Book of Esther
Gina Stevensen
BOOK OF ESTHER
Esther grew up in a loving religious home, the oldest of four daughters. Her best friend Aviva dreams of being a rabbi, her mother values her maturity and her father dotes on his brilliant child.
But Esther is 17, and she can feel a larger world around her own.
An upsetting talk with her mother, a few tentative chats with a local Starbucks barista and the appearance of the mythical Queen Esther collide at exactly the right moment to make her question the strictures of her community.
Esther has been invited to perform at a yeshiva Poetry Slam. Can she read her poem?
“It illuminated something for me about Orthodox Judaism without being obvious or on the nose. ”
Gina Stevensen is a playwright, performer and teaching artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Her plays include Book of Esther (semi-finalist: 2016 Princess Grace Award, workshop production: Binghamton's KNOW Theater), The Time Crawlers Save the World (grand prize winner: Manhattan Repertory Theater's one-act competition, space grant recipient: Looking Glass Theater) and Troll Doll's Big Day (36-hour Off-Broadway play festival: Urban Stages). In development: When You're Young You Know You'll Live Forever and Cruel Sister at Columbia University. She is the Writing Coordinator for Tribeca Performing Arts Center’s Writers in Performance Program. BFA: Drama (NYU Tisch) MFA: Playwriting candidate (Columbia University) www.ginastevensen.com
* A FREE ACCOUNT ON NPX IS REQUIRED TO DOWNLOAD THE PLAY
Click to return to the list of plays.