Overview
When a group of old college friends, lovers, and strangers gather for an impromptu party after the memorial service of
one of their own, attractions and resentments flare up until an astonishing crisis explodes leading the characters to ask
themselves what makes a life worthwhile? And can happiness compensate for associated pain? Alternately hilarious
and deeply moving, SEPARATE ROOMS is a Big Chill-like homage to that time of life when you wrestle with who you
were and who you’ve become.
Casting & Production
Casting
This shouldn’t need to be said but diversity is greatly encouraged in the casting beyond what is already designated in the script.
CAST OF CHARACTERS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)
HIM — 30ish. Likes to build things. “Beautiful.” Deceased.
BOB — Mid to late 30s. A first generation American. (There is flexibility in terms of where his parents are from, but be thoughtful and don’t make it Canada.) A lawyer and a good one. Deeply empathetic even when the circumstances don’t warrant it. Married to Anna. Close friend of the deceased.
ANNA — Mid 30s. Searching. She lives a very accomplished life but has a glass half empty personality and craves to be the opposite but the evidence around her doesn’t ever seem to support that plan. Sister of the deceased.
MELISSA — 30ish. A smoker. A drinker. A fierce friend. Lives a passionate, sometimes messy, life but despises cheap sentiment. Close friend of the deceased.
FRANK — Mid 30s. From Jersey. Married. He holds a well paying, nine to five, job that he hates. Knew the deceased only tangentially.
THE GUEST — Female. Early 20s. Susceptible. Lost. Co-worker of the deceased.
JOSH — 30ish. Jewish. Carries his guilt and neuroses almost proudly. Smart to a fault. Deeply sensitive. Reeling. Hasn’t slept in days. Partner of the deceased.
SIMON — Mid to late 20s. African American. Works as a doorman to support much bigger goals. A guilt free soul. Neighbor of the deceased, but they never met.
JANIE — 30ish. Ordered. She has constructed a very good, very successful life for herself. Never met the deceased.
Setting
Time
Late January 2011 and thereabouts.
Place
A one-bedroom apartment in midtown Manhattan and… someplace else.
Reviews
“Bold. Bustling. A funny slice-of-life-and-death drama whose trove of ranting, bickering, affectionate characters come complete with quirks, idiosyncratic ideas and fleshed-out backstories.”
— The Washington Post
“Haunting, hilarious, sexy, entertaining, and wry, but also filled with moments of real depth and universal emotion. Separate Rooms is a play that’s both timely and timeless—and one that’s sure to have a long life.”
— DC Theatre Scene
