Near Nellie Bly

by Mark Loewenstern

Winner of Inkslinger Playwriting Contest, 2024

(O'Neill Semi-Finalist)
(Lanford Wilson Semi-Finalist)
(Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival)
(Epiphanies New Works Festival by Wild Imaginings)

FULL LENGTH
Nellie Bly, aspiring daredevil reporter, went undercover in an insane asylum on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island) in New York City, 1887. There she befriended a patient named Anne Neville. After...

Winner of Inkslinger Playwriting Contest, 2024

(O'Neill Semi-Finalist)
(Lanford Wilson Semi-Finalist)
(Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival)
(Epiphanies New Works Festival by Wild Imaginings)

FULL LENGTH
Nellie Bly, aspiring daredevil reporter, went undercover in an insane asylum on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island) in New York City, 1887. There she befriended a patient named Anne Neville. After 10 days, Nellie was released. Anne stayed. This play tells the above story from Anne Neville’s perspective. It strives to show not what Nellie Bly did, but rather, WHY what Nellie Bly did was important.

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Near Nellie Bly

Recommended by

  • Nora Louise Syran: Near Nellie Bly

    Glorious! This period drama is fresh, and (unfortunately) intensely relevant to today; the dialogue, in particular the narration by Nellie's fellow inmate Anne, is sparse and as restrained as the women held on Blackwell Island until a "new path" is set and Anne is empowered to speak for herself. Well-chosen imagery woven throughout reveals the true insanity: the usurpation of the old wisdom from women by those tainted by hubris. Bravo!

    Glorious! This period drama is fresh, and (unfortunately) intensely relevant to today; the dialogue, in particular the narration by Nellie's fellow inmate Anne, is sparse and as restrained as the women held on Blackwell Island until a "new path" is set and Anne is empowered to speak for herself. Well-chosen imagery woven throughout reveals the true insanity: the usurpation of the old wisdom from women by those tainted by hubris. Bravo!

  • Cindi Sansone-Braff: Near Nellie Bly

    This historical drama set in 1887 in a New York women’s insane asylum is a harrowing account of how easy it was back then for a woman to be misdiagnosed as mentally ill and then institionalized. Nellie Bly, a bold and courageous reporter, sees firsthand the cruel, inhumane, and barbaric treatment women were receiving in an institution on Blackwell Island. There are many fascinating parts for women to portray. This docudrama would be riveting to see staged. Bravo!

    This historical drama set in 1887 in a New York women’s insane asylum is a harrowing account of how easy it was back then for a woman to be misdiagnosed as mentally ill and then institionalized. Nellie Bly, a bold and courageous reporter, sees firsthand the cruel, inhumane, and barbaric treatment women were receiving in an institution on Blackwell Island. There are many fascinating parts for women to portray. This docudrama would be riveting to see staged. Bravo!

  • Suzi Elnaggar: Near Nellie Bly

    This play was a finalist in the Epiphanies New Works Festival 2021. The exploration of feminine madness and who Nellie Bly was to the women who met her was awesome. Definitely recommended.

    This play was a finalist in the Epiphanies New Works Festival 2021. The exploration of feminine madness and who Nellie Bly was to the women who met her was awesome. Definitely recommended.

View all 10 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Epiphanies New Play Festival at Wild Imaginings, Waco, TX, Year 2021
  • Type Workshop, Organization Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples, FL, Year 2019
  • Type Workshop, Organization The Actors Studio, Playwrights and Directors Workshop, New York, NY, Year 2017

Production History

  • Type University, Organization Southeastern Louisiana University, Year 2024 (scheduled)
  • Type Workshop, Organization Wild Imaginings, Epiphanies New Play Festival, Waco, TX, Year 2021
  • Type Workshop, Organization Gulfshore Playhouse, New Play Festival, Naples, FL, Year 2019

Awards

  • Inkslinger Playwriting Contest
    Southeastern Louisiana University
    Winner
    2024
  • Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival
    Southeast Missouri State University
    Semi-Finalist
    2022
  • New Play Festival
    Wild Imaginings
    Finalist
    2021
  • New Play Festival
    Gulfshore Playhouse
    Winner
    2019