A Boy, A Bubble (a parable)

The Boy has never been touched. He’s 16, deeply annoyed by his parents (and everyone at school), and maybe in love with his best friend, Kyle. He’s also trapped in a plastic bubble, living most of his life on a screen, because of a problem with his respiratory system, or his immune system, or…something. When Kyle starts hanging out with another guy from school (and touching him in ways the Boy can only imagine)...

The Boy has never been touched. He’s 16, deeply annoyed by his parents (and everyone at school), and maybe in love with his best friend, Kyle. He’s also trapped in a plastic bubble, living most of his life on a screen, because of a problem with his respiratory system, or his immune system, or…something. When Kyle starts hanging out with another guy from school (and touching him in ways the Boy can only imagine), the Boy must renegotiate his relationships with his friend, his super-protective parents, and his own body. What will it take for him to break free? A BOY, A BUBBLE explores the limits of screen-to-screen relationships, physical and emotional intimacy, and how we protect the people we love (and ourselves).

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

A Boy, A Bubble (a parable)

Recommended by

  • Nick Malakhow: A Boy, A Bubble (a parable)

    A gorgeous, lyrical play about loneliness, disconnection, and queer identity and coming of age. I was particularly struck by how Kaydo balanced the parable-like quality of the storytelling with characters who are so nuanced, specific, and unique. I was invested so much both in the evolving relationship between the Boy and Kyle (it's beautiful and funny and honest and original) as well as the Boy and his parents. I would be so excited to see this interpreted onstage!

    A gorgeous, lyrical play about loneliness, disconnection, and queer identity and coming of age. I was particularly struck by how Kaydo balanced the parable-like quality of the storytelling with characters who are so nuanced, specific, and unique. I was invested so much both in the evolving relationship between the Boy and Kyle (it's beautiful and funny and honest and original) as well as the Boy and his parents. I would be so excited to see this interpreted onstage!

  • Benjamin Benne: A Boy, A Bubble (a parable)

    Such a precise, specific exploration of isolation and disconnection in relationships, that's so full of longing and yearning (whether in parenthood or adolescence) that it makes me ache. I love the gestural vocabulary of the play and how it simply--but beautifully and poetically--highlights the body and, also, expresses the distance between mind and body so perfectly. A rare play that is so full of heart and tenderness -- and wow that final sensory gesture at the end: spectacular!

    Such a precise, specific exploration of isolation and disconnection in relationships, that's so full of longing and yearning (whether in parenthood or adolescence) that it makes me ache. I love the gestural vocabulary of the play and how it simply--but beautifully and poetically--highlights the body and, also, expresses the distance between mind and body so perfectly. A rare play that is so full of heart and tenderness -- and wow that final sensory gesture at the end: spectacular!

THE BOY, a boy, 16
THE MOTHER, a mother, 40s
THE FATHER, a father, 40s
KYLE, another boy, 16