The Bottoming Process

by Nicholas Pilapil

When Milo, a sharp-tongued Filipino writer with more social media followers than bylines, meets John, an older, celebrated white novelist, their chemistry is electric—undeniable, and anything but simple. What starts as a flirty coffee date quickly spirals into a charged collision of ambition, lust, and identity. As their relationship deepens behind closed doors and in the public eye, so do the power dynamics...

When Milo, a sharp-tongued Filipino writer with more social media followers than bylines, meets John, an older, celebrated white novelist, their chemistry is electric—undeniable, and anything but simple. What starts as a flirty coffee date quickly spirals into a charged collision of ambition, lust, and identity. As their relationship deepens behind closed doors and in the public eye, so do the power dynamics—forcing them to navigate the messy politics of race, sex, storytelling, and who gets to tell whose story.

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The Bottoming Process

Recommended by

  • Jasmine Sharma: The Bottoming Process by Nicholas Pilapil
    “

    Woo! Live laugh love the pop culture of this play, the internet a theatrical world of its own. A hilarious, searing exploration of positionality, love and lust, and narrative agency.

    Woo! Live laugh love the pop culture of this play, the internet a theatrical world of its own. A hilarious, searing exploration of positionality, love and lust, and narrative agency.

    ”
  • Timothy Krause: The Bottoming Process by Nicholas Pilapil
    “

    "The Bottoming Process" is in turns thoughtful, heartfelt, painful, funny, rewarding. I felt so drawn to these two characters, that I wanted their relationship to succeed, even as I watched, complicitly, how it chipped their individual identities. I'm so excited that this script will be produced this spring. It has so much to give, and we have so much to learn.

    "The Bottoming Process" is in turns thoughtful, heartfelt, painful, funny, rewarding. I felt so drawn to these two characters, that I wanted their relationship to succeed, even as I watched, complicitly, how it chipped their individual identities. I'm so excited that this script will be produced this spring. It has so much to give, and we have so much to learn.

    ”
  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend: The Bottoming Process by Nicholas Pilapil
    “

    Wow, this play is great. It's a love story, but it's also about racism and power dynamics and the creative process. I would go from giggling as I read to squirming and back again, and I'm going to be thinking about this one all night.

    Wow, this play is great. It's a love story, but it's also about racism and power dynamics and the creative process. I would go from giggling as I read to squirming and back again, and I'm going to be thinking about this one all night.

    ”
View all 12 recommendations

Character Information

  • Milo
    faux confident, actually shy and insecure but you wouldn’t guess, honest not mean, uses his humor as a defense mechanism, hard to crack, has a heart of gold, non-fiction writer.
    late-twenties
    Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander,
    Asian -- Filipino
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • John
    big dick energy, he does what he thinks is right even if it's obviously wrong, confident not arrogant, quietly a geek, fiction writer.
    40s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Rosie
    Milo’s best friend, a spitfire, an actress.
    30s
    Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Charlie
    John and Milo's book agent, all business but loving. Charlie should not be white passing.
    40s
    BIPOC
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Other People
    Plays Daniel, Cody, Roger, and other people. Other People can be any ethnicity but must be able to play believably white.
    30s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

  • Reading, Theatre Rhinoceros, 2021
  • Reading, Victory Gardens, 2021
  • Workshop, The New Cosmopolitans, 2020

Production History

Awards

  • Best New Play
    BroadwayWorld (Los Angeles)
    Finalist
    2023