''Stop Kiss'' is a play written by the American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Diana Son Diana Miae Son is an American playwright, television producer, and writer. She is known for her work on '' American Crime'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', '' Southland'', and '' Blue Bloods''. She, along with Brian Yorkey, has also served as ...

, and produced Off-Broadway in 1998 at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was directed by

Jo Bonney Jo Bonney is an American theater director who has worked Off-Broadway, regionally and internationally, primarily focused on the development of new plays. Early life and education Bonney was born in Australia. She attended Sydney University bef ...

, stage managed by Buzz Cohen, with set design by Narelle Sissons, costumes by Kaye Voyce, lighting design by James Vermeulen, sound design and original music by

David Van Tieghem David Van Tieghem (born April 21, 1955) is an American composer, percussionist and sound designer, best known for his philosophy of utilizing any available object as a percussion instrument and for his collaborations with the experimental artists ...

. It was extended three times. It focuses on the story of Sara and Callie, who are assaulted on the street after their first kiss.

Original cast

*Callie:

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht is an American actress and singer who played Gretchen Schwartz on ''Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', and Carol on '' The Boys''. She has also made numerous Broadway appearances. Early life and education Hecht was born ...

*Sara:

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005 ...

*George: Kevin Carroll *Peter: Rick Holmes *Mrs. Winsley/Nurse: Saundra McClain *Detective Cole: Saul Stein

U.S. West Coast premiere

Upon seeing the debut of Diana Son's ''Stop Kiss'' at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York City, theater director Pope Freeman was captivated. Freeman won the rights to stage the play's second production, the U.S. West Coast Premiere, at the Jurkowitz Theater in Santa Barbara, California in 1999. Produced by the Santa Barbara City College Department of Theater Arts, which hires Equity guest artists, it was directed by Freeman, stage managed and sound designed by Edward Lee, with scenic and lighting design by Patricia L. Frank, and costumes by Janet Freeman.

U.S. West Coast premiere cast

*Callie: Christina Eliason *Sara: Necar Zadegan *George: Drew Murphy *Peter: David Stanbra *Mrs. Winsley Christa Ray *Detective Cole: Theodore Michael Dolas *Nurse: Rani Apodaca

Plot

Sara and Callie are walking through New York City's West Village very late at night, when they share their first kisses. This leads to a vicious attack by an angry bystander, in which Sara is horribly injured. She falls into a coma, which becomes one of the major subjects of the play. George, Callie's good friend, tries to help with the situation, but there is little he can do. Peter, Sara's ex-boyfriend from St. Louis, comes to help nurse her back to health. Throughout ''Stop Kiss'', relationships are explored, formed, and even ended. Diana Son elaborates on the depths of human emotion and compassion in this play. The story is told out of chronological order: alternating scenes take place respectively before and after the assault, which is not shown onstage.

Characters

Callie Pax

''Lead.'' :Callie works as a

traffic reporter Traffic reporting is the near Real-time data, real-time distribution of information about road conditions such as traffic congestion, detours, and traffic collisions. The reports help drivers anticipate and avoid traffic problems. Car App, Traffic ...

, where she has lived for eleven years. Callie helps Sara learn her way around the city, and, in the process, develops strong feelings for her. When Callie and Sara are attacked, Callie sustains only minor injuries and, along with Peter, nurses Sara back to health.

Sara

''Lead.'' :Sara, who recently moved to NYC from

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

to accept a teaching fellowship at an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, looks to Callie to learn how to fit in while in the Big Apple. When Callie and Sara are attacked in the park after their first kiss, Sara is injured, and falls into a coma, where she remains for some time.

George

''Supporting.'' :George is Callie's " friend with benefits." He works as a

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...

in the city, and is jealous of Sara's relationship with Callie.

Peter

''Supporting.'' :Peter is Sara's ex-boyfriend from St. Louis. Once he heard Sara was in the hospital, he came down to New York to see her. Peter is still in love with Sara.

Mrs. Winsley/The Nurse

''Supporting.'' :Mrs. Winsley is a witness to the attack against Sara and Callie. She is interrogated by Detective Cole. The actress who plays this role usually also plays the part of Sara's nurse.

Detective Cole

''Supporting.'' :Detective Cole is the detective assigned to Callie and Sara's case. He is the first to hear the story of what happened to Callie and Sara the night they were attacked.

Publication

The script is published by

Dramatists Play Service Dramatists Play Service (also known as The Play Service) is a theatrical-publishing and licensing house, established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Authors' Representatives. DPS publishes English-language ...

External links

{{Commons category, Stop Kiss
Ben Brantley, Review of ''Stop Kiss'', ''New York Times'', Dec. 7, 1998

* ttp://www.princetoninfo.com/199901/90127p02.html Simon Saltzman, Review of ''Stop Kiss'', ''U.S. 1'', Jan. 27, 1999 American plays Asian-American plays 1998 plays Off-Broadway plays Plays set in New York City LGBT-related plays Korean-American literature