written by kay kemp
developed by The Elif Collective

Piggy is sculpting. His deadline approaches. Mathilde urges him to work faster from the corner where she sits, blindfolded. When Piggy allows her to touch the sculpture, Mathilde insists that it––that she––is warm. Is Piggy sculpting Mathilde? Is she Piggy's muse, or not?

sleepless is a play and figure-drawing class that interrogates creative obsession and objectification. Guests explore Piggy and Mathilde's relationship by witnessing scenes that take place in Piggy's studio, and participating in figure drawing classes where Piggy teaches how to represent Mathilde's body. sleepless asks:

What does it mean to be a muse? And should we ever aspire to be one?

ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED AS PART OF THE

Elif Bet Residency

The Elif Bet Residency is a play development program that elevates non-traditional forms of storytelling – like interactive activities and social experiences – to the same level as traditional scene-writing.​ The program works through:
Dramaturgy Meetings

The playwright, director, and dramaturg discuss the play’s development and how to use labs to serve playwright’s goals.

Experimental Labs

The whole team, including actors, meet to read new pages, improvise around them, and devise new sequences.

Intermediary Showings

The team invites audience members to participate in the show’s interactive activities and share feedback.

sleepless had its Elif Bet Residency readings in December 2024 at the Dramatists Guild Foundation and the Endangered Language Alliance.

Meet the team

Playwright
kay kemp
Director
Shayan Hooshmand
Dramaturg
Sophie Craig
Actors
Tyler Bey
Genevieve Maiden