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Chisa Hutchinson

CHISA HUTCHINSON

  (1980 - )

Nationality:    USA
facebook     email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    ICM Partners  

Chisa was born in Queens, New York to young, irresponsible parents on May 23rd 1980. She spent majority of her formative years under the care of a much more responsible, but chronically broke woman who was technically her godfather's mother, but who would later-in the fine, it-takes-a-village tradition of the broken family-simply become "MA." Chisa grew up in the company of what seemed like hundreds of unofficially adopted brothers and sisters in Newark, New Jersey, where she excelled in school and philosophized with cockroaches about the ultimate merits of poverty. Her favorite six-legged pest, who called himself Swifty on account of his uncanny ability to elude the bottom of any shoe, once told her with a wistful chuckle, "One day, you will be able to look back and romanticize all this shit." That day appeared on the horizon of Chisa's future when, at fourteen, she got a scholarship to what she thought was a boarding school. It turns out, however, that having more than one building-indeed, having a campus-does not make a boarding school (Chisa was naive and probably should've read the brochures more carefully). So she moved about ten miles and a whole galaxy away from Newark to Short Hills to live with a host family comprised of a quirky, Buddhist psychologist, her then husband, a nature-loving, piano-playing Jew, their three kids, and an ancient dog named Baboo. It was a rough transition. But one which has, nevertheless, shaped Chisa and her writing for the better. She thinks. Chisa blames her addiction to Theater on her high school Drama teacher, Bob Pridham, who introduced her to the plays of august Wilson, John Guare, Paula Vogel, David Mamet and Lorraine Hansberry, exposed her to the irrepressible style of Julie Taymor, explained the evolution of Greek tragedy in a way that made sense to her, and got her gears grinding over the simultaneous necessity and obsolescence of color-blind casting. (Bob, if you're reading this: it's all your fault.) By the time she got to Vassar, there was nothing left for her to do but major in Theater Arts. after college, Chisa taught high school Theater and English for five years. Meanwhile, she was trying-pretty unsuccessfully-to get noticed by Theaters. She'd had a few readings, had a one-act produced at Vital Theater, and come thiiiiiiiis close to winning some awards. . . all tempests in teapots. It wasn't until her friend Heidi hooked her up with the Lark Play Development Center that the really good stuff started happening. there, a reading of what she's come to think of as her breakthrough play, She Like Girls, led to a workshop production, another reading, another workshop, a full-blown production, two commissions, a great agent, and a foot in the door at many a reputable Theater. Not to mention a cozy spot under the enormous wings of some really cool writers like Melinda Lopez, Kia Corthron, and Tina Howe. (Ladies, if you're reading this: you rock.) Chisa is currently pursuing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU and works as a teaching artist at whatever organization deems her useful. She would like to thank you for reading her bio, but encourages you to get out more if this is really how you choose to spend your free time. Maybe see a play. Maybe one of Chisa's plays.

Research:    Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)

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below is a list of Chisa Hutchinson's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

        9         7 Sins In 60 Minutes         Alondra Was Here         Around-the-Globe Chain Play         Ayesha Cook Is Dying From the Feet Up         Breaking Bread         Choosing Love         Dead and Breathing         Dirt Rich         Good Mother, The         Grimm Reality, A         Kin         Sex On Sunday (Or How To Make A Man Stay, Beg, And Roll Over)         She Like Girls         Subject, The         This Is Not the Play         Tolerance         Wedding Gift, The



9

Synopsis:
about a bored, well-off white woman who decides to screw the system by screwing a black guy she meets on the subway

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Vital Theater Company    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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7 Sins In 60 Minutes

Synopsis:
7 Sins. 7 Playwrights. 60 Minutes. 7 Sins in 60 Minutes is a high-octane ride through the Seven Deadly Sins, done 21st-century style. Developed by seven playwrights and one director, the piece boasts a playful and provocative mix of comedy, Drama, dance, spoken word, and original music. Over the course of one hour, four characters take a rollercoaster ride from sloth to pride. the playwrights are: Chisa Hutchinson, Cheryl L. Davis, Paula Cizmar, Olga de la Fuente, Natalia Naman, anne Phelan, and Melisa Tien.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
HERE Arts Center - Dorothy B. Williams theater
145 6th aVenue, New York, NY 10013     11 Jul 2010

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Alondra Was Here

Synopsis:
Sisters Alondra and Anise have had enough. People in their town are disappearing; young women are being brutalized and the perpetrators are rewarded with political power. So the sisters decide they're going to do something about it--something dangerous and rebellious and probably very stupid, but something nonetheless. When their plan goes awry, and Alondra disappears, Anise is left to drift in a veritable ocean of guilt and indecision. Haunted by the ghost of her sister, she must figure out if she's capable of following through on the ultimate act of subversion alone.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Wild Project
195 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009     03 May 2013

Organisations:
humRumbleROAR Productions

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Around-the-Globe Chain Play

Synopsis:
Starting and ending in NYC, a play will be written as it travels around the world making 15 stops with playwrights from across the globe. Each playwright will contribute the next one to four pages of text, moving the plot forward from where the previous playwright left off. The reading will be followed by a World Theatre Day Reception where a number of NYC theatre luminaries will read the International Theatre Institute's World Theatre Day Message that will be written this year by South African playwright, designer, director, and installation-maker, Brett Bailey.

Notes:
The playwrights include Lisa Kron (USA, NYC), Aditi Kapil (USA, Minneapolis), Nicolas Billon (Canada), Luz Estrada (Colombia), Thomas Sainsbury (New Zealand), Nick Yu (China), Anuvab Pal (India), Oded Liphshiz (Israel), Lily Bevan (United Kingdom), Nina Mitrovic (Croatia), Phillip M Dikotla (South Africa), Amy Conroy (Ireland), Lana Nasser (The Netherlands), Sol Rodriguez Seoane (Argentina), and Chisa Hutchinson (USA, NYC).

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
staged reading

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ayesha Cook Is Dying From the Feet Up

Synopsis:
a screenplay about a young woman trying to juggle a serious relationship, the demands of her high-Drama family, and a spanking new diagnosis of MS.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Breaking Bread

Synopsis:
An Italian-American family reunion. An unwelcome black guy turns up

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Five Boroughs/One City, New York     27 Mar 2015

Organisations:
Working Theatre

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Choosing Love

Synopsis:
a ten minute play in which a psychic encounters the man she knows is the love of her life

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Be Company    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dead and Breathing

Synopsis:
Carolyn is a cranky old broad who just wants to die already! She'gone through almost as many nurses as she has treatments, but can't seem to kick the bucket. With her new--profane but God-fearing--hospice caregiver all up in her "lady parts, "she sets about convincing Veronika to help her to just get it over with. Full of surprises, this hilarious exploration into mortality and morality tests the boundaries of faith and forgiveness, prejudice and pridefulness, when the stakes are nothing short of life . . . and death.

Notes:
http://catf.org/dead-breathing/

1st Produced:
Contemporary American Theater Festival, Shepherd University     Jul 2014

Organisations:
Contemporary American Theater Festival, Shepherdstown, WV

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy (!)

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dirt Rich

Synopsis:
a play about five kids from the projects who find a huge wad of cash and have to figure out what to do with it without killing each other.

Notes:
Commissioned by And premiering with City Parks Foundation (summer 2009)

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Good Mother, The

Synopsis:
a play about a white woman so desperate to have a child, she steals one from a black teen mother. . . and gets away with it for sixteen years.

Notes:
Developed by the Lark Play Development Center

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Grimm Reality, A

Synopsis:
a Grimm Reality consists of five modernized fairytales of the Brothers Grimm. Woven into a single narrative by five playwrights, a Grimm Reality celebrates the diversity, the excitement, and the "magic" of New York City and your favorite Grimm's tales. Taking place outdoors in Bryant Park and free to the public, this immersive, 3-dimensional experience happens all around the audience, in an exciting theatrical journey that will be enjoyable for both families and the discriminating theatergoer. Performances are free to the public and intended for adults and children 8 and up.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
written by Bekah Brunsteter, Zack Friedman, Chisa Hutchinson, Cassandra Hume, Dan Kitrosser

1st Produced:
Bryant Park Reading Room, North Side Of Bryant Park     24 Jul 2010

Organisations:
Theatre 4the PeOPLe

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Kin

Synopsis:
a very short piece in which, faced with the imminent death of her father, a young, black filmmaker confronts her unforgiving mother. . .off-screen.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sex On Sunday (Or How To Make A Man Stay, Beg, And Roll Over)

Synopsis:
everyone wants to know Laila Meeks's secret for success. Having just moved into a lavish apartment in an affluent neighborhood, Laila peaks the curiosity of her nosey and delightfully catty neighbors. the local ladies are desperate to find out just who Laila is and the juicy details of her mysterious professional life. Laila finds herself caught in a web of hilarious antics and lies as she tries to balance her two worlds while searching for happiness, love, and self-fulfillment. Sex on Sunday weaves together a hystErical and poignant play about a dominatrix seeking to reconcile her private and professional lives. Chisa Hutchinson challenges taboos of sex, race, relationships, and gender bias leaving everyone involved begging for more.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Theatre at 30th Street
259 West 30th Street, New York, NY 10001     19 Mar 2011

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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She Like Girls

Synopsis:
Inspired by true events, She Like Girls follows the story of Kia Clark, a black teen, as she struggles with brutal self-discovery in the face of a non-accepting, insular community where falling outside of the norm is difficult and dangerous. When Kia's relationship with Marisol Feliciano moves from friendship to something more, the absence of understanding and respect in their volatile urban environment create ripples of vehement hate. Chisa Hutchinson's She Like Girls is the story of two inner-city high school girls who fall in love and dare to challenge their world by choosing freedom over silence.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
Premiering with Working Man's Clothes Productions (fall 2009)

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc (2010)   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  6            Other:  8-11 actors possible: 5-7 females, 3-4 males

Further Reference:
-

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Subject, The

Synopsis:
the story of a documentarian who's having a crisis of conscience having built his success on the death of one of his subjects

Notes:
Commissioned by Atlantic theater Company

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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This Is Not the Play

Synopsis:
This is Not the Play is. . . well, not really a play. It's an inside look at the controversial process by which one playwright constructs characters and ultimately a story. Problem is, the playwright has no idea who the characters really are. She isn't even sure she wants to tell their story. and it doesn't exactly help that the characters go on strike mid-brainstorm. Watch to see how she gets them to reveal themselves-and their deep, dirty issues-despite deep distrust and mutual prejudice. the bonus? You get a say in what the actual play will be.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Theaterlab
357 West 36th Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10018     22 Jun 2011

Organisations:
Mad Dog Theatre Company

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tolerance

Synopsis:
the short tale of one arab-American man's journey through airport security and beyond.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wedding Gift, The

Synopsis:
Doug is an average guy with an average life. Until, that is, he finds himself at a wedding, not as a guest&but as a gift. Surrounded by those that speak a language he's never heard, Doug realizes he's little more than a pet. And when the bride grows dangerously fond of him, the prospect of returning home becomes even more remote. Chisa Hutchinson's provocative and uproariously funny new play asks: What does it mean to be the only "outsider" in a community? How does it feel to be the "other?". I'm not bad, considering I've been intergalactically sex-trafficked and am being held against my will in a very strange place, probably light years away from everyone and everything I know and love.

Notes:
http://catf.org/season-26-theater-festival/

1st Produced:
Contemporary American Theater Festival, Shepherd University     Jul 2016

Organisations:
Contemporary American Theater Festival, Shepherdstown, WV

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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