the other america
synopsis
Senator George Danton is a very powerful man. He is also a man haunted by the ghosts of those in whose great shadows he wanted to follow--and the ghosts of those he killed.
In the wake of a terrible Constitutional crisis, Danton steps in to bring back peace to the United States. On his journey he learns the deep secrets of his own psyche and is undone by the same actions he set in motion.
Narrated by Benjamin Franklin, this play weaves together traditional theatrical elements with prodigiuous use of multimedia.
Based upon the play Danton's Death, by George Buchner.
live characters
- George Danton, junior senator from Louisiana
- Julie Danton, George's wife, Executive Director of ILK
- Max Robespierre, formerly the senior senator from Louisiana, now President of the United States
- Marion, a lounge singer
- Benjamin Franklin, the play's narrator
- Ronald Reagan, the former president
- Robert Kennedy, former senator from New York
- Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights leader
- Abraham Lincoln, the former president
- A young boy, a ghost that haunts George Danton
characters on video only
- Bob, a newscaster
- Joe,an average American
- Larry Saint Just, Robespierre's campaign manager and chief of staff
- Margaret, from Riverton, Wyoming
- Reporter, an on-the-scene reporter
- Sofia Phillips, a news analyst
- Senator Samuels,a colleague of George Danton's
- A Deep Voice, like Paul Robeson or James Earl Jones
Through doubling and tripling the cast of this play can be reduced to nine.
status
Most recently this play received a reading at Artists Repertory Theatre as part of their PlayLabs series. This play has also received a reading at Portland Center Stage, as part of the PCS PlayGroup. It is currently being revised.