White Elephant is a full-length play developed in our inaugural playwriting cohort and reading series. It has three characters: Annie, a suburban English teacher in her 40s; Louisa, Annie's best friend; and Harry, Annie's other friend, who also happens to regularly propose marriage to her. The play is a love letter to language and conversation. It's about the intersection between talking and feeling—both when the two run parallel, and also when they are at odds. It's also about genre; the play is set during the holidays and has all the trappings of a rom-com. But if it's a rom-com, why doesn't it seem like anyone is really in love? And if it's a Christmas story, why are there thunderstorms instead of snow? Plus, what does Frank O'Hara have to do with King Lear, and what does King Lear have to do with Santa Claus?