Susan Yassky

Susan Yassky is a Brooklyn-based-and-raised playwright and dramaturg. Recent plays include JAKE (Ojai Playwrights Conference and O’Neill NPC finalist, Kilroys Web 2025, workshops at The Hearth and Ensemble Studio Theatre), MANIFESTATIONS (Ojai Playwrights Conference finalist, O’Neill NPC semi-finalist), and A VARIATION (Seven Devils Playwrights Conference semi-finalist). She is under commission at Playwrights Horizons, and is a former member of EST/Youngblood. Previously, she was the Literary Associate for The Civilians, and a Dramaturgy and Literary Management Apprentice at Actors Theatre of Louisville. She received her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she received the Chair’s Award for Excellence in Dramatic Writing. She received her BA in Theater Studies...

Susan Yassky is a Brooklyn-based-and-raised playwright and dramaturg. Recent plays include JAKE (Ojai Playwrights Conference and O’Neill NPC finalist, Kilroys Web 2025, workshops at The Hearth and Ensemble Studio Theatre), MANIFESTATIONS (Ojai Playwrights Conference finalist, O’Neill NPC semi-finalist), and A VARIATION (Seven Devils Playwrights Conference semi-finalist). She is under commission at Playwrights Horizons, and is a former member of EST/Youngblood. Previously, she was the Literary Associate for The Civilians, and a Dramaturgy and Literary Management Apprentice at Actors Theatre of Louisville. She received her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she received the Chair’s Award for Excellence in Dramatic Writing. She received her BA in Theater Studies and Humanities from Yale College.

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Scripts

Jake

by Susan Yassky

Cast Size
2
Genre
drama,
mystery/thriller

Rebecca and Kay sit down to catch up over coffee and bond over a shared tragedy. The more they talk, and the more they reveal what they truly want from one another, the more disturbing things get. JAKE is a twisty, suspenseful, tightly-wound two-hander about legacy, loss, and weird wellness influencers.

Rebecca and Kay sit down to catch up over coffee and bond over a shared tragedy. The more they talk, and the more they reveal what they truly want from one another, the more disturbing things get. JAKE is a twisty, suspenseful, tightly-wound two-hander about legacy, loss, and weird wellness influencers.

Manifestations

by Susan Yassky

1
Cast Size
4
Genre
drama

It’s the 1850s, the height of American spiritualism, and sisters Enid and Minnie are mediums. They’ve been helping people talk to the spirits of their dead loved ones since they were kids, when their mediumistic mother made them famous. These days, though, business is not so good. The sisters are in their 30s, and most people prefer their female mediums childish and fairylike. Enid thinks she sees a way out when...

It’s the 1850s, the height of American spiritualism, and sisters Enid and Minnie are mediums. They’ve been helping people talk to the spirits of their dead loved ones since they were kids, when their mediumistic mother made them famous. These days, though, business is not so good. The sisters are in their 30s, and most people prefer their female mediums childish and fairylike. Enid thinks she sees a way out when a longtime client, Mr. Levin, proposes marriage to her. However, he has one condition: he can’t marry anyone without permission from the spirit of his dead wife. Together, the sisters must find a way to convince Levin to give them what they need, which they soon learn is less about navigating the spirit realm, and more about managing the twisted complexities of male desire.

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A Variation

by Susan Yassky

2
Cast Size
3
Genre
comedy,
drama,
musical,
period

Where do you go when you can’t hear yourself? Franz is the most famous pianist/composer of the 1840s, but he’s suffering from a career-ending case of writer’s block. Hoping to find some peace and quiet, he decides to go live in an abbey for a while, buried deep in the Italian Alps. Instead, he finds Eugenia, a nun and fledgling composer whose work finally moves him to start writing again. When Eugenia hears his...

Where do you go when you can’t hear yourself? Franz is the most famous pianist/composer of the 1840s, but he’s suffering from a career-ending case of writer’s block. Hoping to find some peace and quiet, he decides to go live in an abbey for a while, buried deep in the Italian Alps. Instead, he finds Eugenia, a nun and fledgling composer whose work finally moves him to start writing again. When Eugenia hears his new piece, however, she can’t help but notice that it sounds awfully familiar. A VARIATION explores the limits of inspiration, the costs of making art, and the joy of self-expression.

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The Women's Center

by Susan Yassky

2
Cast Size
5
Genre
comedy,
movement/physical

At a YMCA in upstate New York, one little room in an upstairs corner has been designated The Women’s Center. The gym administration wants to shut it down, forcing the room’s supporters to work together to keep it open. An ensemble play for five actors and a smattering of gym equipment, THE WOMEN’S CENTER explores community, the possibilities and limitations of gendered spaces, and the fundamental strangeness of...

At a YMCA in upstate New York, one little room in an upstairs corner has been designated The Women’s Center. The gym administration wants to shut it down, forcing the room’s supporters to work together to keep it open. An ensemble play for five actors and a smattering of gym equipment, THE WOMEN’S CENTER explores community, the possibilities and limitations of gendered spaces, and the fundamental strangeness of having a human body.

Bay Area Playwrights Festival semi-finalist, 2023.

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