[UN]ORIGINAL

by Sze Yu Tracy Li

Can we ever exist "outside the box?"
[UN]ORIGINAL is about the panic of wanting more in a world designed to keep us contained. When Sally, a fiercely idealistic writer, meets Avery, a pragmatic newsroom veteran, their connection unfolds inside a city built from boxes– cubicles, careers, relationships, and expectations. As they grapple with seemingly incompatible ways of loving, dreaming, and living, the play...

Can we ever exist "outside the box?"
[UN]ORIGINAL is about the panic of wanting more in a world designed to keep us contained. When Sally, a fiercely idealistic writer, meets Avery, a pragmatic newsroom veteran, their connection unfolds inside a city built from boxes– cubicles, careers, relationships, and expectations. As they grapple with seemingly incompatible ways of loving, dreaming, and living, the play asks whether meaning comes from escaping the box, reshaping it, or choosing to love inside it.

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[UN]ORIGINAL

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  • Phanésia Pharel: [UN]ORIGINAL by Sze Yu Tracy Li
    “

    I love Tracy's play. It's a great example of what character-driven drama does best - it pulls us into the journey of two people and cracks us open. I have thought a lot about the protagonist's monologue on asexuality and how prescient this character is to our time.

    I love Tracy's play. It's a great example of what character-driven drama does best - it pulls us into the journey of two people and cracks us open. I have thought a lot about the protagonist's monologue on asexuality and how prescient this character is to our time.

    ”
SALLY HART: Female, late-20s. A newly hired writer at The Daily.
AVERY SMOTE: Male, early-30s. Writer at The Daily.
MR. FAY: Any gender. The City Editor of The Daily.
PERSON: Any gender. Any person.

All characters may be played by actors of any race or ethnicity.
SALLY should be played by a woman-identifying actor. AVERY should be played by a man-identifying actor. MR. FAY is gender neutral in casting– I used the title “Mr.” in the script to reflect symbolic associations with masculine-coded ideas of institutional power and fate-like rigidity, but the title can be adjusted to suit the actor’s identity. PERSON should be played by the same actor as AVERY, with distinguishable changes in clothing, hair, or demeanor.

Development History

  • Reading, Lenaia Student Playwriting Festival , 2026

Awards

  • Excellence in LGBTQ Writing Award
    Emory University
    Winner
    2026