Punk AF

This new play will be presented as a reading. Readings are an essential part of the play development process. We are proud to offer this as part of our On The Radar (OTR) New Works Program that aims to support the creation of diverse new stories by emerging U.S. playwrights. Click here to learn more about OTR.

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ABOUT THE SHOW:
Believe it: Emily, Steph, Jackie, Mara, and even perfectly coiffed Senator Holly Charles used to be punk. In the ’90s, they unleashed all of their rage into the songs of their high school riot grrrl punk band. Now, when they reunite for a bachelorette party in their 40s, they are forced to confront just how bland, safe, and unpunk their lives have become. And yet, each of them is filled with pent-up fury: at the state of the world and at their own life choices. What is an adult meant to do with all of that angst? Told across two timelines, we follow the five friends between their present-day suburban lives and their 1990s teenage riot grrrl years. As secrets unravel, friendships are tested, and seismic life choices hang in the balance, each of the former band members reconcile with what it means to be loud in a world that taught them to shut up.

FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT:
I was a riot grrrl in high school, or at least my small town, straight-edge version of one. I had huge opinions and an even bigger belief that I could actually change the world. As we get older, we often become smaller, safer, less loud, more rational, and more jaded. Yet inside I often still feel like screaming. Punk AF is a play born of that desire, as a grown ass woman, to yell and scream and rage against the machine, even if I’m “supposed” to be put together and have life figured out. I wanted to see a story about woman in their 40s—who now live very different lives politically, economically, romantically from each other— coming together and asking, “What happened to my younger self who had so much passion and vigor?“ And then seeing what happens when those younger selves step forward with vengeance.

ABOUT OUR 2018 RESIDENT PLAYWRIGHT:

Joanna Garner

Joanna Garner is a playwright, immersive experience designer, and creative strategist focused on lighting up projects that have the power to shift the world. Her work has been developed nationally and internationally. Her political drama about Iran, The Orange Garden, was a winner of the 2018 Izzy Award, the Keene Prize for Literature and included on the Kilroys List. She was Chance Theater’s 2018 Playwright in Residence and has an MFA in Playwriting from The University of Texas at Austin.

This new play will be presented as a reading. Readings are an essential part of the play development process. We are proud to offer this as part of our On The Radar (OTR) New Works Program that aims to support the creation of diverse new stories by emerging U.S. playwrights. Click here to learn more about OTR.

2026 OTR Reading Series Sponsors

National Endowment for the Arts

Amanda DeMaio
Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation
David & Danice Limberg
David & Judy Joss
Michael & Mary Lysik
Rachelle Menaker & Eddie Schuller
Steven & Louise Koch