New Play: Ahoy-Hoy

Ahoy-Hoy
A Play About That Relatable Feeling When Someone Else Invents the Telephone Three Hours Before You Do

It’s 1876, and inventor Elisha Gray and his assistant, Cornelius, are hard at work on his latest invention–the telephone.  Elisha is determined to leave a legacy that will last for all time, and to talk his idiotic assistant out of trying to invent things that no one will ever want, like the lightbulb and disposable rubber gloves.  However, when he finds out that his archnemesis, Alexander Graham Bell, is also working on a telephone, Elisha and Cornelius go to ridiculous and extraordinary lengths to make sure the invention is theirs.  Based on the true story of the invention of the telephone, Ahoy-Hoy is a deliriously unhinged, unapologetic sprint through American ambition, innovation, and the absurd quest for legacy.

There is a talkback following the show on Sunday, January 25.

About the Playwright
Jenny Stafford is an award-winning playwright, book writer, and lyricist whose works have been heard on Broadway and beyond.  Her work has been featured by Lincoln Center, Cirque du Soleil, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Dancing with the Stars, and other regional and international venues.  Awards include the Reva Shiner Comedy Award, the Modern Works Award, Paulette Goddard Award, and the Capital Repertory New Works Award. Three-time finalist for the Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre, and a finalist for the McKnight Fellowship, the PEN Writing for Justice Fellowship, the Yale Institute for Music Theatre, the Pipeline Award, and the Eugene O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference and Playwriting Conference. Nominee for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.  Artist in Residence at the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Village Theatre, Johnny Mercer Writers Colony, Catwalk Institute, Hypatia in the Woods, Goodspeed Musicals, CAP 21, the Ross Ragland Theatre, the Berkshire Playwrights Theatre, Drama Club, and St. Nell’s. Jenny’s humor essays have been published in McSweeney’s (Your Favorite Regional Theatre’s (Honest!) Season Announcement!) and other venues, and her plays are published through Broadway Play Publishing.  Works include The Homefront (Village Theatre Originals, Beta Series, Theatre Latte Da), Secret Hour (Capital Repertory Theatre, The Public Theatre), Extended Stay (The Kitchen Theatre, Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat), Prodigy (CCU, CDP, Two Rivers, Indiana University), The Artist and the Scientist (CAP21), Awakening, Beating a Dead Horse (Bloomington Playwrights Project), The Goree All-Girl String Band (Drama League, Village Theatre Originals), Eleanor and Dolly (Temple University), and Ahoy-Hoy (Urbanite Theatre).  Dramatists Guild member; MFA NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

SOPAC Member Benefits

Member Discounts: Members at the Advocate Level or higher ($65+) will receive a discounted ticket price.

Accessibility & Accommodation

If you or a member of your party needs assistance, please notify SOPAC at the time your tickets are purchased. Contact the SOPAC Box Office at (973) 313-2787 or boxoffice@SOPACnow.org.