The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights Playtext

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'You think the world owes you something and it doesn’t. You don’t inherit your chance, you earn it. And I’m earning it. I take my shots, and it’s not our fault you keep missing yours.'

T is the new summer hire at Cafarelli & Sons, an iconic New York butcher, but life in a messy cutting room isn’t glamorous. She quickly discovers that no-nonsense boss Paula is fighting to hold her struggling business together. When the season ends, someone’s for the chop.

With the American Dream of a better life hanging in the balance, JD and Billy find themselves pitted against each other, each determined to secure their future. Around them, David and T are drawn into shifting alliances and fractured loyalties. But how far will they go to survive?

The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights carves into the dark underbelly of America’s anti-immigration policies and the brutal sacrifices that drive the pursuit of prosperity.

Winner of the 2024 Papatango New Writing Prize from a record-breaking 1,589 submissions, Hannah Doran’s searing play was first performed at Park Theatre, London, in 2025, directed by Papatango’s Artistic Director George Turvey. Previous Prize discoveries have won Olivier, Critics’ Circle and OffWestEnd Awards and received productions in thirty-three countries.