A Love Offering
Play Description
T’Wana Jepson has been bit before. And scratched. And kicked. And punched. And called every dirty word in the book. But so has her coworker and play mama, Miss Georgia. It comes with the territory as a nurse’s aide caring for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. You learn to not take it personal and to lean on your co-workers for support. But after T’Wana is attacked by the patient in E 204, something happens that threatens the bonds of trust and friendship.
Production Info
Cast: 5 total (3 female, 2 male)Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
Single Set
Contemporary Costumes
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
- Productions
Press Quotes
“Jonathan Norton holds nothing back in his latest script, which is typical … Pulling from his own childhood experiences and memories of his mother’s job as an aide in a nursing home, the plot collects from a multitude of dark corners of the human experience — from racism and the systemic obstacles that seem to perpetuate the disparate disenfranchisement of black people, to elder abuse and the horrifying ravages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease … Themes of loyalty, dignity, responsibility, and self-preservation color the center of this plot, while flanking on either side are the unnervingly subtle (and then suddenly not so subtle) forces of white fragility and white guilt driving the dramatic energy forward, and therein lies the brilliance of Norton’s script. Its honest portrayal of how our perceptions and assumptions of one another can make or break any situation is sobering to say the least. And, peppered with moments of effortless hilarity and sheer, painful awkwardness, the 90-minute play needs no intermission as the pace scarcely lags for even an instant … The twists and surprises in the plot are fascinating to watch. Moreover, the uncomfortable truths elicited here are laid bare with sensitivity and marked poignancy, in a manner that is seldom seen. A LOVE OFFERING is a tale of the most crucial kind today — an address to our differences that does not simply insist upon itself, but rather relies on the artistic and social maturity of its audience to handle the weight of its message in productive and meaningful ways.” —Richard Oliver, TheaterJones
“… how do you describe a fast moving 90-minute play that feels like a beautiful epic poem? I don’t use that term lightly, but it’s rare to find a playwright that can create characters that have a past, a present and a future as well … This is one of those plays that in a seemingly simple setup bring out a tremendous depth of story, art and character development. It is a poem that we feel like we have heard somewhere before, but want to hear another stanza and then another after that.” —Brian Wilson, Katy Trail Weekly
Author(s)
Jonathan NortonJonathan Norton's work has been produced or developed at Dallas Theater Center, PlayPenn, Black and Latino Playwrights Conference, TeCo Theatrical Productions, Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Castillo Theatre, Soul Rep Theater Company, Nouveau 47, CrossOver Arts Theater, African American Repertory Theater, and the South Dallas Cultural Center. His play Mississippi Goddamn was a finalist for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg ATCA New Play Award, and was the winner of the 2016 M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award. He was also a recipient of an Artistic Innovations Grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance. He is also a proud two-time recipient of the Diaspora Performing Arts Commission given by the South Dallas Cultural Center, an inaugural recipient of the TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund, and was a Finalist for the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. He was an inaugural member of Dallas Theater Center's Dallas Playwrights Workshop led by Will Power.
Special Notes
If original stage producers credits appear in bold below, all licensees are required to include them in the following form on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and in all advertising in which the full cast appears in size of type not less than ten percent (10%) of the size of the title of the Play:
In addition, the following must appear within all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play:
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypub.com
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