Robin Berl

Dua: The Monster’s Story reclaims the Medusa myth, giving voice to the woman called “monster.” We follow Dua as she takes refuge in a cave and creates a home for herself and the children she now carries within her. Dua must face the trauma of the rape that pushed her down this path, her goddess-given ability to turn living things to stone, and the impossibility of ever being allowed to return home. As Dua’s belly grows, so does her power. Ultimately, in confronting the goddess who transformed her and the hero fated to kill her, she is forced to decide how best to protect herself and those she loves.

Set when the gods ruled with vengeance and women were wives and mothers or nothing at all, Dua: The Monster’s Story exists both frozen in time and outside of time. It holds a mirror to the past and the present, daring us to question society to create a better future. This play demands: Why are some called heroes while others are condemned to be monsters? Who gets to make that choice? And what choices are left, in the end, for a woman alone?

A mother and father attend their adult daughter’s art show. For an elephant.

AIMEE needs a bra. So of course she goes to Soultree, a boutique for intimate apparel, owned by TONI who just so happens to be AIMEE's older sibling, who AIMEE hasn't seen or spoken to in years.

This play seeks to connect siblings who have a complicated relationship with each other, with gender expectations, and with breasts.

TEN MINUTE PLAY. Mason visits his grandfather, Jim, with a piece of sheet music in his back pocket, hoping to entice Jim to play the piano. As Mason tells Nina, Jim's caregiver, "He doesn't think I'm my dad when he plays."

TEN MINUTE PLAY. On Maddy's birthday, her sister Vic leaves the bar drunk with her keys in hand. It's up to Maddy--the responsible one--to keep her sister safe. What Maddy doesn't realize is that maybe Vic is trying to keep her sister safe, too.

TEN MINUTE PLAY. Mira can't sleep and decides to do some laundry. When she goes to put the laundry away, she sees what has become of the linen closet.

TEN MINUTE PLAY. Danielle's therapist recommends role play to process a painful childhood memory involving her mother, Linda.

Helene and Scott share a romantic evening, but when it seems like they will finally reach an important milestone in their four year relationship there is trouble with Scott's pandemic hobby--a hobby that has taken on a life of its own and Helene has been bearing with it far too long!

TEN MINUTE PLAY. Early Sunday morning before Sissy goes to church, her younger sister Bea comes over for breakfast--to celebrate Bea’s birthday and maybe something else.

Ashley is at a loss and her husband Barrett is struggling to help her find the way home. In a situation when neither of them can be “right,” they struggle to bridge the emotional gap. Caught between grief and celebration, Ashley seeks comfort and answers from a bird nesting in the backyard.

MONOLOGUE. What do you know about breaking? What if breaking was good? What if breaking was just one part of being whole.

MONOLOGUE. Etta attempts to explain what it feels like to love her younger brother, Ansel, an addict. (An excerpt from Bread Crumbs, a twist on the Hansel and Gretel story).

MONOLOGUE. All Sofia needs is one bottle of wine to complete her shopping list for the perfect recipe to finally make her mother-in-law love her!

MONOLOGUE. Since she was four-years-old, Julie has celebrated Valentine's Day with her father at her church's
annual Daddy Daughter Dance and she refuses to let the pandemic take that away from her, too!

MONOLOGUE Nicole is ready to celebrate (wine in hand) a major mom win with the only people who could possibly understand--her mommy group!