Overview
Synopsis
Beth has been violently beaten - to the point of brain damage - by her overly jealous husband, Jake. As the play begins, she is being cared for by her family. Her brother-in-law, Frankie soon arrives, trying to figure out if Beth survived Jake’s beating. Beth’s father, mistaking Frankie for a deer, shoots him in the leg, and then brings Frankie into their home to care for his injury. Meanwhile, Jake, convinced that he has killed his wife, is slipping into a downward spiral. His possessive and overprotective mother Lorraine, and his sister, Sally, care for him until he slips away from them, determined to see Beth, alive or dead, one last time. Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind examines what it means to be a family, and whether or not the family bond truly ties individuals together.
Show Information
- Book
- Sam Shepard
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1985
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- in the first act there are no walls to define locations - only furniture and props and light in the bare space, in the second and third acts walls are brought in to delineate the rooms on either side of the stage. only two walls on each platform with no ceilings.
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- professional theatre, university / college theatre, community theatre, amateur theatre, Includes Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Music Notes from playwright Sam Shepard:
“In the original New York production, which I directed, I had the good fortune to encounter a bluegrass group called: The Red Clay Ramblers, out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Their musical sensibilities, musicianship and great repertoire of traditional and original tunes fit the play like a glove. It would be stretching the limits of this publication to include all the lyrics and music notations that were such an integral part of that production. But,
to read the context for A Lie of the Mind and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
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
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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