Lullaby for Winnie

by Alan Stewart

Music by Scrumbly Koldwyn

A diagnosis of ALS forces a famous director and a former great actress to heal their relationship and work together on a play about euthanasia. The main problem is the actress is the director’s estranged mother who wants no part of it.

A diagnosis of ALS forces a famous director and a former great actress to heal their relationship and work together on a play about euthanasia. The main problem is the actress is the director’s estranged mother who wants no part of it.

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Lullaby for Winnie

Recommended by

  • Donald Loftus: Lullaby for Winnie by Alan Stewart
    “

    A deeply moving and inventive play, Lullaby for Winnie blends humor, music, and raw emotional truth into a powerful theatrical experience. Stewart crafts richly layered characters, particularly Emily and Marcia, whose fraught relationship unfolds with wit and poignancy. The use of Winnie adds warmth and symbolic depth, grounding the story’s exploration of illness, legacy, and love. A bold, heartfelt work that resonates long after the final moment.

    A deeply moving and inventive play, Lullaby for Winnie blends humor, music, and raw emotional truth into a powerful theatrical experience. Stewart crafts richly layered characters, particularly Emily and Marcia, whose fraught relationship unfolds with wit and poignancy. The use of Winnie adds warmth and symbolic depth, grounding the story’s exploration of illness, legacy, and love. A bold, heartfelt work that resonates long after the final moment.

    ”
  • Germaine Shames: Lullaby for Winnie by Alan Stewart
    “

    No one understands the human-animal bond better than Dr. Alan Stewart, as Lullaby for Winnie poignantly attests. This family drama will tug at your heartstrings, but it is Winnie that will break your heart.

    No one understands the human-animal bond better than Dr. Alan Stewart, as Lullaby for Winnie poignantly attests. This family drama will tug at your heartstrings, but it is Winnie that will break your heart.

    ”

Character Information

Emily Quantrelle

Marcia Quantrelle

Steven Quantrelle

Winnie (Handled by one or two Banraku puppeteers) - five year old female Great Dane puppet -
  • Emily Quantrelle
    A very good and respected director of plays. She disdains musicals. The only thing she loves more than theatre is her dog Winnie. She had Gillian-Barre Syndrome as a child and now develops ALS. She gets progressively weaker as the play progresses.
    52
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Marcia Quantrelle
    Emily's mother, nemesis and narcissist, yet frail as bone china. Can't let go of anything. Had her chance to be a major musical star but teaches grade school instead. And excels at it. She needs to sing beautifully.
    74
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Steven Quantrelle
    Marcia's husband. An intuit who rather read or do puzzles than engage in conflict. He's read a lot of books and done a lot of puzzles. He always knows more than you know. Taught criticism (mostly dramatic) at a major university.
    75
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Winnie
    (Handled by one or two Banraku puppeteers) - five year old female Great Dane puppet - sweet, devoted and trusting. Wears a bright pink collar. She is intimately connected with Emily and visa versa. She literally and figuratively is her crutch. Loves everyone and everything as demonstrated by her tail.
    5
    Female

Development History

  • Workshop, Dramatist Guild Foundation, 2024
  • Reading, Professional Table Read, 2024
  • Reading, Zoom, 2023
  • Reading, Professional Zoom Reading, 2023

Awards

  • TRU-voices
    TRU
    Semi-Finalist
    2024