New Life

2 m, 2 w approximate running time 1 hr 20 min

In order to satisfy the demands of reparative therapy (the practice to convert gays and lesbians to heterosexuality), Luke must take some drastic steps: aside from forming non-sexual relationships with his long-idealized macho peers, he must also detach himself from his mother, and establish a closer, more synergetic relationship with his distant father. Luke's father Frank, a hard-drinking, middle aged, hunting enthusiast, is navigating a crisis of his own: he's all but left his wife Robin of thirty years, and is trying to manage a relationship with a young, ambitious realtor, Lauren.

This play is a departure for me for several reasons. First, I developed it in a workshop environment, which I’d never done before. Second, it has a small cast, and is a simple, straightforward play; not at all like the elaborate epics I previously took on. Finally, this play is firmly set in middle America, a cultural territory not altogether familiar to me. 

Still, I had a great time working on New Life. The result is a simpler, subtler family drama. Yet, as my friend and colleague John Eisner from the Lark said: “it’s still an epic.”

Productions - Readings - Awards
Lark Theatre Company - first public reading - March 4, 2010