A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

A Woman Among Women

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  7w, 2m

Julia May Jonas

This riff on Arthur Miller’s All My Sons challenges the audience to participate in the making of a tragic hero, experience her Aristotelian fall from grace, and interrogate the meaning of collective catharsis.

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A Woman Among Women

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    7w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

It’s Cleo’s backyard, Roy’s back in town, and Christine’s brought information. I mean, basil. A Woman Among Women riffs on Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, challenging audiences to participate in the making of a tragic hero, experience her Aristotelian fall from grace, and interrogate the meaning of collective catharsis. A Woman Among Women is part of Jonas’ All Long True American Stories, a cycle of five “response plays” that reimagine canonical 20th-century male-experience plays as they’d be lived by other people, mostly women.

History
A Woman Among Women premiered at The Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn, NY on 15 October 2024. Co-produced by The Bushwick Starr and New Georges and directed by Sarah Hughes, the production featured Brittany K. Allen, Gabriel Brown, Annie Fang, Zoë Geltman, Hannah Heller, Lucky Kaminsky, Drew Lewis, Maria-Christina Oliveras and Dee Pelletier.
Keywords
Performing Groups
CLEO – Mid-60s. The matriarch. Biological mother of Grace and Jo. The play takes place in her backyard.
SARAH – Early 40s. Next-door neighbor, connected through a backyard. Works wih Cleo as an MD at The Center, a psychological wellness center for women. Married to Lane, mother of Beatrix, an 8-year-old girl.
CHRISTINE – Late 40s. Other next-door neighbor, connected through a backyard on the other side. A lawyer, married to Tammy, with two kids.
TAMMY – Late 30s. Next-door neighbor. Stay-at-home mom. Married to Christine, with two kids.
GRACE – Mid-30s. Daughter of Cleo. Lives nearby, works with her mother at The Center.
RIDA – The character is 8, played by the actor who plays Trisha. Neighborhood kid. Pronounced Reeda.
TINA – Mid-40s to 60s. Lives with Cleo as a friend/non-romantic life partner and has for 30 years. Took care of Cleo’s kids when they were younger.
ROY – Mid-30s. Married to Cleo’s daughter Jo. Grew up in the neighborhood but has since moved away.
LANE – Early 40s. Married to Sarah. Musician. Stay-at-home dad of Beatrix.
TRISHA – 60s, potentially played by the actor who plays Rida. Mother of Roy. Has since moved away.

The location of the play is Northampton, Massachusetts, an ethnically and raacially diverse area with hippie tendencies, a strong LGBTQ+ community and a developed social conscience. The playwright encourages casting to reflect this. Additionally, the character of Lane should do a good deal of accompaniment and backup singing for the songs.

  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting

    Cleo’s backyard in Northampton, Massachusetts. Present Day.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Play with Music
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

Critic’s Pick! “A fresh story freshly told.” – New York Times

Critic’s Pick! “That rare thing onstage: a fresh story freshly told. [Jonas] builds this world exquisitely, calibrating the revelations like doses of arsenic, then chasing them with amusing distractions… What I like most about Jonas’ play is that it sees opposing things at once, uplifting and criticizing its characters, respecting and rethinking its source.” – New York Times

“It’s clear that Jonas has a nose for the drama lurking within the cracks of American society.” – Theater Mania

“Playful, idiosyncratic and ultimately wrenching“ A Woman Among Women’s chief draw is that it keeps you on your toes. Jonas shifts tones and modes like a composer switching time signatures.” – Vulture

“Julia May Jonas examines our cultural patrimony through a feminist lens – one so tightly focused it burns.” – The New Yorker

“The play is about mother, daughters and ideas of legacy, zeroing in specifically on Cleo’s daughters; if the traditional homily prescribes that the sins of the father are vested upon the son, here it’s the reverse.” – Exeunt

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

Julia May Jonas

Julia May Jonas

Julia May Jonas is a writer and founder of the theatre company Nellie Tinder. Recent plays include A Woman Among Women (the Bushwick Starr), Your Own Personal Exegesis (LCT3) and Problems Between Sisters (Studio Theatre, Washington, DC). Problems Between Sisters and A Woman A ...

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