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My solo show
Perfect Love is coming to the Cherry Lane Theatre September 3, 7 (matinee), 13, 20, 22 (matinee) BUY TICKETS More Info TrueStoriesPlay.com directed by Gretchen Cryer with original music by Jono Hill 
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Why does a woman with a loving husband and two kids suddenly find herself unbearably anxious, unable to sleep, and her only comfort an old poster of Robert Redford?
I track my evolution from a rootless girl to a teenager surrounded by predatory, abusive men, to a reckless woman on the hunt for perfect love with every dangerous man I encounter. 
Content Warning: Sexual Assault
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What people are saying:
"I was completely immersed!!"
"Wonderful writing and beautifully performed. When you screamed 'Mom,' I froze!"
"I loved the shifts between young you, adolescent you, and grown up you."
"Very powerful. And so honest. Really amazing!"
"You knocked me flat and lifted me back up!!!"
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“Perfect Love” is my story of finally coming out of hiding.
A poignant, empowering and at times darkly funny story of this woman’s struggle to exorcise her demons and set herself free. 
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Review from Director Maureen Payne-Hahner
"This world is full with brave and honest performances, but not quite like this, It was the sheer force of her work, her truth-telling, her deep dive into the known and not knowing how she might resurface that made us feel all the things we needed to feel."
Review from TheatreReview.NYC
"Nothing is off limits here as she explores love, lust, desire, betrayal, and brutality. She relishes in the telling of her tale. Her words are courageous and her performance is revelatory and joyous to watch."
Perfect Love premiered at the United Solo Festival NYC 2018
and was presented by Dixon Place in April, 2019
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Linda is an actress and writer based in New York City. She grew up in Colorado, moved to the east coast to study theater in her 20's and got a Master's from Trinity Rep Conservatory.
Linda has appeared on stage in New York and regionally, and in independent films. Her plays have been produced in New York City and published by Smith and Kraus. Two of her short screenplays have also been produced. Linda lives in the Bronx with her husband and two daughters. |
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SAG/AFTRA
AEA
AEA
Reviews of Linda's work:
"Such an unusual play. Very skillfully crafted.... Beautifully written sexual encounter. The writer bore her soul. She knows the grasp that love can have. Like being possessed by a mysterious, exciting energy of the other."
There Is No You and Me - full length stage play
New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest
2017 Finalist
"Breathtaking, poignant, and lovely, LEARNING TO DRIVE should be a strong contender for the industry's attention and interest... A spiritual and chronological successor to nostalgic feature masterpieces like THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and ALMOST FAMOUS, LEARNING TO DRIVE is an accomplished, market-ready script ...."
Learning to Drive - feature length screenplay by Linda Manning
The Black List, Featured Script 2015
Grand Prize Winner - StoryPros Awards Screenplay Contest 2013
“Yes, Linda Manning can make this stuff up and indeed it does not get much better than this well-constructed play...."
Bite the Apple - full length stage play
David Roberts, Chief Critic, Theatre Reviews Limited, New York, NY
"The ensemble of actresses are remarkable, particularly the evocative and nuanced performance by Manning. Bite the Apple is a smart script with intricate dialogue and beautiful language...."
Bite the Apple - full length stage play
Joseph Samuel Wright, Theatre Is Easy, New York, NY
"Writer-performer Linda Manning gives us a fiercely intelligent and sexual Charlotte Brontë.... The writing delicately renders the conflict between family responsibility and the artist's calling, between romantic yearning and the realities of married love."
Do Something With Yourself! - full length stage play
The Village Voice, New York, NY
"This wonderfully quixotic piece by Linda Manning explores the struggles Charlotte faced, including her own stifling romantic ideals. With a striking level of skill and versatility,"
Do Something With Yourself! - full length stage play
TimeOut New York, New York, NY
"The Invisible Theatre Company’s adaptation of the classic tale is strikingly fresh, thanks to playwright Linda Manning’s bold vision.... Manning had a dynamic presence .... Deftly handling the madness that lies at the heart of Poe’s tale, Manning oscillated from a petulant little girl, to a proper young lady, to a disturbing sexual force.... The amount of humor that Manning has incorporated into the script, without compromising its horror, is one of its greatest accomplishments.”
Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher - full length stage play
The Off-Off-Broadway Review, New York, NY
"Such an unusual play. Very skillfully crafted.... Beautifully written sexual encounter. The writer bore her soul. She knows the grasp that love can have. Like being possessed by a mysterious, exciting energy of the other."
There Is No You and Me - full length stage play
New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest
2017 Finalist
"Breathtaking, poignant, and lovely, LEARNING TO DRIVE should be a strong contender for the industry's attention and interest... A spiritual and chronological successor to nostalgic feature masterpieces like THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and ALMOST FAMOUS, LEARNING TO DRIVE is an accomplished, market-ready script ...."
Learning to Drive - feature length screenplay by Linda Manning
The Black List, Featured Script 2015
Grand Prize Winner - StoryPros Awards Screenplay Contest 2013
“Yes, Linda Manning can make this stuff up and indeed it does not get much better than this well-constructed play...."
Bite the Apple - full length stage play
David Roberts, Chief Critic, Theatre Reviews Limited, New York, NY
"The ensemble of actresses are remarkable, particularly the evocative and nuanced performance by Manning. Bite the Apple is a smart script with intricate dialogue and beautiful language...."
Bite the Apple - full length stage play
Joseph Samuel Wright, Theatre Is Easy, New York, NY
"Writer-performer Linda Manning gives us a fiercely intelligent and sexual Charlotte Brontë.... The writing delicately renders the conflict between family responsibility and the artist's calling, between romantic yearning and the realities of married love."
Do Something With Yourself! - full length stage play
The Village Voice, New York, NY
"This wonderfully quixotic piece by Linda Manning explores the struggles Charlotte faced, including her own stifling romantic ideals. With a striking level of skill and versatility,"
Do Something With Yourself! - full length stage play
TimeOut New York, New York, NY
"The Invisible Theatre Company’s adaptation of the classic tale is strikingly fresh, thanks to playwright Linda Manning’s bold vision.... Manning had a dynamic presence .... Deftly handling the madness that lies at the heart of Poe’s tale, Manning oscillated from a petulant little girl, to a proper young lady, to a disturbing sexual force.... The amount of humor that Manning has incorporated into the script, without compromising its horror, is one of its greatest accomplishments.”
Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher - full length stage play
The Off-Off-Broadway Review, New York, NY