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Vanessa in Bed  By  cover art

Vanessa in Bed

By: Diana Grisanti
Narrated by: Karla Souza, Gisela Chípe, Annie Golden, Zoë Winters, Socorro Santiago, Carson Elrod
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Publisher's summary

Getting paid $80,000 to stay in bed for 13 weeks? That sounds like a dream job for Vanessa, one of 12 participants chosen for a bedrest study. Played by Karla Souza (How to Get Away with Murder), Vanessa is looking forward to earning extra money while putting her troubles—her mom’s death, an unplanned pregnancy, and a falling out with her cousin/best friend Brigid (Zoë Winters of Succession)—on pause. Vanessa quickly realizes, however, that she cannot outrun her problems...especially with her legs beginning to atrophy. Written by Audible Emerging Playwright Diana Grisanti, Vanessa in Bed is an inventive, subversive new comedy that explores the courageous choices we all must make for the sake of our own humanity and beyond.

Playwright Diana Grisanti was awarded a commission through the Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund, an initiative dedicated to developing innovative original plays driven by language and voice. As an Audible-commissioned playwright, she received funding and creative support to develop Vanessa in Bed.

This audio play contains strong language and deals with mature themes. Listener discretion advised.

©2023 Diana Grisanti (P)2023 AO Media LLC

Enjoy the Trailer for Vanessa in Bed

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About the Performer - Diana Grisanti

About the Creator

Diana Grisanti is a playwright and educator whose work has been produced across the country. Her plays include Enter Ghost. an immersive haunted Hamlet experience (co-written with Steve Moulds, for Kentucky Shakespeare); Lawbreakers! (a fast and furious history of women’s suffrage) (StageOne Family Theatre); The Patron Saint of Losing Sleep (Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte); River City (National New Play Network); The Starkweather-South High School Physics Club First Annual End-of-Year-Lock-In, or Ghost Party (Cleveland Play House); and the bilingual musicals The City Dog and the Prairie Dog, Casa Alfonsa, and The Guava Tree / El Guayabo (co-written with composer Emiliano Messiez for Creede Repertory Theatre). Diana has been a Michener Fellow, a Kentucky Arts Council Fellow, and a Writer in Residence at Vanderbilt University. She teaches playwriting at Ball State University. Chirp chirp! Find out more at dianagrisanti.com.

About the creator- Pirronne Yousefzadeh

About the Director

Pirronne Yousefzadeh (She/her) is a director, writer, and educator with a passion for new work that centers and uplifts the stories of global majority communities. She has developed and directed work at Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, The Public, Soho Rep, Ars Nova, The Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geffen Playhouse, and many more. Pirronne is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, a New Georges Affiliated Artist, and a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre. She is an alumna of the 2050 Fellowship at NYTW, Sagal Fellowship at Williamstown, SDC Denham Fellowship, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and Drama League Directors Project. Pirronne was a finalist for the 2020 Zelda Fichandler Award from SDC and is a proud member of the union. MFA, Columbia University. Representation: Ben Izzo at A3 Artists Agency.

About the Performer - Karla Souza

About the Performer

Karla Souza is perhaps best known for playing the role of Laurel opposite Viola Davis in ABC’s Emmy Award-winning series How to Get Away with Murder. Prior, she starred in three of the top-grossing films in history in Mexico: ¿Qué culpa tiene el niño?, Nosotros Los Nobles, and Instructions Not Included. She can currently be seen costarring as Marina on ABC’s Home Economics and starring opposite Jaime Foxx in the worldwide #1 smash hit Day Shift for Netflix. Most recently, she produced and starred in La Caída for Amazon Prime Video. The film from award-winning Argentinian director Lucía Puenzo is a searing thriller which tells a story about the complexities of relationships when set against a backdrop where winning is defined as the ultimate dream.

About the Performer - Gisela Chipe

About the Performer

Gisela Chípe, a multi-hyphenate actor-writer-narrator-producer, worked as a producer on the anticipated series This Boy’s Vida by Joseph Castillo-Midyett, the award-winning Black?, Con Dios, and Graduate (as co-writer). Film/TV acting credits include: The Unholy, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, FBI, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Manifest. Spanish: Wasp Network opposite Penélope Cruz, Bel Canto. Portuguese: Promos for The Olympic Games in Brazil. Gisela recently made her Broadway debut with the comedy POTUS. Off-Broadway/Regional Theaters: Papermill, Actors Theatre, and The Guthrie, and in Quixote Nuevo opposite the late Emilio Delgado. Her audiobooks include Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, The Talk, and Night Vision, among others, with awards for narration of The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende, and Velvet Was The Night and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Gisela creates greater visibility for Black and Brown stories. University of Delaware—PTTP (M.F.A.) Para mi Familia. @giselachipe

About the Performer - Carson Elrod

About the Performer

Carson Elrod: Broadway: Peter and The Starcatcher, Reckless, Noises Off. Metropolitan Opera: The Merry Widow. Off-Broadway: Twelfth Night, Seize The King (Classical Theatre of Harlem), The Alchemist (Red Bull Theatre), The Tempest, Measure for Measure, All's Well That Ends Well (The Public: New York Shakespeare Festival), The Liar, The Heir Apparent (Classic Stage Company). Important Hats of the 20th Century, The Explorers Club, Based On A Totally True Story, House, Garden, Comic Potential (Manhattan Theatre Club), Lives of The Saints, All in the Timing (Primary Stages), Cavedweller (New York Theatre Workshop). Regional: Williamstown, Yale Rep, American Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Shakespeare Theatre DC, Westport Country Playhouse, Denver Center, Shakespeare & Company, Barrington Stage, Tanglewood, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Berkeley Rep. TV: Evil, The Good Fight, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Medium, 30 Rock. Film: Wedding Crashers, Kissing Jessica Stein. MFA NYU Grad Acting. Co-founder of Be An #ArtsHero (www.BeAnArtsHero.com) and Arts Workers United.

About the Performer - Annie Golden

About the Performer

Annie Golden was discovered by Miloš Forman while on the Bowery fronting a rock band. She was then cast as Jeannie in the 1978 film Hair.
On the television front, she can currently be seen in the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Other notable roles include Norma in Orange Is the New Black for Netflix (for which she received three Screen Actors Guild Awards), the recurring role of Ellie on Fox's series Filthy Rich, Marjorie in the HBO pilot Run, and Barbie in High Maintenance.
Broadway credits include the Into the Woods revival (Grammy Award winner), Broadway Bounty Hunter (with book, music, and lyrics by Joe Iconis), Violet, Xanadu, The Full Monty, and Ah! Wilderness. Annie was Sondheim's original Squeaky Fromme in Assassins (Playwrights Horizons).

About the Performer - Socorro Santiago

About the Performer

Socorro Santiago: Actor, writer, producer, and designer. Broadway: The Bacchae at Circle In The Square; Off-Broadway: Dancing with The Dead (INTAR). Other credits include plays performed at The Public, Delacorte Theatre, Town Hall, Roundabout Theatre, Page 73, NYTW, EST, Here, Clubbed Thumb, Soho, Ma-Yi Theatre, and INTAR, among others. Tours: Small Mouth Sounds (Director: Rachel Chavkin). Regional: Shakespeare Theatre, ACT, LongWharf, Yale, Hartford, Two River Theatre, Guthrie, The Goodman Theatre , Victory Gardens, Huntington Theatre ( IRNE Nomination), and Sundance Theatre, among others. TV: What We Do in The Shadows (recurring), Mozart in the Jungle (recurring), Chicago P.D., Blue Bloods, Prodigal Son, Law & Order, Law & Order: CSI, Law & Order: SVU, The Characters, and All My Children (ALMA award for her work as Isabella Santos), among many. Films: Netflix: Christmas With You, iGilbert, All Good Things, The Devil’s Advocate, Vampires vs. the Bronx, and Widows (Director: Steven McQueen). Podcasts include Next Chapter’s Henry V and A Simple Herstory.

About the Performer - Zoë Winters

About the Performer

Zoë can currently be seen in Marc Turtletaub’s film Jules, which sold to Bleecker Street and was produced by Big Beach Films. Zoë is best known to TV audiences for her role as Logan Roy’s calculating and confident assistant Kerry on the HBO critical hit Succession, for which Zoë and the cast received a 2022 SAG Award for Best Drama Ensemble. Highlights of a long and well-respected New York stage resume include Heroes of the Fourth Turning at Playwrights Horizons (Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Nomination), White Noise opposite Daveed Diggs at the Public Theatre, Small Mouth Sounds at the Signature, and Amy Herzog’s beloved play 4000 Miles at Lincoln Center.

What listeners say about Vanessa in Bed

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thought-Provoking and Funny, A Must Listen

Almost everyone around her seems to have a handle on life, but not Vanessa,Vanessa is a mess. So overwhelmed, her only solution is to "check-out" by joining a long-term sleep study, but it is there that the true reflection begins. Vanessa is guided by a host of colorful characters, from a child in a cemetery to bedmates, to beloved relatives, including her deceased mother who is now hanging out with a clever saint in the world beyond. The beautifully performed story is filled with comedy as it tackles social issues, life's challenges and the empowering relationships among women. We probably all carry a struggling Vanessa inside. I highly recommend listening to this performance and hope to see it performed on a stage one day.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and fast read

Plot is complex yet simple, fascinating and quick moving. The sound effects added a lot.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

entertaining, emotional, with a dash of absurdity

I love a story with a funny female protagonist who makes all the wrong choices despite trying her best to make the right ones. I won't speculate as to why, but in any case, that's Vanessa, a character who makes a mess of her life, even when she's just lying in bed. The story is set in an off-kilter, surreal world, told with so much humor and ease that I got distracted enough to be surprised by the emotional payoff at the end. I love those sneak attacks! The actors and the production are top notch. Highly recommended!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So good

Excellent performances, can’t believe such a fresh and interesting story could be told in less tha. 2 hours. Really enjoyed it!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

It was entertaining, and free….

Funny, quirky characters, good narration, but what was the point of the story ? I guess that shouldn’t matter, after all, this was free …. I just would have liked some feeling of resolution.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect Entertainment

I love listening to podcasts during walks. This was my first time listening to a play and I was delighted.

Great premise to begin, followed up with a great story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Why didn't they address this?

I couldn't help but wonder how the heck the participants used the bathroom. I don't know why the author didn't even mention it. But how could they stay in bed for 6 months without using the bathroom or having a shower? Also, the ending was so anticlimactic it felt like a letdown.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Who would have ever thought ???!

Staying in bed for "How many days?"
So you can get $80,000.00,
This story was well put together. Days passed quickly. With lots of excitement.
Along the way other parts of Vanessa's
Family history was revealed. I truly enjoyed the whole story 👍👍👍

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good!

Is very well acted, the story is funny but with wnough drama to keep you interested. Short and nice!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting

Great, good and wonderful! I liked it, but I didn’t like it well, enough to have to give a detailed recitation of it. I think that’s about all I have to say.

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