alphabetical author index

Reviving Ophelia

"Reviving Ophelia chronicles the real stories of young women struggling with alcohol, drugs and relationships. Everyone will relate to this personal, illuminating view of teenagers' lives in American today."

U News and Views, University of Utah

  • Full Length Play
  • Drama
  • 70 minutes

  • Time Period: Present Day
  • Target Audience: Teen (Age 14 - 18), Adult
  • Set Requirements: Flexible Set
  • Cautions: Mild Adult Themes

  • Performance Group:
  • Community Theatre, College Theatre / Student, High School/Secondary

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! 2006 Macy's New Play Prize for Young Audiences
Based on Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, one of the seminal nonfiction books of our time, this is the gripping story of four teenage girls battling the corrosive influences of popular culture and each searching for the personal North Star that will guide her home. 

Jill is a Native American girl adopted by white parents. Her drinking, truancy and bad attitude are turned around in a very unexpected way. Allie, a pastor's daughter, faces a crisis of faith at a mother-daughter book club when her friend Lia loses her mother to cancer. The scene between Lia and her boyfriend, Alex, harkens back to Hamlet's "Get thee to a nunnery!," as Alex exposes the scary part of his personality which he carefully keeps hidden. Beautiful Dawn approaches high-school graduation with the realization that she's not prepared for anything but attracting guys; her solution is to attempt 18 Jello shots to celebrate her 18th birthday. 

Playwright Bennett, specifically chosen by Dr. Pipher to adapt her work, deftly leavens the drama with humor, tracing the intertwining lives of these four girls from first grade through middle school, and then through high school to graduation and young adulthood. This play has toured urban, suburban and rural schools with equal success. 

REVIEWS:

"Reviving Ophelia chronicles the real stories of young women struggling with alcohol, drugs and relationships. Everyone will relate to this personal, illuminating view of teenagers' lives in American today."

 U News and Views, University of Utah

Premiere Production: Commissioned by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
  • Casting: 2M, 5F
  • Casting Attributes: Expandable casting
  • Casting Notes: Without doubling, 3M, 7W, 6 either gender

Name Price
Reviving Ophelia Script Order Now

Based on Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, one of the seminal nonfiction books of our time, this is the gripping story of four teenage girls battling the corrosive influences of popular culture and each searching for the personal North Star that will guide her home. Jill is a Native American girl adopted by white parents. Her drinking, truancy and bad attitude are turned arround in a very unexpected way. Allie, a pastor's daughter, faces a crisis of faith at a mother-daughter book club when her friend Lia loses her mother to cancer. The scene between Lia and her boyfriend, Alex, harkens back to Hamlet's Get thee to a nunnery!, as Alex exposes the scary part of his personality which he carefully keeps hidden. Beautiful Dawn approaches high-school graduation with the realization that she's not prepared for anything but attracting guys; her solution is to attempt 18 Jello shots to celebrate her 18th birthday. Playwright Bennett, specifically chosen by Dr. Pipher to adapt her work, deftly leavens the drama with humor, tracing the intertwining lives of these four girls from first grade through middle school, and then through high school to graduation and young adulthood. This play has toured urban, suburban and rural schools with equal success. Approximate running time: 70 minutes. Flexible set.

$19.95