Philip Kenner

about


Photo by Grace Barry

Philip Kenner (he/they) is an NYC-based writer and performer.

Philip’s debut chapbook BOYSTUFF is forthcoming from Glass Poetry Press in 2025. His poetry has been published in Kitchen Table Quarterly (“Stand & Repent”), Milk Press (“Horrible Stinky Place,” “Pigeons”), Cordite Poetry Review (“Stench”), poetry.onl (“What if we were gay together?”), Colectivo Tabú (Onion Pan” and others), Let My People Cum (“Yogurt”), and elsewhere.

Philip is the co-host of The Chef’s Monologue, a podcast where Philip and his co-host, Michael Wilder Frazel, feature new writing by their favorite writers and then interview those writers about their process and thoughts on theater, film, TV, and more.

Philip is currently a staff reader at Playwrights Horizons, and he was the Program Administrator for the Sundance Institute’s 2020 Theatre Lab. Prior to that, he was the TheaterJam producer and literary intern at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.

His plays include THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL, The Situation Is Getting Worse, Psychotropic, JEWDOG, Snap Crackle Prop, The Sun Club, Everything About This is Gross, Ravenous, The Woods Decay, Hades & Gehenna, and Defense Mode. Philip's plays have been produced by RoleCall Theater, The Performance Interface Lab, Dixon Place, and Playwrights Downtown. He has had readings with Playwrights Horizons, Book Culture, Theatre Zoomed to You, The CRY HAVOC Company, and the Jermyn Street Theatre in London. Three of Philip’s short plays have been published in CRY HAVOC’s HAVOC for the Holidays series, and he is currently working on a commission from The Meisner Studio. 

Philip wrote the book for the musical All the Junk in the Whole Wide World and the Kids Who Sort Through It - music by Laura Galindo - which was produced by Playwrights Downtown in conjunction with Musical Theater Factory. Philip is the recipient of the Bevya Rosten Memorial Award and an alumni apprentice with the CRY HAVOC Company. 

Philip performed in NOISE by Cesar Alvarez as part of a co-production by The Public Theater and Playwrights Downtown. He performed in Alvarez’s Elementary Space Time Show in a developmental production prior to its run at Vassar’s Powerhouse program. Philip also music directed and performed in Sara Kommer’s Dreamboat at Dixon Place. He was a singer and arranger for Ani V’Ata and performed as a soloist at the Kol HaOlam National competition where Ani V’Ata won first place and best arrangement.

Philip has taught undergraduate screenwriting at Northwestern University and playwriting at NYU Tisch, and he has led workshops and performed with Reilly Hilbert and The Frankenstein Project in jails around NYC. He has an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University and a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch.

 

NEWS

 

2025

BOYSTUFF forthcoming in 2025

My chapbook BOYSTUFF will be published by Glass Poetry Press in 2025, edited by Anthony Frame.

“STAND AND REPENT” published in kitchen table quarterly

My poem, “Stand and Repent” was published in Kitchen Table Quarterly’s Fall 2024 issue.


2024

“HORRIBLE STINKY PLACE” and “PIGEONS” PUBLISHED IN MILK PRESS SUMMER 2024

My poems, “Horrible Stinky Place” and “Pigeons” were published in PSNY’s Milk Press Summer 2024, edited by Faith-Marie McHenry.

We’RE GOING TO SUMMER CAMP!

This Summer, I will be the playwriting instructor at Interlochen’s Summer Arts Camp in their Creative Writing track.

“STENCH” PUBLISHED IN CORDITE POETRY REVIEW

My poem, “Stench” was published in Cordite Poetry Review’s CORDITE 114: NO THEME, edited by Chris Tse and Joel Toledo.

THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL AT NORTHWESTERN

Northwestern’s National High School Institute will stage my play THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL as a part of their Cherubs program. Julianne Lang will direct.

“What if we were gay together?” PUBLISHED IN poetry.onl

My poem, “What if we were gay together?” was published on poetry.onl, edited by Tarik Dobbs.

“THIN CRUST” PUBLISHED IN COLECTIVO TABú

My poem, “Thin Crust,” is forthcoming in the latest edition of Colectivo Tabú. More details in Summer 2024!


2023

THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL WORLD PREMIERE

My play THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL will receive its world premiere in a four-week run during Chicago’s ONCE AND FUTURE FESTIVAL. The production will be directed by Eli Newell and stars Emily Zhang, Kandace Mack, Andrew Cawley, Haley Bolithon, and Danny Gadaj.

“ONION PAN” AND OTHER POEMS Published in COLECTIVO TABú

My poems “Onion Pan,” “Elegy for a Faggot,” “Okay,” and more were published in the first two editions of Colectivo Tabú, edited by Dani Ochoa-Bravo.

“THE HOUR OF THE STAR & SELF DEPRECATION” Published in COPY: VOL. 1

My essay “The Hour of the Star & Self Deprecation” was published in COPY’s first print edition. You can read it here.


2022

Psychotropic @ Rolecall theateR

This past July, my play PSYCHOTROPIC received its first full production at RoleCall Theater in Atlanta. Directed by Maddy Roberts and starring Roz Sullivan-Lovett and Alexa Lauren, the production ran for two weekends at Atlanta’s Ponce City Market.

“YOGURT” Published in let my people cum

My poem “Yogurt” was published in Let My People Cum. Check out their instagram for ordering info! All proceeds go to The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy (TTPC). Photo courtesy of Let My People Cum collective.

the chef’s monologue - SEASON 1 OUT NOW!

The Chef’s Monologue: A new podcast featuring amazing writers cooking up short, fresh monologues based on provided "recipes." My co-host Michael Frazel and I interview the writers about their fascinating processes. The first season is available wherever you get your podcasts.


playS

Plays available upon request.


THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL

5 actors minimum, 12 actors maximum - Mid Length (1 hour)

NAOMI: I don’t know who I am unless I’m broadcasting it to the world. That’s what it means to love something. People will see me, and they will say, “She loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Kandace Mack as Viv, Danny Gadaj as Ricky. Photo by Rose Johnson. Directed by Eli Newell.

Best friends Naomi, Viv, and Charlie spend Friday nights at The Mall. When their beloved Hot Topic is robbed of all its Buffy the Vampire Slayer merch, they go on a quest to save their beloved mall. The besties must fight their way through Bath & Body Works, The Apple Store, Hollister, Build-a-Bear, and more to restore balance and rid the world of Fake Fans.

THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL is a love letter to mid-2000s culture, finding yourself at The Mall, and Pokémon trivia.

THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL had its world premiere in a four-week run as a part of Chicago’s ONCE AND FUTURE FESTIVAL.

THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL was directed by Eli Newell and starred Emily Zhang as Naomi, Kandace Mack as Viv, Andrew Cawley as Charlie, Danny Gadaj as Dennis (et al), and Haley Bolithon as Sylvia (et al). Set design and photo credits by Rose Johnson, costumes by Grace Barry, lighting design by Josiah Croegaert, sound design by Alex Levatter, and stage managed by Michal Brankin.

THE MALL, THE MALL, THE MALL has since been performed by Northwestern University’s National High School Institute Cherubs Program under the direction of Julianne Lang.

Emily Zhang as Naomi, Haley Bolithon as Jeanineiffer, Kandace Mack as Viv, Andrew Cawley as Charlie. Photo by Rose Johnson. Directed by Eli Newell.


THE SITUATION IS GETTING WORSE

6 actors - Full Length (2 hours)

MONICA: I always feel like someone is trying to shove a sock down my throat. The situation is getting worse, and I just wish we could go back to Cowmoss City.

The three Boeden sisters and their little brother live on a struggling corn farm with their parents. When their corn starts turning purple and their parents are microwaved in an accident at the Nuclearcoalpowerminefactoryplant, the now-orphaned Boeden siblings must keep a happy home by themselves.

Years pass, and new family members are added to the tiny farmhouse: a horny poet- boyfriend, a passive aggressive sister-in-law, and an incorrigible baby who might be an actual banshee. With a decaying earth, suicidal livestock, and no goddamn peace and quiet, the Boeden family must fight, perhaps in vain, to keep their heads above water.

Original art by the incredible Jake Freund.


The WOODS DECAY

5 actors - Full length (120 minutes)

Sinclair Daniel as Maya, Kadence Neill as Liz, and Jeffrey Brabant as Wes. Directed by Jack Serio.

ALICIA: What if I leave without having held everyone, without having told them how much they mean to me. How will they know they were everything, they were the point of being here at all?

Shira can't stop sexting.

Liz won't loosen her grip.

Maya needs answers.

Alicia needs to move on, but Wes won’t let her.

After their father’s death, Alicia, Shira, and Liz adapt to loss and learn to move on in three surprisingly human ways. A moving portrait of three sisters on the precipice of loss, change, and recovery, The Woods Decay is a shattering account of the way we grieve in the age of technology. Grief has many faces, and some may look familiar.

Mickey Galvin as Maya, Kadence Neill as Liz, and Helene Estes as Shira. Directed by Jack Serio.

The Woods Decay received a developmental production from Playwrights Downtown in 2019, directed by Jack Serio, and starring Sinclair Daniel, Jeffrey Brabant, Mickey Galvin, Kadence Neill, and Helene Estes. The set design was by Benjamin Pitt; the costume design was by Avery Reed (Ricky Reynoso, assistant); the lighting design was by Chris D’Angelo; the sound design was by Renee Yeong (Madeline Park, assistant); the projection design was by Madeline Park. The production was stage managed by Lizzy Blum. Special thanks to Christopher Oscar Peña for his mentorship.


The SUN CLUB

12 actors - Full length (90 minutes)

FAIRY: I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a new position open in the department

PEYTON: The department of fairies?

FAIRY: Yes. There is a new position open and I think you’d be perfect for it. It’s called The Best Little Boy in the Whole Entire World!

Jose Pelegri and Issac Lopez as Sexy Man in a Dog Costume and Peyton, respectively. Photo by Daniel Bedoya.

Jose Pelegri and Issac Lopez as Sexy Man in a Dog Costume and Peyton, respectively. Photo by Daniel Bedoya. Directed by Alex Bush.

Thea wants to get into a good college and needs better test scores. Peyton wants to escape bullying at his Jr. High by graduating into a private school (or as his Mom calls it, a “better school”).

As exam day approaches, the pressure mounts, and Thea and Peyton find themselves sacrificing relationships and their own wellbeing for better grades. Thea and Peyton’s separate yet shared stress nightmares get worse, and reality begins to warp. Thea begins to see a massive chorus of jazzercize-obssesed-80s-music-fanatics, and Peyton can’t escape the “fairy for the fairies” and her pet-human-in-a-leather-dog-costume. To make things more stressful, Thea’s sister is a witch, the school’s guidance counselor is off her rocker, and Peyton starts sexting a boy.

Exam day arrives, and the border between the tangible and the hallucinatory is no longer clear. How can you take an entrance exam when visions trigged by stress are playing “Faithfully” by Journey right in your ear? Our heroes take their respective tests despite the distractions, but after the test ends, there’s no “real world” to come home to.

Sinclair Daniel (foreground) as Thea. In background, from left to right: Mikey Fiocco, Michelle Kariuki, Declan Zhang, Char Nakashima-Conway, Rachel Keteyian, Lizzy Gesensway. Photo by Daniel Bedoya

Sinclair Daniel (foreground) as Thea. In background, from left to right: Mikey Fiocco, Michelle Kariuki, Declan Zhang, Char Nakashima-Conway, Rachel Keteyian, Lizzy Gesensway. Photo by Daniel Bedoya. Directed by Alex Bush.

In the end, Peyton and Thea’s hard work pays off, but getting what they want might have been a fool’s errand all along.

The Sun Club was written in the NYU Tisch London playwriting program is association with the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. The Sun Club was given a reading at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London in 2016, and then a production at Dixon Place in 2019, directed by Alex Bush and produced by Daniel Bedoya.

Photography by Daniel Bedoya.




PSYCHOTROPIC

2 actors of any gender - Full Length (80 minutes)

ZACH: They named the Hurricane after Jessica Chastain?
LARA: Yeah. They ran out of regular names so they had to start using celebrities.

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PSYCHOTROPIC tells the story of two actors in a rehearsal room trying to make a play about climate change. Motivated to make a difference, the performers discuss possible ways to build a show that will inspire action without being too preachy. As their attempts prove more absurd and ultimately feeble, they begin to question whether or not it's possible to "tell a story" about a topic as existential as climate change using the medium of theater. As their chipper resolves fade, the world around them begins to blur. What starts as a benign rehearsal escalates into a madhouse series of transformations.

PSYCHOTROPIC was commissioned by The Meisner Studio as a part of their Lab program. The play was developed with director Fritz Ertl and actors Dean Scotti and Lauren Greenlees. The play received two staged readings on consecutive evenings at The Meisner Studio in May 2019. PSYCHOTROPIC continued in development with Iris Dukatt and An-Li Bogan.

PSYCHOTROPIC had its first full production in the summer of 2022 at RoleCall Theater in Atlanta. Directed by Maddy Roberts and starring Roz Sullivan-Lovett and Alexa Lauren.


JEWDOG

6-8 actors - Full Length (80 minutes)

JARED: It’s a children’s book about a dog named Shmuley the Retriever. Shmuley just wants to play baseball with all the other kids, but they won’t let him play because he’s a dog.

KRIS: Wait, I thought they wouldn’t let him play because he’s Jewish?

Jared is a successful author of children's literature, but now he wants to write a picture book about antisemitism. His book centers around Shmuley, a cartoon golden retriever who only wants to play baseball. Jared’s family, friends, and Jewish community are less excited about his project than he'd hoped. Ever the stubborn artist, Jared develops an obsession with Shmuley, and it transforms him beyond recognition.


RAVENOUS

2 actors - Short play (40 minutes)

PORTIA: I thought you were scared…
TAMARA: I was, but now I’m angry, and I want to hit this bird with a broom.

Ravenous 2017.04.13  038.jpg

Ravenous is a short spooky play in a series of one-act Edgar Allan Poe plays. It features flying menaces, jelly sandwiches, and piles and piles and piles of books. Ravenous was produced as a part of the Proformer Festival at Playwrights Horizons Theater School and was later given a reading at Book Culture as a part of their Upstairs Reading Series. The production was directed by JB Douglas, and the reading was directed by Sarah Cook.

From Left to Right: Nile Assata Harris, Miranda Lichtman. Lighting by Katherine Craig, costumes by Queen Tiye-Akamefula, set by JB Douglas.



ALL THE JUNK IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD (AND THE KIDS WHO SORT THROUGH IT)

10 actors - Full length

Book by Philip Kenner, Music and Lyrics by Laura Galindo

When the chaos dies down after someone graduates tomorrow, we’ll still be here, incinerating away. Milly will do her thing, I’ll do mine. Synergy, I think. That’s a word right? Synergy?

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There is no world outside the warehouse. There is only the Process of Practical RePurposing, the incinerator, and your friends, but everyone is getting older and someone has to leave. What else can you do but Rock the System? All the Junk…. is a full-length musical about imagination, climate change, and inheriting a world that might not hold you. All the Junk in the Whole Wide World and the Kids Who Sort Through It was conceived and developed as a part of a two week inaugural intensive organized by The Musical Project. The initial workshop went up in January of 2017 and was directed by Alex Bush. The book was cowritten by Philip Kenner, Kieran Graulich, and Laura Galindo. All the Junk was programmed by Clubbed Thumb and Playwrights Downtown in their 2017-2018 Mainstage season where a new full length version was created with a book by Philip Kenner and music and lyrics by Laura Galindo. The full-length production was also directed by Alex Bush.

From Left to Right: Adam McDonald, Evie Brandford-Altscher, Dylan Tashjian, Chi-Wen Chang, Rae Bryan, Brenna Donahue, Issac Lopez, Emma Schwartz, Talia Oliveras, Noah Burgess. Lighting by Alexa King, costumes by Ben Stevenson, set by Karma Masselli.


HADES & GEHENNA

8 actors - Full length

YAEL: I cried. I wanted to beat the sky. I wanted to prove I could make more water.

ysoj2.jpg

Hades & Gehenna is a new American myth set in Boise City, Oklahoma, in 1932. The play follows a chosen family made of farmers, orphans, caretakers, artists, and spirits. As dust storms consume their livelihood, the family must choose between unity and survival. Inspired by the photography of Dorothea Lange and the music of Brandi Carlile, Hades & Gehenna looks to our past to wrestle with the manmade environmental crisis of our present.

The script is currently in development.

Photo by Dorothea Lange

 

POETRY


 
 

BOYSTUFF forthcoming from Glass Poetry Press in 2025.

“Stand and Repent” published in Kitchen Table Quarterly’s Fall 2024 issue.

“Stench” published in Cordite Poetry Review’s CORDITE 114: NO THEME, edited by Chris Tse and Joel Toledo.

“Horrible Stinky Place” and “Pigeons” published in Poetry Society of New York’s MIlk Press Summer 2024, edited by Faith-Marie McHenry.

“What if we were gay together?” published on poetry.onl, edited by Tarik Dobbs

“Okay,” “In the barbershop, the lights are on,” “dear guy at the bar who asked me to join him in the private stall,” “Wanting to Touch You All the Time Is Really Debilitating”, “Ferry,” and “Elegy for a Faggot,” published in Colectivo Tabú, vol. 2, edited by Dani Ochoa-Bravo.

Onion Pan,” “Acetaminophen, Dextromethorphan, and Phenylephrine,” and “FAG Subtraction,” published in Colectivo Tabú, vol. 1, edited by Dani Ochoa-Bravo.

“Yogurt” published in Let My People Cum

“ZZ Plant” published in bookstore poets, vol. 1, edited by Lauren Paris.

 

photos



media


Philip’s short play, Defense Mode, was his second out of three plays published in The CRY HAVOC Company’s HAVOC for the Holidays series. The CRY HAVOC Company selected to perform a reading of Defense Mode for the annual holiday podcast. You can find the full 2016 episode and more at The CRY HAVOC Podcast on iTunes.

THE CHEF’s MONOLOGUE

A podcast where Michael Wilder Frazel and Philip Kenner invite their favorite writers to cook up original monologues based on “recipes.” Mike and Phil then interview those iconic writers about their thoughts on TV, Film, Theatre, and more!

 
 

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