Bathsheba Doran: The Marriage Plays

The first collection of plays from Bathsheba Doran. Contains the plays Kin, Parents Evening and The Mystery of Love and Sex.

Kin: Anna, an Ivy League poetry scholar, and Sean, an Irish personal trainer, hardly seem destined for one another. But as their web of disparate family and friends crosses great distances - both psychologically and geographically - an unlikely new family is forged. Bathsheba Doran’s play sheds a sharp light on the changing face of kinship in the expansive landscape of the modern world.

Parents Evening: It’s dusk. Mother and father are in their bedroom, dressing in preparation for Parents’ Evening at their only daughter’s primary school. During this rare opportunity to check in, the couple embarks on a volatile, passionate and surprising confrontation that challenges every one of their life choices. The play is a painfully witty, perceptive exploration of the landlines of parenting in modern marriage.

The Mystery of Love and Sex: Charlotte and Jonny definitely do love each other. But not that way. Or maybe that way. They’re in college and have been close friends since they were nine. They might be in love. They might be moving in together. They might be getting married. Or they might not. Also, Charlotte wonders if she might be gay. Or maybe bisexual. As does Jonny. So why are they turning their relationship romantic?

Bathsheba Doran is a British playwright living in New York City. She grew up in London and studied at Cambridge University. Doran’s work has been developed by the O’Neill Playwriting Center, Lincoln Center, Manhattan Theatre Club and Sundance Theatre Lab, among others. She was nominated for a 2012 Writers Guild Award for her work on Boardwalk Empire.