Be Like Water

Be Like Water

Be Like Water

Lucy Wang
Script Fee: $150.00 Licensing: $65.00 per performance
Read This Play for Free! Access Classroom Resources for This Play

Genre: Comedy

Format: Live In-Person Performance

Keywords: Chinese-American identity, immigration and assimilation, intergenerational conflicts, resilience, tradition vs. modernity, self-expression

Cast Size: flexible; as many as 19+ actors (3 male, 4 female, 12 any gender); with doubling, as few as 11 (2 male, 3 female, 6 any gender)

Duration: Approximately 75 minutes

Time Period: Present-day America--with fantastical elements

Cautions: None

Contact info@gitelmangoodpublishers.com with questions.

When Alex, a rule-following high schooler and proud Bruce Lee superfan, is asked to perform a tired, stereotypical dance in The Nutcracker, she decides it’s time to flip the script. Armed with wit and determination--and a little inspo from her hero--Alex and her free-spirited costars spark a hilarious and heartfelt rebellion against outdated norms. Be Like Water dives into themes of cultural identity, creativity, and the courage to stand up for what’s right.

Pirouetting with whimsy, magic, and pathos, this play asks: Can traditions bend without breaking? Perfect for high schools, Be Like Water is an unforgettable take on what it means to honor the past while creating a more inclusive future. Sometimes, that means stepping out of line--and into the spotlight.

How we price. All scripts are priced at a flat $150 to make budgeting easy and transparent.

How you license. When you checkout, you simply select the number of times you'll perform the play in front of an audience ($65 per performance).

What you get. You receive an instant PDF download that you're licensed to use.

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
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Who Gets To Decide?
Michele Clarke

What a fantastic TYA piece. Especially for theaters looking for alternatives to the Annie-Sound of Music-Disney rut. "Who made up these rules? Do traditions ever evolve? And who gets to decide?" BE LIKE WATER is a deft and thought-provoking look at the blind reverence we give traditions and institutions - and specifically a certain financial juggernaut with origins in 1816, 1891 and 1954.

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A Mini Revolution
Nora Louise Syran

Unwilling to dance her assigned role to the outdated 1950s choreography of the Nutcracker which Alex, our Chinese-American heroine, and her friends find demeaning, the students start a mini revolution. I loved the intervention of Bruce Lee and Wang's love of food ;)

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A Great Play for Young Actors
Cherielyn Ferguson

This is a great play for young actors. It offers well-defined teen-aged characters who want something concrete--to re-imagine the longstanding and stereotypical portrayals of people of color in The Nutcracker. They go after it and get it. With the help of Bruce Lee, which is one of my favorite elements in Be Like Water. Produce this play during the holiday season and you'll have a grateful audience on your hands.

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A Nutcracker for Our Century
Claudia Haas

How many times can I recommend this? As a lifelong fan of Balanchine's Nutcracker, I remember being uncomfortable during Tea and Coffee. Balanchine changed the names of the dances but kept the stereotypical costumes and dance steps. Lucy Wang deftly brings us a Nutcracker for our century. Be Like Water contains all the wit and smart dialogue we are used to getting from the playwright. She infuses all her characters with a strong sense of who they are. Bruce Lee, flowers, and food give us the unexpected. So appropriate for this reimagined ballet to be a Reimagine finalist.

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Upbeat, Feel Good Work
Morey Norkin

Performance art doesn't always age well, and such is the case with some dance routines from the Nutcracker Suite that highlight ethnic stereotypes. Lucy Wang introduces us to a group of feisty students who want to make some changes that better reflect their cultural and personal values. Great lessons are learned all around in this upbeat, feel good work. No surprise this has received so many accolades.