Athena

Description

Why Athena? I guess just like the goddess of strategic warfare and all that. In a New York City fencing club two warriors are ready to battle. Athena and Mary Wallace are training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together. They compete against each other. They spend their lives together. They wish they were friends. From Award-winning playwright Gracie Gardner, following an acclaimed extended run in New York, comes a fierce coming of age comedy where two teenagers parry class, competition and power as they practice fencing and life. But only one will win - en garde. This edition was published to coincide with the UK premiere at The Yard in London in October 2021.

Gracie Gardner is an American playwright. Her play Pussy Sludge was selected for Theatertreffen Stuckemarkt in Berlin, and previously received the Relentless Award; it was developed by Less Than Rent at HERE Arts Center, and The Old Vic in London. Her play Athena (New York Times Critics' Pick) was presented by The Hearth at JACK. Gracie is the recipient of the McKnight National Residency and Commission, an Ensemble Studio Theater Sloan Foundation Commission, a Claire Tow Fellowship, the James E. Michael Award, the James Stevenson Prize, and she is a Samuel French OOB Festival winner. She's a proud member of New Dramatists, Ars Nova Play Group, Youngblood, and she has received commissions from Clubbed Thumb, Manhattan Theatre Club, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and the Atlantic Theater Company. She's also worked as a video game writer for Annapurna Interactive.

Critic's Pick! "A deadly serious comedy about ambition, success, and owning your superiority. In its delicate ferocity, it shows a playwright who is full-throttle funny and wise beyond her years." * New York Times * Wily and entertaining. * Village Voice * Smart, galvanising coming-of-age drama * Guardian * A witty, enthralling fencing comedy * Independent * Athena's strength is in its relatability. As is often the way with teenagers, the unlikely duo's worlds are both small and all-encompassing. But as they advance and retreat from each other, in practice and beyond, you yearn for their bond to become long-lasting - even though, with such competition ahead of them, this seems an unlikely prospect. * The Stage *