Levi Stroud
Plays:
Writing Showcase
Five men. Five Relationships. One night. Captive Barbies is a fast-paced black comedy on notions of manhood in the gay world. It is a reflection of the growing conflict that occurs today as queer populations become more accepted into normative spaces while still struggling with being essentially abnormal. Captive Barbies lives within the grey space in modern queer identity that exists between normal vs. abnormal, accepted vs. rejected, and real vs. absurd. Winner of the 2013 Hopwood Award for Drama and the 2013 National Society of Arts and Letters Playwriting Award, the play underwent two Ann Arbor productions.
Intimate Objects follows the stories of three individuals at a technology-addiction rehabilitation center. It is an exploration of modern materialism, online intimacy, and the growing isolation people face despite our rapid connectedness.
August Guilt tells the narrative of a family's conflict after the death of their patriarch. The father of the family leaves behind a private legacy of abuse but also leaves behind a public legacy of fame and valor. After his death, his family struggles with maintaining his image despite the damage he did to them behind closed doors. It received a production in Ann Arbor and was also a finalist for the Kasdan Script Writing Award.
The Writer is a short play that explores the interplay between writer and character. Through the monologues of his characters, a writer discloses facets of his identity. The work takes a reflexive approach to stage storytelling and demonstrates that much of a writer's process is determined by his characters rather than himself. Winner of the 2011 Scholastic Arts and Writing National Gold Medal.