Will, Arbery – författare

Isabel's got pains. Anne's got slugs. And Genevieve doesn't want to talk about hers. She just wants you to eat the damn hummus (she made it!). Let's talk about family nightmares. We mean uh memories.

It's nearing midnight in Wyoming where four young conservatives have gathered at a backyard after-party. They've returned home to toast their mentor Gina newly inducted as president of a tiny Catholic college. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and clashing generational politics it becomes less a celebration than a vicious fight to be understood. On a chilly night in the middle of America Will Arbery's haunting play offers grace and disarming clarity speaking to the heart of a country at war with itself.

Ginny and her half-brother Christopher are unmoored in the wake of their mother's death. Their close family friend Justice introduces them to a local artist named Lot a recluse and outsider hoping that he and Ginny can make a song together. Maybe that'll help somehow.In this restless quartet about caretaking and caregiving in which the very fabric of reality is up for debate Will Arbery charts the quiet particular contracts of the heart that forge a new family."Will Arbery is quickly establishing himself as the poet of Texas loneliness. He is one of the most exciting playwrights working in the American theatre stretching the form to new shapes and expanding his voice with each successive play." - Exeunt NYC"Bravely Corsicana is a play that acknowledges the agency and sexual desires of people that still exist in the popular imagination as helpless and sexless - accessories to one's altruism rather than complete and dynamic human beings." - TheaterMania"A strange and beautiful new play... without ignoring the bone-deep sadness of characters confused and stymied by loss it lets us watch them climb their way out of it - heading toward joy and sharing some in the process." - The New York Times

Winters keep getting worse in Evanston IL where salt truck drivers Peter and Basil battle the ice and snow and pass the time with jokes and stories. But what's with this creeping sense of dread? Is it because their boss Maiworm has noble visions of new green technology that would make their jobs obsolete? Or is there a more terrifying warning calling out from under these roads? At least they have each other right?Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Arbery confronts humanity's darkest fears with humor warmth and the fortitude of municipal public servants in this play about climate and change."Arbery is one of the theater's greatest listeners able to hear and reproduce the subtle and deeply specific ways individuals reveal themselves and their relationships to others with language." - The New York Times Magazine"In a great piece of art you'll have one moment where the truth will punch through. But in a profoundly generous piece of art like Evanston - a play that is theoretical painful deep and hysterically funny - those moments of truth keep punching through and through and through." - BOMB Magazine"A pitch-dark comedy... Arbery is the playwright of the moment... writing about issues that tend to lead to indulgent hopelessness. ...But what if looking right into the heart of catastrophe could actually get us to act?" - The New Yorker

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Dragby Gina GionfriddoA serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don’t help anyone. It’s a matter of urban survival.Slaveyby Sigrid GilmerIn which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave.Dotby Kate E. RyanIn which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret?Baby Screams Miracleby Clare BarronIn which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather’s not over yet.Men on Boatsby Jaclyn BackhausTen explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River.Of Governmentby Agnes BorinskyThe adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided.Planoby Will ArberyTonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let’s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Dragby Gina GionfriddoA serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don’t help anyone. It’s a matter of urban survival.Slaveyby Sigrid GilmerIn which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave.Dotby Kate E. RyanIn which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret?Baby Screams Miracleby Clare BarronIn which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather’s not over yet.Men on Boatsby Jaclyn BackhausTen explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River.Of Governmentby Agnes BorinskyThe adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided.Planoby Will ArberyTonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let’s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb''s Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Drag by Gina GionfriddoA serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don''t help anyone. It''s a matter of urban survival. Slavey by Sigrid GilmerIn which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave. Dot by Kate E. RyanIn which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret? Baby Screams Miracle by Clare Barron In which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather''s not over yet. Men on Boats by Jaclyn BackhausTen explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. Of Government by Agnes BorinskyThe adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided. Plano by Will ArberyTonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let''s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Unusual Stories, Unusually Told celebrates some of the boldest contemporary American voices with seven plays from Clubbed Thumb''s Summerworks. Spanning 2001 to 2019 and accompanied by artist interviews and reflections on the work, this anthology presents a vital survey of formally inventive 21st century playwriting, and is a perfect collection for study and performance. U.S. Drag by Gina GionfriddoA serial killer named Ed stalks the city, luring his victims by asking for help. To protect themselves, a group of New Yorkers form SAFE, “Stay Away From Ed.” The first rule: don''t help anyone. It''s a matter of urban survival. Slavey by Sigrid GilmerIn which Robert and Nora, a couple on the rise, get a big promotion, a bigger house, and a brand new slave. Dot by Kate E. RyanIn which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this TV, a book, or maybe even a cabaret? Baby Screams Miracle by Clare Barron In which a freak storm knocks down all the trees in town and a prodigal daughter is taught a new way to pray. But the weird weather''s not over yet. Men on Boats by Jaclyn BackhausTen explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men On Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. Of Government by Agnes BorinskyThe adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided. Plano by Will ArberyTonight, and later, and earlier, three sisters (no, not those ones) are stricken with a series of strange plagues. Let''s talk about family nightmares. I mean, uh, memories.

Each edition of the Occasional invites a guest editor to talk with artists, thinkers, and members of our community about questions that we have and topics that move us. For the second installment, Sylvan Oswald asks directors how they approach texts that are out of the mainstream of theater's conventions.