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The Shadow Box

Play

Overview

Synopsis

Joe, Brian, and Felicity come from different walks of life, different parts of the country, and are in different stages of accepting the things they have in common: they are all dying of cancer, and they are all living out their final days, in company with friends and family, in homey hospice cottages on the green and pleasant grounds of a large California hospital. They are observed, studied, and counseled by an invisible Interviewer as they talk candidly about their emotional and physical struggles, and face interpersonal challenges: Joe’s wife Maggie, in denial about her husband’s impending death, refuses to go inside his cottage; artistic Brian, busy trying to write and paint enough for twelve lifetimes, must mediate between his ex-wife Beverly and his boyfriend Mark; and Felicity, confused and in pain, refuses to die until she gets a visit from her daughter Claire -- a daughter who has been dead for years. Michael Cristofer’s sensitive, emotionally devastating, ground-breaking play exploring the end of life experience won both a Tony Award for Best Play and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1977.

Show Information

Category
Play
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
1977
Genres
Drama
Settings
Multiple Settings, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
1970s, california, a hospital, hospice cottages
Cast Size
medium
Licensor
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Early Teen, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast

Characters

Showing 8 of 9 characters

Character Portrayals

See StageAgent members who have performed roles in The Shadow Box.

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Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Quizzes

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