Carole Vasta Folley
Carole Vasta Folley is an award winning playwright and columnist. Described as having the "storyteller gift," Vasta Folley’s plays speak to the themes of belonging and “the crazy, complicated ways we connect with one another.” Whether a comedy or drama, Vasta Folley uses humor to invite the audience in, believing that laughter is more than an elixir, it’s a gateway to the heart.
Her Work as a Playwright:
Pronouncing Glenn, the playwright’s inaugural work, is a comedic romp with a giant heart. Seven Days Vermont writes, it succeeds “wonderfully at devising a brace of charming, believable characters that have us laughing with them and caring about them.”
Focusing on her mission to create roles for women of all ages, The Family of EWE was selected by The Burlington Free Press as one of the “Five Plays to Remember.” Seven Days Vermont wrote, “Carole Vasta Folley is a funny lady. And she makes other people funny. Just watch TFOE and see if you don't LOL. But it's more than that; this is a play written by a woman for women and so TFOE exhibits a full spectrum of the feminine and feminist: roller-coaster emotions, relationship dynamics, middle-aged-grrl-power solidarity, insecurity, and empowerment."
Alumni Pie, a comedy about reunion and second chances, continued Vasta Folley’s mission to create roles for women, this time adding a few men to the mix. The Burlington Free Press wrote, “A crowd-pleasing two hours of theater. The characters in Alumni Pie are reunited, and it feels so good.”
Vasta Folley was the recipient of the Vermont Playwright Award for The Sleepover ~ A Comedy of Marriage. A farce in two acts, Vasta Folley notes, “The fodder of dysfunctional marriages, in the midst of inescapable couples therapy, provides the perfect elements for delicious situational and physical comedy.”
Vasta Folley’s drama The Seymour Sisters was developed with support from The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. While in development, it toured the state with funding from the Vermont Community Foundation Arts Endowment Fund. The Vermont Journal wrote, “A confrontational, emotional, yet humorous trip down memory lane. Not a play to miss; be prepared to laugh, but also to cry.”
The workshop production of Vasta Folley’s comedy Borrowing Time featured two dynamic roles for older women and told the story of the power of community. Created during the pandemic, the comedy celebrates the euphony and energy of people gathered together.
The drama Lunch Money tells the story of two older sisters who find themselves at odds in the midst of being charged with embezzlement. Touching upon the MeToo movement and the impacts of trauma and loss, Lunch Money explores three women adrift, each trying to make sense and amends in their complicated lives.
In development are Vasta Folley’s comedy of love and misunderstanding titled The Replacement Wife.
Her Work as a Columnist
Vasta Folley's column IN MUSING has won awards from The National Society of Newspaper Columnists, The New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA), and The Vermont Press Association. Notable titles include "After Midnight" about the loss of one's pet, "Are You My Valentine," a treatise about one's obligation to the holiday of love, and an exploration of motherhood called "Pieces of Light." Using humor and introspection to explore all facets of life, from the mundane to the momentous, IN MUSING is described by NENPA as a "fresh, funny conversation." Moving beyond humor, in recent years, Vasta Folley’s column also explores social justice issues.