KAREN SUNDE

click here for... COMPLETE LIST OF PLAYS

PLAYS BY KAREN SUNDE
Includes HOW HIS BRIDE CAME TO ABRAHAM, TRUTH TAKES A HOLIDAY, and IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA, Broadway Play Publishing, New York, 2001.

BELOW: SELECT PUBLISHED PLAYS

HOW HIS BRIDE CAME TO ABRAHAM
“Sunde’s timely, gripping, and richly magical play… this modern day Romeo and Juliet…an engrossing look at how war can prematurely turn children into adults… emotional pull of her drama…will haunt audiences well after the end of the play… forces beyond man might be at work.” American Theater Web.com

“A masterpiece…no soft edges…goes straight to the heart of the conflict… outstanding writing, sound, direction, and acting–all the elements that make great theatre"
Bloomberg Radio

“The immediacy can't help but move us—the first of many shattering moments in this triumphant production of Sunde's still-timely play. ...unforgettably explosive and emotional ...this dangerous and rapturous night together... See it for the perspective it can provide about our current situation; see it, too, because it is superbly affecting theatre.” Martin Denton NYTheatre.com

“…one of the timeliest productions to make an appearance on the New York stage…quietly yet artfully making an anti-war protest with a political boldness that rivals that of the Dixie Chicks. …a play that may have the power to heal.” OOBR.com

“Critic’s Pick of the Week” Show Business Weekly.com

"Sunde does not take sides in the conflict, and the dialogue has a crisp, biting edge... gripping drama... timely romantic drama ... volatile battle zone ... vivid portraits of offstage characters and action ... cinematic thrust of the pieces summons the inspiration for a dandy film. " VARIETY

“...its events seem ripped right out of today’s headlines. …pacifist tragedy …a fateful night that profoundly changes them – and us. It’s incisive dialogue, riveting action, and searing audience impact... The play would likewise make a first-rate film” Plays International, London

"HOW HIS BRIDE CAME TO ABRAHAM creates an extraordinary modern pacifist myth in which a wounded male Israeli soldier and a female Palestinian terrorist experience each other's passionate hunger for their homes and rights...it indelibly etches itself upon viewers' souls." CONTEMPORARY DRAMATISTS, London

(1m, 1w, 1 set)
www.broadwayplaypubl.com

TO MOSCOW
This breathlessly romantic true story begins backstage and winds through Anton Chekhov's life in the theatre. We meet the bewitching Lika, whom he will not take and cannot let go, and his valiant sister Masha, who gives up her happiness for his peace. We are caught up in Chekhov's stormy partnership with the irrepressible Stanislavski; his passionate star-crossed marriage to the brilliant actress Olga Knipper; the final clash over his magnificent Cherry Orchard; and Chekhov's tragic death.

With infectious laughter and tears, this ensemble makes the story unfold, giving birth to the Moscow Art Theatre and their own souls, and enchanting any audience.

"...remarkable... (Sunde) juxtaposes humor and suspense and grief and elation, leaving us not the tiniest fraction of a moment to stop feeling intensely..." (Plays International)

"...pure and delicious... delightfully grand." (Time Out)

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.
**published 2005, www.dramaticpublishing.com

"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-not-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

KABUKI OTHELLO.
"Superbly poetic…magically mixes Elizabethan warmth with haiku-like clarity…hypnotically beautiful, emotionally dizzying." —Chicago Sun-Times

"A visual and aural stunner." —VARIETY

"A feast for the senses." —Philadelphia Daily News

"Mesmerizing, riveting…achieves a momentum that is amazing in its ferocity." —The Mercury, Philadelphia

—The Mercury, Philadelphia

Drama. By Karen Sunde. Conceived by Shozo Sato. A retelling of Shakespeare's story.

Kabuki Othello is a lyric (haiku-like) rendition of Shakespeare's story, Eastern style. Othello, an Ainu (Caucasian native) war hero in Japan; Iago, Othello's officer and husband to Emilia; and Cassio, playboy officer who idolizes Othello, all revolve around the delicate, sure-minded Desdemona, who captures Othello's heart. Emilia prepares the bride, and a wedding night dance makes Iago, who lusts for Desdemona, burn. So all four "roll together" on a wheel of fate when Iago, who loathes Cassio, manipulates all his "puppets"—luring drunken Cassio into a comic brawl that angers Othello and dangling Desdemona's love gift from Othello (a precious fan woven by his mother) with half-heard innuendos that convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. Tortured mad, Othello is transformed into a demon of jealousy. When Desdemona is "tried" for infidelity, Emilia realizes Iago's treachery and tries to reveal it, but Iago stabs her. A chorus of Koken guide Othello in his sad deed—stopping Desdemona's breath by winding her lengthening hair about her throat. When it is done, Othello stands as "the ghost that is alive."

WHEN REAL LIFE BEGINS
“A passionate hour of theatrical magic.” “Tour de force.” “Thrilling”
PLAYS INTERNATIONAL (London)
“Extraordinary solo play about passion, love, and theatre.” “Top Recommendation of the Week ”
NYTHEATRE.com

A vibrant woman shows how--
as her actor husband fights for his life
the closer he gets to death,
the more powerful his acting grows...
and she discovers her passion--
to produce theatre.

IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA
WHAT STUDENTS AT STANFORD (Sociology of Terrorism 109) say about… IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA

"I understand better than I ever have before" DB
"extremely time pertinent, both Lebanon and Iraq are 'kingdoms by the sea' --powerful" RC

“Theories must be grounded in the brutal realism of terrorist acts… That is, we must not only talk about terrorism in the language of numbers, but in the language of emotions as well. In In A Kingdom By the Sea, we are treated to a in-depth look at how war and terrorism affect one soldier. …Hogan, a Marine, of whom the audience could say, “Hey, I know him!” …is the cocky, brash American we love…and his character helped the audience relate to the situations going on in Lebanon. I feel I understand the emotions surrounding terrorist acts and their victims better than I ever have before.” --David Baron

“IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA relates to terrorism in the most poignant way by representing the struggle both sides face to determine what is right and what is wrong. … The way Sunde juxtapositions these characters causes the audience to ponder who is in the right. …the human side of terrorism…a valiant commentary magnifying the intense cultural differences and barriers in the way of resolving cross-cultural conflicts. -Anna Strohl

“…provocative…suspenseful…volatile the climate of confusion, double-crossing, and secrecy that characterize terrorist activity and the strategies of network groups working next to each other… IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA exposed the fragile and tenuous relationships between opposition groups, who balance a distant respect for each other’s missions with tit-for-tat strategy.” --Tori Babin

IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA is extremely time pertinent today, as the United States is besieged by the incessant insurgency in Iraq. …(incidentally, both Lebanon and Iraq are “kingdoms by the sea”). The play powerfully conveys Sunde’s central message that war is far from what it is idealistically believed or claimed to be… To my enormous surprise, I found [a reading of KINGDOM] powerful in a unique way. --Ronald Chan

IN A KINGDOM BY THE SEA is a haunting and multifaceted view of the consequences of occupation, extremism and idealism through the eyes of the both the perpetrators and victims of terrorism. …Sunde’s power of characterization emerges…subtly heart-wrenching, telling a story of individual lives and emotions, as well as their place in a stark environment of conflict and violence. …This play questions the nature of heroism, the politics of peacekeeping and the values which have shaped both the societies that have condemned terrorists and those that have created them. -- Yuanxin Zhou

in PLAYS BY KAREN SUNDE www.broadwayplaypubl.com/sunde.htm

KABUKI LADY MACBETH
New lyric text, twist on Shakespeare - Lady's metamorphosis, defying Yin and Yang balance, MacDuff gains pure warrior power Macbeth sacrificed - severed heads, dance, demons. 2 men, 2 women, 4 either. **

DARK LADY