Plays
Broke
Broke’ is powerful, powerful theater… There’s a lot of humor in “Broke,” although it’s certainly not a comedy. If anything, the whipsawing between the funny scenes and the mounting anger and stress heightens each. Shaffer is a playwright of formidable gifts, and in ‘Broke’ she has created a play that evokes deep anxieties and commands serious respect."
—Phil Kloer, ArtsCriticATL.com
Synopsis
The Eliason family is living the American dream until Liz Eliason, a high level marketing executive, comes home to her husband Jonathan with the news that she’s been fired. She is shocked; Jonathan is thrilled. With the wealth they have accrued from her career, they can now finally enjoy a life together. But when the company Liz has worked for goes under a few days later and with it, a great part of their wealth, Liz, Jonathan and their 19 year-old daughter Missie – a student at NYU – are now facing a new reality. BROKE asks the question: when it seems like everything is falling through your fingers, what (and who) do you hold onto?
Character Breakdown
3F, 1M
Awards
Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award
World Premiere
Alliance Theatre
Directed by Jason Loewith