Resurrection
by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
Riley, living with PTSD, navigates the loss of her grandfather while her older sister, Shae, imagines a new life for herself outside of her marriage. Their grandfather’s will reveals a surprise: a huge sum of money that could change their lives. Shae is desperate for the money, but Riley has serious reservations — all of which can be explained by a mysterious envelope that Riley urges Shae to open. But Shae is reluctant to be pulled into another of Riley’s “dramatic stunts.” As they clear out their childhood home, the sisters come to terms with their fractured relationship and try to see a new way forward together.
- Cast Size: 2M 2W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
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About the Playwright
Jordan Elizabeth Henry (she/her) is a playwright based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her short plays have been produced across the US and Canada, and her full-length plays have been developed with the William Inge New Play Initiative, the Bechdel Group, New Normal Rep, Inkwell Theatre LAB, Walking Shadow Readers Theatre, and Elephant Room Productions. You can find out more about her current projects at www.JordanElizabethHenry.com or read her plays on the New Play Exchange.
An arresting play that centers mental illness through an emotionally complex relationship between two sisters. Henry’s pacing is perfect. She knows when to hold back and when to reveal, showing here how death in the family complicates everything – trust, communication, intimacy. Henry resurrects trauma, but does more than that, something that is rare indeed in theatre: she transcends it, beautifully, showing a way forward. Easy to produce, this female-centric play deserves your attention.
A powerful piece of theatre that deserves production everywhere. It is elegant. It is brutal. It is honest. It NAILS what real anxiety looks like. If you are unfamiliar with Henry’s work, rest assured she is a master of pace and dialogue, the latter of which, like the lake in the play, holds so much beneath its surface. Every character leaps off the page and roots themselves in you during a reading alone, and will give a producing team (and audience) endless thrills and energy in unpacking them on stage.
A powerful piece of theatre that deserves production everywhere. It is elegant. It is brutal. It is honest. It NAILS what real anxiety looks like. If you are unfamiliar with Henry’s work, rest assured she is a master of pace and dialogue, the latter of which, like the lake in the play, holds so much beneath its surface. These characters leap off the page and will root themselves in you as you read, and will provide so much for a producing team and audience to unpack and dive into.
Beautifully balanced characters drive a fascinating plot line. Ms. Henry deftly weaves a conflict between siblings with the characters’ self conflicts, layering the whole with very human qualities of love, selfishness and doubt, a sprinkling of humor and a mystery. Extremely well done.
Review Resurrection.