All I Wanna Do Is Be Pretty Like You

by Katherine Gwynn

A group of twenty something actors are trying to perform as a group of abducted teenage girls who are trying to perform as a group of pageant contestants so that one of them can be awarded the crown by their Director--and be set free.

A play about performing womanhood, goodness, and trauma for the male gaze, and the blurred lines between desire and abduction, fantasy and reality, and violence and beauty itself...

A group of twenty something actors are trying to perform as a group of abducted teenage girls who are trying to perform as a group of pageant contestants so that one of them can be awarded the crown by their Director--and be set free.

A play about performing womanhood, goodness, and trauma for the male gaze, and the blurred lines between desire and abduction, fantasy and reality, and violence and beauty itself.

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All I Wanna Do Is Be Pretty Like You

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher: All I Wanna Do Is Be Pretty Like You by Katherine Gwynn
    “

    Loved this strong ensemble piece. A take down of the male gaze using overlapping layers of pretend and reality.

    Loved this strong ensemble piece. A take down of the male gaze using overlapping layers of pretend and reality.

    ”
  • Playwrights Foundation: All I Wanna Do Is Be Pretty Like You by Katherine Gwynn
    “

    The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced ALL I WANNA DO IS BE PRETTY LIKE YOU as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We were compelled by the way the writer handles complex narratives of the exploitation of women and teenagers, the male gaze, objectification, the difference between consent and pleasure. We were engaged by the questions this play raises about gender without it being watched or commodified. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s...

    The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced ALL I WANNA DO IS BE PRETTY LIKE YOU as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We were compelled by the way the writer handles complex narratives of the exploitation of women and teenagers, the male gaze, objectification, the difference between consent and pleasure. We were engaged by the questions this play raises about gender without it being watched or commodified. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production #BAPF46

    read more
    ”
  • Jess Schneider: All I Wanna Do Is Be Pretty Like You by Katherine Gwynn
    “

    This play puts a profound voice to the female experience in a theatrically rich vessel, and I’d love to see it produced—and maybe even be in it some day. The representation was written with care and each character got to speak their peace—including a beautifully written monologue about asexuality that was absolutely divine in its accuracy. I’m also a sucker for any form of a play within a play, and that convention was used masterfully here. Highly recommend!

    This play puts a profound voice to the female experience in a theatrically rich vessel, and I’d love to see it produced—and maybe even be in it some day. The representation was written with care and each character got to speak their peace—including a beautifully written monologue about asexuality that was absolutely divine in its accuracy. I’m also a sucker for any form of a play within a play, and that convention was used masterfully here. Highly recommend!

    ”
View all 4 recommendations

Character Information

  • BLISS
    a Black teenage girl who is trying desperately to get back to her younger sister. She/her
    And.
    An almost 30 year old Black actor who is tired of being an actor while also determined to get her big break. She/her.
    almost 30
    African American/Black
    Cis female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • ALEX
    a queer gnc teenage non-Black girl of color. She/her.
    And.
    A twenty something non-Black actor of color who desperately wants to be good. They/she
    mid 20s-30s
    BIPOC -- not African American/Black
    Non-binary
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • 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
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • LUNA
    a teenage trans girl who was working as online sex worker since she was cast out of her parents home. She/her.
    And.
    Twenty something quietly cuts through the bullshit trans woman who has worked as a high fashion model previously. She/they.
    20s-30s
    Any
    Trans woman
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • GRACE
    a white teenager raised in a conservative religious family who now finds herself fascinated by her own sexual awakening during the abduction. She/her
    And.
    A mid 20s something dry wit asexual actor who keeps getting cast as alluring virgins. She/her.
    20s-30s
    White
    Cis female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • HARPER
    a white and east Asian mixed teen girl whose father is a drug dealer. She/her.
    And.
    A quiet very famous mixed actor has worked with Matt before. She/her.
    20s-30s
    Cis female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • DIRECTOR/MATT
    the abductor, who is directing this sick little pageant. He/him.
    AND.
    The showrunner. Auteur. Hot shit. He/him.

    They both appear when you least expect him.
    30s-40s
    White
    Cis male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary

Development History

  • Workshop, The New Coordinates, 2022

Awards