Lisa Kron

This book collects Lisa Kron's two extraordinary solo performance works. Best known for her ongoing work as a member of The Five Lesbian Brothers, Kron's solo pieces are very personal examinations of both herself and her family history. This is singularly clear in 2.5 Minute Ride, where her writing deftly maneuvers between the tragic drama of the Holocaust and the wry comedy of her family's attempts to pursue pleasure at the local amusement park. This critically acclaimed work played to sold out audience for over six months at New York's Public Theatre. Also included is the riotous 101 Humiliating Stories, which first premiered in 1993, and in fact only consists of seventeen tales but each, as the author observes, has several humiliations. It recounts the adventures and misadventures of a self-described Big Lesbian as she tests the boundaries of decorum in social and professional situations.

"Funny, moving, and undeniably sexy. The heady blend of smart dialogue and characters... makes it a candidate to be the Angels in America of the Bush II decade." —San Francisco Chronicle

"Luminous... Kron marries vigorous political probing with pitch-perfect humor and heartache." -New Yorker

"In the Wake is a serious and engrossing examination of a recent period in our history. It is a big, ambitious work." -New York Observer

"Don't be surprised if Kron's resolute, maddening, emotionally distraught and very familiar characters are still rumbling around in your head like the after effects of an intense dream... An astute and challenging play that scrutinizes American history with laser-beam precision." -TimeOut New York

On Thanksgiving Day, after the controversial 2000 election, political junkie Ellen gathers with family and friends in her cramped New York City apartment. Soon after, she experiences an unexpected passionate encounter, and discovers that ideas about America and our own selves are not as fixed as they once seemed.

Lisa Kron is the author of the book and lyrics to the musical Fun Home, and the plays Well and 2.5 Minute Ride, among others. She is a founding member of the award-winning theater group The Five Lesbian Brothers.

The acclaimed writer and performer Lisa Kron’s newest work is all about her mom. It explores the dynamics of health, family and community with the story of her mother’s extraordinary ability to heal a changing neighborhood, despite her inability to heal herself. In this solo show with other people in it, Kron asks the provocative question: Are we responsible for our own illness? But the answers she gets are much more complicated than she bargained for when the play spins dangerously out of control into riotously funny and unexpected territory.

Lisa Kron has received numerous honors, including several OBIE Awards, the Cal Arts/Alpert Award, the Bessie Award and the GLAAD Media Award. Ms. Kron lives in New York City and Los Angeles.