THE BLACKLIST EVALUATIONS

There is excellent control of the craft, with a solid structure, an ingenious and fast-paced plot, and brilliant dialogue, full of memorable lines.

With a well-written ensemble cast of characters, this dark dramatic comedy has interesting relationships… The dialogue is sharp and witty.

THE APPLEGATE ESTATE is a refreshing and enjoyable script that shares common traits with SALTBURN. It is funnier and less twisted. It shows a similar ability to juggle a large cast of characters and to surprise the viewer with effective twists.

ALEX and LINDA are especially brilliant vehicles for an actor in his 30s and a woman in her 50s. These are roles that could attract established talent.

THE APPLEGATE ESTATE is a funny and often penetrating character-driven dramedy with some interesting players and real human moments.

Driven by strong characters and funny dialogue, this dark comedy/drama could attract interest from producers. The luxury New York real estate world could have an exciting fantasy appeal for audiences in the spirit of SUCCESSION and BILLIONS.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Price Garrison

​Director, Writer, Producer

Price is a born storyteller. In childhood, he directed backyard plays and began making short films in the fifth grade. In high school, he directed a feature film as an independent study. He studied at the NYU Tisch studio Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, which emphasizes self-generated work. Price embraces both performance and production roles and remains a perpetual student of independent film.
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• Matinee (film) - Director, Writer, Actor
• Better Than We Are (webseries) - Actor, Writer, Producer
• The Bastard Sagas (worldbuilding project) - Writer, Producer
• Divine Spark (art collective) - Director, Writer, Producer, Editor

Jason Cohen

Writer, Producer​

Jason Cohen is a multidisciplinary artist. As an actor, he’s appeared in national tours. As a composer, he’s developed work at Tony-winning regional theaters. With his production company, he creates, produces, and performs the numerous theatrical concerts. He also holds a BFA in Drama from Playwrights Horizons Theatre School at  NYU Tisch.
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• Million Dollar Quartet (musical) - Actor, Director
• The Doormen (musical) - Composer, Lyricist, Music Supervisor
• Great Balls of Fire (musical) - Writer, Producer, Actor, Music Supervisor
• Less Honkin’, More Tonkin’ (musical) - Writer, Producer, Actor, Music Supervisor

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Director's Statement

“They are sad clowns, redeemed only by being fully felt as people, and not the comic icons they are always threatening to become – failed shamans, whose magic does not work though it has cost them everything to perform.”  – Michael Goldman, on “The Cherry Orchard”

In 2012, Jason and I acted in an undergrad production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD which was directed by Robert Moss, founder of the Playwrights Horizons Theater and my training studio at NYU TISCH. Our ensemble cracked the bleak humor of CHEKHOV and his brand of social satire. THE APPLEGATE ESTATE is a reimagining of that 1903 play, recontextualizing its archetypal characters in a modern American setting.

LINDA grapples with the effects of late-stage American capitalism in the 21st century and defiantly resists her family’s economic decline. Meanwhile, ALEX is thriving in post-pandemic NEW YORK CITY, and he is able to anticipate and profit from the shifting paradigms caused by unaffordable housing, work from home culture, and a stagnant minimum wage. Ultimately, Linda’s downfall stems from her inability to move forward, which comes into conflict with Alex’s refusal to look backward.
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GLAMOR serves as the seed of the narrative, referring to both wealth and illusion. All of the characters are self-serving narcissists, desperately seeking validation but ultimately cannibalized by their own emptiness. Our story does not embrace nor condemn these characters. Its aim is to let them behave in their own flawed manners – expressing their beliefs about the world, their position within it, and their grievances. By tracing the origins of these behaviors to their often painful sources, we can understand the consequences they bear for the present.