PLAYS
"This entertaining piece of Americana has the humanity of Lanford Wilson, the quirkiness of Beth Henley and the unruliness of Sam Shepard."
— Theater Scene review of Strange Country by Anne Adams
“Strange Country” at Access Theater in NYC, Directed by Jay Stull
I write plays that interrogate the concept of moral authority. Who is ever 100% morally correct, and who gets to decide that they are? What are the roles we all play within the idea of morality? And how do those roles separate and isolate us?
Born and raised a Texas girl, and now an expat living in the UK, I am curious about the ways societies embrace and alienate the people within them. Is there room for great feeling and great need? And the choices made because of them? How do you find a sense of home under the gaze of moral judgement?
I am drawn to universal questions in small-town settings, which allows me to explore the complicated, epic scope of the human experience through stories that are intimate, raw, and relatable.
Awards & Recognitions
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2017: Anne’s play Strange Country was shortlisted in the Drama category.
2019: Her play Frost in Killeen was longlisted n the Drama category.
2020: Her play Snow Leopard was longlisted in the Drama category.
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2016: Strange Country was the recipient of New Light Theater Project's New Light New Voices Award, as featured in American Theatre Magazine.
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2018: Anne’s play Frost in Killeen was selected for the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference.
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2017: Anne’s play Frost in Killeen was longlisted for the Papatango Playwright Competition.
Praise from
the Press
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“…Anne Adams’s tough but tender ninety-minute drama…. …The play never absolves the characters of their sins, but it does give them the most they can probably hope for: a kind of bruised compassion.”
— The Village Voice, reviewing Strange Country
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— Strange Country review from Exeunt Magazine
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“Strange Country packs a punch. It is unusually powerful because it veers into territory both familiar and unexpected. …a hell of a ride.”
—What’s On Off-Broadway
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“Taut dialogue, more than a few one-line zingers, and unpredictable twists keep this from being a run-of-the-mill play about family dysfunction.”
— Strange Country review from theEasy.com
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“Anne Adams keeps us guessing, and you won’t stop thinking about these people as you leave the theater.”
— Strange Country review by Electronic Link
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“Strange Country gives us an uncommon triple portrait of common anguish, straight from the strange country of the human condition.”
—Strange Country review by Jon Sobel, BlogCritics
Anne Adams, interviewed
for the New York premiere of her play Strange Country.
Plays by Anne Adams
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Dark Comedy / Drama
Cast of 3.
4th of July weekend. Bell County, Texas. Tiffany has been there for brother Darryl every step of the way since his release from the psych ward. But when she brings girlfriend Jamie home for the weekend, Tiffany finds herself in a fight she didn’t see coming. With the fireworks of family and pride and independence at stake, Strange Country plunges into the thick of the Texas heat and how far we are willing to go to win.
PRODUCTION: New Light Theater Project, NYC | 2016
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Drama
Cast of 5.
As a community in Central Texas prepares for the funeral of a fallen police officer, scandal surrounding his widow shakes the town's "perfect family" to its core.
WORKSHOP: Seven Devils Playwrights Conference,
McCall, Idaho | 2018
READING: The Playwrights Suite, Canal Cafe Theatre,
London UK | 2017 -
Drama
Cast of 4.
Lifelong best friends now find themselves on opposite sides of a polarized nation. When Angel returns home she discovers Ray fighting for survival, while she in contrast is at the height of her success. But when Angel needs a favor that only Ray can provide, Ray now has leverage, and the power she's always craved.READING
Palm Beach Dramaworks, West Palm Beach, Florida | 2020 -
Drama
Cast of 5.
A small American town already on its knees is tested even further after a public suicide. As a close community asks why, an even tighter group of friends are torn apart by the answer. -
Period Drama
Cast of 6.
In 1956 Abilene, Texas, the aspirations of men dominated the household. Louise, a wife and mother, had to weigh her own needs against the survival of her family. Now just one year later, the implications of her actions rise to the surface and prove to be catastrophic. With the sights and sounds and ghosts from her past, THE LOST SEASON explores one woman's struggle for a sense of self against the call of familial duty.
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Dark Comedy / Drama
Cast of 2.
Pam, a middle-aged housewife from Texas, contemplates the pros and cons of her promiscuous past while waiting for the laundry to dry. -
Dark Comedy / Drama
Cast of 2.
Two sisters try to repair their broken relationship over a fancy meal on a cruise ship. -
Drama
Cast of 2-3.
A father and daughter ring in the new year with blood on their hands. -
Watch this space.
Anne is in the process of writing new work every day.