Christopher Shinn's Official Website
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Broadway World
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Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
This contains Dramatists' information on Dying City
Artslynx International Arts Resources
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Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Dramaturg's Statement
Dying City is a two person show. The script requirements are minimal which leaves a lot to the imagination. The script leaves room for actors of any race or ethnicity to be cast. Craig and Peter are twin brothers and are to be played by the same actor. Craig is a straight man who studies American literature and a soldier in the US Army. Peter is a homosexual man and an actor. Kelly is a psychologist.
In the play, Kelly is visited by her late husband Craig’s twin brother Peter. She is packed up and ready to move away from her life. She is ready to move on with her life and forget about what the unusual circumstances that surround Craig’s death. She has been avoiding contact with Peter, who sent her several letters and has moved to the city to be close to her. She has a conversation with Peter that causes her to remember the last night that she spent with Craig. As the play moves forward, the real story starts to emerge. It is revealed that Craig took his own life. As the mystery surrounding the whole story is revealed, the characters are seen as they really are.
The dialogue throughout the show is humorless. There is no comic relief or light moments. The story is meant to be mysterious and somewhat dark, and it should be treated as such. It is a dark and unique story, and should not be treated like that of a soap opera. There needs to be real artistic use of the set, lighting, and costumes. The openness of the play leaves it open to artistic input from everyone.
The first problem that needs to be addressed is the costume issue. The scenes run seamlessly from present to past and back to present. It is set up so that Peter leaves the room and emerges as Craig a year earlier. The costumes would have to be made so that they can be easily altered. In the present scenes, Kelly has been watching TV and packing her things in anticipation of moving. Peter is an actor and has just left one of his plays. In the past scenes, Kelly is at a going away party that she has thrown for Craig. Craig is attending his going away party. There would need to be a subtle difference between the past and present scenes. The more minimalistic and simple the costume alterations are, the smoother the play will run.
The next problem that needs to be addressed is the set. The set would need to be altered slightly as the costumes did. All of the scenes take place in Kelly and Craig’s apartment. In the present scenes, Kelly has packed up everything and is planning on moving. The apartment is empty for the most part. In the past scenes, Craig is having a going away party. This problem could be addressed in several ways.
In the play, Kelly is visited by her late husband Craig’s twin brother Peter. She is packed up and ready to move away from her life. She is ready to move on with her life and forget about what the unusual circumstances that surround Craig’s death. She has been avoiding contact with Peter, who sent her several letters and has moved to the city to be close to her. She has a conversation with Peter that causes her to remember the last night that she spent with Craig. As the play moves forward, the real story starts to emerge. It is revealed that Craig took his own life. As the mystery surrounding the whole story is revealed, the characters are seen as they really are.
The dialogue throughout the show is humorless. There is no comic relief or light moments. The story is meant to be mysterious and somewhat dark, and it should be treated as such. It is a dark and unique story, and should not be treated like that of a soap opera. There needs to be real artistic use of the set, lighting, and costumes. The openness of the play leaves it open to artistic input from everyone.
The first problem that needs to be addressed is the costume issue. The scenes run seamlessly from present to past and back to present. It is set up so that Peter leaves the room and emerges as Craig a year earlier. The costumes would have to be made so that they can be easily altered. In the present scenes, Kelly has been watching TV and packing her things in anticipation of moving. Peter is an actor and has just left one of his plays. In the past scenes, Kelly is at a going away party that she has thrown for Craig. Craig is attending his going away party. There would need to be a subtle difference between the past and present scenes. The more minimalistic and simple the costume alterations are, the smoother the play will run.
The next problem that needs to be addressed is the set. The set would need to be altered slightly as the costumes did. All of the scenes take place in Kelly and Craig’s apartment. In the present scenes, Kelly has packed up everything and is planning on moving. The apartment is empty for the most part. In the past scenes, Craig is having a going away party. This problem could be addressed in several ways.
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