Allison Gregory
Playwright

Fall Off Night

“In its dazzling premiere production, Allison Gregory’s surrealistic dark comedy artfully melds the enigmatic edginess of Franz Kafka with the offbeat whimsy of Lewis Carroll. The play’s focal character finds herself thrust…on a spiritual odyssey that propels her through the circuitous byways of moral dilemma and social responsibility. A crackling evening of smart and sassy theatre”. - Back Stage West, Critics Pick

“Allison Gregory’s thoughtful and intellectually arresting drama commences on a dark and desolate Los Angeles street. Her image-studded language touches upon the sundry shades of urban loneliness, eloquently exposing both the pitiable and the savage. Powerful material.” - L.A. Weekly

Cast & Synopsis

8 characters/5 women, 3 men; optional ensemble; One set which serves as various locations (a medical office, a bedroom, a night club, a parking lot, a bus stop, a park)
It is imperative that locales be suggestive only, that transitions are swift, and that the emotional tension and flow of the play is allowed to flow uninterrupted.

A pitch black comedy that takes place in a shifting urban landscape where Heidi, an ophthalmological photographer, witnesses a disturbing event and fails to intervene. The ensuing evening of chaos, whimsy, and terror culminate in her struggle to make sense of a world that refuses to accommodate her inaction. On the longest night of the year Heidi is taken from her imagined chamber of safety into the real rooms of the world—where she must act.

Development | Production History

Commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theatre
Developed at Padua Playwrights Festival, Maria Irene Fornes dramaturg
Premiered at Open Fist Theatre, Los Angeles
Production at Live Girls Theatre, Seattle

Awards

Nominated for an Ovation Award for Best New Script, L.A. Garland Award Nomination, Playwriting

Media

PLAYWRIGHTS' DIALOGUE: Allison Gregory & Steven Dietz
Fall Off Night
Life in Dark-Edged L.A. Takes a Surreal Turn in 'Fall Off Night'