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Overview

Synopsis

When Elias and Jenny, a troubled young couple, stop at a bed-and-breakfast in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, they have different expectations. Elias is excited to explore the historical sites, while Jenny is hoping to reconnect with her mistrustful boyfriend. They end up, late at night, at Mertis Katherine’s bed-and-breakfast, a cozy home chock full of toys, figurines, and Victorian kitsch with a grim Civil War past. Hospitable Mertis tells ghost stories, offers Vienna finger cookies, and records the sunsets in florid, sinister prose, while Elias and Jenny bicker painfully, and Mertis’ blind and elderly friend, Genevieve, describes being haunted by the spirit of her abusive ex-husband, John. Childhood trauma, Latin incantations, lists of birds, Lovecraftian monsters, a watchful universe, mistrust, infidelity, and one very angry American Girl doll, are just a few of the troubles crowding the air during one fraught post-Thanksgiving weekend. Annie Baker’s gentle, atmospheric, and eerie play John is a delicate, amusing, emotional drama which explores loneliness, communication, and the question of whether objects do, indeed, have souls.

Show Information

Category
Play
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
3
First Produced
2015
Genres
Drama
Settings
Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
contemporary (2010s), november, a bed-and-breakfast, gettysburg, pennsylvania
Cast Size
small
Ideal For
Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters, Small Cast

Lead Characters

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Jenny Chung

Lead

Female

Spoken

Elias Schreiber-Hoffman

Lead

Male

Spoken

Mertis Katherine Graven

Lead

Female

Spoken

Genevieve Marduk

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

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Videos

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Quizzes

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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Quote Analysis

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