Our Curated List of Diversity-Friendly Plays
There are many ways to promote inclusive theater. As a theater company, one way to do this is to select plays that allow for a diverse cast. With this goal in mind, Theater Artist Monica Bowker has shared with us her list of recommended stage plays.
Because these plays remain ambiguous regarding characters’ race and ethnicity, they give theater companies even more space to select a diverse cast. Although some of these dramas have been cast certain ways historically, the scripts and stories themselves are especially well-suited for inclusive casting.
Whether you choose to give a fresh voice to a 17th century drama, or you bring to life a more recent work, we recommend these plays as solid options for anyone looking to support more inclusive theater.
Our List of Inclusive Plays
The Rover - Aphra Behn 1677
The Balcony - Jean Genet 1957
Polaroid Stories - Naomi Iizuka 1997
Language of Angels - Naomi Iizuka 2000
The Language Archive - Julia Cho 2009
Machinal - Sophie Treadwell 1928
Trifles - Susan Glaspell 1916
Mnemonic - Complicite 1999
Tartuffe - Molière 1664
Ubu Roi - Alfred Jarry 1896
Endgame - Samuel Beckett 1957
Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett 1953
Venus in Fur - David Ives 2010
The Exonerated - Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen 2000
Enron - Lucy Prebble 2009
The Nether - Jennifer Haley 2013
Living Dead in Denmark - Qui Nguyen 2008
She Kills Monsters - Qui Nguyen 2011
Bloomsday - Steven Dietz 2015
Private Eyes - Steven Dietz 1996
Inventing Van Gogh - Steven Dietz 2004
Metamorphosis - Mary Zimmerman 1996
Argonautika - Mary Zimmerman 2006
Crave - Sarah Kane 1998
Blasted - Sarah Kane 1995
On the Verge - Eric Overmyer 1985
Twelve Ophelias - Caridad Svich 2004
1984 - Robert Icke 2013
The Valley of Astonishment - Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne 2014
Eurydice - Sarah Ruhl 2004
Dead Man’s Cell Phone - Sarah Ruhl 2007
Hamletmachine - Heiner Müller 1977
Frankenstein - Nick Dear 2011
The Beaux Stratagem - George Farquhar 1707
The Cherry Orchard - Anton Checkhov 1904
The Pillowman - Martin McDonough 2003
An Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf - Micheal Hollinger 2000
Arcadia - Tom Stoppard 1993
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - Tom Stoppard 1966
The House of Blue Leaves - John Guarre 1966
Mr. Marmalade - Noah Haidle 2004
Equas - Peter Shaffer 1973
Cowboy Mouth - Sam Shepard 1971
Life Sucks - Aaron Posner 2018
Stupid F****** Bird - Aaron Posner 2013
This Is Our Youth - Kenneth Lonergan 1996
Punk Rock - Simon Stephens 2009
Woyzeck - George Buchner 1913
Gruesome Playground Injuries - Rajiv Joseph 2012
The Lacy Project - Alena Smith 2017
We hope this list serves as a practical resource for theater companies and directors who are looking for ways to make theater more inclusive. Our goal is to help theater companies find plays—old and new—that provide the flexibility to produce a more diverse theater season.
About the Curator- Monica Bowker
Monica Bowker is a Theatre Artist with a primary focus in Lighting Design. Monica was born and raised in Southern California but she now considers Chico, California her home. She got her BA in Theatre Arts at California State University, Chico, and is currently working on her MFA in Lighting Design at Western Illinois University where she will graduate in May 2023. Monica has produced lighting designs for shows such as Living Dead in Denmark, Avenue Q, The Glass Menagerie, Measure for Measure, Bloomsday, and more. Once Monica has completed her MFA, she plans to teach theatre design at a collegiate level as well as start collaborating with fellow artists on a diversity-minded theatre production company.
