About
the Book:
A groundbreaking collection of
monologues based on the advocacy work of The Kilroys, a
theater collective formed to encourage more stage productions of work
by women.
The Kilroys List, Volume
Two contains
67 monologues and scenes for both male and female actors, all from a
list of plays based on The Kilroys'
national survey of hundreds
of professional artistic directors, literary managers, professors,
producers, directors, and dramaturgs. Members of The
Kilroys act as facilitators
throughout the process but do not recommend plays for "The
List", which
serves as a resource for producers and theatres
committed to gender parity.
Not your typical book of
monologues, this collection embodies the mission of The
Kilroys, an advocacy group
founded in Los Angeles in 2013 by women theatre producers and
playwrights, dedicated to taking action in the face of gender
disparity in American Theatre. The Kilroys'
motto is "We Make Trouble and Plays"
In 2014, The Kilroys released
their first annual List survey in response to systemic gender bias in
theatre programming. The vetted collection of industry-recommended
works was designed to bring worthy plays by women, trans, and
non-binary playwrights to the forefront of the American theater
conversation. The second volume includes a monologue or scene from
each play from the 2016 version of The List (featuring plays that
were unproduced at the time of nomination) and the 2017 version of
The List (featuring plays by playwrights of colour). This collection
represents an abundance of excellent work by female and trans
playwrights and reflects a wide ethnic, geographic, and aesthetic
diversity.
The collection The
Kilroys List, Volume
Two: 67
Monologues and Scenes by Female and Trans Playwrights,
Volume One includes
monologues and scenes from ALL plays selected for The List in 2016
and 2017:
• The book features a
foreword by Lynn Nottage, two time winner of the
Pulitzer Prize; the first in 2009 for Ruined, and the second in 2017
for Sweat
•
The
List 2016-2015,
from which the monologues are taken, includes such award-winning,
talented, and recognizable contemporary female playwrights as Lauren
Yee, Rachel Bonds,
Hansol Jung, and
Sylvia Khoury
• An essential reference guide for women's theatrical
organizations, feminist reading groups, theatrical studies, and
contemporary theatre students and organizations
What people say:
"While
there remains a great deal of work to be done to reach racial and
gender equity in the theater, the powerful and provocative writing
presented here is part of the inciting incident that will no doubt
shake up the status quo. It also is the culmination of the heroic
efforts of the Kilroy collective, to advocate and agitate for more
representation of cis-women and trans writers on the American stage."
— Lynn Nottage,
from her Foreword
"All
but daring American theaters to put on new plays by women."
— New York Times
"This
is a historic compilation of fervent, fierce and formidable voices,
who have been left on the margins for far too long, but who now, with
the caliber of their writing, stake claim to what it means to be an
American Playwright, in this time and place."
— Tanya
Saracho
for
The Kilroys
"The Kilroys
exemplify the power of grassroots action - of communion based in
savvy know-how and commitment effecting positive change with radical
joy." — Santa Barbara Independent
About the Author:
The Kilroys are a collective
of playwrights and producers in Los Angeles who advocate for the
visibility of women playwrights in theatre. Founded in 2013, The
Kilroys are named after the iconic graffiti tag "Kilroy Was
Here" that was first left by WWII soldiers in unexpected places,
a playfully subversive way of making their presence known. The
members include Zakiyyah Alexander, Bekah Brunstetter,
Sheila Callaghan, Carla Ching, Annah Feinberg,
Sarah Gubbins, Laura Jacqmin, Joy Meads, Kelly
Miller, Meg Miroshnik, Daria Polatin, Tanya
Saracho, and Marisa Wegrzyn.