Kelsey Austin

In self-imposed lockdown, the line has blurred between realism and fantasy. The isolated family dissolves as one member—Leroy—fixes his eyes on building a glorious city of birds he and his mother Agnes will rule over. The dream city will be their escape and victory if he can secure the affections and attention of negligent and self-absorbed Agnes. There’s competition between Leroy and his playful sister Beatrix while Agnes, who claims forgetfulness, is unable to feel love for her grown offspring. Long-time neighbor Persithia displays loyalty and interest in belonging to the family. She also would like to be the possessor of feathers Leroy may procure through his mission. The discontent, arithmetic-hungry housekeeper Gladiola switches out flowers as she studies the actions of her employers. She carefully plots change and ritualistically carries out a most monumental deed.

Meredith immerses herself in selling essential oils to cope with her grief, but her obsession puts her at odds with a Sasquatch-obsessed husband, a melancholy father, and an overbearing mother, forcing her to balance self-preservation with fragile family ties.

ShayAnn is a well-meaning young mom with few skills who’s trying to make a better life in her new door-to-door sales role for the pyramid scheme Raindrop Clean. With each failed home visit, her confidence begins to wither but she clings to the company motto: Family, Fresh, and Free. Saddled with a toddler, a dying grandmother, and a boyfriend with no moral compass, the only choice is to make this gig work. When her boyfriend hatches a plan to speed things up by robbing her customer’s homes, things take a deadly turn, and her dreams seem impossibly far away.

The Whitakers share their cramped life in southern New Jersey. As Rick prepares for his annual hunting trip in Alaska, his wife Sheila keeps quiet about family secrets until the unforgivable happens. Daughter Missy supports the family on convenience store paychecks, and younger sister Barbara dreams of adulting with live-in boyfriend Jimmy. But all comes to a halt when narcissism breeds disaster. It’s the hopeless situation of living among self-absorbed suburbanites where boundaries are murky, and cruelty is family fun.

In a county where there seems to be no escape and in a community where men refuse to take responsibility for themselves and their families, mother Alice has the double burden of surviving while keeping her family intact. Personal safety and happiness are unattainable luxuries. But daughter Nicole is too foolish to realize this and cannot be resigned to mere survival. She attempts a new identity as someone who is happy and loved only to have her dreams dismantled by the cynicism of her sister Tabitha and the actions of their father Jerry. The voiceless heater repairman Guy becomes a target of fantasies, ignorance, and hate as the house is under surveillance by legal authorities. Alice tries to smooth out conflict as Jerry spirals out of control in this dark tale of family dysfunction.
This play received a reading Chicago in the summer of 2017. It was recommended by Kitchen Dog Theater as a finalist for its 2019 New Works Festival in Dallas, Texas.

In the Delaware Bay area of Southern New Jersey, inhabitants make ends meet by
stitching together part-time, low-paying jobs. When Randy acquires chickens to raise for
profit, instigator Storm advises Randy to start an illegal cockfighting ring. Randy enlists the help of loyal
friend Buster and borrows money from his sister Roberta. Even ex-girlfriend Gert is coerced by Storm to
take part. Greed and desperation rise up, relationships tangle, and Randy and his ring are thrown into a
downward spiral.