Down Came the Rain

Clark, Burgess' (American playwright, 19__-____), “Down Came the Rain,”

a 25-minute drama in English, set in a remote campsite, U.S.A., early evening, fall, 2007,

2m

© 2007 by Burgess Clark;

• in Burgess Clark’s Down Came the Rain (New York: Playscripts, Inc., 2007);

• script/rights available fro Playscripts, Inc., 325 West 38th Street, Suite 305, New York, New York, U.S.A., e-mail info@playscripts.com, http://www.playscripts.com, telephone 866-639-7529, fax 888-203-4519.

Dramatis Personae

Michael (m), 18, brother to Brucie; _Brucie (m), 14, mentally “slow” brother to Michael.

Synopsis

“Eighteen-year-old Michael and his fourteen-year-old brother Brucie–who has been considered mentally ‘slow’ since birth–venture out on a camping trip together. Brucie’s never-ending curiosity becomes increasingly unbearable to Michael, especially when the questions involve the death of their mother.”–Playscripts, Inc. - Burgess Clark, http://www.playscripts.com/author.php3?authorid=646, accessed March 18, 2008.

Comment

• “A tent dominates the upper portion of the stage. A small circle of stones representing a fire ring is in the lower section. Otherwise, requirements are few.”–Playscripts, Inc. - Down Came the Rain, http://www.playscripts.com/playview.php3?playid=1251, accessed March __, 2008.

• Michael, softly rugged, of medium build, is a young man of simple good looks; he is tolerant with an occasional cruelty and loves Brucie deeply. Brucie, small, frail, considered mentally “slow” all his life, depends on Michael for everything and returns simple love and admiration.

• “‘Down Came the Rain’ is a touching, sad, and ultimately hopeful exploration of two vastly different brothers, and how they navigate the delicacy of family and truth.

• “Burgess Clark's work has been produced both nationally and internationally. Productions of Purple Hearts have been produced in San Francisco and toured to the Edinburgh Theatre Festival in Scotland where it placed in the top five ‘Best of Fest’ which also received a special award from the U.S. Army and garnered him several other playwriting awards including ‘Best Play’ from the National Association of Speech and Dramatic Arts and the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award for playwriting. Mr. Clark was honored at the 15th Annual William Inge Theatre Festival as the ‘New Voice in American Theatre.’ He is distinguished as the recipient of the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild's Julie Harris Award for his play, The Ivory Alphabet. In 2000, he completed work on the Emmy-nominated documentary series Part of the Family for PBS, hosted by Gary Burghoff. In 1999, he was awarded the New England Playwright's Award for his drama, The Touch. Mr. Clark's other works include The Velveteen Rabbit, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Down Came the Rain, Relative Strangers, Cola Wars, Southern Cross, and The Immaculate Conception of Malfie Dibbs which received staged readings at the Missouri Repertory Theatre and went on to Los Angeles for a showcase run. Another of his plays, an adaptation of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales, has been performed at the National Theatre of the Deaf. Mr. Clark has taught playwriting for the University of Hawaii, The Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu Theatre For Youth, and the Office of Very Special Arts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where five of his students have won the Young Playwrights' Award. He served as the Managing Director for the Perry-Mansfield School of the Arts Summer Program in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for several years and is currently the Director of Education at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA [Massachusetts, U.S.A.]. A member of the Dramatists Guild, he makes his home in Vermont.”–Playscripts, Inc. - Burgess Clark.

Themes

brother-brother relationship, dependency, mental retardation, trust.