(5)
Dawn
Thomas Bradshaw
Project Dawn
by Karen Hartman
Highlights
120 mins Present Day Role(s) for Black Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
Synopsis
Philadelphia is home to a revolutionary – and shockingly funny – treatment court for prostitute women.
In Project Dawn , seven actresses double as staff members and court participants, probing the thin lines between freedom and slavery, activism and obsession – on both sides of the law.
Press Reviews
"Powerful, heart-rending, often slyly funny, and serendipitously timely during a national conversation over drug abuse and sex trafficking."
— Broadway World
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| ACTOR 1 (White, early twenties) |
| ASHLEE Sullen, almost catatonic. |
| NOELLE A fresh-faced intern and aspiring lawyer. |
| ACTOR 2 (Black, thirties or forties) |
| KRYSTAL Wears an Islamic veil sometimes. She’s chatty. |
| RUTH Senior therapist for the program, Christian but works in many modalities. |
| ACTOR 3 (White, forties) |
| CASSIE (thirties) Has a hip injury, uses a cane. |
| GWEN (forties) The public defender who co-founded the program with Kyla. Open hearted, sharp-witted mother of four, on overload. |
| ACTOR 4 (White, fifties or sixties) |
| BONNIE A graduate of the program, now a motivational speaker. |
| JUDGE ROBERTA KAPLAN Compassionate, patient, and focused. An old-school Jewish liberal, Philadelphia style, which means she blends with Quakers. |
| ACTOR 5 (Latina, thirties or forties) |
| LOLA Curvy, sweet, may speak with a slight accent. |
| NIA [NEE-uh] – The hyper-competent court coordinator, excellent rapport with staff and participants. The other staff address her as a peer, not an assistant. |
| ACTOR 6 (Black, forties) |
| SHONDELL A grandma. She wears an eyepatch or bandage. |
| KYLA The DA or prosecuting attorney, a quicksilver legal mind. A butch woman, sometimes mistaken for male in off-hours. |
| ACTOR 7 (White, forty-ish) |
| TRACY (forty-ish) Bleached hair, tattoos. Ran a major drug cartel, has a swagger the other women lack. |
| SISTER CAROL (eighty) Activist nun who founded and runs May’s Place, a residence for former prostitutes. Full of righteous rage. Sister Carol is not a court regular, therefore Tracy becomes an anchor among the court clients. |
| BAILIFF . Her voice surrounds us, rather than coming from one source. OR the Bailiff can be cast live. A substantial presence, age flexible. |
| Note on Casting In university and school productions only, Project Dawn may be performed by 14 actors instead of doubling. In that case, the roles of Noelle, Cassie, Gwen, Judge Kaplan, Nia, Tracy, and Sister Carol may be cast as performers of any race. All other roles are racially specified in the dialogue and need to stay as they are. |
Publication
Project Dawn is a play written by Karen Hartman and published by Samuel French .
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Performance Rights
Available for Licensing
Amateur Only
Fee: Minimum Fee: $120 per performance
Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
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