Independence
by Lee Blessing

Name: Independence
Brand: Lee Blessing
SKU: 9780822205678
Rating: 3.89 (131 reviews)

Off-Broadway

Independence Book Cover — Independence Cover

Highlights

Female

105 mins1980sAll WomenInterior SetContemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

What readers are saying

Readers appreciate the dark and gritty realism of the play, noting its focus on family dynamics and emotional struggles. The characters, especially the strong female leads, resonate well with the audience, creating a compelling narrative despite some dated elements in the script. Many find the dialogue to be natural and engaging, contributing to the overall impact of the story.

Strong female charactersEngaging and relatable dynamicsNatural dialogueCompelling family dramaSomewhat dated elements

Synopsis

Set in the lifelong home of Evelyn Briggs in the small town of Independence, Iowa, Independence is a powerful, disturbing study of a family divided against itself.

Evelyn’s oldest daughter, Kess, is a university professor who has come home at the request of her sister Jo, who is concerned for Evelyn’s mental health.

Kess, a professed lesbian, wants to cut her family ties once and for all; Jo, an incurable romantic and longtime virgin, is now pregnant; and Sherry, salty-tongued and amoral, wants only to finish high school so she can leave home for good.

In the end, there is no accommodation possible but, instead, only a kind of arbitrary independence for each of the protagonists as they come to realize that each must find her own heaven – or hell – in her own way.

Press Reviews

"Blessing has a hair-trigger sensitivity to what families are saying and doing now, this minute."
— Dallas Times Herald

"A delicate balance of comic and tragic elements."
— Louisville News American

"Mr. Blessing writes admirably well-timed and weighted dialogue, and the play takes the cleverly invented characters through to a chilling end."
— Plays and Players

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Kess Evelyn’s daughter, 33	female	—	Evelyn’s daughter, 33
Jo Evelyn’s daughter, 25	female	—	Evelyn’s daughter, 25
Sherry Evelyn’s daughter, 19	female	—	Evelyn’s daughter, 19
Evelyn Briggs 53	—	—	53