Shanktown
135 minutes – one intermission – 4m, 3w, 1 non-binary
There’s a patriarch whose power is waning fast, a questionable friend, an estranged son and a clinging daughter. There’s a possibly autistic boy, a definitely helpless mother, a social worker with secrets and a pregnant wife who meets with unspeakable loss. Like an ancient Greek tragedy shot through with modern-day laughs, the play takes place in a single room with dramatic events raging nonstop outside. It’s an emotional processing arena and a kind of crucible that holds the potential for understanding, forgiveness, self-actualization, and joy. And just a few miles away there’s Shanktown, inspiring everything from hate to hope.
Production History: Workshopped scenes in Pipeline Collective Salon (Nashville, TN) from January 2020–August 2020.
Developmental virtual reading with professional actors and director in Nashville, TN, August 11, 2020.
Selected among six finalists by Playhouse on the Square (Memphis, TN) for staged reading in New Works competition, December 2020.
Winner of competition and awarded a full professional production.
World Premiere, Playhouse on the Square (Memphis, TN), July 8-24, 2022.
