Samantha Haviland & Laura Michele Erle

The writing team of Haviland & Erle is composed of Laura Michele Erle and Samantha Haviland, both graduates of Hofstra University with a B.F.A. in Performance. Their first play, THREE SISTERS, FOUR WOMEN, was quickly picked up by SoHo Shakespeare Company, who produced the world premiere production at The Flea Theater in NYC in Fall 2023. The regional premiere of THREE SISTERS, FOUR WOMEN was part of Lost Nation Theater’s 2024 season in Montpelier, Vermont. Haviland & Erle Productions have many more twists on classic stories in the works; their mission is to re-examine well-known tales through a feminist lens.

The writing team of Haviland & Erle is composed of Laura Michele Erle and Samantha Haviland, both graduates of Hofstra University with a B.F.A. in Performance. Their first play, THREE SISTERS, FOUR WOMEN, was quickly picked up by SoHo Shakespeare Company, who produced the world premiere production at The Flea Theater in NYC in Fall 2023. The regional premiere of THREE SISTERS, FOUR WOMEN was part of Lost Nation Theater’s 2024 season in Montpelier, Vermont. Haviland & Erle Productions have many more twists on classic stories in the works; their mission is to re-examine well-known tales through a feminist lens.

Scripts

Persephone Riots

by Samantha Haviland & Laura Michele Erle

Cast Size
5—11
Genre
adaptation,
fable/folktale,
fantasy,
political,
tragedy

Persephone journeys to the Underworld in the hope of retrieving her recently deceased friend, killed by an uncaring immortal. But when she learns how many more humans will be harmed at the hands of gods, Persephone decides to change the mortals’ fates herself, spiriting them away to safety in the land of the dead. Hades is drawn in by her determination and eventually ends up participating in what turns into an...

Persephone journeys to the Underworld in the hope of retrieving her recently deceased friend, killed by an uncaring immortal. But when she learns how many more humans will be harmed at the hands of gods, Persephone decides to change the mortals’ fates herself, spiriting them away to safety in the land of the dead. Hades is drawn in by her determination and eventually ends up participating in what turns into an all-out war against the Olympians. Because, as Persephone discovers, if the root is rotten, it’s time to plant something new in its place. An unearthing of the myth you thought you knew, PERSEPHONE RIOTS is an exploration of how power corrupts, and what happens when you dare to challenge the systems at play.

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Three Sisters, Four Women

by Samantha Haviland & Laura Michele Erle

Cast Size
4
Genre
adaptation,
comedy,
drama,
period

Irina Prozorova doesn’t want to get married; she wants to move to Moscow. But that isn’t possible, as sisters Olga and Masha are quick to remind her. When Natasha – a new sister-in-law with radical ideas – enters the scene, the three sisters’ world is turned upside down. Things are finally changing for the better...or so they hope. THREE SISTERS, FOUR WOMEN is a reimagining of Anton Chekhov’s classic, exploring...

Irina Prozorova doesn’t want to get married; she wants to move to Moscow. But that isn’t possible, as sisters Olga and Masha are quick to remind her. When Natasha – a new sister-in-law with radical ideas – enters the scene, the three sisters’ world is turned upside down. Things are finally changing for the better...or so they hope. THREE SISTERS, FOUR WOMEN is a reimagining of Anton Chekhov’s classic, exploring the inner lives and secret loves of its four heroines as family and personal politics threaten to drive them apart. A timeless story of resilience, self-discovery, and sisterhood, this play examines what it means to be a woman in a man’s world.

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