←Recommendations of landscape

It's inspiring to see who came before you, and who will come after. This play lets us meet in the middle to see why we make space for ourselves, who we're doing it for, and what can come from saying, this is what I want, and this is who I am.

A gorgeous play that transcends time and space, connecting two groups of rock climbers and their connection to nature. An investigation and, at times, an interrogation of queerness, community, colonialism, and our connection to nature. Also, a wonderful ensemble piece with breakout roles for queer and femme actors!

I saw this piece at Valdez Theatre Conference and loved the dichotomy between the two time periods. The exploration of queerness, relationships, and femme perspectives in the dialogue kept my interest throughout. Really hope to see this staged in Chicago or elsewhere!

I love how this play examines rock climbing both in 2019 Chicago and in 1908 Scotland. It would be fantastic to see this piece staged.

Navigating a fascinating parallel between two time periods that feel more similar than they may appear, Durbin's play is a multilayered look at what it means to make space for your own identity – and how "making space" often leads to taking it from someone else. Painting richly detailed characters in sparse but sharp detail, it's a play whose highly theatrical conceit makes it a feast to view as much as to hear.

A fantastic play for a non cis male ensemble about tapping into one’s own power and subverting expectations.

This play showcases excellence in feminist playwriting, roles for women/femme/queer/non-binary characters, and characters of color, but this play is also incredibly innovative in its structure and use of climbing pitches as a format for its dramatic text. This play reckons with a continuously evolving landscape of queer identity in both rock climbing and the community formerly known as Boystown in Chicago. The structure of the piece is stacked similar to that of The Wolves, but is also it's own form entirely. A fantastic ensemble piece and a MUST read!

Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize LANDSCAPE by Emma Durbin as a Semi-Finalist for the 2022 Premiere Play Festival. LANDSCAPE rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 35 semifinalists out of 655 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the deep relationships between the characters and the influence that gender dynamics across time have on them. Our congratulations and thanks to Emma.