Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise

by Di Lobontiu

Mo (short for Maria, short for the *Virgin* Mary) likes to hit hard. Kat (short for Ekaterina Gordeeva - oh brother) likes to rhyme. They wind up as volleyball partners. At 10, 13, 16, and in infinity, they wind up as volleyball partners: growing their garden of queer charm, cultivating their bruised volleyball forearms, and resisting their love for each other.

Well, until...

Mo (short for Maria, short for the *Virgin* Mary) likes to hit hard. Kat (short for Ekaterina Gordeeva - oh brother) likes to rhyme. They wind up as volleyball partners. At 10, 13, 16, and in infinity, they wind up as volleyball partners: growing their garden of queer charm, cultivating their bruised volleyball forearms, and resisting their love for each other.

Well, until...

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Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise

Recommended by

  • Katherine Vondy: Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise by Di Lobontiu
    “

    I saw the reading of Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise at the 2025 OOB Festival in NY, and it was everything I look for in a short play: unique, engaging, and capturing a whole world in just a few minutes. It's delightfully balanced between grounded realism and delightful theatricality, and captures the authentic feeling of those pre-adolescent and adolescent years in an incredibly winsome way!

    I saw the reading of Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise at the 2025 OOB Festival in NY, and it was everything I look for in a short play: unique, engaging, and capturing a whole world in just a few minutes. It's delightfully balanced between grounded realism and delightful theatricality, and captures the authentic feeling of those pre-adolescent and adolescent years in an incredibly winsome way!

    ”
  • Danielle Wirsansky: Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise by Di Lobontiu
    “

    Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise beautifully captures the evolution of a relationship through the lens of sports, gender, and personal growth. With clever wordplay and a tender exploration of queer love, this play subtly examines the complexities of connection and the passage of time. Heartfelt and powerful!

    Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise beautifully captures the evolution of a relationship through the lens of sports, gender, and personal growth. With clever wordplay and a tender exploration of queer love, this play subtly examines the complexities of connection and the passage of time. Heartfelt and powerful!

    ”
  • Leah Roth Barsanti: Bump-->Set-->Spike-->Bruise by Di Lobontiu
    “

    The intersectionality of sports and gender is such a hot button topic right now, and one that is close to my heart, so I was very glad to see it explored so tenderly here. I also love that this play feels so big in its smallness in the way all things do when you’re a teenager. Well done on several levels!

    The intersectionality of sports and gender is such a hot button topic right now, and one that is close to my heart, so I was very glad to see it explored so tenderly here. I also love that this play feels so big in its smallness in the way all things do when you’re a teenager. Well done on several levels!

    ”
View all 4 recommendations

Character Information

  • MO
    Tall, sunny, broad, a jock. 10 – 25 years old throughout the play, actor should be in their 20s. Butch/masc.
    20s
    Any
    Masc or non-binary,
    Female,
    Non-binary
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • KAT
    Tight, cutting, devilish, a goth. 10-25 years old throughout the play, actor should be in their 20s. Butch/masc.
    20s
    Any
    Female,
    Masc or non-binary
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary

Production History

  • Professional, The 50th Annual Concord Theatricals Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, 2025