Jan Rosenberg

Jan Rosenberg

Jan's plays have been finalists for The O'Neill, the Princess Grace Award, Playwrights Realm Writing Fellowship, Lanford Wilson New Play Festival, and the Theatre503 World Playwriting Award. They have collaborated with the LAByrinth Theater Company, Seattle Rep, IAMA Theatre, The Cherry Lane, The Lark, The Last Frontier Conference, Possibilities Theater Company, Vertigo Theater, Wide Eyed Productions...
Jan's plays have been finalists for The O'Neill, the Princess Grace Award, Playwrights Realm Writing Fellowship, Lanford Wilson New Play Festival, and the Theatre503 World Playwriting Award. They have collaborated with the LAByrinth Theater Company, Seattle Rep, IAMA Theatre, The Cherry Lane, The Lark, The Last Frontier Conference, Possibilities Theater Company, Vertigo Theater, Wide Eyed Productions, and countless others. They were the playwright in residence at Stella Adler Studio and The Farm Theater. They are a member of the Playwright/Directors Unit at The Actors Studio. Their short film Meal Support is forthcoming and features Kate Burton. Their audio play We Came All This Way is available wherever you listen to podcasts (episode 2 of The Lovely Dark).

Plays

  • How To Destroy An American Girl Doll by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 20
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: asexual, eating disorders + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: asexual, eating disorders, bulimia, anorexia, bisexuality, Recovery, queer, demisexual, addiction, coming of age
    Gen and Vee are best friends. Gen teaches Vee how to throw up. Vee sells Gen weed. Gen teaches Vee how to pretend like you don't hate sex. Vee tries to pretend like she doesn't love Gen a little too much. Through parties, treatment centers, and college, they keep each other's secrets. Because that's what friends are for--right? A dark comedy about toxic friendships, asexuality, and addiction.
  • Pluck by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 7 more
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    Keyword: gender dysphoria, eating disorders + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, horror, melodrama, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: gender dysphoria, eating disorders, menstruation, roles for teens, puberty, body horror, Non-Binary, Transgender, twins, coming of age
    Fourteen year-old Cleo and Bea are twins. Cleo can't stop running away from womanhood. Bea can't stop running away, period. A play about gender dysphoria, twins, and (as always) monsters.

    CONTACT for latest draft!
  • In The End by Jan Rosenberg
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: camp, slenderman + 8 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: camp, slenderman, horror, Neurodivergent, queer, coming of age, bullying, shame, social media, anxiety
    Camp is where you go to feel more like yourself and have fun. Preteens Molly and Clyde are NOT having fun. They're tired, lonely, hungry, and scared. And they're starting to realize that there are more dangers in the woods than they anticipated before coming on this Solo. What started out as 48 hours alone in the woods to reflect, think, and challenge themselves has turned into a nightmare. But it...
    Camp is where you go to feel more like yourself and have fun. Preteens Molly and Clyde are NOT having fun. They're tired, lonely, hungry, and scared. And they're starting to realize that there are more dangers in the woods than they anticipated before coming on this Solo. What started out as 48 hours alone in the woods to reflect, think, and challenge themselves has turned into a nightmare. But it'll all be okay in the end. Because if it's not okay, it's not the end.

    Inspired by culty horse girls, Slenderman, homophobic summer camp practices, and the horrors of realizing the adults are just as scared as you are.
  • GUSHER! by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: menstruation, Lesbian + 8 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror
    Keyword: menstruation, Lesbian, miscarriage, Chronic Pain, horror, roles for trans women, endometriosis, Transgender, roles for teens, queer
    Davie and her girlfriend Jules are trying to enjoy their vacation — but Davie can't stop bleeding. A storm is brewing, and when some unexpected visitors show up, things get more than a little freaky... and messy.
  • Janie Wants A Dog by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 9
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: gun violence, Lesbian + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, tragedy
    Keyword: gun violence, Lesbian, PTSD, eating disorders, roles for teens, coming of age, dogs, Body image, middle school
    You're invited to Janie's sleepover party! I know we're all a little uncomfortable after what happened, but PLEASE be nice to Janie and don't tell her your parents forced you to come. Don't say anything that will "trigger" her or whatever. Her Moms just really want her to have a nice, normal time with her friends, okay? So bring your cutest PJs, leave your stuffed animals at...
    You're invited to Janie's sleepover party! I know we're all a little uncomfortable after what happened, but PLEASE be nice to Janie and don't tell her your parents forced you to come. Don't say anything that will "trigger" her or whatever. Her Moms just really want her to have a nice, normal time with her friends, okay? So bring your cutest PJs, leave your stuffed animals at home, AND your bras-let's be honest, you don't have anything to put in a training bra anyway, Sierra.
    RSVP to let Janie's Moms know you're coming! And remember! PRETEND LIKE EVERYTHING IS NORMAL!
  • What's Wrong With You by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 6 more
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    Keyword: coming of age, Depression + 5 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, horror, melodrama, mystery/thriller, romantic comedy
    Keyword: coming of age, Depression, roles for teens, ADHD, social media, panic disorder, anxiety disorder
    When troubled student Caden sees his classmate have a seizure on a train, it sets off an increasingly dangerous chain of events as he and his new friends embark on a sick game that's based on shock value.
  • N0 D@Y BU+ +0D@Y by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: renthead, coming of age + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, farce
    Keyword: renthead, coming of age, jonathan larson, fandom, musicals, Broadway, large ensemble, roles for teenagers, Mental Health
    The year is 2007. The war in Iraq is booming. Steve Jobs is about to release the first ever iPhone. More importantly, RENT is one year away from closing its doors forever on Broadway. And life for a group of RENTheads is about to change forever.

    This play is a love letter, an apology, a memory, a diary entry.
  • In The Dream I Was A Werewolf by Jan Rosenberg
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 2 more
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    Keyword: addiction, trauma + 8 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, fantasy, horror
    Keyword: addiction, trauma, monster, memory, harm reduction, relapse, queer, siblings, nonbinary character, substance abuse
    As Mickey and Gory break up (for the 19th time), Mickey can no longer hide the secrets she's been keeping about what she really is and the person who raised her.

    It was Mickey's job to feed the monster. But how much longer can she keep it up?

    A play about inherited trauma, addiction, harm reduction, and where we go when we go away.
  • A Little Piece Of You by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 7 more
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    Keyword: feral child, horror + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, horror, melodrama, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: feral child, horror, autism, brothers, siblings, found family, twins, neurodivergence, Incarceration, creepy
    Fen finds a lost, feral child in the woods and decides to become his friend. But some might call Fen dangerous, and the price of keeping his new friend a secret could have deadly consequences for those around him. A play about found family and monsters.
  • Never Have I Ever by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–18
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: eating disorders, body dysmorphia + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: eating disorders, body dysmorphia, college, alcoholism, addiction, young adult, coming of age
    A college student faces a forced medical leave when rumors that she has relapsed in her Eating Disorder spread. Callie is fighting hard to for her recovery...so who's the one that's really struggling? It isn't who you think!
  • Eggplant by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: Non-Binary, queer + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: Non-Binary, queer, top surgery, Transgender, college, Depression, moshing, gender identity, Body image
    A theater nerd and a punk kid meet in a mosh pit hours before one of them has gender affirming surgery.
  • The Discarded by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, parody/spoof, romantic comedy, tragedy
    A ventriloquist dummy, a cabbage patch kid, and a furby have been dumped inside a clothing donations bin. They are bruised and broken, but they are not trash.
  • Swallow by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, eating disorders + 4 more
    Genre: drama, horror
    Keyword: monologue, eating disorders, bulimia, addiction, Recovery, body
    My body is a haunted house. A monologue. Maybe part of a full-length.

    Trigger Warning: ghosts, phantoms, bulimia.

  • Playthings by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: teenage girls, Sex + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: teenage girls, Sex, horror, monster
    It's Kelly's first time. She's nervous because she's heard the first time hurts, and he's in college, but she's got her friend Agatha for moral support. And it's okay, because you know even if someone gets hurt-it's gonna be SO worth it.
  • A Cure For Women by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: satire, women + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, satire
    Keyword: satire, women, PTSD, shame, anxiety, Mental Health, women's rights, gender parity
    We've found the antidote for that pesky female problem.
  • I Wanna Die On the Same Day As You by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: rehab, Depression + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: rehab, Depression, dogs, emotional support dog, suicide, anxiety
    Em needs to go to rehab. And if anything happens to her beloved dog Ploops while she's gone, there'll be hell to pay.
  • On The Surface Of Things by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, horror + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: addiction, Quarantine + 5 more
    Genre: drama, horror, melodrama, zoom
    Keyword: addiction, Quarantine, eating disorders, Mental Health, roommates, lovers, OCD
    What do you do for someone who was always sick?
  • The Last Halloween by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: halloween, Dystopia + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, horror
    Keyword: halloween, Dystopia, gun control, babysitter
    There used to be this thing called Trick or Treating. You could wear a mask and knock on people's doors, and you wouldn't even get shot!
  • Spider Girl by Jan Rosenberg
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, comedy + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: monologue, comedy, dark comedy, first date, spiders, nicole kidman
    Tarantulas hate flash photography.

    Written on request from Shenandoah Conservatory.