Tiny Beautiful Things
by Nia Vardalos, Cheryl Strayed

Name: Tiny Beautiful Things
Brand: Nia Vardalos
SKU: 9780573706806
Rating: 4.13 (335 reviews)

Tiny Beautiful Things Book Cover — Tiny Beautiful Things Cover

Highlights

Female

75 mins Present Day Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

Based on the bestselling book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, Tiny Beautiful Things personifies the questions and answers that “Sugar” was publishing online from 2010-2012.

When the struggling writer was asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of advice columnist, Strayed used empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small.

Tiny Beautiful Things is a play about reaching when you’re stuck, healing when you’re broken, and finding the courage to take on the questions that have no answers.

Press Reviews

"Critic’s Pick! “Tiny Beautiful Things is about the endangered art of listening to – and really hearing and responding to – other people…it works beautifully as a sustained theatrical exercise in empathy."
— The New York Times

"Catharsis, that ancient communal ritual of purging and healing…a show that aims to open our eyes to the tiny moments when the world surprises us with care."
— New York Magazine

"Should be a sought-after title for other venues looking for a theatrical hug in turbulent times."
— Variety

"It’s provocative, poignant and rich."
— New York Daily News

"Heart-tugging and emotionally rewarding."
— The Huffington Post

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Male Letter Writer #1 Age, gender and ethnicity are open. This person first appears when he emails Sugar with the offer of the job as an online advice columnist, and later appears as several Letter Writers, including women. Most notably he plays someone who repeatedly trolls Sugar online by signing off as WTF, and a father who has lost his 22 year old son in a car accident.	male	—	Age, gender and ethnicity are open. This person first appears when he emails Sugar with the offer of the job as an online advice columnist, and later appears as several Letter Writers, including women. Most notably he plays someone who repeatedly trolls Sugar online by signing off as WTF, and a father who has lost his 22 year old son in a car accident.
Female Letter Writer Age, gender and ethnicity are open. This person plays a variety of Letter Writers of many ages, including an assortment of males. Most notably, she plays a woman dealing with the after effects of a miscarriage, plus Sugar’s mother who appears in flashbacks.	female	—	Age, gender and ethnicity are open. This person plays a variety of Letter Writers of many ages, including an assortment of males. Most notably, she plays a woman dealing with the after effects of a miscarriage, plus Sugar’s mother who appears in flashbacks.
Male Letter Writer #2 Age, gender and ethnicity are open. This person plays a variety of roles, including women. Most notably he plays a transgender person in search of an answer about family, plus someone who is unsure about maintaining a relationship with a narcissist father.NOTE: The distribution of the letters is open to the director’s choices. The goal was to create a piece which could be played by all genders and ethnicities.	male	—	Age, gender and ethnicity are open. This person plays a variety of roles, including women. Most notably he plays a transgender person in search of an answer about family, plus someone who is unsure about maintaining a relationship with a narcissist father.NOTE: The distribution of the letters is open to the director’s choices. The goal was to create a piece which could be played by all genders and ethnicities.
Sugar Age is 37 and up, no limit. Ethnicity is open. She is a writer, a married mom to two children. On a whim, she takes a job of an anonymous online advice columnist, only to discover that she needs the Letter Writers as much as they need her.	female	—	Age is 37 and up, no limit. Ethnicity is open. She is a writer, a married mom to two children. On a whim, she takes a job of an anonymous online advice columnist, only to discover that she needs the Letter Writers as much as they need her.