Somewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world. And if their new routine is good enough, they'll claw their way to the top at Nationals in Tampa Bay. A play about ambition, growing up, and how to find our souls in the heat of it all.

"Barron paints a wholly plausible picture of teenage insecurity and ambition ... a play that wittily shows how dance can be a source of liberation without ever quelling the tremulous terrors of adolescence." - The Guardian Somewhere in America, a revolution is coming. An army of competitive dancers is ready to take over the world, one routine at a time. With a pre-teen battle for power and perfection raging on and off stage, Dance Nation is a ferocious exploration of youth, ambition and self-discovery. Winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and The Relentless Award, Dance Nation is Clare Barron's explosive play about the challenges of being young, and competitive dancing. Published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, this edition features a brand new introduction by Eboni Booth and Purva Bedi.

In recent years Clare Barron has emerged as one of the most acclaimed and exciting new voices in American drama. The first ever collection of her work, this volume contains I'll Never Love Again, You Got Older, Dance Nation and Dirty Crusty. I'll Never Love Again A theatrical chamber piece about first love, first heartbreak and how those early teenage experiences haunt the rest of our lives, I'll Never Love Again was created from the playwright's real high school diary, and recalls the anguish and mysteries of sex and love during adolescence. You Got Older Mae returns home to help take care of Dad and – maybe (a little) – herself. You Got Older is a tender and darkly comic new play about family, illness, and cowboys – and how to remain standing when everything you know comes crashing down around you. Dance Nation Somewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world. And if their new routine is good enough, they’ll claw their way to the top at the Boogie Down Grand Prix in Tampa Bay. Yet these young dancers have more than choreography on their minds, as every plié and jeté is a step toward finding themselves and unleashing their power. Dirty Crusty Jeanine is determined to improve her life. With sex. With dance. With new hobbies, like horticulture. But self-improvement is hard. Reclaiming your dreams is hard. And personal hygiene is really, really hard.

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Drag by Gina Gionfriddo A serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don’t help anyone. It’s a matter of urban survival. Slavey by Sigrid Gilmer In which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave. Dot by Kate E. Ryan In which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret? Baby Screams Miracle by Clare Barron In which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather’s not over yet. Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus Ten explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. Of Government by Agnes Borinsky The adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided. Plano by Will Arbery Tonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let’s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Drag by Gina Gionfriddo A serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don’t help anyone. It’s a matter of urban survival. Slavey by Sigrid Gilmer In which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave. Dot by Kate E. Ryan In which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret? Baby Screams Miracle by Clare Barron In which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather’s not over yet. Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus Ten explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. Of Government by Agnes Borinsky The adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided. Plano by Will Arbery Tonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let’s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Winner of a 2015 Obie Award for Playwriting Mae has returned home to help her father while he undergoes treatment for cancer. But she needs a little help herself. She's just lost her boyfriend and her job. (It turns out there are consequences to dating your boss . . .) And she's desperately craving intimacy of any sort. Mae escapes into the the arms of a chain-smoking, imaginary Cowboy who turns her on and ties her up. And she escapes into chatter with her siblings as they attempt to distract and entertain themselves in a hospital waiting room. But ultimately, it's her deep love for her father that teaches Mae to remain optimistic and ambitious in the face of suffering and that gets her back on track. Barron's characters reveal themselves in odd, surprising details that leave disproportionately large impressions. With deceptive understatement, Barron illustrates both small moments of human connection and our ferocious desire for it, always surging beneath the surface. You Got Older won a 2015 Obie Award, was nominated for a 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, and was a finalist for the 2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Award.

"We must be the women of the future standing here in this bathroom because we look like sex and power, we look like sex and power, and you don't even know it, standing there in that motherfucking pantsuit." Jeanine is determined to improve her life. With sex. With dance. With new hobbies, like horticulture. But self-improvement is hard. Reclaiming your dreams is hard. And personal hygiene is really, really hard.

A freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and brings a prodigal daughter rushing home. But has she come for reconciliation? Or as an angel of vengeance? A comic new play about love, forgiveness and family struggling to operate in a relentlessly chaotic and violent world.