Highlighting a variety of perspectives on religion, race, sexual orientation, ability and identity, these plays explore our differences and guide us toward greater understanding and compassion.
Middle School | High School | College | Community | Professional | TYA
6 any gender.
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
30 min.
Lift Every Voice, which is based on a true story, explores the impact of racism in an urban high school. When the class president of an elite inner-city high school posts a racially inflammatory message on social media, tensions explode, loyalties are tested and long-simmering resentments boil over as the six members of the student council grapple with the fallout and how to move forward. Learn More
Middle School | High School | College | Community | Professional | TYA
6 either gender.
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
30 min.
Lift Every Voice, which is based on a true story, explores the impact of racism in an urban high school. When the class president of an elite inner-city high school posts a racially inflammatory message on social media, tensions explode, loyalties are tested and long-simmering resentments boil over as the six members of the student council grapple with the fallout and how to move forward. Learn More
Shedrick, a Liberian refugee living in Australia, explains his journey from his war-torn home to refugee camps, where he survived squalor, hunger and disease. He was rescued by his Uncle John and assumed the identity of John’s dead son. Now safe in Australia, Shedrick wants to reclaim his identity. Rob, a white attorney, believes it can happen with a simple legal procedure, but John is ferociously against it, forcing Shedrick to choose between reclaiming his identity and his loyalty to the man who saved his life. Learn More
Meet Abdul Samee: his father is Iraqi, and his mother is Puerto Rican—but if you ask him, he’ll say he’s Italian. Longing to shed his cultural identity, he changes his name to Sam, marries an American and does everything in his power to turn his back on his heritage. But when Sam meets Yasmina, a beautiful woman from his father’s homeland, he begins to learn that a tree without roots cannot stand for long. Learn More
Limited Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
85 min.
Caitlin is an 11-year-old girl on the autism spectrum. After a mass shooting takes her brother away, she is alone with her grieving father and a cacophony of children at school. She struggles to understand empathy, what facial expressions mean and why a drawing might have more than one color. We see the world from Caitlin’s point of view. We struggle as she does but also take comfort in the times when she finds a friend, draws a multicolored mockingbird and can finally cry for her brother. Learn More
Middle School | High School | College | Community | Professional | TYA
3m., 4w., 6 to 12 either gender.
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
45 min.
At 2 years old, Noah is diagnosed with autism. He stops talking, won't look people in the eyes and doesn't wish to be touched. Jenny, Noah's older sister, journeys into Noah's world and finds the courage and strength to understand and support his struggles. The family comes to understand that autism is not a death of dreams but another way to live and that Noah is different but not less. World of Wonder invites all to join the adventure and take the first step in understanding autism. Learn More
Every milestone in life has a story. But there is one milestone story we seldom tell—the story of our experience of being present for the death of a loved one. Stay With Me Awhile is a compilation of vigil stories from across cultures, religions, political views and socio-economic circumstances that were collected over a seven-year period. Each story was entirely unique, and many of the scenes described were snapshots of lifelong relationships played out as the end of life approached. Learn More
14 was inspired by the true-life event in May 2001 in which a smuggler abandoned 30 Mexicans crossing the desert, resulting in 14 deaths from dehydration. It is a starting point for exploration to investigate the complexities of people living on the border, not giving answers but raising difficult questions. The mosaic of flawed and struggling people included emphasize the importance of investigating this topic in a way that calls not only for action and conversation but, ultimately, for a collective solution.
Terminus tells the story of Eller, a progressive white matriarch, and her mixed-race grandson, Jaybo, who live together in a ramshackle house down by the railroad tracks in rural Georgia. Their unique love has seen them through, but when Eller’s mind begins to fade with dementia, her violent past in the segregated South haunts her from the very walls of the old family home. As she descends terrifyingly closer toward a horrifying truth, Jaybo’s capacity to love his grandmother is put to the test. Learn More
Defamation is a riveting courtroom drama that illuminates our common perceptions about race, religion and class. In this case, the plaintiff is Ms. Wade, a professional black woman from the South Side of Chicago. The defendant is Mr. Golden, a successful North Shore businessman who is Jewish. Following testimony from each side, the judge reveals that the audience will be the jury. Defamation challenges our preconceived notions about race, class, religion and even the law.