Overview
Synopsis
“Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” - Isaiah 26:19.
In a cramped Bronx apartment in Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing!, the Berger family laughs, cries, yells, and dreams of a better life. Bessie wants the family to survive, Jacob wants the working man to overthrow his capitalists overlords, Hennie wants to find happiness, and Ralph wants to be free of his family to make a life for himself. Their hopes, fears, dreams, and disappointments clash day and night, as each struggles for a better tomorrow—or did they already lose their shot before they even began? Since its iconic debut by members of the Group Theatre in 1935, Awake and Sing! has remained one of the most iconic plays of American 20th-century theatre.
Show Information
- Book
- Clifford Odets
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1935
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- The Berger family apartment in the Bronx, New York City, 1933
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Awake and Sing! marked playwright Clifford Odets’ Broadway debut. It premiered at the Belasco Theatre on February 19, 1935. The show was produced by the Group Theatre, directed by Harold Clurman, and starred Stella Adler (Bessie), Luther Adler (Moe), Morris Carnovsky (Jacob), John Garfield (Ralph), and Sanford Meisner (Sam). The production was a huge success, running 184 performances before closing July 27, 1935, then running another 24 performances for a limited run September 9-28, 1935. In
to read the context for Awake and Sing! and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
“All of the characters in Awake and Sing! Share a fundamental activity: a struggle for life amidst petty conditions.”
ACT ONE
Seated around the table in their cramped Bronx apartment, the Berger family is finishing dinner. Bessie and Myron’s son, Ralph, vents his frustrations about their situation. He is dissatisfied with his job, sick of struggling to make ends meet, angry at the lack of opportunities to advance himself, the lack of money, even of having his own bedroom. The
to read the plot for Awake and Sing! and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Videos
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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