Kayla Hambek

Kayla Hambek

Kayla Hambek is a nationally-produced playwright and actor whose work has been published in The Coachella Review and the Santa Ana River Review, and seen onstage in Minneapolis, MN at the Wellstone Center, Sabes JCC, Eden Prairie Players, and as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival; in Buckingham, PA with the Town and Country Players; and at the University of Portland (OR) as part of the HAHA Festival. Her...
Kayla Hambek is a nationally-produced playwright and actor whose work has been published in The Coachella Review and the Santa Ana River Review, and seen onstage in Minneapolis, MN at the Wellstone Center, Sabes JCC, Eden Prairie Players, and as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival; in Buckingham, PA with the Town and Country Players; and at the University of Portland (OR) as part of the HAHA Festival. Her most recent work is butterfly(n.), based on her grandmother’s experiences during World War II. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Augsburg University, and has appeared onstage with the Guthrie Theater, Aethem Theatre Company, Lyric Arts, Chameleon Theatre Circle, and many more.

Plays

  • butterfly(n.) by Kayla Hambek
    Cast: 
    13–50
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: World War II, female lead + 2 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, period
    Keyword: World War II, female lead, full length, based on a true story
    Mavis Becker is tired of her boring life. Stuck on a farm in Herrick, South Dakota during World War II, Mavis believes that her older sister and brother both have better, more interesting lives. She resolves to leave Herrick in search of a better life, and settles on Omaha, where she can attend nursing school. Mavis is sidetracked in her journey by Henry, an injured veteran who promises her the world. But as...
    Mavis Becker is tired of her boring life. Stuck on a farm in Herrick, South Dakota during World War II, Mavis believes that her older sister and brother both have better, more interesting lives. She resolves to leave Herrick in search of a better life, and settles on Omaha, where she can attend nursing school. Mavis is sidetracked in her journey by Henry, an injured veteran who promises her the world. But as the World War ends, Mavis’ greatest war is just beginning: the war between who she really is, and who she wants most to be.
  • Emma Abridged by Kayla Hambek
    Cast: 
    4–10
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: Jane Austen, Regency England
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, period, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Jane Austen, Regency England
    Based on the novel by Jane Austen, Emma Abridged traces the often frantic, always hilarious quest by Emma Woodhouse to marry off all of Highbury – except herself, of course. Content to be healthy, wealthy, and single, what shall Emma do when she finds herself drawn to her neighbor, Mr. Knightley?
  • The Dragonflies by Kayla Hambek
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: close friendship, terminal illness
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: close friendship, terminal illness
    What does it take to find your soulmate? Then, once you’ve found them, what does it take to stay with them forever? Maxwell and Juliet have been best friends for over 40 years. When Juliet falls ill, Maxwell does his best to cheer her by reminiscing about their good times together (even if a few bad times pop up along the way). Set in 2049, with flashbacks to the 2000s and beyond, The Dragonflies explores...
    What does it take to find your soulmate? Then, once you’ve found them, what does it take to stay with them forever? Maxwell and Juliet have been best friends for over 40 years. When Juliet falls ill, Maxwell does his best to cheer her by reminiscing about their good times together (even if a few bad times pop up along the way). Set in 2049, with flashbacks to the 2000s and beyond, The Dragonflies explores what friendship means in our lives, and what it takes to protect that soulmate.
  • Persuasion by Kayla Hambek
    Cast: 
    11–18
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Jane Austen, Regency England + 2 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, drama, movement/physical, period
    Keyword: Jane Austen, Regency England, female lead, female playwright
    This world-premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel follows the love story of pragmatic Anne Elliot and passionate Captain Wentworth. Eight years after their broken engagement, Anne and Wentworth are thrown together again, their situations reversed – he is wealthy, and her family is struggling to pay their debts. Can such strong feelings survive eight years of separation? Or will the weight of their...
    This world-premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel follows the love story of pragmatic Anne Elliot and passionate Captain Wentworth. Eight years after their broken engagement, Anne and Wentworth are thrown together again, their situations reversed – he is wealthy, and her family is struggling to pay their debts. Can such strong feelings survive eight years of separation? Or will the weight of their past mistakes succeed in tearing the two lovers apart for good?
  • Workshop by Kayla Hambek
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: friends
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: friends
    This comedic cross between Friends and Circle Mirror Transformation explores the difficult transition from college to adulthood through the eyes of four friends struggling to keep their theatre company afloat. When an ex-member returns to flaunt his recent success, one friend begins to question if she wants to pursue theatre at all.
  • Christmastown by Kayla Hambek
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, holiday + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, holiday, parody/spoof, romantic comedy, satire
    Every day is Christmas in Christmastown! When Allie wakes up in this strange Hallmark movie of a town, she must decide whether to stay with strangely-attractive movie boyfriend Lance, or return to her real life in Kansas City. Nothing a little hot chocolate can't cure, right?
  • Miss Woodhouse Presents by Kayla Hambek
    Cast: 
    9–30
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: Jane Austen, fringe festival + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: Jane Austen, fringe festival, all female leads
    Handsome, clever, and rich Emma Woodhouse wants nothing more than to share her talents with the world. What better way than her own TV show? Showrunner George Knightley and research assistant Harriet Smith do their best to keep Emma on track, but that doesn't prevent Austen's feisty heroine from giving her opinion on the love lives of Austen's other beloved characters, from the Bennetts to the...
    Handsome, clever, and rich Emma Woodhouse wants nothing more than to share her talents with the world. What better way than her own TV show? Showrunner George Knightley and research assistant Harriet Smith do their best to keep Emma on track, but that doesn't prevent Austen's feisty heroine from giving her opinion on the love lives of Austen's other beloved characters, from the Bennetts to the Dashwoods. But is Emma truly content marrying off everyone else and staying single?