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Eleemosynary
Staged with utmost simplicity, using platforms and a few props, the play probes into the delicate relationship of three singular women: the grandmother, Dorothea, who has sought to assert her independence through strong-willed eccentricity; her brilliant daughter, Artie (Artemis), who has fled the stifling domination of her mother; and Artie's daughter, Echo, a child of exceptional intellect-and sensitivity-whom Artie has abandoned to an upbringing by Dorothea. As the play begins, Dorothea has suffered a stroke, and while Echo has reestablished contact with her mother, it is only through extended telephone conversations, during which real issues are skirted and their talk is mostly about the precocious Echo's single-minded domination of a national spelling contest. But, in the end, after Dorothea's death, both Artie and Echo come to accept their mutual need and summon the courage to try, at last, to build a life together-despite the risks and terrors that this holds for both of them after so many years of alienation and estrangement.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 19, 2023
Best thing I’ve ever read!!!! (Come see the show)
March 9, 2024
Turning Red but sadder, more boring, and for theatre kids
also i feel like Agnes is supposed to be the antagonist because she thinks more rationally, avoids the other two, and cannot escape her self-loathing, but also DOROTHEA GAVE THE LOCK OF HAIR BACK WHEN SHE WAS 7 YEARS OLD??? generational trauma at its finest ✨
also i feel like Agnes is supposed to be the antagonist because she thinks more rationally, avoids the other two, and cannot escape her self-loathing, but also DOROTHEA GAVE THE LOCK OF HAIR BACK WHEN SHE WAS 7 YEARS OLD??? generational trauma at its finest ✨
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2025
I love plays!! SO MUCH! And I read this one to understand a monologue for an audition hehe
May 30, 2009
This was given to me by my high school theater teacher. There were only three of us in this particular class, and she thought this would be the best for us to perform. I was to play Echo, the youngest generation. Perhaps it's because of the fond memories of high school and the girls I performed this with, but I really enjoyed it. Plus, I learned the definition of, and how to spell, "eleemosynary".
July 20, 2019
Beautiful, lyrical writing. My favorite quote:
"Do you know why I named you Echo?...so you could give back to others what you find beautiful about them. so you could reflect what's lovely in others... not just living people. people from the past. people we only know from what they wrote, or said. I want you to hear what people say- to sort out what's helpful and forgiving, and return that to them. "
"Do you know why I named you Echo?...so you could give back to others what you find beautiful about them. so you could reflect what's lovely in others... not just living people. people from the past. people we only know from what they wrote, or said. I want you to hear what people say- to sort out what's helpful and forgiving, and return that to them. "
September 22, 2012
A nuanced character study that addresses larger themes regarding identity and parentage in a personal way. The structure is something I'd like to see performed before I am convinced it works, because too often it reads like difficult exposition handled in a simplistic way, but this is largely off-set by the unity of conflict inside the difficult relationships of intra-generational women.
July 20, 2017
As someone who has always loved words, this play really spoke to me. This play, while remaining short and sweet, tackled love and loss, as well as an relatively untapped theme of intelligence and how we choose to accept or deny it.
June 19, 2018
This play focuses on three generations of women, all very intelligent, and unable to really connect with each other or to accept each other's attempts to connect. The daughter was the most frustrating character for me because she was so stubborn, but by the end she may have begun to soften.
March 25, 2016
Beautiful and wildly under-read.
June 23, 2010
i finished this book and ehh it was okay not my favorite but it was good. just not my typa nbook.
January 28, 2012
It was... different. I am not really sure what I think of it.
July 16, 2012
I had the privilege of performing Dorothea in a high school production, which we were able to take to the state level. One of my very favorite plays.
January 15, 2015
Just read this play. I need to work on Artie before I am too old. And then I will work on Dorothea.
August 15, 2016
Read in college
January 17, 2017
One of my all time favorites from my all time favorite playwright. Bravo.
February 18, 2017
Werid, I liked it but.... lol
February 3, 2019
Okay. I am preforming a monologue for my acting class in this, so that is why I read it, but wouldn't have if I wasn't.
October 25, 2022
By Saoirse Brandjes
I originally read this play to understand the context for Echo’s monologue, which I will be performing at the District Thespians Competition this coming November. I did not expect it to be as impactful and introspective as it was.
Lee Blessing’s use of symbolism in this play was outstanding. The meaning of Dorothea’s homemade wings was very thought-provoking and can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. I personally believe they represented breaking free, but I could see multiple meanings that they could depict.
The characters’ relation to each other was also beautifully represented in the play. There were only three characters present in the show, but their feelings about one another were deep and complex, showing that familial relationships aren’t black and white. For instance, Echo spends the majority of her play talking about her mother and how she feels about her, but only interacts with her for a couple of scenes at the end. And those scenes were overflowing with emotion, as Echo begs her mother not to leave her again. It is incredibly intriguing how two characters who didn’t even look at one another for most of the story felt so strongly about one another.
Another part of the play that spoke to me was the depiction of the characters’ ages. Instead of bringing in younger actors for the scenes in which younger versions of the characters are present, according to the stage directions, the same actors portray them. I feel as though this really showcases how what happened to you in the past is still very much a part of you. You carry the past versions of yourself with you for your entire life, and they shape the version of you that will exist in the future.
The part of the play that perhaps shocked me the most was the specific female struggles that occur. Blessing is a male author, yet this story covers sensitive topics like abortion and unplanned pregnancy. These topics would typically be sensitive or uncovered, especially for men in 1987. Not only does he include them in the story, but he depicts them accurately. He doesn’t villainize these struggles by painting them as something awful but shows how they can really impact someone positively and negatively. He shows real struggles connected to real feelings.
I would recommend this play to anyone who would like to examine the effects of what occurs when you are missing someone in your life. In the play, Echo lacks a mother figure, so she turns ot outside comforts to bring her the same motherly love she yearns for. She searches for validation through her academics and tries to be the daughter her grandmother Dorothea always wanted. But none of this fulfills her. It is only the mother, Artie, who can fill this void. And learning to love someone you thought you never could is the main lesson that this story teaches.
I originally read this play to understand the context for Echo’s monologue, which I will be performing at the District Thespians Competition this coming November. I did not expect it to be as impactful and introspective as it was.
Lee Blessing’s use of symbolism in this play was outstanding. The meaning of Dorothea’s homemade wings was very thought-provoking and can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. I personally believe they represented breaking free, but I could see multiple meanings that they could depict.
The characters’ relation to each other was also beautifully represented in the play. There were only three characters present in the show, but their feelings about one another were deep and complex, showing that familial relationships aren’t black and white. For instance, Echo spends the majority of her play talking about her mother and how she feels about her, but only interacts with her for a couple of scenes at the end. And those scenes were overflowing with emotion, as Echo begs her mother not to leave her again. It is incredibly intriguing how two characters who didn’t even look at one another for most of the story felt so strongly about one another.
Another part of the play that spoke to me was the depiction of the characters’ ages. Instead of bringing in younger actors for the scenes in which younger versions of the characters are present, according to the stage directions, the same actors portray them. I feel as though this really showcases how what happened to you in the past is still very much a part of you. You carry the past versions of yourself with you for your entire life, and they shape the version of you that will exist in the future.
The part of the play that perhaps shocked me the most was the specific female struggles that occur. Blessing is a male author, yet this story covers sensitive topics like abortion and unplanned pregnancy. These topics would typically be sensitive or uncovered, especially for men in 1987. Not only does he include them in the story, but he depicts them accurately. He doesn’t villainize these struggles by painting them as something awful but shows how they can really impact someone positively and negatively. He shows real struggles connected to real feelings.
I would recommend this play to anyone who would like to examine the effects of what occurs when you are missing someone in your life. In the play, Echo lacks a mother figure, so she turns ot outside comforts to bring her the same motherly love she yearns for. She searches for validation through her academics and tries to be the daughter her grandmother Dorothea always wanted. But none of this fulfills her. It is only the mother, Artie, who can fill this void. And learning to love someone you thought you never could is the main lesson that this story teaches.
November 6, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this play. I think the characters are very complex and it will be interesting to dive deeper into their goals and personalities. I also think the structure of it is very good. It gave you all the interesting information and the plot moved at a good pace. I thought the playwright did a good job of the characters telling stories about things that have happened to them in the past. Sometimes that makes it hard for audiences to stay interested but it worked for this show. The relationships between all the characters is also very complex, and I think this would be a really good one to see onstage.
May 21, 2021
I absolutely loved performing this script of my new favorite play!! It's intriguing, funny, and downright heartbreaking...so well done! The dialogue really hits, and Echo is such an interesting character, as all the ladies are!
July 29, 2020
Pretty good, some of it fell into tropey dysfunctional family patterns, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Lots of monologues for women of nearly every age (except from 20-28, I think).
March 5, 2021
Beautiful tale of what we pass down and what we take up
March 9, 2024
Chilly, with moments that resonate.
ECHO: “Bijouterie. A jewel collection. Words are my collection. They’re like jewels no one takes out of the box.”
ECHO: “Bijouterie. A jewel collection. Words are my collection. They’re like jewels no one takes out of the box.”
Read
March 19, 2024read for grade 6 acting exam
Read
December 11, 2024A pretty sad one, read for monologue context, good read
December 17, 2024
um oh my god my chest hurts
June 24, 2025
revisited this wonder on the hunt for my THEA412 scene. autobiographical. would force my mom to read but don’t wanna give her too much of me; what would be eleemosynary could become a weapon.
April 4, 2020
TAPPS Duet Acting 2020!
October 22, 2015
Read this before, but read it again for class. I love each of the characters, as well as the nuances of what is in the balance for each of them. The staging/style of the play is very 80s. I wonder what an updated staging might look like if it was performed today.
September 16, 2007
Eleemosynary: Of a charitable nature; the giving of alms.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews