Great Impresario.png
Great Impresario.png

The Great Impresario Boris Lermontov Would Like To Invite You To Dinner

$15.00

Play, 2 actors

Two actors meet onstage and flip a coin to decide who plays which character in this for the performance. One takes on the role of Boris Lermontov, the boisterous and boastful impresario of a popular ballet company, while the other plays his employee Noa, an unappreciated dancer who’s been tasked with serving dinner to Lermontov and his guest.

The façade of the dinner party quickly starts to crumble as tensions rise between impresario and dancer, revealing the faulty hierarchical structures inherent to such working relationships. As the actor playing Lermontov tries to prove power imbalances can be solved with the Right Person in the role of impresario, they fall further and further into a trap they’ve created for themself.

Play, 2 actors

Two actors meet onstage and flip a coin to decide who plays which character in this for the performance. One takes on the role of Boris Lermontov, the boisterous and boastful impresario of a popular ballet company, while the other plays his employee Noa, an unappreciated dancer who’s been tasked with serving dinner to Lermontov and his guest.

The façade of the dinner party quickly starts to crumble as tensions rise between impresario and dancer, revealing the faulty hierarchical structures inherent to such working relationships. As the actor playing Lermontov tries to prove power imbalances can be solved with the Right Person in the role of impresario, they fall further and further into a trap they’ve created for themself.

About the Author

Tristan B Willis is a playwright exploring trans and queer stories, distanced performance, and the intersection of theatre and games. They are a multiyear recipient of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program award and, in 2025, they were nominated by Michael John Garcés for the Stavis Playwright Award.

As a resident of Orchard Project’s Liveness Lab and CultureHub’s Writing for Electronic Formats, Tristan discussed and cultivated new ways of presenting theatrical work in digital and distanced spaces. They’ve continued that work with the Kennedy Center Local Theatre Residency, Lucille Lortel Theatre with support from Caridad Svich, the From-Home Fest, and the Welcome to My Homepage residency. You can learn more about Tristan and their work at tristanbwillis.com.