Bunyip

by Zoe Lasden-Lyman

A mother invites her dead son’s best friend to her isolated Adirondack lake camp to give him an unusual gift: a party boat. Yet as a landscape of real and imagined horror unfurls, we see that is only the beginning of what she wants. Bunyip is a play about the claustrophobia of unbridled empathy, and the horrors we invent to distance ourselves from those in acute pain. The play asks: what happens when another’s...

A mother invites her dead son’s best friend to her isolated Adirondack lake camp to give him an unusual gift: a party boat. Yet as a landscape of real and imagined horror unfurls, we see that is only the beginning of what she wants. Bunyip is a play about the claustrophobia of unbridled empathy, and the horrors we invent to distance ourselves from those in acute pain. The play asks: what happens when another’s suffering is too much to bear? What happens when we bear it anyway?

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Bunyip

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  • Gina Pasciuto: Bunyip by Zoe Lasden-Lyman
    “

    unsettling and beautifully written. the characters are so complex- they weave around each other like thorny vines and you can't help but get ensnared. would absolutely kill to see this on stage (and selfishly i would love to play max).

    unsettling and beautifully written. the characters are so complex- they weave around each other like thorny vines and you can't help but get ensnared. would absolutely kill to see this on stage (and selfishly i would love to play max).

    ”
  • Jan Rosenberg: Bunyip by Zoe Lasden-Lyman
    “

    This is fantastic. Scary, sad, mysterious, funny, and incredibly atmospheric. Very much in awe!

    This is fantastic. Scary, sad, mysterious, funny, and incredibly atmospheric. Very much in awe!

    ”
  • Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Bunyip by Zoe Lasden-Lyman
    “

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Zoe Lasden-Lyman and their play Bunyip as a finalist for our 2020 National Playwrights Conference. This particular work emerged from a highly competitive, anonymous, and multi-tiered selection process to become one of 63 finalists out of more than 1,500 submissions. This enthralling piece galvanized the hearts and theatrical imaginations of our reading teams and is fully championed by our offices. We are honored to put our enthusiastic support behind this writer and their ongoing contributions to the American Theater.

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Zoe Lasden-Lyman and their play Bunyip as a finalist for our 2020 National Playwrights Conference. This particular work emerged from a highly competitive, anonymous, and multi-tiered selection process to become one of 63 finalists out of more than 1,500 submissions. This enthralling piece galvanized the hearts and theatrical imaginations of our reading teams and is fully championed by our offices. We are honored to put our enthusiastic support behind this writer and their ongoing contributions to the American Theater.

    ”
View all 4 recommendations