Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

By Alanna Coby
Directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden

A sharp, ferocious satire that spans three centuries, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue interrogates who gets to speak, who gets believed, and how “good intentions” become instruments of power.

In a pristine Connecticut living room, a group of affluent women gather in the comfort of their own certainty—but that certainty begins to fracture when a young working-class mother arrives with nowhere left to turn. With dazzling theatrical audacity, the play fractures time revealing how class, gender, and power replicate themselves across generations under the guise of civility, charity, and righteousness.

Blisteringly funny and deeply unsettling, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue exposes the violence embedded in our shared language, the fragile line between compassion and control, and the cost of a world where women’s choices are endlessly discussed, but rarely honored. What begins as satire sharpens into tragedy, daring audiences to confront not just what is said, but who gets to define what counts as virtue.

Alanna Coby is a playwright known for incisive, historically grounded work that blends savage humor with rigorous moral inquiry, excavating how language shapes and distorts our understanding of power, class, and gender. Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue has been recognized as a finalist of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and the Princess Grace Awards.

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