Agnes Borinsky – författare

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Dragby Gina GionfriddoA serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don’t help anyone. It’s a matter of urban survival.Slaveyby Sigrid GilmerIn which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave.Dotby Kate E. RyanIn which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret?Baby Screams Miracleby Clare BarronIn which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather’s not over yet.Men on Boatsby Jaclyn BackhausTen explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River.Of Governmentby Agnes BorinskyThe adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided.Planoby Will ArberyTonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let’s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Dragby Gina GionfriddoA serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don’t help anyone. It’s a matter of urban survival.Slaveyby Sigrid GilmerIn which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave.Dotby Kate E. RyanIn which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret?Baby Screams Miracleby Clare BarronIn which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather’s not over yet.Men on Boatsby Jaclyn BackhausTen explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River.Of Governmentby Agnes BorinskyThe adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided.Planoby Will ArberyTonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let’s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Futures is an anthology of six new plays written in Arabic, published here in English translation. Including five plays selected from over 500 submissions to Masrah Ensemble’s 2021 Open Call and one by Masrah Ensemble’s former playwright-in-residence, these six texts—by Yasser Abu Shaqra, Wael Kadour, Arzé Khodr, Rim Mejdi, Nasr Sami, and Leila Toubel—represent a diverse array of voices and styles, and push at the limits of theatrical form and public discourse. The volume features an introduction by theater writer/director/academic Hanan Kassab Hassan along with short introductions to the plays by US-based playwrights Lucas Baisch, Jess Barbagallo, Jordan Baum, Agnes Borinsky, Nazareth Hassan, and Haruna Lee.Sometimes We Remember by Arzé Khodr (Lebanon). Translated by Clem Naylor, with an introduction by Nazareth Hassan.A Fornesian diamond of a play that unfolds in a series of seemingly simple domestic and urban scenes, about the lure of dwelling in memories of war.Braveheart by Wael Kadour (Syria). Translated by Clem Naylor, with an introduction by Lucas Baisch.A play about a group of friends writing a novel together, in which relationships collapse and get rebuilt through the act of writing. How do you move out of a state of war into a time of presumed stability?Ruby by Leila Toubel (Tunisia). Translated by Hisham Ben Khamsa, with an introduction by Haruna Lee.A rhythmic monologue, lyrical and dark, in which a woman unpacks a life of misogyny and violence as she prepares to meet her daughter for the first time.Uprooting; Or, the Cat and Dog Pizza Chapters by Nasr Sami (Tunisia). Translated by Jonas Elbousty, with an introduction by Jess Barbagallo.A dizzying trip into a world of violence and distortion, by way of the Biblical Song of Songs. In which cats are nailed to walls, and two lovers seek to become one.Eternity by Rim Mejdi (Morocco). Translated by Caline Nasrallah, with an introduction by Jordan Baum.A young woman is stuck on a train, and just wants to get off. An allegorical knot of a play that moves between liveness and video, vernacular and formal Arabic, with interludes from Rimbaud's French.Left Out Gone Bad by Yasser Abu Shaqra (Palestine/Syria), with an introduction by Agnes Borinsky.A Syrian family arrives as refugees in Europe, where life does not resemble what they imagined. Over the course of the play, each member of the family finds themselves backed deeper and deeper into a corner, and “safety” proves a devil’s bargain.