Perfect Love
Written and Performed by Linda Manning
Directed by Obie, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Gretchen Cryer
will be at the
Cherry Lane Theatre - April 28, May 2, 8, 10 and 13
as part of the True Stories solo show series
Written and Performed by Linda Manning
Directed by Obie, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Gretchen Cryer
will be at the
Cherry Lane Theatre - April 28, May 2, 8, 10 and 13
as part of the True Stories solo show series
Perfect Love
official selection of the United Solo Festival
presented by Dixon Place Theatre, April 2019
and Poor Mouth Theatre Company, November 2019
"This world is full with brave and honest performances, but not quite like this,.. We live in a time when women STILL cannot speak many truths without being morally, personally, socially bludgeoned, but if you are seeking inspiration to not only “speak” the truth, but “live” the truth … You MUST see this show." WIN - Writers Innovative Network
"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."
TheatreReview.NYC
official selection of the United Solo Festival
presented by Dixon Place Theatre, April 2019
and Poor Mouth Theatre Company, November 2019
"This world is full with brave and honest performances, but not quite like this,.. We live in a time when women STILL cannot speak many truths without being morally, personally, socially bludgeoned, but if you are seeking inspiration to not only “speak” the truth, but “live” the truth … You MUST see this show." WIN - Writers Innovative Network
"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."
TheatreReview.NYC
Dixon Place, April 2019
Content Warning: sexual assault
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Perfect Love
written and performed by Linda Manning 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. |
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What people are saying about
Perfect Love:
"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!!!"
"Perfect Love is fabulous. So witty and raw and poignant !"
"Linda’s solo show is courageous, honest, raw, and full of heart."
"This piece was brilliantly conceived and portrayed. honest, insightful, humorous, compelling, poignant, riveting. Every moment was completely real and raw."
"Linda Manning’s Perfect Love is seamlessly told and beautifully performed. The truth laid bare without a single false moment. A triumph of the human spirit and a riveting night of theatre. My only regret is that we didn’t do more shows because we sold out every night and could have sold many more."
Don Creedon - Artistic Director of Poor Mouth Theatre Company
"Manning skillfully performs various stages from her life, embodying uncertainty, amusement, catharsis, and ultimately, strength. Her daring personal journey provides an inspiring and empowering model for anyone seeking to understand how early experiences impact our current behaviors and obsessions."
Mark Hayes - Artistic Associate at Dixon Place
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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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Check out Linda's article on
The Dramatists Guild blog:
Why I'm Like This: Developing My Solo Show
"In the early fall of 2017 I opened a Dramatist Guild eblast and chanced upon an offering from the DGI on how to create a solo show taught by Gretchen Cryer. Here it was: the opportunity to start this project, with some help from an esteemed professional, in a structured environment with deadlines and hopefully some kindred spirits. At that moment I was not thinking about how exposed I would feel performing the piece, that was a vague future. I just needed to write it! I had finally reached the point in my life where I was eager to get the story down, see it in front of me, outside of me. I had told very few people about my upbringing, it had lived quietly, alone in my head for too long."
The Dramatists Guild blog:
Why I'm Like This: Developing My Solo Show
"In the early fall of 2017 I opened a Dramatist Guild eblast and chanced upon an offering from the DGI on how to create a solo show taught by Gretchen Cryer. Here it was: the opportunity to start this project, with some help from an esteemed professional, in a structured environment with deadlines and hopefully some kindred spirits. At that moment I was not thinking about how exposed I would feel performing the piece, that was a vague future. I just needed to write it! I had finally reached the point in my life where I was eager to get the story down, see it in front of me, outside of me. I had told very few people about my upbringing, it had lived quietly, alone in my head for too long."
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Linda 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