NPX Weekly Round-Up: The Annexation by Aviva Neff

An short but sharp experimental examination of the end of a years long relationship, and 3 other plays I'm excited about this week.

I’ve been utilizing NPX’s lists and highlights to find new plays and expand my horizons, and this week I decided to read the NPX Featured Play. I wanted to see if NPX’s choices were solid, I guess! And this week, at least, I can say that they are. The Annexation is written in a experimental style that I adore, and tackles something that most of us go through at some point— the ending of a multiple years long relationship.

Before I get too ahead of myself, here is the summary of the work from NPX:

This tense, 2-person play explores a relationship that has run its course, yet continues to bind the players together. Dredge up things that should have been laid to rest with this short play.

This summary doesn’t give too much away, which I like. I was able to know what I was getting into without any “spoilers”.

The Annexation starts out with a portion that isn’t even really a scene— it’s just three lines assigned to nobody in quick succession:

Do you think you can forgive me?

Forgive you?

No.

Going off of what we’ve been learning from other works, let’s think about what question this first short “scene” posits to the audience. As a reader, my question was: what did they do, and why? Who is asking for forgiveness, and who is refusing to give it? How the play does or does not answer these questions is where the true meaning of this work lies.

The couple focused on in the story seem to be trapped in an in-between place, the woman character’s almost-moved-out-of apartment. They talk to each other in a way that suggests they know each other deeply, without specifics, knowing the other will fill in the blanks. However, there is a distinct sensation that the man character is looking for something from the woman that she cannot give to him. He seems to be pleading with her to remember things from the beginning of their relationship when they were both in college together, and the woman is reluctant to comply. In fact, it is acknowledged by the end that the man doesn’t even seem to have a name— the woman almost calling him by it is the last moment we see in the play.

As a reader, my interpretation of the work is that we are actually in the woman’s mind the entire time. The apartment is her psyche, and we are seeing her work through her heartbreak, remorse, sadness, and anger at her now ex through her depiction of him and her “conversations” with him. However, this is not immediately apparent (which I liked), so it felt a little bit like a twist at the end. Neff does a phenomenal job of pacing this short play so that we gradually come to this conclusion.

This play taught me two things: one, the incredible importance of pacing in short works; and two, the importance not only of what is said, but what is not said to show closeness between characters.

Firstly, I feel like pacing can be learned, but that it also is an intuitive thing— it might be (at least for me) one of the most difficult things to nail down in storytelling. Reading and watching as many things as I can with good pacing is what I think is truly helping me to perfect the pacing in my own work.

Secondly, the dialogue in the work shows that the characters know each other well because they assume the other has the information necessary to understand them. While I think sometimes we can be afraid of leaving things out because of the potential confusion this could cause the audience, I think it’s something I am going to play with more. When people know each other incredibly well IRL, we are not constantly having to give information— therefore realistic dialogue between two exes who knew each other for seven years would not include certain things. I think it’s a fine line to walk; you have to give enough to the audience for them to follow the play, but perhaps we don’t need to share every detail.

Overall, I really enjoyed this play, and look forward to reading more from the playwright, Aviva Neff.

Here is my official recommendation from NPX:

A short but sharp experimental examination of the ending of a years long relationship. This play feels like it deeply understands the emotions and experiences that a person goes through at this point in their life. The Annexation is atmospheric in a visceral way that I adored. I would love to see this play performed!

I hope you give this short piece a shot! Let me know what you think if you do by messaging me here on SubStack, or by replying to this email :)

Here are three more plays to add to your reading list this week:

• OvEn—Revenge of the Gretel Scouts by Melissa Milich

• Charlotte’s Letters by Jennifer O’Grady

• omg we ate a guy! by Andrea Staats

If you’ve read and enjoyed any of these plays, or would like for me to write about them, let me know!

Happy reading, see you next week!

~Brynn