THE STORIES: SQUASH. A professor of classic literature finds himself questioning his identity when a student presents an intriguing take on Plato’s Symposium. Boundaries are tested and personal lives are upended as teacher and student grapple with sexuality, love, and sport. (2 men, 1 woman.)
AJAX. An intrepid student adapts Sophocles’ defining war epic to the amusement of his English professor, a passionate ex-actress, who finds herself entangled with every aspect of the play—including the playwright. (1 man, 1 woman.)
“A tickling breeze of possibilities ripples through TWO CLASS ACTS…That spirit, with its enthusiastic sense of art’s potential to portray and effect transformations, is youthful in nature…these works [are] imbued with a giddy openness to change that seems to be as much a part of Mr. Gurney’s DNA as his anthropological dedication to a vanishing class of patricians…AJAX is best perceived as a happy fantasy, one that bubbles with the belief that borders of all sorts were meant to be leapt over…[SQUASH] emanates a similarly optimistic glow…” —The New York Times.
“Sometimes, all the right elements come together to make a production that’s just delightful. In TWO CLASS ACTS, those include forbidden romances, identity questions, academic debates, and an intriguing blend of classical themes in contemporary contexts.” —Theasy.
“…witty, provocative and sophisticated…The playwright continues to demonstrate that he has a wise and discerning view of the human condition.” —Theater Scene.
Included in the collection
Two Class Acts.
