I'm posting to announce the publication of my play Alexandra of Judea. It's the winner of the 2003 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Award and is being published this fall by Baker's Plays. The catalog listing is at: http://bakersplays.net/alofju.html.

I'd be happy to email a short sample of the text.

Here's some basic info:

Alexandra of Judea

Poetic drama. 13m, 6f; may be doubled to 8m, 4f. Optional non-speaking roles, including soldiers, singers, and dancers. Simple unit set.

Civil war and foreign invasions... Courtesans, cannibalism, and mass crucifixions... And an unfortunate incident with a citrus fruit...

Alexandra of Judea is an epic true story of the Hasmonean Dynasty – the house of Maccabee. A woman of faith and courage, Alexandra survives political intrigues and two murderous husbands to rule as the last queen of the independent kingdom of Judea, with the help of her ally – Cleopatra III of Egypt. The conflicts of their time echo down to the present-day crisis in the Middle East in this fast-moving, action-packed tale of a important – and little known – period of history.

The play was performed in a professional staged reading as part of the Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver in March and before a record crowd (for a reading) at the Halle Theatre in Cleveland a few weeks ago. Please see http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2003/09/04/features/arts/drama0905.txt for more details.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Lauri Donahue