Synopsis of the play...

PAT is an inspirational play that chronicles the life of legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt. It follows her journey from childhood on a farm in Henrietta to a successful coaching career at the University of Tennessee. The narrative highlights her intense competitiveness, which instilled hard work and accountability in her players. Throughout the play, we see how Pat empowers her athletes to develop a winning attitude while holding them to the same high standards she sets for herself. The play is rich with themes of hard work, discipline, and faith-based values. It begins with Pat’s first visit to the doctor, and as the story unfolds, we witness her gradual decline due to Alzheimer’s disease. However, in true Pat style, the playwright avoids a “pity party” for the protagonist. Instead, she portrays how Pat confronts the disease with courage and determination.

QUOTES on PAT

“I found myself emotionally engaged within the first five minutes! Lisa’s writing is a great salute to one of Tennessee’s greatest women! The story made me laugh and shed a tear, knowing Pat’s heart and how Ms. Soland captured the flavor of a true heroine!" – Bob Bell, Talkshow Host WRJZ and Sales Team Leader

"Ohhhhhhhh, Ms. Soland is such an admirable person to represent Pat!!! I’m already ready to see this!!! – Gillian Wadley

"Trust me, this is a MUST-SEE. Soland's new play PAT is so moving and powerful. Please make a date night to attend. Lisa captures Pat Summitt and her struggle with Alzheimer’s in a most poignant and powerful performance. You don’t want to miss this opportunity." — Roger Cunningham

Lisa Soland (Playwright/Actor/Producer/Director) is an American playwright with more than 50 works published by the leading play publishers. She not only writes and produces her own work, but is passionate about helping other playwrights develop their plays. She led the MFA playwriting program at Florida State University, operated The All Original Playwright Workshop in Los Angeles for ten years, and taught undergraduate playwriting at Maryville College for ten years as well. She has been a member of the Dramatists Guild since 1995, following the production and publication of her first play, The Name Game. 

Lisa Soland's plays Waiting, Cabo San Lucas, Truth Be Told, The Name Game, and The Man in the Gray Suit & Other Plays are published by Samuel French Inc., but her work can also be found in “best of” anthologies published by French, Smith & Kraus, Applause Books, and Dramatic Publishing. She has produced and/or directed over 120 productions and play readings, most of which have been original, and founded The Fellowship Theatre in North Hollywood and Theatre Encino in Encino, California. Her production company, Rose’s Name Game Productions (turned All Original Playwright Theatre), has been producing original works since 1993, with Ms. Soland at the helm. She is the founder of The All Original Playwright Workshop, where she works as Artistic Director and teacher, producing workshops throughout the United States and online. Ms. Soland had the privilege of returning to her alma mater, Florida State University, to head up the MFA playwriting program, and enjoyed teaching in the theatre department at Maryville College for ten years. Her comedy Thread Count, produced at Pellissippi State College, received publication by Applause Books as part of their anthology. The Best American Short Plays 2010/2011 and her drama Spatial Disorientation, which she directed, is also included in Applause Books’ The Best American Short Plays 2012/2013. The Corporate Ladder, which she directed at Pellissippi as part of The Ladder Plays, is included in Smith & Kraus’ anthology The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2013. Then her short play The Ladder in the Room was published in Applause Books: The Best American Short Plays 2015-2016. These add to her over 50 international playwriting publications. Her play, The Sniper’s Nest, is the story of the love affair between CIA double agent Lee Harvey Oswald and young scientist Judyth Vary Baker, and is based on Ms. Baker's book, Me and Lee. The Sniper’s Nest premiered at Maryville College in the Clayton Center for the Arts, remounted for the 2013 Southeastern Theatre Conference’s Fringe Festival, and was produced at the Last Act Theatre Company in Austin, Texas in 2014, and most recently, given a reading in Florida and Germany. Ms. Soland’s children’s book, The Christmas Tree Angel, was adapted to the stage and then released in the original book form in the fall of 2013. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, SAG, AFTRA, and AEA. Her play, Sergeant York, opened in the Hub in Knoxville, TN, on April 20, 2018, and ran for six weeks. The play then toured throughout the United States, helping to commemorate the 100th anniversary of WWI, which included performances in Pall Mall, Tennessee, where Alvin York lived out his life. Sergeant York was also performed in the Park Avenue Armory and the 13th St. Repertory Theatre in NYC, and the Cumberland County Playhouse. In 2023, her play Inspired: A Drama With Music was produced in Knoxville, then performed at other venues in Eastern Tennessee. Then Theater23 produced her play Dr. Biscotti and the Human Condition, which she directed, at the Knoxville Convention Center, 2024.

PLAY PUBLICATIONS: THE CORPORATE LADDER (Smith and Kraus) THE NAME GAME (Samuel French) THE ReBIRTH (Applause Books) TRUTH BE TOLD (Samuel French & Quay Magazine) WAITING (Samuel French, Smith and Kraus, & Applause Books) CABO SAN LUCAS (Samuel French & Smith and Kraus) THREAD COUNT (Applause Books) AN EARTHQUAKE (Dramatic Publishing) DIFFERENT (Samuel French & Smith and Kraus) COME TO THE GARDEN (Samuel French) KNOTS (Samuel French & Smith and Kraus) THE LADDER IN THE ROOM (Applause Books) THE MAN IN THE GRAY SUIT (Samuel French) RED ROSES (Samuel French & Applause Books) SPATIAL DISORIENTATION (Applause Books) THE CORPORATE LADDER (Smith and Kraus) THE OTHER SHOE (Smith and Kraus) THE SAME THING (Samuel French & Smith and Kraus) THE KIND THAT DOESN’T BUDGE (Samuel French & Quay Magazine) THE FREEWHEELIN’ BOB DYLAN (Quay Magazine) THREAD COUNT (Applause Books) SENSITIVITY (Samuel French) THE CHRISTMAS TREE ANGEL RADIO DRAMA (All Original Plays) DR. BISCOTTI AND THE HUMAN CONDITION (All Original Plays) IN THE UPPER ROOM (All Original Plays) INSPIRED! A DRAMA WITH MUSIC (All Original Plays) MATT AND HIS CRAZY WRITING MACHINE (All Original Plays) REBOUND & THE BATHTUB (All Original Plays) SERGEANT YORK: THE PLAY (All Original Plays)

Her mentors include Burt Reynolds, Charles Nelson Reilly, William Luce, and Hal Holbrook.