''The Diary of a Teenage Girl'' is a play in one-act by

Marielle Heller Marielle Stiles Heller (born October 1, 1979) is an American writer, director, and actress. She is best known for directing the films ''The Diary of a Teenage Girl'' (2015), ''Can You Ever Forgive Me?'' (2018), and ''A Beautiful Day in the Neig ...

based on the novel of the same name by

Phoebe Gloeckner Phoebe Louise Adams Gloeckner (born December 22, 1960), is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and novelist. Early life Gloeckner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a librarian and her father, David Gloeckner, was ...

. The play was first performed at the 3LD Art & Technology Center in New York City in 2010. It was produced by Aaron Louis in association with New Georges & The Essentials and starred writer Marielle Heller in the lead role of Minnie Goetze. The original production was directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde and

Rachel Eckerling Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her au ...

. The play follows the

coming-of-age story In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal ...

of 15 year-old Minnie Goetze living in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1976.

Background

Marielle Heller adapted The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures after having read the book, which she found to be a jarring and life-changing experience. She immediately contacted the publisher for the rights. Initially dismissed and written off having never pursued the rights to anything, Heller wouldn't take no for an answer. She persisted for months, and finally got her pitch through to Gloeckner, who was impressed with her vision. With Gloeckner's blessing secure, Heller began to develop the adaptation, first with the mentorship of

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident pr ...

's Artistic Director

Tony Taccone Tony Taccone (born July 4, 1951) is an American theater director, and the former Artistic Director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California. Early life Tony Taccone was born on July 4, 1951 in Queens, New York, to an Italian-America ...

, and then in collaboration with the directing team of Sarah Cameron Sunde and Rachel Eckerling.

Premise

Expulsion, a drunken mother, drug abuse, and an affair with her mom's boyfriend: these are the elements that make up fifteen-year-old Minnie's life as she grows up in the chaos of the 70s. But Minnie is incredibly bright and self-reflective, and narrates her story in her diary with brutally honest words and drawings. This acclaimed adaptation of Phoebe Gloeckner's graphic novel sparkles with wit, curiosity, and optimism despite the loneliness and abuse that Minnie encounters. A poignant look into an ugly adolescence.

List of Characters

Minnie Goetze, a 15 year old aspiring artist. Charlotte, Minnie's mother. Monroe, Charlotte's boyfriend. Pascal, Charlotte's ex-husband and Minnie's stepfather. Kimmie, Minnie's best friend.

Original Production (2010)

The original production ran at the 3LD Art & Technology Center from March 15 - May 1, 2010.

Reception

* ''"The great achievement of The Diary of a Teenage Girl, adapted from Phoebe Gloeckner's graphic novel, is to take the girl's point of view seriously. Neither sentimental nor judgmental, Diary presents Minnie Goetze as a smart, creative, passionate young woman, and the production's only agenda is to be true to her experience."'' - Backstage * ''"The Diary of a Teenage Girl, the compelling 2002 novel in words and comics by Phoebe Gloeckner, stings with truth... Now 'Diary' -- an account of Minnie's largely unsupervised adolescence in the Bay Area, drifting through its druggy, erotic morass in the '70s and agonizing through a sexual entanglement with her mother's boyfriend -- has been reverently adapted by Marielle Heller... In streamlining the story, Ms. Heller centers on the toxic bond between Minnie and Monroe, and the production best succeeds as a lacerating indictment of predatory male self-indulgence..."'' - The New York Times * ''"I think what may be controversial about this production is that it is not a morality tale and it is not a victim narrative. Minnie is almost always portrayed as having agency. She's not exploited by her 34 year old lover, she doesn't 'realize the errors of her ways' and magically reform into a good girl. What she does is survive."'' - Culturebot * ''"The Diary of a Teenage Girl: The Play is riveting theater, and as skillful a comics adaptation as I've come across. If you're in New York and have any interest in...an unusual and innovative theatrical experience, or simply in a movingly no-bullshit exploration of the lives of young people and the older people who shape them, I'm almost willing to buy you the tickets myself."'' - Comic Book Resource

Cast

Minnie Marielle Heller Charlotte

Mariann Mayberry Mariann Mayberry (May 25, 1965 – August 1, 2017) was an American television and stage actress. Biography In 1993, Mayberry became an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois. While at Steppenwolf, she was nomin ...

Monroe

Michael Laurence Michael Laurence (24 November 1935 – 23 March 2015) was an Australian actor, producer, director and screenwriter best known for creating TV serial ''Return to Eden''. Biography He began his career as a child actor on Sydney radio, before w ...

(Arthur Aulisi in extension) Pascal Jon Krupp Kimmie Nell Mooney

Creative team

Directors Sarah Cameron Sunde & Rachel Eckerling Set Design Lauren Helpern Lighting Design Laura Mroczkowski Video Design Andrew Bauer Sound Design Marcelo Añez Costume Design Emily DeAngelis Prop Design Lauren Asta General Manager Lisa Dozier Stage Manager Erin Koster Fight Director Alexis Black

London Production (2017)

The Diary of a Teenage Girl will have its European premiere at London's

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They identified the need for a h ...

in March 2017.

Creative Team

Director Alexander Parker Director Amy Ewbank Set and Costume Designer Andrew Riley Lighting designer David Howe Sound designer James Nicholson Video designer Nina Dunn Production Manager Ian Taylor for eStage Production Co-producer Jack Maple Co-producer David Wilder Productions Co-producer Emily Lunnon Productions

Film adaptation (2015)

Following the success of the original production, Phoebe Gloeckner gave the film rights to the book to Marielle Heller. Marielle Heller went on to write and direct

The Diary of a Teenage Girl ''The Diary of a Teenage Girl'' is a 2015 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Marielle Heller, based on the hybrid novel of the same name by Phoebe Gloeckner. It stars Bel Powley as a 15-year-old girl who becomes sexually active ...

which became one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2015. The film starred

Bel Powley Isobel Dorothy Powley (born 7 March 1992) is an English actress. Powley was born and raised in London, where she was educated at Holland Park School. She began acting as a teenager on television, starring on the CBBC action television series '' ...

as Minnie,

Alexander Skarsgard Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

as Monroe and

Kristen Wiig Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...

as Charlotte.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diary of a Teenage Girl (play) Plays based on books Coming-of-age fiction