Jackie Cochran at 1938 Bendix race

Jackie Cochran on Play Book cover

SIU, directed by George Ferencz

SIU, directed by George Ferencz

Twin Sabre Jets breaking the sound barrier

Southern Illinois University

SIU, directed by George Ferencz

Jake Speck, Kellie Johnson, Tom Pavey at Praxis, Theatre Row, NYC

Praxis Theatre production of The Fastest Woman Alive, directed by Joel Froomkin, Kellie Johnson as Jackie

THE FASTEST WOMAN ALIVE

A 3-Ring circus on a dime: Jackie Cochran, out of barefoot "sawdust row" becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier, and with her buddies Amelia Earhart, Chuck Yeager, Dwight Eisenhower, LBJ, the WASP and Mercury 13, captures more flight records than any human. (scroll down for more ABOUT JACKIE)

**published by Dramatic Publishing Company, 2005
www.dramaticpublishing.com

What They Say About...THE FASTEST WOMAN ALIVE

"A thrilling play...amazing…a marvel…unfolds like a rocket…a wonder it’s not in a Broadway theatre” NYTheatre.com

“Kaleidoscopic…fascinating true story...streaks forward. … creative theatrical thread running through… clearly displays that Sunde is more than a mere chronicler ... believable and moving" TalkingBroadway.com

“Spunky lady’s tale makes fast takeoff…Sunde has done a wonderful job making her maverick character come to life.” New Jersey Star-Ledger

“This is an amazing story … non-stop, near improvisatory … moving at an appropriately Cochran-like pace” Montclair Times

“Gripping…fascinating…riveting script makes this a ‘not to be missed’ dramatic experience.” Irvington Herald

“Spitfire…wildcat ‘…Call Me Madam meets A League of Their Own’... the never-ending appeal of won’t-take-no-for-an-answer broads… sweeping across the stage.” American Theater Web

“Imaginatively constructed…unwavering desire to soar, boistrous, daring…four supporting actors play a whole nation!” BACKSTAGE

“Funny and thrilling… Simultaneous action and jump cuts...just when we need them but not for a second longer … directors and casts will find the play foolproof. We’ll be seeing lots of mountings of this one.” PLAYS INTERNATIONAL, London

ABOUT JACKIE --

The astonishing and glamorous Jackie Cochran soared through life. She was the first woman to break the sound barrier; she battled the military to create WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots), 1,000 women who risked their lives flying more than 75-million miles while testing and ferrying every military aircraft flown in World War II. She was named Business Woman of the Year, became a soul-mate to both Amelia Earhart and Chuck Yeager, and to this day she holds more flight records than any man or woman who ever lived. The Fastest Woman Alive whirls us through her adventurous life in dramatic and touching scenes giving us a picture of this quintessential American who began her life in hopeless circumstances, seized her dream, and achieved more than anyone imagined was possible.


PLAYS BY KAREN SUNDE
three plays ripped from headlines
HOW HIS BRIDE CAME TO ABRAHAM
“One of the most powerful antiwar plays ever penned.”
--Plays International, London
TO MOSCOW
"delicious... delightfully grand." TIME OUT Outer Critics Circle, VOICE CHOICE
THE FASTEST WOMAN ALIVE
"Americana with the spirit of a musical!" NEXT- at Edinburgh Festival
KABUKI OTHELLO.
"haiku-like clarity…hypnotically beautiful, emotionally dizzying." —Chicago Sun-Times
WHEN REAL LIFE BEGINS
“Unforgettable... You wish it would stop, but know you’d feel robbed if it did.” NEW YORK TIMES
IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA
U.S. Marine abduction, "brutal realism, human/ terrorism, struggle both sides face"
KABUKI LADY MACBETH
"primal emotions... dazzling... beautifully distilled script" Chicago Sun-Times
DARK LADY
“...fine Elizabethan juggle of intrigue, betrayal, passion... seethes sexuality... riveting.”
--VARIETY