Amy Hanson

It is August; it is hot; and it is the first day of professional learning at a high school for the performing arts. The play occurs in real time in the English office over the lunch break, shortly after teachers have been informed of a new grading system, an “opportunity” to pilot an AI program for educators, and an initiative to raise student engagement by eliminating such laborious endeavors as reading novels and Shakespeare plays. NAOMI, the English department chair, has been on leave since May for a questionable interaction with a student, and VIOLA, her best friend, is embroiled in a scandal of her own, albeit a private one: she’s been having an affair with NAOMI’s long-term sub, BEN. Meanwhile, ZOEY—the ambitious newcomer—touts the benefits of artificial intelligence and reimagined grading, while also knowing very little about the subject area so dear to the veteran teachers. In the course of 87 minutes, NAOMI must face her professional future or lack thereof, VIOLA struggles with her marital future or lack thereof, and English’s most laissez faire department member, JERRY, delivers a moment of truth that they all need to hear.

PETRA and PETER have news to share and invite their grown daughters, granddaughter, and son-in-law to visit under the guise of making krumkake, a traditional Norwegian Christmas cookie--also known as water pipes--even though it’s the hottest day of the summer. Banter, sisterly teasing and bickering abound until PETRA announces she and PETER have planned an anniversary trip to Europe, which will conclude at an accompanied suicide clinic. PETRA’s long-standing epilepsy has worsened to the point where she cannot retain a new memory; she can only recall events with deep emotional resonance and has deemed her reality “torture”. An ethical and emotional debate ensues--fueled by the daughters’ confusion over this crisis-level announcement and quelled with the aid of some medical-grade marijuana. WATER PIPES: A LOVE STORY is an exploration of personal agency versus family duty, as well as the difference between memory and history.

Lucy Fields is divorcing author, Jackson Fields, after twenty years of marriage, and deposing him is the only way to make sure her truth is on the record. While his infidelity is the seeming cause of the split, what is revealed over the course of the deposition is a pattern of predatory behavior, beginning with Jackson’s seduction of Lucy when she was 23, while he was married. As Lucy’s lawyer holds Jackson’s feet to the fire, however, his seeming abuse of power becomes more complicated. In conversations both real and imagined, Jackson is confronted by the many women he has wronged over his life, including his first wife, a former mistress, and a younger incarnation of Lucy. Yet their versions of each relationship don’t necessarily implicate Jackson the way Lucy’s lawyer intends. An examination of gender dynamics over time, DEPOSITION explores both the nuances and complexities of power and love.

In Act One, remarried ANNA MARTIN and her husband, GRAHAM, are throwing her daughter SOPHIE’s civil union in their home. The preparations get complicated when ANNA’s ex-husband and GRAHAM’s ex-law partner, HENRY, arrives early. Their acrimonious divorce twelve years ago is the reason SOPHIE is opposed to traditional marriage, but she agrees to the titular ceremony as a compromise for the sake of her partner, ZOE. Arguments old and new are provoked, including HENRY’s accusation of an affair between ANNA and GRAHAM being the cause of their divorce, HENRY’s future plans to have a baby with his new, younger wife, and whether all marriages are eventually doomed.

Act Two is the same day and the same house, but SOPHIE’s wedding is being thrown by still-married ANNA and HENRY, who are busy with last-minute details. Tension builds when GRAHAM arrives. He is HENRY’s law partner and officiating the ceremony; however, it is soon clear that ANNA and GRAHAM have had an on-and-off affair for over a dozen years. Rage and regret overshadow the joyous event, and GRAHAM’s attempt to reignite their secret flame pushes ANNA to her breaking point, only to be further destroyed by a surprise confession from HENRY.

The Good One opens as forty-something NATALIE MORGAN enters the hospital ward where her sister, PIPER, has been placed on life support after an overdose. Their mother, BARBARA, arrives shortly thereafter and to dire news: PIPER is likely brain dead; decisions will need to be made. Part family drama, part meditation on what addiction does to relationships, The Good One is rooted in the gritty details of love and loss: the messy, the funny, the poignant, and the unexpected.

A large cast, holiday comedy, FAMILY PORTRAIT explores the rigidity and resiliency of parents and children, brothers and sisters, and the people who love them.

It is Christmas Eve, and the HARDCASTLES have come together to take their first family photo in 25 years. All doctors, their competing schedules and geography, not to mention personalities, have made assembling the five siblings and their broods a near impossibility, but their aging parents are insistent that the portrait be taken. EMILY, the eldest, has conscripted her ex-boyfriend, MIKE, to do the honors, even though the family has never treated him with much warmth. From the outset, sibling rivalries and warring dispositions threaten the gathering, but the picture gains urgency when the patriarch, CHARLES, confesses to MIKE that he has been diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer, something he hopes to keep secret from his children through the holidays. Engrossed in petty gripes and clever one-upmanship, the siblings exchange barbs and jockey for position until a failed attempt at the portrait reveals their father’s terminal diagnosis.

The HARDCASTLE siblings immediately switch into doctor mode, challenging CHARLES’S wish to avoid aggressive measures to fight his illness, and their comedic bickering grows serious as sides are taken regarding how the family should proceed. While some plead for compassion others vie for dominance, each using his or her stance on CHARLES’S health as a barometer for their paternal devotion. In this grave, new reality, flesh wounds become festering ones as decades-long grievances come to light and truths are shared that cannot be taken back. The grown siblings revert to children, which results in a scolding from their mother, as well as a plea to right the evening’s course. Though it takes liquid courage, emotional blackmail, and a well-placed baby monitor to make it happen, the family ultimately unites on the HARDCASTLE staircase for their portrait.

A serial killer and his adoring wife seek marriage counseling.

The official portrait sitting for the one-­dollar bill goes awry when the President and the artist have creative differences.