The Mistakes Madeline Made is a twisted and hilarious coming-of-age story about a girl who, shortly after moving to New York, develops ablutophobia, the fear of bathing. Mourning the loss of her brother, a war correspondent, and struggling with a soul-crushing job as a personal assistant, she wages a furious, funny war against personal hygiene and all things complacent, pampered, and clean. As her smell starts to overwhelm her co-workers and her many casual lovers--a series of bad poets--the play raises the questions: Is dirty living a political act? And, is clean living even possible in these times of unrest?