Playballs
by Mark Brownell

Open Fist Theatre (Los Angeles) 2001, Solar Stage 1996, National Fringe Tour 1995, Alleyway Theatre (Buffalo) 1993, Passe Muraille 1993, Lunchbox Theatre 1993

A woman umpire tries to break into the last Boy’s Club of professional baseball. Winner of the Maxim Mazumdar Play Competition. Original Fringe Cast: Catriona Murphy, Mark Brownell, Dave Young.

Selected Press:

NOW Magazine
“Playballs is held together by a brisk chronological plot and a fascinating sub-cultural setting that allows the playwright to simultaneously deflate and celebrate baseball’s mystique while mining the sport’s trove of larger-than-life foul-mouths.”

Globe and Mail
“In Playballs, director Sue Miner has some real depth and emotion to work with, and a subject – sexism – that isn’t likely to seem dated anytime soon.”

Buffalo News
“The writing is unusually good here. It is a baseball lover’s dream of a play, all sweat and dust, arcane references and the most foul of language, all utterly necessary to the action. This short piece will stay with me a long time.”

Winnipeg Free Press
“Playballs hits a home run. It is finely written, acted and choreographed – a first-class production in every way.”

Winnipeg Sun
“Clever, highly entertaining, grand slam material.”

Edmonton Journal
“Strong performances and a neat, concise piece of writing that remains poignant without ever getting sentimental or dissolving into manifesto. Count this a solid, game-winning Texas-leaguer.”

Saskatoon Star Phoenix
“Playballs has a heck of a lot more pace than your average baseball game. The story of woman umpire Lucy Posner is punctuated by martial arts, flamenco dancing, balls and strikes, swearing, spitting and scratching, without a second’s pause in the entire hour.”