Amy Gijsbers van Wijk

Amy Gijsbers van Wijk

Amy Gijsbers van Wijk (they/them) is a playwright from Pasadena, Texas, now based in Brooklyn, NY, who is currently commissioned by the EST Sloan project. They write plays about sex, shame, the femme gaze, and technology. Amy has been a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nominee, a 2020 Princess Grace semi-finalist, and a 2022 Honorable Mention for BAPF. They won the national 2018/19 DVRF Playwrights Program. Amy has...
Amy Gijsbers van Wijk (they/them) is a playwright from Pasadena, Texas, now based in Brooklyn, NY, who is currently commissioned by the EST Sloan project. They write plays about sex, shame, the femme gaze, and technology. Amy has been a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nominee, a 2020 Princess Grace semi-finalist, and a 2022 Honorable Mention for BAPF. They won the national 2018/19 DVRF Playwrights Program. Amy has recently been an Ensemble Studio Theatre Youngblood finalist. Their work has been developed with The Flea, Pipeline Theatre Company, Fresh Ground Pepper, New Light Theatre Project, Dixon Place, Project Y, Pride Films & Plays (Chicago), and elsewhere. New Georges affiliated artist. Commission: The Farm Theater, Physical Distance Commission 2020. BA, Brooklyn College. MFA, Carnegie Mellon University.

Plays

  • DIRTY DIRTY by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical + 2 more
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    Keyword: pornography, Porn star + 7 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical, mystery/thriller, political
    Keyword: pornography, Porn star, feminism, consent, BDSM, kink, metoo, sex work, multimedia
    SEEKING WORLD PREMIERE

    FULL LENGTH. Renowned journalist Violet Miller sets out to write about HardBall, a porn studio with a safe, sex-positive reputation and sky-rocketing female viewership. But when Violet meets CJ, the breakout male star at the center of HardBall’s success, she’s caught between her professional persona and her newly awakened desires, and begins to question who’s really in control.
  • HITOUCH by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 8 more
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    Keyword: Covid-19, coronavirus + 8 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, immersive, movement/physical, mystery/thriller, political, science fiction, young audiences, zoom
    Keyword: Covid-19, coronavirus, gender neutral, future, sci-fi, touch, body, intimacy, skin, Hunger
    (formerly titled: skin_hunger_touch_starved)
    A PLAY FOR VIRTUAL LIVESTREAM AND/OR PHYSICAL DISTANCE

    It's 2025. Everyone works remotely from a home office. Everyone has a home gym. Everyone is connected. Physical touch and intimacy are deeply restricted. Beryl, a touch specialist who works at The Agency, helps people supplant the desire for in-person touch with simulated touch. Jay,...
    (formerly titled: skin_hunger_touch_starved)
    A PLAY FOR VIRTUAL LIVESTREAM AND/OR PHYSICAL DISTANCE

    It's 2025. Everyone works remotely from a home office. Everyone has a home gym. Everyone is connected. Physical touch and intimacy are deeply restricted. Beryl, a touch specialist who works at The Agency, helps people supplant the desire for in-person touch with simulated touch. Jay, Beryl's client, sends anonymous gifts to their mom, Miray, half-way across the country. And Elliot, Beryl's partner, has disappeared. HITOUCH investigates what we gain, and what we lose, when society is left with the absence of physical intimacy, and given online connection. Who are we without touch, and who do we become?
  • feminine octagon [or, aristotle can eat me] by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–200
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: mythology, femininity + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, experimental, fantasy
    Keyword: mythology, femininity, Sex, asexuality, Toxic Masculinity, webcamming, tarot, gender dysphoria
    Allure and Candy become goddesses. A man falls from the sky. Flowers + Mary Shelley fall in love. & cam girl Eurydice_19969 wants to make that ca$$$h. feminine octagon [or, aristotle can eat me] is one hour/one night/one hundred nights in the search for an unforgettable, life-changing party.
  • MORBID OBESITY SURPRISE INTERVENTION BIRTHDAY PARTY by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–8
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: fat, Fat Shaming + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: fat, Fat Shaming, plus-size, self-love, dieting, family
    (Currently in development) Millie, a queer fat femme, shows up for what she suspects to be her surprise birthday party, only to find her family staging a weight-loss intervention — so no, there will not be cake. But there will be violence. And definitely vengeance. And self-love (if she's lucky). MORBID OBESITY SURPRISE INTERVENTION BIRTHDAY PARTY is an explosive, genre-bending comedy exploring fatphobia,...
    (Currently in development) Millie, a queer fat femme, shows up for what she suspects to be her surprise birthday party, only to find her family staging a weight-loss intervention — so no, there will not be cake. But there will be violence. And definitely vengeance. And self-love (if she's lucky). MORBID OBESITY SURPRISE INTERVENTION BIRTHDAY PARTY is an explosive, genre-bending comedy exploring fatphobia, femme-ness, and (kitchen-sink) family (drama) trauma that examines what it takes for one woman to (actually, truly) love herself.
  • The Alternate Possibilities of Our Past and Future History in Particular Regard to the Identification of the Eastern Puma and the Corps of Discovery by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adventure, biography + 9 more
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    Keyword: future, climate change + 4 more
    Genre: adventure, biography, comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, experimental, fantasy, period, political, science fiction
    Keyword: future, climate change, desert, lewis & clark, queer women, LGBTQ
    FULL LENGTH. In a desert world that has collapsed in the wreckage of climate change, Lewis is a topographer. Lewis secretly wants a museum more than anything in the world. Secretly hoards objects she finds buried in the dirt, and hides them from her eco-engineering girlfriend, Clark. At the site of pre-apocalypse ruins, two men find Lewis digging away in the desert, and they just won't stop asking her for...
    FULL LENGTH. In a desert world that has collapsed in the wreckage of climate change, Lewis is a topographer. Lewis secretly wants a museum more than anything in the world. Secretly hoards objects she finds buried in the dirt, and hides them from her eco-engineering girlfriend, Clark. At the site of pre-apocalypse ruins, two men find Lewis digging away in the desert, and they just won't stop asking her for directions and calling her "Sacajawea." Whatever that means.
  • cardinal song by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: birds, dreams + 7 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, horror, movement/physical, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: birds, dreams, nightmares, trauma, LGBTQ, time shifts, time travel, spooky, Scary
    FULL LENGTH. When she was a child, Willow spent twenty-two hours at the bottom of the old well in the woods. As an adult, she barely even remembers it — the darkness, the cold, the strange little red bird. Until Russell, the person who saved her, appears and asks for her help. cardinal song digs into how trauma claws its way to the surface, even as decades pass.
  • The Assistant or, My Pleasure by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, movement/physical, mystery/thriller
    [Currently in development] When Franchesca gets an entry-level assistant job at a non-profit, she feels excited to positively contribute to the world, and pay off her student loans. But after her boss disappears, Franchesca finds herself, and the future of the company, on the verge of imploding. That's when the dreams start. A play about queerness, community, helpful/hopefulness, and what it means to serve...
    [Currently in development] When Franchesca gets an entry-level assistant job at a non-profit, she feels excited to positively contribute to the world, and pay off her student loans. But after her boss disappears, Franchesca finds herself, and the future of the company, on the verge of imploding. That's when the dreams start. A play about queerness, community, helpful/hopefulness, and what it means to serve the needs of others for money.
  • radioactive decay by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: alternate reality, future + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, science fiction
    Keyword: alternate reality, future, science, CRISPR, high school, nostalgia, queer women, LGBTQ
    TEN-MINUTE. In the distant future, Xan has a party to celebrate what might be the last thirty-six hours of her life as she knows it. . . or it might be no big deal. A play about gene editing, friendship, and that song you really liked in high school.
  • king's cup by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: college, college students
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fantasy, horror, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: college, college students
    At a college party at a liberal arts school in Tennessee, it's Terra's 21st birthday. It's Nelson's chance to prove himself. And Soma's chance to get lucky. Until there's — well. Not a betrayal. A mistake. Not a horrible disaster. Wait. Is this a nightmare? No. It's fine. Nelson has a plan — okay, it's Soma's plan — to fix everything. Okay, so that plan was suggested...
    At a college party at a liberal arts school in Tennessee, it's Terra's 21st birthday. It's Nelson's chance to prove himself. And Soma's chance to get lucky. Until there's — well. Not a betrayal. A mistake. Not a horrible disaster. Wait. Is this a nightmare? No. It's fine. Nelson has a plan — okay, it's Soma's plan — to fix everything. Okay, so that plan was suggested while on molly. But it's not crazy. What? It's not. Whatever this is, it's not crazy.
  • Echo Chamber by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2–4
    ·
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: imagery, Imagistic + 6 more
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, political
    Keyword: imagery, Imagistic, symbolism, poetry, Hillary Clinton, Election 2016, funeral, opera
    TEN-MINUTE. It starts with a love story — the world's. It ends with a funeral — a girl's. A meditation on loss, a sifting of images, a remembrance of what we can't help but try and forget.
  • ON APRIL 20, 2016, KELLY WILL NOT BE JOINING US by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Cast: 
    2–4
    ·
    Genre: biography, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: daytime television, celebrity + 1 more
    Genre: biography, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, experimental, parody/spoof, satire
    Keyword: daytime television, celebrity, fame
    ONE-ACT. Kelly's path to respected B-List stardom is interrupted when her daytime TV co-host departs suddenly, moving on to bigger and better things. Removed from any decision making, Kelly decides to take a day or two of her life into her own hands.
  • The Fallen Shack of the Patriarchy by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: patriarchy, feminism + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, mystery/thriller, political, science fiction
    Keyword: patriarchy, feminism, Quarantine, pandemic, virus, History, Colorado, speculative
    MONOLOGUE. In a slightly distant, or maybe just alternate, future Anais gives a tour of the remnants of (real historical place) Bachelortown, a historical site near Creede, Colorado in the United States.
  • CORY MONTEITH or, let me save you by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: high school, Drugs + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, young audiences
    Keyword: high school, Drugs, teen drug use, DARE, celebrity, obsession
    ONE-ACT MONODRAMA. Ben, a public speaker, gives an anti-drug talk at an alternative high school, only to reveal his deepest obsessions and darkest secrets.
  • MARNIE AND PENELOPE OF LOWER BLIGHTTOWNSHIP by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 9 more
    ·
    Keyword: love, queer + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, fantasy, political, romantic comedy, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: love, queer, mermaids, magic, epic, female friendship, female bonding, LGBTQ
    TEN-MINUTE. In this queer redefining of young love, Marnie and Penelope are best friends. Marnie is leaving. Penelope is a dying star. Marnie is leaving.
  • THERE by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, mystery/thriller, young audiences
    TEN-MINUTE. Simone isn't feeling well. Garth wants to help. At the local coffee shop, quiet bizarritude abounds.
  • Starfish by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Sisters, mother + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, drama
    Keyword: Sisters, mother, daughters, LGBTQ, dogs, cremation, dead dog, spirits
    TEN-MINUTE. Two sisters gather at their mom's house to prepare for a scattering of ashes. . .for their old dog, Peanut.
  • Hold Together or, Bubblegum Pop by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, period
    ·
    Keyword: LGBTQ, periods + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, period
    Keyword: LGBTQ, periods, first period, menstruation
    TEN-MINUTE. When a teen popstar gets her first period right before shooting for her first big music video begins, it's between her momager and the film intern to try and get her to set before it all goes wrong.
  • Our #1 Best-Selling Blush by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    ·
    Keyword: female friendship, space + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, holiday
    Keyword: female friendship, space, Oprah, dreams, make-up
    TEN-MINUTE. Tammy's finally going to spend a girl's night with her sister-in-law, Stacy Ann. She's not sure how she feels about that, but Stacy Ann can barely hold back, she so badly wants to be close. She can just envision it. Plus, she brought activities for them! It's gonna be great! A short, comedic play about adult female friendships, vision boards, and the self we all want to be, but aren't.
  • TODAYIHATEYOU by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: Antigone, Greek mythology + 1 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, drama, experimental, fable/folktale, musical, tragedy
    Keyword: Antigone, Greek mythology, punk rock
    ONE-ACT. Antigone is having a really bad day. Her brother, Poly, is in prison, and she's convinced the dean of her boarding school, Dean Creon, is just setting up her family for their downfall. Her sister Ismene isn't any help, plus she just keeps talking about some psychic she went to. Antigone is taking her fate into her own hands. TODAYIHATEYOU is a punk-rock adaptation of Sophocles’s Antigone...
    ONE-ACT. Antigone is having a really bad day. Her brother, Poly, is in prison, and she's convinced the dean of her boarding school, Dean Creon, is just setting up her family for their downfall. Her sister Ismene isn't any help, plus she just keeps talking about some psychic she went to. Antigone is taking her fate into her own hands. TODAYIHATEYOU is a punk-rock adaptation of Sophocles’s Antigone about justice, family, and zines.
  • Weak Blood by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: southern, Texas
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: southern, Texas
    TEN-MINUTE. It's 2004, and Kyle and James have been best friends for a long time. Now, Kyle's about to head off for basic training, and their last adventure begins in the bed of a Chevy Silverado as they prepare for their last hunting trip.
  • Those Librarians by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: librarians
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: librarians
    TEN-MINUTE. What are those librarians up to? When two librarians make a bet to liven up their day-jobs, they get more than they bargained for with a tall, handsome stranger.
  • Rosloe by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Cast: 
    7–11
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Genre: comedy, drama
    FULL LENGTH. Rosloe is a seven-year-old girl who thinks she’s an alien. But at least she has Diana, her mom, Pony, a pony, Mr. Harrison, her new principal, and Lucky, an educational pirate, as she tries to make sense of the world. Whether or not Diana has a better understanding is up for debate, but she does know the truth about where Rosloe comes from… Moving through past and present, the play is a meditation...
    FULL LENGTH. Rosloe is a seven-year-old girl who thinks she’s an alien. But at least she has Diana, her mom, Pony, a pony, Mr. Harrison, her new principal, and Lucky, an educational pirate, as she tries to make sense of the world. Whether or not Diana has a better understanding is up for debate, but she does know the truth about where Rosloe comes from… Moving through past and present, the play is a meditation on how where you come from effects who you are.
  • Second Skin by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: marriage, couples
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: marriage, couples
    FULL LENGTH. Second Skin tells the story of a married couple: Marc, a plastic surgeon, and Clarissa, an artist, living in Los Angeles. When Clarissa is in a serious accident, Marc is the only surgeon available to perform reconstruction.
  • king's cup [longer version] by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, horror
    A 15-20 minute version of the ten-minute play.
  • Fans Only or, Fuck You / Pay Me by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Cast: 
    1–4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: onlyfans, camming + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: onlyfans, camming, sex work
    Currently In Development
  • come from money by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
    Genre: drama
    [currently in development]