Another Manhattan

Synopsis. Another Manhattan is the story of Liz, a 9-11 victim who finds herself transported to 17th-century New Amsterdam. Act 1 is set in the autumn of 1642 and act 2 in the winter of 1643. The setting is a kitchen, first Anika’s and then Willem Kieft’s. Kieft, the Director-General of New Amsterdam, was a tyrant who declared war on the Indians (all of them) and thereby jeopardized the safety of the Dutch settlers. He fabricated lies about the Indians’ crimes in order to drum up support for his war, and he pitted tribes against each other by offering payment for scalps. Kieft is a historical figure; he does not appear as a character in the play but serves as an off-stage catalyst for the major actions and as an obvious parallel for President George W. Bush. All the characters in this play are fictional but exist within the context of history. 4W, 1M.

Map of New Amsterdam.

Map of New Amsterdam.

Another Manhattan was a semi-finalist for the O'Neill Playwrights Conference in 2006 and a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship in 2007.

Another Manhattan had a staged reading in the Portland Theatre Works Freshworks Program in Portland, Oregon on September 17, 2007.

Another Manhattan had a staged reading in the 9th Annual Page-to-Stage New Play Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C., on September 6, 2010. Deborah Randall directed.