PEARLS FOR SPURS
Pearls for Spurs is a two-act play by Gates Leonard about a grief-stricken widow’s challenges with her mental health and its effect on her family. Inspired by Sam Shepard’s dysfunctional family plays and her personal experiences, Gates adds a unique, woman’s take on the American family drama.
In a desperate attempt to escape memories of her late husband that are causing her distress, Mississippi Biles (Missy) abruptly uproots her entire family—Carousel (16-year-old rebellious daughter), Kyle (13-year-old introverted son questioning his sexual orientation), Spoon (10-year-old wild man), and Danny (39-year-old overzealous sister)—from Texas to a Floridian trailer park where they grapple with grief, change, and the complexities of love. Two native Floridians—Bean (Kyle’s only friend) and Dude (Carousel’s older and questionable boyfriend)—round out the cast.
The story is about the last day the whole family is a unit. Loved but neglected by Missy due to her illness, the children are unhappy and borderline outlaws. Danny does her best to hold the family together, but as the story unfolds, the characters drift further apart, and by the end, there is no family. Using dark humor, tragedy, and magical realism, the play examines the effects of unmanaged personal trauma, opening a discussion about mental health and resistance to change.
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Gates Leonard (playwright) is an actress, animator, filmmaker, musician, playwright, singer/songwriter, visual artist, and member of Monk Parrots. She has performed with Monk Parrots since she was seven, originating roles in four new works and touring with the company to Texas and Italy. Her plays have been developed and presented at NYU Tisch Future Artists Program, SheNYC’s CreateHER Program, LaGuardia High School, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Acting credits include guest starring on FBI: Most Wanted and Law & Order: SVU, David Lang's love fail at the Yarra Valley Opera Festival, Kirk Lynn and Peter Stopschinski's Bum Phillips Opera at La MaMa ETC, and Luke Leonard and David Todd's Here I Go at 59E59 Theaters. Gates is a 20-year-old college junior and a recipient of a Bennington Young Writers Award. She is represented by MJ Management and is majoring in visual arts with a concentration in filmmaking and animation at Bennington College.
Monk Parrots is thrilled to be supporting the next phase of the play’s development. We’d like to thank The Puffin Foundation for their support for this project.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
April 5, 2022
Public Reading at La MaMa Great Jones Rehearsal Studios
The cast was as follows.
Missy - Natalie Leonard
Danny - Kelly Mares
Carousel - Abi Rivera
Kill - Leo Heller
Bean - Christian Ashley
Spoon - Dashiell Frazier
Dude - John Harlacher
