Pretend It's Pretend

by Emma Watkins

Playgrounds are designed to be dangerous enough for experimentation, yet safe enough to allow experiments to fail without serious injury.  This play is a playground.  When Arthur is asked to design a bulletproof playscape for his daughter’s old school, he confronts an unsettling reality: that the world does not operate by the same rules as playgrounds.  At a time when dangers beyond the playground are...

Playgrounds are designed to be dangerous enough for experimentation, yet safe enough to allow experiments to fail without serious injury.  This play is a playground.  When Arthur is asked to design a bulletproof playscape for his daughter’s old school, he confronts an unsettling reality: that the world does not operate by the same rules as playgrounds.  At a time when dangers beyond the playground are overwhelmingly present, this is a story about the endurance of care.  It is a play about learning, growing up, and grown-ups learning to play.

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Pretend It's Pretend

Recommended by

  • Erin Malone Turner: Pretend It's Pretend by Emma Watkins
    “

    Watkins has created characters who are both heartwarmingly introspective & sharply focused on the world(s) around them; a tender reminder of how we're expected to do/be/hold onto as much as possible. They're passionate, awkward, & earnest - painted crystal-clear for us to root for. A big question for us to answer: how do we protect/love/support each other within all of our little worlds? A beautiful play for a strong trio of actors!

    Watkins has created characters who are both heartwarmingly introspective & sharply focused on the world(s) around them; a tender reminder of how we're expected to do/be/hold onto as much as possible. They're passionate, awkward, & earnest - painted crystal-clear for us to root for. A big question for us to answer: how do we protect/love/support each other within all of our little worlds? A beautiful play for a strong trio of actors!

    ”
  • Jenny Connell Davis: Pretend It's Pretend by Emma Watkins
    “

    I was lucky enough to catch the workshop production of this play at UT Austin. Uvalde is still pretty fresh, down here, and as a parent of young kids, this play hits very close to home. So it's a testament to the strength of the play that I laughed, connected hard with all of the characters, and was able to take the flights of fancy the play takes. Yes, this is taking on dark subject matter, but in the best way -- a way that digs into the humanity behind problems that could polarize. Highly recommend.

    I was lucky enough to catch the workshop production of this play at UT Austin. Uvalde is still pretty fresh, down here, and as a parent of young kids, this play hits very close to home. So it's a testament to the strength of the play that I laughed, connected hard with all of the characters, and was able to take the flights of fancy the play takes. Yes, this is taking on dark subject matter, but in the best way -- a way that digs into the humanity behind problems that could polarize. Highly recommend.

    ”