THE STORY: A man and two women (brother and sister?) meet after attending a funeral (their father’s?), a time when so much needs to be articulated and understood. And yet, somehow, they cannot bridge the gulf of self-consciousness that separates them, and can only speak at each other, and via the stage directions which are normally meant to be unheard by the audience. The effect is oblique speech, as though they were present and yet not present, but what is unspoken becomes eloquently clear—and, in the end, reveals the deeper truths that direct statement could only hint at.
One of the four plays comprising
The Quannapowitt Quartet. Highly original and inventive, this touching yet funny play examines the desperate helplessness which happens when needed communication cannot be voiced.
Included in the collection
Stage Directions and Spared.
