Jen Silverman – författare

For readers of Miranda July, Rebecca Lee, and Mary Gaitskill, a debut short-story collection that is a mesmerizing blend of wit, transgression, and heart.  A passive-aggressive couple in the midst of a divorce compete over whose new fling is more exotic. A Russian migrant in Tokyo agonizes over the money her lover accepts from a yakuza. A dead body on a drug dealer’s floor leads to the strangest first date ever. In this razor-sharp debut collection, Jen Silverman delivers eleven interconnected stories that take place in expat bars, artist colonies, train platforms, and matchbox apartments in the United States and Japan. Unforgettable characters crisscross through these transient spaces, loving, hurting, and leaving each other as they experience the loneliness and dangerous freedom that comes with being an outsider. In “Maria of the Grapes,” a pair of damaged runaways get lost in the seductive underworld beneath Tokyo’s clean streets; in “Pretoria,” a South African expat longs for the chaos of her homeland as she contemplates a marriage proposal; in “Girl Canadian Shipwreck,” a young woman in Brooklyn seeks permission to flee from her boyfriend and his terrible performance art; in “Maureen,” an aspiring writer realizes that her beautiful, neurotic boss is lonelier than she lets on.The Island Dwellers ranges near and far in its exploration of solitude and reinvention, identity and sexuality, family and home. Jen Silverman is the rare talent who can evoke the landscape of a whole life in a single subtle phrase—vital, human truths that you may find yourself using as a map to your own heart.Advance praise for The Island Dwellers“Reading these stories feels like spying on lives you might never admit to living—hilarious, and painfully true. I loved every one. The Island Dwellers is thrilling, addictive, and wise, and it made Jen Silverman my new favorite writer. It will probably do the same for you.”—Alexander Chee, bestselling author of The Queen of the Night and Edinburgh“Jen Silverman’s stories are at once specific and worldly, contemporary and old-fashioned, cool and heartfelt. An archipelago of emotions, The Island Dwellers captures the wonder and oddity of romantic relationships.”—Sloane Crosley, author of The Clasp and Look Alive Out There

Two sisters and a dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors dreaming of love and power. The arrival of a hapless governess and a moor-hen set all three on a strange and dangerous path. The Moors is a dark comedy about love desperation and visibility.

Betty is rich; Betty is lonely; Betty's busy working on her truck; Betty wants to talk about love but Betty needs to hit something. And Betty keeps using a small hand mirror to stare into parts of herself she's never examined. Five different women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger sex and the "thea-tah."

A charming devil arrives in the quiet village of Edmonton to bargain for the souls of its residents in exchange for their darkest wishes. Elizabeth should be his easiest target having been labeled a "witch" and cast out by the town but her soul is not so readily bought. As the devil returns to convince her - and then returns again - unexpected passions flare alliances are formed and the village is forever changed. An inventive retelling of a Jacobean drama this sharp subversive fable debates how much our souls are worth when hope is hard to come by.

Step into a sophisticated, slippery world where the line between truth and fiction is all in the packaging. It's 1936, and a pair of passionate filmmakers have landed their next big project: a sweeping Spanish Civil War film with the potential to change American hearts and minds. It just happens to be bankrolled by the KGB. This seductive and funny new play about the art of propaganda and the dangerous, ongoing Disinformation Age explores how art can change the world for better and worse.

Adi, a struggling painter, finds his creative spark reignited by Gustav, a magnetic stranger at an isolated seaside hotel. Their connection is instant and intimate, but what seems like a chance encounter quickly twists into something far darker, as Gustav becomes intrigued by Adi's wife, the dazzling Tekla. Talk into the night devolves into an intricate web of deception, seduction and revelation, where the lives of all involved may be destroyed or transformed.

“There is great imagination and intrigue here, and it is eminently entertaining.” - The GuardianBackdropped by the bleak English moors, two sisters (and their dog) live a dreary existence, as they dream of forbidden love and power. So, when a hapless governess and a moor-hen arrive at their manor house, the two see a chance to claim what they've always wanted... no matter how destructive.A loving pastiche of the gothic genre, Jen Silverman echoes and channels the Brontë sisters in this irreverent celebration, that is equal parts brutal, lusty, and deranged.A macabre, queer thriller, The Moors is published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, featuring a new introduction by Christine Scarfuto.

“There is great imagination and intrigue here, and it is eminently entertaining.” - The GuardianBackdropped by the bleak English moors, two sisters (and their dog) live a dreary existence, as they dream of forbidden love and power. So, when a hapless governess and a moor-hen arrive at their manor house, the two see a chance to claim what they''ve always wanted... no matter how destructive.A loving pastiche of the gothic genre, Jen Silverman echoes and channels the Brontë sisters in this irreverent celebration, that is equal parts brutal, lusty, and deranged.A macabre, queer thriller, The Moors is published in Methuen Drama''s Modern Classics series, featuring a new introduction by Christine Scarfuto.

“There is great imagination and intrigue here, and it is eminently entertaining.” - The GuardianBackdropped by the bleak English moors, two sisters (and their dog) live a dreary existence, as they dream of forbidden love and power. So, when a hapless governess and a moor-hen arrive at their manor house, the two see a chance to claim what they''ve always wanted... no matter how destructive.A loving pastiche of the gothic genre, Jen Silverman echoes and channels the Brontë sisters in this irreverent celebration, that is equal parts brutal, lusty, and deranged.A macabre, queer thriller, The Moors is published in Methuen Drama''s Modern Classics series, featuring a new introduction by Christine Scarfuto.

Silverman isn’t interested in the dull details of conventional storytelling…Delicious [and] surreal. …A play that gives two noningénues strange [and] meaty roles. (New York Times) Sharon’s never had a roommate before. In fact, there’s a lot Sharon’s never done before, but Robyn’s about to change all that. Jen Silverman’s The Roommate shatters expectations with its witty and profound portrait of a blossoming intimacy between two women from vastly different backgrounds, as they navigate the complexities of identity, morality, and the promise of reinvention. Being bad never felt so good as it does in this riveting one-act about second acts.This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the 2024 Broadway production which starred Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone.

Silverman isn''t interested in the dull details of conventional storytelling…Delicious [and] surreal. …A play that gives two noningénues strange [and] meaty roles. (New York Times) Sharon''s never had a roommate before. In fact, there''s a lot Sharon''s never done before, but Robyn''s about to change all that. Jen Silverman''s The Roommate shatters expectations with its witty and profound portrait of a blossoming intimacy between two women from vastly different backgrounds, as they navigate the complexities of identity, morality, and the promise of reinvention. Being bad never felt so good as it does in this riveting one-act about second acts.This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the 2024 Broadway production which starred Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone.

Silverman isn''t interested in the dull details of conventional storytelling…Delicious [and] surreal. …A play that gives two noningénues strange [and] meaty roles. (New York Times) Sharon''s never had a roommate before. In fact, there''s a lot Sharon''s never done before, but Robyn''s about to change all that. Jen Silverman''s The Roommate shatters expectations with its witty and profound portrait of a blossoming intimacy between two women from vastly different backgrounds, as they navigate the complexities of identity, morality, and the promise of reinvention. Being bad never felt so good as it does in this riveting one-act about second acts.This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the 2024 Broadway production which starred Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone.

In Collective Rage, the lives of five very different New York women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger, sex and “theat-ah.” As they meet, fall in love, rehearse, revel and rage, they realise that they’ve been stuck reading the same scripts for far too long.They all come from different backgrounds, and are bored or angry about different things, but the Betty's - each one numbered 1-5 - come together to rehearse a new version of Pyramus and Thisbe, the play within a play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What follows are discoveries, transformations and raucous comedy. Hitting the ring with an electrifying soundtrack, looks to kill and spectacular routines, this outrageous comedy packs the punch to shatter lacquered femininity into a thousand glittering pieces. Strongly influenced by cabaret and female drag, this exquisite rejection of shame and stereotype will punch you in the gut, break your heart and then take you dancing.Collective Rage had its UK premiere at the Southwark Playhouse.

In Collective Rage, the lives of five very different New York women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger, sex and “theat-ah.” As they meet, fall in love, rehearse, revel and rage, they realise that they've been stuck reading the same scripts for far too long.They all come from different backgrounds, and are bored or angry about different things, but the Betty's - each one numbered 1-5 - come together to rehearse a new version of Pyramus and Thisbe, the play within a play in A Midsummer Night's Dream. What follows are discoveries, transformations and raucous comedy. Hitting the ring with an electrifying soundtrack, looks to kill and spectacular routines, this outrageous comedy packs the punch to shatter lacquered femininity into a thousand glittering pieces. Strongly influenced by cabaret and female drag, this exquisite rejection of shame and stereotype will punch you in the gut, break your heart and then take you dancing.Collective Rage had its UK premiere at the Southwark Playhouse.

Three plays about transformation, intimacy and power from award-winning American Playwright Jen Silverman. Contains the plays The Roommate; The Moors and Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties.Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties - Five different women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger, sex, and the “thea-tah”, falling in love in unexpected ways.The Moors - Two sisters and a dog living on the bleak English moors, and dreaming of love and power, are surprised by a sudden arrival. The Moors is a dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility.In The Roommate a middle-aged housewife makes a new friend with a big secret. A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life - and what happens when the wheels come off.

Three plays about transformation, intimacy and power from award-winning American Playwright Jen Silverman. Contains the plays The Roommate; The Moors and Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties.Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties - Five different women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger, sex, and the “thea-tah”, falling in love in unexpected ways.The Moors - Two sisters and a dog living on the bleak English moors, and dreaming of love and power, are surprised by a sudden arrival. The Moors is a dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility.In The Roommate a middle-aged housewife makes a new friend with a big secret. A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life - and what happens when the wheels come off.

Reading like a cross between Shelia Heti's How Should A Person Be? and Lily King's Writers & Lovers, We Play Ourselves is a wildly entertaining debut novel of female rage, self-sabotage, the pursuit of fame and the costs of artistic ambition.

'As funny as it's intellectual, this page-turner about crashing and burning is spot-on about ambition, infatuation, theatre, film, ethics, teens, and everything else.' Emma Donoghue, author of Room 'Witty...Earnest...Laugh-out-loud...Pitch-perfect' New York TimesWhen Cass - a thirty something year old queer playwright - receives a prestigious award, it seems as though her career is finally taking off. That is until she finds herself at the centre of a searing public shaming. Fleeing New York, Cass moves to L.A. to start anew. Once there, she is pulled into the orbit of her charismatic neighbour, a filmmaker who's making an ethically murky documentary inspired by a group of teenage girls and their underground fight club. But just as Cass begins to dream of a comeback, the past starts to catch up with her and she is forced once more to reckon with her ambition and the chaos it creates. We Play Ourselves is a darkly funny novel about the cost of making art, and the art of making enemies.'Funny, sharp, modern - this is an excellent debut novel. Its bold, edgy, strange heroine has adventures and misadventures, screws up again and again, but somehow won my love. I couldn't put this book down.' Weike Wang, PEN/Hemingway-award winning author of Chemistry

Stefan Hornbach »Schwalbenkönig«, Tracy Letts »Linda Vista«, Daniel Mezger »Edward Snowden steht hinterm Fenster und weckt Birnen ein«, Fiston Mwanza Mujila »Zu der Zeit der Königinmutter«, Yade Yasemin Önder »Kartonage«, Ewald Palmetshofer »Vor Sonnenaufgang«, Roland Schimmelpfennig »100 Songs«, Ferdinand Schmalz »jedermann (stirbt)«, Jen Silverman »Die Mitbewohnerin«, Katherine Soper »Wish List«, Robert Woelfl »Überfluss Wüste«.

Ab 2019 wird aus »Theater Theater« die »Dramatische Rundschau«. Nach wie vor werden neueste Theatertexte versammelt.In Band 1 der Dramatischen Rundschau sind abgedruckt:Björn SC Deigner: In Stanniolpapier / Gracie Gardner: Pussy Sludge / Caren Jeß: Bookpink / Wolfram Lotz: In Ewigkeit Ameisen und Das Ende von Iflingen / Roland Schimmelpfennig: Der Riss durch die Welt / Ferdinand Schmalz: der tempelherr / Jen Silverman: Collective Rage / Marlene Streeruwitz: Mar-a-Lago. Oder. Neuschwanstein.Das Drama lebt!

Die Anthologie versammelt Theatertexte, die neue Narrative von Geschlecht und Identität wagen. Die Stückauswahl bildet den Versuch eines Querschnitts durch das bestehende Korpus zeitgenössischer Bühnentexte, die Alternativen jenseits der heterosexuellen Norm finden und nicht-binäre Realitäten greifbar machen.Marine Bachelot Nguyen beschreibt in Schatten und Lippen die Verwirklichung privater und politischer Wünsche vietnamesischer LGBTI*s vor dem Hintergrund postkolonialer Dynamiken. Dany Boudreaults hybrider, im Grenzbereich von Drama und Poesie angesiedelter Text Wir sind schön, für hässliche Leute widmet sich Fragen nach der Geschlechtsidentität, dem Außenblick und der Selbstakzeptanz. Am Tag nach dem Tag, an dem niemand starb von Ebru Nihan Celkan ist der performative Monolog einer trans* Frau aus der Istanbuler Sexarbeiter*innen-Community. Olga Dimitrijević präsentiert mit Mein Du ein Dialogstück über lesbische Liebe und Trauer im Alter, untermalt von dem Sound jugoslawischer Schlager. Marie Henrys experimentelle Arbeit, das titelgebende Stück Surf durch undefiniertes Gelände, skizziert die Reaktionen einer Familie auf das genderfluide Kind, und Raphael Amahl Khouri erzählt in She He Me Lebensgeschichten von trans* Menschen und Homosexuellen in der arabischen Welt. Milja Sarkolas Bühne des Begehrens verhandelt weibliches Begehren im Umfeld des heterosexistisch geprägten Theaterbetriebs. In Jen Silvermans gnadenloser Persiflage Collective Rage. Ein Stück in fünf Bettys treten fünf weiße und nicht-weiße, privilegierte und weniger privilegierte Bettys mit ihrer "Quelle der Kraft" in Verbindung. In Magne van den Bergs Stück für junges Publikum Gender liefern sich zwei Jugendliche einen Schlagabtausch über nervige Geschlechterrollenklischees.Neun Texte aus neun Ländern, neun Positionen mit unterschiedlichen Anliegen und Zugriffen: Ob als Dokufiktion, Jugendstück, Liebeslied oder Trashkamelle, diese neun Autor*innen erzählen ihre Geschichten über Verlust und Scham, Solidarität und Kampf, Zukunftsvision und Lebenslust so eindringlich, tragisch und optimistisch, dass sie auf deutschsprachigen Bühnen nicht fehlen dürfen.Mit den TheatertextenMarine Bachelot Nguyen: Schatten und Lippen (Frankreich, Übersetzung: André Hansen)Dany Boudreault: Wir sind schön, für hässliche Leute (Kanada, Übersetzung: Wolfram Höll)Ebru Nihan Celkan: Der Tag nach dem Tag, an dem niemand starb (Türkei, Übersetzung: Oliver Kontny)Olga Dimitrijević: Mein Du (Serbien, Übersetzung: Blažena Radas)Marie Henry: Surf durch undefiniertes Gelände (Belgien, Übersetzung: Lisa Wegener)Raphael Amahl Khouri: She He Me (Jordanien, Übersetzung: Paul Spittler)Milja Sarkola: Bühne des Begehrens (Finnland, Übersetzung: Katja von der Ropp)Jen Silverman: Collective Rage. Ein Stück in fünf Bettys (USA, Übersetzung: Barbara Christ)Magne van den Berg: Gender (Niederlande, Übersetzung: Eva M. Pieper und Alexandra Schmiedebach)