Brenda Withers

Brenda Withers is a writer, actor, and founding member of the Harbor Stage Company. Her plays have been developed and produced at places like Northern Stage, Urbanite Theatre, Two River Theatre, Portland Stage, and Amphibian Stage Productions. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College, a recipient of the Clauder Prize and an Edgerton New Play Award, and a recent Huntington Playwriting Fellow.

Brenda Withers is a writer, actor, and founding member of the Harbor Stage Company. Her plays have been developed and produced at places like Northern Stage, Urbanite Theatre, Two River Theatre, Portland Stage, and Amphibian Stage Productions. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College, a recipient of the Clauder Prize and an Edgerton New Play Award, and a recent Huntington Playwriting Fellow.

Scripts

JORDAN

by Brenda Withers

Cast Size
4
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
mystery/thriller

A friendly drink with an ex turns sour when Lara discovers her social media accounts have been hijacked by a malicious impostor. Determined to find justice, her leap down a digital rabbit hole instead finds her questioning her relationship to technology, truth, and tough luck. A darkly comic look at which parts of our identity can be stolen and which we’ve already given away.

A friendly drink with an ex turns sour when Lara discovers her social media accounts have been hijacked by a malicious impostor. Determined to find justice, her leap down a digital rabbit hole instead finds her questioning her relationship to technology, truth, and tough luck. A darkly comic look at which parts of our identity can be stolen and which we’ve already given away.

Off Peak

by Brenda Withers

1
Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy,
drama

When two old flames run into each other on the evening commute, different views of the same past threaten to derail their connection. A new play about forgiving, forgetting, and the healing power of a good delay.

When two old flames run into each other on the evening commute, different views of the same past threaten to derail their connection. A new play about forgiving, forgetting, and the healing power of a good delay.

The Kritik

by Brenda Withers

2
Cast Size
10
Genre
comedy,
farce,
period

Set in an imagined corner of 19th century Russia, "The Kritik" tells the story of a provincial theater critic struggling to write his first honest review. A send-up and celebration of the theater, the truth, and all things Chekhovian, the piece joyfully examines how candor, corruption, and community affect the creative process.

Set in an imagined corner of 19th century Russia, "The Kritik" tells the story of a provincial theater critic struggling to write his first honest review. A send-up and celebration of the theater, the truth, and all things Chekhovian, the piece joyfully examines how candor, corruption, and community affect the creative process.

The Lodger

by Brenda Withers

Cast Size
5
Genre
adaptation,
comedy,
dark comedy,
experimental,
mystery/thriller,
period,
zoom

A Zoom-happy update of Marie Belloc Lowndes's classic novella, "The Lodger" mixes screwball comedy with modern day mayhem to offer an offbeat, online look at our obsession with true crime.

A Zoom-happy update of Marie Belloc Lowndes's classic novella, "The Lodger" mixes screwball comedy with modern day mayhem to offer an offbeat, online look at our obsession with true crime.

String Around My Finger

by Brenda Withers

4
Cast Size
5
Genre
comedy,
drama

When a young couple loses an unplanned pregnancy, grief, guilt, and hospital bills tempt them to reconsider their relationship. A quiet, quirky comedy about big choices, small kindnesses, and losing what you didn't want.

Winner of the 2015 Clauder Grand Prize at Portland Stage.

When a young couple loses an unplanned pregnancy, grief, guilt, and hospital bills tempt them to reconsider their relationship. A quiet, quirky comedy about big choices, small kindnesses, and losing what you didn't want.

Winner of the 2015 Clauder Grand Prize at Portland Stage.

Northside Hollow (co-written with Jonathan Fielding)

by Brenda Withers

Cast Size
4
Genre
dark comedy,
drama,
experimental,
immersive

Trapped underground after a deadly collapse, a miner finds his salvation in the arrival of a scrappy first responder. A darkly funny meditation on mortality, memory, and redemption.

Trapped underground after a deadly collapse, a miner finds his salvation in the arrival of a scrappy first responder. A darkly funny meditation on mortality, memory, and redemption.

The Deer and the Antelope

by Brenda Withers

1
Cast Size
6
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy

When a young woman is found murdered in a gentrifying neighborhood, the search for suspects prompts a disconnected community to question the roots of “random” violence. A sideways glance at law-and-order, personal responsibility, and the hidden costs of making a living.

When a young woman is found murdered in a gentrifying neighborhood, the search for suspects prompts a disconnected community to question the roots of “random” violence. A sideways glance at law-and-order, personal responsibility, and the hidden costs of making a living.

The Ding Dongs (or What is the Penalty in Portugal?)

by Brenda Withers

1
Cast Size
3
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
political

When a sweet-faced couple shows up on a suburban doorstep, an unsuspecting homeowner finds himself the victim of a surreal home invasion.   Using wit and wordplay to mask a more sinister threat, the couple wages a battle over indigenous rights from the living room, and we are asked to examine the brutality that fuels our system of private property.

When a sweet-faced couple shows up on a suburban doorstep, an unsuspecting homeowner finds himself the victim of a surreal home invasion.   Using wit and wordplay to mask a more sinister threat, the couple wages a battle over indigenous rights from the living room, and we are asked to examine the brutality that fuels our system of private property.