Significant Other is a 2015 play by Joshua Harmon that centers on Jordan Berman, a 29-year-old gay man in New York City navigating the emotional fallout of his best friends getting married while he remains single.
If you are looking for a PDF of the script, full digital copies are primarily available for purchase through licensed theatrical publishers like Concord Theatricals. While excerpts and monologues are often found on platforms like Scribd and Yumpu, these are typically user-uploaded and may not contain the full text. Play Overview
Plot Synopsis: The story follows Jordan and his trio of close girlfriends—Kiki, Vanessa, and Laura. As each friend transitions from "singles' nights" to bachelorette parties and weddings, Jordan finds himself increasingly isolated, struggling with unrequited feelings and the fear of being left behind. Key Themes:
Loneliness & Connection: Explores the universal anxiety of finding a life partner while losing the primary focus of one's platonic support system.
Evolving Friendships: Highlights how adult friendships shift as people "settle down" and start families.
The "Gay Best Friend" Trope: Subverts the typical supporting "gay sidekick" character by making Jordan the complex, emotionally raw protagonist. significant other play pdf
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission. Notable Content for Actors
For those searching for PDFs for auditions or classwork, the play contains several high-stakes scenes and monologues:
Laura's Bachelorette Confrontation: A pivotal, heated argument where Jordan expresses his grief over their changing friendship, famously telling Laura, "Your wedding is my funeral".
Kiki’s Self-Love Reflection: A moment where the character Kiki discusses her journey toward self-validation and worth outside of external relationships.
“If we could instantly master any new skill together, what would it be — and how would we use it for fun?” Significant Other is a 2015 play by Joshua
Low-stakes, imaginative, and connection-building.
Case Study 1: The Distracted Couple Mark and Priya, both 34, had fallen into a roommate dynamic. They downloaded a free significant other play PDF from a therapist's blog. The first activity asked them to "re-enact your first date using only facial expressions." They laughed for 10 minutes straight. Within a month, they scheduled weekly "play nights" and reported a 70% increase in relationship satisfaction.
Case Study 2: The Long-Distance Pair Sam, a graduate student in Boston, and Jordan, a teacher in Austin, used a shared PDF during Zoom calls. They would screen-share the prompts and write answers in a shared Google Doc. The PDF gave their virtual calls structure beyond "I miss you" and helped them feel connected across time zones.
Case Study 3: The Conflict-Averse Couple Elena and David never fought, but they also never talked about anything real. A premium PDF with tiered questions slowly guided them to discuss finances, fears of abandonment, and parenting styles. The playful format (e.g., "role play a conversation between your 10-year-old selves") made heavy topics approachable.
Deep conversations are intimidating. A play PDF provides a scaffold—a safe container. When the prompt says, "Share a time you felt embarrassed in front of me," you aren't blindsided; you are guided. This reduces anxiety and increases openness. Play Spotlight: Significant Other by Joshua Harmon Example:
1. Platonic Heartbreak Usually, we think of heartbreak only in romantic terms. Significant Other posits that the dissolution of a friendship—caused not by a fight, but by the natural drift of marriage and adulthood—can be just as painful as a divorce or breakup.
2. The "Gay Best Friend" Trope The play deconstructs the pop-culture cliché of the "GBF" (Gay Best Friend). Instead of being a sassy sidekick who exists to support the leading lady, Jordan is the protagonist. The play validates his feelings of jealousy and his desire to be the priority in someone’s life, subverting the expectation that he should just be happy for his friends.
3. The Ticking Clock While the play is funny, there is an undercurrent of desperation regarding age. The characters are terrified of turning 30 without having "figured it out," a sentiment that resonates deeply with modern audiences navigating the "adulting" crisis.
A set of "break-the-monotony" cards. Examples: