Initiative by
A big play about growing up in the new millennium.
Else Went
Else Went
Else Went (they/she) is a Brooklyn based playwright and current member of The Public Theatre Emerging Writer's Group. Their work has been previously developed with The Tank, International Shakespeare Center, and The Brick. Former fellow at MacDowell, Playwrights Realm, and Trans Theatre Lab @ WP & The Public. Commissions from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation & MTC, Parity Productions, Weston Playhouse,...
Else Went (they/she) is a Brooklyn based playwright and current member of The Public Theatre Emerging Writer's Group. Their work has been previously developed with The Tank, International Shakespeare Center, and The Brick. Former fellow at MacDowell, Playwrights Realm, and Trans Theatre Lab @ WP & The Public. Commissions from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation & MTC, Parity Productions, Weston Playhouse, Period Piece, and Florida Studio Theatre. Else has received residencies from Stillwright and Barn Arts Collective. Semifinalist for ASC's Shakespeare's New Contemporaries (Courage!) and the O'Neill Conference (Initiative). Current finalist for New Contemporaries (Whate'er). Else is the co-founder and playwright of The Renovationists, and also serves variously as a sound designer.
Plays
Whate'er, or The Moon's comedy by Else Went
·Cast:11–13Genre: adventure, comedy + 7 more·Keyword: Shakespeare, LGBT + 6 moreGenre: adventure, comedy, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, period, romantic comedy, verse, young audiencesKeyword: Shakespeare, LGBT, Transgender, comedy, verse, magic, romance, LesbianIn order to marry his love, Thalia, Adrastos goes with his friend into Hecate's woods, where no men may tread. Meanwhile, Thalia and her sister are pursued into the same woods by their wrathful father and his cronies, both of whom want Thalia to themselves. Hecate herself is having a particularly irksome night, what with Selene the moon goddess having decided to show up unannounced, the fairies are left to...In order to marry his love, Thalia, Adrastos goes with his friend into Hecate's woods, where no men may tread. Meanwhile, Thalia and her sister are pursued into the same woods by their wrathful father and his cronies, both of whom want Thalia to themselves. Hecate herself is having a particularly irksome night, what with Selene the moon goddess having decided to show up unannounced, the fairies are left to their own devices, and when the moon is full and close, everybody seems to go a little mad.
A comedy in rhyming verse, and fully immersed in the Elizabethan pastoral form, Whate'er You Be is a celebration of the potential of divine transformation and radical love.Mongrel by Else Went
·Cast:8–20Genre: biography, docudrama/historic + 7 more·Keyword: Multiracial, black + 5 moreGenre: biography, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, faith-based, period, political, tragedyKeyword: Multiracial, black, slavery, History, barbados, cultural identity, TransgenderA true and exact history of the island of Barbados.
A false and incomplete history of the isle of Barbados.
This play is about decolonizing the self by becoming an island.An Oxford Man by Else Went
·Cast:7–12Genre: biography, comedy + 6 more·Keyword: Transgender, irreverent + 3 moreGenre: biography, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, farce, period, political, satireKeyword: Transgender, irreverent, comedy, science, biopicA buoyant and raucous mythologization of the life and times of the first "modern" transgender man, Laurence Michael Dillon.The Hard Work by Else Went
Recommendations: 1··Cast:9–10Genre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic + 5 more·Keyword: zoom, digital + 7 moreGenre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, political, satire, tragedyKeyword: zoom, digital, whiteness, protests, coronavirus, Quarantine, complicity, racism, capitalismThis is a play for mixed digital platforms.
On June 2nd, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio imposed a curfew upon the city in order to... dissuade violence I guess was the line, from the protests against police brutality. During the five days of curfew, a group of white and privileged friends in the city have a crisis of identity. When the mayor rescinds the curfew on June 7th, he thanks them for their hard work.First Comes Love by Else Went
·Cast:3Genre: drama·Keyword: Transgender, Generational + 4 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: Transgender, Generational, drama, abuse, repression, short playA short play. Marnie is busy raking the ceaseless falling leaves, trying to keep up, when her son-in-law arrives to ask some pointed questions about his spouse's childhood, after a revelation has changed the nature of their relationship.Up In Black Hills by Else Went
·Cast:4Genre: experimental, horror + 2 more·Keyword: horror, Surreal + 4 moreGenre: experimental, horror, mystery/thriller, periodKeyword: horror, Surreal, sexual repression, period, short, Urban LegendShort play, written during a 48 hour play jam.
The radio scratches out something about an escaped lunatic. The men back at the mansion can't be trusted. There's a murderer in the back seat. Knock knock. If that's a policeman, why doesn't he have a badge, or a car? How did he get out here, fifty miles from civilization? Will you marry me?Old Names for Wildflowers by Else Went
Recommendations: 3··Cast:9–50Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 8 more·Keyword: religion, Civil War + 6 moreGenre: docudrama/historic, drama, fable/folktale, faith-based, fantasy, horror, mystery/thriller, period, political, tragedyKeyword: religion, Civil War, Sisters, female, family, magic, witch, AmericaThe Civil War is over, but the scabs it left still itch. A fox stalks the clearing behind the Aubert's home, hunting chickens. A love triangle goes horribly wrong and a family is destroyed. The pieces cannot be put back together. The survivors must build something new. In the absence of family, God, community, morality, on the edge of the woods that ring with the Devil's whistle, two sisters must...The Civil War is over, but the scabs it left still itch. A fox stalks the clearing behind the Aubert's home, hunting chickens. A love triangle goes horribly wrong and a family is destroyed. The pieces cannot be put back together. The survivors must build something new. In the absence of family, God, community, morality, on the edge of the woods that ring with the Devil's whistle, two sisters must embrace the power of renouncing everything.Three Seconds by Else Went
·Cast:6Genre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic + 3 more·Keyword: contemporary, family + 4 moreGenre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, tragedyKeyword: contemporary, family, Depression, lighthouse, History, AmericanaIs loneliness something in the blood? Or is it something in the air? In 1906, Emory is preparing himself to take over as lighthouse keeper after his father Lorin retires when the San Francisco earthquake brings his brother Lo back home with nothing but a fiancee and faith that something will turn up. In the present, Emory, the "great great great whatever" of Lorin, tends the lighthouse museum. As the...Is loneliness something in the blood? Or is it something in the air? In 1906, Emory is preparing himself to take over as lighthouse keeper after his father Lorin retires when the San Francisco earthquake brings his brother Lo back home with nothing but a fiancee and faith that something will turn up. In the present, Emory, the "great great great whatever" of Lorin, tends the lighthouse museum. As the play progresses, tidally shifting back and forth across a century, Emory meets the only person who could inspire him to change his fate.Courage! To The Field! by Else Went
·Cast:8–15Genre: adaptation, adventure + 8 more·Keyword: Shakespeare, Henry IV + 8 moreGenre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, romantic comedy, tragedy, verse, young audiencesKeyword: Shakespeare, Henry IV, adaptation, reimagining, verse, stage combat, music, feminism, war, classCourage! To The Field! is an alternate-history-play. As brand new characters and old favorites alike bump up against the edges of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Courage! frames a wild conversation with The Bard himself, in which unnamed messengers, vengeful tapsters, and neglected wives turn history inside-out and make it their own. With disguises, swordplay, romance, fiddles, hijinks, and more – history is...Courage! To The Field! is an alternate-history-play. As brand new characters and old favorites alike bump up against the edges of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Courage! frames a wild conversation with The Bard himself, in which unnamed messengers, vengeful tapsters, and neglected wives turn history inside-out and make it their own. With disguises, swordplay, romance, fiddles, hijinks, and more – history is theatre, and it belongs to everyone.Through Tears, A Cherry Orchard by Else Went
·Cast:9–10Genre: adaptation, dark comedy + 6 more·Keyword: Chekhov, adaptation + 6 moreGenre: adaptation, dark comedy, drama, experimental, period, political, satire, tragedyKeyword: Chekhov, adaptation, revolution, romance, grooming, philosophy, communism, heightened languageUnfinished.
The Cherry Orchard, except the revolution comes early.Saving Throw by Else Went
Recommendations: 1··Cast:7Genre: comedy, drama + 4 more·Keyword: LGBTQ, coming of age + 4 moreGenre: comedy, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, period, romantic comedyKeyword: LGBTQ, coming of age, california, mythology, spiritual, AdolescenceThe second part of a big play about growing up in the new millennium.Boxcar by Else Went
·Cast:4Genre: adventure, comedy + 4 more·Keyword: coming of age, young adult + 8 moreGenre: adventure, comedy, drama, fable/folktale, romantic comedy, tragedyKeyword: coming of age, young adult, rap, Lesbian, sexual assault, poetry, philosophy, naturalism, homelessness, FreedomIda and Firefly ran away together when they were kids. Since then, they've kept running, living on empty trains and traveling across the American landscape, seeking nothing and leaving nothing behind. Alexis is a teen runaway with a romantic notion of freedom. When she hops on a train one night, she comes face to face with the reality. As the weeks pass, Ida and Alexis develop a powerful bond that...Ida and Firefly ran away together when they were kids. Since then, they've kept running, living on empty trains and traveling across the American landscape, seeking nothing and leaving nothing behind. Alexis is a teen runaway with a romantic notion of freedom. When she hops on a train one night, she comes face to face with the reality. As the weeks pass, Ida and Alexis develop a powerful bond that threatens to knock everything off track.They Stay Together by Else Went
·Cast:2Genre: drama, experimental·Keyword: LGBTQ, naturalism + 4 moreGenre: drama, experimentalKeyword: LGBTQ, naturalism, coming out, queer, Transgender, happy endingAn ungendered romance in one scene. Cay and Val haven't been completely honest with one another. Cay and Val haven't been completely honest with themselves. Tonight, they will be. Over pizza and half a pack of cigarettes, a couple revolutionizes their relationship by risking it.
Runtime: 95 minutes