Pluck

by Jan Rosenberg

It's 2003. Fourteen year-old Cleo and Bea are twins. Cleo can't stop running away from womanhood. Bea can't stop running away, period. When we don't have the words for what we're becoming, we make up myths instead. A play about gender identity, dysphoria, twins, and monsters in the age of AOL.

It's 2003. Fourteen year-old Cleo and Bea are twins. Cleo can't stop running away from womanhood. Bea can't stop running away, period. When we don't have the words for what we're becoming, we make up myths instead. A play about gender identity, dysphoria, twins, and monsters in the age of AOL.

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Pluck

Recommended by

  • H. Avery: Pluck by Jan Rosenberg
    “

    When people ask me what my favorite plays are, PLUCK is always in my top three. I learned a lot about writing from this play, but more importantly I learned a lot about myself. It's relatable, funny, engaging, and illuminating. I think about it all the time.

    When people ask me what my favorite plays are, PLUCK is always in my top three. I learned a lot about writing from this play, but more importantly I learned a lot about myself. It's relatable, funny, engaging, and illuminating. I think about it all the time.

    ”
  • Collin Van Son: Pluck by Jan Rosenberg
    “

    I saw a reading of Pluck at the 2023 National Playwrights Conference, and I can confirm that it made me laugh, shiver, and at one point sweat profusely. Jan captures the magic and the horror of puberty, and shows that it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for our parents, either. With its cryptids and ambiguous stains, Pluck will change the way you remember that small patch of woods at the edge of your hometown.

    I saw a reading of Pluck at the 2023 National Playwrights Conference, and I can confirm that it made me laugh, shiver, and at one point sweat profusely. Jan captures the magic and the horror of puberty, and shows that it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for our parents, either. With its cryptids and ambiguous stains, Pluck will change the way you remember that small patch of woods at the edge of your hometown.

    ”
  • Leah Plante-Wiener: Pluck by Jan Rosenberg
    “

    I love this play so much. It's so tonally particular in the best way possible. Cleo is a deeply sympathetic character who stays with you long after you've left the world of the play, which will swallow you whole. I really hope to see this staged someday.

    I love this play so much. It's so tonally particular in the best way possible. Cleo is a deeply sympathetic character who stays with you long after you've left the world of the play, which will swallow you whole. I really hope to see this staged someday.

    ”
View all 12 recommendations

Character Information

CAST
CLEO: 14. Female or Non-Binary. Questioning her/their gender. Bea’s twin.
BEA: 14. Female. Cleo’s twin.
FOX: 14. Male. The new kid.
LENNY: Early 30s Male. Guidance counselor. Also plays DADDY SAYZ, CIRCUS FREAK, and TYLER. Queer.
JESSIE: 35. Female. The twins’ mother. She's had it rough.

Note on casting:
-There should be diversity in casting. This goes for ethnicity, gender, and body size.
-CLEO and BEA may be either fraternal or identical. I’ve purposely left it ambiguous.

  • Cleo
    Can be played by AFAB non-binary performer. Questioning her/their gender. Bea’s twin.
    14
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Bea
    Cleo's Twin.
    14
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Fox
    Super nerdy, super smart.
    14
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male,
      Non-binary
  • Lenny
    Guidance counselor. Also plays DADDY SAYZ, CIRCUS FREAK, and TYLER. Queer.
    30s-40s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male,
      Non-binary
  • Jessie
    The twins' mother.
    35
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading, The Tank NYC, 2023

Awards