St. John of Suburbia

by John Patrick Bray

Set over the course of one evening in 1996.
Fraternal twins Alvin and Satan Dan have been producing a monster-erotica Zine said to be the writings of a mystic that uses the alias St. John of God. Alvin has been studying religion and VCR repair at the community college and would rather remain anonymous. Satan Dan could spoil that. Or Alvin could blurt it out.
A mix of fantasy and reality, St. John of Suburbia...

Set over the course of one evening in 1996.
Fraternal twins Alvin and Satan Dan have been producing a monster-erotica Zine said to be the writings of a mystic that uses the alias St. John of God. Alvin has been studying religion and VCR repair at the community college and would rather remain anonymous. Satan Dan could spoil that. Or Alvin could blurt it out.
A mix of fantasy and reality, St. John of Suburbia (or, Lycanthrope Limbo) reminds us that those who choose to spend time with us, despite what we write, are more than enough in this fleeting life.

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St. John of Suburbia

Recommended by

  • Anna Tatelman: St. John of Suburbia

    Does reality consist of our external actions, the menagerie of thoughts clamoring through our heads, or the narratives we tell ourselves and others? St. John of Suburbia soundly answers: all of the above. This highly inventive play takes us deep into the psyches of and narratives told by its principle characters, showing how all the raucous noise in our heads -- the stories we've told and heard, from Biblical ones to smut -- irrevocably shape our lives.

    Does reality consist of our external actions, the menagerie of thoughts clamoring through our heads, or the narratives we tell ourselves and others? St. John of Suburbia soundly answers: all of the above. This highly inventive play takes us deep into the psyches of and narratives told by its principle characters, showing how all the raucous noise in our heads -- the stories we've told and heard, from Biblical ones to smut -- irrevocably shape our lives.

  • Rachel Feeny-Williams: St. John of Suburbia

    We have the great privilege of reading this piece as part of our Sunday evening play reading and it was fabulous to be a part of! Its a wonderfully quirky and unique piece that explores the lives of two writers of erotic fiction (or is it porn?) and the craziness that goes along with it. The wonderful dialogue moves quickly back and forth giving the piece a wonderful pace and drawing the audience into this fascinating and funny story. I highly recommend giving it a read!

    We have the great privilege of reading this piece as part of our Sunday evening play reading and it was fabulous to be a part of! Its a wonderfully quirky and unique piece that explores the lives of two writers of erotic fiction (or is it porn?) and the craziness that goes along with it. The wonderful dialogue moves quickly back and forth giving the piece a wonderful pace and drawing the audience into this fascinating and funny story. I highly recommend giving it a read!

  • Samantha Oty: St. John of Suburbia

    A super fun, super meta trip back to the mid-90s. With the snappy dialogue and asides from various characters, it really felt like I was watching one of those obscure 90s comedies we all grew up watching on our parents VCR. Bray has written a quirky and memorable evening of theatre that'll stick in your head.

    A super fun, super meta trip back to the mid-90s. With the snappy dialogue and asides from various characters, it really felt like I was watching one of those obscure 90s comedies we all grew up watching on our parents VCR. Bray has written a quirky and memorable evening of theatre that'll stick in your head.

View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

  • CATH
    Character Age
    19-20
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Female identifying
  • HER DAD
    (Also plays OLD MAN, PRIEST)
    Character Age
    40
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    but any race/ethnicity welcome
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • CHRISSIE
    Character Age
    9-10 (though actor should be older)
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity.
    Character Gender Identity
    (assigned female at birth - plot relevant) Female
  • HER GRANDMA
    Character Age
    60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • ALVIN
    Character Age
    20
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • SATAN DAN
    Note: He is Alvin's Fraternal twin. Similar appearance is not entirely necessary as this is theatre, but I thought it would be worth noting.
    Character Age
    20
    Character Gender Identity
    Male

Development History

  • Type Residency, Organization Georgia Fine Arts Academy, Year 2023
  • Type Workshop, Organization The Greenhouse Ensemble (Playwrights' Group), Year 2023
  • Type Reading, Organization Athens Playwrights' Workshop, Year 2022

Production History

  • Type Workshop, Organization The Skeleton Rep(resents), Year 2023

Awards

  • New Works Festival
    Trinity Theatre Company
    Finalist
    2024
  • David A. Einhorn Prize (for Absurdist Drama)
    UTC61
    Finalist
    2022
  • 5th Annual Central PA Playwriting and Dance Competition
    Tempest Productions
    Semi-Finalist
    2022