Diana Grisanti

Diana Grisanti

Diana Grisanti is a Playwright in Residence at Theatre [502] in Louisville, Kentucky. Her plays include RIVER CITY, THE PATRON SAINT OF LOSING SLEEP, SEMANTICS, and THE STRANGER AND LUDLOW QUINN (co-written with Steve Moulds). Her work has been developed or produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, the Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis), the Lark (NYC), The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta),...
Diana Grisanti is a Playwright in Residence at Theatre [502] in Louisville, Kentucky. Her plays include RIVER CITY, THE PATRON SAINT OF LOSING SLEEP, SEMANTICS, and THE STRANGER AND LUDLOW QUINN (co-written with Steve Moulds). Her work has been developed or produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, the Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis), the Lark (NYC), The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), and more. She was a Core Apprentice at the Playwrights’ Center (Minneapolis), the inaugural recipient of the Marsha Norman Spirit of Achievement Lilly Award, runner-up for the Leah Ryan Prize, and a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship through the Kentucky Arts Council. MFA: Michener Center for Writers, University of Texas at Austin.

Plays

  • The Two Lobbyists of Verona (co-written with Steve Moulds) by Diana Grisanti
    Cast: 
    10
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political + 1 more
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    Keyword: Shakespearean motifs, fracking + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, political, satire
    Keyword: Shakespearean motifs, fracking, American politics, idealism, metatheatrical
    Welcome to fair Verona, where we lay our scene—Verona, Kentucky, that is. This small Rust Belt town has just been wrecked by a massive storm (a tempest, actually). The storm’s silver lining? Undiscovered oil and gas deposits buried deep within the shale. While lobbyists promise unprecedented prosperity in exchange for some “light fracking,” County Council President Katie Connelly fights to spare her town...
    Welcome to fair Verona, where we lay our scene—Verona, Kentucky, that is. This small Rust Belt town has just been wrecked by a massive storm (a tempest, actually). The storm’s silver lining? Undiscovered oil and gas deposits buried deep within the shale. While lobbyists promise unprecedented prosperity in exchange for some “light fracking,” County Council President Katie Connelly fights to spare her town further destruction with her own plan to jumpstart the local economy: The World of Will, a one-stop shop for all things Shakespeare. Will Verona, Kentucky become the next Stratford-upon-Avon? Or will theatrical invention fall before the mighty power of big oil? The Two Lobbyists of Verona is a comedy about loyalty and betrayal, ambition and defeat. There’s also some iambic pentameter in there, with respect to the Bard.
  • Abilene by Diana Grisanti
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: family, play with songs + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: family, play with songs, Texas, rape culture, sexual violence, consent, feminism
    A week before her 18th birthday, Louise and her stepbrother Justin run away from Texas to start a new life in Nashville. But when their parents follow them, Justin’s country music dreams get sidetracked and Louise’s birthday party goes terribly, terribly wrong.
  • The Patron Saint of Losing Sleep by Diana Grisanti
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: good intentions, rape culture + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, political
    Keyword: good intentions, rape culture, women, work, office, religion
    Ada is a customer service specialist with a thirst for justice and bout of insomnia. When she receives a call from a woman in need, she takes a trip and tries to help. But things go wrong. Terribly wrong. With the aid of pop psychiatry and divine intervention, Ada must confront her regrets, past and present, if she's ever going to sleep again.
  • River City by Diana Grisanti
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Race, class + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, political
    Keyword: Race, class, south, Segregation, female protagonist
    Just weeks after her father’s death, Mary discovers a childhood photograph of him from a past he never talked about. Determined to excavate her heritage, Mary goes on a quest to uncover a half-century of family and town secrets buried in the West End of Louisville, Kentucky. Sometimes, going back home means leaving life behind.