Naomi Iizuka is a dynamic force in contemporary American theatre, renowned for her captivating storytelling and bold exploration of cultural identity, memory, and human connection. Playscripts takes pride in representing a diverse array of Iizuka’s works.

Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuka

Princeton Day School Production

Separated from his mother, a young refugee called Anon journeys through the United States, encountering a wide variety of people — some kind, some dangerous and cruel — as he searches for his family. From a sinister one-eyed butcher to beguiling barflies to a sweatshop, Anon must navigate through a chaotic, ever-changing landscape in this entrancing adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.

Good Kids by Naomi Iizuka

University of Michigan Production

Something happened to Chloe after that party last Saturday night. Something she says she can’t remember. Something everybody is talking about. Set at a Midwestern high school, in a world of Facebook and Twitter, smartphones and YouTube, Good Kids explores a casual sexual encounter gone wrong and its very public aftermath. Who’s telling the truth? Whose version of the story do you believe? And what does that say about you?

Language of Angels by Naomi Iizuka

Saint Louis University Theatre Production

An eerie cycle of ghost stories, set in the cave country of North Carolina. After a young girl is lost in a cave on the edge of town, there is a Rashomon-like investigation of her disappearance and the fate of those who survive her.

Tattoo Girl by Naomi Iizuka

In this adaptation of Donald Barthelme’s short story “Perpetua,” a trumpet player and a tattooed pinup girl navigate a chaotic world populated by hops farmers, cathedral builders, and an aging Nadia Comaneci, all in pursuit of a little happiness.

Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls by Naomi Iizuka

A man moves to write the great American novel. A woman moves to Alaska to start a new life. Babies, wild dogs, komodo dragons, and hula dancers abound in this play about finding your tribe in a world gone haywire.

Freak by Naomi Iizuka and Ryan Pavelchik

Somewhere in America, there’s a New Girl at the high school who may or may not be a robot. Freak explores the Pygmalion myth through skateboards, chewing gum, rockers, swimmers, poets, and a wild cafeteria dance number. In a world of high achievers and drama kids who want to change their world, New Girl wonders if she’ll ever be more than a Freak.