Plays by Rachel Lynett

First, we're going to laugh. Then we're going to talk.

Rachel Lynett's plays explore race, gender, and how our various identities help us define the collective "American" identity. Her darkly comedic plays attempt to hold a mirror up to audiences and challenge them to move towards productive social justice.

Well Intentioned White People


After an attack influenced by her race, Cass wants to just forget about it and move on with her life but her (white) roommate and the dean of the university push her to "make an example of it." Suddenly Cass is roped into planning "diversity day" and trying to convince her roommate not to plan a sit-in. 

Abortion Road Trip

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Lexa and her sister, Minnie, take a cab from Texas to New Mexico so Lexa can get an abortion. Along the way, Lexa and Minne grapple with all the things they carry with them and the weight of their decisions. 

White People by the Lake


In a metatheatrical play, Saida agrees to go to her partner, Erin's home for a funeral despite knowing that Erin's family is very "woke" and not at all as racist-free as they claim. As the two fight about what it means to be an interracial couple with problematic families, the play explores the various tropes found in the many, many, many white people by the lake plays.

Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry (You too, August Wilson)


Set in the fictional world of a post-second Civil War, Bronx Bay, an all-black state (and neighborhood) is established in order to protect "blackness." It's a utopia but enforcing utopia proves to be tricky when it comes to defining who is Black and who isn't.

Full drafts of Rachel Lynett's plays are also available on the New Play Exchange.