Overview
Synopsis
Paula Vogel’s groundbreaking and controversial play How I Learned to Drive tells the story of a young girl who grows up in a complex and sexually abusive relationship with her uncle in 1960’s Maryland. The play follows the young girl, Lil’ Bit, from her adolescence through college years and ends with her as a thirty-something adult. Although Lil’ Bit and her uncle share a mutual understanding and care deeply for one another, the years of manipulation and sexual confusion eventually drive them apart and wreak havoc on both of their psyches.
How I Learned to Drive won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1998. It premiered off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theater in March 1997, starring Mary Louise Parker as Lil’ Bit, with David Morse as Uncle Peck. Since its premiere, Drive has been produced all over the world, with featured productions in Washington, DC, Baltimore, New York, and London, among others.
Show Information
- Book
- Paula Vogel
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1997
- Genres
- Drama, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- 1960s, rural maryland
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Child, Early Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Late Teen Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Female |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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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
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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