The Cake

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Cake

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  3w, 1m

Bekah Brunstetter

In Bekah Brunstetter's touching and topical dramatic comedy, a vivacious, conservative North Carolina baker named Della faces a crisis of conscience when Jen - whom she loves like a daughter - asks her to bake a cake for Jen's lesbian wedding.

Image: 2019 Manhattan Theatre Club Production (Joan Marcus)

The Cake

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Faith-Based, Romantic Comedy
  • Suggested Use
    • Monologues
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Della makes cakes, not judgment calls – those she leaves to her husband, Tim. But when the girl she helped raise comes back home to North Carolina to get married, and the fiancé is actually a fiancée, Della’s life gets turned upside down. She can’t really make a cake for such a wedding, can she? For the first time in her life, Della has to think for herself.

History
The Cake premiered at the Echo Theatre Company in Los Angeles, CA in June 2017 under the direction of Jennifer Chambers.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
DELLA – 40s, pleasant, round, with a mass of big, curly hair. 
TIM – 40s, her husband, a good ol’ boy. 
JEN – early 30s, with a wedding binder, who has dreamt of her wedding day her whole life.
MACY – early 30s, her reluctant fiancé, African American.
  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting

    Now, North Carolina. A Bakery; A Home.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language

Media

“Brilliant... Powerful and meaningful... great writing.” – LA Post-Examiner

“The play’s tight narrative construction is apparent from the opening scene, which immediately seduces us with Della’s bubbly charm... What's refreshing and heartening about The Cake is its characters' willingness to face their differences and limitations head-on... This is us as we could be, if we'd all just try a little harder.” – Los Angeles Times

“Recommended... Stage Raw Top 10... a singularly savory dramedy that crystallizes a contentious issue and, with empathy for both sides, portrays it in an edifying and insightful way... I left the theater feeling moved and enlightened.” - Stage Raw 

“Brilliant... Powerful and meaningful... great writing... great direction... abundant wit and humor.” – LA Post-Examiner 

“Wow!... puts a deeply personal, delightfully down-home face on the Gay-Wedding-Cake Wars... I cried, I learned, I loved.” – StageSceneLA

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

A Perfect Piece of Cake for All
by Branden Huldeen
October 15, 2018

Playwright Interview: Bekah Brunstetter

Coryn Carson
February 21, 2019

Having Our Cake and Eating It Too
by Courtney Sale
November 8, 2019

More Plays and Musicals for Strong Leading Women
by Concord Theatricals
August 23, 2021

Pride Timeline: 50+ Years of LGBTQ+ Plays and Musicals
by Jim Colleran
June 8, 2022

Great Works of the LGBTQIA+ Canon
by Concord Theatricals
June 9, 2023

New Queer Theatre: A Decade of LGBTQIA+ Shows
by Concord Theatricals
June 21, 2025

Videos

  • The Cake: Echo Theatre Trailer youtube thumbnail

    The Cake: Echo Theatre Trailer

  • The Cake: Montage (Manhattan Theatre Club) youtube thumbnail

    The Cake: Montage (Manhattan Theatre Club)

  • Bekah Brunstetter discusses The Cake youtube thumbnail

    Bekah Brunstetter discusses The Cake

  • The Cake - Bedroom Scene (MTC) youtube thumbnail

    The Cake - Bedroom Scene (MTC)

Photos

  • The Cake

    Image: 2019 Manhattan Theatre Club Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Bekah Brunstetter

Bekah Brunstetter
Bekah Brunstetter hails from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and currently lives in Los Angeles.

As a TV writer and producer, she has written for Switched at Birth, American Gods, This is Us and Maid. She has developed content for Apple TV, Hulu and FX.

As a playwright, her work ...

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