Women Helping Women by
5 women. They chew. They spit. They repeat. The cycle continues until it does not.
Kelsey Sullivan
Kelsey Sullivan
Kelsey Sullivan is a playwright, librettist, and producer based in Glasgow. As a writer, Kelsey uses her distinct voice to create a fun and playful space for her audiences, hoping to not only make them laugh (and groan), but to unite them together through their shared experiences and emotions. She has had her work featured at the Valdez Theatre Conference (Worm Teeth), Playwrights Horizons (Bugs, dir.) Teatro...
Kelsey Sullivan is a playwright, librettist, and producer based in Glasgow. As a writer, Kelsey uses her distinct voice to create a fun and playful space for her audiences, hoping to not only make them laugh (and groan), but to unite them together through their shared experiences and emotions. She has had her work featured at the Valdez Theatre Conference (Worm Teeth), Playwrights Horizons (Bugs, dir.) Teatro Latea and Little & Fierce Theatre Co. (My Love Was Stolen By A Con Man!), and The City Reliquary (The Land of Turquoise, Pet Rock). She recently made her international debut at Hysteria Theatre in Galway, Ireland with her newest show, Ghost Party, and will continue her work in Galway at the Galway Theatre Festival. She holds a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Plays
Stinky Girls by Kelsey Sullivan
Recommendations: 14··Cast:2Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more·Keyword: womanhood, despair + 6 moreGenre: comedy, dark comedy, horrorKeyword: womanhood, despair, numbness, ten minute play, loneliness, sadness, mutilation, female friendshipThis exploration of body mutilation and female friendship starts the way any story of this nature would - with a sleepover! Two girls, Elina and Margie, are enjoying some silly, stinky fun time, telling each other about the grossest things that they do on a daily basis like hiding wrappers and peeling off dead skin. However, these quirky little habits quickly devolve, revealing the unsettling, dark, and twisted...This exploration of body mutilation and female friendship starts the way any story of this nature would - with a sleepover! Two girls, Elina and Margie, are enjoying some silly, stinky fun time, telling each other about the grossest things that they do on a daily basis like hiding wrappers and peeling off dead skin. However, these quirky little habits quickly devolve, revealing the unsettling, dark, and twisted actions that the two take to combat the intense loneliness, numbness, and sadness they feel deep inside.Worm Teeth by Kelsey Sullivan
Recommendations: 10··Cast:3–6Genre: dark comedy, fable/folktale + 1 more·Keyword: interactive, self acceptance + 7 moreGenre: dark comedy, fable/folktale, immersiveKeyword: interactive, self acceptance, animals, natural world, fear of dentists, blood and bones, community, alternate endings, feralWorm is quite happy being a just that: a worm. However, there is one thing missing - this worm wants teeth. And you, yes you, are going to help it get them! Follow along on Worm’s journey as it meets old friends, sings some songs, and discovers how far it's willing to go for some pearly whites. In the end, it is up to you - will you help Worm get the teeth it wants? Or will you take things a step further...Worm is quite happy being a just that: a worm. However, there is one thing missing - this worm wants teeth. And you, yes you, are going to help it get them! Follow along on Worm’s journey as it meets old friends, sings some songs, and discovers how far it's willing to go for some pearly whites. In the end, it is up to you - will you help Worm get the teeth it wants? Or will you take things a step further and help it get what it really needs?My Love Was Stolen By A Con Man! by Kelsey Sullivan
Recommendations: 2··Cast:5–9Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more·Keyword: love, get rich quick schemes + 8 moreGenre: comedy, dark comedy, tragedyKeyword: love, get rich quick schemes, interactive, TED Talk, multimedia, destruction, con man, dystopian future, full length, GenZIn a society not so different from our own, paper money/currency as we know it has been erased and replaced with “love transactions.” The more love you give, the less wealth you’ll have, and the more love you take, the more wealth you’ll have. Enter Kevin, a 28 year old con man who has found the secret to getting rich quick! Will he stay a con forever, or will love get him in the end?Pet Rock by Kelsey Sullivan
·Cast:2Genre: comedy, immersive + 1 more·Keyword: one act comedy, interactive + 6 moreGenre: comedy, immersive, young audiencesKeyword: one act comedy, interactive, bonds of friendship, Childhood, asking for help, youthful, Playful, alternate endingsClara and Rocky are best friends! They do everything together - they talk, and laugh, and sing, and dance, and tell each other everything. But when Clara starts taking up too much space in the relationship, Rocky must build up the courage tell them - and they need the help of you and your best friends to do so!The Land of Turquoise by Kelsey Sullivan
·Cast:7–30Genre: comedy, commedia dell'arte + 6 more·Keyword: puppets, comic opera + 8 moreGenre: comedy, commedia dell'arte, dark comedy, experimental, immersive, musical, opera, tragedyKeyword: puppets, comic opera, Dystopia, Utopia, anxiety, different worlds, birds, raccoons, loneliness and isolation, Groundhog DayKory is living in a grey world - no really! Everything is grey! Grey walls, grey skies, grey skin - need I go on? Their only comfort is the turquoise chain their mother gave them when they were a little tyke. But, when Kory’s stress reaches an all time high, the chain breaks and transports them to the brilliant, beautiful, and oh so blue Land of Turquoise! In this utopia, all of Kory’s wants, needs, and dreams...Kory is living in a grey world - no really! Everything is grey! Grey walls, grey skies, grey skin - need I go on? Their only comfort is the turquoise chain their mother gave them when they were a little tyke. But, when Kory’s stress reaches an all time high, the chain breaks and transports them to the brilliant, beautiful, and oh so blue Land of Turquoise! In this utopia, all of Kory’s wants, needs, and dreams are taken care of. But they soon find that this land may not actually be everything they ever wanted…
NOTE: NO MUSIC HAS BEEN COMPOSED
Ghost Party by Kelsey Sullivan
·Cast:2–4Genre: comedy, experimental + 1 more·Keyword: ghost, interactive + 8 moreGenre: comedy, experimental, immersiveKeyword: ghost, interactive, anger, growth, understanding, asking for help, stand up comedy, one act, wrath, alternate endingsMeet our lovely hostess for the evening, one Miss Ghostess with the Mostess. See, she has been trying to pass on from this realm since she died, and she has narrowed down her unfinished business to one word: REVENGE. Now, she needs your help to choose who from her life actually deserves to incur her wrath. A silly yet poignant reflection on how anger and cynicism can warp a worldview, Ghost Party will stick you...Meet our lovely hostess for the evening, one Miss Ghostess with the Mostess. See, she has been trying to pass on from this realm since she died, and she has narrowed down her unfinished business to one word: REVENGE. Now, she needs your help to choose who from her life actually deserves to incur her wrath. A silly yet poignant reflection on how anger and cynicism can warp a worldview, Ghost Party will stick you in a liminal space that will encourage you to be your goofiest self, while also asking you to reflect on your emotions and the ways in which you express, embrace, and cope with them.
Note: This play was written for an Irish audience and thus includes references to Irish places/businesses. It can be adapted to serve a US audience.Midnight Court by Kelsey Sullivan
·Cast:7–30Genre: adaptation, adventure + 9 more·Keyword: Irish mythology, feminism + 4 moreGenre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, commedia dell'arte, fable/folktale, fantasy, melodrama, musical, opera, period, verseKeyword: Irish mythology, feminism, orgasm gap, comic opera, happily ever after, gaelic languageBased on ancient Irish folklore, Midnight Court weaves together two tales, that of Aengus, God of Love, and Aibell, Goddess of the Banshees. Aibell steals men away from their marital beds and castrates them for not pleasing their wives adequately. Aengus just loves love! So when Aengus makes two humans, Rowan and Eabha, fall in love and get married, and Rowan fails to fulfill Eabha’s needs, Aibell and her...Based on ancient Irish folklore, Midnight Court weaves together two tales, that of Aengus, God of Love, and Aibell, Goddess of the Banshees. Aibell steals men away from their marital beds and castrates them for not pleasing their wives adequately. Aengus just loves love! So when Aengus makes two humans, Rowan and Eabha, fall in love and get married, and Rowan fails to fulfill Eabha’s needs, Aibell and her banshees steal him away. Now, Eabha and Aengus must journey through Ireland to convince Aibell to give him back. A wet, wild, and whacky exploration of love, lust, and partnership, Midnight Court uses humor, mysticism and eroticism to discuss real world issues such as the orgasm gap, toxic relationships, female friendships, and gatekeeping.
NOTE: This is just a libretto. The music is not yet composed.Jibberish Play by Kelsey Sullivan
·Cast:2Genre: drama·Keyword: gibberish, communication + 4 moreGenre: dramaKeyword: gibberish, communication, communication problems, understanding, loving relationships, loveJibberish Play follows the relationship between two lovers who only speak Gibberish. They understand everything that the other says (well, at least on the surface), while the audience is aware of the emotions that lie dormant beneath. Will they be able to dig deeper than the words being spoken to save their relationship? Or is this the end?The Knidia and Her Stain by Kelsey Sullivan
Recommendations: 1··Cast:2Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more·Keyword: Ancient Greek Myth, aphrodite + 3 moreGenre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, fable/folktaleKeyword: Ancient Greek Myth, aphrodite, feminism, sexual violence, ten minute playThe Knidia and Her Stain was inspired by a Lucian text that tells the story of a young man who was so infatuated with the statue of Aphrodite of Knidos that he snuck in to where she was displayed, jerked off onto her backside leaving a stain, and then was so embarrassed he jumped off of a cliff into the waters below. In the play, the man jerks off onto the statue, but immediately must face the consequences when the statue comes to life.Within These Wounded Walls by Kelsey Sullivan
·Cast:10–18Genre: adventure, drama + 3 more·Keyword: play with songs, full length + 6 moreGenre: adventure, drama, fable/folktale, horror, tragedyKeyword: play with songs, full length, feminism, sirens, bodies, wrath, generational womanhood, female rageLong ago, the Vikings and Sirens lived in harmony, until one Viking tried to take a Siren's voice box for himself. His act of violence spurred a war between the two clans; now, the Sirens live deep below the waters, torturing Viking prisoners to heal their own trauma. But when Freya, the Siren Princess, falls in love with Viking prisoner Váhli, she must choose - uphold the traditions of her sisters, or...Long ago, the Vikings and Sirens lived in harmony, until one Viking tried to take a Siren's voice box for himself. His act of violence spurred a war between the two clans; now, the Sirens live deep below the waters, torturing Viking prisoners to heal their own trauma. But when Freya, the Siren Princess, falls in love with Viking prisoner Váhli, she must choose - uphold the traditions of her sisters, or risk her livelihood for the enemy. A story of rage, revenge, and retribution, Within These Wounded Walls explores sexual assault and bodily mutilation through a fantastical lens.