Plays Written by Eliza Bent
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
ALOHA, ALOHA, OR WHEN I WAS QUEEN
BONNIE’S LAST FLIGHT
INDEED, FRIEND!
KAREN, I SAID
THE BEYONCE
THE HOTEL COLORS
THE REGULARS
TOILET FIRE
Synopses:
Asleep at the Wheel – A loose federation of scenes, as witnessed by the playwright, about a not-for-profit in decline. 9 actors.
Aloha, Aloha, or When I Was Queen – (solo piece) A Spaulding Grey-inspired monologue unpacking the author’s suburban white privilege.
Bonnie’s Last Flight – A play in three acts — tarmac, take off, and landing — set on an airplane where Mark Twain serves champagne. 6 actors.
Indeed, Friend! – Set in the basement office of an undergrad art and literature magazine, undergrads flirt, philosophize, and fight about poems and what makes art “good.” 7 actors.
Karen, I Said – (digital solo performance) Karyn’s taken refuge in the closet and is filming an IG story in which she hopes to school her bestie, Karen, who just went full Karen on the pizza delivery guy. Meanwhile Karin just wants to moderate the Zoom discussion.
The Beyonce – An adaptation of Chekhov’s short story “The Fiance.” 7 actors.
The Hotel Colors – I ask Excuse of You, but would Formal You like to take a coffee with me? A play written in direct translation from Italian to English and set inside a hostel in Rome. 6 actors.
The Regulars – Set in a joke and magic shop inside Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall featuring meditations on history, feats of juggling, and stolen kisses. 4 actors.
Toilet Fire – (solo piece w/ musician) A religious ceremony about the thing that unites us all: our need to go. With puns, music, and gentle audience interaction.
Bio:
Playwright/performer Eliza Bent is the love-grandchild of Lily Tomlin, Pee Wee Herman, and Mr. Peanut, whose Bentertainments include solo works (Karen, I Said, Toilet Fire), plays (Indeed, friend!, The Regulars), adaptations (The Beyonce, She of the Voice), and hybrid affairs (Real Talk/Kip Talk, Bonnie’s Last Flight). These have been developed, workshopped, and produced at the Abrons Arts Center, JACK, the New Ohio, the Atlantic Theatre, the Bushwick Starr and New York Theatre Workshop’s Next Door Series. Residencies: MacDowell, SPACE on Ryder Farm, New Georges, Target Margin Institute Fellow, Goodman Theatre Playwrights Unit. As a performer Bent has toured internationally with the Obie-award winning ensemble Half Straddle and in Penguin in Your Ear, Bent’s hour-long stand-up special. Short films: Package Thief!, Red Light Traffic Violation, and Summer’s Last Swim, an official selection for the 2023 Downtown LA Film Festival and Chicago Filmmakers Best LGBTQ+. BA in philosophy (Boston College), MFA in playwriting (Brooklyn College). Currently on faculty in Northwestern University’s Radio TV & Film department.