I Wish I Were A Phoenix

One-Act Play

Title

Run Time

20 minutes

List of Characters

Wyn Roberts

First name TEGWYNN, goes by WYN. 19-22 years old, nonbinary and androgynous, uses they/them pronouns, WYNNIE'S FUTURE SELF: college playwriting major, openly queer, uses a walking cane. Has found themselves revisiting their past again and again as of late, starting with a creative non-fiction project for one of their college courses. As WYN is reminiscing of times past, they start feeling closer to their sense of self than ever before, discovering that maybe some things aren't meant to stay buried in the past.

Wynnie Roberts

First name TEGWYNN, goes by WYNNIE. 16-18 years old, feminine and female, uses she/her pronouns. WYN's PAST SELF: high school student, loves musical theatre, not yet out of the closet, has frequent chronic pain. We start our story with WYNNIE on the first day of her senior year of high school. She feels more out of place and unseen than ever before with the absence of her best friend, JACOB (only mentioned); that is, until she encounters her future self, setting our story into motion.

You

Unspecified age; YOU represents WYNNIE's sense of self, among many other things. YOU haunts WYNNIE, appearing as a physical manifestation of her insecurities in the opening scene.

The Phoenix

The opposite of YOU, the PHOENIX is a symbol that follows WYNNIE and WYN throughout the course of our tale. The PHOENIX represents the sense of self WYN is so desperately trying to grasp onto; it represents all they wish to become, but don't realize they already are. The PHOENIX can be portrayed by an actor, a puppet, or even in the lighting design- what the PHOENIX looks like is up to the discretion of the director and/or the designers.

Mr. Clancy

WYNNIE's high school English teacher, in charge of the Othello Drama Club/theatre department, directs the fall musical every year. Cares for WYNNIE, plays the role of her mentor and confidant, encouraging her to embrace the parts of herself she is unsure of.

Kat

WYN/WYNNIE's little sister. 13-15 years old, started high school when WYN went off to college. Uses she/her pronouns. Only family member WYN is out to and their support system after they leave for college. Quiet yet contemplative and just as scared of growing up as WYN is, yet they have each other's backs (even when they bicker like the siblings they are).

Aspen

WYN's college roommate and best friend, third year social work major. Uses he/they pronouns. 19-22 years old. Sarcastic and salty yet genuinely cares for WYN and wants to help them understand themself.

Ensemble

3-4 actors who make up the ensemble of the play and portray a variety of background characters: WYNNIE'S CLASSMATES, COLLEGE STUDENTS, & etc. Can be double cast as any of the above side characters as deemed fit by the director.

Setting

This story jumps between TEGWYNN's past and future: we spend time at WYNNIE’s high school, OTHELLO HIGH, as well as some time at WYN's college, ROSE LOVELL UNIVERSITY. Other times, we are neither here nor there, instead confronting characters who are manifestations of WYN and WYNNIE's traumas as well as faucets of their sense of self. These scenes take place in the "IN-BETWEEN SPACES", where the conflict is internal.

Summary

I Wish I Were A Phoenix is an autobiographical play based on the playwright’s own experience with discovering gender identity and coming out as a queer person. The play tells the story of Tegwynn Roberts at two separate times in their life: during their senior year at Othello High School, before coming out (when she went by the name “Wynnie”), and during their freshman year at Rose Lovell University, after coming out (when they go by the name “Wyn”). We start at Othello High with Wynnie, on the first day of their senior year, before she meets and interact with her future self, Wyn. Wyn then takes the story from there, exploring their past, their present, and their possible future through self-reflective monologues on a journey to heal their inner self and discover how they define themself today.

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