Jenny Lyn Bader

Jenny Lyn Bader is a playwright living in New York City. Her plays include Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library (Luna Stage) ("powerful and timely!"—Voice of America), Equally Divine (Theatre at the 14th St. Y), In Flight (Turn to Flesh Productions), and None of the Above (New Georges). One-acts include Worldness (Humana Festival of New American Plays), Miss America (NY Int’l Fringe Festival/”Best of Fringe” selection), Anniversary Season (Mona Bismarck Center, Paris), and My First Time (Voting Writes). A Harvard graduate, she has received the “Best Documentary One-Woman Show” Award (United Solo Fest); Athena Playwriting Fellowship; and the O’Neill Center’s Edith Oliver Award for a playwright who has, in the spirit of the late New Yorker critic, “a caustic wit that deflates the...

Jenny Lyn Bader is a playwright living in New York City. Her plays include Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library (Luna Stage) ("powerful and timely!"—Voice of America), Equally Divine (Theatre at the 14th St. Y), In Flight (Turn to Flesh Productions), and None of the Above (New Georges). One-acts include Worldness (Humana Festival of New American Plays), Miss America (NY Int’l Fringe Festival/”Best of Fringe” selection), Anniversary Season (Mona Bismarck Center, Paris), and My First Time (Voting Writes). A Harvard graduate, she has received the “Best Documentary One-Woman Show” Award (United Solo Fest); Athena Playwriting Fellowship; and the O’Neill Center’s Edith Oliver Award for a playwright who has, in the spirit of the late New Yorker critic, “a caustic wit that deflates the ego but does not unduly damage the human spirit.” For This Is Not a Theatre Company, she wrote Tree Confessions (w/ Kathleen Chalfant), which has streamed on five continents; International Local: 7 (Subway Plays app); co-authored Café Play (Cornelia St. Café) and Play in Your Bathtub 2.0, and wrote Guru of Touch (Edinburgh Festival Fringe). Her work has been published by Dramatists Play Service, Smith + Kraus, Applause, Vintage, W.W. Norton, The Lincoln Center Theater Review, Plays International + Europe, and The New York Times, where she served as a frequent contributor to the "Week in Review.” She has written commissioned scripts for Laura Ziskin Productions/WB Network, NBC Studios/NBC, and HBO, where she developed a pilot with Billy Crystal. A Harvard graduate, she has been a frequent contributor to the NY Times "Week in Review" and a Lark playwriting fellow, nominated by Wendy Wasserstein. She belongs to the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, the League of Professional Theatre Women, and Honor Roll. For more see www.jennylynbader.com

Scripts

Natives

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Bounder goes on a dangerous mission to save the planet, and may never be able to return.

Bounder goes on a dangerous mission to save the planet, and may never be able to return.

Circling

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A man interviews for a job that he doesn't fully understand. A woman gets a video call from a favorite celebrity. Two people with apparent political differences go on a date. And all is interconnected by AI technology, election campaign drama, and mold remediation. A two-actor, multi-character drama where nothing is what it seems.

A man interviews for a job that he doesn't fully understand. A woman gets a video call from a favorite celebrity. Two people with apparent political differences go on a date. And all is interconnected by AI technology, election campaign drama, and mold remediation. A two-actor, multi-character drama where nothing is what it seems.

Makeover Artist

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A young woman recovering from an academic scandal pursues a spiritual makeover, buoyed by wisdom from a nail technician. —But her true spiritual journey begins when her mentor can no longer help her. What defines us? If you change your name, country, or language, or the words you use, or your surroundings, or just throw out your instagram account, have you changed yourself? What's the best way to find your voice...

A young woman recovering from an academic scandal pursues a spiritual makeover, buoyed by wisdom from a nail technician. —But her true spiritual journey begins when her mentor can no longer help her. What defines us? If you change your name, country, or language, or the words you use, or your surroundings, or just throw out your instagram account, have you changed yourself? What's the best way to find your voice in a world that seems intent on corrupting or silencing you? Makeover Artist is a comedy about figuring out who to become — and how.

Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Johanna Stern will become one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. But at the moment, no one has heard of her, or even of the name she writes under, Hannah Arendt. She is merely a graduate student with one book under her belt. Karl Frick is a young officer, recently promoted from the criminal police force to the political police force, a new division in 1933 Berlin. His first interrogation in...

Johanna Stern will become one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. But at the moment, no one has heard of her, or even of the name she writes under, Hannah Arendt. She is merely a graduate student with one book under her belt. Karl Frick is a young officer, recently promoted from the criminal police force to the political police force, a new division in 1933 Berlin. His first interrogation in this new job promises to be his most challenging one. A fantastical drama about one of our deepest thinkers, inspired by real events.

In Flight: a comedy in verse

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A play about the power of poetry, the poetry of power, and the perils of publishing. —And surely the world's first verse play set in the offices of an in-flight airline magazine.

A play about the power of poetry, the poetry of power, and the perils of publishing. —And surely the world's first verse play set in the offices of an in-flight airline magazine.

Manhattan Casanova

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Dr. Charlotte Kaplan, a cynical psychiatrist, is trying to figure out why all of her patients and friends are falling in love even more quickly than usual. Then she realizes they're all falling for the same guy. And then she encounters him herself. A comedy about compulsive seduction, love in the time of cyberspace, and meeting one's match.

Dr. Charlotte Kaplan, a cynical psychiatrist, is trying to figure out why all of her patients and friends are falling in love even more quickly than usual. Then she realizes they're all falling for the same guy. And then she encounters him herself. A comedy about compulsive seduction, love in the time of cyberspace, and meeting one's match.

The Romanian Reunion

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A family reunion in the old country leads to new connections and an unexpected creation.

A family reunion in the old country leads to new connections and an unexpected creation.

Fellowship

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Three housemates try to live together in harmony.

Three housemates try to live together in harmony.

Bader's Dozen

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A director asked me if she could read my easiest to produce short plays (without much in the way of furniture or transition time etc.) for a cabaret-style evening. It occurred to me that others may be interested in looking at these and share this collection here. These are not intended to all be performed in the same evening, there are 13 of them! But I do have several short play cycles I can share with you if...

A director asked me if she could read my easiest to produce short plays (without much in the way of furniture or transition time etc.) for a cabaret-style evening. It occurred to me that others may be interested in looking at these and share this collection here. These are not intended to all be performed in the same evening, there are 13 of them! But I do have several short play cycles I can share with you if that is your thing.

Pink, Grey, Maroon

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Three old friends encounter each other at a college reunion and find how much they've changed over the years — and how they've stayed the same.

Three old friends encounter each other at a college reunion and find how much they've changed over the years — and how they've stayed the same.

Strange Happenings at the School Library (co-authored w/ Martine Sainvil)

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A new play by Jenny Lyn Bader & Martine Sainvil

A school goes into lockdown during the pandemic and the librarian moves in. But suddenly the books have changed. The Greek gods are having a zoom meeting, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are practicing social distancing, and Rapunzel is building a social media following — and that's just the beginning. An adventure-comedy for all ages, Strange Happenings runs 60 minutes...

A new play by Jenny Lyn Bader & Martine Sainvil

A school goes into lockdown during the pandemic and the librarian moves in. But suddenly the books have changed. The Greek gods are having a zoom meeting, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are practicing social distancing, and Rapunzel is building a social media following — and that's just the beginning. An adventure-comedy for all ages, Strange Happenings runs 60 minutes and has a large, flexible cast.

The Whole Megillah: A Purim Spiel for grownups

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Jenny Lyn wrote this Purim Spiel at the request of one particular synagogue — but Purim is coming soon and if your shul is looking for a 45-minute zoom entertainment complete with opportunities to drink, reach out!

Jenny Lyn wrote this Purim Spiel at the request of one particular synagogue — but Purim is coming soon and if your shul is looking for a 45-minute zoom entertainment complete with opportunities to drink, reach out!

Petticoat Government

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A sex scandal threatens to bring down the White House, terrorists are sending letter bombs, and a woman who does not believe in women’s rights finds herself in the Oval Office — in 1919.

A sex scandal threatens to bring down the White House, terrorists are sending letter bombs, and a woman who does not believe in women’s rights finds herself in the Oval Office — in 1919.

Communal Table

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Have you ever had to share a table in a café with the wrong people? On one summer afternoon in June, the day of the summer solstice, three characters end up at the same café table. Minna enjoys eavesdropping, but this time is different — this guy is getting so many things wrong, she may just need to interrupt. Gary loves meeting new people, but it looks like his latest flirtation is getting sabotaged. Allie has...

Have you ever had to share a table in a café with the wrong people? On one summer afternoon in June, the day of the summer solstice, three characters end up at the same café table. Minna enjoys eavesdropping, but this time is different — this guy is getting so many things wrong, she may just need to interrupt. Gary loves meeting new people, but it looks like his latest flirtation is getting sabotaged. Allie has come here for some peace but she’s unlikely to find any here.

It’s challenging to meet new people when they’re next to other people. COMMUNAL TABLE is a comedy about shared space, public conversation, and whether we can all just get along.

None of the Above

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

One sophisticated New York City teenager answers the door expecting her drug dealer — and instead finds her S.A.T. tutor. Things degenerate from there. A comedy about privilege, probability, and getting into Princeton.

One sophisticated New York City teenager answers the door expecting her drug dealer — and instead finds her S.A.T. tutor. Things degenerate from there. A comedy about privilege, probability, and getting into Princeton.

The Slippers of Alexander the Great

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Finalist, Ashland Women's Invitational 2016
Unproduced; available for world premiere.
What happens when the person you love asks you to give up everything you believe in?
Can truth survive in a world of fakes?
A scholar who proposes to his girlfriend is about to find out.

Finalist, Ashland Women's Invitational 2016
Unproduced; available for world premiere.
What happens when the person you love asks you to give up everything you believe in?
Can truth survive in a world of fakes?
A scholar who proposes to his girlfriend is about to find out.

Out of Mind: Six Short Plays with Some of the People Missing

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Relationships are never quite what they seem to be — especially in this play cycle about people who are invisible, missing, or barely there! Characters recover from heartbreak, meet their idols, and baby-sit under mysterious circumstances... but nothing goes as planned. These tender comedies celebrate love, revel in human connection, and offer a glimpse of the unseen: Don't believe your eyes.

Relationships are never quite what they seem to be — especially in this play cycle about people who are invisible, missing, or barely there! Characters recover from heartbreak, meet their idols, and baby-sit under mysterious circumstances... but nothing goes as planned. These tender comedies celebrate love, revel in human connection, and offer a glimpse of the unseen: Don't believe your eyes.

Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Told from the point of view of the world’s most famous painting, this true-crime whodunit begins with the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum. Police question everyone from Picasso to J.P Morgan but can't crack the case. Meanwhile the painting herself plots her escape — and along the way, tells us about the visionary artist Leonardo da Vinci, the apprentice who would become his lover, and the...

Told from the point of view of the world’s most famous painting, this true-crime whodunit begins with the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum. Police question everyone from Picasso to J.P Morgan but can't crack the case. Meanwhile the painting herself plots her escape — and along the way, tells us about the visionary artist Leonardo da Vinci, the apprentice who would become his lover, and the secrets behind the masterpiece. The portrait solves mysteries that have baffled fans and stumped scholars for centuries: Why Leonardo never delivered the painting to the man who commissioned it. Who she is. And why she’s smiling. Equally Divine is a time-hopping, gender-bending drama about art, inspiration, and becoming who we are.

CEO

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

A chief executive misses a corporate retreat only to discover that her assistant dominated the conversation there. Now she has a few questions but the assistant isn't talking — at least not in words.

A chief executive misses a corporate retreat only to discover that her assistant dominated the conversation there. Now she has a few questions but the assistant isn't talking — at least not in words.

The Age of Trump

by Jenny Lyn Bader

Synopsis

Three short comedies inspired by these troubled times. In A VISIT TO THE RUST BELT, an east and a west coaster encounter a midwesterner in the wake of the election. In INAUGURATION, a romantic date in Washington DC unravels when politics arise in unexpected ways. WHITE HOUSE FAIRYTALE imagines an enchanted version of the current administration where the lessons of the Arabian Nights could offer a path to a...

Three short comedies inspired by these troubled times. In A VISIT TO THE RUST BELT, an east and a west coaster encounter a midwesterner in the wake of the election. In INAUGURATION, a romantic date in Washington DC unravels when politics arise in unexpected ways. WHITE HOUSE FAIRYTALE imagines an enchanted version of the current administration where the lessons of the Arabian Nights could offer a path to a better future.