Honey & Sting

by Barry Kornhauser

Honey & Sting is set 30 years in the future of the year of the play’s performance, a time when it is supposed that a certain amount of genetic manipulation has become as commonplace for most Americans as getting your teeth straightened is today. Melissa is a popular high school junior, a risk-taker who loves “hyper-biking,” and a member of the “Genelect,” a class of people whose genes have been manipulated to rule out problems and add favorable traits. Her father originally had her genes “fixed” to make certain she would not inherit the genetic predisposition that resulted in her mom’s death; but then further to provide certain enhancements. Lee is in love with Melissa even though he and his parents are staunch “Naturals” who are morally opposed to genetic engineering of all kinds, his dyslexia regarded as a character-building attribute. Lee's younger sister, Sofonisba, the play' narrator, is the self-proclaimed "black sheep" of the family, a "biohacker" who alters her skin color, creates nuisance viruses, and mixes up experimental cures for fun. As the story unfolds, the beliefs of both ‘gene-crossed’ lovers, Melissa and Lee, are challenged by a tragic accident, and these young people face a terrible choice – to accept a genetic therapy with inherent risks or not. The action is interspersed with interactive comic scenes featuring four "clones/clowns" who demonstrate the scientific information to frame the debate. 

$12.00

Quick Details

  • Type: Play
  • Length: 45-60 minutes | Can be cut for competition
  • Availability: Available for productions worldwide
  • Cast Size: 10 roles | Can be doubled for a cast of 7 or expanded for larger cast

Full Details

Can be doubled for a cast of 7 or expanded for larger cast of Clones

Roles:

  • Sofonisba
  • Melissa
  • Mother
  • Lee
  • Father
  • Clones 1-4

The following resources are included in each performance license:
  • Permission to photocopy the PDF script for your production so there is no additional cost for these assets.

The following resources may be added to you license for an additional fee:
  • Logo/Media package

Barry Kornhauser

Barry Kornhauser's theatre honors include the Children's Theatre Foundation of America's Orlin Corey Medallion, the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) Charlotte Chorpenning Cup, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Play (Cyrano), Ivey Playwriting Award (Reeling), Bonderman Playwriting Prize (Worlds Apart), South Africa National Theatre Festival’s Fringe Ovation Award (Balloonacy), and three AATE Distinguished Play Awards (- This Is Not A Pipe Dream, Balloonacy, Corduroy). Closer to home, Barry was named Artist of the Year at the 2017 Pennsylvania Governor's Awards, and his youth theatre program for teens living with disabilities and other life challenges was honored at the White House as one of the nation's top arts-education initiatives. Barry's plays have been commissioned and produced by such Tony Award-winning stages as the Children's Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Alliance Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, and the Shakespeare Theatre, as well as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Other venues include Childsplay, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Dallas Children's Theatre, Discovery Theatre at the Smithsonian, Emerald City, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, the Rose, and Seattle Children's Theatre; festivals from New York to California -including New Visions/New Voices (Power Play); and internationally as far afield as Australia and Myanmar, and including at the National Children’s Theatre of South Africa. Over the years, Barry has conducted theatre residencies everywhere from a one-room Amish schoolhouse to universities across the county. He has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, TYA/USA, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour. Currently, Barry works for the Millersville University Office of Visual & Performing Arts. Prior to this, he served over 30 years as Playwright-In-Residence, TYA Director, and sundry other positions at the National Historic Landmark Fulton Theatre.

Originally commissioned and produced by Imagination Stage in 2001