experience.

What a unique take on the Beowulf legend. A play that looks at all of our complicity in the rist of authoritarianism. If you aren't inspired to stand up and fight back after reading this play then I don't know if you are awake at all. My heart breaks for Grendel's mother as she recounts the pain she has had to endure at the hands of the "strong man." Our world is full of strong men that take and take and take. This play is a call to action that I can't wait to experience.

”
Keith Burridge: FEAST. by Megan Gogerty

“

A brilliant play and clever adaptation of the Beowulf legend to rally resistance against today's oligarchs who are causing so many to suffer. I found this inspiring. Great one-woman piece. I am indebted to Brynn Hambley's review in "A Playwright's Journey" which prompted me to read this play.

A brilliant play and clever adaptation of the Beowulf legend to rally resistance against today's oligarchs who are causing so many to suffer. I found this inspiring. Great one-woman piece. I am indebted to Brynn Hambley's review in "A Playwright's Journey" which prompted me to read this play.

”
Brynn Hambley: FEAST. by Megan Gogerty

“

A dynamic and moving solo piece with such gorgeous language. The play flows beautifully from telling Grendel's Mother's side of the Beowulf story to applying that story to modern day experiences of authoritarianism, late stage capitalism, and patriarchy. A piece that, by the end, had me wanting to stand on my chair and scream in victory. I hope to see it in person one day! For a more in depth review, go to "A Playwright's Journey" on SubStack.

A dynamic and moving solo piece with such gorgeous language. The play flows beautifully from telling Grendel's Mother's side of the Beowulf story to applying that story to modern day experiences of authoritarianism, late stage capitalism, and patriarchy. A piece that, by the end, had me wanting to stand on my chair and scream in victory. I hope to see it in person one day! For a more in depth review, go to "A Playwright's Journey" on SubStack.

”

View all 8 recommendations

One woman over 40. Can be any race or ethnicity.

Development History

Type Workshop, Organization Hollins University, Year 2019
Type Workshop, Organization Oxford Community Arts Center, Oxford, OH, Year 2019
Type Reading, Organization The Playwrights Lab at Hollins University, Year 2018

Production History

Type Professional, Kitchen Theatre Company, Year 2026
Type Professional, Organization Leonix Movement Theatre, Los Angeles, Year 2025
Type Professional, Organization Shrewd Productions, Year 2025
Type Professional, Walking Shadow Theatre Company, Year 2024
Type Professional, Walking Shadow Theatre Company, Year 2023
Type Professional, Year 2020
Type Professional, Organization Theatre KAPOW, Year 2020
Type Professional, Riverside Theatre, Year 2019

Awards

Favorite Dramatic Performance by an Individual - Isabel Nelson, FEAST.

Twin Cities Theater Blogger Award

Winner

2023

Genre

drama,

experimental,

fable/folktale,

fantasy,

immersive,

political

Subject Matter Keywords

patriarchy,

Politics,

authoritarianism

Length

60-90 minutes

Cast Size

Age of Intended Audience

ages 18 and up

Narrative Attributes

Centers Female Characters

Reviews

Ithaca Times

“
Gogerty’s version presents a uniquely complex, powerful woman with a thirst for revenge.
”
Austin Chronicle

“
Come hungry, and leave changed.
”
Austin American-Statesman

“
This is why we go to the theater: To be mystified. To be enthralled. To be galvanized.
”
CTX Live Theatre

“
Deeply rooted in epic sagas, it engages human frailty and the dark of existence. Take it either way: accept it as a the re-framing of the central story of a violent epic or embrace it as an effort to grapple with the deepest questions of human existence.
”
Broadway World

“
FEAST is not merely a play; it’s an event, a ritual, a reckoning. It speaks urgently to our time, reminding us that monsters are rarely defeated by swords alone — and that sometimes the truest power lies in telling our own story, fiercely and without apology.
”
Culture Spot LA

“
There is rage and rawness and biting satire in this show. There are plenty of things to make you laugh, but also tenderness that will draw tears.
”
Splash Magazines

“
FEAST is a fascinating examination of a classic tale which will intrigue audiences and capture their unwavering attention.
”
Lavender Magazine

“
Although thematically heavy, FEAST is full of physical comedy, delightful (and sometimes gory) mime work, and witty language that will keep you laughing consistently throughout the show and thinking about it for days afterward.
”
Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“
Thrillingly unconventional...
”
Talkin' Broadway

“
It is a confessional that transitions into a call to arms. And it is decidedly not ordinary theater.
”
City Beat

“
Feast takes sharp aim at our modern hearts and pierces them in a most affecting manner. Most who tune in this production will recognize it as a powerful piece of truly in-the-moment theater, a glimpse of one way that performance can continue memorably in today's world.

”
Cincinnati Enquirer

“
Gogerty is a smart playwright. She’s not about to bore us with incomprehensible language. In fact, her script is everything that school-book translation wasn’t. It is filled with lush dialogue that is poetic, coarse, incredibly graphic and sometimes achingly beautiful.
”
Iowa City Press-Citizen

“
Maybe the real genius of the writing and performing comes from the awkward moments in the play, which reflect most dinner parties. Gogerty has penned a script and character which are both grimly funny without losing their grounding.
”
Cedar Rapids Gazette

“
Mother Earth, mother ship, military mother, mortal mother, immortal mother. All are rolled into a character that begins as a casual observer of life on this planet, until something so heinous, so personal pierces her armor of indifference and awakens the inner dragon that pulses through every mother’s heart.
”
Little Village

“
Feast. takes aim at and exposes all the rage in the room: the loss, the despair, the need for revenge. But somehow, also, by the end, all the hope, too. It’s an epic song about love that leaves you singing along.
”