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When you make glass for a living, your body breaks. Victor, the last in a long line of glassmakers, lies under the knife on the operating table for heart and lung surgery, while his family waits to know if he will live or die. An inside-out surrealist ride on the wishes and fears of a family as they wait in a hospital waiting room, where every thought and terror becomes manifest. It is a play about the end of the American manufacturing era, a postmodern history of glass making, and a tale about the need we have to turn the story of our breakable lives into an unbreakable story. "Sherry Kramer's THINGS THAT BREAK is a terribly difficult, painfully beautiful play in which everything is broken. The storytelling is jagged, taking surreal twists as it shifts back and forth between the worried wife of a man having heart surgery and her grown son and daughter… This is a wildly imaginative piece of work… …listening to Miss Kramer's kaleidoscopic language…is like being under some hallucinogenic anesthetic…" Nelson Pressley, The Washington Times "You may have heard that playwright Sherry Kramer is biting off more than she can chew in THINGS THAT BREAK, her free-form comedy about sibling rivalry, heart surgery, and the American dream. Don't believe it. The lady chews like a champion. Chomps, actually, greedily bobbling up insights that would surely escape lesser writers, just as she did when introducing the metaphysics-obsessed lesbian lovers of DAVID'S REDHAIRED DEATH…" Bob Mondello, CityPaper
Country Western star Carolee is careening toward a climactic meeting with her old lover and singing partner. All the action takes place in her bedroom-in the rump of her customized million-dollar tour bus. Authentic country music background (the playwright traveled with Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Tammy Wynette, and George Jones). Lends itself to cabaret performance format, but can also be performed as a "straight" play. "The play is set on the bus of a country music star, Carolee Crockett, a heartbroken, pill-popping crooner. Her bus is parked in the lot of a Grand Ole Opry kind of place, where she is about to be honored, in concert, along with…the singer and love of her life, who some months earlier had left her without a word in a motel in Albuquerque. If the plot has the feel of a country song- 'You're no better than you ought to be, but you're good enough for me,' to quote a song from the script-well, that's on purpose. It was gleefully played by a gleefully miscast ensemble, which included Sigourney Weaver, as the whiny, weak Carolee; Kevin Kline as…the pot-smoking, libidinous and self-justifying Lothario, and the lithe, soft-spoken Phoebe Cates as Carolee's bawdy, bosomy confidante." Bruce Weber, The New York Times
Alessandro Camon's two-hander transpires in overlapping monologues between Anna Jackson, a traumatized shut-in whose police officer son was killed in the line of duty, and Gabriel Wayland, a prison inmate in solitary confinement. The characters-both sympathetic, both impassioned-hold forth about their radically different views on the nature of time, regret and the criminal justice system. Gabriel speaks from his cell, Anna from the prison-like home. "…His drama comes full circle in a beautifully realized denouement that emphasizes not only our human need for connection, but our innate and sometimes surprising capacity for forgiveness." F Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times "I was riveted…sharp writing and observations… In their haunted isolation, for all their differences, victim and perpetrator both experience time as a tool of torture. And then, in a twist I can't give away, they discover a connection that carries with it a hint of redemption." Steve Lopez, Los Angeles TimesStunning… Poetic writing… An inspired two-hander that casts a jaundiced eye on the criminal justice and prison systems… Camon employs the same grim nuance that was so successful in his Oscar-nominated screenplay for The Messenger… His familiarity with the subject brings immediacy as well as emotional and psychological veracity to his writing." The Hollywood Reporter
Three years ago, Sarah Kennedy thought she was hired as a translator for a corporate military prison in Baghdad, only to discover that she would be acting as an interrogator instead, retrieving information from prisoners of war-by any means necessary. Now, Lily Strauss, a disgraced reporter in the waning days of newspaper journalism, must uncover Sarah's story, cutting through webs of corporate lies and government deception until finally faced with the choice between her own journalistic ideals, and the devastating consequences of telling the truth. ON THE HEAD OF A PIN, a new political thriller, is an exploration of who watches the watchers, and what happens when they look away. "Frank Winters is a promising playwright." Frank Scheck, New York Post "Expert, thrilling, and surefooted as anything on stage in New York City this season! Vividly told, vividly acted, vividly directed-ON THE HEAD OF A PIN sweeps us away!" Theaterscene.net "Captivating-this is a play to place on your `must see' list!" Theatre Reviews Limited "A fast-paced, straight-on, suspenseful script-these `strange men' definitely promise a broad appeal to theatre audiences!' Galo Magazine
Damaged Language contains four radio plays by Richard Nelson:LANGUAGES SPOKEN HERE Giles Cooper Award winner "a morally ambiguous comedy…an American in London thinks he's translating a novel by a penniless Polish emigre, only to find, after befriending and patronizing him, that the Pole has ditched his benefactor for another hack… True and funny as well." Paul Ferris, The Observer "A neat, beautifully written, serious comedy about translation, exile and betrayal-one of the very best on Radio 3 last year." Nigel Andrews, The Listener "A rare sort of treat…a very funny play, delicate in its touches, but sharp as a needle." Gillian Reynolds, The Daily TelegraphEATING WORDS Giles Cooper Award winner "Totally enthralling… Richard Nelson is God's gift (or at least America's) to English radio drama." Nigel Andrews, The Listener "A thoroughly absorbing account of two writers on a drunken tour of London." Plays and Players ADVICE TO EASTERN EUROPE "A masterly short play-a post-Cold War romance that is witty [and] technically bold-examines how one woman's Utopia may be another person's capitalist nightmare." Quentin Curtis, The Independent on SundayTHE AMERICAN WIFE "A reminder that Nelson is the sharpest observer around of the gulf separating Britain and America." Michael Billington, The Guardian
Alice intends to end her life in the Badlands of South Dakota, alone, in nature, only she keeps being saved by a Cowboy, out on a silent retreat. It could be an American romance story, but Alice didn't ask to be saved. She doesn't want saving by the Cowboy, and she certainly doesn't want it from the Man who has driven across country, and who has walked miles and miles to come and take her back home. Men are the cause and reason for her despair, and yet these two men, determined to be heroes, won't let her have her pain, as her own. Until it's too late.
The period between life and rebirth involves 49 days and three states of Bardo according to The Tibetan Book of the Dead. On a clear day and in a fit of bravery, Clyde Macey follows his unrequited love for a stranger named Syvia, only to enter this Bardo cycle when his car hits a tree. He can't let go of his life alone, and the Bardo is scary, vast, and painful. And, he's American; he hasn't prepared for this Tibetan ritual of passage. With the help of Syvia, her husband Will, and two other reluctant guides, Mel and Myra, Clyde can finally be heard, loved, reborn, and free.
"A deliciously clever theatrical rom-com… As we left the theatre after the show, an enthralled audience member exclaimed, 'That was charming, really charming.' And it was. Three superb actors, one great text, and a director with a strong eye for detail ensures a production that is deeply satisfying to watch… Victor L Cahn's script is soaked in optimism. It feels like he is rooting for relationships. He unpacks the complexity of relationship compromise in an inventive, funny, and creative way. He allows for marvelous character development and enjoyable slaloming through the winding twists of the plot. He has cut away any extraneous fat and allowed for a precise, lean offering that leaves you perfectly sated. ROMANTIC TRAPEZOID is a sophisticated comedy that deals with the complexities of modern relationships with wit and intelligence." stagebiz.com "ROMANTIC TRAPEZOID is a romantic whirlwind that takes us through the course of love that starts out doomed and ends stronger than ever." Clubsocial-ny.com "Bubbly, clever, and fresh." theatrescene.net "A brisk look into commitment issues…vibrant, funny, and refreshing…Cahn's script can veer smartly from the classic romantic trope it musters…the play is a quick "pick me up' for anyone that wants to see a pair fall and rise again to realize, indeed, they are a dynamic duo." Diandrareviewsitall.com "Adorable, retro romantic caper…engaging and lovely to observe . . . a highly entertaining series of vignettes." Robertaonthearts.com
Richard Lamparsky is divorced, unsuccessful, and 40. Stephanie Winwood is beautiful, rich, and 28. But she's also just been stood up for her own lavish wedding at the Waldorf Astoria…which is where Richard comes in. Stephanie needs a stand-in groom…and Richard needs a whole new life. But he's about to find out that it's not quite the fairy tale it seems. "The unusual love triangle at the heart of Lia Romeo's knee-slapping PG-rated sex comedy, RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME, pits well-to-do, hot-to-trot divorcee Gloria Winwood against her equally wealthy and equally oversexed daughter, Stephanie, in an open-and even friendly-competition for the dubious affections of increasingly intoxicated romance novelist Richard Lamparsky, who still has some unresolved feelings for his snippy, rune-faced ex-wife Linda Martin. Gloria picks Richard up in the bar of the Waldorf Astoria, where he is getting more and more sozzled while impatiently waiting for Linda to show up. Then the middle-aged woman-on-the-make whisks Richard upstairs to her luxurious suite of rooms, where Stephanie the boohooing bride-to-be is wondering why her runaway bridegroom Mark is an embarassing no-show on their wedding day. After Richard and Stephanie drown their separate sorrows in alcohol, quicker than you can say Rebound Romance, a marathon session of bedroom bingo ensues. Then Linda and Mark turn up unexpectedly and at different times, like two proverbial snakes at a garden party. But will the unwelcome appearance of Richard's ex-wife and Stephanie's ex-fiancé squelch the Kardasian-like ardor that's raising the room temperature 10 degrees? Dear reader, you will have to [see] RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME to find out. …this comic soufflé… …in the right place at the right time for laughs." Robert W McDowell, Triangle Arts & Entertainment
"Remind[s] me that being scared at the theatre is fantastic." New York Post "MASSACRE is a brilliantly sustained banshee wail of madness." Vulture.com "Rivera is a poet who is also a clown, an American playwright whose dramas mingle our homegrown psychological naturalism with symbol-heavy European idea-drama and lush infusions of Latin American magic realism." Michael Feingold, The Village Voice "A deeply unsettling play." Curtain Up
This moral thriller unfolds as a mysterious man and woman meet for a tryst on a bench in the garden of an anonymous luxury hotel. "With HOW SHALL WE BE SAVED? Freed has created a heady psychological whodunit that questions both past and present in order to give us some insight into our fragile lives and collective future." The Hollywood Reporter "HOW SHALL WE BE SAVED? [is] succinct and powerful." Royal Shakespeare Company
"The vast reservoir of pop culture Lyle mines to create dialogue that is both realistic and stylized reveals a kind of Aspergery love of language that's hard to overpraise. The play isn't laden with jokes so much as a way of saying things with hilarious understatement. You may want to see it twice just to hear all the lines you missed the first time."Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice "It could have been enough for Lyle to set the entire play at this awkward, weird, and painfully honest barbecue; he still would have ended up with an engaging lark that's sitcom-funny. But then he decides to end the world."Lyndsey Wilson, D Magazine "BARBECUE APOCALYPSE is a tasty nine-layer dip of comedy commentary about the slippery matters of marriage, adult friendships and career failure (real or perceived)."Elaine Liner, Dallas Observer "A good comedy makes you laugh. A really good one makes you think. BARBECUE APOCALYPSE is a really good comedy."Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News "A hilarious frenzy of existential angst."Martha Heimberg, TheaterJones.com "BARBECUE APOCALYPSE suggests, in no uncertain terms, that these thoroughly average Americans were far more savage when they were sipping mango margaritas and failing to make small talk as compared to a year later when their new hobbies include devouring raccoons and threatening to stab electronic devices, among other acts defined as depraved by current standards of decorum."Kevin Greene, Chicago Stage Standard
"Tammy Ryan's poignant SOLIDER'S HEART shines a light on the struggles facing woman warriors...a tense, raw, troubling and no-nonsense examination of what happens to soldiers, particularly female soldiers, serving in the military...This is not an easy play to watch. Nor is it meant to be."Alice Carter, Tribune "Portrayls of soldiers wrecked by war date to the ancient Greeks (see Aeschylus), but Ms Ryan adeptly reworks the time-tested recipe from a woman's perspective to make it seem fresh again...Briskly written in brief scenes that easily flash back and forth...the subject of sexual assault in the military gives the play weight and merit. Ms. Ryan deftly layers critical incidents that culminate in a forceful climax...Frank, colloquial language delivers a strong sense of spontaneity."Michael Sommers, New York Times "Ryan brings a searing story to life about the high cost of war...Ryan's play could border on political [but] it's all about relationships: what you give up in times of war and how families are destroyed in the process...a disturbing, topical production, building on the terror and sacrifices that never-ending wars entail." Liz Keill, The Alternative Press "Ryan brings a heart-wrenching experience into alignment with the blisteringly traumatic aftershock of rape...It is a story worth telling." Simon Saltzman, Curtain Up "Tammy Ryan has written an intense drama that grabs you from the first scene and doesn't let go until the lights go down two hours later...a story with a strong dramatic arc...on an important subject with which we must deal decisively, now." Ruth Ross, NJ Arts Maven "...richly nuanced, three-dimensional characters and a neatly constructed, riveting story. Ryan has done her homework." Bob Rendell, Talkin' Broadway
Carter Bartosek, a foreign correspondent stationed in Beirut, returns to his Midwest hometown for the funeral of his best friend, a former congressman who apparently took his own life while high on alcohol and painkillers. Carter discovers that his friend had left the larger political arena in order to run for mayor of this town, which has transformed itself from an industrial community in decline to a high-tech hub, and that his progressive agenda might have alienated certain members of this now affluent municipality. Over the course of five days, Carter kicks through the ashes of his childhood and confronts those people whom he considers to be his extended family in search of the truth surrounding this alleged suicide. Was his friend murdered for his politics? And, if so, what does that say about Carter himself and this bucolic place he once called home?"Mysteriously magic BLISSFIELD presents a compelling case ... A piece that clicks along smoothly with suspense and surprise and finishes with a tremendous kick of irony ... It's like a terrific B-movie, with brains - and a conscience." -Chicago Tribune"A total success ... Douglas Post has a gift for suspense, and he creates a genuine curiosity and, thankfully, a satisfying revelation." -New City"Crisp and compelling ... Post's play is full of twists and turns involving love affairs and alienated affection, precocious children and greed ... It reminded me of Roman Polanski's Chinatown." -Windy City Times"It's not the simple story of a detective coming in, finding the corpse, and going about looking for the killer. BLISSFIELD looks at the impact of urban renewal on an intimate level, and the emotional attachment we have to the places where we grew up." -Stagebill"Situational murder ... Just when this black-and-white morality play seems cut-and-dried out, it takes a marvelous turn for the gray ... We're left with a far more disturbing reaction than a murder mystery elicits." -Chicago Free Press
B F Fs Nicky and Isobel, home from their first year of college, spend the summer on Isobel's rooftop collecting both experiences and people while shooting a dogma-style reality film about their summer. But when they add Rexx to their collection, and their old friend Tiger returns from rehab, will this temporary paradise be lost? "I am extremely taken and impressed with her work and find everything she writes to be infused with a most intriguing and original voice...I think Brooke is a first rate talent and will distinguish herself in the American theater."Christopher Durang "Ms Berman has a vigorous interest in turning over the rocks in contemporary relationships to find what is growing underneath."The New York Times on A PERFECT COUPLE "Twisted obsession is just one of the themes that Berman navigates with skill and humor."David Cote, Time Out New York on SMASHING "Brooke Berman has proven herself a playwright to watch."Curtain Up on THE TRIPLE HAPPINESS
When Thomas D'Angelo pays a long overdue visit to his Italian grandparents, he soon finds himself caught in the middle of the ongoing, if farcical, war between the two. His grandmother, intent on plumping him up with home cooking, is sure she'll win him over to her side. His grandfather, meanwhile, surreptitiously schemes to make Thomas his ally. Never mind that Thomas has come, in part, to seek advice over the strained relationship he has with their son, his father. He has his hands full just trying to restore calm to the household. But as he works to negotiate a peace between his grandparents, he finds within himself the possibility to resolve the struggles he faces with his father. As marvelous a confection as her famous tiramisu, GRANDMA SERAFINA'S serves up a family-sized helping of delicious hilarity.
"At first glance Brett Neveu's new play looks like yet another ripped-from-the-headlines docudrama: a troubled college freshman submits a disturbingly violent first-person story to his fiction-writing class, consequently pitting an adjunct professor's insistence on the student's free-speech rights against the college president's need to protect his institution's reputation. (The story is based on a 2003 incident at San Francisco's Academy of Art University.) But when the student turns out to be an Iraq war vet and a military criminal psychologist shows up to investigate the possibility of war crimes-among other things-HARMLESS becomes a Mametian cat-and-mouse game full of ethical ambiguities and sickening betrayals. ...an engrossing and harrowing ride."Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader "A powerful jolt to one's head." Chicago Tribune
They seemed like the perfect couple. Attractive. Well-educated. Affluent. Why did the husband brutally murder his wife and take his own life? Aaron and Henry, two young wannabe screenwriters at a writer's retreat struggle with crippling blocks as they seek to solve the mystery. Shawn, an academic teetering on the edge of insanity grapples with her own possible involvement in the killing, while writing a book about America's obsession with violence. Meanwhile, the murder victim's sister attempts to reconstruct the truth from the ashes of her late sister's diary, becoming a celebrity in the process. What really happened that violent night, and will any of them come close to uncovering the truth?"MIMESOPHOBIA [is] defined as 'the morbid fear of slavish imitation' ... The work is framed as a reality TV show, documentary reenactment, description of a film script and a murder mystery all rolled into a 100-minute show. The result is a theatrical exercise that is an intelligent, funny, satirical look into the American obsession with violence. Our voyeuristic instincts make murder and the cult of celebrity into a fun spectator sport that we can't get enough of. MIMESOPHOBIA unravels as part murder mystery, part reality TV show, with a glimpse into the creation of a film. Playwright Murillo structures much of the work using a film script description complete with camera shot directions. This effectively paints the action in our minds eye as it evokes humor and wit from the camera point of view. The work dodges between Hollywood and Hyde Park Chicago as it tracks one family's tragedy ... The work demands our full attention as it moves briskly between forms to tell the story. Sprinkles of wit, satire and raw humor propel this challenging work ... This provocative play has many levels of meaning that contain cautionary elements about contemporary entertainment." -Tom Williams, Chicago Critic"Funny, provocative, and poignant, MIMESOPHOBIA is a huge success ... and one of the more refreshing plays to land this season." -Scotty Zacher, Chicago Theater Beat
Several years after tragedy impacted their lives, a family comes together once again for Thanksgiving dinner. While family members struggle to come to terms with residual anger, grief and guilt, Jack Canfora's thought-provoking play explores how people cope with personal and collective catastrophe. Displaying surprising humor and biting wit, this Jericho, Long Island clan exposes their desperate strategies for resolution and redemption."JERICHO is a play about September 11. It is also a traumatic-Thanksgiving-dinner-with-the-family play and a play about being Jewish. All in all, it is a lovely, humorous work with laughs that resolve into a meditation on the pains and satisfactions of living after a tragedy ... It is a real accomplishment ... Mr Canfora has delivered a smart, hard-hitting drama filled with biting wit. JERICHO doesn't leave audiences with an easily summarized message, but it's difficult to forget one of Beth's lines from the first scene: 'There are some things it should be impossible to recover from.'" -New York Times"JERICHO [will] show you how a bracingly adult, contemporary play can be a thrill-ride in itself ... by balancing the truly gut-wrenching emotional fireworks with a bitterly snarky sense of humor." -Asbury Park Press"Canfora's dialogue shows a true writer at work." -Newark Star-Ledger"An important addition to the repertoire of the American stage." -Theatre Communications Group
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