By Gary Wien
originally published: 04/20/2015
Tar Beach revolves around sixteen year old Mary Claire and her best friend Mary Francis as they begin the day sunning themselves on the roof of an Ozone Park row house. Claire’s younger sister Reenie is searching for her lost Greek Mythology class project, while their parents are consumed by the battles of their troubled marriage. The boy crazy girls hatch a plan to stay out all night, but an overstressed electrical grid leads to a city-wide blackout and a sudden loss of innocence.
Ryan says the play is based on events that happened around that summer, but it is not autobiographical. She previously took a look at the summer of 1977 in her play, Dark Part of the Forest, which was seen through the point of view of the mother; Tar Beach, however, is seen through the experience of the young girls.
“It was the late seventies, which was a weird time in New York,” recalled Ryan. “Financially, there was crisis; socially, there was upheaval. It was a time of people unmooring, I think. Children weren’t supervised. Parents were going wild too. It was just a crazy, crazy time.”
It was also a very dangerous period of time. The Son of Sam began killing people in 1976 and wasn’t caught until August the next year. He is famous for using a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver and believed he was merely following the orders of a demon that took the form of a neighbor’s dog. And those orders were to kill young women.
Ryan describes the play as a coming-of-age story for two young girls in a society where sometimes it is dangerous to be a female. The time period forms the perfect setting for her with the blackout and the Son of Sam serving as the ultimate predators.
“It was this pressure cooker,” recalled Ryan. “You knew something was going to blow.”
Fear of the dark is seen in the play as a primal experience, something that has been with humans since the dawn of time. Mary’s father is afraid because he thinks the only thing keeping society from anarchy is electricity. As looting spreads across the city, his fears are somewhat realized.
The play also focuses on the relationship of the two siblings. In fact, the original concept for the play came from a writing workshop at Premiere Stages which utilized an exercise called “On the Roof.” The instructor had the class write very quickly with constant stops and restarts. The idea was to write without even thinking about what was being written. For Ryan, the exercise led to the teenagers on the roof. The early stages of the play was entirely focused on the relationship of the family.
“I don’t know exactly when the Son of Sam came in, but if I’m going back to the seventies with the point of view of a teenager, I’m going to think of the Son of Sam,” said Ryan. “It was that impactful in my life. Growing up in Queens and being that age — sort of sexually coming of age at a time when he was killing young girls making out in cars — there was that connection that it was dangerous to be a young girl. That connection is what always pulls me back there.”
In the back of her mind, she may have been thinking about her own girls. Her youngest is entering her teenage years. She wonders what lessons from the Summer of 1977 she might be passing on to her own children.
“The girls in the play think Son of Sam is what they all need to be afraid of, but it actually turns out to be closer to home,” add Ryan.
Tar Beach was named a finalist for the Terrence McNally Playwriting Award, The Source Theater Festival and a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award honoree. The play was included in the 2014 edition of The List compiled by The Kilroys as “one of the most excellent new plays by female-identified authors of last year.”
Since moving to Pittsburgh 25 years ago, where her work is often performed, Ryan’s plays have been staged all across the United States and she’s found something of a second home in New Jersey. It began in 2006 when Premiere Stages presented one of her works. In the years to follow, her work has debuted at Premiere Stages, the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, and now Luna Stage.
“The connection with New Jersey probably stems from my voice sounding familiar being from New York,” said Ryan. “It’s nice to kind of have two homes.”
About the author:
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
EVENT PREVIEWS
Paper Mill Playhouse Announces 2026 Rising Star Awards Nominees
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the nominations for adjudicated production categories of the 31st Annual Rising Star Awards for Excellence in New Jersey High School Musical Theater. Often referred to as New Jersey's version of the Tony Awards for high school musical theater, the Rising Star Awards recognize outstanding achievement in performance, direction, design, choreography, music direction, and overall production.
Studio Garage presents "Chekhov's People" at HACPAC
(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- Studio Garage presents Chekhov's People at Hackensack Performing Arts Center on June 8-9, 2026 at 8:00pm each night. Performed in Turkish. The play explores the human condition through a blend of Anton Chekhov's The Good Doctor and his short plays The Bear and A Marriage Proposal.
The Maplewood Strollers to present a Broadway Karaoke Party on June 12th
(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Maplewood Strollers present a Broadway Karaoke Party on Friday, June 12, 2026 at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts. The event, which serves as a fundraiser for the theater company, begins at 7:30pm.
Mile Square Theatre presents "An Evening in the Woods: Musical Selections from Into the Woods" on June 13th
(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre will hold its first-ever Education Program Fundraiser, An Evening in the Woods: Musical Selections from Into the Woods in Concert, on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 7:00pm, with a preshow reception beginning at 6:00pm.
The Growing Stage presents round 2 of the 2026 New Play Reading Festival on June 13th
(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents round 2 of the 2026 New Play Reading Festival on Friday, June 13, 2026 at 4:00pm. The plays include Snapped, The Wind in the Wildflowers, Timmon and the Magic Shoes, and My Tree.
Players Guild of Leonia presents The Marshall Playwright Showcase from June 12-14
(LEONIA, NJ) -- The Players Guild of Leonia presents The Marshall Playwrights Showcase from June 12-14, 2026. Named in honor of their long-time PGL member, Helene Marhsall, the showcase includes five original one-acts making for an unforgettable night! Works are by Keith Whalen, Conor Casey, Michael Gage Costa, and Chris Widney.
Studio Players' Reading Series presents "The Laramie Project 10 Years Later" on June 14th
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Studio Players' Reading Series presents a Staged Reading of "The Laramie Project 10 Years Later" on Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 7:00pm. Written by Moises Kaufman and Leigh Fondakowski, this is a powerful and deeply moving epilogue to the groundbreaking original. The reading is directed by Thomas J. Donohoe II.
The Company Theatre Group presents a Staged Reading of "Final Day, the Musical" on June 16th
(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Company Theatre Group presents a Staged Reading of Final Day, the Musical in the Ruth Bauer Neustadter Gallery at Hackensack Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 3:00pm & 7:00pm. Set on the final day of World War II in Germany, Final Day follows prisoners awaiting liberation as they confront a camp commandant under orders to execute them all.
interACT Theatre Productions presents "Psycho Beach Party"
(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- interACT Theatre Productions presents Psycho Beach Party by Charles Busch presented as part of OUT IN MAPSO PRIDE 2026 with two performances June 19-20 at The Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts.
Magnolia Productions presents "The Vagina Monologues"
(ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ) -- Magnolia Productions presents "The Vagina Monologues" across two weekends from June 12-20, 2026 at the Navesink Library. A whirlwind tour of a forbidden zone, Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning play features personal monologues from women of various ages, races and sexualities.
MORE EVENTS
Click on the listing to bring up its webpage
