THE BLOG

Anatomy of a Hug explores what happens when a convict, Iris, receives Compassionate Release from her prison sentence into her daughter Amelia’s care. A lifetime of living through beloved TV characters doesn’t prepare Amelia for the actual drama of her mother’s return or the advances of a charming co-worker, Ben. The ticking clock of her mother’s illness means Amelia must decide if her fictional life is safer than the possibility of her own story.

“Anatomy of a Hug has a relatively small cast. Only four actors, and a potted plant who tends to upstage all the other characters,” says playwright Kat Ramsburg. Ramsburg goes on to say, “What I love most is that the play features two incredibly strong women in the lead roles. The two supporting characters include another strong woman and a guy who might be the quirky side-kick best friend from your favorite sit-com. Then of course, there’s the plant…”.

The Trustus Playwrights’ Festival is an annual national competition that started in 1988 where playwrights all over the country submit their work. Last season over 300 submissions were sent to Trustus. This year, the Literary Manager at the time looked at each submission, which consisted of a playwright bio, resume, play synopsis, character breakdown, setting breakdown, and a 10-page sample. After requesting the full script of a narrowed down list, it was then narrowed down to just 5 finalists. The full finalist scripts were sent to Artistic Director, Chad Henderson and Co-Artistic Director, Dewey Scott Wiley to decide upon the winner.

“We all have relationships we wish could have ended differently, be that with lovers, parents, co-workers. Anatomy of a Hug explores those choices, but in a really humorous way,” says Ramsburg.

We are so excited for Kat and being able to showcase her winning play right here at Trustus and would love for you to join us in this unique Trustus event. For more information and updates, continue to visit us here at www.trustus.org, on facebook, on twitter or call 803.254.9732.