“I’m not here for you. Just like Lana wasn’t put on this earth for you. We are our own people. We aren’t here to belong to you, to love you, to be your punching bag, or to forgive you.”

Retiree Jack and Lisa, a woman in her 30’s, meet in a park and, over a series of weeks, bond through their mutual love of literature. Lisa has recently escaped an abusive relationship, and although she teaches literature, she can’t bring herself to read anything but trashy romance novels. Jack becomes a friend and confidant until his own dark past is revealed. Lana, pregnant, visits the same park over a series of weeks, 30 years in the past. Through her conversations with her unborn child, she fights to save her troubled marriage.

Approximate Run Time: 90 minutes
Casting Breakdown:
Jack, 60+, Charming, outgoing. Well read. Manipulative and controlling, but very skilled at it, and his
manipulations are not necessarily obvious.
Lana, 20s, pregnant, Well read. A dreamer and a romantic, LANA is soft around the edges.
Lisa, 30s. Extremely well read. Bright, witty and quick, but often guarded and slow to trust.

Genre: Drama
Set Requirements: Park bench

Production History:
Unproduced.

A Book by its Cover is available by request (use contact form below) or at   The New Play Exchange