THE DESIGNATED MOURNER
The Designated Mourner (1996), by Wallace Shawn, author of My Dinner With Andre, is a series of events of three characters told in monologues and dialogues shifting from one character to the next. The tone of the piece is conversational and direct, giving the audience the feeling that they are listening to these characters at a dinner party. The subject matter is at times somber and melancholy; sometimes funny. The world-weary humor finds its way into the material which becomes both entertaining and poignant as we slowly realize the fate of their small social group of intellectuals, who are first watched by their government; and then later imprisoned (presumably for their political views). By observation, the audience realizes that the complacency and comfort this group of educated prominent citizens feel about their place in society has been an illusion, as their political freedom slowly slips from their grasp, as the government becomes more onerous and suspicious. A play with an ending that is a beginning.
Written by
WALLACE SHAWN
Directed by
JEFF CULBERT
Presented by
AUSABLE THEATRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH LONDON COMMUNITY PLAYERS
WALLACE SHAWN
Directed by
JEFF CULBERT
Presented by
AUSABLE THEATRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH LONDON COMMUNITY PLAYERS