The first “production” of The Veri**on Play by Lisa Kron with a musical number by Jeanine Tesori was a staged reading in 2009 as a part of the Playwrights Foundation’s “In The Rough Reading Series” or ROUGH. After this, in 2012, The Veri**on Play officially premiered at the Humana Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. This production featured Lisa Kron as the leading character, Jenni. This production was directed by Nicholas Martin, scenic designed by Tom Tutino, costume designed by Kristopher Castle, lighting designed by Kirk Bookman, sound designed by Benjamin Marcum, music supervised by Scott Anthony, property designed by Joe Cunningham, wig designed by Heather Fleming, movement directed by Delilah Smyth, stage managed by Stephen Horton, and dramaturged by Amy Wegener. Besides Kron, the cast featured Carolyn Baeumler, Joel Van Liew, Kimberly Hebert-Gregory, Ching Valdes-Aran, Clayton Dean Smith, Calvin Smith, Hannah Bos, Sabrina Conti, Chris Reid.
In an interview from the Humana Festival, Kron stated that she had the inspiration to write this show when she was fighting with her phone company, and instinctively yelled at the customer service representative “I’m going to write a play about this!” At the Humana Festival, The Veri**on Play showed to nearly sold-out crowds, with people including the cast relating to what was being put onstage. Kron stated, “I have come to realize that there is nothing that people identify with more strongly than a customer service nightmare.” A review from someone who saw this production stated, “From beginning to end, I found The Veri**on Play funny and entertaining, with all kinds of amusing theatrical tricks, all employed in the best wiseacre tradition.”
Simon, Alan. Photo from the Humana Festival Production of The Veri**on Play. 2012.
After the Humana Festival production, there have been a few college and high school productions. Earlier in 2025, Gettysburg College put on a production of it and in 2021, the University of West Georgia put on live-streamed production of it. In 2024, Rye Country Day School put on the most juvenile production of this show with highschoolers.
Jurchak, Grace. Gettysburg College’s Production of The Veri**on Play. 2025.
Works Cited
“Hilarious ‘Veri**on Play’ Sends up The Horror Story of Customer Service.” Hilarious “Veri**on Play” Sends Up the Horror Story of Customer Service, 30 Mar. 2012, www.afollowspot.com/2012/03/hilarious-verion-play-sends-up-horror.html.
“Interview with the Playwright: Lisa Kron’s ‘The Veri**on Play.’” YouTube, Actors Theatre of Louisville, 9 Mar. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHCghyQH-cA.
Kramer, Elizabeth. “Customer Service Nightmares, Now Onstage.” NPR, NPR, 30 Mar. 2012, www.npr.org/2012/03/30/149693192/customer-service-nightmares-now-onstage.
“Post – Rye Country Day School.” Rye Country Day School – Rye Country Day School, 15 Nov. 2024, www.ryecountryday.org/news/post/~board/news/post/upper-school-fall-play-the-verzon-play.
Swindell, Nathanial. “A (Not Spoiler-Free) Review of ‘the Veri**on Play.’” The Gettysburgian, 3 Mar. 2025, gettysburgian.com/2025/03/a-not-spoiler-free-review-of-the-verion-play/.
“Thomas Bradshaw, Yussef El Guindi, Lisa Kron, and More Set for Rough Reading Series.” TheaterMania.Com –, 6 Mar. 2009, www.theatermania.com/news/thomas-bradshaw-yussef-el-guindi-lisa-kron-and-more-set-for-rough-reading-series_17930/.
“The Ver**on Play: Teaser.” YouTube, UWG Theatre Co, 20 Apr. 2021, youtu.be/_7TbhBy5l4s?si=Xk71QplUDYpLS8mN.
